Chapter
10 A Shadow of Good Things to Come
The last few chapters of this book
of Hebrews constantly refers to "good things to come". Chapter 6 says: "let us
go on unto perfection". Then chapter 7 speaks of a new priesthood for us, made
"after the power of an endless life." Chapter 8 unveils the new covenant for the
last days, where He will write His laws in our minds and in our hearts. Then all
shall know the Lord, from the least to the greatest. Chapter 9 says that "Christ
being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect
tabernacle, not made with hands." Then chapter 10 tells us that "the law having
a shadow of good things to come". When we get to chapter 11, we will see that
"God provided some better thing for us". Finally in chapter 12, "we receive a
kingdom which cannot be moved".
The Heart of the Proposition
God
is sending this letter to the Jews, and He does not waste words. Judaism is exposed
as a failure. Verse 1 and 2 make it plain, with unassailable logic, that if the
blood sacrifices of the Old Testament Law had taken away sins, they would not
have had to continue offering the same sacrifices every years. For once the passover
lamb had been offered in the beginning of the year, and the blood of the sin offering
and the burnt offering been placed on the mercy seat on the day of Atonement in
the end of the year, all sin should have been purged. Therefore, there would be
no more conscience of sins. But it is plain that this is not the case, for they
continued this routine every year. This shows that the blood of those animals
was ineffective in taking away sin. They were only a shadow of good things to
come.
The writer of Hebrews does not apologize or compromise. He plainly
says that it is an impossibility for the Jewish rituals or offerings to take away
sins. Quoting from the book of Psalms, he proves that God has done away with the
first covenant, that He might establish the second. Then he simply declares that
the only way to deal with sin is through Jesus Christ.
Jesus Christ is
More than a Man
The greatest danger to the Jewish believer was not the
Sanhedrin who tried to stamp out belief in Jesus through violent persecution.
This only made the believers more determined, and spread the faith throughout
the world, as many fled from Jerusalem. Far worse than this was those who claimed
to believe in Jesus as the Messiah, accepted His teachings, and became part of
the local churches, yet clung to the traditional law of Moses as necessary to
salvation. What they were saying in effect was: "Accept Jesus, receive the Holy
Ghost and speak in tongues, but stay in the old order and be a better Jew". The
counterpart of that today are those who urge people in the old dead historic traditional
churchianity to receive the "Charismatic experience", but "don't leave the church".
By that they mean, don't leave the Roman Catholic, Lutheran, Baptist, etc., denominations.
Speak in tongues, but keep going to mass and confession. Keep praying to Mary,
burning candles, baptizing your infant babies into the body of Christ. Be loyal
to the Pope. Be a better Catholic. But speak in tongues, and be a charismatic
too. Well, beloved, it didn't work in the early church, and it won't work now.
The Spirit is still crying: "Come out of her, my people".
"A Body Hast
Thou Prepared Me"
Now, as then, the central issue at stake is the real
body of Christ, the visible working body of Christ on earth. And you can't mix
it with the old order. This is a prepared body, a cleansed body. The enemies of
the Gospel back then were trying, with quite a bit of success, to keep the Christian
believers in bondage to the law. They did this by tradition, condemnation, and
fear. It is difficult to tear down 1500 years of law in one generation. Through
men like the Apostle Paul, the Gospel had set out to destroy their faith in the
temple, the offerings and feast days, the blood of animals, etc.
What the
Judaizers were saying was: "Sure, go ahead and worship God through Jesus Christ
on the first day of the week. But remember the Sabbath Day and keep it holy. Come
up to Jerusalem for the feast days. Bring your Passover lamb, and your peace offerings,
etc. Come to the temple for the burning of the incense. Don't bring sin into the
Christian faith by breaking the Law. And make the Law of Moses stronger and more
effective by adding Jesus Christ to it." And the Jewish believers were eating
this up. It sounded good to them. It seemed to give them safety on both ends.
How could they lose? Acts 6:7 says that "a great company of the priests were obedient
to the faith." And in Acts 21:30 they were putting the pressure on the Apostle
Paul to assert his faith in the Law, when they said: "Thou seest, brother, how
many thousands of Jews there are which believe; and THEY ARE ALL ZEALOUS OF THE
LAW." Thus the necessity of writing this book of Hebrews, this letter to the Jewish
believers who were zealous of the Law. It was to let them know that they could
not continue to hold on to Moses and Christ. It became evident again that "Moses
my servant is dead. Now arise thou, and all this people, and go over this Jordan."
Yes, there is an active, living, Spirit-filled body of Christ on the earth.
It has not yet come to it's full maturity, at least not at the time of this writing.
But God is adding to it daily, such as should be brought in and prepared for the
great Day of the Lord. The Jews might hang on to the Law, and the glory in their
temple, but 6 years after the book of Hebrews was written, the Roman general,
Titus, destroyed Jerusalem and burnt down the temple, just as Jesus said would
happen, in Matthew 24. And today you might hang on to the old church traditions
of spiritual Babylon, refusing to leave and come into the wilderness with the
true body of Christ. But Babylon will fall, and be burned with fire. And those
who continue to support her sins, will suffer her plagues. (Revelation 18:4).
Sin is Taken Away
I was talking with an orthodox Jew about the futility
and failure of the Law, and the reality of Jesus Christ. As I read from the Old
Testament to prove that Jesus was the Messiah and the substance of the Old Testament
shadow, he ran upstairs to get his Hebrew Bible to see if it read the same way.
I said: "David, the Jews have no way to get rid of sin. According to Moses' law,
removing of sin comes from shedding of blood, and putting that blood on the mercy
seat in the temple. Now you Jews don't have an altar, a temple, or a mercy seat.
According to Moses, in whom you trust, how can you get rid of your sin?" "Oh",
he said, "we no longer believe in blood sacrifices. We don't kill animals as blood
sacrifices anymore, and wouldn't even if we had a temple (which they are not expecting
to have). We only believe in the ethical law of Moses now." But when I asked him
what about his sins, and how he would deal with that, he had no answer. There
is no answer, outside of Jesus Christ. That is one reason why a majority of the
Jews in Palestine today are atheists. They see no reality in God, as taught by
the Judaizers. Only a small remnant remain faithful to the traditions of the fathers.
The rest are only Jews by nationality.
There have been many rumors about
the Jews getting ready to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem. I want to declare that
it shall never be done. The only temple the Jews will be a part of is that glorious
temple Ezekiel saw, and the only way they will enter it is when they are saved
through Jesus' blood, and become a part of the Body of Christ. Those rumors about
another physical temple in modern Jerusalem are being spread by wishful thinking
on the part of those fundamental dispensationalists who have turned most of the
promises of God over to the natural Jew. Israel has been a sovereign nation again
since 1948 and they have had possession of all of Jerusalem since the 6 day war,
years ago. But a Moslem mosque still sits on the site of the old temple, and nothing
has been done about it. Why? Because God is not interested in the reestablishment
of the old Mosaic Law, the Levitical priesthood, or the rituals and blood sacrifices.
He has "taken it away", that He might establish a better covenant. "He is not
a Jew, which is one outwardly, circumcised in the flesh. He is a Jew which is
one inwardly, circumcised in heart" (Romans 2:28-29). So the Israeli in Palestine
today is not a "Jew", be he atheist or orthodox. The real Jew, Abraham's true
seed, is that blood-washed, born-again believer in Jesus Christ. That's the way
it is today, and that's the way it was in the day of the writing of this book
of Hebrews. The order has changed, permanently. Jesus prophesied (Matthew 24)
that the Jewish temple would be destroyed until not one stone would be upon another.
Period. Not one word that it would ever stand again. There is now a new temple.
It is the true body of Christ. Living stones. And the glory of this latter house
shall be greater than that of the former.
Till His Enemies are His Footstool
Now we come to the glorious part of this chapter that takes us into the
heavenlies. When God takes away something, He always gives something better. If
folks could just believe this, no one would complain about the stripping process
of the Spirit. In verse 12 a truth is brought out that should have gladdened the
heart of every Jewish Christian. "Once sacrifice for sins forever". Hallelujah!
"It is finished"! No more labor, sweat, condemnation. Jesus has brought rest.
Get in Him, stay in Him, live in the Spirit, walk in the Spirit, and there is
therefore now no condemnation. Nothing more for you to do, no more sacrifices.
He has done it all. We are free from sin, and not under sin's bondage to walk
any longer therein. We are now free to walk and live in the Spirit, which is not
only life eternal, but also a lot more fun here on earth.
It also tells
us that after offering Himself as the sacrifice for sins, Jesus then sat down
"on the right hand of God" (meaning the place of authority and ministry). "From
henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool." (verse 13). One
translation reads: "from then on anticipating". The Amplified Bible says: "then
to wait until His enemies should be made a stool beneath His feet." Praise God
that the lowest member of the Body of Christ (the Feet), shall be above (higher,
stronger) than the strongest enemy, even sin, Satan and death.
He is waiting.
That means it hasn't been accomplished yet. In Him all things have been accomplished
and are finished. But these things must also be done in His body on the earth.
And until they are, He will continue to sit on the right hand of God. The Bible
says that heaven must receive and retain Jesus until the restitution of all things
spoken of by the prophets (Acts 3:21). This verse in other translations says:
"Until the time of the great Restoration", "When all is restored anew", "until
the whole world is re-created", "until the final recovery of all things from sin""
Until that time, Jesus remains in heaven, sitting on the right hand of God. Until
everyone in His body is above every enemy (even death(. The shadow in the Old
Testament is the Day of Atonement. Sin is removed, thus death is annulled, and
the Jubile trumpet begins to blow. This is why the whole creation is waiting,
"standing on tip-toe to see the wonderful sight of the sons of God coming into
their own". (Romans 8:19 Phillips). Because the manifestation of the sons of God,
the putting of all enemies under the feet of the body of Christ, is the Jubile
trumpet for all creation to be delivered from it's bondage of corruption into
the glorious liberty of the children of God. And no one can stop this from happening!
They can call it heresy, false doctrine, strange and weird, free-love, doctrines
of devils, etc., etc., but it is still going to take place. And even those who
are fighting this truth will be benefited by it, along with the rest of creation.
And Jesus now sits on the right hand of God, expecting, waiting, until all this
takes place. Until every enemy is under our feet. A footstool under his body.
Many other scriptures confirm this, but this is one thing that had to get across
to the Hebrew Christians in order to deliver them from adherence to and dependence
upon the Law of Moses. You can call it brutal or call it crude, but that old order
had to be smashed, destroyed. Some tell me I am wrong in being so outspoken and
so strong against the old order system of religion in the world today. But I must
cry out, and use all means to deliver those who will hear. Because soon the judgment
of God will fall upon all the kingdoms built by men, and many will fall with them.
Sanctified and Perfected
It tells us plainly in verse 14 that by
the offering of His own body, Jesus has eternally perfected those whom He has
chosen and set apart for Himself. Well, I don't feel perfected. And those closest
to me can tell you that they love me, but they know I am not yet perfect. But
we see through human eyes, and we see human faults and failures. God looks at
us, and He sees the offering that Jesus made for us. Ephesians 1:4, 6 tells us
"that we should be holy and without blame before him in love. wherein He hath
made us accepted in the beloved". We look at each other in the light of today.
God sees us in the light of eternity, in His eternal purpose.
But shall
this perfection ever be manifested in the earth realm, where men can see? Oh yes!
Verse 16 holds the key to this. God will write His laws into our hearts and minds.
Then we will not need rules and regulations to keep us on the straight and narrow,
and to condemn us when we fail. For it will be as natural for us then to do the
right thing, to be righteous, as it is now to breathe. And verse 17 goes on to
say that through the blood of Jesus, the remembrance of sin is wiped out forever.
And no more need for another offering. Therefore, what need did they have for
the temple services, blood sacrifices, etc.? God will accept no more offering
for sin. Jesus paid it all. And the full victory over sin, death, and all other
enemies, must be demonstrated here on earth. In the sight of principalities and
powers. The nations of earth must know. The knowledge of the glory of the Lord
will cover the earth as the waters cover the sea.
Into the Holiest
Now
we come to one of the most tremendous statements in all scripture. Verse 19 says:
"Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of
Jesus". There is no other way in. The Old Testament made it plain that the High
Priest could not enter the Holy of Holies without blood, lest he die. There are
many religions in the world. Most of them are designed to do good for people,
through social action, brotherhood, charitable activities, etc. But only through
the blood of Jesus Christ can you come into the presence of God, and have the
life of God. "Neither is there salvation in any other; for there is none other
name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved" (Acts 4:12) So the
bloodless religions, the Gurus, the occult philosophies, paganism, good works
and all other substitutions are all in vain. They cannot give life. There can
be no co-existence between real Bible Christianity and other religions. Some say
"It doesn't really matter what you believe, as long as you are sincere". It matters.
It's like saying that it doesn't matter what you eat, as long as you are hungry.
But it does. Poison will kill you, no matter how hungry or sincere you are. We
have to state openly and without apology, that Jesus is the only way.
Now
these verses are talking about Sonship. He is not talking to unbelievers or nominal
half-hearted Christians. He is talking to those who are sanctified and perfected,
those who are dying to self and passing through the veil into the holiest. Many
people cannot understand the deeper portions of the Word, because they are not
living in the Spirit in the same realm that is being written about. If there are
truths being brought forth that you don't see, and cannot comprehend, don't jump
up and denounce it as false doctrine. Just admit that you are not living in the
realm of the Spirit where these deeper truths apply. Then ask God to bring you
in.
A New and Living Way
The way into the holiest has been consecrated
for us by Jesus Christ. He did it by the rending of His own flesh at Calvary.
When He died, the veil of the temple was torn in two pieces, ripped from the top
to the bottom. (Matthew 27:51) Notice that it was not torn from the bottom. Man
did not do it. It was God who sent Jesus to the Cross. The human will of Jesus
was to live, to continue to do good for people on the realm of healing, teaching,
etc. But that human will submitted to the higher will of Deity, and went to the
Cross. It was the only way that creation could be completely delivered from the
power of sin and death. "Not my will but thine be done". Notice also that it was
torn completely in two. Nothing more for man to do, except to pass through. Some
say that there are still some threads they must tear for you. baptism, confirmation,
church membership, etc. But nothing else is required. Only His death, the rending
of the veil.
But this is not a dead way, such as the Old Testament offerings.
For after Calvary, Jesus took His life up again by the power of resurrection life.
A new and living way. So when we pass through that veil, it means that we come
to the end of our Adamic life, nail it to His Cross. Then we take on His resurrection
life as we pass into the Shekinah glory of His presence forever. Glory to God!
Through the Veil
This is part of the manifestation of the Sons of
God. For there can be no manifestation of the true life of Jesus, the Son of God,
until Adam is dead. Sin must be destroyed, and also death. For 2,000 years since
the Spirit was poured out upon the early church, we have been in the sanctuary,
in the realm of the oil-filled candlestick (lampstand). This part of the tabernacle
where the candlestick resided, was 20 cubits long, 10 cubits wide, and 10 cubits
high. As you can see, 20 x 10 x 10 = 2,000; and 2,000 years is how long is has
been since the church entered this realm. We are now at the door of the holiest,
ready to enter in, as we are being urged to do here in Hebrews. This Holy of Holies
(which had the ark of the covenant, the mercy seat, the rod, and the hidden manna)
was 10 cubits long, 10 cubits wide, and 10 cubits high. 10 x 10 x 10 = 1,000;
and I want to declare to you that as soon as we pass through this veil, a thousand
year period will begin during which we shall rule and reign on this earth. And
it shall be in tabernacles of clay. Yes, we will someday receive glorified bodies,
and the dead in Christ are coming back for their resurrection bodies. But first
there must be a demonstration of the victory of His sinless life in vessels of
clay. Don't get in a hurry. Heaven is still there, and it will not go away. But
a battle is being fought on earth, in these earthly bodies. And a victory must
be won here. Then in the ages to come, God will show His grace and kindness to
us through Jesus Christ. (Ephesians 2:7).
It was absolutely necessary for
Jesus to die in the manner He did. Not because God was some blood thirsty tyrant
screaming for revenge on mankind, and Jesus had to pour out His blood to satisfy
Him. Oh no. One of the basic principles of life is "the life of the flesh is in
the blood". We get our blood from our father, all the way back to Adam. So it
is Adamic blood in us, Adamic life and it cannot enter the Kingdom of God. But
Jesus did not get blood from Joseph. His blood came from His Father. It was incorruptible
blood (1 Peter 1:18). We had to have His life if we were to live eternally. He
brought that life down to earth, poured it out for us in the form of His blood.
So our Adam life is replaced with the Christ life. A blood transfusion, a complete
exchange. One must increase, the other decrease. That is why the blood of Jesus
is so important to us.
Our Great High Priest
The house of Israel
had a high priest, after the order of Aaron. Our great high priest, Jesus, is
of the order of Melchisedec, made effective by the power of an endless life. Therefore,
he says. having boldness to enter the holiest; having a new and living way; and
having a high priest over God's house. let us draw near, and let us hold fast
without wavering. "The profession of our faith". We have something to declare
to the world, and we have no reason to waver. God has given the promise, and He
will fulfill. How long is forever? Well, that's how long Jesus is called to be
a priest (Hebrews 5:6, 6:20, 7:21). As a high priest in the ages to come, what
kind of ministry will He have? He is our high priest, and He will be ministering
the life of God to us, from glory to glory. Beloved, it is beyond our minds to
comprehend what glorious things God has planned for His people. Hallelujah!
"Let
us consider one another". What a beautiful statement in verse 24. This is the
guiding principle in our relationship with one another in this great body of Christ.
Everything we do or say, should be done in the light of "how does this affect
my brother?" No one lives to himself, we are members of the same body. We are
partakers of the same covenant. The Amplified Bible expresses this verse so beautifully:
"And let us consider and give attentive, continuous care to watching over one
another, studying how we may stir up (stimulate and incite) to love and helpful
deeds and noble activities."
"Provoke one another". Yes, I know that it
is not difficult to get provoked with your brother sometimes. But we are not to
provoke him to anger, but to love and good works. This is not a matter of just
nagging him to keep doing helpful deeds and bold activities. We are to give one
another good reason to love us, and to be wanting to do good deeds. This is something
that has to be worked at. But the more we love the brethren, the easier it becomes.
As Ye See the Day Approaching
Verse 25 deals with a problem as real
in the early church as it is today. "Not forsaking the assembling of yourselves
together, as the manner of some is." Then, as now, there were those who either
became so super-spiritual, or else so dead and cold in spirit, that they didn't
feel the need to meet with the rest of the body of Christ in worship, praise,
and teaching meetings. And one extreme was about as bad as the other. The end
result was the same.
We have had those preachers come by with claims to
super revelations, who tried to tell us that the day of having church was over,
that meeting in a regular building for that purpose, at regularly appointed times
was "old order". And so was praying for the sick, prayer requests, altar calls,
singing and worship, etc. However, they always seemed to like the idea of having
a church building and a body of believers to preach that garbage to. And it never
was "old order" to take them an offering. They claimed to be past the "gift" realm
and the "in" thing was Sonship (their brand). Well, as a pioneer in the present
day "Sonship" message, I want to tell you that what they've got is not real Sonship,
but a smelly substitute. I have discovered that no matter how high sounding and
spiritual their preaching seems to be, it never produces any life in a congregation.
We didn't waste much time on this sort of thing, and we don'' have the welcome
mat out for these "wandering stars" who preach contrary to Hebrews 10:25. Unfortunately,
some folks have run into this brand of "Sonship", hear them using some of the
same terminology and expressions as the rest of us use, and then identify us with
this false message and wrong spirit. This is unfair. If I am to be judged, I want
to be judged on what I believe and preach, not on the basis of some garbled message
bring propagated by those with whom I'm not even associated. However, it's a waste
of precious time to try to protect and defend myself from all the accusations
flying around. So I leave that with the Lord. If anyone hears anything they'd
like to know about for sure, the answer is as close as their telephone. My number
is in the phone book, it's not unlisted, and I have no reason to tell you anything
but the truth about what I believe. In fact, I'm trying to put everything I believe
into print, as fast as I can, and with over 100 messages on end time truth already
written and printed, there should be no doubt as to where I stand on issues. I
don't want to keep hidden, or under cover, anything I believe to be truth. If
I can find it in the Book (Bible), I'm going to preach it, loud and clear.
As
Ye See the Day Approaching
And one of the things I find in the Bible, and
am preaching by pulpit, press, and radio, is the need for strong local churches.
I mean bodies where people have strong commitments to one another in love. We
who are partakers in the covenant of God, need to have a covenant with each other.
We need to recognize ourselves as local members of His body. "Not forsaking the
assembling of ourselves together."
Many people write me and ask, "How can
this apply to me, when there is no one else in my city who believe these truths,
and no local church to attend?" And the problem is whether they should attend
regularly, and give support to a dead Babylonian system of religion. My heart
grieves for those in this situation, and I wish there was an easy answer to this.
All I can say is, that if you truly are willing to submit to an God-ordained and
Spirit-led local order, I firmly believe God will raise one up in your area, even
if He has to use you to do it. When we moved our publishing office to Springfield,
Missouri, some years ago, there was no local group standing in the truths of Sonship.
There were some individuals hungry for divine order and deeper truth but no leadership
to gather them together. I tried to find a local church where I could fellowship,
and finding none, we started having meetings in our living room at home. Soon
the room was full and after about 18 months, we had to rent a building. A year
later we bought another building, and when it was packed out we were forced to
build a larger building for the church and Bible school.
The Word of the
Lord came to me through a prophet, that I was not limited in my ministry to the
local church here, but that my church was those thousands of hungry saints scattered
abroad this nation and around the world who get their spiritual food from our
books, tapes and printed messages. I witnessed to that word, and I have tried
to fulfill that calling. Yet I realized that even this type of ministry needed
the government, encouragement, and restraint of a local body. For my own protection,
and for those who read and accepted my writing ministry, I needed the commitment
to a local body of believers who could discipline me in case I got into false
teaching or over-emphasis on some phase of truth. And I knew that this kind of
government could not be a "one man show". There would have to be a body of elders
with strong enough ministries to challenge me if I were wrong. Because, you see,
I don't want to be wrong. I owe it to God's people, and to the Lord who called
me, to do everything in my power to stay in the center of the flow of the Spirit,
and not get off on some tangent. This in no way hinders my ministry, or restricts
the free flow of divine revelation. But after nearly 40 years of pentecostal ministry,
it has been my observation that most of those good men who fell into Satan's snares
(whether it was love of money, sex, or false doctrine) did so because of a lack
of a covering. Some belonged to a religious system rampant with dead tradition
and power-hungry religious politicians, unable to provide proper spiritual covering
for a servant of God. Others had come out of the system, now determined never
to be in bondage to any kind of government, thus leaving themselves open for the
attacks of a cunning enemy.
Therefore, I needed both a local body of elders
familiar with end-time truths, and Spirit-anointed traveling ministries strong
enough to give me a "thus saith the Lord". I asked God for this, and He provided
abundantly. And there are pastors in other cities who love this ministry and this
servant of God enough to pray for him and help keep him straight. When God would
call some of those local elders to ministry in other localities, He would send
others in.
The Day Approaches
So much for my testimony on assembling
ourselves together. I realize that a body of believers such as we have here in
Springfield is not to be found in every city. But hold on saints, it is coming!
The Day of the Lord approaches. Let your heart be open for that which God is sending.
According to verse 25, "the day" that was approaching had not yet taken place
at the time of the writing of this book. It did not happen at Calvary, nor on
the day of Pentecost more than 30 years prior. The destruction of Jerusalem, the
Dark Ages, the Reformation, the latter day outpouring of the Spirit, have all
come and gone. And yet I declare to you today that there is yet a "day" approaching.
It is the great day of the Lord. All the more reason for us to gather together
to exhort one another.
Paul in Ephesians 6, calls it: "that evil day".
Joel calls it: "the great and terrible day of the Lord". Malachi calls it: "the
great and dreadful day of the Lord". Many other prophets refer to it simply as
"the day of the Lord". A previous message written on this "day" entitled "Day
and Night", is available for the asking. Write for it. No need to rewrite that
message here, except to say that verse 25 is telling us that it is a good reason
for us to "consider and give attentive continuous care to watching over one another",
and to meet together for worship and instruction regularly. Unteachable, independent
spirits are in great danger in these days in which we live. For your own sakes,
find a covering.
No More Sacrifice for Sins
Now we come to a very
perplexing portion of scripture. Some have though that this might be referring
to the "unpardonable sin". Such is not the case. Lest anyone think that God is
weak and uncertain in dealing with those who spurn the blood of Jesus as the only
offering for sin, the writer has some very strong words about judgment. Moffatt's
translation says: "How much heavier, do you suppose, will be the punishment assigned
to him who has spurned the Son of God."
The issue here is not whether Jesus'
blood is able to cleanse all our sin, past or future, but whether or not there
is any other offering to take away judgment, in case we spurn the blood of Jesus
as the remedy. The Bible makes it plain that there is no other offering. Spurn
the blood of Jesus, and you are left with nothing to look forward to but the wrath
of almighty God. "Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord.
It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God." Someone says:
"That doesn't sound like a God of love". Let me tell you that God loves us so
much that He will never permit us to spend eternity in a heaven polluted by sin
and sinners who reject the only cleansing. They have a different destiny. The
wrath of God is the love of God in operation against the negative powers of darkness
and death.
So if we receive the knowledge of the truth concerning Calvary
and the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, and still reject that truth and try for heaven
and eternal life some other way, we have no hope. For God will accept no other
sacrifice than the one that has already been paid. The Amplified Bible says: "There
is no longer any sacrifice left (when we have rejected Jesus) to atone for our
sins, no further offering to which to look forward." There will not be another
Lamb of God. Jesus is once and forever the only salvation from sin.
This
truth was necessary for those Christian Jews who were being told by the Judaizers
that they could bring another lamb at the Passover season, and God would accept
it for their sins. Strong language, yes, but needed, then and now. There is no
other way, no Guru, no philosophy, no works, nothing. It is Jesus then, now and
forever! Glory to His great Name!
A Better and Enduring Substance
In
verses 32 through 34, we find a beautiful and tender picture of the love that
existed in the early church among the saints of God. Here he refers to the "former
days", obviously days when they were on fire for God, when revival fires were
burning in the camp. It was a time of great persecution, and the saints were sharing
everything they had with one another. Now I don't believe in a communistic or
a communal form of life, such as is practiced in Red China. I believe God's ordained
way of life for His people is the family unit, with a man and wife as the head
of their own home, and children leaving father and mother to get married and form
their own home, yet always ready to share with the saints anything that is needed.
Whether it is car, clothes, furniture, food, tools, or money, we having nothing
that "we might call our own". But it all belongs to God and His family, and we
are only the custodians. And being a faithful steward means that I must be wise
in how it is used or given away, and not waste it on moochers or interfere with
the dealings of God in the life of someone He might be trying to mature. Sometimes
it is necessary for young saints to grow up to where they are self-supporting,
and not forever be dependent on hard-working and big-hearted relatives or friends.
Everyone should carry their weight, as much as they are able. Paul says: "they
that do not work, shall not eat." Those who are sick, or having hard times, or
trying to get a start will find much love and care in the body of Christ.
Those
who are "illuminated" with this truth, will not hesitate to share their substance
with others who are in need. And those who do not have anything, will want to
"labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give
to him that needeth". (Ephesians 4:28). I believe the writer of Hebrews to be
Paul the Apostle, and here he speaks of his bonds, and the compassion the Jewish
saints had for him at that time. And those who sympathized with him suffered great
loss in material things, and their goods were spoiled. Also they were made a gazing
stock, suffered great reproaches and afflictions, and were identified with other
such "heretics".
"Ye have in heaven a better and an enduring substance."
5 things are said here that I want to emphasize. First, we "have" this substance.
Not hope to have it, not maybe, but "we have it". It is already ours. The title
deed to this is already made out to us. That makes me a rich man, in things the
world knows nothing about and can never have except through Jesus. Secondly, it
is a "better" substance. Better than what? Better than anything the world can
give or take away from us. Better than all the "goods" we might have lost through
following the Lord. Better than the opportunities we might have had to make a
fortune in this world. Third, it is an "enduring" substance. It shall never fade,
rust, rot or be stolen. Cars we used to enjoy now sit in some junkyard. Houses
that were once the pride of the owner are now being torn down or becoming part
of a ghetto. Things in this world do not endure. Even our life is all too short.
But we have an enduring "substance". Fourth, it is a "substance". It is not a
doctrine, a fantasy, a fairy tale, a wild hope. It is a substance. Something real,
more real than the things we see about us. And finally, we have this "in heaven"
where no one can take it from us. The Apostle Peter tells us that we have "an
inheritance, incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved
in heaven for you. ready to be revealed in the last time." (1 Peter 1:4).
The
last few verses of this tremendous chapter now encourages the saints to have patience
and confidence in that which God is doing. For, he says, there is great reward
in this kind of confidence. Some were in danger of casting this confidence away,
thus losing their reward. They had, in time past, done the will of God. But it
takes patience to then receive the promise. Then he quotes for these Jewish believers
a portion of the Old Testament, to show them that what he is saying is according
to the written scriptures. Verses 37 and 38 are quotations from the prophet Habakkuk.
"Yet a little while"; "He will come and will not tarry"; "The just shall live
by faith"; and "If any man draw back". Can a man draw back unto perdition? Yes,
it is very plain. But we are not of those who do this.
What he is saying
to us here is "hold on, beloved, keep believing and keep pressing on. It may seem
long and hard to bear. But the promise is ours. And the reward is great. We are
victors on the field! We cannot see all the results, for we live by faith. We
walk by faith. But faith is a substance, a substance of things hoped for. And
with these words, we are introduced to the great chapter on faith, chapter 11.
Here we have a "Hall of Faith" for those noble patriarchs and saints who endured
many afflictions and temptations in their walk with God, yet received a good report.
This brief message has only scratched the surface of the great truths here in
this glorious chapter 10 but we must leave it with you to dig in and make further
study, led by the Spirit. For we must continue on to the next step in our journey
through this great book of Hebrews.
Remember, the Law is a shadow of better
things to come. The substance is in Jesus Christ. Only through His precious blood
is there salvation from sin. And the door is open for us to enter the holiest
place in God. Therefore, we should consider one another in this body of Christ,
for the day of the Lord is now upon us. None of earth's goods are worth holding
on to. We have a desire to share what we have with those we love, and we have
a better substance in heaven. What a Saviour! How great is our God! And now, let
us press on.
Bill
Britton Hebrews the book of better things