#DailyDevotion Jesus Consecrated The Temple For Us.

Heb. 9 ²³Now, the copies of the things in heaven had to be cleansed by these sacrifices, but the heavenly things themselves needed better sacrifices. ²⁴Christ didn’t go into a holy place made by human hands and just a copy of the real thing but into heaven itself, now to appear before God for us. ²⁵And not to sacrifice Himself over and over again like that high priest going every year into the holy place with blood that is not his own. ²⁶Otherwise He would have had to suffer many times since the world was made. But as it is, He appeared only once at the end of the ages to get rid of sin by His sacrifice. ²⁷And as people are appointed to die once and after that the judgment, ²⁸so Christ also was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people, but those who eagerly look for Him will see Him again, not to deal with sin, but to bring salvation to them.

So this section is a conclusion to the preceding verses. Remember the Temple in Jerusalem is just a model of what the true Temple is not made with human hands in heaven above it. It is a greater Temple in need of a greater sacrifice and a greater High Priest. This earthly temple needed to be cleansed by the daily, festival and yearly sacrifices done by the priest.

Jesus has now gone once and for all into the heavenly Temple with a greater and better sacrifice as our High Priest, for us. For us, for you, no greater gospel words can we hear than what God has done for you in Christ Jesus. He doesn’t do this for Himself. He does this for you. He appeared before God the Father for you with His precious and innocent blood. He does not have to offer Himself again and again like the priests of earth do. They have imperfect sacrifices. He comes into the Temple with His own blood once and for all.

By the offering of His blood, now at the end of the ages, He has gotten rid of sin by His sacrifice. He does not have to offer His blood over and over again. His blood is the blood of the person of the Son of God. It has His eternal weight with it. The Temple He has entered doesn’t need to be cleansed from sin. It is holy in itself. His blood consecrates this Temple so that we sinful human beings may have access to it. It covers our sins so we may be holy to come before the God of all mercy and grace, the Father. His blood atones, propitiates, for our sins. It covers us and makes us sanctified so we may enter the place sanctified by His blood. He only had to do this once because of who He is.

Verse 27 is a good one to remember we Christians do not believe in reincarnation. It is appointed for us to die once. This is the only life in this age that we get. So too, Jesus, having taken on our flesh was sacrificed once to take away our sins, the sin of the whole world. (John 3) Many here is probably an Aramaism which means all. So no one is excluded by His precious sacrificial death. We all may put our hope in it to be acceptable to God the Father.

However, especially, He is sacrificed once and for all, for those who look for Him, to see Him again, not to take away our sin, but to bring salvation to us. That is to say, we don’t believe in reincarnation. We believe in the resurrection, which is the salvation He is bringing to us. The resurrection to eternal life is our hope. We don’t hope for reincarnation. We don’t hope to become angels. Our salvation is to be like Jesus Christ in His resurrection. Our hope is to be resurrected children of God living in His holy Temple, in His divine presence, where we experience His love, mercy and peace for all eternity.

Heavenly Father, grant us faith in Jesus’ sacrifice, so we can await with joy, the hope of the resurrection to eternal life and live with You forever. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.