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Library > Commentaries > John Gill's Exposition of the Bible > 9 > Introduction
  Introduction  
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\\INTRODUCTION TO HEBREWS 9\\

The apostle having, in the former chapter, taken notice of the first
covenant, in this proceeds to show what belonged to it, that it had
service performed under it, and a place in which it was performed,
\\#Heb 9:1\\ and he begins with the latter, which he distinguishes
into two parts, and shows what was in each of them; in the first,
which was the holy place, were a candlestick, table, and shewbread;
in the second, which was the holiest of all, were a golden censer,
the ark of the covenant, the golden pot of manna, Aaron's rod, the
tables of the covenant, and the cherubim of glory overshadowing the
mercy seat, \\#Heb 9:2-5\\. And next he speaks of the service
performed in these places; in the first, the holy place, the common
priests entered every day, doing service, as offering sacrifice
\\#Heb 9:6\\ and in the second, the holy of holies, only the high
priest entered into, and that but once a year, with blood of slain
beasts, which he offered for his own sins, and the sins of the
people, \\#Heb 9:7\\ and this being shut up, and entered into but
once a year, was an indication from the Holy Ghost, that the way into
the holiest of all, which this was then a figure of, was not yet made
manifest, while the tabernacle or temple was standing, in which
sacrifices were offered, which could not perfect the offerer of them,
or remove guilt from his conscience, \\#Heb 9:8,9\\ which shows the
imperfection of that priesthood, it consisting of meats, drinks,
baptisms, and carnal ordinances imposed on the Jewish nation until
the times of the Messiah, \\#Heb 9:10\\ which are now come, and in
which there is an accomplishment of all those types and figures;
Christ was typified by the high priest; and he is come as such, and
the good things, the law was a shadow of, are come by him; who came
into the world by the assumption of human nature, a more perfect
tabernacle than the type of it was; and now having obtained eternal
redemption for his people, he is gone into heaven, the most holy
place, not as the high priest, with the blood of slain beasts, but
with his own blood, \\#Heb 9:11,12\\ the efficacy of which blood is
argued from the lesser to the greater, that if the blood of beasts,
and water of separation, sanctified and purified externally, then
much more must the blood of Christ purge the conscience from sin,
that it may serve God, since Christ offered himself to God without
spot, through the eternal Spirit, \\#Heb 9:13,14\\. The necessity of
Christ's shedding his blood, or of his death, is proved from his
being the Mediator of the new covenant, which required the redemption
of transgressions under the first testament, that called ones might
have the promise of the eternal inheritance, \\#Heb 9:15\\. And this
is reasoned from the nature of testaments or wills among men, which
make the death of the testator necessary, they being of no force
while he lives, only after his death, \\#Heb 9:16,17\\. And this is
further illustrated by the first testament being dedicated by blood,
and everything belonging to it purged by it, the book, the people,
the tabernacle, and all the vessels of it; nor is there any remission
of sin, whether typical or real, without shedding of blood,
\\#Heb 9:18-22\\ wherefore, as it was necessary that the patterns and
types of heavenly things should be purified in this manner; it must be
more so, that the antitypes should be purified with better sacrifices,
even with the sacrifice of Christ, \\#Heb 9:23\\ and accordingly
Christ is entered into heaven itself, of which the holy places in the
tabernacle were figures, there to present and plead his sacrifice on
account of his people, \\#Heb 9:24\\ not that it was necessary that
he should offer up himself again, or often, as the high priest, his
type, went every year into the holy place with the blood of others;
for then he must have often suffered since the world began, of which
there was no need, since his appearing once in the end of the world,
to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself, is sufficient,
\\#Heb 9:25,26\\ for as it is the appointment of God, that men should die
but once, and then come to judgment, so it was only necessary that
Christ should be offered once to bear the sins of all his people, and
then appear a second time without any sin at all upon him, to the
salvation of those that look for him, \\#Heb 9:27,28\\.