Hebrews 12:24, commentary and pictures

After His death and resurrection Jesus serves as priest and Mediator of the new covenant in the true heavenly tabernacle, having entered by His own blood to obtain eternal redemption. His sprinkled blood speaks a better message than that of Abel, for Abel's blood cried out against Cain for judgment, while Christ's blood was shed to remit sins and speaks redemption and eternal life for repentant believers. That better speech is that the merits of the spotless Son of God are now available so that no son or daughter of Adam is excluded but each may lay hold and say He died for me. Its cleansing power must be continually applied by living faith, cleansing from all moral defilement and guilt, keeping the conscience clean and at peace, and clothing believers in His righteousness. Believers have already come to this Mediator and His speaking blood in heavenly worship, and that standing calls for careful, reverent conduct and humble prayer in His name rather than heedless moves that defile many.

Mediator in Heavenly Sanctuary

After death and resurrection Jesus ministers as Mediator and priest of the new covenant in the true heavenly tabernacle, of which the earthly sanctuary was a type. His blood is the true sacrifice for the sins of the world, speaking better things than Abel's blood, and by His own blood He entered the heavenly holy place and obtained eternal redemption. Through His death and resurrection eternal redemption is brought, and the earthly priesthood and sacrificial service that pointed forward to Him have passed away.

He is the minister of the true covenant whose shed blood pleads for better things than Abel's. With the death of Christ the earthly priesthood ceased and the sacrificial service that pointed to Christ passed away, so that eyes would be turned to the true Sacrifice. He is the Man whose name is the Branch who builds the temple of the Lord and bears the glory as priest upon His throne, serving as high priest in the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands. Having entered once into the holy place by His own blood to obtain eternal redemption, He ever lives to make intercession so He can save to the uttermost those who come to God by Him.

He mediates the new covenant and His sprinkled blood speaks a better message than Abel's, and speaks with greater force. Abel's righteous faith was testified to by his offering, and even after his death he still speaks. The warning that follows requires people not to refuse Him who speaks from heaven, since turning away from Him brings judgment.

As Mediator of the new covenant He is precious to believers but now veiled from sight, because Satan seeks to intercept and hide Him. Heaven is richer and more attractive than earth because of Him, for He Himself is the great and most prized treasure and powerful attraction of heaven, chief among ten thousands and altogether lovely. If saved by the blood of the Lamb, believers will see Him unveiled in heaven never to be hidden again. They will see Him as He is, with their own eyes and not through another, no longer enduring by faith the seeing of Him who is invisible but renewed, transformed and glorified with Christ so they can look upon Him with delight. This present life is probation to set affections on things above.

As Mediator of the new covenant He is to be looked to with eyes fixed on Him in humble, contrite prayer. Believers pray in faith and in the Redeemer's name, trusting that God hears and answers every sincere seeker.

Blood Speaks Better Things

The blood of sprinkling is the spilled blood of Christ that cleanses from moral impurities, defilement, guilt and all disloyalty. It bears that name because its cleansing power must be applied continually and thoroughly to the repenting sinner, as shown by the repeated sprinklings with cedar and hyssop dipped in cleansing water, washing the soul clean and pure. Through Christ's death alone people can become partakers of the divine nature and carry out God's purpose, with every soul elected to salvation elected to obedience to all the laws of His kingdom through purification appropriated by the power of the Holy Spirit. That thorough application consecrates to God not only the soul but family, domestic arrangements, property and entire belongings, so that those cleansed are no longer their own but declare themselves the Lord's, and selfish withholding from His service shows need of this exacting consecration now as in olden times.

The blood that speaks better things than that of Abel is the blood of Christ shed on the cross as the paid redemption price. Its better speech is that the merits of the spotless Son of God are now available, so that not one son or daughter of Adam is excluded but each can lay hold and say Christ died for me and is my Saviour. Abel's blood cried to God against Cain the murderer, but Christ's blood was shed to remit sins. It speaks of redemption and eternal life for repentant believers rather than judgment for bloodshed, fulfilling the everlasting covenant between Father and Son in which Christ became humanity's substitute and surety and paid the price, and by faith man receives His righteousness because His blood speaks in his behalf.

Abel by faith offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, obtained witness that he was righteous, and being dead yet speaks. Cain slew him because his own works were evil and his brother's righteous. The same spirit of rebellion and apostasy from truth that moved Cain to silence the voice calling to obedience and to provoke the loyal to become disloyal still works against Christ and His loyal followers, energized by evil spirits and Satan. Abel's blood testified of Christ's blood and still speaks of it as the only means by which human offerings and gifts are made acceptable and perfect. The whole Old Testament is the voice of the blood of Christ and the New Testament gives the fuller witness beyond Abel's, and by Christ's blood believers are purchased and by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony they overcome.

Christ offered Himself on the cross once for all as the better sacrifice, while Abel's sacrifice only pointed dimly to His shed blood. His sacrifice in its cleansing, purifying and sanctifying power is effective for the whole human race and makes salvation, redemption and forgiveness of sins possible for all who are willing to be saved. Believers rest on its efficacy in loyal allegiance and obedience to Christ their Leader, with faith speaking out through earnest belief of the truth, and this belongs to those who look for Christ to appear the second time bringing salvation. Only the Lord's working believers who are full of faith and of the Holy Spirit thus honor the truth they profess.

Through Jesus' full sacrifice and atonement believers receive peace and comfort and are clothed in Christ's righteousness, for His righteousness speaks better things than Abel's blood. His death brings salvation and cleansing from sin, becoming wisdom, righteousness, sanctification and redemption for the believer. The cross of Christ speaks better things than Abel's blood on behalf of every soul that receives Jesus, bringing consolation, assurance, hope and joy even when trouble makes God's favor seem hidden. When believers are deeply shadowed it is because Satan has interposed himself between them and the bright rays of the Sun of Righteousness, eclipsing the brightness so assurance seems withdrawn. Looking at self and at the shadow of the cross and complaining of the way prevents seeing the consolation provided and withdraws the hand from the hand of Christ, and dwelling in the shadow complaining of sorrows only deepens trouble, while God's favor breaks suddenly upon the soul and dispels the gloom, so believers are to live in the sunlight of the cross of Calvary and no longer dwell in the shadow.

Christ came in human flesh and died on the cross to redeem humanity, and that death speaks better things than Abel's blood by telling of His eternal, unchanging love manifested on Calvary in dying for the sins of the world. That love, understood by the disciples when they saw Him dying, gives believers greater cause for faith and a message of redemption to share. With that same love believers are to love one another as He loved them. Jesus who spilled His blood lives to plead it as risen intercessor at God's right hand, making intercession for every soul who receives Him, so believers may claim His blood-bought rights and hope founded on the promise. That blood cleanses from all sin, and its life-cleansing, life-sustaining power appropriated by living faith is the hope that keeps the conscience clean and at peace with God.

Its inestimable efficacy must be kept ever before the mind and grown in appreciation, for it speaks only as its virtue is claimed by faith. The blood that speaks better things than that of Abel is appreciated more as one gains an increasing sense of personal weakness and unworthiness.

Heavenly Worship and Cleansed Life

Believers have come to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant and to the blood sprinkled for them, and that heavenly standing must weigh upon conduct. It calls for careful action rather than heedless moves that start a train of evils beyond control. A careless grain of thought cast into humanity is taken by Satan and made to live, until the root of bitterness springs up by which many are defiled, where the root of bitterness means any kind of evil. Ministers and stewards of grace in every line of service must not mingle the common with the sacred, and if they do the resulting defilement is charged to them.

Jesus the Mediator and His speaking blood stand within the worship of the heavenly assembly, and the church on earth is one with the church in heaven. From the beginning faithful souls brought into covenant relation with God have constituted His church on earth united with the church above. Angels and heavenly intelligences are interested in the assemblies of saints who worship in spirit and truth and in the beauty of holiness, listening in the inner court of heaven to the testimonies of witnesses for Christ in the outer court on earth. The praise, thanksgiving, supplication, songs and prayers offered below are taken up into the heavenly anthem and supplemented by angelic choirs, with praise and rejoicing through the heavenly court because Christ has not died in vain for the fallen sons of Adam. Heaven is near to earth, with angels of light as unseen companions to the earthborn, sent forth to minister to those who shall be heirs of salvation, guarding every living soul and never leaving the tempted one a prey to the enemy while hope remains. While angels drink from the Fountainhead, saints on earth drink of the pure streams flowing from the throne of God that make glad the city of God.

This united church is God's fortress, bought with the blood of His only Son and sustained through persecution and darkness so that the gates of hell cannot prevail against it. The passage belongs to the description of worship in heaven, where God's holiness is met with perfect reverence. True worship and reverence must therefore be learned now in order to be prepared to join the heavenly worshipers.

Sin is removed through the blood of sprinkling, and when cleansed the soul is softened and melted by a sense of Jesus' love and comes to hate sin with abhorrence. Repenting of separate or particular wrong acts is not enough, because wrong actions and wrongdoing are only the flow and overflowing of an unclean, unconverted heart, so the heart itself must be cleansed. That cleansing means thorough reform for those who once knew the truth but backslid, that they may return to their first love and become regenerated. It is not mere concession but uprooting the evil plant of long-cherished malice and the root of bitterness.

Through faith and the sprinkling of Christ's blood people are brought into reconciliation with God, as seen when many thousands led by the preaching of the Advent message studied Scripture and were reconciled to Him. The passage including this verse, Hebrews 12:22-25, is connected with God delivering the everlasting covenant to His people during the final time of trouble.