Doing Bible time with my son this morning, we read some in Genesis but were also directed to Hebrews 9:22-10:4. Oh things you see and learn when you pay attention to little things like grammar!!!
1 "Now the first covenant had regulations for worship and also an earthly sanctuary, A tabernacle was set up. In its first room were the LAMPSTAND, the TABLE, and the CONSECRATED BREAD; this was called the Holy Place. Behind the second curtain was a room called the Most Holy Place, which had the GOLDEN ALTAR OF INCENSE and the GOLD COVERED ARK OF THE COVENANT. This ark contained the the gold jar of manna, Aaron's staff that budded, and the stone tablets of the covenant.........In fact, the law REQUIRES that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood , there IS no forgiveness. It was necessary, then, for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with these sacrifices, but the Heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. For Christ did not enter a man-made sanctuary that was only a copy of the true one; He entered heaven itself, now to appear for us in God's presence. Nor did He enter heaven to offer Himself again and again, the way the high priest ENTERS the Most Holy Place every year with blood that is not his own. Then Christ would have had to suffer many times since the creation of the world. But NOW He has appeared once for all at THE END OF THE AGES TO DO AWAY WITH SIN by the sacrifice of Himself. Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and He WILL APPEAR THE SECOND TIME, NOT TO BEAR SIN, BUT TO BRING SALVATION to those who are waiting for Him. The law IS only a shadow of the good things that ARE COMING - not the realities themselves. For this reason it CAN never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, MAKE perfect those who draw near to worship. If it could, WOULD THEY NOT HAVE STOPPED BEING OFFERED? For the worshipers WOULD have been cleansed once for all, and WOULD NO LONGER HAVE FELT GUILTY for their sins. But those sacrifices ARE an annual reminder of sins, because it IS impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins."
When you read through the passage above, not the tenses being used.... REQUIRES (present tense as opposed to REQUIRED, past tense). ENTERS (again, present tense) .
Note also that this passage says "AT THE END OF THE AGES, TO DO AWAY with sin" When is Christ going to take sin away? At the end of the ages, when He returns.
If you keep reading, you will see that when He returns (second coming) He WILL BRING salvation (future tense).
Hebrews tells us that the law IS not was a shadow of things to come...it CAN NEVER MAKE not could not make ...
"WOULD THEY NOT HAVE STOPPED BEING OFFERED?" Which means what? They did not stop!! At the time Hebrews was written (approximately 67 AD, so after Christ ascended to heaven) the sacrifices were STILL being offered and the law (Torah) was still considered relevant and effective. They ARE an annual reminder (not was).
I was always taught that the law was past tense because it came to an end after the Resurrection and Ascension. Every thing I ever learned about the law was in PAST tense...
According to this passage, long after Christ's resurrection, the law was still current! So if it didn't end when Jesus returned to Heaven...and He has not taken our sins away yet...where does that leave us? Still to be obeying the Torah - to the best of our ability...why? as ANNUAL REMINDERS of what the Lord has done and what He is doing and Will do in the future!!
This is not a life of enslavement...This is choosing to worship, honor, love, and obey God in the way that He wants to be. And the effect of that is not the feeling of shackles, but joy, delight, and love for My Creator!
Psalm 1 says "Blessed is the man who walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly
Nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful
But his DELIGHT is in the LAW of the Lord (Torah) and in His law (Torah, teachings) does He meditate day and night...."
1 "Now the first covenant had regulations for worship and also an earthly sanctuary, A tabernacle was set up. In its first room were the LAMPSTAND, the TABLE, and the CONSECRATED BREAD; this was called the Holy Place. Behind the second curtain was a room called the Most Holy Place, which had the GOLDEN ALTAR OF INCENSE and the GOLD COVERED ARK OF THE COVENANT. This ark contained the the gold jar of manna, Aaron's staff that budded, and the stone tablets of the covenant.........In fact, the law REQUIRES that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood , there IS no forgiveness. It was necessary, then, for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with these sacrifices, but the Heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. For Christ did not enter a man-made sanctuary that was only a copy of the true one; He entered heaven itself, now to appear for us in God's presence. Nor did He enter heaven to offer Himself again and again, the way the high priest ENTERS the Most Holy Place every year with blood that is not his own. Then Christ would have had to suffer many times since the creation of the world. But NOW He has appeared once for all at THE END OF THE AGES TO DO AWAY WITH SIN by the sacrifice of Himself. Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and He WILL APPEAR THE SECOND TIME, NOT TO BEAR SIN, BUT TO BRING SALVATION to those who are waiting for Him. The law IS only a shadow of the good things that ARE COMING - not the realities themselves. For this reason it CAN never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, MAKE perfect those who draw near to worship. If it could, WOULD THEY NOT HAVE STOPPED BEING OFFERED? For the worshipers WOULD have been cleansed once for all, and WOULD NO LONGER HAVE FELT GUILTY for their sins. But those sacrifices ARE an annual reminder of sins, because it IS impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins."
When you read through the passage above, not the tenses being used.... REQUIRES (present tense as opposed to REQUIRED, past tense). ENTERS (again, present tense) .
Note also that this passage says "AT THE END OF THE AGES, TO DO AWAY with sin" When is Christ going to take sin away? At the end of the ages, when He returns.
If you keep reading, you will see that when He returns (second coming) He WILL BRING salvation (future tense).
Hebrews tells us that the law IS not was a shadow of things to come...it CAN NEVER MAKE not could not make ...
"WOULD THEY NOT HAVE STOPPED BEING OFFERED?" Which means what? They did not stop!! At the time Hebrews was written (approximately 67 AD, so after Christ ascended to heaven) the sacrifices were STILL being offered and the law (Torah) was still considered relevant and effective. They ARE an annual reminder (not was).
I was always taught that the law was past tense because it came to an end after the Resurrection and Ascension. Every thing I ever learned about the law was in PAST tense...
According to this passage, long after Christ's resurrection, the law was still current! So if it didn't end when Jesus returned to Heaven...and He has not taken our sins away yet...where does that leave us? Still to be obeying the Torah - to the best of our ability...why? as ANNUAL REMINDERS of what the Lord has done and what He is doing and Will do in the future!!
This is not a life of enslavement...This is choosing to worship, honor, love, and obey God in the way that He wants to be. And the effect of that is not the feeling of shackles, but joy, delight, and love for My Creator!
Psalm 1 says "Blessed is the man who walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly
Nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful
But his DELIGHT is in the LAW of the Lord (Torah) and in His law (Torah, teachings) does He meditate day and night...."