Hebrews 8 through 10 is much like
Romans 6 through 8. Both accounts explain what God did in our salvation and tell us that we could be living far more victoriously than we are, and ought to begin now that we have been instructed about it.
Hebrews 8:2 contrasts
Hebrews 9:1-2. We are dealing with the True tabernacle in this covenant, whereas the old covenant had a worldly tabernacle or sanctuary. And this is part of the difference between the Old and New covenants.
Hebrews 8 elucidates upon how the old covenant had a fault in that people could not continue in it. They failed. And then we read that God regarded them not. That statement about disregard for the people is a very sobering thought. One version translates it as God stopped caring about them. Another one says God paid no attention to them due to their failure. But our covenant solved that problem. By putting His laws into our hearts and minds, God solved the problem of failure. You see, when you LOVE something, it is easy to succeed in it. God does a miracle of helping us fall in love with His Word and covenant so that we will not fail.
And in contrast to not regarding the old testament people due to their failure, we read that God gives us HIGH REGARD by saying He will be our God and we shall be His people!
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Heb 8:10 KJV For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts:and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:
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That is REGARD!
We also read that WE ALL SHALL KNOW GOD. Now, that is a big difference from the Old Testament times. The average Israelite could not know God. The priests could do service for God and enter the holy place, and the High Priest could enter the place where God actually dwelt, but for only a few minutes each year on the day of atonement. They came to know God to an extent, and would teach the others about what they learned. However, WE ALL CAN ENTER THE HOIEST in our covenant. No one has to go in for us and teach us. We can all know Him, from the least to the greatest.
My sons, when they were both 8 years old, received the Holy Ghost baptism. They knew God then more than the High Priest ever knew God in the Holiest of holies! Of all men born of women, none were as great as John the Baptist. But the least in the Kingdom is greater than John!
The tabernacle system of old reveals a message of the overall old covenant. Because only the high priest could enter the holiest only once a year, this shows that the way into God's presence was not made available back then. But today, Christ went into the True tabernacle and opened the way for us all to enter in! That is how we can succeed. We can KNOW GOD deeply and intimately, and have Him write His law into our hearts so we can love it and thereby KEEP IT!
But the idea of the TRUE TABERNACLE being with us today is basically saying this NEW COVENANT SYSTEM is our's and is far superior to the Old.
And this is what blew me away.
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Rev 21:1-3 KJV And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. (2) And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. (3) And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.
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These words highlighted are taken from
Hebrews 8 through 9, and state that WE HAVE THE TRUE TABERNACLE in contrast to the old one that was faulty. We have the SUPERIOR SYSTEM of covenant. Remember that Hebrews used the TABERNACLE thought to explain how we have a superior covenant. And the note about we being His people and He being our God is simply a note that HE REGARDS US, as opposed to not regarding the failing saints of the Old Covenant.
Just as Hebrews 8 associated the Tabernacle picture with regarding us in this new covenant, Rev 21 does the very same thing!
And we read the note about GOD DWELLING WITH US! We enter the most holy place now in this covenant. We do not have to merely VISIT, as they did in the Old Covenant. We can DWELL THERE with God!
This is a total contrast with the old having gone out, and the new come in! That is why we read of a NEW Jerusalem, and all things being made NEW.
We do not have the tabernacle of men built with hands, but the new one of God! The true one!
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Heb 8:2 KJV A minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man.
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Of course the great white throne judgment is future. But
Rev 21 and 22 makes note of issues that do regard us today, showing that Revelation is not always written in chronological order.
Notice that the following verse puts the lake of fire in a future tense.
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Rev 21:8 KJV But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.
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Notice it says SHALL HAVE THEIR PART IN THE LAKE OF FIRE.
* It did not say they already had their part, as though it was past event from the perspective of
Rev 21.
* However, we read that the wicked were cast into the lake of fire in the previous chapter.
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Rev 20:13-15 KJV And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. (14) And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. (15) And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
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So this indicates that information in
Rev 21 is not chronologically AFTER the events of the white throne judgment in Revelation 20.
* If it was, we would not read about people who "shall have" their part in the lake of fire in
Rev 21.
Another indication Revelation deals in part with the blessings of the church age is the following:
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Rev 22:1 KJV And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.
Rev 22:17 KJV And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.
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Jesus used these same words in speaking of the new covenant blessings.
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Joh 7:37-39 KJV In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. (38) He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (39) (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)
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Rev 22:17 speaks of a blessing we have in the church age, and refers to the first verse of
Revelation 21 where we read of a river of water of life.
* We can drink of that river NOW.
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