A Better Sanctuary
Hebrews 9:1-15
But Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come, with the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation. [Heb 9:11]
I’ve heard it said more than once by some of my favorite Bible teachers, “if you want to know what heaven looks like, study the tabernacle.” Now that means going all the way back to Exodus. Not only did God provide great detail to Moses on how to build the tabernacle beforehand [Exod 25-31]; He also had Moses keep a log on how the tabernacle was built after the fact [Exod 35-40]. So Exodus provides detailed instructions twice! This, I believe, is significant. Anything that detailed written twice must be important. And here’s the best part: “Then the cloud covered the tabernacle of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.” [Exod 40:34]. What a way to end Exodus! From bondage to the glory of God.
All this, however, is a “copy and shadow of the heavenly things” [Heb 8:5]. You see, the earthly tabernacle was only a copy and shadow of the real tabernacle in heaven. Therefore the “Most Holy Place,” behind the veil, was a copy of the Most Holy Place in heaven. If we see and understand the earthly sanctuary [and its function], we can better see and understand the heavenly sanctuary where Jesus is now, and how this heavenly sanctuary functions so much better.
This is the topic this morning. Christ, our Great High Priest, is better than the prophets; better than the angels; better than Moses; better than Joshua; and better than Aaron. He comes in a better priestly order [after the order of Melchizedek]; He is a better priest [our Great High Priest]; He has a better ministry; He brings in a better covenant [the New Covenant]; and now in chapter 9 we see that He ministers from a better sanctuary, a “greater and more perfect tabernacle” [Heb 9:11] in heaven.
By now we should be really getting the picture: Jesus is better! His life; His work; His Person and His ministry are superior to all that’s in the Old Covenant, and anything and everything that this world has to offer.
