The
first promise that was made by God included rules for worship and a tent
for worship here on earth.
The first part
of the tent was called the holy place, and a lampstand, a table, and the
sacred loaves of bread were kept there.
The gold altar
that was used for burning incense was in this Holy Place and was located
right before the second veil that separated the Holy from the Holy of Holies.
Behind this
curtain was the Holy Of Holies where once a year the High priest would
apply the blood on the mercy sit, located on top of the Ark of the Covenant.
The gold covered
sacred chest or The Ark Ark of the Covenant was housed there, and inside
it were three things.
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First,
there was a gold jar filled with manna.
Secondly,
there was Aaron's walking almond stick that sprouted.
Finally,
there were the flat stones with the Ten Commandments written on them.
On top of the
chest were the glorious creatures with wings opened out above the place
of mercy. Now isn't the time to go into detail about these things. But
this is how everything was when the priests went each day into the first
part of the tent to do their duties. However, only the high priest could
go into the second part of the tent, and he went in only once a year.
Each time,
he carried blood to offer for his sins and for the sins of Israel. Also
for the sins that the people had committed without meaning to.
All of this
is the Holy Spirit's way of saying that no one could enter The Most Holy
Place or The Holy Of Holies while the tent was still the place of worship.
This also has a meaning for today.
It
shows that we cannot make our consciences clear by offering gifts and sacrifices.
These rules are merely about such things as eating and drinking and ceremonies
for washing ourselves. These rules about physical things will last only
until the time comes to change them for something better.
The anointed
One of God, Messiah, came as the High Priest of the good things that are
now here. He also went into a much better tent that wasn't made by humans
and that doesn't belong to this world.
Then Messiah went
once and for all into The Most Holy and freed us from sin forever. He did
this by offering His own blood instead of the blood of goats and bulls.
According to
the Law of Moses,
those people who become unclean are not fit to worship
God. Yet, they will be considered clean, if they are sprinkled with
the blood of goats and bulls and with the ashes of a sacrificed calf.
But the anointed
One of God, Messiah, was sinless, and He offered Himself as an eternal
and spiritual sacrifice to God. That's why His Blood is much more powerful
and makes our consciences clear. Now we can serve the living God and no
longer do things that lead to death.
Yeshua Messiah
died to rescue those who had sinned and broken the old agreement. Now He
brings His chosen ones a new agreement with its guarantee of God's eternal
blessings!
In fact, making
an agreement of this kind is like writing a will. This is because the one
who makes the will must die before it is of any use. In other words, a
will doesn't go into effect as long as the one who made it is still alive.
Blood was also
used to put the first agreement into effect. Moses told the people all
that the Law said they must do.
Then he used
red wool and a hyssop plant to sprinkle the people and the book of the
Law with the blood of bulls and goats and with water.
He told the
people, "With this blood God makes His agreement with you."
Moses also
sprinkled blood on the tent and on everything else that was used in
worship.
The Law says
that almost everything must be sprinkled with blood, and no sins can
be forgiven unless blood is offered.
Messiah's
Great Sacrifice
These things
are
only copies of what is in heaven, and so they had to be made holy by
these ceremonies.
But the real
things in heaven must be made holy by something better.
This is why
Christ did not go into a tent that had been made by humans and was only
a copy of the real one.
Instead, He
went into heaven and is now there with God to help us by interceding for
us.
Christ did
not have to offer Himself many times. He wasn't like a high priest who
goes into the most holy place each year to offer the blood of an animal.
If He had offered
Himself every year, He would have suffered many times since the creation
of the world.
But instead,
near the end of time He offered himself once and for all, so that
He could be a sacrifice that does away with sin.
We
die only once, and then we are judged.
So Christ
died only once to take away the sins of many people.
But when He
returns for His Church, it will not be to take away sin.
He will return
to save and bring home everyone who is waiting for Him.
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