Our studies in the Book of Hebrews have brought us to the investigation of the last paragraph of chapter 9. This passage is of such vital importance that I am reproducing it in its entirety:

23 It was necessary therefore that the copies of the things in the heavens should be cleansed with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. 24 For Christ entered not into a holy place made with hands, like in pattern to the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear before the face of God for us: 25 nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place year by year with blood not his own; 26 else must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once at the end of the ages hath he been manifested to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. 27 And inasmuch as it is appointed unto men once to die, and after this cometh judgment; 28 so Christ also, having been once offered to bear the sins of many, shall appear a second time, apart from sin, to them that wait for him, unto salvation (Heb. 9:23-28).

In the last installment of this series we saw that Christ came, "a high priest of the good things to come," and that He has obtained eternal redemption for us. The necessity for the shedding of His blood was foreshadowed by the fact that everything in connection with the Tabernacle and its service was cleansed by the sprinkling of blood. Israel had to screen herself behind the blood of the passover lamb in order that her first-born might not be destroyed. The Passover had to be observed yearly in order that she might remain in favor with God. The annual atonement had to be observed in order that the sins of the nation might be rolled forward for another year. Whenever the high priest, or the congregation, or an individual committed some sin which demanded a sacrifice, such a one or ones were required to bring the sacrifice designated in order to make atonement for the soul. But these sacrifices were absolutely necessary to cleanse the earthly sanctuary and to make atonement for the guilty ones. After the long period of apostasy during the reigns of Manasseh and Amon, good King Josiah, together with the high priest, had the Temple re-opened and cleansed with a view to re-inaugurating the services of God such as Israel had observed in former days. As the workmen were cleansing the sanctuary, they discovered the book of the law of Moses. It was read and immediately sent to the king who, upon hearing the message of the same, was convinced that Israel was threatened with the wrath of God because of a non-compliance with the ritualistic worship, as authorized by Moses. Josiah instituted great reforms and a revival resulted from his efforts to re-establish the worship and to please the Almighty. It is quite evident that this mighty revival was pleasing to the Lord. With the re-inauguration of the Temple services the Lord was well pleased. We must understand that this service did not satisfy the demands of His holiness. But He was well pleased with such services in that they typified the realities which we now have under Jesus our Lord. In view of the unfolding of God's revelation, we can see why it was necessary that the "copies of the things in the heavens should be cleansed with these (animal sacrifices); but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these."

As is stated in the verse just quoted, the animal sacrifices could cleanse the earthly sanctuary temporarily. They were simply shadows of the good things which we have under Christ. The Temple with its service was patterned after the heavenly Temple, glimpses of which we get in the Book of Revelation. For instance, in Revelation 11:19 we see "the temple of God that is in heaven." Satan has had and still does have access to the presence of God (Job, chap. 1; Luke 22:31-54). His appearing in the very presence of God naturally would contaminate the heavenly sanctuary. The presence of demons in heaven likewise contaminates it. As proof that evil spirits do sometimes go into the presence of the Almighty, see I Kings 22:19-23. In view of these facts it is quite evident that the heavenly realities should require cleansing and purification.

The blood of bulls and goats could never cleanse the heavenly sanctuary, but Christ and the atonement made by the shedding of His precious blood can and did cleanse the heavenly sanctuary. Just as the high priest after sacrificing the animals for atonement took the blood into the sanctuary and thus purified it by the sprinkling of the same, so Christ, having offered Himself a sacrifice for the human race, went, after His resurrection, into the very presence of God and carried His blood to cleanse and purify it, thus making atonement for man. It was the good pleasure of God the Father that in Christ should all fullness dwell in order "to reconcile all things unto himself, having made peace through the blood of his cross; through him, I say, whether things upon the earth, or things in the heavens" (Col. 1:20).

According to the ritual presented in the Book of Leviticus, chapter 16, the high priest on the Day of Atonement entered into the most holy place with the blood of the goat which was slain and made atonement for the nation. In this way the sins of all the people—those who were in fellowship with God—were rolled forward one year. But each year this ceremony had to be observed and the goat had to be slain. Thus the sins of the nation were rolled forward from year to year.

Unlike the blood of the annual atonement is that of Christ. If His sacrifice had been on the level of the annual atonement, He would have had to offer Himself many times from the foundation of the world in order to take away sins. It is to be remembered that He, our Lord, was "the Lamb of God, that taketh away the sin of the world." He was the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world (Rev. 13:8). He was the Lamb without blemish and without spot who was foreknown indeed before the foundation of the world (I Pet. 1:19,20). His sacrifice was sufficient to remove sin and its effects forever and ever.

According to Hebrews 9:26 Christ made His sacrifice once for all in "the end of the ages." This statement can be understood only when we recognize the fact that there were long ages of the existence of the earth which are passed over in the record of Genesis, chapter 1—between verses 1 and 2. Christ was as a Lamb slain from the foundation of the world for the sins of humanity. Long ages upon ages passed after the creation of the world before the catastrophe recorded in Genesis 1:2 occurred. There were six days of reconstruction during which God was repairing the wreckage wrought by this calamity. The account of this reconstruction is found in Genesis, chapter 1. On the sixth day God created man. In round numbers the human family which is descended from Adam had been upon the earth four thousand years when our Lord was crucified. The Christian Dispensation has been running for approximately nineteen hundred years. This era will be followed by the great millennial kingdom. After that the earth, together with all the material universe, will pass out of existence (Rev. 20:11). Our Lord's offering Himself up two thousand years ago was in the very end of the ages of the history of the world. Thus when we understand that there were long geological epochs intervening between Genesis 1:1 and 1:2, we can understand the significance of Paul's statement in Hebrews 9:26 concerning Christ's offering Himself once for all in the end of the ages.

It is appointed unto men once to die. When they have once passed out of this life, their doom is settled. So long as men are here in this life, there is hope—there is an opportunity that they may yet accept Christ and be saved. This is the statement of the Word of God. So long as man is still in this life, just so long is there hope that he may accept Christ's salvation.

As man dies once, so Christ also offered Himself once for all—in His submitting to death. He did this in order to bear the sins of many. He made it possible for all men to be saved, but all will not accept His salvation. Thus His atonement is efficacious for those who do accept in faith the provisions which He offers. In view of these facts we can understand why Paul declared that Christ bore the sins of many when He died for us nineteen hundred years ago.

Having suffered and died and having been raised from the dead, Christ took His own blood and went into the most holy place in heaven. This thing He did in fulfillment of that part of the ritual of the Day of Atonement, which was performed by the high priest who having made the sacrifice took the blood into the sanctuary in order to make atonement for the nation. The worshippers stood without, anxiously looking forward to his reappearance. There was joy indeed among them when they saw him, for they knew that the atonement was acceptable. Having this ritual in mind Paul said that Christ had gone into the most holy place to make atonement for Israel. But He has not reappeared yet and will not until the remnant of Israel reaches the point that it is willing to accept Him and call for Him to return from heaven. When Israel is thus evangelized and is convicted of her need of the atonement of King Messiah, she will plead for Him to return; and when she does, He will appear a second time "apart from sin, to them that wait for him, unto salvation." The ritualism of the Day of Atonement so far as Israel is concerned has never been completely fulfilled. (For a full discussion of this most important point, see Chapter XII of What Men Must Believe.)