Sunday, November 27, 2011

Jesus' Historical Existence: One of the Best in the Ancient World

Billboards To Call Jesus A Myth
from the November 15, 2011 eNews issue
http://www.khouse.org (visit our website for a FREE subscription)

"I challenged my NT colleagues to designate one passage from any one of the four Gospels giving clear evidence of a date later than 50 A.D. . . . The challenge was not met, nor will it be, for there is no such passage." - C. C. Torrey, professor of Semitic Languages at Yale from 1900 to 1932.

The atheist groups are proselytizing unbelief again. This year, one group's seasonal billboards will blaze out beside highways in Florida, Ohio, and the New Jersey side of the Holland Tunnel the message that Jesus is a myth, just like the Roman god Neptune.

American Atheists has spent money for several years now on anti-faith billboard messages. The group announced on Monday its theme for the season - that Jesus is a myth. One billboard in Florida, for instance, will show pictures of both Jesus and Neptune crossed out and a caption that says, "2 Million Floridians don't believe in gods." Another shows pictures of Neptune, Jesus, Santa Claus and Satan under the headline, "37 Million Americans know MYTHS when they see them."

American Atheists is not alone. The trend of calling Jesus a myth (read "non-historical" or even "non-existent") has run along the west side of the United States too, albeit a bit badly. An atheist group called Backyard Skeptics got
drubbed in late October for wrongly attributing a skeptical quote to Thomas Jefferson. The group paid to put up a billboard of a picture of Jefferson along with the quote, "I do not find in Christianity one redeeming feature. It is founded on fables and mythology."

Thomas Jefferson said that?

In fact, there's no evidence that he did. According to the Jefferson Library Collection at Monticello, there is no record that Jefferson ever wrote those words. In his book Six Historic Americans (1906), John E. Remsburg claims that Jefferson wrote the following in a letter to a "Dr. Woods":

"I have recently been examining all the known superstitions of the world, and do not find in our particular superstition (Christianity) one redeeming feature. They are all alike, founded upon fables and mythologies."

The Jefferson Library (which should know) has said it gets queries about this quote from time to time, but has no knowledge of a letter to a Dr. Woods, nor of the existence of the quote in any of Jefferson's writings. Bruce Gleason of Backyard Skeptics accepted Monticello's authority on the matter. "You're absolutely right," he said. "I should have done the research before I put my billboard up."

The Living Christ:
The real issue, of course, isn't about Thomas Jefferson's opinions. The issue is that Jesus Christ's existence has a
great deal more substantiation than the god Neptune's.

In the strict, literary sense of the word, a myth is a sacred narrative explaining how the world came to be as it now is, according to the traditions of a particular culture. Myths are stories that are often believed by the cultures that hold them, whether that belief is justified or not. The connotation of the atheistic billboards is that, "These are all beings that don't really exist."

Contrary to the atheists' billboarded view, Jesus' historical existence and significance is one of the best, if not the best, documented in the ancient world. There are thousands of New Testament manuscripts in existence, some of which date back to the First and Second Centuries A.D.. The epistles of Paul are all down-to-earth letters that circulated to the followers of Jesus of Galilee whose fame the people of the First Century Mediterranean knew. Popular 19th and 20th century scholarship assigned late dates to the gospels and questioned their historical value, yet more recent scholarship has ridiculed those late-date claims as unfounded. There's little room to cover the extent of the arguments here, but as a small example, Biblical criticism and archeology have risen to the defense of John's gospel, which has long been dated later than Matthew, Mark, and Luke.

The Apostle John:
John – who repeatedly pressed Jesus' identity as the son of God - claimed to be an eyewitness of the events he described. He wrote in the first verse of his first epistle, "That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life."

At the end of his gospel, John wrote, "This is the disciple which testifieth of these things, and wrote these things: and we know that his testimony is true," (John 21:24).

While liberal in his theology, New Testament scholar John A.T. Robinson argues in his book Redating the New Testament (1976) that the gospels, including John, were written prior to the Temple's destruction in A.D. 70. Among other arguments, Robinson points out that in John, Jesus and the disciples visit locations that can be identified and followed in a sequence that it is possible to reasonably retrace on the ground. Archeologists located the Pool of Siloam in 2004, as John had described. Henry Wansbrough says in "The Four Gospels in Synopsis" in The Oxford Bible Commentary, "Gone are the days when it was scholarly orthodoxy to maintain that John was the least reliable of the gospels historically."

Jesus Is Everything:
Those who reject the nature of Jesus as the Son of God, who question his very existence, reject the most powerful story of sacrifice and love every told. Jesus came to deliver us out of the authority of darkness and bring us into His kingdom of Love. Jesus, who knew no sin, became sin (2 Cor. 5:21) and gave His Life so that we could be reconciled back to the Father, as foreshadowed and foretold in the Hebrew scriptures. We have been given the authority and the power to overcome the enemy and be trained as His companions to rule and reign with Him.

The atheists might clump Jesus up with Neptune, but it's an empty, weak effort. Jesus is not merely a myth. He lived, died, rose again (1 Cor 15:1-9), and continues to touch and heal people to this day, of which we are witnesses.

Oh, and technically, Satan and Saint Nicholas are both real too.

The Christian and the Law

Since BSF has been going over Hebrews and has recently touched on the subject of the Law and how Jesus has fulfilled it, I thought the article below is a nice complementary piece to the study and thus share it here:

The Christian and the Law

from the November 15, 2011 eNews issue
http://www.khouse.org (visit our website for a FREE subscription)

By Dr. William Welty, ISV Foundation

(Editor's note: This issue has been hotly contested within the Christian community for many years. Dr. Welty, Bible scholar and translator of the International Standard Version Bible, has lent a concise and straight-forward explanation to the discussion. We thought it necessary to present his case in its entirety.)

A concern has been expressed of late that the Christian community has been ignoring the requirements of the Law. The overall subject is a complicated one, and it appeared to me that at least some confusion about this topic continues to affect some Christians. So I thought I'd take a moment to suggest a few clarifications with respect to this issue.

I have found it helpful to make three distinguishing divisions of God's Law as set forth in the Torah. The divisions rather conveniently can be listed as an acrostic that spells out the word “LAW.” The three divisions of the law distinguish between:

L = Life in God's Society
A = Atonement Requirements
W = Witness of God's Eternal Character

The overwhelming stress on keeping the Law of God as expressed in the New Testament has nothing to do with the Law as an expression of the first two distinguishing characteristics.

Life in God's Society is that portion of the Law of God that pertained to the theocratic structure of Israel. This part of the law mandated that a railing be constructed around roofs so nobody would fall off of them. It also MANDATED that housetops be flat so people could live on the roofs! It was not possible to enforce this aspect of the Law outside of national Israel and it is not binding to the Christian today. If it were, I'd be asking my fellow Christians why, for example, (1) you don't have a flat roof on your home that people can use to visit together, and (2) why you don't have a parapet constructed around that flat roof! Put in that light, I think the silliness of practicing this part of the Law today is obvious.

Atonement Requirements is that portion of the Law of God that pertained to maintaining both national and personal relationship and fellowship with God through the sacrificial systems of the Old Testament. These were fulfilled in the death and atonement of Jesus. They are not so much as abrogated by his death as they are fulfilled by them. Animal sacrifices are not mandated today, but will be instituted in the Millennial Temple described by Ezekiel's depiction of that building set forth in the last 10 chapters or so of that Bible book.

Overwhelmingly, however, the Witness of God's Eternal Character is binding on the Christian today. All aspects of the Ten Commandments except those that pertain to Life in God's Society (keeping the Sabbath as the 4th commandment is one of these) or the Atonement Requirements are included as part of this aspect of God's Law. The Apostle Paul points out that it was the Tenth Commandment that particularly grieved him, since it prohibits coveting.

It is debatable whether execution for adultery falls under the Witness of God's Eternal Character (enduring for all times and cultures) or Life in God's Society (abrogated by the destruction of Israel's national sovereignty under Rome). The first century Jewish community had seen the death penalty abrogated, since the Romans had taken that right away from them. Instead, the offenders would be excommunicated from the community of the faithful. This is the penalty that the Apostle Paul mandated for the Corinthian fornicator.

Some Christians see the same thing happening with respect to the death penalty for crime. I hold to the view that the death penalty applies to willful murder, rape, and kidnapping but not to involuntary manslaughter, since the Law did make a distinction between these crimes. But the death penalty also applied to juvenile delinquency, and I confess that I haven't studied that through to its logical conclusion, yet.

Then again, the penalties of the law were MAXIMUM penalties enscripturated to guide the judges of Israel, who were tasked with administering the laws. For example, "Eye for an eye," etc. denoted the maximum penalty, not the minimum, that the judge could order. It could not be extracted by the victims of crimes, or even by the witnesses, absent an order from a judge. And prosecution of such offenses was the responsibility and at the will of the witnesses, not a separate prosecutor. Absent the witnesses pursuing a case, there would never be ANY prosecution for crime. Testimony in court was considered a civic duty (Lev. 5:1).

With respect to the death penalty for adultery, I'm inclined to suggest that Christian people re-read the story of the woman caught in adultery that is set forth in John's Gospel. Jesus is never portrayed anywhere in Scripture as the kind of person known to bluff or exaggerate. He always spoke as if he understood that somebody would be writing down and transmitting what he had to say to succeeding generations. So when he called for the execution of the woman caught in adultery, I'm inclined to hold the view that he meant what he said. But then he dismissed the case because the witnesses wouldn't testify. In the Jewish courts of his day, only the witnesses could bring a case to prosecution, and they were charged with casting the first stones in a case that called for execution of the guilty. The person who judged the case alone had the authority to enforce the death penalty, but since the penalty for lying to the judge in a capital case was that the witness was himself or herself executed instead of the accused, Jesus was reminding the witnesses that if they were determined to play "court" that day, he would ensure that if he could poke holes in their testimony, it would be the witnesses, not the accused who died that day. And that's why the witnesses left the scene of the trial--they declined to prosecute the case. Absent any witnesses, Judge Jesus dismissed the accused. In our present day legal system, it's unlikely that such a scene could occur.

At any rate, by not making distinctions between these parts of God's Law described above, it is possible to create confusion in the minds of Christians who don't know any better, and this can lead to a charge of making Christians fulfill the Law in order to be acceptable to God. An early church council, described rather thoroughly in the book of Acts, addresses this concern, and concludes that certain aspects of the Law are binding on Christians, including abstaining from eating blood and from fornication, but that other aspects (such as circumcision requirements) have been abrogated, even though at the time of the council the Temple still stood in Jerusalem, where sacrifices were still being offered even though Christ had already risen from the dead.

Regards,

William P. Welty, Ph.D.
ISV Foundation
Winter, 2012

Friday, November 25, 2011

1 John

Author of the book is, obviously, John
- the closest disciple, the closest human being to Jesus
- the disciple that Jesus loved
- was a hot head (ready to call fire upon the Samaritans)
- was selfish, wanted power but was transformed by Jesus to ultimately become the Apostle of Love

This letter has been termed a Christian photo album. Flip through it, and we get a clear picture of what a born-again Christian looks like. And, as one would expect from the Apostle of Love, this letter places a LOT of emphasis on love.

1 John 1:5-10
We cannot deny our sinful nature. A Christian who walks in sin loses fellowship with God, not salvation. We should thus admit sin and restore fellowship.

1 John 2:1-2
Jesus is our counselor. He has died for our sins, and He is the only reason we can now be in the presence of God. Jesus resides within us, and when God looks at us, He sees His son.

1 John 2:3-6
Those who know God behaves and thinks differently than those who don't. Jesus is our perfect role model. We were told to follow Him, not other Christians. If we know God, we would keep His commandments.

1 John 2:7-14
Leviticus 19:18
Love is both an old and a new commandment of God.

Love became new with Jesus. In the upper room with His disciples, Jesus commanded the same thing. We are to love others as Jesus loved us (1 John, John 13).

"This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us" (1 John 3:16).

"If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how cna the love of God be in him?" (1 John 3:17)

"Let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth" (1 John 3:18)

"This is how God showed His love among us: He sent His one and only Son into the world that we might live through Him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. (1 John 4:9-10)

1 John 2:15-17
Satan's lures:
Lust of the flesh
Lust of the eyes
Pride of life

These 3 lures keep people obsessed about this world and remain ignorant about the bigger picture.

Eve was lured the same way, and she failed.

Jesus was seduced the same way, but He fought it off. (Hence, Jesus is our perfect example!)

1 John 2:18-26
Be aware of anti-Christ and false teachers. Anyone who teaches a Christ other than the Biblical Christ is a false teacher. For example, Jesus is not a mere man! Yet, there are religions and cults that teach such things. Those who deny Christ, teach a different Christ, offer a figure different than Christ, deny the trinity are all false teachers.

In John's days, those false teachers could be found as one of them. The same thing can be said of today! Founders of Jehovah witnesses, Mormonism, Scientology, etc. were once local church-goers who got disgruntled by what they heard and started their own "club"!

We are therefore encouraged to be on the lookout for false teachers and remain strong in our faith in Jesus.

John said of these people, "They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us" (1 John 2:19).

I think the above statement applies especially to apostates. True Christians would receive God's love and understand God's love. Once this understanding is obtained, there is simply no way the Christian would turn away. Hence, those who belonged to us would remain with us. People who claim they were once Christians but now are actively rejecting Christ, according to John, show that they never belonged to us in the first place.

1 John 3
Whoever knows Jesus does not PRACTICE sin.

Practice = Habitually sins

God is love. Because we have received God's love, we should change. We will begin to love others as God loves us. It is simply impossible to say we truly know Jesus and continue sinning the way we have been sinning before we came to know Jesus.

Jesus is the closest thing we have to seeing God. Jesus made the invisible God visible. Jesus is love.

"No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and His love is made complete in us" (1 John 4:12)

When we sin, we pain God. This is why following His commandments are not burdensome because we love Him and do not want to pain Him.

"This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what it right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother" (1 John 3:10).

"This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out His commands" (1 John 5:2)

1 John 4:1-6
We continue to live as overcomers through faith and are able to test the spirits because God resides within us. Satan first prevents us from becoming a Christian. Once we become a Christian, he prevents us from becoming an effective Christian. Believe in the right Jesus! Believe in the wrong one and there is no salvation!

1 John 5:13-14
How to pray effectively

1) Be children of God
Effective prayer can only happen to those who honestly believes in God. How can we pray to God if we are not right with him, if we do not know him, if we do not have a one on one relationship with him?

2) Ask God consistently, persistently, continuously

3) Pray with extravagant faith
God wants us to pray about anything and everything. Have faith and pray.

4) Pray confidently and boldly

Philippians 4:6-7
Cast ALL our worries upon Him because He will provide

Jeremiah 33:3
The idea is God is telling us, "Call on Me, and I will blow your mind."

5) Pray according to God's will
Prayer isn't about what I want. It is about what God wants.

John 14
We often end prayers with "In Jesus' name". This phrase means "Pray as Jesus would pray"!

In the Lord's Prayer (Matthew 6:9-13), Jesus prayed, "Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done" not "my" kingdom come or "my" will be done.

We are here to spread the Good News, to do God's work. We will have wants and needs, but if we have God in the center of our world, we will learn to listen to God and be guided by Him. Most importantly, we won't stray away from Him and start idolizing money, power, status... basically, anything but God.

When Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane (Luke 22:39-44), He knew He was taking on the Sin of the world and was about to take on the fullness of God's Wrath. It is such a arduous mission that Jesus prayed to take the cup away, as a way of asking if there was any other way to achieve salvation for man. Even then, Jesus prayed to have to cup taken away "yet not my will, but yours be done". And it wasn't God's will to take the cup away. Jesus had to go to the cross so that we can be saved! It was the only way. Hence, JESUS IS OUR ONLY WAY TO SALVATION!

Jesus, God's one and only Son, prayed to have God's will be done. Jesus taught us how to pray, and so, we should pray as Jesus did--not our will be done but God's will be done.

Prayer is thus the process of aligning our will with God's will, to do God's will on Earth. True prayer is asking God what God wants to do. It's surrendering ourselves to Him. So, pray confidently but humbly.

How do we discover God's will?

1) Renew our mind by reading and digesting His word consistently

2) Listen to the Holy Spirit

We adopt the characteristics of people we hang out the most with. So, hang out with Jesus more. Let Jesus change us and guide us to discover His will for our lives.

What are some hindrances to prayers?

1) Rebellion, disobedience
"If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened" (Psalms 66:18)

2) Having a lousy relationship with other Christians

Matthew 5:23-24
Jesus' sermon on the Mount told us that before we seek reconciliation with the Lord, be reconciled with others first

1 Peter 3:7
Man's prayer will be hindered if he's not right with his wife

1John 5:16-17
In regards to those who have committed sins that lead to death, we are told that it would be too late to pray for them

The first part is a straight-forward concept. The second part, not so much. How do we make sense of it?

Well, let's start by asking two main questions:

1) When John used the word "brother" in this context, was John talking about true Christians or apparent Christians?

2) When John spoke about "death" in this context, was he talking about a physical death or the eternal suffering in Hell?

Let's first assume John was talking about a true Christian. Can a true Christian commit a sin that condemns him to hell? No. So, death for him is a physical death.

Acts 5:1-11
Ananias and Sapphira were Christians who hindered the work of God. They did not lose their salvation, but because they were more destructive than helpful in the Christian ministry, God removed them from Earth. That is, they died a physical death, but they did not lose their salvation.

The idea here is that some Christians can come to a point where they are sinning so bad, God removes them physically from Earth so that they could no longer negatively affect the works of other Christians.

Next, let's assume John used the word "brother" loosely and included apparent Christians (People who claim to be Christians but do not have Jesus in their heart and do not live with Christian values).

Christians whose faith is not strong or solidly grounded in Jesus can easily be lured by Satan to commit the one sin that leads to not only physical death but also spiritual death as well. Jesus said the only unforgivable sin is blaspheme against the Holy Spirit (Matthew 12:31-32).

Blaspheme is the final total rejection of Jesus Christ. The Pharisees committed blaspheme against the Holy Spirit because they attributed the miracles of Jesus to demons (Matthew 12:24). We won't discuss the lack of logic in their deductive reasoning, but we can be shocked at how hardened their heart was toward Jesus! A person that rejects Jesus over and over and over again, despite the presence of the Holy Spirit can reach a point of no return and committed blaspheme of the Holy Spirit. And this sin is the one sin that once committed will send the sinner straight to Hell.

There is the alternative theory that the sin John is talking about here is the sin of apostasy. However, many would argue that the apostate was never really saved in the first place (1 John 2:19), which would bring the argument back to the sin being the unforgivable sin of blaspheme of the Holy Spirit.

The take home message for me is two-fold.

1) It isn't so much about who we pray for and who we no longer need to pray for, because in all reality, who am I to determine perfectly and correctly who has committed the one unforgivable sin? I am not the judge. Jesus is the judge. Prayer never hurts anyone. And so, I will pray for anyone and leave the ultimate decision in God's hands.

2) Don't test God's patience. God sent out the Holy Spirit to guide us and to protect us. Each time we reject the Holy Spirit, it becomes harder to accept Him. Let us learn from the mistakes of the Pharisees and never harden our hearts.

1 John 5:18-21
3 Common Enemies of Christians

1) Sin

2) Satan
He who keeps himself, the wicked one cannot touch you! Satan cannot attach himself to Christians who keep themselves right on God's way.

3) World system that pulls us away from God
An idol isn't limited to just a wooden figure. An idol can be... Ourselves
Careers
Relationships
Money
Sports...
Essentially, anything or anyone that we place above our love for God is an idol.

1 John 2:28
"And now, dear children, continue in Him, so that when he appears, we may be confident and unashamed before Him at His coming."

Luke 24:36-53

Sunday sermon by Pastor Mark Driscoll

Luke 24:36-43
Jesus is alive--This is the heart of the Christian faith!
Sin is not victorious, Death is not victorious, Jesus is!
Neither sin nor death could constrain Jesus!

Luke 24:44-46
The Bible is true
Jesus fulfilled all 39 books of the Old Testament

Luke 24:47-49
We must PROCLAIM the Gospel by the power of the Holy Spirit: repentance and forgiveness.

When we do wrong, we repent. When others do wrong to us, we forgive. Why? Because Jesus did that for us. Who are we to ask for the grace of God if we cannot give it?

4 steps of repentance:
1) Conviction through the Holy Spirit
2) Confession
3) Contrition
4) Change: "By the grace of God, I'm going to change!"

The general idea is we generally just know when we've done something wrong. And we "just know" because the Holy Spirit convicts us. Conviction can come in the form of reading a particular Biblical passage, conversing with a friend, etc.

When we are convicted, we should next confess our fault. We may be tempted to change the subject or redirect the blame, but that doesn't resolve our inherent problem, does it? Be honest about ourselves and face our faults.

Confession isn't enough, because confession alone won't bring about actual change. Saying, "Sorry, this is my fault," time after time for the same mistake shows complete insincerity at best. If we're truly sorry, we seek ways to not do it again. If we don't care enough to change, are we really sorry? Hence, with contrition, change follows. We truly feel bad about the wrong we have done, and we change.

Luke 24:50-53
Worship! In the Greek, the word means to get down on hands and knees to kiss the feet of Jesus. This leads to a posture of great humility and reverence.

Thursday, November 24, 2011

Matthew 24: Signs of the End of Days

Bible Study with Pastor Terry Gray via Summons Radio broadcast.

Matthew 24 is also known as the Olivet Discourse, a sermon given by Jesus on the Mount of Olives. It is a record of Jesus' own words in regards to the end of days.

Matthew 24:1-8

The disciples asked 2 questions:

1) When will the Temple be destroyed?

The Temple was destroyed in 70 AD. There is not one temple rebuilt on that mount since then. In the end of days, the Temple will be rebuilt. This will be one of the most obvious sign of the end times. Right now, there is a mosque there. Something drastic will have to happen before the Temple would be built there. (I'm pretty certain the Muslims aren't just going to smile and welcome the rebuilding of the Temple...)

2) What will be the signs of Jesus' coming? What will be the signs of the end of the world?

Jesus said the following signs are just the beginning of the birth pains (Matthew 24:8). If we think these signs sound horrible, imagine the pain of the child birth itself!

1st sign: Massive deception

Being deceived is a frightening state of being because deceived people don't know they are deceived! They live their lives based on that deception, thinking they are right! And near the end of days, even more people would become deceived due to the rise in the number of false teachers, false prophets, and anti-Christs. "Anti" in Greek means against and in place of. Hence, in the end of days, there will be those who are not only against Christ but also offer themselves in place of Jesus. We need to be aware that just because people talk about Jesus, they may not be talking about the Biblical Jesus! The Jesus of Mormons is NOT the Jesus of the Bible. The Jesus of Jehovah's Witnesses is NOT the Jesus of the Bible. The Jesus of Islam is NOT the Jesus of the Bible! To ensure we are not deceived, KNOW THE TRUE JESUS. SEEK AND KNOW THE ABSOLUTE TRUTH. SHARE THE TRUE JESUS. SHARE THE ABSOLUTE TRUTH! It is indeed difficult to communicate through deception (because, as mentioned earlier, the deceived person is absolutely ignorant of his/her deception), and so we should pray for them. We should pray that God open their eyes and open their heart to the Word. We should also pray for ourselves, that our eyes be kept open, so that we do not lose our way.

2nd sign: Wars and rumors of wars

3rd sign: Famines and earthquakes

Nature is going to go berserk (Revelation 8, etc).

Matthew 24:9-13

Characteristics of society in the end of days

Deception: Increase in the number of false prophets and false teachers.

Many people in the last days will be utterly deceived, blind to moral and ethical issues. There will be rebellion against the Truth. There will be no absolute truth but relative truths. People will believe whatever they want to believe. The greatest deception will be that there is no absolute truth in this world. And this deception is great because 1) THERE IS ABSOLUTE TRUTH! and 2) since people think it's all relative, they would not ever realize the dire state they are in until it's too late!

Lawlessness

Apostasy: The falling away from Christianity

Bitter hatred

In the last days, society will be savage-like. Christians will become the focus of all that hatred (Matthew 8:9). Why? Because Satan will ramp up his pull for souls.

Near the end days, Satan will make sure it is nearly impossible to be a Christian. So why stick it out? As God's people, we need to realize that our time on Earth is limited. It's is but a stopping point in our eternal life with God. We are not here to glorify ourselves with worldly possessions. We are here to glorify God and to share the Good News with as many people as we can.

As Christians, we should therefore stand firm. We should always make sure our Armor of God is in mint condition, and we should don our Armor of God daily because Satan is always seeking opportunity to claim more souls for himself.

Should we be afraid? No. What is there to be afraid of? Death? What is death in the eyes of our Lord who has defeated death? We should certainly recognize Satan as a formidable enemy and not underestimate his power, but we should also fight with confidence because "the one who is in you (God) is greater than the one who is in the world (Satan)" (1 John 4:4).

If we die a physical death while fighting, ought we not be comforted? For such a physical death immediately returns us to God! Christians have no fear of death, because our Lord has conquered death. This spirit is shown best by Paul throughout the many letters that he's written.

The world is going to become more barbaric, but we are to stand strong in our faith. Let us be consistent witnesses of Jesus Christ.

Matthew 24:14

In the last days, the Gospel goes global!

Now, more than ever, the Gospel message can be spread throughout the world due to technology that facilitates TV and radio programming, print media, the Internet, etc.

The Gospel will thus be preached throughout the world AND THEN the end will come.

Throughout time, instances like this shows the grace of God. Before every severe judgment, God always gives everyone the chance to hear the Word and repent before He releases His wrath.

We need to understand that even today, God is doing everything He can to save everyone. God does not send anyone to Hell. People choose to go to Hell by actively rejecting Jesus.

In Hebrews 9, we learn that there's nothing more God can do for us if we reject Jesus!

Matthew 24:15-25

The most critical sign of last days: The abomination of desolation

The abomination of desolation is the ultimate blaspheme, the ultimate rejection of God, the ultimate rejection of Christ.

"Abomination" in Greek means loathsome, detestable, disgusting stench

Proverbs 6:16-19

There are 7 things that are detestable, that are an abomination to God:

- proud look

- lying tongue,

- hands that shed innocent blood

- heart that devises wicked plans

- feet that are swift in running to evil,

- false witness that speaks lies

- one who stirs up dissension among brothers

"Desolation" in Greek means destruction, depopulation

We will be able to SEE this abomination of desolation from the newly constructed Jewish Temple from the Temple mount. This sign marks a great transition. When this sign is revealed, Hell will literally break loose. It marks the beginning of the Great Tribulation, where 2/3 of the world's population would be killed in 3.5 years. Jesus said this would be worse than the things we have already witnessed--and we have witnessed some pretty horrible events.

The Anti-Christ is the greatest abomination and will be the one to reveal this last sign. At this point, he will finally show his true colors, and the judgement of God will begin to pour out as the consequence of the abomination of desolation.

Sounds horrible? It will be. But Christians, we will be raptured and be watching this all unfold in Heaven, protected from the Wrath of God during this Great Tribulation period (Revelation).

Daniel 9:24

Prophecy received 2500 years ago

"Your people" = Daniel's people = Jews Your city = Jerusalem

Daniel 9:25

The clock of 490 years for the Israelites to finish their transgression started clicking when the decree to rebuild Jerusalem was issued. This decree was issued in March 14, 445 BC (Nehemiah 2).

Daniel prophesied that 69 weeks of years later = 483 years later = 173880 days later = April 6, 32 AD, the messiah would come. This day was the first Palm Sunday, the Sunday that Jesus came riding into Jerusalem on a donkey. This was the day that Jesus was formally presented to His nation as the messiah.

Daniel 9:26

Daniel also prophesied that after the first 62 weeks of sevens, Jesus would be put to death. When Jesus died, the time stopped, because the Jews did not receive their messiah! Jesus was crucified, and the Temple was destroyed!

The clock stops on Palm Sunday, which mean, THERE IS STILL A WEEK OF 7 YEARS LEFT TO FINISH THE TRANSGRESSION! It is still unfulfilled to this day! When will it be fulfilled? During the 7 years of the Tribulation! (Hence, the Tribulation is not for the Church, which is why the Church is raptured BEFORE the beginning of the Tribulation.)

Daniel 9:27

Daniel then prophesied about the week of seven that is left: The Anti-Christ's plans are revealed

At the beginning, the Anti-Christ will bring peace to the Middle East, allowing the Jews to rebuild their Temple (Remember, this is one of the most obvious signs of the end of times!)

Half way through, the Anti-Christ will break the peace, ushering in the Great Tribulation.

The past 2000 years since that very first Palm Sunday are known as the Church age, which basically is a huge parenthesis of God's Grace. Grace for what? Grace for the chance to repent and return to God instead of just receiving God's Wrath.

The next step is to remove the Church, i.e. to end this parenthesis and allow the time to move forward again.

Revelation 13:11
An image of the beast will be made and everyone would be REQUIRED to bow down before him. Those who don't will be martyred. We say "martyred" because those who don't bow down will be Christians who die up-holding their faith in Jesus. Those who bow down to the beast will also receive the mark of the beast. Once people are marked, their fates will be sealed and will join Satan in Hell.

2 Thessalonians 2:3-4
The abomination of desolation is the rise of the Anti-Christ who proclaims himself to be God, ENFORCING worship!

That's the true desire of the Satan: worshiped by all beings.

And so, if we were to boil down the state of the world today, it isn't about economic downturns or political debates, because these worldly issues are of no real consequence in the grandeur theme of things. The state of the world today is really about Satan's attempt to garner as many souls as he can for himself so that he may be worshiped as God. We need to be perfectly aware that we are amidst a great spiritual warfare.

With this realization, we will then understand the most important question of this lifetime is who do we worship? God who loves us or Satan who forces us? It's an either or choice. There is no in-between. Souls that do not belong to God will ultimately be absorbed by Satan. For those who think they can choose to do this and that without God, bear in mind that free will exists only because of God. Satan tolerates no such luxury.

Hebrews 7-10

Note compiled from my BSF group

Basic theme behind Hebrews 7-10:

The author systematically shows why because of Jesus, the old covenant established through Moses is no longer in place.

The following study drills in on the details and really just keeps hammering that point from various perspectives.

For me, these chapters reminded me of these main points:

1. Jesus is the ONLY Way. Not rituals, not traditions. JESUS. It is not so much in what we do that matter but to WHOM our HEART belongs.

2. We have a PERSONAL relationship with God. We really need to understand how amazing this is. When we sin, we can no longer be in the presence of God, because God is perfect. This is why before Jesus' sacrificial death, no one could directly communicate with God. No one could directly be in His presence. Only the High Priest can communicate with God by entering into the Holy of Holies. And even then, he has to go through meticulous steps of cleansing himself before he could enter it. And if he was not appointed by God or properly cleansed, he would be struck dead the minute he enters the Holy of Holies. But all this came to an end when Jesus died for our sins. When He shouted, "It is FINISHED!" with His last breath on the cross, IT IS FINISHED. He has paid the price of our sin FOREVER. And at this moment, the curtain that separated the Holy of Holies from the rest of the tabernacle split into two, illustrating that because of Jesus, we no longer need an imperfect High Priest to atone for our sins. We no longer need to communicate with God through an imperfect medium. JESUS IS OUR HIGH PRIEST. JESUS IS OUR DIRECT COMMUNICATION WITH GOD! Jesus has fulfilled the Law and has released us eternally from our sins. There is nothing we can do to earn salvation, and there is nothing more we can add to His grand accomplishment either. To attempt to amend or add to it, as Dr. Chuck Missler likes to say, would be blaspheme.

Hebrews 7
Genesis 14:18–20

Similarities between Melchizedek and Christ:
- Both kings
- Both priests
- Both kings of righteousness
- Both kings of peace
- Both a priest forever

Difference between Melchizedek and Christ:
- Christ is the Son of God, Melchizedek is LIKE the Son of God.

Zondervan NIV footnote:
* 7:1 king... and priest. Of particular significance is Melchizedek's holding both offices, one of the ways in which he is treated here as a prefiguration of Christ (see notes on Zec 4:14; 6:13).

* 7:3 Without father ... or end of life. Ge 14:18-20, contrary to the practice elsewhere in the early chapters of Genesis, does not mention Melchizedek's parentage and children, or his birth and death. That he was a real, historical figure is clear, but the author of Hebrews (in accordance with Jewish interpretation) uses the silence of Scripture about Melchizedek's genealogy to portray him as a prefiguration of Christ. Melchizedek's priesthood anticipates Christ's eternal existence and his unending priesthood. Some believe the appearance of Melchizedek to Abraham was a manifestation of Christ before his incarnation, but the comparison "like the Son of God" argues against such an interpretation.

http://www.gci.org/bible/hebrews7
A priest without genealogy

It begins with a quick summary of the story in Genesis 14: "This Melchizedek was king of Salem and priest of God Most High. He met Abraham returning from the defeat of the kings and blessed him, and Abraham gave him a tenth of everything" (Heb. 7:1-2).

First, the unusual name is explained. The Hebrew word melek means king, and tsedek means righteousness, so his name is explained as meaning "king of righteousness." And since shalom means peace, he was also the "king of peace" (v. 2). These titles are significant because Melchizedek prefigures Jesus Christ.

Then we are told that Melchizedek was "without father or mother, without genealogy, without beginning of days or end of life, like the Son of God he remains a priest forever" (v. 3).
From the grammar, it is not clear whether Melchizedek is like the Son in every respect, or just in being a perpetual priest. We know that Jesus had a Father, a mother, a genealogy, a birth and a death, so he was different in these respects. Scripture does not say that Melchizedek was the Son of God—just that he was "like" the Son. Hebrews 1:1-2 implies that the Son of God did not speak to the patriarchs.

However, Melchizedek had no parents that are mentioned in Scripture. His position as priest did not depend on his parents or his genealogy (unlike the Levitical priests). His priesthood was a different kind, a different order. Similarly, Scripture says nothing about his birth or death (unlike the patriarchs, who are carefully chronicled). He did not create a dynasty of priests, each dying and passing the priesthood to a son.

We might say today that he came out of nowhere, and then disappeared. Nevertheless, he remains known as a priest even today. "He remains a priest forever ... is declared to be living" (vv. 3, 8). (A similar thought may be in Luke 20:37-38—the patriarchs are among "the living.") This mysterious Melchizedek is the prototype of Jesus Christ.

Psalm 110 predicted that the Lord would be a priest in the same way: not according to genealogy, but by special appointment. This order of priests was significant in several ways: 1) it was more important than the Levitical priesthood, 2) it implied that the Levitical priesthood was temporary and 3) the new order was permanent.

Melchizedek collected a tithe and blessed Abraham (Hebrews 7:4-10). Both acts make Melchizedek superior to Abraham.

Zondervan NIV footnote:

* 7:4 think how great he was. The one who collects a tithe is greater than the one who pays it, and "the lesser person is blessed by the greater" (v. 7). In both ways Melchizedek was greater than Abraham.

http://www.gci.org/bible/hebrews7
Greater than Levi

Although little is known about Melchizedek, we can discern that he was very important. Abraham gave him 10 percent of the spoils of war (v. 4). The old covenant required the Israelites to give 10 percent to the Levites, but Abraham gave 10 percent to Melchizedek even though Melchizedek was not a Levite (vs. 5-6). He was getting priestly honors before Levi was even born.

From this, the author constructs a hypothetical argument: "One might even say that Levi, who collects the tenth, paid the tenth through Abraham, because when Melchizedek met Abraham, Levi was still in the body of his ancestor" (vs. 9-10). The author knows that Levi didn't actually pay tithes to Melchizedek, but in a figure of speech he did. The point is that Abraham is greater than Levi, since Abraham is Levi's ancestor, and Melchizedek is greater than Abraham, since Abraham paid tithes to him, so Melchizedek is greater than Levi.

Verses 6-7 emphasize Melchizedek's greatness: He not only received a tithe, he also blessed Abraham. "And without doubt the lesser person is blessed by the greater." Abraham is the lesser person—but the real point of comparison being made is with Levi.

Since Melchizedek is greater than Abraham, he is also greater than Levi, and—most important for the book of Hebrews—his priesthood is more important than the Levitical priesthood. The Levitical priests die, but Jesus has been made a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek, a priesthood that is more important for our salvation.

Hebrews 7:11-19
Exodus 32:15–29
The Levitical priesthood was established by the Law given to the people (Hebrews 7:11, Leviticus).

Zondervan NIV footnote:

* 7:11 the law was given. The law of Moses and the priesthood went together. All the people without exception were sinners, subject to the law's condemnation, and thus were in need of a priestly system to mediate between them and God. in the order of Melchizedek, not in the order of Aaron. Implies that the Aaronic (or Levitical) priesthood was imperfect but that Melchizedek's was perfect. The announcement of a coming one who would be a priest forever (Ps 110:4) was written midway in the history of the Levitical priesthood - which could be understood as a hint that the existing system was to give way to something better.

* 7:16 became a priest not on the basis of a regulation as to his ancestry. In the law of Moses the priestly function was restricted to the family of Aaron from the tribe of Levi (see Ex 28:1-4; 40:12-15; Nu 3:10), but Jesus came from the nonpriestly tribe of Judah (vv. 14-15).power of an indestructible life. According to Ps 110:4 the priest in the order of Melchizedek is "a priest forever." This is what Jesus became as a result of the act of God's power that raised him from the dead as the eternal victor over death.

* 7:18 The former regulation ... was weak and useless. The law is holy and good (Ro 7:12), but it could neither give the ability to fulfill its demands nor provide the atonement necessary for those who violated it (v. 19a).

* 7:19 The law was only preparatory (see Gal 3:23-24 and notes) and brought nothing to fulfillment (see Mt 5:17 and note). better hope. The new covenant is better because it assures us of complete redemption and brings us into the very presence of God. See 3:6 and note.

http://www.gci.org/bible/hebrews7
New priesthood implies a new law

Now the author observes that "if perfection could have been attained through the Levitical priesthood (for on the basis of it the law was given to the people), why was there still need for another priest to come—one in the order of Melchizedek, not in the order of Aaron?" (v. 11).

Note in the middle of verse 11 that the law was given on the basis of the priesthood. The law was designed with the Levitical priesthood in mind—the law and the priesthood went together. But neither the law nor the priests could bring people to perfection. That is why Psalm 110 spoke of another priesthood.

The descendants of Aaron would be replaced by a better priesthood, a better priest—and that has enormous consequences: "For when there is a change of the priesthood, there must also be a change of the law" (v. 12). What law is changed? The law that said only Levites could be priests. Which law said that? The old covenant. This will become more clear later in this chapter, and in the next few chapters.

But first, the author wants to make certain basic facts clear. "He of whom these things are said belonged to a different tribe" (v. 13). We are speaking about Jesus, of whom it is said that he is a priest after the order of Melchizedek—but Jesus was not a Levite. He belonged to the tribe of Judah, and no one from that tribe was ever a priest, and Moses did not authorize anyone from Judah to be a priest (v. 14).

"And what we have said"—that is, that the law has been changed—"is even more clear if another priest like Melchizedek appears, one who has become a priest not on the basis of a regulation as to his ancestry but on the basis of the power of an indestructible life" (vs. 15-16).

Jesus was appointed as priest not by a law that focused on genealogy, but because he lives forever at God's right hand. From this fact alone, we can see that the Law of Moses is no longer in force.

"The former regulation is set aside because it was weak and useless (for the law made nothing perfect), and a better hope is introduced, by which we draw near to God" (vs. 18-19). The law that restricted the priesthood to Levites was ineffective.

How much was "set aside"? Certainly, it was the regulation restricting the priesthood. But no one expected that restriction to produce perfection, anyway. There is more involved than just one regulation. It is "the law" as a whole that is under discussion here. The law of Moses did not have the power to make anyone perfect. The best that the old covenant could offer was not good enough.

Instead of the law, we are given a better hope, and since we have something better than the law, we are now able to draw near to God in a way that was not possible under the law of Moses.

Hebrews 7:20-28

Christ is our priest forever:

- Hebrews 7:21 = "The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind: 'You are a priest forever.'"

- Hebrews 7:24 = "...but because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood."

Zondervan NIV footnote:

* 7:20 No divine oath was associated with the establishment of the Levitical priesthood.

* 7:23 death prevented them from continuing in office. Impermanence was further evidence of the imperfection of the Levitical order.

* 7:25 completely. May include the ideas of completeness and permanence (see NIV text note). always lives to intercede. His people will never be without a priest to represent them in the very presence of God, interceding on their behalf (see 1Jn 2:1-2 and notes; cf. Jn 17:6-26).

* 7:26 high priest. See note on 2:17. meets our need. Of salvation from sin and its consequence.

* 7:27 day after day. A reference to the endless repetition of sacrifices throughout the year (see Ex 29:36-42), evidence that these sacrifices never effectively and finally atoned for sin. first for his own sins. Christ's priesthood is superior because he has no personal sins for which sacrifice had to be made (see Lev 9:8 and note). once for all. A key phrase in Hebrews (see 9:12, 26; 10:2, 10). offered himself. Levitical priests offered up only animals; our high priest offered himself, the perfect substitute for us.

* 7:28 men who are weak. Because (1) they are mortal and therefore impermanent, v. 23; (2) they are sinful, v. 27; and (3) they could only offer animals, which could never provide a genuine substitute for human beings made in the image of God (see Ge 1:26-28 and notes).made perfect forever. In regard to his appointed mission (see 2:10; 5:9 and notes).

http://www.gci.org/bible/hebrews7
Guaranteed by an oath

The author then uses a small detail from Psalm 110 to emphasize the importance of Jesus' appointment as priest. God himself makes an oath to appoint Jesus as high priest (v. 20). The descendants of Aaron became priests without any oath, but Jesus became priest by a special oath.

The old covenant was given by God, but here is a new word from God—not just an oath but also a promise of permanence: "The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind: `You are a priest forever' " (v. 21). The old priesthood is obsolete. The old regulation was set aside. A new and better hope is given to bring people to a perfection that the law could not give.

"Because of this oath, Jesus has become the guarantee of a better covenant" (v. 22). Here the word covenant is used for the first time in this letter, almost casually. It will be picked up again in the next three chapters for more detailed comment, but even here it is implied to be a replacement for the inferior, ineffective law of Moses. The discussion is not just about a minor priestly regulation but a covenant, which includes many laws.

The author then contrasts the mortality of the Levitical priests with the immortality of Jesus Christ: "Now there have been many of those priests, since death prevented them from continuing in office; but because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood" (vs. 23-24). So the fact that there were many Levitical priests is actually an illustration of their weakness, not of their effectiveness. The genealogy that validated them also testified to the weakness of the entire system. Each high priest held office only temporarily, and the entire priesthood itself was temporary.

In contrast, because Jesus lives forever, he will forever continue to be our High Priest, because his priesthood is effective in bringing us to perfection: "Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them" (v. 25).
"Such a high priest meets our need," the author says (v. 26). Jesus is exactly what we need. He was human, so he knows our needs (2:14-18), and he is now in heaven, in power, so he can effectively intercede for us. We can therefore be confident that we can approach God through him (4:14-16). He gives us access to God in a way that the Levitical priests could only symbolize.

Hebrews 8:1–9:10
Jesus is our Lord and savior. He has come to wash away our sins and make us righteous again in the eyes of God forever and ever.

Zondervan NIV footnote:

* 8:1-10:18 The argument of this section grows out of an exposition of Jer 31:31-34 and demonstrates that Christ is the mediator of a "better covenant" (7:22).

* 2:17 high priest. In Israel the head of the priestly order, the only one who could enter into the very presence of God in the Most Holy Place in the temple - to make atonement for the people of God (see 9:7 and note; 13:11; Lev 16:1-34 and note). make atonement. See NIV text note. In order for Christ to turn aside the wrath of God against guilty sinners, he had to become one with them and die as a substitute for them (see notes on Lev 16:20-22; 17:11; Ro 3:25; 1 Jn 2:2).

* 8:2 true tabernacle. In contrast to the tabernacle erected by Moses, which was an imperfect and impermanent copy of the heavenly one.set up by the Lord, not by man. The heavenly sanctuary built by God corresponds to the Most Holy Place, the innermost sanctuary in Moses' tabernacle, into which the high priest briefly entered with the blood of atonement once a year (see Lev 16:13-15, 34). In the heavenly sanctuary, however, our great high priest dwells eternally as our intercessor (7:25).

* 8:4 men who offer the gifts. The present tense of the verb "offer," here and elsewhere in the letter, indicates that the temple in Jerusalem was still standing. This letter, therefore, must have been written prior to the temple's destruction in A.D. 70 (see Introduction: Date).

* 8:5 copy and shadow of what is in heaven. An implication the author draws from the words of Ex 25:40. make everything according to the pattern. Because both the tabernacle and its ministry were intended to symbolize the only way sinners may approach a holy God and find forgiveness.

* 8:6 mediator. Cf. 1 Ti 2:5 and note. In Hebrews "mediator" is always "of a (superior/new) covenant" (see 9:15; 12:24). The role of "mediator" here appears to be not that of instituting the covenant but of guaranteeing that the covenant promises are fulfilled (cf. 7:22), that the promised deliverance is actually accomplished (cf. Moses' mediatorial acts in Ex 32:31-32; 33:12-23; 34:5-10; Nu 14:13-20).

http://www.gci.org/bible/hebrews8
The New Testament tells us that Jesus is our intercessor, our mediator, our Savior and King. But only the book of Hebrews tells us that he is our priest.

This unique concept is the central message of Hebrews, the main idea from which the others flow. Priesthood is the purpose for which Jesus was made human (2:17); his priesthood is the reason we should hold fast to our faith (4:14); and the proof that the old covenant has been set aside (7:12).

Jesus guarantees a better covenant, a better relationship with God. And because he lives forever at God's right hand, "he is able to save completely those who come to God through him" (7:25).

The old covenant priests could not save anyone, but Jesus is fully effective at what they could only picture. Jesus does it not by adding himself to the old covenant, but by fulfilling the old so thoroughly that the old becomes unnecessary. He supersedes the old covenant, replacing it with a better covenant (7:22).

When we have Jesus, we do not need the old covenant. The practices commanded in the Old Covenant (circumcision, various rituals, sabbaths and festivals) have no spiritual merit for the Christian. All we need is Jesus.

"Such a high priest meets our need — one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens. Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself" (7:26-27).

The Old Testament priests had to make sin sacrifices every day, showing that the final solution had not yet arrived. But Jesus was so effective that once was enough. It did not have to be repeated.

The Levitical priests had to offer sacrifices for their own sins, but Jesus did not, because he had no sin. When he offered himself, it was not for himself, but for everyone else. He was the kind of sacrifice we really needed — without blemish, fit even for the holiest place in heaven.

The old covenant appointed imperfect men as priests (7:28), but God promised to appoint another priest, a permanent priest — which implies someone who is perfect in himself and perfect in his work (Psalm 110:4).

"The point of what we are saying is this," the letter says (8:1), drawing attention to its main point. After seven chapters, here is what we should have firmly in mind: "We do have such a high priest." What humans need, what God has promised, has finally come. We have the priest who is able to save us completely. We need to focus our thoughts on him, hold fast to him and have confidence in him.

He is our priest not only because he lives forever, but because he has been exalted to a position of royal and spiritual power: He "sat down at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, and ... serves in the sanctuary, the true tabernacle set up by the Lord, not by man" (8:1-2). What earthly tabernacles and priests could only picture, Jesus Christ is. He is the reality forever, not a temporary imitation.

The author has capped off seven chapters with a simple summary: Jesus is our high priest. What then? The letter begins to move forward from this by discussing the work of a priest.

"Every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices, and so it was necessary for this one also to have something to offer" (8:3). What did Jesus offer? The author has already told us in 7:27, and he will develop it more fully in chapter 9, but here he mentions it only briefly. First, he wants to set the scene for chapter 9 by discussing the tabernacle.

If Jesus were on earth, he observes, "he would not be a priest, for there are already men who offer the gifts prescribed by the law" (8:4). The earthly rituals were being taken care of. The temple work was being done by Levitical priests, as the law required. That is not where Jesus is doing his work. But the earthly temple does teach us something about the priestly work of Jesus.

The tabernacle of Moses, and later the temple, was "a copy and shadow of what is in heaven." It is therefore important, and "this is why Moses was warned when he was about to build the tabernacle: 'See to it that you make everything according to the pattern shown you on the mountain'" (8:5).
The author is quoting Exodus 25:40 to show that the earthly tabernacle was a copy, not the real thing. The Levitical priests served as a copy, and the rituals they performed were copies, not the spiritual realities.

"But the ministry Jesus has received is as superior to theirs as the covenant of which he is mediator is superior to the old one, and it is founded on better promises" (8:6). Just as the heavenly sanctuary is better than the earthly one, so also is Jesus' priestly ministry better than the Levitical ministry, and so also is the new covenant better than the old.

How much better? The tabernacle was merely a copy, a cheap imitation, in comparison to the heavenly reality. In the same way, the Levitical priesthood, although divinely ordained, was merely an imitation of a heavenly reality fulfilled by Jesus Christ.

How exact is the copy? The Levitical rituals came in great variety: water rituals, grain rituals, special clothing, hand motions, killing of animals and releasing of animals. All these rituals were fulfilled by and superseded by the work of Jesus Christ.

We do not see exact correspondence for every detail, nor do we need to. We cannot insist that the spiritual is just like the physical. We do not expect that the heavenly sanctuary has wool and linen curtains, bronze basins, acacia framing and red ram skins. Indeed, it does not need curtains, frames and skins at all. Those are merely physical things corresponding to a spiritual reality.

Jesus' priestly work is much better than the old priesthood — in quality, not quantity. The work he did once was better than millions of rituals done by Levites. Christ's work was so much superior that it did not have to be repeated. It was a different kind of priesthood. We should expect major differences between spiritual realities and earthly copies.
In the same way, we should expect the new covenant to be different in quality from the obsolete covenant. Just as every ritual has been superseded, so also is every detail of the law. In some cases we can see how the new covenant modifies or clarifies an old law, but in other cases we see laws disappear without any particular replacement.
The new is better than the old, as far as heaven is from earth. The old covenant promised a long life in the land of Israel; the new covenant promises eternal life with God. It is a very different kind of covenant.

Hebrews 8:6-13
Exodus 24:7-8

Covenant:
1) a usually formal, solemn, and binding agreement: COMPACT
2) a written agreement or promise usually under seal between two or more parties especially for the performance of some action

Old covenant (made available by law): imperfect, characterized by rituals, made obsolete by the new covenant, paid for by the blood of animals; only the High Priest who has cleaned himself can be in the presence of the Lord

New covenant (made available by grace): perfect, characterized by attitudes (the heart), better promises, paid for by the blood of Jesus Christ; Jesus is our High Priest AND our direct mediator to God! Because of Jesus, we no longer need to communicate with God through another high priest. Because of Jesus, we can communicate directly with God.

Zondervan NIV footnote:

* 8:7 if there had been nothing wrong with that first covenant. The line of argument here is similar to that in 7:11; where the Levitical priestly order is shown to be inferior because it was replaced by the order of Melchizedek. Similarly, it the Sinaitic covenant were without defect, there would have been no need to replace it with a new covenant.

* 8:8-12 A quotation from Jer 31:31-4 (see note there) containing a prophetic announcement and definition of the new covenant, which was to be different from the Sinaitic covenant (v. 9). Its superior benefits are: (1) God's laws will become inner principles (v. 10a) that enable his people to delight in doing his will (cf. Eze 36:26-27; Ro 8:2-4 and notes); (2) God and his people will have intimate fellowship (v. 10b); (3) sinful ignorance of God will be removed forever (v. 11); and (4) forgiveness of sins will be an everlasting reality (v. 12).

* 8:13 obsolete and aging. The Sinaitic covenant - but not the Abraham covenant (cf. Ro 4:16-17; Chs. 9-11; Gal 3:7-9, 14, 16-18; Eph 2:12).

http://www.gci.org/bible/hebrews8
Predicted in the Scriptures

The author of Hebrews likes to show that the Old Testament Scriptures contain hints of the dramatic change brought by Christ. There are hints of a "rest" to come, hints of a priesthood to come, hints of a spiritual reality that supersedes the rituals.

Now he shows that a change in covenants was also predicted. "For if there had been nothing wrong with that first covenant, no place would have been sought for another" (8:7). The fact that a new covenant was predicted, implied that something was wrong with the Sinai covenant.
"God found fault with the people" (8:8), but it is also correct to say that there was something wrong with the covenant. The author has already said that the old covenant could not make anyone perfect (7:11, 19). It could point toward perfection, but it could not bring it. Many Jews thought it was good enough, but it was not, and that is why God predicted a new covenant: "The time is coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah" (8:8). This is quoted from Jeremiah 31:31, which is one of many prophecies of a new relationship between God and humans. The prophets described it as a new spirit, a new heart, a covenant of peace, an everlasting covenant. This covenant would be made with Israelites, but also open to gentiles.

"It will not be like the covenant I made with their forefathers when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they did not remain faithful to my covenant, and I turned away from them, declares the Lord" (8:9). Because the Israelites broke the old covenant, the new covenant will be different.

"This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time, declares the Lord. I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people" (8:10). Obviously, the Israelites had some of God's laws in their minds, and they often wanted to obey them. But this prophecy implies that the new covenant will have a different level of internalization. The relationship will be characterized by attitude, not rituals.

"No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, `Know the Lord,' because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest" (8:11). All humans will have equal access to God; no longer will one tribe have special status. Jeremiah's prophecy does not spell out all the details, but the germ is here of a very different covenant.

"For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more" (8:12). The covenant does not predict perfect people — it predicts perfect forgiveness, a forgiveness available to everyone based on God's grace, without any priests or rituals.

This prophecy implied that the old covenant was ineffective and soon to be replaced. "By calling this covenant 'new,' he has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and aging will soon disappear" (8:13).
Even in Jeremiah's day, the old covenant was doomed. Israel's history had already shown that this covenant could not bring the people toward perfection. God's plan required a new covenant, a covenant of forgiveness, a more spiritual covenant, a covenant with a perfect priest, who made a perfect offering for all sin. That is the subject of chapter 9.

Limitations of the old covenant (more are listed in the quoted text above)
1) The high priest himself is not perfect, so he has to offer sacrifice for his sins.
2) The gifts and sacrifices are unable to perfectly atone for the sins of the people, so it has to be done again and again.
3) The rituals were only external regulations; they cannot change the heart.
4) Because no man is perfect, no one could be in the direct presence of God, no one could communicate directly with God.

Zondervan NIV footnote:

* 9:7 only once a year. On the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur), the tenth day of the seventh month (Lev 16:29, 34). For a description of its ritual see Lev 16 ande notes.

* 9:8 Holy Spirit. See 3:7 and note. as long as the first tabernacle was still standing. as long as the Mosaic system with its imperfect priesthood and sacrifice remained in effect (8:7-8, 13).

* 9:9 an illustration for the present time. The Mosaic tabernacle and its temple replacement, through superseded, still provided instruction through their typical (symbolic) significance and were reminders that returning to the old order was useless, since it could not deal effectively with sin.

* 9:10 the new order. The new covenant, with its new priesthood, new sanctuary and new sacrifice, all introduced by Christ.

http://www.gci.org/bible/hebrews9

The book of Hebrews tells us that Jesus Christ is the mediator of a better covenant. He has a better priesthood and a better ministry than the Levitical priests (8:6). Chapter 9 then describes in more detail the better priestly ministry of our Savior.

The tabernacle

First, the old covenant ritual is described: "The first covenant had regulations for worship and also an earthly sanctuary" (9:1). The author does not write about the covenants made with Noah or Abraham, even though they came first. Rather, by "first" he means the covenant made at Sinai, because it is the covenant replaced by Jesus' new covenant. The Sinai covenant had laws about how people could approach God.

"A tabernacle was set up. In its first room were the lampstand, the table and the consecrated bread; this was called the Holy Place" (9:2, see Ex. 25:23-40). The author describes the tabernacle rather than the temple, perhaps because the tabernacle and its furnishings and rituals were familiar to all who read the Torah.

"Behind the second curtain was a room called the Most Holy Place, which had the golden altar of incense and the gold-covered ark of the covenant" (9:2-4, see Ex. 25:10-22; 30:1-6).

"This ark contained the gold jar of manna, Aaron's staff that had budded, and the stone tablets of the covenant. Above the ark were the cherubim of the Glory, overshadowing the atonement cover. But we cannot discuss these things in detail now" (9:4-5; for details see Ex. 16:33-34; 25:18; Num. 17:10; Deut. 10:1-5).

What the rituals could not do

"When everything had been arranged like this, the priests entered regularly into the outer room to carry on their ministry. But only the high priest entered the inner room, and that only once a year, and never without blood, which he offered for himself and for the sins the people had committed in ignorance" (9:6-7). The high priest entered the Most Holy Place only on the Day of Atonement. Before he entered, he sacrificed a bull for his own sins, and later, a goat for the people (Lev. 16:1-17).

What is the spiritual significance of this symbolism? "The Holy Spirit was showing by this that the way into the Most Holy Place had not yet been disclosed" (9:8). In the tabernacle symbolism, God was near but not accessible. The symbolism hinted that there was a way to approach God, but that way was not yet revealed.

"This is an illustration for the present time, indicating that the gifts and sacrifices being offered were not able to clear the conscience of the worshiper" (9:9). Despite the sacrifices, the people were unable to go to God's throne, unable to enter his presence. The rituals could not complete the work that they symbolized.

"They are only a matter of food and drink and various ceremonial washings — external regulations applying until the time of the new order" (9:10). Rituals are external actions, and they cannot change the heart. They do not cleanse the conscience. They were valid only until Christ came.

Our author does not list all the obsolete regulations. It was enough to mention the Levitical rituals. But we can follow the logic to see much more. External rituals like circumcision are no longer required. Worship details no longer apply. The entire covenant is obsolete.

Hebrews 9:11–10:18
Jesus washed away our sins with His blood. It is thus only through Jesus that we have salvation (Hebrews 9:12).

Zondervan NIV footnote:

* 9:11 not part of this creation. It was not an earthly tabernacle, but the heavenly sanctuary of God's presence (v. 24; 8:2).

* 9:12 blood of goats and calves. See note on Lev 17:11. he entered ...once for all. Not repeatedly year after year as did the Levitical high priests. Christ's sacrifice was perfect, because it was completely effective and did not need to be repeated. After he had ordained eternal redemption, Christ ascended into the true heavenly sanctuary.

The blood of Christ cleanses our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God (Hebrews 9:14).

Zondervan NIV footnote:

* 9:13 blood of goats and bulls. As on the Day of Atonement. ashes and heifer. As prescribed in Nu 19 for those who became ceremonially unclean as a result of contact with a corpse. outwardly clean. Such sprinkling, since it was only external, could not cleanse a person from sin.

* 9:14 through the eternal Spirit. An unusual expression that is much debated but probably refers to the Holy Spirit, who empowered Jesus to fulfill his mission (see Mt 3:16 and note). offered himself. He was the one who offered the sacrifice, and he was the sacrifice itself.unblemished. See Lev 22:19-21. cleanse our consciences. Remove sin's defilement from the very core of our beings. acts that lead to death.See 6:1 and note.

http://www.gci.org/bible/hebrews9
Christ's work in heaven

Now, in contrast to the ritual works of the old covenant, we are told about the superior ministry of Christ: "When Christ came as high priest of the good things that are already here, he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not man-made, that is to say, not a part of this creation" (9:11). The better blessings have already begun, the author reminds us. We already have forgiveness and direct access to God, because Christ went through the heavenly holy place.

Jesus Christ entered the reality, not the imitation, and he did it by a better sacrifice: "He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption" (9:12).

By dying for us, the Son of God was able to redeem us once for all. It was a perfect, sinless sacrifice, presented in the heavenly holy place, fully effective, never needing to be done again. This was a sharp contrast with the Levitical rituals, which were repeated continually yet never bringing the people any closer to God.

"The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean" (9:13; see Num. 19:1-22). Here the author refers to the ashes of a heifer. Like the other rituals, it had obscure details that had nothing to do with a person's conscience.

Of course, Christ is much better than a heifer, and we should expect that his sacrifice achieves a much better kind of cleansing. "How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!" (9:14).

He offered a perfect sacrifice, willingly, and through faith in him, this cleanses us on the inside and enables us to worship God. We can do what the high priest could only symbolize: we can approach God with total confidence. We have been washed and purified by the blood of Christ — all sins are removed. If a burned-up heifer could ritually cleanse an Israelite, we can be sure that the sacrifice of Jesus is more than enough for us.

Since Christ brings us complete forgiveness, he "is the mediator of a new covenant" (9:15). He gives us a relationship with God on a completely new basis — not the old covenant, but the new. And the result is "that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance."
This was achieved, the author reminds us, because "he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant." Under the first covenant, many external regulations defined sin. Christ set us free from that. He forgives any kind of sin, but he sets us free from the rituals that were so important under the old covenant.

Hebrews 9:15–28
I'm not sure why the shedding of blood was necessary to ratify both the old and new covenants, or why God requires blood to forgive man's sin. My guess is that just like a will, both the new and the old covenants can only be enforced when the death of the one who made it has been proven (Hebrews 9:16-17). This is why shedding of the blood was necessary to enact the covenants. Also, blood is shed upon death. To be a born again Christian, we must first put to death our sins.

Zondervan NIV footnote:

* 9:15 the promised eternal inheritance. Specified in Jer 31:31-34 (see note on 8:8-12). On the basis of Christ's atoning death, this inheritance has become real for those who are called by God (cf. Ro 8:28).

* 9:16 will. Translates the same Greek word as that for "covenant" (v. 15), but here and in v. 17 used in the sense of a last will and testament. (Verse 18 returns to the concept of covenant.) Beneficiaries have no claim on the benefits assigned to them in a will until the testator dies (v. 17). Since Christ's death has been duly attested, "the promised eternal inheritance" (v. 15) is available to his beneficiaries.

* 9:23 copies of the heavenly things. See 8:5. Whereas it was necessary for the earthly sanctuary to be purified with animal sacrifices, it was necessary for the heavenly sanctuary to be purified with the better sacrifice of Christ himself.

* 9:26 end of the ages. His coming has ushered in the great Messianic era, toward which all history has moved (see notes on 1:1-2).

* 9:28 waiting for him. As the Israelites on the Day of Atonement waited for the high priest to reappear after ministering in the Most Holy Place, bringing assurance that their sins had been atoned for (cf. 2Ti 4:8; Tit 2:13).

http://www.gci.org/bible/hebrews9
Covenant enacted by blood

But this new covenant could come about only through a better sacrifice — something far superior to animals. The author begins by using an illustration from the legal customs of the day. He uses the example of a will, because the Greek word for covenant could also mean will. It was a contract that became valid only when someone died (9:16-17).

The Sinai covenant also involved death — the death of animals (9:18-20; Ex. 24:5-8). The Law of Moses required blood in its rituals of cleansing (9:21-22). Obviously, drops of blood do not make anything physically clean. What the Israelites needed was a spiritual cleansing — an elimination of spiritual defilement, imperfection, sin, guilt and anything that separated them from God. They needed forgiveness.
Physical blood cannot change spiritual realities, and animal sacrifices cannot eliminate sin (10:4), but the old covenant nevertheless prescribed animal sacrifices for forgiveness (9:22). Just as the tabernacle itself pictured a heavenly reality, these animal sacrifices pictured a death that would be effective in removing sin.

The earthly tabernacle had to be ritually purified by animal sacrifices, but the heavenly holy place required a far better sacrifice (9:23). The spiritual barrier between God and humans required a spiritual sacrifice — someone with a perfect conscience, totally without sin. Jesus was not dealing with a physical, symbolic copy (9:24). He was not working with external rituals. Rather, he was dealing with the real spiritual problem, and he did his work in heaven. It was a better place, and a better sacrifice.

Humans are both matter and spirit; Christ's work was both physical and spiritual. He became fully human, mortal and physical, in order to redeem humans. But his redemption had to be on the spiritual level as well: a conscience untainted by sin, a life willingly offered on behalf of others, a being worthy of entering heaven itself to intercede for humans. He offered himself, both body and spirit.

Jesus Christ now appears for us in heaven to help us (9:24). He is the God-man who bridges the gap between God and humans. His work is fully effective — for all time. Once was enough, unlike the work of the Levitical priests, who had to repeat the same rituals over and over again (9:25). By this the Holy Spirit was showing that their work was not effective. True cleansing was possible only through a better sacrifice, a better priest, a better covenant.

The decisive sacrifice

Jesus did not go to heaven to perform endless rituals. He is not copying the old covenant, because the old covenant had only temporary substitutes (9:25). Jesus does not have to suffer forever to rescue us from sin (9:26). He gave himself once, and that was enough.

"He has appeared once for all." When? "At the end of the ages." Why? "To do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself" (9:26). Even 1,950 years ago, believers were living in the "end of the ages" — "in these last days" (1:2). The old era was fading away; a new age had begun with Jesus Christ. The spiritual world was radically different. The sacrifice of all time had been given.

But the story is not yet done. Just as ordinary humans appear once, and then will appear again in the judgment, so also with Christ. "Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him" (9:27-28).

Each person dies for his or her own sins, but Jesus died for others. Each person will face the judgment for his or her sins, but Jesus will be the judge. His death took away the sins of all who believe in him, and when he appears again, he will not be bringing their sins against them. Rather, he will be bringing eternal salvation for all who trust in him.

Hebrews 10:1–10
The Law and the sacrificial system are shadows of the coming Christ, of how Christ would fulfill the Law perfectly and end all sacrifices with His own sacrificial death.

Note: The old covenant was designed to picture forgiveness but could not bring forgiveness. It served as an annual reminder of sins (Hebrews 10:3) because the perfect, sin-removing sacrifice has not yet been offered.

Zondervan NIV footnote:

* 10:1-10 An exposition of Ps 40:6-8 (see notes there).

* 10:1 The law. Together with the Levitical priesthood to which it was closely linked under the Mosaic system (see note on 7:11). only a shadow. The sacrifices prescribed by the law prefigured Christ's ultimate sacrifice. Thus they were repeated year after year, the very repetition bearing testimony that the perfect, sin-removing sacrifice had not yet been offered. make perfect. See v. 14 and note.

* 10:4 impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. An animal cannot possibly be a completely adequate substitute for a human being, who is made in God's image.

http://www.gci.org/bible/hebrews10

The book of Hebrews has explained that Jesus Christ is the perfect priest and the perfect sacrifice. Chapter 10 concludes this section of the book by discussing the perfect results of Jesus' priestly work.

The law was not effective

Verse 1 begins with a conclusion: "The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming — not the realities themselves." This conclusion follows chapter 9, which sketched the rituals of the Levitical high priest and stated that Jesus did far better, offering a perfect sacrifice (himself) in a perfect place (heaven). The Levitical rituals had to be continually repeated, but Jesus' sacrifice was fully effective and therefore did not have to be done again.

Just as the tabernacle was a copy of the true holy place in heaven (8:5), so also the rituals were copies or shadows of the real sacrifice of Jesus Christ. The tabernacle and its rituals (all included in the word "law") represented good things, but could not bring them about. The law talked about cleansing and forgiveness, but could not cleanse or forgive.

Are the "good things" already here, or are they yet future? The grammar in this verse could be understood in either way, but Hebrews 9:11 makes it clear: Christ is the "high priest of the good things that are already here." Forgiveness and cleansing and relationship with God are already possible through Jesus Christ, and the old covenant is obsolete because the new covenant has already been established. There are better things yet to come (9:28), but the author's stress in chapter 10 is on things that Christ has already brought.

The law is only a shadow, not the spiritual reality. "For this reason it can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship" (10:1). No matter how many animals were killed, no matter how much water was used, the law could never achieve the forgiveness that the new covenant now offers.
The word "perfect" can create unrealistic ideas. Faith in Christ does not make people morally perfect. We still sin, and we still fall short of what we ought to be. The Greek word could also be translated as "complete," and this may be a better translation. We are completely forgiven by Christ, completely cleansed, and therefore perfectly qualified to worship God, perfectly able to have a relationship with him.

The context shows what the author has in mind: the removal of sin (v. 4) and a cleansed conscience (v. 2), so that we can approach God to worship him (v. 1b). The author seems to view all of these as the same basic concept. The old covenant could picture forgiveness, but could not achieve it.
If the law could qualify the people for worship, then there would be no more need for sacrifices. If the sacrifices could achieve what they pictured, "would they not have stopped being offered? For the worshipers would have been cleansed once for all, and would no longer have felt guilty for their sins" (v. 2). The logic is this: If the sacrifices completely prepared people for worship, then further sacrifices would not be needed. The people would no longer have a guilty conscience, and would not feel any need to offer sacrifices (at least not sin sacrifices).

The law was inadequate, and the author implies that the new covenant gives what the old could not: a cleansed conscience. Through faith in the effectiveness of Christ's sacrifice, we do not feel guilty. Rather, we feel forgiven, cleansed, and accepted by God. Rather than being excluded from the holy place, we are invited in.

The author then summarizes the argument against the old covenant system: The sacrifices, instead of cleansing the people, "are an annual reminder of sins, because it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins" (vs. 3-4). A physical substance, such as blood, cannot remove a spiritual stain. The old covenant was designed to picture forgiveness, not to actually bring it.

Hebrews 10:5-10
Jesus, under God’s will, has come to fulfill the requirements to cleanse us of our sins forever. Despite the hardship Jesus had to endure to accomplish this, Jesus still went forward with it (remember the intimate prayer between Father and Son in the Garden of Gethsemane just before Jesus' crucifixion). Even when we don’t deserve salvation, Jesus still chose to die for us on the cross. There is no better example of God's Grace and Love for us.

Zondervan NIV footnote:

* 10:5-6 The different terms used for Levitical sacrifices represent four of the five types of offerings prescribed by the Mosaic Law (Lev 1-7), namely, fellowship, grain, burnt and sin (see chart, p. 151).

* 10:5 when Christ came into the world, he said. The words of this psalm of David (40:6-8) express Christ's obedient submission to the Father in coming to earth. The Mosaic sacrifices are replaced by submissive obedience to the will of God (v. 7).

* 10:7 to do your will. The will of the Father was the Son's consuming concern (see Lk 22:42; Jn 4:34 and note).

* 10:9 He sets aside the first to establish the second. His perfect sacrifice, offered in complete submission to God's will, supersedes and therefore replaces all previous sacrifices as the means by which sinners are made holy.

* 10:10, 14 made holy. Cleansed from all sin (forgiven and purified) and consecrated to God's service (see note on 1Co 1:2).

http://www.gci.org/bible/hebrews10

Christ is the answer

The author begins verse 5 with the word "therefore," meaning "because of what I have just said." In this case, we might paraphrase it like this: "Because the old covenant could not bring forgiveness, Christ came into the world and said..." and then follows a quote from the Greek version of Psalm 40:6-8: "Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you prepared for me; with burnt offerings and sin offerings you were not pleased. Then I said, 'Here I am - it is written about me in the scroll — I have come to do your will, O God'" (Heb. 10:5-7).

In this psalm, our author has found one of several Old Testament passages that foreshadow the end of the sacrificial system. He rephrases the psalm to emphasize his point, and he begins by giving the label "first" to a point that he will come back to shortly: "First he said, 'Sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not desire, nor were you pleased with them.'"

And to make another point, he inserts an additional comment: "although the law required them to be made" (v. 8). The author is making a contrast between what the law required, and what God ultimately wanted. (Jeremiah 7:22-23 has a similar contrast.) God gave the law not as a permanent ideal, but as a temporary system that would prepare the way for the reality, which is Christ. The old covenant law was not the final word on what God wanted.
What did he want? Verse 9 says, "Here I am, I have come to do your will." God wanted the people to obey him — but only Christ did it perfectly. The early church apparently understood this psalm as a messianic psalm because Jesus fulfilled its words in a way that no psalm-writer could.

Then comes a powerful conclusion: "He sets aside the first to establish the second" (v. 9). What is the "first"? In the immediate context, it is sacrifices and offerings, but our writer has also used the word "first" five times to refer to the old covenant. The covenant with its sacrifices and rituals has been set aside.

And what has been established? The doing of God's will. The word "establish" was also used for covenants, and the word "second" was also used for the new covenant (8:7). Our author is making a literary parallel here, using Psalm 40 as a miniature picture of the change in covenants. Because the old covenant could not bring forgiveness, Christ said, Out with the old, and in with the new! The new covenant been established by the obedience of Jesus Christ. He is the answer to the deficiency of the old covenant.

Verse 10 begins, "And by that will..." Whose will are we talking about — God's will, or Christ's willingness to obey it? It is not clear; perhaps our author left it ambiguous because both meanings are true. Since Christ conformed his will to God's, they had the same will. It is by God's choice, and by Christ's obedience, that "we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

We have been made holy — this is another way of describing the results of the new covenant. Our sins are removed, our conscience is cleared, and we are made holy, so we can approach God to worship. How is it done? Through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ — a sacrifice that involved both his will and his body, both his mind and his flesh. Further, we do God's will when we accept this as our means of sanctification.

Jesus bridges the gap between heaven and earth, between spirit and matter, in a way that nothing else could. Only he could make an offering on earth that was acceptable in heaven. The flesh and blood of his body was no different than the flesh and blood of any other crucified man, but it was effective for our sanctification and our forgiveness because Jesus was perfectly obedient, because there was a perfect will in that person.

Humans are both physical and spiritual, and we sin in the flesh and in the mind. The salvation that we have in Christ redeems our bodies and our minds, sanctifying both for true worship of God. We are not saved by a purely physical sacrifice, nor by a purely spiritual one. A physical body had to be willingly given, because the spiritual sacrifice had to be expressed in the physical world.

In Christ, we are assured that we have been completely redeemed. His will and his body were given for us, and it was fully effective, once for all time.

Hebrews 10:11-18

Jesus, because He was perfect, only needed to die once and shed His blood once to wash us of our sins forever.

When we accept Jesus Christ as my Savior, all the sins we have committed in the past, are still committing in the present, and will commit in the future are ALL forgiven. And this allows us to be reconciled with God. We can approach God, be in the presence of God, and form a PERSONAL relationship with God all because of Jesus!

Zondervan NIV footnote:

* 10:11-12 A contrast between standing and sitting. The Levitical priest always stood, because this work was never finished (see 7:27 and note).

* 10:13 Having offered, as priest, the all-sufficient sacrifice, Jesus now sits enthroned as king, looking forward to the ultimate triumph over all that opposes his rule (see 1:3 and note; cf. Rev 5:6-14 and note on 5:6; cf. also Rev 7:10, 17; 11:15; 19:11-21; 20:4).

* 10:14 made perfect. The one "made perfect" (5:9; see 7:28 and note; see also 2:10) has "made" sinners "perfect" in regard to God's will for their holiness.

* 10:16-18 The two quotations included here are from Jer 31:31-34 (already cited in 8:8-12). The new covenant guarantees that sins will be completely forgiven (v. 17), with the result that no additional sacrifice for sins is needed (v. 18).

http://www.gci.org/bible/hebrews10
Perfect forever

Our acceptance by God does not depend on the performance of rituals (either ancient or modern) — it depends on what Christ has already done, and it is therefore guaranteed.

This is contrasted with the ineffective work of the old covenant priests: "Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins" (v. 11). Was it an exercise in futility? No, it was a picture, a drama that was worth repeating until Christ fulfilled it.

"But when this priest [Christ] had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God" (v. 12). The Levitical priests stood while they worked; Christ is able to sit (figuratively speaking) because his work is now done. There will be more in the future (v. 13), but for now he sits, "because by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy" (v. 14).

The work of sanctification is done (v. 10), and it is still being done (v. 14). Christ is still working in our lives, but the work is based on the sacrifice that was done once for all time. He has completely cleansed us, made us qualified to be in God's presence. That does not change.

As evidence, he quotes Jeremiah 31:33 again, the prophecy of the new covenant: "This is the covenant I will make with them after that time, says the Lord. I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds" (Heb. 10:16). This is the work now being done as we "are being made holy."

Then our author skips down to the last part of Jeremiah 31:34: "Then he adds: 'Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more'" (Heb. 10:17). And he draws this conclusion: "And where these have been forgiven, there is no longer any sacrifice for sin" (v. 18).

This is the grand finale: Our sins are forgiven; there is no need for sin sacrifices. To us, this may seem a minor point, an anticlimax, something we take for granted. But to our author, this is a major point, the point he has been hammering away at for four chapters. The sacrificial system is not needed any more. The old covenant has been set aside. It never was effective, and Christ has set us free from it.

Apparently the audience of Hebrews found the sacrificial system attractive. It was a God-given pattern of worship, and the people saw no reason to give it up. Even if God allowed other forms of worship, wouldn't it be better to stick to the original plan? Wouldn't this assure us that we were doing something that God likes?

No, our author is explaining. God does not necessarily like now what he commanded centuries ago. He didn't like it in Jeremiah's day, or when Psalm 40 was written. The law was good for a time, but its time is past.

In the early church, when Jewish people first believed in Jesus as the Messiah, many of them continued to participate in the temple rituals, either in person or through the offerings collected in the synagogues. At first this seemed harmless, and the people were allowed to continue their customs.

However, as time went on, it became clear that the rituals were a competitor to Christ. They were an enemy of faith. People were looking to the rituals for assurance, rather than to Christ. In their minds, their relationship with God was based partly on their participation in the rituals. They probably thought, Doesn't this make us more obedient, more pleasing to God? Even if the laws were optional, wouldn't it be better to continue them? And, aren't those who continue better than those who don't? The rituals could easily lead to judgmentalism.

So our author argues, chapter after chapter, that the rituals are obsolete imitations. This is not the better way — this is the inferior way. Rituals do not achieve anything. Our standing with God is based on what Christ has done, and he has set aside the old covenant.

Throughout the book, Christ is compared to various aspects of the old covenant, and Christ is always better. Does our author want his people to participate in the sacrifices and rituals? Probably not. Does he command them to quit? No, not directly, but he probably wants them to come to that decision themselves.

What he commands them is to look to Jesus. Old covenant rituals are ineffective. They are shadows — copies. Jesus is the reality, and he is fully effective. There is no need for obsolete rituals. They are not a badge of better Christianity — they are an unnecessary burden that can block our view of Christ.

Hebrews 10:19-39
Zondervan NIV footnote, Hebrews 10:22-25

Five exhortations spring from Jesus' provision for our reconciliation to his Father:
1) Let us draw near to God (Hebrews 10:22).
2) Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess (Hebrews 10:23).
3) Let us consider how we may spur one another on (Hebrews 10:24).
4) Let us not give up meeting together (Hebrews 10:25).
5) Let us encourage one another (Hebrews 10:25).

For the triad of faith, hope and love in vv. 22-24 see note on 1Th 1:3.

http://www.gci.org/bible/hebrews10
Practical exhortations

Hebrews is a practical book. After each chapter or so of doctrinal explanation, the author will put in a "therefore," and point out how the believers should respond to the truth about Christ. At several points in the book, the author says, "Therefore, let us do such and such."

At 10:19, after several chapters of doctrine, the author comes to an exhortation passage. This one is a climactic point in the book. It has five exhortations. Since the old covenant is done away, and since we are forgiven by Christ, what are we supposed to do?

The author begins these exhortations by reminding us that we have two major benefits in Christ:
1) "We have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus"
2) "We have a great priest over the house of God" (vs. 19-21).

Since we have these two benefits, he says, we should respond in five ways:

1) "Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith" (v. 22). We should accept the cleansing that Christ has given us, and use it for its purpose: that we draw closer to God. The rituals of the old covenant symbolized separation; the coming of Jesus Christ emphasizes the approachability of God.

2) "Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess" (v. 23). Christ is faithful toward us, so we must be faithful toward him, keeping him central in our thoughts.

3) "Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds." Notice the focus. It is not that each person should do good. That is true, but the focus here is on encouraging others to do good. And not just exhorting others, but thinking about how we might do it better. The good deeds will be multiplied. Our relationship with God will have results in the way we interact with each other.

4) "Let us not give up meeting together" (v. 25). It seems that some first-century Jewish Christians were no longer meeting together. Perhaps they were pressured by the Jewish community. Perhaps they were disappointed that Christ had not yet returned. Perhaps they felt that Christianity was a "gentile" religion. They were more interested in their Jewish distinctives than they were in Christ. So the author urges, Don't drop out! If you don't meet with one another, you can't show love.

5) "Let us encourage one another" (v. 25). Repetition emphasizes. The first-century Jewish Christians needed to encourage one another; mutual encouragement helps everyone stay in the faith.

This advice is still true today. We need to encourage one another in the faith, and in doing good — "all the more as you see the Day approaching." Christ will return, and we will be called into account for how we responded to his message, for what our focus was. He will "bring salvation to those who are waiting for him" (9:28) — and not just waiting, but working in faith as well.

Hebrews 10:26-31

If Jesus has already died and washed away all of our sins, what other sin is there for us to commit that there would be no sacrifice left?

There is only one sin left that there would be no sacrifice left to purify it, and that sin is the choice to refuse salvation through Jesus Christ.

Salvation is openly offered by Jesus to anyone who is willing to received, but we must CHOOSE to receive it. If we refuse, then this one sin alone will result in one dying apart from Jesus.

God gave us free will so that we may choose. This is the only thing God cannot do for us. He’s already done all the hardest part. All we have to do is to place our faith in Him and trust Him. If we are unwilling to do that, then there is no sacrifice left that would fix this situation.

Some may say the sin that has no sacrifice to purity is apostasy. In its simplest definition, apostasy is basically Christians who abandon God and turn their backs on God. If so, this would still fall under the choice to forgo salvation freely offered by Jesus. Some pastors would argue, apostasy is a state of paradox that probably doesn't exist. If a person has truly come to understand and know Jesus, he/she simply wouldn't be able to turn away from Jesus. Hence, some pastors would argue that Christians who turn away from God were never true Christians in the first place.

Zondervan NIV footnote:

* 10:26-31 The fourth warning (see note on 2:1-4). This warning is especially to persons ("some," v. 25) deserting the Christian assembly. See 6:4-8, where the same spiritual condition is discussed (see also notes there).

* 10:26 deliberately keep on sinning. Committing the sin of apostasy (see v. 29; see also note on 5:2). The OT background is Nu 15:27-31.no sacrifice for sins is left. To reject Christ's sacrifice for sins is to reject the only sacrifice; there is no other.

Those who reject Christ will die apart from Jesus and will have to suffer God’s wrath for the sins he/she has committed. He/she will have to face the fullness of God's judgment and suffer eternally in the absence of God (Hebrews 10:27, 30).

Zondervan NIV footnote:

* 10:27 judgment and ... raging fire. See 12:29; 2Th 1:6-9 and notes. For fire as the instrument of divine judgment see La 1:13 and note.

Aletheia Seekers

Disclaimer

Sunday, November 27, 2011

Jesus' Historical Existence: One of the Best in the Ancient World

The Christian and the Law

The Christian and the Law

Friday, November 25, 2011

1 John

Luke 24:36-53

Thursday, November 24, 2011

Matthew 24: Signs of the End of Days

Hebrews 7-10