1 N ow even the first covenant had regulations of divine worship and the earthly sanctuary.

There were special ways of worship and a special holy place made by man for the Old Way of Worship.

2 F or there was a tabernacle prepared, the outer one, in which were the lampstand and the table and the sacred bread; this is called the holy place.

A big tent was built and set up. It was called the holy place. It had a light and a table, and the holy bread was on the table.

3 B ehind the second veil there was a tabernacle which is called the Holy of Holies,

Behind the second curtain there was another tent. This was called the Holiest Place of All.

4 h aving a golden altar of incense and the ark of the covenant covered on all sides with gold, in which was a golden jar holding the manna, and Aaron’s rod which budded, and the tables of the covenant;

In the inside tent there was an altar where special perfume was burned. There was also a large box made of wood called the box of the Way of Worship. Both of these were covered with gold inside and out. Inside the box was a pot made of gold with the bread from heaven. It also had in it Aaron’s stick that once started to grow. The stones on which the Law of Moses was written were in it.

5 a nd above it were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat; but of these things we cannot now speak in detail.

Above the box were the cherubim of honor. Their wings were spread up and over and met in the center. On the top of the box and under the shadow of their wings was the mercy-seat. We cannot tell anymore about these things now.

6 N ow when these things have been so prepared, the priests are continually entering the outer tabernacle performing the divine worship,

When everything was finished, the Jewish religious leaders went in and out of the outside tent to do the things which had to be done to worship God.

7 b ut into the second, only the high priest enters once a year, not without taking blood, which he offers for himself and for the sins of the people committed in ignorance.

Once each year the head religious leader would go into the inside tent alone. He would not go in without blood. He gave this blood to God as a gift in worship for his own sins and for the sins of all the people who sinned without knowing it.

8 T he Holy Spirit is signifying this, that the way into the holy place has not yet been disclosed while the outer tabernacle is still standing,

And so the Holy Spirit is teaching that, with the Old Way of Worship, the people could not go into the Holiest Place of All as long as the outside tent and its Old Way of Worship were being used.

9 w hich is a symbol for the present time. Accordingly both gifts and sacrifices are offered which cannot make the worshiper perfect in conscience,

The outside tent is a picture of that day. With the Old Way of Worship, animals killed and gifts given in worship to God could not take away the guilty feeling of sin.

10 s ince they relate only to food and drink and various washings, regulations for the body imposed until a time of reformation.

The Old Way of Worship was made up of Laws about what to eat and drink. These Laws told how to wash and other things to do with the body. These things had to be done until Christ came to bring a better way of worship. The New Way of Worship Has a Better Gift

11 B ut when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things to come, He entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation;

But Christ came as the Head Religious Leader of the good things God promised. He made the way for man to go to God. He was a greater and more perfect tent. He was not made by human hands and was not a part of this earth.

12 a nd not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.

Christ went into the Holiest Place of All one time for all people. He did not take the blood of goats and young cows to give to God as a gift in worship. He gave His own blood. By doing this, He bought us with His own blood and made us free from sin forever.

13 F or if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who have been defiled sanctify for the cleansing of the flesh,

With the Old Way of Worship, the blood and ashes of animals could make men clean after they had sinned.

14 h ow much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

How much more the blood of Christ will do! He gave Himself as a perfect gift to God through the Spirit that lives forever. Now your heart can be free from the guilty feeling of doing work that is worth nothing. Now you can work for the living God.

15 F or this reason He is the mediator of a new covenant, so that, since a death has taken place for the redemption of the transgressions that were committed under the first covenant, those who have been called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance.

Christ is the One Who gave us this New Way of Worship. All those who have been called by God may receive life that lasts forever just as He promised them. Christ bought us with His blood when He died for us. This made us free from our sins which we did under the Old Way of Worship.

16 F or where a covenant is, there must of necessity be the death of the one who made it.

When a man wants to give his money to someone after he dies, he writes it all down on paper. But that paper is worth nothing until the man is dead.

17 F or a covenant is valid only when men are dead, for it is never in force while the one who made it lives.

That piece of paper means nothing as long as he is alive. It is good only when he dies.

18 T herefore even the first covenant was not inaugurated without blood.

The Old Way of Worship had to have a death to make it good. The blood of an animal was used.

19 F or when every commandment had been spoken by Moses to all the people according to the Law, he took the blood of the calves and the goats, with water and scarlet wool and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people,

Moses told the people all the things they had to obey in the Law. Then he took the blood of animals together with water and put it on the Book of the Law and on all the people. He used special branches and red wool as he put it on them.

20 s aying, “ This is the blood of the covenant which God commanded you.”

Moses said, “This is the blood of the Way of Worship which God said you must obey.”

21 A nd in the same way he sprinkled both the tabernacle and all the vessels of the ministry with the blood.

In the same way, Moses put the blood on the tent and on all the things used in worship.

22 A nd according to the Law, one may almost say, all things are cleansed with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.

The Law says that almost everything is made clean by blood. Sins are not forgiven unless blood is given. One Perfect Gift

23 T herefore it was necessary for the copies of the things in the heavens to be cleansed with these, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.

The tent to worship in and the things inside to worship with were like the things in heaven. They were made clean by putting blood on them. But the things in heaven were made clean by a much better gift of worship.

24 F or Christ did not enter a holy place made with hands, a mere copy of the true one, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us;

For Christ did not go into the Holiest Place of All that was made by men, even if it was like the true one in heaven. He went to heaven itself and He is before God for us.

25 n or was it that He would offer Himself often, as the high priest enters the holy place year by year with blood that is not his own.

Christ has not given Himself many times, as the head religious leader here on earth went into the Holiest Place of All each year with blood that was not his own.

26 O therwise, He would have needed to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now once at the consummation of the ages He has been manifested to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.

For then Christ would have had to die many times since the world began. But He came once at the end of the Old Way of Worship. He gave Himself once for all time. He gave Himself to destroy sin.

27 A nd inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment,

It is in the plan that all men die once. After that, they will stand before God and be judged.

28 s o Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him.

It is the same with Christ. He gave Himself once to take away the sins of many. When He comes the second time, He will not need to give Himself again for sin. He will save all those who are waiting for Him.