A Better Hope

The letter to the Hebrews sits central to the New Testament both literally and theologically. It is surrounded on either side by a series of letters named after individuals, those preceding Hebrews being the recipients of the letters and those after Hebrews being the authors of the letters. These personal letters are themselves preceded by letters by Paul to seven locations and followed by letters from the Lord Jesus to seven locations in the opening three chapters of Revelation. These letters to local churches are then preceded by history in the Gospels and Acts, and followed by prophecy in Revelation chapters 4 to 22. This centrality is very appropriate as this unique letter, written to a race by an unidentified author, is also central to the transition from the Old Testament to the New Testament. In fact, Hebrews chapter 8 verse 13 confirms a new covenant (or testimony), replacing an old one which is ‘ready to vanish away’. Just to be clear, this old covenant refers only to the covenant of law which was made at Sinai, as a bilateral covenant between God and Israel and was dependent on Israel’s obedience, in which they failed miserably. It does not affect the covenants with Noah, Abraham, and David which are all unilateral covenants made by divine promise with no dependency on the other party, and all of which must have a literal fulfilment. This new covenant was promised in Jeremiah chapter 31 verse 31 and would be written in their hearts, not on tables of stone. Once again, it is a unilateral covenant, ratified by and dependent on, the blood of Christ alone, 1 Cor. 11. 25, and so can never fail and fade like the old covenant.

The emphasis of Hebrews is that everything to do with this new covenant is superior to the old one. Despite the things which accompanied the covenant of law being literal, touchable, and tangible, they were in fact only a shadow, 10. 1. What the Hebrew believers have now, though generally spiritual rather than physical, is, in fact, the real substance, 10. 34; 11. 1. The writer looks at the literal things accompanying the law, such as priests, offerings, the tabernacle, the land, Jerusalem, and others, as all being inferior to the ‘better’ things they now have as believers. The book could well be described as detailing all things that are ‘better’ under Christianity than under the law. This can be seen in that of the nineteen times the Greek word translated ‘better’ is used in the New Testament, thirteen of them are found in Hebrews. These thirteen occurrences can be grouped together and summarized as follows: We have better provision in Christ’s sacrifice rather than that of animals, 9. 23; 12. 24, and its outcomes are perfect, 11. 35, 40. The promises we have are all better, 7. 22; 8. 6 (‘better’ is referenced twice). They relate to a better place, as heavenly rather than earthly, 10. 34; 11. 16. Even though we are no longer under law, all these better outcomes should result in better practices, 6. 9. Above all of this, our blessings are secured by a better person. He is better than the angels, 1. 4, better than Melchizedek, 7. 7, and, by implication, better than Levi, Moses, Aaron, and even Abraham.

The remaining reference to things which are better is the ‘better hope’, 7. 19. In the remainder of this article we will seek to show that this also relates to the superior person that we belong to and who Himself is our ultimate hope. The verse tells us that it is this hope ‘by the which we draw nigh unto God’. This is another central message of the Hebrew Epistle. The old economy, which is passing away, though it was marked by a place where God dwelt among them, was, in fact, clearly giving out a message of ‘keep back’. This is well illustrated in chapter 12 where the spiritual mount Zion is contrasted to the literal mount Sinai. Though Sinai, where God Himself was to be found, ‘might be touched’, 12. 18, because it was a physical mountain, in fact ‘if so much as a beast touch the mountain, it shall be stoned, or thrust through with a dart’, v. 20. In contrast, the following verses confirm that we come to a heavenly mountain associated with the new Jerusalem in the company of angels, Old Testament saints, all our brothers and sisters in the church, God Himself and, of course, the Lord Jesus. This intimacy is a theme of the whole book, which makes much use of the imagery of the tabernacle. The building of this tabernacle gets enormous coverage in the book of Exodus and more in the books that follow, even though it is a temporary structure (tent) and smaller than many of the halls we meet in today. Why is it given so much coverage? The answer, of course, is that it was constructed to be the place where God could dwell among His people, and they could meet with Him. This seems to also speak of intimacy, but the detail soon reveals that the great message of this tabernacle is not ‘draw near’ but, in fact, ‘keep back’. It has a gate, a door, and a veil, all as barriers to the presence of God. The gate only gains entry to the court where burnt offerings are continually made on the altar. The door gives access only to the priests who alone tend the various vessels in the Holy Place. Two thirds of the way along the Holy Place is a veil beyond which is the Shekinah glory of God between two cherubim on a mercy seat which sits on top of the Ark of the Covenant. Even the priests have no access to this, but only the high priest and, even then, only on one day a year. On that day, the Day of Atonement, more sacrifices and both incense and blood must be taken in and put on the mercy seat to make atonement and allow the high priest to survive going into God’s presence. This extensive ritual must be repeated every year. These ‘barriers’ emphasize the holiness of God and man’s sinfulness making him unfit to come into God’s presence. Well might the Hebrew writer confirm they were ‘offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins’, 10. 11. In contrast to this, the Lord Jesus has made perfect provision through one sacrifice never needing to be repeated, 9. 26, 28; 10. 12.

Our sins are no longer covered temporarily, as in the old sacrifices, even on the day of atonement. But ‘removed’ ‘as far as the east is from the west’, Ps. 103. 12, which is infinite. The psalmist is no doubt contrasting this to the tabernacle, where east to west is the altar to the mercy seat. Rather than having barriers, the turning point of Hebrews invites us to have ‘boldness to enter into the holiest … through the veil, that is to say, his flesh’, 10. 19, 20. It goes on to tell us He is our High Priest and He is in heaven itself, and through Him we can draw near now. This is a present blessing but also the guarantee of an even greater future hope. This hope is referred to in chapters 3 verse 6 and 6 verse 11 as being ‘unto the end’ as to when it will be realized. Chapter 6 verses 18 and 19 tell us where it will be realized, which is ‘within the veil’ where, verse 20 confirms, our Lord is not only a High Priest but also a forerunner. This hope is not only a present spiritual entrance inside the veil but also a future prospect of a literal entrance into the Father’s house, because our forerunner, firstfruits, and guarantee is already there! So, this better hope by which we draw nigh unto God is in fact Christ Himself. The Colossians, who were being attacked by those who taught that they need more than just Christ, are reminded that they have a ‘hope which is laid up for you in heaven’, Col. 1. 5, and this hope is none other than ‘Christ, who is our life’, Col. 3. 4. Our ‘life is hid with Christ in God’, v. 3, and will be realized when He appears. So, the Hebrew writer urges us to ‘hold fast the profession of our faith [hope] without wavering’, 10. 23.

The final reference to hope is in chapter 11 verse 1, which introduces a great catalogue of Old Testament saints whose faith was the evidence of their hope. Amongst this list, Abraham stands out as the father not only of the nation of Israel but of all the faithful who believe God and are therefore considered righteous. As the father of the nation, he clearly had a promise, and therefore a hope here on earth in the eventual possession of a land. This same earthly hope is true of most listed in the chapter and indeed of Israel. Be clear that this hope will eventually be realized as the promises of God are ‘yea and amen’, 2 Cor. 1. 20. However, chapter 11 concludes by reminding us that ‘these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise: God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect’, 11. 39, 40. These dear saints who all died prior to the provision made by Christ at Calvary, nevertheless had a hope which was dependent on Him. Not only did they have a ‘hope’ here on earth in the promise made to them, but they also have ‘a better hope’; ‘they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly’, 11. 16. Like Abraham, they ‘looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God’, 11. 10.

This better hope, better country, and better city is outlined in chapter 12 where these saints of the past who, in consequence of the death and resurrection of Christ, have now been ‘made perfect’, along with us, ‘the … church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven’, the angelic host, and God Himself, will all come unto ‘the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem’, 12. 22, 23. All this is because of the presence in heaven of ‘Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and … the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things’, 12. 24. Well might we, along with the hymnwriter, pronounce ‘how bright that blessed hope, Jesus will come!’ and appreciate there can be no ‘better hope’ than His person and His presence.