High Priest Forever

Jesus is the real sanctuary foreshadowed by the tabernacle, and he is the High Priest “forever” who serves in it on our behalf . Jesus is the Sanctuary of God foreshadowed in the religious structures and worship rituals of Ancient Israel, t he place where God’s presence and glory reside and are manifested for all men to see. He is also the one and only High Priest who mediates between Heaven and Earth for his people in “ the True Tabernacle pitched by the Lord .”

Jesus is the High Priest of the Heavenly Sanctuary “made without hands” foreshadowed by the Tabernacle in the wilderness . Jesus is our glorious High Priest who serves in the “ True Tent pitched by the Lord and not man ,” the greater tabernacle and place of worship foreshadowed by the religious structures and rituals of Israel. The Son of God has become our “ priest forever ” who ministers for us “ at the right hand of the Throne of the Majesty in the Heavens ” – (Hebrews 8:1-2).

Jesus is the High Priest of the greater heavenly sanctuary made without hands that prefigured the Tabernacle in the wilderness . Jesus is the High Priest who serves in the “ True Tabernacle pitched by the Lord and not man ” and foreshadowed by the religious structures and rituals of Ancient Israel. The Son of God has become our “ priest forever ” who ministers for us “ at the right hand of the Throne of the Majesty in the Heavens ” – (Hebrews 8:1-2).

Christ’s priesthood is superior since it rests on his endless resurrection life and God’s oath, the priest after the order of Melchizedek – Psalm 110:4. The  Letter to the Hebrews  compares the superior word God has “ spoken in His Son ” to all past revelations, including those “ spoken in the prophets .” The former prophetic “ words ” were true but partial and preparatory. God has unveiled His definitive “ word ” in Jesus, who alone “ achieved the purification of sins ” and thereby became the High Priest of his people.

The Gift of the Spirit is vital to the redemption of humanity and the New Covenant of God with His people . The New Testament connects the “ Promise of the Spirit ” to the “ Blessings of Abraham ,” the promise that God will bless the nations through the Great Patriarch. The Spirit is the gift believers receive “ through the hearing of faith .” It is one of the promises given to Abraham and finds its fulfillment in the “ New Covenant ” inaugurated by the Death and Resurrection of Jesus.

The types and shadows of the former covenant find their substance in the Son of God, his priesthood, sacrifice, and New Covenant – Hebrews 8:1-5. The eighth chapter of Hebrews highlights the incomparable benefits believers receive under the New Covenant inaugurated by Jesus. If the fulfillment of the promises arrived in him, especially in his Death and Resurrection, returning to the incomplete revelations of the past would mean embracing the glimpses and “ shadows ” of the “ coming good things ” rather than the substance we now have our “ Great High Priest .”

The national sins of Israel culminated in her expulsion from the Land of Canaan. However, all was not lost. God foresaw her failure and determined to restore the nation by instituting His New Covenant that would include the nations of the Earth, the “ Gentiles .” Moreover, the New Creation would become the ultimate Promised Land and the true inheritance of His people.

Jesus inaugurated the superior New Covenant through his Death and Resurrection, rendering the old covenant obsolete – Hebrews 8:6-13. The definitive “ Word ” that God has spoken “ in the Son ” surpasses all past revelations made in “ the prophets ,” including Moses, the Great Lawgiver. Only Jesus “ achieved the purification of sins ,” therefore, he “ sat down ” at the right hand of God as our Great High Priest and instituted the long-promised “ New Covenant .”

Since this “ Word spoken in a son ” is complete and definitive, it is “ better than ” the partial revelations of the past “ spoken in the prophets .”. Unlike his predecessors, the Son, “ having achieved the purification of sins ,” sat down at God’s right hand where he remains to this day mediating for his people as their faithful High Priest. Logically, this means that the previous “ words ” by the prophets and the ministries of the Levitical priests proved insufficient to remove the stain of sin from the covenant community.

God has spoken His decisive and superior “ word ” in His son, and He did so “ upon the last of these days .” This refers to the end of the period epitomized by the Levitical code with its priesthood and repeated animal sacrifices, a system of worship centered in the Tabernacle and the later Jerusalem Temple. With the appointment of Jesus as the High Priest “ after the order of Melchizedek ,” a new and final era of salvation commenced.