and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth.  To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, (6) and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever.  Amen. (7) Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so.  Amen. (8) “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End,” says the Lord, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”  

Revelation was written by the apostle John (the last living apostle) near the end of the first century. The letter was the testimony of Christ Jesus sent by an angel to John to be sent to the 7 existing churches of Asia Minor. At the time of writing this letter persecution of Christians was escalating.  (revelation means uncovered or revealed and the Greek translation of this word is apocalypse.). Because of the real danger to the Christians of that time, this letter about Jesus Christ, the risen and glorified God, was written in symbolism and vivid imagery.  The early chapters are historical but the letter is mainly one of prophesy.

Greetings are sent from John and then from Christ Jesus.  Christ, who loved men and became a sin sacrifice that men would be saved from their sin, washed us clean in His blood and made the believers as priests so they could enter God’s presence.  (In the Jewish system access to God was only through the High Priest.)  We are told that Christ will come again into this world and on clouds of glory. In the Old Testament no one could see the light of God and live but at the second coming Christ will be visible to all – “even they who pierced Him”.   This meant the truly repentant Jews. Further, “all the tribes will mourn” meant the rest of the remaining inhabitants of the earth. They will mourn not out of faith and repentance but out of guilt and fear for their sin.

Christ Jesus is the supreme sovereign from A to Z – from Alpha to Omega. Christ, eternal and almighty has dominion over every created person, object and event. Even so.  Amen.

And every priest stands ministering daily and offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins.  (12) But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God, (13) from that time waiting till His enemies are made His footstool.  (14) For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified. (18) Now where there is remission of these, there is no longer an offering for sin.

In the sacrifice of Christ Jesus, God promises He will remember our sins no more. In Christ believers receive total forgiveness – the righteousness of Christ is imputed to believers.  The law of Moses of the Old Testament could never have done that.  This is the main argument in the letter to the Hebrews; converted Jews should not revert to the Jewish system to escape persecution. In the Jewish system there is no complete forgiveness and no access to God except through Christ Jesus. Why would any man/woman forfeit this??

Our verses today illustrate the totality of our forgiveness for sin by contrasting the unfinished, repetitive ministry of the Old Testament priests with the once and for all saving sacrifice of Christ at the cross.  Old Testament sacrifices could never take away sin and they are now worthless and obsolete. Through the cross, in Christ, we have total forgiveness – why would anyone dare risk reverting to a system that cannot do that?

Therefore it was necessary that the copies of the things in the heavens should be purified with these, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.  (24) For Christ has not entered the holy places made with hands, which are the copies of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us;  (25) not that He should offer  Himself often, as the High Priest enters into the Most Holy Place every year with blood of another – (26) He then would have to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now, once at the end of the ages, He has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.  (27) And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment,  (28)  so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many.  To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation.  

Our verses today use another argument made by the author (unknown) of the letter to the Hebrews showing that Christ is not only superior but sufficient for man’s salvation.  This letter was written to encourage – and warn – Jews who had accepted Jesus as the messiah but were in danger of reverting to the old ways in the face of persecution.

Verse 24 refers to the sanctification of the tabernacle and it’s furnishings by blood from sacrifices and tells us that the tabernacle was only a copy of heavenly things. In the new covenant, Jesus, true God and true man, entered time and offered Himself as a perfect sacrifice – without sin – to  save man from eternal spiritual death as Gods plan.  So the issue in today’s  verses is of eternal significance; judgment or salvation. Christ’s once and for all sacrifice in atonement for man’s sin far exceeds the Old Testament system of sacrifice. Christ didn’t enter a holy place made by men but entered the true heavenly place in heaven to appear in the presence of God for us. The penalty for sin had to be paid and in Christ the Levitical priesthood was cancelled. For the faithful, sin is covered totally and without qualification –  retrospectively and in the future. All sin since the beginning of the world has been atoned for by the blood of Christ. The effects of His suffering are perpetual and there is no need for Him to repeat them.

Verse 28 tells us that Christ will appear a second time and this time the faithful in Christ will be distinguished from the ungodly.  Those in unbelief will receive no benefit from the death of Christ – their unbelief prevents this.

Also there were many priests, because they were prevented by death from continuing.  (24) But He, because He continues forever, has an unchangeable priesthood.  (25) Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives up to make intercession for them. (26) For such a High Priest as fitting for us, ho is holy, harmless, and  undefiled, separate from sinners, and has become higher than the heavens; (27) who does not need daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for all the people’s, for this He did once and for all when He offered up Himself. (28) For the law appoints as high priests men who have weakness, but the word of the oath, which came after the law, appoints the Son who has been perfected forever.

The author of Hebrews is unknown but the letter is addressed to Christian Jews who were in danger of reverting to the Jewish system to escape persecution. In today’s verses the subject is the superiority of Jesus Christ as the High Priest ordained by God,  who guarantees the salvation of all who approach God through faith in Christ. The Levitical high priests were temporary because of death and were tainted because they were sinful men  Christ Jesus is superior because He is sinless, holy, innocent and permanent.  He is our once and for all High Priest: in Christ we have permanent access to God unlike the ancient Jewish mediators.

Spiritually EVERYONE needs to be saved from the wrath of God. The wages of Adams sin is death and the just penalty for this sin must be paid.  So Biblical salvation starts from hopeless, sinful man. but God made us alive with Christ. We are saved at the instant of faith and God has promised in Christ, to bring this process to completion in our salvation. Our High Priest will be our mediator with God in the process of sanctification. Jesus saves forever those who come to God through Him.