Hebrews 9:8, commentary and pictures

The Holy Spirit meant that as long as the earthly tabernacle and its first apartment and order of service remained in place and in use, the way into the heavenly holiest of all had not yet been revealed and opened.
The earthly sanctuary was a pattern of the heavenly temple, with its holy place of ministration and its holy of holies where the ark and the law are kept and Christ presents prayers before the mercy-seat.
That first order ended at the death of Christ, when God rent the strong veil between the holy and the most holy from top to bottom, laying the yearly-entered place open and showing that the great sacrifice was made and access to God was opened for all.
Through His sinless life and once-offered sacrifice Christ entered the heavenly sanctuary by His own blood to obtain eternal redemption as minister of the true tabernacle and interceding advocate, and what the yearly Day of Atonement on the tenth day of the seventh month foreshadowed He fulfilled by entering the heavenly most holy place in 1844 to begin the closing work of atonement.
His people now direct their prayers by faith to Him before the unseen mercy-seat and follow Him into the most holy, where He still accepts confession and pardons sin, but that work is nearly finished and very short, so they must keep their minds on God's commandments and the testimony of Jesus before He leaves and no priest remains to plead for sinners.

Meaning and Setting

While the first tabernacle was yet standing means while the earthly tabernacle and its first apartment and order of service remained in place and in use, with its priesthood and sacrifices still standing and its services still carried on. That the way was not yet made manifest means the way into the holiest of all had not yet been revealed, opened, or made clear. That way is the way into the heavenly sanctuary and into its Holy of Holies and most holy place.

The earthly sanctuary was a pattern of the heavenly temple. The heavenly temple has a Holy Place where ministration is carried out and a Holy of Holies where the ark and the law are kept. It is there before the mercy-seat that Christ offers the saints' prayers to the Father.

The earthly priesthood, sacrifices, sacrificial service, and order of service pointed forward to Christ. A true understanding of the sanctuary and its ministration matters. The sanctuary doctrine connected with this verse is endorsed by the Holy Spirit.

Christ Opens the Way

That order ended at the death of Christ, when the veil of the temple that separated the holy from the most holy place was rent in twain from top to bottom by the hand of God. The veil was a strong rich drapery renewed yearly, and the most holy place it concealed had been sacredly entered by human feet only once a year but was then laid open to common gaze. The rending meant God's presence would no longer overshadow the earthly mercy-seat, and the light of His glory would no longer flash forth upon nor the cloud of His disapproval shadow the precious stones in the breastplate of the high priest.

The torn veil showed the great sacrifice had been made and access to God was opened for all, so the old sacrifices and the annual entrance of the earthly high priest were no longer needed. When He came as high priest, Christ offered Himself once and entered the heavenly sanctuary by His own blood to obtain eternal redemption, becoming the minister of the true sanctuary and the new covenant and the people's priest and advocate interceding for them and pleading His blood for sinners. Through Christ, whose life was free from sin, the entrance into the holiest is made manifest.

In the type the high priest entered the inner sanctuary on the tenth day of the seventh month, and the earthly most holy place opened only on the Day of Atonement for the cleansing of the sanctuary. What the type warranted His people to expect, Christ the great High Priest accomplished on that day by entering the heavenly most holy place in 1844 to begin the closing work of the atonement.

Following Christ by Faith

Just as the priest offering incense before a mercy-seat hidden from sight knew it was there and directed his worship toward it, so God's people direct their prayers by faith to Christ before the mercy-seat in the heavenly sanctuary. Though they cannot see their Mediator with their natural eyes, they see Him by faith. Seeing Him thus, they confidently claim the benefits of His mediation.

By faith the disappointed people of God follow Jesus into the heavenly most holy place, now that the way there has been opened and made manifest. Finding Him there, their hope and joy return, for this light explains their 1844 disappointment and assures them that God led them through their experience by providence. That sanctuary service points to Jesus' ministry in the heavenly sanctuary, where while He remains in the most holy place He accepts prayers, confessions, and sacrifices and pardons sin. Before He leaves, sins must be blotted out and His people sealed.

After He leaves there is no priest to present further petitions. People then remain as they are, holy and righteous, or unjust and filthy. That work in the most holy place is nearly finished and the time remaining is very short. During this closing period before the sealing is complete, minds must be kept on God's commandments and the testimony of Jesus rather than on worldly cares.