The Superiority of Christ – Hebrews 9:11-12

When you found your place, let's bow our heads and pray before we begin. Our gracious God we have sung to you. We have spoken to you in song and in the meditation of our hearts to confess Your greatness and your goodness and your majesty your provision your glory.

Your sovereignty and your amazing grace. And we pray now that you would speak to us in your word. Our hearts are always in need and your word always accomplishes what our hearts need. Our our hearts are always in need of sanctification and your word does that our hearts are always in need of encouragement and and exhortation and your word accomplishes that or we are always in need of being reminded again of the sufficiency of Christ in his work and this and this the sufficiency of the gospel that you have provided for us and Your word reveals all of that and accomplishes that and we pray that it would today.

That you would open our eyes and our hearts to your word help us to understand again afresh what Christ has done. And who he is and the superiority and the sufficiency of his work on behalf of all who believe?

Convince and convict and encourage our hearts together. We pray today through your word in Christ's name. Amen. Have you ever noticed how often it is that we sing about blood as part of our worship services?

We sing about the blood of the covenant the blood of the ark of the blood of the sacrifice the blood of the Offerings and of course the blood of Christ. We sing about blood a lot on the surface that kind of seems like an odd thing to sing about as part of your worship.

Doesn't it? I mean to the outsider it must sound Profoundly weird to have a group of people who get together and they sing so much about blood. Sacrifice. A blood-stained cross. Bloody ground under the cross.

Being adopted by the blood. The blood of the Savior. The blood of the sacrifice. The blood of the covenant man. We are a people that talk a lot about blood and we sing a lot about blood. Don't we for instance Isaac Watts is him.

No, it's not Isaac Watts. It was the Wesley brothers that sang. And can it be that I should gain an interest in my Savior's blood? Let me read to you and remind you of a few of the songs that we sing that mention blood.

Jesus thy blood and righteousness by John Wesley. Here are some of the lyrics. Jesus thy blood and righteousness. My beauty or my glorious dress. Being dressed in blood is the analogy there. Midst flaming worlds in these arrayed with joy.

Shall I lift up my head Lord? I believe thy precious blood which at the mercy seat of God. Forever doth for sinners. Plead for me even for my soul was shed. Or the song gaze on Christ by Chris Anderson has these lyrics.

Behold the lamb the dying lamb who takes away just wrath. God saw the blood of his beloved and over us has passed. Gaze on Christ our sacrifice on altar made of wood. Exalt the lamb the worthy lamb who bought us with his blood.

When I survey the wondrous cross by Isaac Watts. Forbid it Lord that I should boast save in the death of Christ my God all the vain things that charmed me most. I sacrificed Them to his blood. The old rugged cross by George Bernard.

In the old rugged cross stained with blood. So divine such a wonderful beauty I see for it was on that old cross Jesus suffered and died to pardon and sanctify me. Or this song what sacred fountains freely freely springs by David Hyde.

What sacred fountain freely springs up from the throne of God. And all new covenant blessings brings its Jesus precious blood. Oh precious blood it covers me. It takes away the stain of sin such power.

There is contained within Jesus precious blood. Oh fount of love by Matt Boswell. Oh fount of love divine that flows from my Savior's bleeding side where sinners trade their filthy rags for his righteousness applied.

Mercy cleansing every stain now rushing over us like a flood. There the wretch and vilest ones stand adopted through his blood. Or there is a fountain by William Cowper. There is a fountain filled with blood drawn from Emmanuel's veins.

And sinners plunged beneath its flood lose all their guilty stains. What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. By the way, that's the answer to all of this series of questions. If you want to join in what can make me whole again?

Nothing, but the blood of Jesus. Oh precious is the flow that makes me white as snow. No other fount I know. Nothing, but the blood of Jesus. Are you washed in the blood? Have you been to Jesus for the cleansing power?

Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb? Are you fully trusting in his grace this hour? Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb? Are you washed in the blood in the soul cleansing blood of the Lamb? Are your garments spotless?

Are they white as snow? Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb? And so it goes we sing a lot about blood don't we? It's got to sound weird to the outsider. I think it has to sound weird to the outsider and it is offensive to the unbeliever because the unbeliever the skeptic the atheist the agnostic would listen to what we sing and listen to what I just read to you and They would say what a bloody religion that is Christianity.

You guys seem fascinated with blood. What kind of a deity is it that you worship that demands? Blood be spilt in order for him to show himself Satisfied and gracious and benevolent toward you. Isn't that the idea of the concept of God that would come from some?

Tribalistic culture on the fringes of society out there somewhere where they pour out blood on top of some altar in hopes that the gods in Heaven might be gracious to them and and give them a good harvest or grant them some blessing or maybe allow them to have children.

Or make them productive or prosperous. What kind of a God is it that requires a blood sacrifice in order to be propitious or gracious toward people? It does sound like a Horribly bloody religion, but what the skeptic does not see is the weight and gravity of their own sin before a holy and righteous God.

Because those animal sacrifices of the Old Testament that we were required the blood sacrifices of those pointed forward to another sacrifice that was to come a Sacrifice which would actually pay the price for that sin.

So this the atheist who thinks that we serve a a horribly a horrible bloodthirsty God in the heavens does not appreciate the sinfulness of men or the righteousness of God or the idea of justice or the fact that.

That there might need to be an offering for sin and the giving of a life in order to make atonement. To make a payment for these own sin that the atheist doesn't see that at all. So, of course, they cannot appreciate the bloodiness of our religion or the focus or fixation that we have with blood and in recent weeks We've been talking a lot about blood almost uncomfortably.

So It's not going to get any better in the weeks ahead because we're talking about the significance in the atonement of Christ himself and the focus Of Hebrews 9 and 10 is really on the blood of Christ and what it has accomplished in recent weeks we've talked about the sacrifices and the day of atonement and the animals the morning offering the evening offering the altar of incense the Ark of the Covenant the Mercy seat which was covered with blood.

We've talked about the work of the priest and haven't though I haven't described in any graphic detail. And it's not my intention to do so the the type of offerings that were made or how the offerings were made.

We have talked about the brazen altar upon which the offerings are made and what was done with the blood and What that pictured and portrayed and now we come to a section in Hebrews chapters 9 and 10.

Which is the heart of this book. This is the heart of the book and it really deals with this subject of the the blood of Christ. It is if the author has been planning and purposing all the way up until now to discuss this subject he has been preparing us by describing the high priesthood of Jesus back in chapter 4 and 5 and 6 and 7 and by talking about the New Covenant as opposed to the Old Covenant now He's prepared the way by talking to us about the tabernacle and all the furniture of the tabernacle.

The author has been leading up to this which is really the Zenith. It's the the crux of his whole argument in chapters 9 and 10. What is it that makes the New Covenant superior? It's that it is initiated not by the blood of bulls and goats Which could never take away sin but by the blood of a high priest who gave himself as an offering offering a better blood and that is really one of the Main themes of the book of Hebrews it is the sacrifice of Christ.

Which is at the center of the argument of the book of Hebrews. This is what makes our redemption and salvation and the work of Christ far better than anything The Old Testament could have could have provided.

It is the blood of Christ and his sacrifice and it really answers this question. What has his sacrifice accomplished? If anything. And For whom was the sacrifice made and what has the sacrifice done? What is the power of that sacrifice?

Is it superior to the Old Testament animal sacrifices? And if so, in what way that is really the argument of this central portion of the book of Hebrews. So we pick it up in verse 11. I gave you an outline for the first 10 verses which we covered in recent weeks.

I said in verses 1 to 5 the author describes the Old Testament sanctuary in verses 6 and 7 He talks about the services of the sanctuary and then in verses 8 to 10, which we looked at last week. He describes the significance of the sanctuary and the services.

So the sanctuary the services and then its significance. That was verses 1 to 10. Now verses 11 through 14 follows the exact same pattern we have in verses 11 the description of the new sanctuary or a better sanctuary in verse 12 a better service is described and then in verse 13 and 14 and Even greater significance look at verse 11.

But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things to come he entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle. There's the mention to the sacrifice the sanctuary again the tabernacle not made with hands that is to say not of this creation in verse 12 a superior service and Not through the blood of goats and calves and but through his own blood.

He entered the holy place once for all having obtained eternal redemption. And then in verses 13 and 14 a greater Significance than the Old Testament significance look at verse 13 if the blood of bulls and goats.

Sorry at the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who have been defiled. Sanctified for the cleansing of the flesh how much more will the blood of Christ who through the eternal spirit offered himself without blemish to God?

Cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the Living God so all the way through here the Comparison is between the work of Christ with the work of those Old Testament Sacrifices and all the way through here.

His intention is to show that what Christ has done is superior. It's better. It's higher. It's greater in every way. He has entered a greater sanctuary. He has provided a better service and he is in and has a better significance namely Cleansing and and atonement and forgiveness and the cleansing of the conscience.

So that's verses 11 through 14. We're just gonna look at 11 and 12 today and I want to give you an outline for verse 11 and 12 there are four points of contrast here with Christ in the Old Testament and the and the old significance of the Tabernacle and the services in verse 11.

We see that he is a high priest has provided superior blessings and a superior sanctuary and entered a superior sanctuary. Superior blessings and he has entered a superior sanctuary in verse 12 Christ has offered superior blood and he has obtained a superior redemption.

That's verse 12. Superior blessings a superior sanctuary offering a superior blood and obtaining a superior redemption. So let's look at verse 11. But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things to come and he is the high priest of the new covenant and The good things to come here I think is a description of the blessings the new covenant will get to in just a moment.

But when it says that Christ has appeared what appearance is he describing here? Is he describing Christ's appearance here on earth in his incarnation when he was born as a baby and walked this earth among us?

Is that the appearance what we would call the first coming of Christ or the first appearance of Christ? Or is he talking about something else? I don't think that the author has in mind here Christ's appearance on earth as In his incarnation.

I believe what the author is describing here is Christ's appearance in heaven. For before God in his presence and I'll make that case for you I want to give you the argument for that in the context. He's been describing the priest going behind the veil into the inner part of the sanctuary.

Remember that is all part of the service that was rendered the high priest once a year walked behind the veil and there he applied The blood to the horn to the mercy seat on one day of the year that one high priest did that.

So he has already talked about that. That's an illusion He has made and that is in the mind of the author and then later on He describes down in verse 24. Look at chapter 9 verse 24. For Christ did not enter a holy place made with hands a mere copy of the true one.

But into heaven itself now to appear in the presence of God for us notice the language He has entered into the presence of God to appear for us. So when the author says when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things to come I think he is describing here the act of Christ entering into heaven, which is the greater tabernacle.

He describes in verse 12. He has entered into that holy place once for all there. He appears in the presence of God on our behalf. Where he applies the merits of his sacrifice where he pleads for us where he intercedes for us where he stands as our representative.

There Christ is appearing in the presence of the Father on our behalf. So that's the appearance that he's talked about that. He's talking about now when Christ has appeared as A high priest of the good things to come.

What are the good things to come? Those are the New Covenant blessings. Do you remember back in chapter 8 when we looked at there were three of them really three categories of New Testament blessings or New Covenant?

Blessings there was first of all an internal knowledge of the law an internal law not at a law written on tablets of stone. But a law written on the heart where God's Spirit comes and dwells within us.

That was one of the promises of the New Covenant. Second a knowledge of God so that every person in the New Covenant now has a personal intimate knowledge of God so that we no Longer have to evangelize other members of the Covenant because everybody who is included in that Covenant is a believer a genuine believer.

Only believers are in that Covenant. So now we have an internal law. We haven't all have a knowledge of God because we are all saved in this Covenant and third there was the forgiveness of sins. These are just some of the promises of the New Covenant blessings and so many more we could add to that.

But Christ stands as our high priest in the presence of God where he mediates all those present blessings to us. On behalf of the Father and he grants them to us and he stands in God's presence. He has appeared in the heavens in heaven in the presence of the Father where he stands there on our behalf as a high priest.

Mediating to us all of the blessings of that New Covenant when Christ has appeared as a high priest of the blessings to come. Now you might be reading a translation that does not translate it to come but might translate it as have come past tense.

Let me take a moment to explain what's going on here. If you follow the NASB and the NASB follows the tradition of the King James and the new King James. They translate it the good things to come. So the King James the new King James the NASB I'll translate that as if it's describing blessings that are yet to be bestowed upon us future blessings future realities.

Whereas the ESV translate that this way the good things that have come and the NIV Translates that the good things that are already here and why such a different translation? That's is he talking about the future blessings or is he talking about the present blessings because there are both of those, right?

We do enjoy the pleasant the present blessings of salvation and of the New Covenant realities that we participate in now. But there are also future blessings of the New Covenant that are yet to come. This comes down to a difference of different different manuscript families have a different reading at this point.

And as one commentator said it is difficult to decide between the alternate readings. Because the manuscript evidence for both readings is of near equal quality. Which means that there are old manuscripts and there are reliable manuscripts on both sides that that render it both ways.

And so what is it? Is it is he talking about Christ? Mediating to us the blessings that are present that have come or the blessings that are yet to come. What is the answer to that? It is both. Right.

He is the mediator of both of those. So ultimately the difference of translation does not affect the meaning or intention of the passage one of those two readings is correct and I think that there are good arguments for both of those readings and I'll offer you a Good argument for the first the NASB, which I'm gonna tell you in a moment.

I don't think that the NASB translates it, right? But I'll tell you why the NASB translators translate it that way because there is a very Similar language used in Hebrews chapter 10 verse 1 look at chapter 10 verse 1.

For the law since it has only a shadow of the good things to come and not the very form of the things. Can never by the same sacrifices year after year make perfect those who draw near. Notice that he describes the law being a shadow of the good things to come.

And so because it is translated there because that phrase those words the good things to come. It is probably likely that at some point in the manuscript Transmission that there was a scribal gloss or something where a scribe wrote down the good things to come and not the good things that Have come so that would be an argument for the good things to come.

The argument would be that he uses that very same language in chapter 10, which is pretty close in this context but I would offer you another argument for the ESV translation of it the good things that have already come or that are here and.

This would be my argument for that that in the context here. The author is focusing on present realities that the but that the death of Christ has secured on our behalf. What has he been talking about going behind the veil?

Applying blood to the mercy seat and making atonement. So he has in mind the cleansing of the conscience which he describes later in the same passage that is a present blessing. He has in mind salvation the forgiveness of sins applied righteousness.

Those are all present realities. Those are all things that we enjoy even right now. And so I think that the focus and emphasis of the author in the context is not on the blessings that are to come. But the blessings that are actually present that are part of what we enjoy here.

And now as those who are in the new covenant now just because he focuses here on the blessings that are present. Does not mean that there are no new covenant blessings to come. Obviously there are so just to focus on the present ones does not exclude the possibility.

That there are yet blessings that will come our way in the future because we do believe and know that we kind of live. Currently in this in-between time when the best way to describe it is it's already but not yet.

Right, you are saved and redeemed and forgiven and yet you still sin, right? You are declared righteous in the presence of God and yet you still sin you still struggle with sin. You are positionally seated with Christ in the heavenly places, but you don't exercise that kind of authority or dominion now, do you?

We have all of creation has been made subject to our Christ and we are in him and yet we don't exercise that kind of Dominion here and now do we? We know that we're gonna get a resurrected body and that these bodies will be made new but we don't enjoy those now.

Do we we're kind of in this in-between land where we? Everything that we ever will receive and have received has already been secured in total for us completely. Absolutely secured and yet how much of that do we actually enjoy here?

And now there are present realities that we enjoy here and now forgiveness and righteousness a cleansed conscience. Sanctification the indwelling of the Holy Spirit a knowledge of God the blessing of his word.

All of these things are our present realities. I think that that is what the author is describing. Christ is the mediator of all of the New Testament blessings that we currently enjoy. Because he stands currently in heaven having entered behind that veil and he does so on our behalf.

So that leads us to the second thing that he serves in a superior sanctuary. Not only does he mediate to a superior blessings blessings not enjoyed or known but only anticipated under the Old Covenant.

He mediates those present blessings to us, but he also has entered into a superior sanctuary. Look at verse 12. Sorry verse 11 the middle of verse 11. He entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands that is to say not of this creation.

But some people when describing this tabernacle have had. Well, no, I'll just say it kind of wonky interpretations of what is meant by the by the word tabernacle there. What does it mean that he entered through this more perfect tabernacle?

Some have suggested throughout church history that what is being described here was actually the body of Christ that in his body He has entered into heaven that that's the idea that he entered into heaven in his body his body being the tabernacle though.

That is a possible rendering of that phrase it's not likely a Second option and this is also wonky is that the tabernacle refers to the the heavenlies over us that Christ having ascended Passed through the heavenlies or through the tabernacle, which is space around our earth and entered into heaven.

I don't think any of it is near that complicated and I don't think that that's what the tabernacle is describing. Why. Because he specifically says it is not of this creation and it's not made with hands.

You can't describe the body of Christ or the heavens as being not of this creation and not made with hands. Both were certainly of this creation. So we can't be describing that what he is describing is heaven itself.

That's the greater tabernacle. In fact, he uses his analogy just like this in Hebrews chapter 8. Remember verses 1 through 6 and you can look back there if you want if it happens to be on the same page.

Hebrews 8 1 through 6 now the main point and what has been said is this we have such a high priest who has taken a 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 pitched not man.

For every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices. So it was necessary that this high priest also have something to offer. Now if he were on earth He would not be a priest at all since there are those who offer the gifts according to the law who serve a copy and a shadow of the heavenly things and There in chapter 8 those first six verses what the author is doing is saying the tabernacle that existed on earth for the children of Israel.

It was a picture of something greater. The tabernacle was not an end in itself. The tabernacle pictured these two seemingly conflicting realities that God was to dwell with his people. But that his people could not access him access him.

God would dwell with his people, but his people could not enter into his presence. And so in the Holy of Holies where the mercy seat was that there the presence of God was there a priest only through a Mediator only because of a sacrifice was allowed to enter in once and on one day a year.

And then he had to come right back out again. He could not stay there. Well, that was a picture of something that earthly tabernacle pictured something it pictured a priest having made a sacrifice. Entering into heaven itself.

That was the picture and on every day of atonement that was the image that should have been being communicated. A high priest one who represents others offers a Sacrifice and then steps into the presence of God, but there's something different about our high priest.

He has done this now multiple times, but one time and he has done it once and for all. So verse 11 says he entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands. That is to say not of this creation and now verse 12 that leads us to the third thing that Christ offered up a superior Blood.

He did this not through the blood of goats and calves, but through his own blood. And again, the contrast here is with the old tabernacle the priest offered the blood that could never take away sin the blood of goats the blood of lambs the blood of sheep the blood of Bulls and those could never make an atonement for sin.

They could never pay the price of sin. All they could do is picture or symbolize that which would eventually pay the price for sin. It was a picture a living picture lived out amongst the children of Israel every day and every year year after year.

Symbolizing what was necessary to take away their sin, but those animal sacrifices could never actually take away sin. But now Christ has entered heaven. Pleading not the merits of an animal or another person who has died on our behalf.

But he has entered into heaven and he presents the merits of his own sacrifice in the presence of the Father. Not the sacrifice of an animal and not the sacrifice of any other human being who would dare to die in our stead.

But his own sacrifice. It is his own merit in his own righteousness because it is by his own death that he has secured our salvation. So under the new covenant the one who functions as our priest was also the sacrifice.

Because our priest didn't offer up another sacrifice. Christ never offered up an animal sacrifice and to pay for our sins. He didn't offer up an animal sacrifice. But instead our Lord offered up his own blood and that is a superior blood.

It was the perfect sacrifice because he had no debt to pay before God's law. The the just demands of God's law made no demands upon him at all. But they could the justice of God could fall on him on our behalf.

Which is why Isaiah 53 says he was bruised for our iniquities. And he was chastened. The chastening that brought us peace fell upon him. It was in our stead that he died. He was the substitute. So the just law of God the justice of God's law could not fall upon him as an innocent person.

But it could fall upon him if he were to bear the sin of guilty sinners. Which is what he has done. And because he is the God man He is infinitely righteous and so he has in himself because he is God and man.

He can stand before God as man fully man. Having represented us and shed his blood in our stead and because he is also God the God man He can do so to an infinite degree so that the righteousness that he provides to you and to you and to you and you and Is infinite righteousness.

If it were just another innocent man who had died in our stead without being God He could exchange his righteousness for our sin. And it would be a one-to-one transaction if an innocent man could die in our stead.

But if an innocent man dies in our stead who is also God infinitely righteous and therefore infinitely perfect and infinitely able to bear our sin. Then he can take the sin of an untold multitude as well as give to that same untold Multitude all of the righteousness that they need to stand blameless before the throne of God.

That is what Christ has done. Infinite forgiveness and infinite righteousness in that one sacrifice. It's a better blood. No number of bulls and goats could accomplish this. Not not the bulls and goats of a thousand worlds could ever accomplish what the blood of Christ has done in that one sacrifice he is the substance of all the symbols of the Old Testament a Sacrifice of such infinite value and worth that if God had determined to save every last person who has ever lived.

No further sacrifice would be necessary to do it no further sacrifice or suffering. Because in that one sacrifice it was infinite and of such sufficient worth and value as to pay for all your sin. And to give you all his righteousness and he could do that if the elect of God had included Multiplied millions of more people that sacrifice would have been sufficient to atone for that if God had so willed or so intended.

That is what the sacrifice of Christ has accomplished. So it is a better blood. Being fully God he can represent us being fully man. He can bear all of our sin and give us all of his righteousness. It was a superior death a superior sacrifice.

Achieving a superior merit. Now I want you to look at the fourth thing also in verse 12 that he has accomplished to obtain a superior redemption all the way through this passage of the parallels between the temple or the tabernacle and the work of Christ are Intentional and they are striking.

We have two high priests and earthly high priest and a heavenly high priest. We have two locations where this work was done the earthly tabernacle and the heavenly Tabernacle where Christ pleads for us.

We have the blood of bulls and goats on the one hand and the blood of the sinless Son of God on the other hand. We have the holy place that Christ has entered to which is heaven and the holy place in which the priest entered Once a year and that is the Holy of Holies.

We have a contrast between the frequency with which that work was done under the Old Covenant. The priest had to do this morning and evening sacrifice every day and then every year they had to do the Day of Atonement.

And offer a sacrifice of atonement, but Christ having done this he has accomplished this with one sacrifice. And so you see in verse 12 He did this through the blood of bulls of goats and calves. But through his own not through the blood of goats and calves, but through his own blood.

He entered the holy place once for all. This was unthinkable to the Jewish mind to a Jew who understood anything about the tabernacle or the temple or any of its functions. It was unthinkable that the priest would step behind the veil and never come out not come out from behind the veil.

You know what would happen? You know that the only The only time that a priest would ever step behind the veil not came come out something had happened. You know what it was. He was dead. Because he went back there Ceremonially unclean or he did something profane behind there or he didn't accomplish it or he wasn't pure before God or he hadn't offered a sacrifice for himself.

But our Savior has gone into heaven. Pleading the merits of his own blood and this he has done once for all. He stepped behind the veil where he currently is as An anchor for our soul sure and steadfast a forerunner for us behind the veil and he has done this once for all.

He has never come back out. He never needs to come back out under the Old Covenant. The priest would step back behind that veil on that one day a year. Only with the blood of the sacrifice and the incense all the incense in their hand from the altar of incense.

And they would step behind that veil and the priest would quickly sprinkle the blood and then he would get right out of there again. He hurried out. He didn't linger. He didn't take in the sights and the sounds.

He didn't Count the squirrels on the ark. He didn't sit down and meditate upon the significance of any of that. He walked in he did his work and he got back out again. Our high priest has gone into heaven and taken a seat at the right hand of the majesty on I.

Isn't that amazing? That that says something about the completeness of his work the totality of his work the sufficiency of his work. So that there is no longer anything that needs to be done. What does it mean that he did this through his own blood again?

There are some some loopy interpretations of this. Some people have suggested over the years that what this means is that Christ actually physically entered into heaven with a physical vial of his physical blood and Applied that in the presence of the father to some sort of a of a mercy seat that is in the presence of heaven.

That is not what it is describing. It is not describing Christ Resurrected from the dead and he thanks Peter for collecting the blood and takes it in a vial back to heaven with him and applies It there.

That's not what's being described. The whole thing is connected to the analogy of the temple of the tabernacle. He has entered through the merits of his sacrifice. Not to physically apply that blood to any kind of an altar or ark in the presence of God in heaven.

But that sacrifice having been accomplished he enters because of the merit of that sacrifice. Just as a priest could enter behind the veil into the presence of God only on the merit of that sacrifice Bringing that blood with him.

So it is what is pictured there not any kind of a hyper literalistic Presentation of the blood of Christ in heaven. It's the analogy that is being drawn what is being pictured there is him stepping into heaven because he has a right to enter heaven having accomplished all the father's will and Having to been obedient unto the point of death having resurrected from the grave.

Having done everything the father gave him to do having made that one sacrifice Once for all sin taking it out of the way making a path and for his people He has now entered into the presence of God one time and one time only.