PERFECTION

PERDITION

OR

A 27. And as.

B 27. The men die once.

C 27. Judgment.

A 28. So also.

B 28. Christ was offered once.

C 28. Salvation.

In Judges 2:16-19 we have the close connection established between the judge and deliverance:

`And when the LORD raised them up judges, then the LORD was with the judge, and delivered (saved) them out of the

hand of their enemies all the days of the judge ... when the judge was dead, they returned (turned back) ...'

(Judges 2:18,19).

The judges of Israel were first of all saviours. This is seen in the judgeship of Othniel and Ehud `The Lord

raised up a saviour to the children of Israel' (Judg. 3:9-15). The reader will doubtless call to mind the many

passages where the poor, the needy and the righteous call upon God to `judge' them, and such passages as Psalms

1:5 where the ungodly are excluded from `judgment'. It is this Old Testament conception of judgment and the

particular exercise of it seen in Numbers chapter 35 that must be kept to the fore as we read Hebrews 9:27.

The type of the city of refuge is now dropped and the great Day of Atonement is in view. The return of the Lord

`the second time' is to be understood in the light of the action of the high priest on the Day of Atonement. There in

the holiest of all the high priest appeared in the presence of God for the people (Lev. 16:23,24); then putting on his

gorgeous robes he came out to bless the waiting congregation. The apostle could hardly find a grander and more

impressive moment in the whole Levitical ritual with which to impress a Jew than this. He, however, refers to it but

to draw attention even here to the surpassing excellence of Christ. When the high priest came out from the presence

of God, he made a fresh atonement for himself and for the people (Lev. 16:24). This shows once more the failure of

the type, for when Christ, the true High Priest, appears the second time it will be `apart from a sin offering' - `Christ

... dieth no more'.

The second appearing of the Lord, in fulfilment of the type of Leviticus 16, will also be His Second Coming, and

as we have already indicated, at the time of the writing of Hebrews that Second Coming was imminent. The Lord

had ascended, had entered into the presence of God, and had Israel repented and `looked for Him', He would have

returned in His robes of glory and beauty without sin unto salvation. Israel, however, failed. The Second Coming

was deferred. A parenthetical dispensation must now run its course before that typical seventh month is fulfilled,

and before every eye shall see Him, and they also which pierced Him.

CHAPTER 10

PERFECTED FOR EVER.

The structural outline of Hebrews 10:1-18 is as follows:

a The yearly offerings.

A 1-4.

b Not able to perfect for ever.

c Those that draw nigh.

d Argument from cessation of offerings.

e Argument from remembrance of sins.

B 5-10. f  The prepared body.

g No pleasure in sacrifices.

h I come to do Thy will.