ICHABOD, THE GLORY HAS DEPARTED - explores the Age of Apostasy, predicted in 2 Thessalonians 2:3, to attack Objective Faithless Justification, Church Growth Clowns, and their ringmasters. The antidote to these poisons is trusting the efficacious Word in the Means of Grace. John 16:8. Isaiah 55:8ff. Romans 10. Most readers are WELS, LCMS, ELS, or ELCA. This blog also covers the Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodoxy, and the Left-wing, National Council of Churches denominations.
There is no other New Testament book which is so eloquent - and is also the most difficult one in Greek. One pastor told me he was going through the Greek New Testament fast - until he reached Hebrews.
The first Temple is described in this chapter of Hebrews. This is especially important in the union of the Old and New Testaments. Everything about the Temple was a foretaste of Christ, which is why Jesus made His opponents so angry about Him. He spoke as the Son of God and they only thought of their history and the building itself (Herod's Temple).
That seems strange to us, that the Jewish people would sacrifice animals for their sins, over such a period of time. Yet, the Promises began with the Garden of Eden and the Promise of a Savior. There was so much to teach so each item of the Messianic Promises was written into the Scriptures over centuries. They begin with Genesis 3:15 and continue until the last OT book.
Hebrew 9's chapter has covenant taught 3 times and testament 9 times. The difference is that covenant is a mutual term, each party does something. Zoning covenants mean that the seller must obey limitations on the use of property when sold. That keeps people from a residential area from having a junkyard. A testament is one-sided, so the other party has no say in what is written - a will, and not a covenant. Calvinists only speak of covenants even though Paul in particular and Hebrews speak of the Testament. With a will, called a Last Will and Testament, I can designate any person to receive something without them knowing it.
KJV Hebrews 9:24 For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us:
All those centuries of worship in the Tabernacle and the Temples - they were a foreshadowing of the One Great Sacrifice, accomplished for us. We can see how many ways God prepared us - just a few of them:
The matter of sin, the Garden of Eden.
The first Gospel in Genesis 3:15
The sacrifice of Abraham, changed to a substitute sheep, Genesis 22.
The Psalms and Isaiah 53.
Anyone who claims to ignore the Gospel in the Old Testament is a fool. The Word of God, which always at work with the Spirit, brings Christ to us - and us to Christ. That is the meaning of faith in Jesus Christ being "access to grace" in Romans 5:1-2. Forgiveness of sin comes only through faith, and that gives us access to the Savior and removal of sin from Him alone.
25 Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others; 26 For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.
This simply means that there was one true sacrifice - Jesus' death on the cross, where He represented the ultimate and only sacrifice for sin - only one time and never to be repeated. Crawling or walking on glass or any kind of self punishment is a mockery of the sacrifice of Christ. Those Protestants who covet the papacy must necessarily fall into such foolishness that suggests, even declares that faith in Him is not enough but must be supplemented by self-punishment and financial offerings.
27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: 28 So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.
The KJV is a work of incomparable beauty, so we should not entrust the Scriptures to illiterates who want to make the Bible as tone-deaf as they are. The theory about "modern" Bibles is confused, because all the English-speaking peoples of the world used the KJV, and that -- with Shakespeare (the Earl of Oxford) - shaped the language we use today. No one forced the KJV on anyone. It was designated the official pulpit Bible of England - only - but its excellence simply left the others on the shelf of former English Bibles.
Those who used apostate politics to "revise" the KJV in the 19th century produced something so bad that they could not fix it or keep printing that lame duck. The worst of the Greek New Testament experts (Tischendorf, Westcott-Hort, Nestle, Kurt Aland) took over to erase as much of the New Testament as possible, so the modern versions are a travesty of the English language and the precision of the Greek New Testament. The smart-alecks and snake oil salesmen mock the KJV and push their profitable, and expensive apostate Bibles.
Hebrews is difficult, and yet its eloquence makes us spend much more time in getting its message from the Holy Spirit. The work is quite visual and poetic and stays with us.
Announcements and Prayers
Sarah Buck's birthday is tomorrow.
Holy Week will include Maundy Thursday Holy Communion and Good Friday Vespers.
Easter Sunday - with Holy Communion - is April 9th.
KJV Hebrews 9
9 Then verily the first covenant had also ordinances of divine service, and a worldly sanctuary.
2 For there was a tabernacle made; the first, wherein was the candlestick, and the table, and the shewbread; which is called the sanctuary.
3 And after the second veil, the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of all;
4 Which had the golden censer, and the ark of the covenant overlaid round about with gold, wherein was the golden pot that had manna, and Aaron's rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant;
5 And over it the cherubims of glory shadowing the mercyseat; of which we cannot now speak particularly.
6 Now when these things were thus ordained, the priests went always into the first tabernacle, accomplishing the service of God.
7 But into the second went the high priest alone once every year, not without blood, which he offered for himself, and for the errors of the people:
8 The Holy Ghost this signifying, that the way into the holiest of all was not yet made manifest, while as the first tabernacle was yet standing:
9 Which was a figure for the time then present, in which were offered both gifts and sacrifices, that could not make him that did the service perfect, as pertaining to the conscience;
10 Which stood only in meats and drinks, and divers washings, and carnal ordinances, imposed on them until the time of reformation.
11 But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building;
12 Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.
13 For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh:
14 How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?
15 And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.
16 For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator.
17 For a testament is of force after men are dead: otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth.
18 Whereupon neither the first testament was dedicated without blood.
19 For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and of goats, with water, and scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book, and all the people,
20 Saying, This is the blood of the testament which God hath enjoined unto you.
21 Moreover he sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle, and all the vessels of the ministry.
22 And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.
23 It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.
24 For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us:
25 Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others;
26 For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.
27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:
28 So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.
10. How does it then come to pass that man does not see nor taste death, and yet Abraham and all the prophets are dead, who notwithstanding had the Word of God as the Jews say? Here we must give attention to the words of Christ, who makes the distinction that death is a different thing than to see or taste death. We all must face death and die; but a Christian neither tastes nor sees it, that is, he does not feel it, he is not terrified before it, and he enters death calmly and quietly, as though falling asleep, and yet he does not die. But a godless person feels and experiences death, and is terrified before it forever. Thus to taste death may well be called the power and reign or the bitterness of death, yea, it is the eternal death and hell. The Word of God makes this difference. A Christian has that Word and clings firmly to it in death; therefore he does not see death, but his eyes are filled with the life and the Christ in that Word; therefore he never feels death. But the godless possess not that Word, therefore they see no life, but only death; and they must also feel death; that is then the bitter and eternal death.
