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Christ Is Our High Priest

Here is the main point: We have a High Priest who sat down in the place of honor beside the throne of the majestic God in heaven. There he ministers in the heavenly Tabernacle,[a] the true place of worship that was built by the Lord and not by human hands.

And since every high priest is required to offer gifts and sacrifices, our High Priest must make an offering, too. If he were here on earth, he would not even be a priest, since there already are priests who offer the gifts required by the law. They serve in a system of worship that is only a copy, a shadow of the real one in heaven. For when Moses was getting ready to build the Tabernacle, God gave him this warning: “Be sure that you make everything according to the pattern I have shown you here on the mountain.”[b]

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Footnotes

  1. 8:2 Or tent; also in 8:5.
  2. 8:5 Exod 25:40; 26:30.

The Messiah Has a Better Ministry

Now the main point in what we are saying is this: we do have this kind of high priest, who sat down at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven and who serves in the sanctuary, the true tent set up by the Lord and not by any human. For every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices. Therefore, this high priest[a] had to offer something, too. Now if he were on earth, he would not even be a priest, because other men offer the gifts prescribed by the Law. They serve in a sanctuary that is a copy, a shadow of the heavenly one. This is why Moses was warned when he was about to build the tent: “See to it that you make everything according to the pattern that was shown you on the mountain.”[b]

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Footnotes

  1. Hebrews 8:3 Lit. this one
  2. Hebrews 8:5 Cf. Exod 25:40