August 30
“Christ has not entered the holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us; not that He should offer Himself often, as the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood of another – He then would have had to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now, once at the end of the ages, He has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation,” Hebrews 9:24-28.
The Old Testament Tabernacle and everything that was in it was a copy or a type or a shadow of heaven itself. The Tabernacle had to be cleansed and consecrated with the blood of the sacrificial animals. The Old Testament High Priest entered the Most Holy Place once a year and offered the blood sacrifice first for his own sins and then for the sins of the people.
Jesus, as our High Priest, did not enter into the Tabernacle made with hands on earth. Having offered Himself on Calvary’s cross and having completed the work for our redemption, He entered into the heavenly Tabernacle, heaven itself. He completed the one all-sufficient sacrifice acceptable to God the Father.
The apostle Paul wrote to the Ephesians, “Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma,” Ephesians 5:2. Through the prophet Jeremiah, the Lord says, “I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more,” Jeremiah 32:34. The psalmist says, “As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us,” Psalm 103:12. He “put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself,” once and for all! Later, the Hebrew author writes, “Now where there is remission of these, there is no longer an offering for sin,” Hebrews 10:18.
We indeed will die, and then comes the day of judgment. Robed in the garments of Jesus’ blood and righteousness, we can stand before the judgment seat of God trusting in Jesus as God’s Son and our Savior. The apostle John wrote, “If anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world,” 1 John 2:1. Before the judgment seat of God we have an Advocate, the divine Attorney, who pleads for us.
Jesus has gone on before us to prepare a place for us, and He is coming again to receive us to Himself. We eagerly and patiently wait for His Second Coming, according to His promise: “If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also,” John 14:3. The Hebrew author writes, “To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation.”
The evangelist John closed the Book of Revelation with the Savior’s words, “He who testifies to these things says, ‘Surely I am coming quickly.’ Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!” Revelation 22:20. Come quickly!
“Come, ye disconsolate, where’er ye languish;
Come to the Mercy-seat, fervently kneel.
Here bring your wounded hearts, here tell your anguish;
Earth has no sorrow that Heav’n cannot heal.” Amen.