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Hebrews 6:19-20
The hope that the author of Hebrews speaks of in Hebrews 6:18 is now described in Hebrews 6:19-20 (NKJV) as, “an anchor of the soul” in which attaches us firmly to God through Jesus. He speaks of, “the Presence behind the veil” and the “forerunner” which is Jesus, “having become High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.”
In the temple, the ark of the covenant was placed “behind the veil,” and above the ark was where the presence of God met with the High Priest (Exodus 25:10-22, 26:31-35). Exodus 26:33 (ESV) states, “And you shall hang the veil from the clasps, and bring the ark of the testimony in there within the veil. And the veil shall separate for you the Holy Place from the Most Holy.” Only the High Priest was allowed to enter the Most Holy behind the veil once per year to make atonement for himself and for the people (Leviticus 16). The veil separated the presence of God from the people. When Jesus died on the cross, the veil was torn from top to bottom signifying that the barrier between God and humanity had been removed through the sacrifice of Jesus paying the price of sin for all mankind (Matthew 27:50-51; Hebrews 10:19-22). Jesus states in John 10:9 (NKJV), “I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved…” The Apostle Paul explains being saved in Romans 10:9 (NIV), “If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” This all relates to only the High Priest being able to enter the Most Holy place as Jesus is noted in Hebrews 6:20 (NKJV), “High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.” This further adheres to God’s word being justified as the High Priest was only able to enter the Most Holy place once-a-year, as Jesus was only required to die for the sins of humanity one time in His purity (Romans 6:10).
This is a promise that our hope in Jesus is secure.
Many people have trouble connecting the Old Testament to the New Testament. This lesson in Hebrews 6:19-20 connects Jesus to the temple that was built by Moses as directed by God, and even more so to the Most Holy place in the temple, behind the veil, that served as a barrier between God’s presence and man. Jesus broke down that barrier by fulfilling the requirements of the Law for righteousness as He paid our price on the cross, died sinless, and then rose from the grave victorious over death, sin, and Satan. We may come to God through Jesus by believing in Him and that He has paid our price to sin. Romans 6:10-11 (ESV) states, “For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.”
Dear LORD,
You have given us the Scriptures of the Old Testament to point us to the fulfillment of it in the New Testament. Jesus said in Matthew 5:15 (NIV), “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.” Please open our eyes that we may see Your great love for us in the greatest gift of all – the gift You gave to all humanity – the gift of salvation in Jesus. Please touch our hearts through Your Holy Spirit, that we will know that You are working in our lives and that our confidence in our hope of the promise through our faith in You would grow closer to You each day. In Jesus name I pray, amen.