October 29 – Hebrews 8:3-6. Just a Copy.

October 29 – Hebrews 8:3-6. Just a Copy.

Every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices, and so it was necessary for this one also to have something to offer. If he were on earth, he would not be a priest, for there are already priests who offer the gifts prescribed by the law. They serve at a sanctuary that is a copy and shadow of what is in heaven. This is why Moses was warned when he was about to build the tabernacle: “See to it that you make everything according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.”  But in fact the ministry Jesus has received is as superior to theirs as the covenant of which he is mediator is superior to the old one, since the new covenant is established on better promises.

Do you ever think about the things in your church building being representative of that which is found in heaven?

When God gave the specifications to Moses for building the Tabernacle and filling it with elements, He was asking Moses to build a shadow … a copy of the heavenly realm.  Why? Maybe because it was important to God that his children become familiar with holy places and feel comfortable there.  He was training them to be aware of what it meant to be in His presence.

Then … when Christ died and the curtain was torn, even the holiest of holies, the place where one high priest could enter and then only one time every year was opened to everyone.

Now we were invited to participate in a real way with the holiest place that could be found on earth so that we would feel comfortable approaching God in His throne room.

God wants us to feel comfortable in His holiness.  He has given us so many opportunities to come into His presence, whether it is to worship Him, learn from Him, commune with others, or care for His children.

What we see here on earth is only a copy of that which is in heaven, but it is what He has given us so that we can learn.