Regulations in the First Covenant
Hebrews 9Now the first covenant indeed had ordinances for worship and an earthly sanctuary. For a tabernacle was prepared. The first part, which held the lampstand, the table, and the sacred bread, is called the Holy Place. And behind the second veil was the tabernacle called the Holy of Holies, which held a golden altar of incense and the ark of the covenant covered with gold on all sides, in which was a golden pot holding the manna, Aaron’s rod that budded, and the tablets of the covenant. Above it were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat. But we can’t speak now in detail about these things.
Now when everything had been prepared in this manner, the priests would go into the first tabernacle regularly to enact worship. But the high priest alone enters the second tabernacle once in the year, and not without blood, which he offers for himself and for the sins the people committed in ignorance. By this, the Holy Spirit was indicating that the way into the Holy Place was not yet revealed while the first tabernacle was still standing. This is a symbol of the present time, indicating that the gifts and sacrifices being offered were unable to perfect the conscience of the worshiper since they are only food, drink, and various washings—fleshly ordinances, imposed until a time of reformation.
Covenants, Blood, and Death
But when Christ came as a high priest of the good things to come, he went through a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation, and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through his own blood, he entered in into the Holy Place once for all, obtaining eternal redemption. For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on who have been defiled, sanctify them to cleanness of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, cleanse our consciences from dead works to serve the living God? For through this, he is the mediator of a new covenant—since a death has occurred for the ransom of the transgressions that were under the first covenant, those who have been called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance. For where there is a covenant, it is necessary to prove the death of the one who made it, because a covenant is in force where there has been death, for it is never in force while the one who made it lives. Therefore even the first covenant was not dedicated without blood. For when Moses had spoken every commandment to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of the calves and the goats, with water, scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the scroll and all the people, saying, “This is the blood of the covenant which God has commanded y’all to keep.”+Exo 24:8
In the same way, he sprinkled the tabernacle and all the vessels of the ministry with the blood. According to the law, nearly everything is cleansed with blood, and apart from shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.
So it was necessary for the copies of the things in heaven to be cleansed with such sacrifices, but the heavenly things require better sacrifices than these. For Christ did not enter a holy place made with hands that was only a representation of the true one, but into heaven itself, now appearing for us in the presence of God. Nor does he offer himself over and over again, as the high priest does when he enters into the holy place year by year with blood that is not his own. Otherwise he would have to suffer over and over again since the foundation of the world. But now once at the end of the ages, he has been revealed to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. Just as humans are appointed to die once and after this comes judgment, so Christ also was offered once to bear the sins of many, and he will appear a second time, not to deal with sin, but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.