Hebrews 9:11 Commentary and Bible Study

The time of reformation arrived with the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ into the world. When the fullness of time was come, God sent forth his Son, having prepared the way for his coming over long ages. That preparation consisted in the giving of prophecy about who Christ was, why he should come, and all that he would accomplish. It involved preparing the minds of the people by showing them that under the law they could only expect condemnation, and by instructing them through the wonderful pictures of the ceremonial law about the Redeemer whom God would send to deliver them out of their state of misery. So now something far better has come, and Christ has carried out his high priestly work in a tabernacle which is vastly superior to, and greater than, the tabernacle which the Old Testament priests served in. This tabernacle is ‘not made with hands’; it is not of this building, or as the Greek word means, not of this creation, not of this world. Rather, it has been pitched by the Lord, not man (Hebrews 8:2). It is situated in heaven where no human builder has ever gone, where no man would know how to construct anything. It is a ‘building’ constructed by God, which has a beauty which transcends anything on earth. It is not any longer a representative building as was the Mosaic tabernacle, for that could only aspire to something greater than itself. The heavenly tabernacle is the reality, not to be replaced by anything after it. It is the tabernacle in which Christ ministers, where he presents his shed blood to prove his work is finished and his people are forever redeemed. It is a spiritual tabernacle, built with living stones. It does not belong to this physical creation, this world, for the world is cursed and will pass away, but the tabernacle in heaven is out of reach of the curse, and not subject to moth or rust or decay, and is in a realm that will endure to all eternity. The physical heavens and earth will pass away, but third heaven has been kept pure so that it does not need to be made new.