Hebrews 9:23-28

Hebrews 9:23-Hosea : . The surpassing worth of Christ’ s sacrifice, as compared with those of the first covenant, is again enforced. To cleanse the Tabernacle, which was the earthly type of the sanctuary in heaven, the sprinkling of blood was necessary; but the heavenly sanctuary itself had to be cleansed with blood more precious. It is conceived as incurring a certain defilement through contact with the sins that are absolved in it. A cleansing is therefore necessary, as in the case of the earthly sanctuary. Christ has entered into the sanctuary in heaven; His ministry was enacted in no merely symbolic temple, but in the temple above, where God dwells in very deed ( Hebrews 9:24). Not only so, but His one entrance into that temple sufficed for ever. The earthly High Priest must enter every year into the holy of holies with sacrificial blood, obtained from a slain animal. If Christ were thus required to repeat His offering, His death would not have been a solitary event, but one that had often to be re-enacted, so as to atone for the sin of each successive age. As it is, He died but once; when the world’ s history was on the point of closing He appeared on earth, and by the offering of Himself made full atonement for all the accumulated sins of mankind ( Hebrews 9:25 f.). This finality of Christ’ s death is illustrated ( Hebrews 9:27 f.) by what happens in the case of every human being. A man dies but once, and then awaits the judgment on his deeds. So by the death of Christ His redeeming work was definitely brought to an end. His next appearance on earth will have no reference to the work of atonement, but will have for its sole purpose the reception into eternal life of those whom He has redeemed.