Hebrews 10:4
"For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats should take away sins."
That’s why the Old Testament believer didn’t die and go to Heaven, he went down into Sheol or Abraham's bosom to await the Lord at the end of days. Or put another way at the end of God's dealing with Israel as God's ruled people. The same term used for those of us who by way of personal choice allow God through His Grace as found in Christ both in us and then through us as God's ruled people or now called the Israel of God, the true apple of His eye, to live by the Spirit.
That said, Jesus went down into Hell. He went down into Hades, which was split with a great gulf fixed, as Luke tells us in chapter 16. And so the believing element went down into those areas in the Paradise side (Isaiah 9:2 has a double meaning), whereas the lost went down into the torment side (Amos 5:18-20 there are many disclosures of what hell is like within the OT and Revelation). But then, at Christ’s resurrection, He took ‘captivity captive’ and now with the atoning blood shed, He could take those Old Testament saints up to Glory in His first ascension [this is why He told Mary not to cling to Him, see John 20 and read it with care]. And the angle known as Satan, the deceiver, the devil, the dragon and other names was defeated at the time Jesus was held suspended between heaven and earth [on the tree or Roman cross]. On the Roman instrument of death, shame and torture, with all the wrath of God laid upon Him (due the human race from beginning to end) and the great darkness fell upon the face of the earth. The darkness was so thick it is unimaginable and there was light bolts from the heavens strike the earth which Jesus had said the He saw Satan fall from heaven like a lighting bolt(1 John 3:8; Luke 10:18, John 12:31, Revelation 9:1, 12:7-9).
So, until the true atoning blood had been shed, they could not die and go to Heaven. They went down into Paradise; and if you don’t know what I’m talking about, then just think of the thief on the cross. What did Jesus tell him? "Today, thou shalt be with me (not up in Heaven, but where?) in Paradise." (also see Matthew 12:40) And so, this is all because "the blood of bulls and goats could not take away sins." The defilement of sins stain from flesh or conscience. The "It is Finished work of the cross" as the pivotal pin, hing-pin of human history. This alone makes Christ and His Grace and Truth of the Gospel of God's Grace activity within redeemed man [man made receptivity again to become God ruled as is the meaning of the word Israel, ruled-Isra and God-el] kind by His Spirit.
Hebrews 10:5
"When he cometh into the world, (that is speaking of Christ coming into His earthly, first advent – He said) Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body thou hast prepared for me:"
There are two schools of thought right there. We saw what God thought of a good portion of the sacrifices made by Israel. They were an abomination to Him because they thought it would just cover a multitude of sins, and it never changed their lives. The sacrifice of the animals was wasted effort on mans part. They were still cheating their neighbors. They were still selling false products. They were still committing adultery. And they were doing all the things abhorrent to God, but they thought they could just smooth that all over with their religion. Well, that didn't nor doesn’t it work. Religion in all its vile forms is nothing short of vanity of mans self.
Sacrifice wasn’t what God was looking for – He was looking for, even back then, changed hearts and lives. If you claim to be a believer and you claim to be a Christian, there has to be a change in lifestyle. We cannot keep on living like we did when we were lost and part of the world. Without God and Christ in our lives but having only the shadow of Him. Because when God and Christ's essence moves in we’re going to live differently.
Now that doesn’t mean that we become so heavenly-minded that we’re no earthly good. I’ve used that little cliché, though I don't like it. But, on the other hand, the change is all for the better. I guess the simplest way I can put it is, when you become a true believer, you have first become a receiver then you become a good husband; you become a good wife; you become a good mother; you become a good child; you become a good professional; you become a good worker; you become a good citizen. That’s what Christ-likeness or oneness does. He just simply makes us better people, we care for the needs of others and we see the err of your and their ways more plainly.
Tocqueville, the French philosopher, after he had toured America, went back and wrote some of his famous things; and one statement he made, you remember. It’s quoted over and over. "America is blessed" (now this is way back in the early 1800’s)…America is blessed because America is full of good people. Well that has to be the case, see? All right, so God wasn’t just looking for the sacrifices as I said. He didn’t take pleasure in seeing those innocent animals killed one after the other, but it was His demand to make people conscious of sin. Oh don't get me wrong He does want sacrifices but not those of animals, He wants us to see ourselves as being in Christ Jesus on that tree of death. The very revelation that caused Saul of Tarsus to become a new man, a changed individual of Hebrew origin.
All right so now, he goes on to say, that in His coming into the world, God prepared what? A body. Now you see, God in His omnipotence could have done it almost any way He wanted to. He could have set the standard. He’s Sovereign. But He chose to bring the whole plan of salvation through redemption to the human race through One of the members of the Godhead, the Son becoming a human being. Only the God of This Book could do something like that. This is of course speaking of Genesis 3:15, Psalm132:11, Isaiah 7:14, Jeremiah 31:22, Matthew 1:23, 25, Luke 1:31-35 and Galatians 4:4.
The god of Buddha’s or the Hindu's and the god of the other religions could never do it, but our God could. Because with Him nothing is impossible. So He saw fit to lay that plan of salvation based on a Person of the Godhead, God the Son, becoming human flesh and living amongst us. And being able to identify with all of our heartaches, our sorrows, our passions, our everything. That’s why the Scripture can tell us that there has no temptation taken you that is common to man, but that He has helped us find a way of escape (I Corinthians 10:13). Because He faced the same things. For God to legally satisfy the courts of the Heavens in the proper manor He had to provide for the LAW's perfect satisfaction, He had to come and supply His Blood, there was NO other way legally.
So, "a body thou hast prepared for me." Speaking of the baby in the womb. And I always like to make the point that from the very time of Mary’s conception that baby in the womb never ceased to be the God of Glory. He was God from the moment of conception up until He ascended back to Glory after finishing His earthly sojourn. So, "a body thou hast prepared for me" for the whole purpose of bringing about this tremendous plan of redemption and through it our Salvation. Was first spoken of as recorded in Genesis 3:15 and the seed which all mankind has which lays in a sleep state until the Light of this Gospel strikes it and causes the New Life to spring from that hidden seed. This is what happened when Mary said “be it unto me according to God's word” to the messenger. It is the same thing that takes place within us when by way of inspiration of its intended revelation we say the same thing from our heart. Through our acceptance of the word spoken to us causing our re-genesis or regeneration.
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