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fem.), or "of the holy places or things" (neuter). Heb. 9: 23 and 24 will illustrate our
meaning. "Better sacrifices" is the plural of majesty for "the infinitely better sacrifice."
Likewise "holy places" refers to the "most holy place." Readers have only to refer back
in this chapter for ample evidence that the "holiest of all" is meant here. The most holy
place made with hands was a type of the true holiest of all, not made with hands, which
Scripture declares to be "heaven itself."
Let us read "of the saints" as "of the heavenly holiest of all" in the following passages,
and see how much we learn thereby:--
"Now therefore ye are no more guests* and foreigners, but fellow-citizens of the
heavenly holiest of all, and of the household of God" (Eph. 2: 19).
This is parallel with Phil. 3: 20, "our citizenship (politeuma, fellow-citizen being
sumpolitai) is in heaven," heaven itself being the true holiest of all.
"Giving thanks unto the Father, who hath made you sufficient for the inheritance of
the holiest of all in the light" (Col. 1: 12).
Believers are not going to have "saints" for their inheritance; they have their
inheritance in the light, in heaven itself, the true holiest of all. This lifts the believer
above the petty things of sense and time. What has he to do with ordinances, types,
shadows, when his inheritance is centred in the real, true holiest of all in the light?
Returning now to the statement of Scripture concerning the "heavenly places," we can
see that these, equally, refer to the same position of glory. The five occurrences in
Ephesians are related thus:--
A | 1: 3. Spiritual blessings.
B | 1: 20. Christ raised far above principalities and powers.
C | 2: 6. Christ and His church, raised and seated in the holiest of all.
B | 3: 10. The church a witness to principalities and powers.
A | 6: 12. Spiritual wickedness.
"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all
spiritual blessings in heavenly places (or in the holiest of all) in Christ" (Eph. 1: 3).
"Ye see your calling, brethren." Let us seek to walk worthy of the calling wherewith
we have been called. If our inheritance, our blessing, our sphere is "above, where Christ
sitteth on the right hand of God," let us find our all there. Earthly promises, blessings,
and inheritances are for the earthly people (Israel), and through them the Abrahamic
blessings will flow out unto all nations. For the time being Israel has been set aside,
Abrahamic blessings have discontinued, and a mystery, hitherto kept perfect secret, has
been made known. Unlike the Abrahamic promises, the Jew takes exactly the same place
as the Gentile, both as regards salvation and dispensational blessings.
NOTE: * -- Gentile believers before Acts 28 did not stand upon equality with Israel so far as dispensational
privileges were concerned (see Rom.9-11).
We are living under an economy of grace that is unparalleled in its riches, and its
glories. It reaches out beyond the pale of Judah to the ends of the earth; it includes in its