Christ Jesus- the HIGH PRIEST of our profession.
The High Priest.
What is a High Priest?
High Priest according to Easton's Dictionary--
Aaron was the first who was solemnly set apart to this office (Exo_29:7; Exo_30:23; Lev_8:12). He wore a peculiar dress, which on his death passed to his successor in office (Exo_29:29, Exo_29:30). Besides those garments which he wore in common with all priests, there were four that were peculiar to himself as high priest (see Easton's Dictionary for a more thorough description). http://www2.mf.no/bibelprog/easton?word=high+priest
To the high priest alone it was permitted to enter the holy of holies, which he did only once a year, on the great Day of Atonement, for “the way into the holiest of all was not yet made manifest” (Heb. 9; 10).
Wearing his gorgeous priestly vestments, he entered the temple before all the people, and then, laying them aside and assuming only his linen garments in secret, he entered the holy of holies alone, and made expiation, sprinkling the blood of the sin offering on the mercy seat, and offering up incense. Then resuming his splendid robes, he reappeared before the people (Lev. 16). Thus the wearing of these robes came to be identified with the Day of Atonement.
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The High Priest-
It's very important for us to understand our Lord's role as a High Priest. This was an office held for many, many years through the line of the family of Aaron- of the tribe of Levi. An office that was held by a man and this man had special duties to perform as High Priest.
From the Jewish Encyclopedia-
Sanctity and Functions.
The distinguished rank of the high priest is apparent from the fact that his sins are regarded as belonging also to the people (Lev. iv. 3, 22). He was entrusted with the stewardship of the Urim and Thummim (Num. xxvii. 20 et seq.). On the Day of Atonement he alone entered the Holy of Holies, to make atonement for his house and for the people (Lev. xvi.); on that occasion he wore white linen garments instead of his ordinary and more costly vestments. He alone could offer the sacrifices for the sins of the priests, or of the people, or of himself (Lev. iv.); and only he could officiate at the sacrifices following his own or another priest's consecration (Lev. ix.). He also offered a meal- offering every morning and evening for himself and the whole body of the priesthood (Lev. vi. 14-15, though the wording of the law is not altogether definite). Other information concerning his functions is not given. He was privileged, probably, to take part at his own pleasure in any of the priestly rites. Josephus ("B. J." v. 5, § 7) contends that the high priest almost invariably participated in the ceremonies on the Sabbath, the New Moon, and the festivals. This may also be inferred from the glowing description given in Ecclus. (Sirach) i. of the high priest's appearance at the altar.
Pasted from
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Jesus is our High Priest in heaven. It's no coincidence that there would be High Priests performing many sacred duties connected to God's Holy Temple. The pattern of the heavenly recreated in the earthly. No, they are not the same in many ways because the difference between something heavenly and something earthly is greater than we can fathom. We were given an example to follow, an example of something greater. I can give you an example of something but it's not the something, only an example. I can give you a pattern and you can follow that completely but if I'm telling you to use materials that are indigenous to where you live it won't be the exact replica in the material sense as the one you are using the pattern for. I might have soft yarn to use in a crochet pattern for a shawl, but you might only have coarse yarn available. The coarse shawl won't be exact in material but it will be a exact duplicate of my shawl in construction. The heavenly sanctuary was the pattern for the earthly, the service to be perform was that which would bring man in communion with God. The heavenly sanctuary depicts that until sin is completely eradicated we have a need of a heavenly intercessor between us and God.
Let's read more about our High Priest in the heavenly sanctuary-
Heb 3:1 Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus
Heb 4:14 Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession.
Heb 7:26 For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens
Heb 9:12 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.
Perhaps a more thorough study of the book of Hebrews is called for. We need to learn about our High Priest in the heavenly sanctuary. We talk about the end of the world and see so many signs of this growing closer and closer. Think about it… once every year the earthly sanctuary was to be cleansed on the Day of Atonement. There was a whole service that day dedicated to removing all the sin from the temple that had been placed there throughout the year, it wasn't something done with a few words. There were several sacrifices made to do this, several cleansing on that day of cleansing.
Lev 16:11 And Aaron shall bring the bullock of the sin offering, which is for himself, and shall make an atonement for himself, and for his house, and shall kill the bullock of the sin offering which is for himself:
Lev 16:15 Then shall he kill the goat of the sin offering, that is for the people, and bring his blood within the vail, and do with that blood as he did with the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it upon the mercy seat, and before the mercy seat
Lev 16:17 And there shall be no man in the tabernacle of the congregation when he goeth in to make an atonement in the holy place, until he come out, and have made an atonement for himself, and for his household, and for all the congregation of Israel.
Lev 16:18 And he shall go out unto the altar that is before the LORD, and make an atonement for it; and shall take of the blood of the bullock, and of the blood of the goat, and put it upon the horns of the altar round about.
Lev 16:20 And when he hath made an end of reconciling the holy place, and the tabernacle of the congregation, and the altar, he shall bring the live goat
This all took place on the day of atonement- reconciling of the holy place, of the tabernacle, of the congregation, of the altar- reconciliation for the high priest himself and his family, reconciliation for the people.
Christ our High Priest in a heavenly sanctuary is doing this work of reconciliation, this work of cleansing, full cleansing. Christ is ministering in the heavenly sanctuary for you and I and there will come a day when that work will be done. We don't know the day nor the hour, but we can read the signs of the times given to us.
Dan 12:1 And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.
Dan 12:2 And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.
A time will come when Christ will finish His work in the heavenly sanctuary, make no mistake about it, no mistake at all.
Rev 22:11 He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.
Rev 22:12 And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.
Rev 22:13 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.
Rev 22:14 Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.
This day will come.
Right now our High Priest, Jesus Christ is ministering in the Heavenly Sanctuary, a Sanctuary that will not be found in the New Jerusalem when it comes down out of heaven to earth. The sanctuary that reveals the fact that God wants to be reconciled to us and has done all He could to make this happen. There will be a day when the reconciliation is complete, but that day is not yet. We are still here on this sin-filled earth filled with it's loathsome evil, ruled by the prince of darkness. When the cleansing is complete and the very last individual that will be cleansed is cleansed by the sacrifice of our Savior's holy blood, then Christ will stand up, Christ will cease His mediation between God and man. A lot of people like to believe that it will NEVER cease. I've even written a lot of times- God's unending grace, but in truth, once all has been done that can be done, once all that would be saved are cleansed, there is no more hope, no more grace. The end will come. The end for many who are caught up in sin and refused the grace of their one and only Savior. No, this isn't what people want to hear, they'd rather be lulled by nice cushiony, soft words filled with nothing but hope without any possibility of losing the opportunity of grace. Grace should be unending, grace should be forever and ever, but for grace to be forever and ever that would mean sin remaining forever and ever. Continuous, unending grace, bringing forgiveness for sins needs sins to be forgiven to remain unending and I don't know about you but I want sin to end!!! Sin will end. Sin will be no more! Christ paid the highest price, a price we can't truly begin to fathom, so that sin could be finished, wiped out completely never to return. We are saved by grace.
Eph 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God
Saved. Given the gift of God.
There will come a day when we are just and holy, no longer sinners all through the grace of our Savior. In that day we will no longer sin, and if we are no longer sinning, we don’t need to be forgiven any longer, we will have been forgiven completely!
Right now, right this moment as a write this, Christ, my Lord, my Savior, my High Priest in the Heavenly Sanctuary is still ministering for me. It is my prayer, my fervent prayer that when He finishes His work that I am covered in His grace, by His righteousness, that I am His, fully, wholly His doing His commandments, loving as He would love, loving Him first and foremost and others as He would have us love others. Is this your prayer too?
In His amazing love!
Amen.
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