Hebrews 8:1-6

I strongly encourage you to take your time with this one and read the Scriptures listed as you go. You will miss much of the richness of this section if you skip over reading the verses. May it bless you as it has continued to bless me.

V. 1 – I think the author would have been a very good lawyer. After seven chapters of arguments, he says the point is “x.” So since it’s been a little while, let’s recap what his argument has been:

Jesus is better than the prophets and the culmination of all previous revelation – ch. 1
He is better than the angels – ch. 1&2
Stronger than death though fully human – ch. 2
Greater than Moses – ch. 3
Capable of providing full rest – ch. 4
Greater than Joshua and the rest he gave Israel – ch. 4
An eternal, perfect, interceding High Priest – ch. 4&5
The believers have been called to growth, not stagnation – ch. 5&6
They cannot go back to legalism and then return to Christ at a later date because that would be like re-crucifying Christ, which will never happen again – ch. 6
Greater than Abraham – ch. 6
A priest of a different and better order – ch. 7
A guarantee of a better covenant – ch. 7

So with that as background – all of that has been pointing to the fact that is that this is our High Priest. This is the person we have access to – the one who intercedes for us. He goes before us, he gives us hope, he gives us peace, he gives us himself and makes us fellow-heirs with him. He is seated at the right hand – the position of power in heaven. As we have already discussed, Old Testament High Priests didn’t sit at all. Their work was never done. However, Jesus’ work of redemption is finished so he is seated – he is tarrying. And he is seated by the Majesty in heaven. We are going to come back to this concept of “the Majesty” at the end.

V. 2 – He is the minister of the true tent – not the shadow on earth. There is actually some debate about the full meaning of this verse since the Greek terms can have a few different meanings. People have proposed a few meanings for “the holy places/sanctuary/true tent.”

That it is saying he was appointed as a minister related to holy things
Some have argued that this is about his own body – that he is the holy thing
Some have argued that this is about the church – he ministers to us
However, the best rendering in context, is that he is an eternal priest and where is he residing/sitting? In heaven. It follows then that the simplest reading is the most practical and that is that he ministers in heaven, interceding for us, and that Heaven was indeed created by God. That isn’t to say those other interpretations don’t also carry truth to them but the primary point is that he is in Heaven is the true tent, the original place of God’s dwelling. We’ll talk a little bit more about this in verse five.

V. 3 – The High Priest is appointed for a reason. He had a purpose/task. Not just broad responsibilities (i.e., sing in the Temple, carry the tent poles, etc.). Rather, he had (on some levels), one specific job. We’re going to talk about the Day of Atonement and the Tabernacle in more detail in chapter nine. However, the High Priest also served as a spiritual leader when it came to discerning the will of God for the people and often served during times of feast/celebration. Still, he had to bring sacrifices – he himself was not sufficient. No matter how godly, he was insufficient on his own for the task he had been called to. Can you imagine being hired for a job and knowing you would never be good enough? You were always going to be lacking. There were so many regulations surrounding the office of the high priest because he was insufficient. He was appointed as the mediator of the old covenant. He represented God to man and the people to God. There were some High Priests that were wise and followed God’s call/role in their life. They challenged kings and spoke truth. Others betrayed their own people, colluded with foreign powers, and offered sacrifices that were not approved by God.

V. 4 – If Jesus were on earth, he could not be a priest since he was not of the correct priestly order/tribe as established by the Law. He is from the tribe of Judah – not Levi. We talked about this shortly before the break. This argument also lends credence to the argument that he is ministering in heaven.

V. 5 – They were the shadow of what is in heaven. Moses was given very specific instructions about how to build the Tabernacle, not because God was being difficult but because it was a reminder that:

God is holy and there are specific ways of worship that have been approved.
However, it was also important because it was a mirror of the heavenly temple. Now, I’m not sure that the current heaven literally has a table of showbread or a bronze alter. However, as we talk about the Tabernacle in more detail next chapter, we will see that each implement serves as a foreshadowing of either Christ or something in heaven.

Still, the colors, the setup of approaching through courts to get to the throne, the glory, etc. those are shadows of the real. Now, I want us to just think for a minute about the statement that they are a copy and shadow.

It is easy to think about the things on earth as being the tangible things that we can touch, feel, and experience. The Hebrews could have walked down the road to the Temple. That was their reality. However, the author is pointing out a really important truth – for them and for us. Reality is eternity. The original is always better. A copy of Da Vinci may be great – but it’s not Da Vinci. The thing they could touch and sit in and admire was temporary – it is a transient pattern of the original. What we see and experience will always feel like reality – it will feel like the urgent immediate issue that must be dealt with. But if our minds are stayed on him – if our hearts are oriented to heaven and eternity then we will understand that this earth is the fleeting – it is the shadow – it is the imperfect copy, and our true home and hope is in heaven. I'm not saying this is an easy truth to grasp or live out but it is the truth that the author is longing for these people to understand. Eventually, when we get to the New Heaven and New Earth, there is no Temple but for now, heaven has a temple or perhaps better argued, heaven is a temple. We’re going to come back to this idea in more detail when we talk about the Majesty.

V. 6 – Christ has obtained a ministry – He was appointed to a task. He is the Messiah, the chosen one and fulfills many roles – including that of High Priest. He is the mediator of the New Covenant and as we discussed at the end of spring, the priesthood of Melchizedek came with a promise – an unconditional covenant, unlike Aaron’s line.

So why is Heaven unique? Why is the original better than the pattern? Why is the real better than the shadow? Partly because it is a better promise but mainly because it is God’s home. His presence came to dwell in the Tabernacle – he tabernacled with his people temporarily until Ezekiel. However, his dwelling place – his “person” for lack of a better word and the rest of the Trinity were in Heaven. Which takes us back to the question of “the Majesty.” This word “majesty” is found three times in Scripture. Hebrews 1:3, here and then Jude v. 25. The root word is Megas – great, loud, exceeding. This specific translation is megalosune. This is almost always associated with God’s own divinity. It is his greatness, glory, dominion. Some have even said it is a word that could evoke the name of God. He is the greatest, highest, most magnificent one.

See the location of Heaven is wonderful and beautiful. However, you can have the most beautiful castle, but they don’t serve a purpose unless they are the residence of someone powerful - they are nothing more than a museum. Heaven could be the most beautiful or the most austere – it wouldn’t matter if the Majesty wasn’t there. We can all think of points in Scripture where people encountered God. We’ve even talked some in this study about the places we encounter the glory of God in Scripture. However, tonight I specifically want us to think about the places we encounter God enthroned in heaven – where do we encounter the full revelation of his Majesty?

If you were to guess about the first place, we find God enthroned where would you start?

Arguably the first time we catch a glimpse of what heaven is like (and there isn’t much info about God’s majesty necessarily) is when the sons of God present themselves to him in the book of Job. Heaven, in this scenario is not only a place of worship but it is also a place of reports and tasks being ordained. Though certainly, the last half of Job is full of information about the greatness of God and his majesty.

The first time we are really told about the concept of the throne room is in 1 Kings 22:19 (read the full chapter to appreciate the ridiculousness of the difference between the earthly kings and God himself). This is an incredibly short statement and again we’re not given much in terms of detail with the throne room. However, this statement/claim of power is in sharp contrast to Ahab and Jehoshaphat who are worried about who will win the upcoming battle. Micaiah, the only faithful prophet paints a picture of an all-powerful LORD (all capitals) – the self-sufficient, self-existent, the creator of all. He is seated – not stressed and he is surrounded by a great army (as Ahab and Jehoshaphat wished they were). The reality of Heaven and the shadow of their circumstances which included the false prophets/gods that Ahab was trusting in.

The second, we are all more familiar with – Isaiah 6:1-7. This is the first time that heaven itself is described in more detail. This vignette is set in contrast to Uzziah’s death – a temporal, frail king who tried to usurp his position. He wanted to be king and priest. I sometimes wonder if he wasn’t trying to see if he could fulfil Ps. 110:4 – after all God promised a priesthood after the order of Melchizedek to David’s descendants. Uzziah was a descendent of David. He tried to assume responsibility that was not his and he was punished. In contrast, the Lord (small "ord"), the owner, possessor, sovereign is seated on his throne. He cannot die and will never be unseated. He is worthy of it all – he can fulfil whatever anointed role he chooses - prophet, priest, or king. He was so great that his robe/train filled the temple. We are talking massive – megas. The reality of God’s power and glory met the shadow (apparent reality) of the loss of an incredibly powerful king.

Interestingly, this is the only time we specifically hear about the Seraphim. They are extremely powerful beings. I’m not sure why Isaiah mentions these angels versus the Cherubim which is the division of angels that most others mention when they talk about the throne of God. However, we know that Ark Angels and Cherubim perform tasks for God. Perhaps the Seraphim only serve in the throne room? Regardless, these angels are praising and worshipping God. As powerful as they are, they constantly acknowledge that God alone is supreme. They wouldn’t even look at the greatness of God. Isaiah immediately recognizes that this is the reality – the trouble the transient nature of a rebellious king are nothing compared to the reality of the one true God and his authority. How could anyone approach God – much less a man who God had not appointed to that role such as Uzziah?

Third, we find another description in Ezekiel chapter 1:1-3. This one is in contrast to Jehoiachin’s captivity. Again, the reality of oppression, loss of nation, and the approaching loss of the Temple, – and yet the true vision of God’s plan when Ezekiel sees a vision of these creatures. These are the Cherubim and they are wild! If you skip ahead to v. 22-28, this is the first glimpse of the crystal sea we also see described in Revelation. Just like in Isaiah, the Almighty’s voice is overwhelming. The one who spoke gently, taught with grace, and healed the sick was capable of creating earthquakes with the power of his voice. This is the voice that spoke out of the mountain to Moses and the people – Moses you go talk to him. When God speaks, the Cherubim stop – they listen. Ezekiel was trying to describe the infinite and the best he could get was that he resembled a man – like a human. He described the glory and the vision as best he could and then he fell on his face in awe and worship. The felt reality was exile and a thankless ministry that was about to begin – a people humbled and yet the eternal reality was God’s sovereignty and that his eternal plan had not been derailed.

Fourth, we find Daniel 7. We know this is after Ezekiel, though not much later because we are now at Belshazzar’s reign in Babylon and the Temple has been destroyed in Jerusalem. For the first time, the contrast is to a pagan king (v. 1). A king that shortly, will be overthrown. Yet still one who was incredibly powerful. On top of that, Daniel then sees a vision of these other kings in the first part of chapter seven (v. 3-8). He sees the future of the most powerful nations. He sees them rise and fall. He sees the antichrist – and then he sees the Ancient of Days (v. 9-14). Into the reality of exile, a destroyed temple, loneliness, power that is fleeting, and the uncertainty that will be faced by his people…Daniel encounters the eternal constant one who is seated for judgment. He is pure and purifies those who come to him in repentance – or he judges and condemns those who will not turn from sin. This didn't stop Daniel's spirit from being troubled (v. 15). However, the truth of who God is sustained Daniel through some of his darkest days (including the lion's den).

Five: Revelation four and five, there is no earthly king here in contrast. Rather, John is living on a snake infested island, has been boiled in oil, has had all of his friends die horrible deaths and he encounters a loud voice inviting him to come up to heaven – Rev. 4. He encounters a throne and one seated – he finds the sea of glass, glory, Cherubim, and worship. This is the full glory – this is worship with the church present. This is as close as mankind can get to describing the Majesty. And then we get to chapter five and in the right hand (5:1), of the Majesty – the Almighty who was and is and is to come, there is a scroll. And the question is asked, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?” And the church – a redeemed saint – says, “Weep no more.” They have been redeemed by the blood of the one who died once for all – but notice it says here, not that he saved but the focus is on the fact that he conquered. He has the victory – he takes the scroll and horrific judgment begins. He inherently owns that position of power because he is the second member of the Trinity. However, he has also earned that position because of his victory over sin, death, and the enemy.

So, the shadow and the felt reality vs. truth. These Hebrew believers were struggling – the people who encountered the visions of God were struggling and we struggle with this seeming dichotomy. The question of who we will believe – which set of circumstances will we place our trust in are vital. What will we believe as the barometer of truth? Which reality will we trust? Will we look with our physical eyes or like Elisha’s servant – will we see with eyes that have been illuminated by God? 2 Kings 6:17-20 – The world feels like it is falling apart and it is but we don’t have to live on just this plane of existence. We have a new nature, a new covenant, a new Advocate, a new rest but we must decide where we fix our eyes and our hope.

I love the way C.S. Lewis ends the Chronicles of Narnia, he says, “And as He spoke He no longer looked to them like a lion…It was only the beginning of the real story. All their life in this world and all their adventures in Narnia had only been the cover and the title page: now at last they were beginning Chapter One of the Great Story which no one on earth has ever read: which goes on forever: in which every chapter is better than the one before.” This is the dress rehearsal the practice for the worship and the glory of Heaven – the eternal Majesty.