Hebrews 9:21-28
 
Heb 9:21 (KJB)
Moreover he sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle, and all the vessels of the ministry.
 
Here is a general overview of the consecration of the tabernacle and all of the furniture and vessels used in the ministry of the priests. There are no specifics mentioned but we are being told that blood was the very common item which was used in the consecration.
 
Heb 9:22 (KJB)
And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.
 
Purged - Make clean or purify
Remission - Forgiveness, deliverance, or suspension of punishment
 
Here we have a very popular verse with a great meaning. First of all, the use of blood was mandatory for the forgiveness of sins under the law. This was the essence of the blood sacrifice in that it looked forward to the final sacrifice of Christ. There were three exceptions to this found in the Mosaic Law. First, a poor person could bring a meal offering for the sin offering. (Lev 5:11 KJV) But if he be not able to bring two turtledoves, or two young pigeons, then he that sinned shall bring for his offering the tenth part of an ephah of fine flour for a sin offering; he shall put no oil upon it, neither shall he put any frankincense thereon: for it is a sin offering. Secondly, after the rebellion of Korah only incense was used to make an atonement. (Num 16:46 KJV) And Moses said unto Aaron, Take a censer, and put fire therein from off the altar, and put on incense, and go quickly unto the congregation, and make an atonement for them: for there is wrath gone out from the LORD; the plague is begun. Thirdly, in Numbers 31:50 when something was won in battle they were to bring them close to the altar to make atonement for their souls. (Num 31:50 KJV) We have therefore brought an oblation for the LORD, what every man hath gotten, of jewels of gold, chains, and bracelets, rings, earrings, and tablets, to make an atonement for our souls before the LORD.
 
The second part of this verse has a double application. (Lev 17:11 KJV) For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul. Under the old covenant, the sins of a person were purged by blood and Leviticus 17:11 makes it clear that blood would make an atonement for the soul of the supplicant. The second major application this verse makes is the fact that under the new covenant, it is the blood of Christ which has been given to us to cleanse us and give us full pardon from our sins. So when you look at either the first or second covenant, they are both ratified with blood. No one can become saved under the new covenant unless they come through the cross of Christ and this is what the writer has been stating all along in this Epistle that the blood of Christ is superior to the blood of the animals under the first covenant.
 
Heb 9:23 (KJB)
It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.
 
Patterns - Copy, imitation, or representation
 
God gave Moses the pattern for the tabernacle and he copied it according to those plans. Since the tabernacle was an earthly representation, it was purified with things of this earth, that is, with the blood of the goats, sheep, and bulls. The ceremonial cleansing of the law had only cleansed the earthly and physical things. As you recall these sacrifices could not change the heart of the supplicant, just atone for the physical sins committed under the law. Now the real heavenly things had to be purified with a better sacrifice. The Christian who is cleansed by the blood of Christ is readied for Heaven at the moment of salvation. The true believer is purified by the blood of Christ and this purification is internal as the soul is completely washed clean of any and every sin. All the believers who were in Heaven prior to the Lord going to the cross, had been cleansed with His blood in principle and when He finally stated “it is finished,” the final cleansing of the believer both in Heaven and on earth was effected. This did not mean that those who were previously in Heaven before Christ were still sin filled, because if they were, they would not have been able to go to Heaven. They were under the blood of Christ from the beginning. The heavenly things had totally pertained to the gospel, Christ’s sacrifice being the great catalyst of salvation.
 
Heb 9:24 (KJB)
For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us:
 
In contrast to the earthly priests who entered into the earthly tabernacle, Christ did not enter into such an earthly edifice which was a figure of the true tabernacle in heaven. After His resurrection and then 40 days later, He ascended into the sanctuary of Heaven and now appears in the presence of God for us as our High Priest eternally. The earthly priests had to offer the sacrifices and represent the people to God in the earthly tabernacle but Christ appears in the very presence of God for His people.
 
Heb 9:25 (KJB)
Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others;
Every year the High priest was required to appear in the Holy of Holies on the Great Day of Atonement and offer sacrifices for the people of Israel. This was done for about 1,400 years minus the times Israel and Judah went into captivity or other circumstances which forbade the keeping of the Great Day of Atonement. So we can safely say that the High priest appeared many hundreds of times to perform this sacrifice. The great contrast between the earthly High Priest and Christ as the High Priest was that Christ only offered Himself once and never again because His sacrifice represented an eternal state and not a temporary state as the Mosaic system did. The Mosaic system ended in 33 A. D. but the grace system under Christ continues to this day.
 
Heb 9:26 (KJB)
For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.
 
If Christ would have been on the same par as the Levitical priests, then it would have been necessary for Him to sacrifice Himself many times since the beginning of the world. Now the author of Hebrews gives a great prophetic statement. The single sacrifice of Christ has ushered in the final stage of earth’s history. Since no more sacrifices for sin are to come, this means that in these final days from the cross on, is the calling and effecting of salvation in the lives of all those Christ named in His last will and testament. His sacrifice was so effective that it put away or abolished sin in the believer which was the cleansing of the heavenly things. When the last one becomes saved who Christ named, then that will usher in the last day when all the believers who have died in the past will be resurrected to eternal life being reunited with their bodies and also the unbelievers will be resurrected to face judgment for their sin.
 
Heb 9:27 (KJB)
And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:
 
Unless the Lord returns first, every human being, saved and unsaved will suffer physical death. For the believer they are immediately ushered into the presence of the Lord. (2 Cor 5:8 KJV) We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord. Their physical body goes into the grave and their souls go right to Heaven as cleansed souls by the blood of Christ. The unbelievers go to a place of silence until they are resurrected and then they will give an account before the Lord of their life. (Psa 115:17 KJV) The dead praise not the LORD, neither any that go down into silence. (John 5:28-29 KJV) Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, {29} And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.
 
Heb 9:28 (KJB)
So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.
 
The first time Christ came was concerning sin unto salvation which means He paid the penalty for the Elect who were named before the foundation of the world. The second time He will come it will be to bring home the Elect. The sin penalty was paid in His first appearance and therefore need not be dealt with upon His second coming. In fact, the second coming of Christ is dedicated to the bringing home of the Elect from earth and the judgment of the unsaved.
 
The word "appear" in this verse is a root word "horao" which carries with it the meaning of "see, look upon, take heed, or be visible." There are over 40 inflections of this word in the NT. There are other passages in the Bible which teach that when Christ returns, every eye shall see him and that harmonizes perfectly with Hebrews 9:28. All Christians look forward to the Lord's return with joy and dread. Joy because our days of suffering and testing are over. Dread because we look around and know that our unsaved family and friends face a Christless eternity in hell.

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