Introduction
† Most people were taught that Jesus went into a future heavenly building somewhere beyond the sky, but Hebrews teaches something far greater. Christ entered the true Holy Of Holies, not made with human hands, and by doing so He brought the entire Old Covenant temple system to its complete end. (Hebrews 8:1-2)
† The earthly tabernacle was never the final reality. It was only a shadow, a copy, and a temporary system pointing forward to Christ and the heavenly sanctuary He would open through His sacrifice. Once Christ entered the true sanctuary, the earthly one was left obsolete and ready to vanish away in judgment. (Hebrews 8:5; Hebrews 8:13)
† This sermon will show that Jesus fulfilled everything the temple represented, and that the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple in AD 70 publicly proved that the old system was finished forever. (Matthew 24:1-2; Hebrews 9:24)

Hebrews 8:1-2
Now the main point in what has been said is this: we have such a high priest, who has taken His seat at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens, a minister in the sanctuary and in the true tabernacle, which the Lord set up, not man.

† Jesus wasn't serving in the earthly temple in Jerusalem. He was ministering in the true sanctuary in heaven. (Hebrews 8:1-2)
† The writer contrasts the earthly tabernacle with the true tabernacle. One was built by men, the other was established by God Himself. (Hebrews 8:1-2)
† This completely destroys the idea that God intended to return to an earthly temple system later on. (Hebrews 8:1-2)
† Christ sat down because His priestly work was completed. Earthly priests never sat down because their sacrifices could never fully remove sin. (Hebrews 10:11-12)

Hebrews 8:5
who serve a copy and shadow of the heavenly things, just as Moses was warned by God when he was about to erect the tabernacle; for, "See," He says, "that you make all things by the pattern which was shown to you on the mountain."

† The earthly tabernacle was only a shadow. Shadows aren't the reality, they point to the reality. (Hebrews 8:5)
† Moses was shown a heavenly pattern because the earthly structure represented something greater that would later be fulfilled in Christ. (Hebrews 8:5)
† Futurism reverses the entire point of Hebrews by taking people back to shadows after Christ already brought the substance. (Hebrews 8:5)
† Paul taught the same thing when he said the Old Covenant ordinances were a shadow of things to come, but the body belongs to Christ. (Colossians 2:16-17)

Hebrews 9:6-8
Now when these things have been so prepared, the priests are continually entering the outer tabernacle, performing the divine worship, but into the second, only the high priest enters once a year, not without taking blood which he offers for himself and for the sins of the people committed in ignorance. The Holy Spirit is signifying this, that the way into the holy place has not yet been disclosed while the outer tabernacle is still standing,

† As long as the earthly tabernacle remained standing, access into the true holy place wasn't yet fully revealed. (Hebrews 9:6-8)
† The veil symbolized separation from God's presence under the Old Covenant system. (Hebrews 9:6-8)
† Christ would remove that separation completely through His death and ascension. (Hebrews 10:19-20)
† This is why the veil in the temple was torn from top to bottom at the crucifixion. God Himself was ending the old priestly system. (Matthew 27:50-51)

Hebrews 9:11-12
But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things having come, He entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made by hands, that is, not of this creation; and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all time, having obtained eternal redemption.

† Christ entered the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with human hands. (Hebrews 9:11-12)
† The phrase not of this creation proves this wasn't an earthly structure. (Hebrews 9:11-12)
† Animal sacrifices could never bring eternal redemption, but Christ's sacrifice accomplished it fully and permanently. (Hebrews 9:11-12)
† He entered once for all. That means the work was complete and never needed repetition. (Hebrews 9:12)
† The earthly Day of Atonement happened every year because the old system was temporary and incomplete. (Hebrews 10:1-4)

Hebrews 9:24
For Christ did not enter a holy place made by hands, a mere copy of the true one, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us;

† The earthly holy place was only a pattern. Heaven itself was the true reality. (Hebrews 9:24)
† Jesus fulfilled what the earthly Holy Of Holies only symbolized. (Hebrews 9:24)
† This wasn't about traveling through outer space into a literal building in the sky. This was covenant access into the true presence of God. (Hebrews 9:24)
† The Old Covenant priest entered a temporary earthly chamber. Christ entered the true heavenly presence once and forever. (Hebrews 9:24)

Hebrews 9:26
Otherwise, He would have needed to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now once at the consummation of the ages He has been revealed to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.

† The writer said Christ appeared at the end of the ages, not thousands of years before the end. (Hebrews 9:26)
† This was the end of the Old Covenant age that was centered in the temple system. (Hebrews 9:26)
† Jesus appeared at the climax of the covenant ages to completely put away sin through His sacrifice. (Hebrews 9:26)
† This destroys the idea that the true end of the age was still far future from the first century perspective. (Matthew 24:34; Hebrews 9:26)

Hebrews 10:19-22
Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, through His flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let's approach God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.

† Believers now had direct access to God through Christ. (Hebrews 10:19-22)
† The veil was identified with Christ's flesh. His death opened the way into God's presence. (Hebrews 10:20)
† The old temple system kept people separated. Christ removed the barrier. (Ephesians 2:13-18)
† This was already a present reality for first century believers. The writer said let us draw near, not someday thousands of years later. (Hebrews 10:22)
† The true house of God was no longer the Jerusalem temple, but the people of God in Christ. (Ephesians 2:19-22)

Matthew 23:38
Behold, your house is being left to you desolate!

† Jesus called it your house, not My house. (Matthew 23:38)
† God had already departed from the corrupt temple system because Israel rejected their Messiah. (Matthew 23:37-38)
† The temple still stood physically for a short time, but covenantally it was already abandoned. (Matthew 23:38)
† AD 70 became the visible judgment confirming what Jesus had already declared. (Matthew 24:1-2)

Matthew 27:50-51
And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and gave up His spirit. And behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth shook and the rocks were split.

† God tore the veil from top to bottom, showing that the old system was finished by divine action. (Matthew 27:50-51)
† Access to God was no longer limited to earthly priests and temple rituals. (Hebrews 10:19-20)
† The temple still stood physically for a short time, but spiritually its purpose had already ended. (Hebrews 8:13)
† AD 70 became the public judgment and removal of the obsolete covenant order Jesus had already fulfilled. (Matthew 24:1-2)

John 4:21-24
Jesus said to her, "Believe Me, woman, that a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, because salvation is from the Jews. But a time is coming, and even now has arrived, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth."

† Jesus declared that worship would no longer be centered in Jerusalem. (John 4:21)
† The coming New Covenant would remove dependence on earthly sacred locations. (John 4:21-24)
† True worship would be spiritual, not tied to temple rituals and sacrifices. (John 4:23-24)
† This perfectly agrees with Hebrews and the ending of the earthly sanctuary system. (Hebrews 9:24)

Hebrews 12:22-28
But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the Judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks better than the blood of Abel.

See to it that you do not refuse Him who is speaking. For if those did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape who turn away from Him who warns us from heaven. And His voice shook the earth then, but now He has promised, saying, "Yet once more I will shake not only the earth, but also the heaven." This expression, "Yet once more," denotes the removing of those things which can be shaken, as of created things, so that those things which cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let's show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe;

† The writer said ye are come unto heavenly Jerusalem, showing this was already a present covenant reality. (Hebrews 12:22)
† The Old Covenant system was the thing being shaken and removed. (Hebrews 12:26-27)
† The earthly temple and priesthood belonged to the temporary order that was passing away. (Hebrews 8:13)
† The kingdom of Christ cannot be shaken because it isn't built on earthly temples made with hands. (Hebrews 12:28)

Hebrews 8:13
When He said, "A new covenant," He has made the first obsolete. But whatever is becoming obsolete and growing old is about to disappear.

† The Old Covenant was already growing old and ready to disappear when Hebrews was written. (Hebrews 8:13)
† This proves the temple was still standing at that time, but its destruction was near. (Hebrews 8:13)
† The phrase vanishing away perfectly fits the coming destruction of Jerusalem and the temple in AD 70. (Matthew 24:1-2)
† Once the true Holy Of Holies was opened by Christ, the earthly one had no remaining covenant purpose. (Hebrews 9:24)

Historical References
† Josephus recorded that the temple was completely destroyed in AD 70, exactly as Jesus prophesied in Matthew 24:1-2. (Josephus, Wars of the Jews, Book 6)
† Eusebius wrote that the believers fled Jerusalem before its destruction, recognizing Christ's warnings had been fulfilled. (Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History, Book 3)
† Clement of Alexandria taught that the sacrifices and temple ordinances had reached their completion in Christ. (Clement of Alexandria, Stromata)
† The Epistle of Barnabas explained that the physical temple system was temporary and fulfilled spiritually in the people of God. (Epistle of Barnabas, Chapters 16-17)
† After AD 70 the Jewish genealogical records connected to the priesthood were destroyed, making any future verified Levitical priesthood impossible historically. (Josephus, Against Apion, Book 1)

How It Applies To Us Today
† We don't need an earthly temple because Christ fulfilled everything the temple represented. (Hebrews 9:24)
† We don't need earthly priests because Jesus is our eternal High Priest. (Hebrews 8:1-2)
† We don't need repeated sacrifices because Christ obtained eternal redemption once for all. (Hebrews 9:12)
† We already have access to God through Christ right now. (Hebrews 10:19-22)
† The fulfilled kingdom isn't centered in earthly Jerusalem, but in Christ and His people. (Hebrews 12:22-28)
† We can live with confidence knowing the old covenant separation has been removed forever. (Ephesians 2:13-18)
† Our worship isn't tied to sacred buildings or earthly systems because true worship is now in spirit and truth. (John 4:23-24)

Q & A Appendix
Q: Did Jesus enter a literal room somewhere in heaven?
A: Hebrews explains that the earthly Holy Of Holies was a pattern of the true heavenly reality. Christ entered into the true presence of God on our behalf. Hebrews 9:24 says He entered heaven itself, not a man made sanctuary.

Q: Why was the temple destroyed in AD 70?
A: Because the Old Covenant system had already been fulfilled and made obsolete by Christ. Hebrews 8:13 says it was ready to vanish away. Jesus also predicted its destruction in Matthew 24:1-2.

Q: Does God plan to restore animal sacrifices again?
A: No. Hebrews teaches that Christ's sacrifice was once for all and brought eternal redemption. Returning to animal sacrifices would deny the sufficiency of Christ's finished work. Hebrews 10:12-18.

Q: What is the true temple now?
A: The people of God in Christ are now the dwelling place of God. Ephesians 2:19-22 and 1 Corinthians 3:16 teach that believers are God's temple.

Q: What was being shaken and removed in Hebrews 12?
A: The Old Covenant world centered in the temple system was being shaken and removed so the unshakable kingdom of Christ could remain. Hebrews 12:27-28.

Q: If the earthly temple was only a shadow, why do some Christians still expect another temple to be built?

A: Because many people read prophecy through a future earthly system instead of through Christ's fulfilled work. Hebrews says the earthly temple was only a copy and shadow of the heavenly reality fulfilled by Christ. Hebrews 8:5.

Q: Did the tearing of the veil really mean the end of the Old Covenant system?

A: Yes. The veil represented separation from God's presence under the Old Covenant priesthood. When God tore the veil from top to bottom at Christ's death, it showed that access to God was now open through Jesus Christ. Matthew 27:50-51; Hebrews 10:19-20.

Q: Why does Hebrews say the first covenant was ready to vanish away?

A: Because the Old Covenant system was approaching its final judgment in the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple in AD 70. Hebrews was written while the temple was still standing but near its end. Hebrews 8:13.

Q: Is heavenly Jerusalem a future city still coming someday?

A: No. Hebrews told first century believers ye are come unto mount Zion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. It was already a present covenant reality in Christ. Hebrews 12:22.

† This is the fulfilled perspective we proclaim at Fulfilled Prophecies †
© Fulfilled Prophecies - Dan Maines.

Source Index
† Hebrews 8:1-2; Hebrews 8:5; Hebrews 9:6-8; Hebrews 9:11-12; Hebrews 9:24; Hebrews 9:26; Hebrews 10:19-22; Matthew 23:38; Matthew 27:50-51; John 4:21-24; Hebrews 12:22-28; Hebrews 8:13
† Josephus, Wars of the Jews, Book 6; Josephus, Against Apion, Book 1; Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History, Book 3; Clement of Alexandria, Stromata; Epistle of Barnabas, Chapters 16-17