“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 for us ... 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” (Hebrews 9:12,24).
The Bible teaches that Jesus paid for our sins with
His literal, physical, blood. Hebrews 9:12 tells us that Jesus entered into
the heavenly Holy of Holies "by His own blood." Jesus did that for us,
because He loves us, to pay our sin debt.
Jesus died, was buried and rose again 3-days later (1st Corinthians 15:1-4).
Jesus then ascended into Heaven to appear before God the Father on our
behalf. Many preachers sincerely, but errantly, teach that Jesus' work of
redemption was "finished" while on the cross. That is not Biblical.
When Jesus said, "It is finished" in John 19:30, He
was speaking about all the prophecies concerning Himself (John 19:28).
Christ's work of redemption could not have been finished, for He hadn't
died, nor been buried, nor raised up yet when He made that statement.
So when was Jesus' work of redemption completed? It was finished when Jesus'
literal, physical, blood was applied to the heavenly Mercyseat within the
Holy Place. That is exactly what Hebrews 9:12 and 24 teach.
Some false prophets and wayward ministers claim that Jesus' blood soaked
into the ground at Calvary, and that Christ's physical blood has no
significance by itself. They teach that Jesus' blood is important only in
that it REPRESENTS the death of Christ. They say there is no efficacy or
redeeming power to the literal blood of Jesus.
In sharp contrast, from Genesis to Revelation, the Word of God proclaims the
necessity and importance of the literal, physical, blood of Jesus Christ.
In the Old Testament, God sent Moses to deliver God's people out of bondage
in Egypt. God wrought Ten Plagues upon Egypt to cause Pharaoh to let God's
people go. With each plague, Pharaoh's heart became hardened. The final
plague was the death of all the firstborn children in Egypt, which caused
Pharaoh to let God's people go.
Prior to the 10th plague, the death plague, God told Moses and Aaron in
Exodus 12:13, "And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses
where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague
shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt." God's
people were instructed by Moses to kill a male lamb and apply the lamb's
blood to the door posts and lintel (top door plate) of their homes, that the
life of the firstborn would be spared.
Carefully notice in Exodus 12:13 that God said, "when I see the BLOOD, I
will pass over you." The death of the lamb was not enough. If the Lord saw
the dead lamb, but no blood applied to the door posts and lintel of the
home, then the firstborn child died. The blood had to be applied. It was not
optional.
Likewise, the blood of Jesus had to be applied to the Mercyseat in Heaven.
The death of Jesus was not enough.
When the Old Testament high priest entered into the holy of holies, he
absolutely needed to bring the blood of a slain lamb with him (Hebrews 9:7).
If the priest failed to bring blood with him, God killed him and the sins of
the people were not atoned for.
The word "atonement" is strictly an Old Testament term which means "to
cover." Whereas the blood of bulls and goats could only temporarily cover
for the sins of the people, the blood of Jesus permanently TAKES AWAY our
sins forever. Romans 3:25 says, "Whom God hath set forth to be a
propitiation through FAITH IN HIS BLOOD, to declare HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS for
the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God." Amen!
We are saved by Christ's righteousness, through the precious blood that He
gave for our sins.
Jesus' literal, physical, blood was absolutely necessary for our salvation.
Just as the Old Testament high priest took the blood of a lamb into the holy
place; so likewise did Jesus Christ take His literal blood into the heavenly
Holy Place to complete His work of redemption. Once Christ's blood was
applied to the Mercyseat in Heaven, it was FINISHED!
Revelation 1:5, "And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the
first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto
him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood."
Over and over we read in the Scriptures that our sins are washed away by
Jesus' literal, physical, precious blood. What a wonderful Savior!
