If the inspired statement ended here, the hope of the tired and afflicted believer would be of little avail. For of

what use is the strongest anchor if it can find no solid anchorage? Therefore the apostle continues:

`and which entereth into that within the veil' (Heb. 6:19).

At a meeting for children once we were speaking of `hope' and had this verse before us. The children were

asked to express their opinion as to what word of four letters was the most important in the verse. Some said `hope',

some `soul'; others `sure'; yet others, `veil'. Our own choice was the somewhat strange word `that' -

`Which entereth into THAT within the veil'.

When we read chapter 9 we shall have occasion to consider the typical teaching of the Tabernacle at some

length; here we only need to remember the Ark and the Mercy Seat which were hidden from view by the Veil.

There in the Ark were the unbroken tables of the law, the rod of Aaron that budded, and the golden pot of manna.

These spoke of:

RIGHTEOUSNESS - The unbroken tables of stone.

UNCHANGING PRIESTHOOD - The rod that budded.

WILDERNESS PROVISION - The manna.

Resting upon the Ark was the Mercy Seat which spoke of sins forgiven, of atonement, of reconciliation. `There I

will meet with thee and commune with thee' the Lord had said to Moses, and says to us, `Here is the sure anchor

ground of the tempesttossed believer'. If hope enters into THAT, nothing can ever happen in this life that will prove

too severe a test. The anchor and the anchorage are sure and stedfast. The `strong consolation' which is ministered

to those who run for the hope set before them gathers strength as the fulness of God's supply is opened up. The

hope they have is an anchor for the soul. This hope is both sure in itself and stedfast in its use. Moreover it enters

into that within the veil, the bedrock of redeeming love.

Yet one more item is added to make the consolation complete. We have already seen that the `oath' sworn to

Abraham is echoed by the `oath' sworn to Christ as Priest after the order of Melchisedec. The apostle therefore

appropriately concludes by saying:

`Whither the Forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an High Priest for ever (the age) after the order of

Melchisedec' (Heb. 6:20).

As a forerunner, Christ is seen in John 14:2, `I go to prepare a place for you'. Dr. Macknight says:

`Here the allusion is to one sent from a ship to fix its anchor in the place to which it is to be drawn as had to be done on

such a coast as that of southern Greece'.

The references to Christ as High Priest in this epistle have much to do with the encouragement of the overcomer:

`Seeing then that we have a great High Priest, that is passed into (through) the heavens (where the Forerunner is for us

entered), Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession' (4:14).

It must also be remembered that the mention of the Melchisedec priesthood of Christ at the close of chapter 6 is

really a resumption of the theme started in chapter 5. If we keep in mind the way it is introduced in chapter 5 and

the nature of the parenthesis of chapter 6, we may get further light upon the connection of this Priesthood with the

believer's hope. In chapter 5, after speaking of Christ as Priest after the order of Melchisedec, the apostle

immediately proceeds to speak of the sufferings of Christ, whereby He was `perfected'. The apostle, however,

realized that those to whom he wrote were not sufficiently mature to appreciate the subject:

`Of whom we have many things to say, and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull of hearing' (5:11).

The dullness of hearing is evidently carried over into 6:12 where it reappears as `slothful':

`That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises'.

The exhortation of the parenthesis is `go on unto perfection'. We shall find that Melchisedec is essentially connected with

the overcomer, and therefore is appropriately mentioned at the close of chapter 6.