The day of Atonement

Thursday, May 3

The book of Hebrews teaches that the earthly Hebrew sanctuary service was a model of the heavenly sanctuary, the one that Christ entered and inaugurated as our High Priest. The earthly service, with its two apartments and its sacrificial and cleansing rituals, was “the copy and shadow of the heavenly things, as Moses was divinely instructed when he was about to make the tabernacle” (Hebrews 8:5, NKJV).

And just as the earthly sanctuary ritual included a ministry in the two compartments, the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place, so also does Christ’s ministry in the heavenly sanctuary. In the earthly sanctuary, the concept of judgment was represented on the Day of Atonement, which resulted in the cleansing of the sanctuary, as depicted in Leviticus 16. This was the one time a year when the High Priest entered into the second compartment, the Most Holy Place (Leviticus 16:12-14) to do a work of cleansing and atonement in behalf of the people.

Read Hebrews 9:20-23. What needs to be purified and cleansed, and why is this a clear reference to the Day of Atonement ministry of Christ?

Scholars have been surprised by the statement that the heavenly sanctuary itself needed to be cleansed or “purified”. However, once this is understood as a Day of Atonement reference, the problem vanishes. Hebrews 9:23 shows that the work Christ does in the heavenly sanctuary is the true expression of what the earthly high priest did in the yearly Day of Atonement service in the Israelite sanctuary. The ministry of the earthly priest in cleansing the earthly sanctuary foreshadowed the work that Christ would one day do in the heavenly. The text does not say that this heavenly cleansing takes place immediately after Christ’s ascension. From the study of the book of Daniel, we can see that this phase of ministry began in the year 1844. So as Christians facing the last days, we need to understand the solemnity of the time that we are in but rest in the assurance of what Christ has done for us in the past and is doing for us now in the Most Holy Place of the heavenly sanctuary.

The first angel’s message declares: “Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment has come” (Revelation 14:7, NKJV). The reality of the judgment points to the nearness of the end. How should this reality impact how we live?

Life decisions.

Replay of New Shepard Mission 8 Livestream

Para quem não conseguiu ver em directo.

O Nosso Intercessor

Quarta-feira, 02 de Maio

Embora o pecado tenha trazido uma terrível separação entre Deus e a humanidade, mediante a morte sacrificial de Cristo, nós, seres humanos, somos conduzidos a Deus e podemos continuar a ter acesso a Ele, como podemos ver em Efésios 2:18 e 1 Pedro 3:18.

7. “A qual temos como âncora da alma, segura e firme, e que penetra até ao interior do véu, Onde Jesus, nosso precursor, entrou por nós, feito eternamente sumo sacerdote, segundo a ordem de Melquisedeque.” Hebreus 6:19,20

De acordo com estes versos, o que fez Jesus por nós?

8. De acordo com Hebreus 9:24, o que inclui a obra de Cristo?

A. ( ) Predestinação de quem será salvo ou não.

B. ( ) Intercessão no santuário celestial em favor de quem aceita a salvação.

Jesus é o precursor, tendo adentrado o santuário celestial como o nosso Representante na própria presença de Deus. Isto é, Jesus está diante do Pai, ministrando os méritos da Sua expiação, a “eterna redenção” que Ele “obteve” em nosso favor.

Quando aceitamos Cristo, os nossos pecados são perdoados e permanecemos diante de Deus, perdoados e purificados. Mas o facto é que, mesmo depois que nos tornamos cristãos, às vezes ainda pecamos, apesar de todas as maravilhosas promessas de vitória. Nestas ocasiões, Jesus intercede como o nosso Sumo Sacerdote no Céu. Ele representa o pecador arrependido e apresenta diante do Pai não os nossos méritos (porque não temos nenhum), mas os Seus próprios méritos em nosso favor. “Por isso, também pode salvar totalmente os que por Ele se chegam a Deus, vivendo sempre para interceder por eles” (Hebreus 7:25).

Apesar da nova vida que temos em Jesus e das mudanças maravilhosas na nossa existência, percebemos a nossa necessidade constante de perdão. Porque é, então, tão precioso para nós o conhecimento de Cristo como o nosso Sumo Sacerdote?

Our Intercessor

Wednesday, May 2

Though sin had brought a fearful separation between God and humanity, through Christ’s sacrificial death we as human beings are brought to God and can continue to have access to Him. See Ephesians 2:18, 1 Peter 3:18.

“Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which entereth into that within the veil; whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek” (Hebrews 6:19, 20). According to these verses, what has Jesus done for us?

Read Hebrews 9:24. What does this text say that Christ’s work includes?

Jesus is the forerunner, having entered as our Representative into the heavenly sanctuary, even into the very presence of God for us. That is, Jesus is standing before the Father, ministering the merits of His atonement, the “eternal redemption” that He “obtained” in our behalf.

Yes, when we accepted Jesus our sins were forgiven, and we stood before God pardoned and cleansed. But the fact remains that even after we have become Christians, we at times still sin, despite all the wonderful promises of victory. In such cases, Jesus intercedes as our High Priest in heaven. He represents the repenting sinner, not pleading our merits (for we have none) but pleading His own in our behalf before the Father. “Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them” (Hebrews 7:25, NKJV).

What born-again Christian does not sense his or her own need of Christ’s continuing mercy and grace? That is, despite the new life we have in Jesus, despite the wonderful changes in our existence, who doesn’t realize his or her own constant need of pardon and forgiveness? Why, then, is the knowledge of Christ as our High Priest so precious to us?

O Nosso Sumo Sacerdote

Terça-feira, 01 de Maio

5. De acordo com Hebreus 7:24 a 27 e 8:6, qual é a nossa grande esperança? Assinale “V” para verdadeiro ou “F” para falso:

A. ( ) A salvação completa mediante o sacrifício perfeito de Jesus. Não precisamos mais de nenhum intercessor humano.

B. ( ) A libertação que encontramos por meio da fé nos mediadores humanos e em Jesus.

Cristo é capaz de nos salvar completamente devido às Suas diversas qualidades, que nenhum outro sacerdote jamais poderia ter. Ele é Deus, tendo então autoridade para perdoar pecados. O Seu sacerdócio é permanente. Hoje, durante a era cristã, Ele intercede por Seu povo continuamente, com a mesma amorosa compaixão que tinha quando curava os doentes e confortava os desolados. Ele também é humano, mas nasceu sem pecado e assim permaneceu. E, como homem sem pecado, Ele morreu sob o peso esmagador da soma de todos os pecados da humanidade. Portanto, apenas Ele, o Deus-Homem, pode interceder pelos pecadores no santuário celestial.

Estes textos também revelam que Cristo Se sacrificou de uma vez por todas. O Seu sacrifício precisava acontecer apenas uma vez, e ele foi suficiente para trazer salvação a todos os seres humanos.

Afinal, considerando quem morreu na cruz, como poderia esta oferta não ser suficiente?

6. De acordo com Hebreus 9:11 a 15, o que obteve Cristo para nós mediante a Sua morte e o Seu ministério atual no Céu? Assinale a alternativa correta:

A. ( ) Condenação.

B. ( ) Eterna redenção.

Hebreus 9:12 declara que Cristo obteve “eterna redenção”. A palavra grega traduzida como “redenção” também significa “resgate”, “livramento” e “libertação”. É a mesma palavra usada em Lucas 1:68, quando Zacarias declarou que Deus “visitou e redimiu o Seu povo.” A referência ao sangue de Cristo – o sangue do único sacrifício suficiente – significa que Jesus, o Cordeiro sacrifical, obteve esta redenção, esta libertação. A maravilhosa notícia do evangelho é que Cristo não a obteve para Si mesmo, mas para nós, e ela torna-se eficaz para todos os que aceitam o Seu sacrifício.

Reflita sobre esta ideia de que Cristo “obteve” a “eterna redenção” para nós. Somente depois disso Ele entrou no santuário celestial para fazer a Sua obra em nosso favor. Isto traz-nos esperança sobre o que Cristo está a fazer por nós no santuário celestial?

Our High Priest

Tuesday, May 1

Read Hebrews 7:24-27, 8:6. What great hope is given to us in these texts?

Christ is able to save completely due to several qualifications that no other priest could ever have. He is God, who has authority to forgive sins. He has a permanent priesthood. During the Christian era He is interceding all the time for His people, with the same loving compassion as when He healed the sick and comforted the lonely. He is also human but was born sinless and remained that way. And, as the sinless One, He died under the staggering weight of the sum total of human sin. Only He, then, as the God-Man, can intercede for sinners in heaven’s sanctuary.

What these texts show, too, is that Christ’s sacrifice was once and for all. It needed to happen only one time, and it was sufficient to bring salvation to every human being.

After all, considering who it was who died on the cross, how could such an offering not be sufficient for every human being?

Read Hebrews 9:11-15. What has Christ obtained for us through His death and now His ministry in heaven?

Hebrews 9:12 says that Christ has “obtained eternal redemption” (NKJV). The Greek word translated “redemption” also means “ransoming”, “releasing”, and “deliverance”. It’s the same word used in Luke 1:68, when Zacharias declared that God has “visited and redeemed His people” (NKJV). The reference to Christ’s blood — the blood of the only sufficient sacrifice — means that it was Christ, as the sacrificial Lamb, who obtained this redemption, this deliverance. And the great news of the gospel is that Christ obtained this, not for Himself, but for us, and it becomes efficacious for all who accept Christ’s sacrifice for them.

Dwell on this idea, that Christ has “obtained” “eternal redemption” for us, and it was only after He accomplished this that He entered into His work in the heavenly sanctuary on our behalf. What hope does this offer us regarding what Christ is doing for us in the heavenly sanctuary?