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How Does the Epistle to the Hebrews Reflect the Israelite Temple? #698 · Scripture Central

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  Now of the things which we have spoken, this is the sum we have
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  such an high priest who is set on the right hand of the throne,
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  of the majesty in the heavens, a minister of the sanctuary and of
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  the true Tabernacle which the Lord pitched and not man.
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  Hey listeners, this is Nick from Scripture Central, and today's
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  podcast addresses the question, How does the Epistle to the
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  Hebrews reflect the Israelite Temple?
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  The Epistle to the Hebrews emphasizes many themes regarding
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  the ancient temple that would have been intimately familiar to
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  his audience. As noted by Richard D Draper and
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  Michael D Rhodes, The focus on the temple highlights that the
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  Temple's sacrificial system was something of a moving concern
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  for the audience of Hebrews, and that this audience still
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  retained a great deal of respect for the Old Covenant and the Old
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  Law. Chapters 8 through 10 especially
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  discuss how the sacrificial system employed in the Israelite
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  temple is fulfilled by Jesus Christ's atonement.
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  In doing so, Hebrews depicts Jesus as an High priest who was
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  set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the
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  heavens, a minister of the sanctuary, and of the true
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  Tabernacle which the Lord pitched and not man.
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  Jesus, our Great High Priest, then offered himself as an
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  infinite and eternal sacrifice that would allow us to enter the
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  presence of God by stating that Jesus had entered the true
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  Tabernacle. The author of Hebrews is not
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  saying that anything about the Mosaic Tabernacle was false,
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  especially since it was Jehovah who commanded its building and
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  revealed its ordinances. It means, rather, that the
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  Tabernacle was but a pattern or a type of the true or real
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  eternal heavenly realm. In fact, the author of Hebrews
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  will show that there is much good to be had in understanding
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  the earthly shadows of heavenly things as observed by Draper and
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  Rhodes. Just as an outline or blueprint
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  of an original source reveals much about it, so too do the
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  Tabernacle. And the rituals performed
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  therein, along with those who perform them, reveal much about
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  the Lord and His ministry. This can be seen as the author
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  of Hebrews compares Jesus with the Levitical High priest who
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  oversaw the functions of the Israelite temple.
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  This is especially manifest on the Day of Atonement, which was
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  the one day a year that the Israelite high priest would
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  enter the Holy of Holies not without blood, which he offered
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  for himself and for the errors of the people.
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  Having entered the Holy of Holies, the High Priest was then
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  responsible for reconciling all of the House of Israel, himself
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  included to the Lord. As this order of sacrifice on
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  the Day of Atonement was modeled on patterns of things in the
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  heavens, naturally the Heavenly Atonement would constitute a
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  better sacrifice than anything the Israelites could do on
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  earth. Similarly, while the High Priest
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  symbolically and ritually entered God's presence by going
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  into the Holy of Holies, Christ had actually entered heaven.
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  Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands
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  which are the figures of the true, but into heaven itself.
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  Now to appear in the presence of God.
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  For us, Jesus was also without sin and could therefore perform
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  this infinite and eternal sacrifice.
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  By contrast, for all His Holiness, the High Priest
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  himself was not without sin and therefore in need of expiation.
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  Jesus's sacrifice also differed from the High Priest's sacrifice
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  in another significant way. While the High Priest would have
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  to perform the same sacrifice every year with the blood of
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  others, Jesus was able to put away sin by the sacrifice of
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  himself and it was done only once because Jesus, after he had
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  offered one sacrifice for sins forever sat down on the right
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  hand of God. He is greater than the Levitical
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  high priests. They after all could not perform
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  any sacrifice of the same caliber as Jesus had performed.
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  Through his sacrifice, Jesus opened a way into heaven for all
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  God's children, whereas only the Israelite High Priest could
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  enter the Holy of Holies in the Israelite temple.
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  It is possible for all who repent and keep their covenants
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  to have boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of
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  Jesus, by a new and living way which he hath consecrated for us
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  through the veil, that is to say, his flesh.
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  In other words, Jesus's atonement consecrates us to
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  enter the holy of holies of the heavenly temple, thereby
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  allowing us to enter the presence of God once more and
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  serve in the same heavenly temple.
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  These verses also make a comparison between the veil of
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  the temple and the flesh of Jesus Christ.
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  This symbolism is especially clear when we understand that
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  the veil is the entrance to the presence of God, and because it
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  is only through Jesus's atonement we are saved, His
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  flesh would be a fitting description for the veil.
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  Only through His suffering and death can we be saved and enter
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  the presence of the Lord, allowing His mercy, grace, and
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  power to flow into the lives of all those who would follow Him,
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  bringing to them forgiveness and the ability to live acceptably
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  before the Father. The temple, both ancient and
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  modern, is focused on Jesus Christ.
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  Everything that happens within those sacred walls is centered
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  on Jesus Christ and His Atonement, providing a type and
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  shadow for us to refer to as we come closer to Him.
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  Similarly, the covenants we make in the temple help us learn how
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  to become more like Jesus as we strive to keep them throughout
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  our lives. As our great High Priest, Jesus
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  is able to mediate for us before God.
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  He declared I am the Way, the Truth, and the life.
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  No man cometh unto the Father, but by me He is the way into the
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  Holy of Holies of the heavenly temple, and it is only through
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  His Atonement that we can enter the presence of the Father to
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  gain eternal life. Jesus stands ever willing and
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  ready to help all God's children enter His presence, and He will
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  always be an advocate for those who come to Him, keep His
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  commandments, and earnestly desire to become like Him.
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  Thank you for listening to this presentation from Scripture
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