Hebrews 9:25, commentary and pictures

The verse sets the yearly entry of the earthly high priest into the earthly sanctuary with the blood of animals against Christ who does not offer Himself again and again. He offered His own life and blood once, and that single self-offering was complete, putting away sin and obtaining eternal redemption. Risen and ascended, He ministers in heaven itself as Mediator, High Priest, and Advocate by virtue of that sacrifice to give pardon and peace to transgressors. That ministry has two divisions, with eighteen centuries in the holy place followed by His entry into the Most Holy Place at the close of the 2300 days in 1844 to cleanse the sanctuary and finish mediation, judgment, and atonement before He comes again in glory. The yearly service was part of the divinely appointed system of shadows that pointed to Him and ended in value at His death, and its antitypical Day of Atonement is now a solemn call to repentance, heart-searching, purification by His blood, and preparation to meet Him.

Contrast of Sacrifices

The verse describes the earthly high priest entering the earthly holy place every year with the blood of others, meaning the blood of animals and of other sacrificial victims. That yearly entrance with another's blood belongs to the earthly system, in contrast to Christ who did not offer Himself repeatedly.

Christ is the true High Priest, pure and undefiled without any taint of sin, utterly different from the false and corrupted Caiaphas. He did not enter holy places made with hands, which are only figures of the true, but entered heaven itself to appear in the presence of God for humanity.

In contrast to that yearly entry, Christ does not offer Himself often or repeatedly, but offered Himself, His own life and blood, once. Otherwise He would have had to suffer often since the foundation of the world. His one great offering of His own life stands against the high priest's repeated entrance with another's blood.

That single self-offering was complete and obtained eternal redemption, putting away sin. His sacrifice being finished and once-for-all enabled His clear triumphant proclamation on the cross, It is finished.

Heavenly Mediation and Final Atonement

After His sacrifice, resurrection, and ascension, Christ ministers in the heavenly sanctuary by virtue of that sacrifice as Mediator, High Priest, and Advocate, and His atoning sacrifice gives peace and pardon to transgressors of the law. His single sacrifice opened a new and living way and put away sin, making repeated offerings unnecessary. He entered heaven itself to appear before God for humanity and now intercedes for it.

He first ministered in the holy place, presenting His people's prayers, repentance, and faith before God through intercession made acceptable by His merits to secure their pardon and acceptance. For eighteen centuries He ministered in that first apartment, pleading His blood in behalf of penitent believers. Yet their sins still remained upon the books of record.

He then entered the Most Holy Place, the holiest of all, to make atonement for sin and cleanse the sanctuary. He took the blood of His own atonement there, sprinkled it upon the mercy seat and upon His own garments, and blessed the people. As the typical service had a work of atonement at the close of the year, so before His work for the redemption of men is completed there is a work of atonement for the removal of sin from the sanctuary.

This heavenly work has two divisions, and the last division began when the 2300 days ended, when the High Priest entered the Most Holy Place to cleanse the sanctuary. There He completes the final work of mediation, investigative judgment, and atonement. This coming to the Most Holy Place is not His second coming to earth.

His high-priestly work thus brings the plan of redemption to its final atonement and the finishing of the atonement. He completes that mediatorial work before coming again in power and glory to establish His kingdom on earth. Having offered Himself once as a sacrifice, the same humanity once despised as a man of sorrows will appear the second time in triumphant, exalted glory, revealing His priestly character. Then He declares that there is to be no more sacrifice for sin, and His people are prepared to meet Him at His coming.

Fulfilled Types and Present Call

The yearly entrance with blood belonging to others belonged to the Jewish system of types and ceremonies, divinely appointed shadows that kept faith alive and centered in Christ and pointed forward to Him. His death fulfilled what the animal sacrifices foreshadowed and made their meaning clear, so those sacrifices no longer had value, unlike the enduring law of the Ten Commandments.

The earthly Day of Atonement points to an antitypical Day of Atonement fulfilled in His heavenly ministry, which is not a repeated offering of Himself. That antitype is a solemn time calling for repentance, humility, heart-searching, and purification before God. It is the closing work of the High Priest, the finishing of the atonement, with preparation of the people to meet Him at His coming. In it each person is to consider how his case will stand in the judgment, with cleansing from defilement coming through Jesus' blood.

Believers' minds are to be directed to this atoning work in the heavenly sanctuary as part of the third angel's message. His ministry is active in the great day of atonement and works through His ministers as they proclaim the truth. While He intercedes as High Priest in the Most Holy Place, no further sacrifices are to be offered, and His intercession requires no human virtue or mediator. He offered Himself on the cross as the only sacrifice of value for salvation, making a perfect atonement for sin, alone bearing sin and saving those who come to Him in faith, with sins confessed placed upon the scapegoat and borne away.