Hebrew 9:10
"Which stood only (that all, that’s as far as it could go) in meats and drinks, and divers washing, and carnal (or fleshly or earthly and external) ordinances, imposed on them (that is on the Hebrews) until (there’s your time word, when?) the time of reformation (or setting everything straight, a change in direction to the ancient path of purity and trust)."
In other words, again, they stayed under this old system of tabernacle, animal sacrificial worship, until that work of the Cross was consummated, and then all of this could fade away - it is now useless. It counts for nothing, and that’s the whole purpose of this Epistle to the Hebrews. Now let’s look at verse 10 carefully, for a minute.
All of this worship service, all of this daily operation of the priest, the yearly practice of the Day of Atonement was all just simply a ritual "of meats and drinks." In other words, there were drink offerings that were poured out. The animal sacrifices and the burnt offerings and so forth, and then the next one; it’s real interesting - diverse what? "Washings." A lot of people don’t want to hear this, but what do you suppose the word washing is in the Greek? You’d better write this in your margin. It’s ‘baptismos.’ In other words, along with all this sacrificial worship they had baptisms as we would call it. But they didn’t call it baptism in the Old Testament. What did they call it? Washing. Now goodness, I don’t have to tell you that. Let me go back to Leviticus chapter 8. Now this is preparation for the priesthood. But not only was it when they prepared for the priesthood it was every day, as they got ready to do this ‘daily ministration.’ Whatever happened to be the priest’s turn for that particular day, how did they have to start? Wash, wash, wash - in water. They washed only the outside of the cup and platter, they could NOT wash the inside, sound familiar? (Matthew 23:25-26, Luke 11:39)
This washing of the inside of a thing is done by God alone, He can accomplish by (through) the baptism of fire and the Holy Spirit.
Leviticus 8:6
"And Moses brought Aaron and his sons, and washed them with water."
If that would have been in the Greek it would have said he ‘baptized them in water.’ That’s really what it said. And so the whole religion of Judaism was based on wash, wash, wash. And so when we come to John the Baptist and he begins baptizing in the River Jordan, were the Hebrews all shook up, saying, "What in the world is all this?" No, nothing new. They’d been used to it for 1,500 years.
As we teach this we see the association of the Old Testament economy (Jewish dispensation) as it was practiced back there first in the tabernacle, and later on in the Temple which had the same floor plan as the tabernacle. But, here in Hebrews we’re really referring to that tent in the wilderness. Then in our last verse was that "all these things," the furnishings, the Day of Atonement, the bringing in of the animal’s blood, all of that was just a picture of what would be fulfilled and consummated when Christ would go the way of the Cross. So now the first word of verse 11 is what?
Hebrews 9:11a
"But…" Now you have the flip-side! Yes, all that was as good as it could be, BUT it had now outworn its usefulness. Now we’ve got something ‘far better,’ as we’ve been seeing all through the Epistle of Hebrews.
Hebrews 9:11a
"But Christ (after the priesthood of an Endless Life, in the New Covenant of prophecy that Jeremiah and Ezekiel talked about) being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, (now I’m reading this slowly) not made with hands,…."
Before we go any farther allow me to look more closely at the word "tabernacle" here used. It is made of two words as both the Greek Dictionaries show they being Strong's and Thayer's with these numbers G4632 and G4639, first G4632 a vessel, implement, equipment or apparatus; (literally or figuratively [specifically a wife as contributing to the usefulness of the husband]) and then G4639 “shade” or a shadow; (literally or figuratively [darkness of error or an adumbration]). These are both interesting and leave room for more thought. Because the word itself has this number G4633 and means: a tent or cloth hut (literally or figuratively): - habitation, tabernacle.
The first thought is; Well, if it’s not made with hands, where is it? In Heaven. In the heavenliest. There is a prototype and we showed that several chapters or verses ago, that when Moses got instructions to build the tabernacle in the wilderness, what was it patterned after? The likeness of the one in Heaven. Alright, and here it is again. That this Priest, Christ, the Priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with silver and gold and animal skins and linens and so forth. But with materials of the Heavenlies and only God knows what that is. But we can get an understanding of it in the fact that those who have come through the veil and its death to all that is counted as darkness become the tabernacle of God and His Spirit. Just as Adam was first birthed into the earth a spirit being in an earthen body and was given a woman to fulfill mans usefulness and from the two became one flesh again.
My, aren’t you getting kind of homesick for Heaven? I think every believer from the young ones to the old one should be. But anyway, most of you understand that the tabernacle in the wilderness was made of earthly materials, but this tabernacle, this prototype, if I may call it that, is made in glory, with things that we can't quite comprehend, all I know is, it’s glorious! It’s going to be beyond human comprehension. Here's what is known light draws more light and radiance is light, light is order and control all else is darkness, sickness and disorder, lawlessness. Alright, so verse 11, finishing it.
Hebrews 9:11b
"…by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building;" (creation).
So it’s not on this earth. Alright now verse 12, and here comes the whole meat or the substance of this portion of Scripture.
Hebrews 9:12
"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."
Now I cut off the last two words as they are in italics and a lighter shade which indicates that they were added by the translators, "for us".
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