Chapter 9

Shadows

• When men tried to see God under the Old Covenant they could only see shadows.

The Veil of the First Ministry

The Unveiling of the Second Ministry

An earthly service— "of this world." V.1

A heavenly service— "not of this creation." V.11

Human equipment— "there was a tabernacle constructed." V. 2

Divine equipment— "not made with hands."

External effects— "cannot as touching the conscience make the worshipper perfect." V. 9

Internal effects— "cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God." V. 14

Temporary in nature— "carnal regulations set up pending a time of reconstruction." V. 10

Permanent in nature— "the promise of the eternal inheritance." V. 12

The Veil of the Tabernacle

1. It is a symbol of the mysteries contained in the Old Testament.

2. It is a symbol of death and Christ's triumph over death.

3. The veil also typified the flesh of Christ, or his person.4. There is a double symbolism in the veil as a type of

the law of Moses 5. It was a symbol of concealment.6. The veil was symbolical of the separation between

God and man.7. Most emphatically, the veil is a symbol of the

inequality among God's children.

The Tabernacle• Wilderness• Solomon’s• Zerubbel’s• Herod’s

Solomon’s Temple

• Doubled in size.

Zerubbel’s Temple

• No descriptive terms other than, “But many of the priests and the Levites and heads of the father’s houses, old men who had seen the first temple, wept with a loud voice when the foundation of this temple was laid before their eyes.” (Ezra 3:12)

Herod’s Temple

Christian’s Temple?• “Not of this earth”• Author of Hebrews did not

focus on a temple but rather the sacrifice.

The Mercy Seat• Kapharet – “a covering”

• The Greek Septuagint translated the word kapharet “hilasterion” and the Latin Vulgate

translated hilasterion “propitiatorium.” 

All of humanity must come to God through the blood of the kapharet, the hilasterion, the

propitiatorium, the mercy seat

Luke 18:13 “And the publican, standing afar off would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God, “hilaskomai”’—that's the verbal form of it— be mercy-seated toward me, a sinner.”

• Hebrews 2:17 “Wherefore in all things it behooved Him to be made like unto His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation (KJV), from the word; hilaskomai, to make a mercy seat, to make a hilasterion, to make a propitiatorium, to make a kapharet, “for the sins of the people.” 

• 1 John 2:2 “And He is the propitiation”—He's the mercy seat.  He's the hilasterion.  “He's the propitiation for our sins:  and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.” And again in 4:12, “Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that God loved us, and sent His Son to be”—there it is—“the kapharet, the hilasterion, the propitiatorium, the mercy seat for our sins.”

Christ is our law, he is our provider, he is our shepherd.

God was author of all those rites, ceremonies, and institutions of the

Old Covenant.

The Reformation

• Subject of the Reformation• Notice that the whole section is set in the past tense – “The first covenant had

ordinances” (v. 1)• Imposed on them until the time of

reformation.

"For if I build again the things which I destroyed, I make

myself a transgressor" (Gal. 2:18). 

Substance of the Reformation• The first covenant

• The worldly sanctuary• The priestly service

• The appointed days and ceremonies• The blood sacrifices

• The washings • The dietary restrictions

• Miscellaneous carnal ordinances

"let no man judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holy day, or of the new moon, or of the Sabbath days: which are a shadow of

things to come; but the body is of Christ" (Col. 2:16, 17).

The Effect of the Reformation• "But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a

greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building; neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us" (Heb. 9:11, 12).

Notice the verb tense in this passage: • Christ being come (historical present, describing past events in the

present voice)• Entered by his blood (past tense)• Having obtained eternal redemption (perfect tense, showing

completed action in the past) In other words, the whole substance of the law

looked to the work of Christ upon the cross, and was fulfilled in his death, burial, and resurrection. 

Entering the Most Holy Place"Holy place" and Holy of

Holies, God's presence was within the Holy of Holies, above the Mercy Seat between the cheribim. The high priest, who entered annually into the Holy of Holies, through the veil which, depicted Christ, would carry blood into God's presence.

"What is the conscience?"

• The conscience is defined as that part of the human psyche that induces mental anguish and feelings of guilt when we violate it and feelings of pleasure and well-being when our actions, thoughts and words are in conformity to our value systems.

• Greek - suneidesis, meaning “moral awareness” or “moral consciousness.”

A Few Quotes:

“A conscience is that still

small voice that people won’t listen to.” (J. Cricket)

Do Atheists have a conscience?

• “You don't have to be a person of faith or religious background to be able to tell the difference between good and evil, between right and wrong. Even in countries that are officially atheistic, their laws will reflect norms of fundamental ethics, for example, that murder, rape, and larceny are wrong, that patriotism, honesty under oath, and philanthropy are good.”

The Animal Kingdom, Do They Possess A Conscience?

• There are signals that they possess inherent roles for maintaining balance in existence with one another such as one species warning another about predators or how elephants and rhino’s coexist. But these notions are not signals of conscience for the greater good or a willingness to organize against a species which has become detrimental to their existence or habitat.

What the Conscience is Not:

• Conscience is not personal opinion: It should be judgment based upon provable facts.

• Conscience is not what is socially acceptable: Social norms vary from culture to culture.

• Conscience is not the right to do as you please: That is lawlessness.

• Conscience is not freedom from the teachings of the Bible: Unbelievers have conscience of rights and wrongs.

• Conscience is not independently determining what is good and evil: “I know what’s right for myself” or the philosophy, “Just follow your heart” is not wise counsel.

• Conscience is not freedom of opinion: It is more than just having the privilege of free speech. Free speech is not the same as making public law.

• Conscience is not “being at peace with oneself”

What Can We Say About the Bible and the Conscience?

Scriptures teach that the conscience:

• Can be evil (Hebrews 10:22); • seared (1 Timothy 4:2); • defiled (Titus 1:15); • ignorant (1 Timothy 1:13); • and choked with dead works

(Hebrews 9:14).• Conscience must be

informed!

Three Major N.T. Truths About the Conscience

• Paul refers several times to his own conscience being “good” or “clear” (Acts 23:1; 24:16; 1 Corinthians 4:4). Paul examined his own words and deeds and found them to be in accordance with his morals and value system, which were, of course, based on God’s standards. His conscience verified the integrity of his heart.

The conscience is a God-given capacity for human beings to

exercise self-evaluation.

Three Major N.T. Truths About the Conscience

• Paul says the Gentiles have consciences that bear witness to the presence of the law of God written on their hearts, even though they did not have the Mosaic Law (Romans 2:14-15). He also appeals to his own conscience as a witness that he speaks the truth (Romans 9:1) and that he has conducted himself in holiness and sincerity in his dealings with men (2 Corinthians 1:12). He also says that his conscience tells him his actions are apparent to both God and the witness of other men’s consciences (2 Corinthians 5:11).

The New Testament portrays the conscience as

a witness to something.

Three Major N.T. Truths About the Conscience

• The conscience is a servant of the individual’s value system.

• Therefore, violating the conscience is a sin in itself bringing legitimate guilt for a real offense against God (1 Cor. 8:12; cf. Romans 14:23).

• An immature or weak value system produces a weak conscience, while a fully informed value system produces a strong sense of right and wrong.

Maturing in the faith

strengthens the

conscience.

A weak brother can develop a faith that could remove the unwarranted guilt

…..but he had to come to terms on his own by study of the will of God

Summary

• Respond to your conscience, even if it's weak, and then continue to inform your conscience with God's Word so it can begin to function with reliable data.

• 1 John 3:20-22

The new covenant has provided a way by which man's conscience can be truly cleansed, and the basis of that cleansing is shown in the Hebrew text to indicate that it is by means of the blood of Christ.

What must I do when my conscience is wounded?

• Confess and forsake known sin.• Ask forgiveness and be reconciled to

anyone you have wronged. • Make restitution if possible to those

you've wronged. • Don't procrastinate in clearing your

wounded conscience.