We are at Hebrews 9:6. After mentioning all the temple accoutrements that he can't discuss yet, the author says the priests entered the outer room of the tabernacle regularly to carry out their duties, but only the high priest entered the inner room. He only entered that room once a year, and with blood to offer for the sins of the people and his own sins. However, the sacrifices couldn't actually clear the conscience of the worshipper. They are just external physical things based on ceremonial, external regulations.
"When Jesus came as high priest... he went through a greater, more perfect tabernacle that was not manmade, that is to say, not part of this creation." Hmmm. Where would it be then? In another dimension? Jesus didn't enter that mystical, invisible holy place by the blood of animals, but by his own blood! When the blood of animals was ceremonially sprinkled on people, it made them outwardly clean. (Really? It sounds messy to me.) But the blood of Christ, having much greater power, can cleanse consciences! When consciences are clean, people don't die (Really? People die every day.). Then they can serve god! Huzzah!
That makes christ the mediator of the new covenant. If you say so. Those who are called get to inherit eternal life! What does it mean to be called, and how do you know when you've been called? That doesn't matter, Jesus died to set people free from the sins they committed under the first covenant. What if they were born too late to commit sins under the first covenant? I'm a little confused.
Now the author moves into a metaphor of a will. A will only takes effect after a person has died, never when they are alive. This is why the first covenant need blood to make it effective. What?! That doesn't make sense to me. The author goes on to talk about the covenant, Moses, and blood. Moses sprinkled blood on everything, the scroll of the covenant, the tabernacle, and all the ceremonial stuff. That cleansed it. Blood cleanses everything, according to the author. That's sick. Seriously. Visualize blood literally being spattered and sprinkled everywhere, to "cleanse" things and people. Does that make any sense at all? Whose twisted idea was that any way?
The author tries to explain this earthly nonsense away by saying it is just a copy of the real heavenly stuff, with better sacrifices. Christ (as high priest with the blood) didn't enter the manmade sanctuary, but the true heavenly one. He appears in god's presence for the Hebrews (as "us" is meant by the author). He doesn't have to go in over and over again as the earthly high priests do with the blood of animals. That would be silly. Then he would have to suffer over and over again, since it's his own blood that he sacrificed. Nope. He only had to Sacrifice himself once to do away with sin. One wonders if the author is referring to a literal physical sacrifice with literal physical blood of a literal physical christ. Or did that also happen in another dimension? Is it spiritual blood from the spiritual sacrifice of a spiritual christ?
The author goes on to say people die once and then face judgment. So christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people. Is that bible logic again? There's more! He's going to appear a second time! (When was the first?) Next time he won't be bearing any sins, but saving "those who are waiting for him." So, it appears Jesus died for the dead. He will come back for the living. Maybe the author of Hebrews thinks he will be among the living.
That ends chapter nine.
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