BIBLE READING: HEBREWS 9
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:
Blood had to be shed. That is just the way it was. Of course for years, there had to be a lamb purchased and then brought to the priest to be sacrificed. That means that really it was a sacrifice of finances, a sacrifice of time, a sacrifice of the law, and a sacrifice of tradition. But it had to be a sacrifice of blood. Even then, according to verse 22, there were still some things that would not be forgiven with the animal blood sacrifice. It says “almost all things” were forgiven by law. So our passage says “it was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these”. That was just the way it was.
However, when it came to a permanent sacrifice for sin, “the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these”. A sacrifice was needed that would cover “all” things “forever”. So it would take a “better sacrifice then these”. As a priest would enter into that part of the tabernacle called the holy of holy‘s, he would enter a room that had been built by man, and he would offer a sacrifice that had been paid for by man. But when Jesus died for our sins, He entered a holy place that was not made by hands. And Jesus offered a sacrifice that was not paid for by man. It was all about Christ. You see, the priest and the tabernacle were symbols of the truth, but Jesus Christ was truth. They were “figures of the true”, but Jesus was the real thing.
After a priest had finished his work, he would leave the “holy places” and come back to the other part of the tabernacle. But when Jesus, our high priest, finished His work, He entered “into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us:”. That means Jesus is still there, and He is still there on our behalf. He is there “for us”. Jesus came to save “all men“, and to forgive from “all sin“. Blood had to be shed, but when Jesus shed His blood, that was the last time.