6.20.26 – Yeshua in Hebrews, Part 3
We have spent a lot of time on this over the past eleven weeks. But people then take all of that and run in Hebrews 10 toward a terrible conclusion: "By one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified." And then, after quoting Jeremiah—"I will put My Torah upon their hearts and upon their minds, and I will remember their sins no more"—Hebrews says, "Where there is remission of these, there is no longer an offering for sin." That announcement is often read as if the entire sacrificial system has been eradicated by Jesus. That is not what the author is saying. He is not calling the system a failure. The temple worked; the priesthood worked exactly as it was designed. And the prophets tell us that in the age to come, Ezekiel saw a third temple in detail, with some offerings returning (Ezek. 40–48). So the author of Hebrews is not trying to abolish the temple. What is finished is the one thing earthly offerings were never built to do: the reaching of the conscience. That work is done by the only indestructible life, the only blood that could reach that far to cleanse.
If you think about the three things His blood is doing here, we can see our atonement explained clearly. Yeshua is presented as the High Priest carrying blood into the heavenly holy place—His own blood, representing an indestructible life. What occurs?
Cleansing – we know blood can do that.
Covenant inauguration – blood was used for that purpose at the Mosaic covenant, sprinkling the people and the altar.
Metaphysical transformation – Israel became the people of God at that covenant inauguration, and the priest, even the leper who was cleansed, experienced this transformation. So have we.
The sacrificial system could never remove a sense of conscience, but He brings an internal, metaphysical transformation for us. The system was never broken; it always pointed somewhere.
Now that leads to the question: what about the cross? You might say, "You have taken the cross out of the story." Well, Hebrews does speak about death. It says He appeared to put away sins by the sacrifice of Himself. It says He was offered once to bear the sins of many. It says we are made holy through the offering of His body. We are not stepping around those things; we have never tried to diminish the death. The question is: what is the death? I have said it again and again—the death is the doorway. It was never the payment. It is faithful obedience, carried all the way down to the grave—the place where life was poured out so that life could then be carried in. Think of Isaiah 53: bearing the sins of many, meeting God so that we could walk together—the Servant who meets the people and intercedes for them, never a victim absorbing wrath to calm God down with a brutal, bloody death. The death is important—so important—but it is simply not a transaction that buys off God. It cannot be.
We have done all this in one place, the way the author does: the sanctuary cleared, the covenant made, the people consecrated, the conscience washed. And then he takes one last amazing step:
"Since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Yeshua, by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil—that is, His flesh—and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water."
The whole twelve weeks fit into these few lines. A new and living way—He opened it and left it open. Blood, heart sprinkled clean, bodies washed with water—the conqueror of death, blood that is life, washing that moves a person from death to life. The people are not only forgiven but consecrated, made into a royal priesthood who can draw near. All of this change of status occurs through the blood of the Messiah. He has not merely improved our standing; He has changed us. The holy place is open, and we have been made to walk into it. The author says, "Come close."
So put it all together—that was a lot. Penal substitution looks at Hebrews and sees one thing: death paid the wrath of God, the sacrificial system torn down, blood as death payment, the end of the old. For some readers, that is the whole book. But that is only one piece—one piece of a story so much larger. And the author warned us: this is a big story. Solid food is deeper; it is better than death. But the heart of Hebrews is the risen Messiah, alive by life that death could not hold—drawn to God, who has never stood like the Grim Reaper with a sickle and a black hood, waiting. No—Hebrews teaches us how and why we can draw near to God.
Shabbat Shalom and happy 28th day of counting toward the firstfruits of the wine!
Alan
P.S. You might be saying, "Doesn't this sound repetitive? Isn't this exactly what you have said for the last twelve weeks?" Exactly. Yes. That is the point. I only want you to see that the book of Hebrews fully supports everything we have been saying. So when someone uses Hebrews to try to undo all of this, you have studied and learned—and now you can explain it to them. Or you can smile politely and say, "I have got twelve weeks of studies you might be interested in reading." 😊🙏🤗
So on the inside—welcome in. And now, go live your own indestructible life.
Bullet-Point Outline: Main Arguments from Hebrews Study
1. The Heavenly Sanctuary & Yeshua's Role
The heavenly sanctuary is where God and humanity meet.
Yeshua has reopened it, and Hebrews explains how and why.
2. The Nature of Yeshua's Blood & Life
His blood represents life, not death—specifically, an indestructible life.
Death could not hold Him; He holds His priesthood by the power of that life.
This life/blood is the most potent purifying and consecrating force in creation.
It can cleanse the heavenly sanctuary and reach where animal blood never could.
3. Blood = Life, Not Death (Correcting Misreadings)
"Without shedding of blood" is about purification, not a demand for death.
The author of Hebrews knows the Torah: flour, water, fire, and silver could also provide atonement without blood (for the poor, etc.).
So blood is not primarily about a death-payment; it is about life as the cleansing agent.
4. Blood Does More Than Sin Offerings Could
Blood consecrates and makes a covenant (e.g., Sinai, ordination of priests).
These were not sin offerings—they were covenant/consecration blood.
Yeshua's blood inaugurates the new covenant (Jeremiah's promise): forgiveness + Torah written on hearts.
5. The Unique Power: Blood Reaches the Conscience
The old sacrificial system could cleanse ritual impurity but never the conscience.
Moral guilt required repentance; deep pollution led to exile—sacrifices hit a wall.
Yeshua's blood reaches past that wall and purifies the conscience from "dead works."
Argument from "how much more": if animal blood purified the flesh, Messiah's blood does infinitely more for the inner person.
6. The System Was Not Abolished
Hebrews 10 is often misread as abolishing the temple/sacrifices.
The system worked as designed; Ezekiel even describes offerings in the age to come.
What is finished is the one thing it was never built to do: cleansing the conscience.
The earthly system always pointed forward; it was never broken.
7. Three Things Yeshua's Blood Accomplishes
Cleansing – removes impurity from the heavenly sanctuary.
Covenant Inauguration – establishes the new covenant (like Moses' covenant).
Metaphysical Transformation – changes us from the inside out (not just status, but actual change).
8. The Cross: Doorway, Not Payment
Hebrews does speak of death—but death is the doorway, not a transaction to buy off God.
It is faithful obedience unto the grave, so that life could be carried in.
Isaiah 53: bearing sins and interceding—not absorbing wrath.
The cross is important, but not a penal substitutionary payment.
9. The New and Living Way
Yeshua inaugurated a new and living way through the veil (His flesh).
We now have confidence to enter the holy place.
Our hearts are sprinkled clean, bodies washed with pure water.
We are not just forgiven—we are consecrated as a royal priesthood.
10. Conclusion: Hebrews Supports the Full Story
Penal substitution reads only one piece (death) and misses the larger story.
The author of Hebrews calls this "solid food"—deeper than a mere death-payment.
The risen Messiah, alive by indestructible life, invites us to draw near.
The whole twelve-week study is summed up here: forgiveness, consecration, transformation, and access to God.
11. Practical Takeaway
When others misuse Hebrews to argue against this view, you can explain it clearly.
Or invite them to the twelve-week study.
Final call: you have been welcomed in—now go live your own indestructible life.
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