This post is a conclusion of a three-part commentary exploring the superiority of Jesus Christ and the New Covenant to the Old Covenant, as set out by the author of the book of Hebrews in Chapter 9. See our previous posts for part I and II.

We ended Part Two with a dangling question: why do the “heavenly things,” superior to the earthly as they are, also need purification?

First, let’s examine what the heavenly things really speak of.

The word translated “heavenly things” here is the Greek “epouranios,” which is an adjective that literally translates as “heavenly” or “heaven.” It occurs 17 times in the Greek New Testament and describes several different objects in almost every place where it’s used, except in 1 Cor 15:49 where it stands alone.

So we can read the text before us thus: “Therefore it was necessary for the copies of the things in the heavens to be cleansed with these, but the heavenly themselves with better sacrifices than these.”

Now, we must keep in mind that the pieces of furniture or vessels of the Tabernacle in the Old are also types and shadows of Christ and the members of His Body. Remember how we are called the house of God and the temple and vessels in a great house in the New Testament? See Heb. 3:6; 1 Cor. 3:16; 1 Tim. 3:15; and 2 Tim. 2:20,21. Since the only entities that are impure in the heavenly conversation is mankind, we can safely arrive at the conclusion that the heavenly things being referred to here are human beings. It’s why I agree with the T4T that it’s people here not heavenly things per se.

In verse 24, the author speaks of Christ appearing in heaven — in the presence of God on our behalf.

So, The Superior High Priest died the Superior death to enact the Superior Covenant, offer the Superior Sacrifice, deliver the Superior (Eternal) Inheritance, accomplish the Superior atonement by the superior cleansing of the Superior (Precious) Blood, entered into the Superior Tabernacle (Heaven itself) into the Superior Presence — the Presence of the Father Himself — on our behalf. Just as the Aaronic high priest appeared before God in the Holy of Holies once a year on behalf of the people of Israel. [Ex. 28:29; Lev. 16:34; Ex. 30:10]

Make no mistakes, Jesus’ offering of Himself is not a repeated or recurrent event like the offerings and entrance of the high priest of the Old or else, considering He is the sacrifice, He’d have had to suffer repeatedly since the beginning of time.

However, at the culmination of time, when God in His wisdom and according to His purpose, deemed the time right and the world ripe, Jesus showed up and put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself once and for all time. Jesus’ sacrifice was so potent that one and once were sufficient for ever!

And so since man can only die once — yes, contrary to how this text is popularly interpreted, as in “man is appointed to die,” it actually means man can’t die more than once. Physically, that is. It’s why the high priests of the Old couldn’t enter with their own blood (apart from the inherent impurity of their lives).

So because it’s physically impossible for man to keep dying, Jesus died once, received the judgment of man in Himself, and will appear again.

Jesus died once, received the judgment of man in Himself, and will appear again.

In the Old Covenant, when the high priest entered into the Holy of Holies on the Day of Atonement to atone for the sins of the people, he reappears when he has concluded the rituals. He returns the next year to repeat the same process, because the previous year’s is never permanently sufficient or effective.

But, Christ’ reappearance is not to repeat what He has done but to convey the recipients of His sacrifice to glory at His epochal and final reappearance.

So, Jesus’ death is better than the death of animals, His blood better than the blood of bulls and goats, and His entrance into a better tabernacle not made with hands, which is heaven itself. His reappearance is also better because it isn’t to deal with His people’s sin anymore but to establish His rule over creation in the age to come, with those who eagerly wait for Him, just as the Israel of Old used to eagerly wait on the Aaronic high priest on the day of atonement, indicating that the offering was accepted and atonement had been accomplished.

The author’s exhortation? Let the Jew who has turned to Christ wait for Him, resting in the assurance of the superiority and perfection of this New Covenant to the Old, and staying the course despite the difficulty and longevity of waiting. [Tit. 2:13; 2 Pet 3:12; 1 Thess. 1:10; 2 Tim. 4:8]

When we recognize the excellent superiority of Christ and what He came to establish in the plan of God for mankind, and compare that to the shadow which the Old constitutes, our minds are freed from syncretism and encouraged to pursue the pure practice of the Faith which was delivered to us once and for all.