“For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect. For then would they not have ceased to be offered? because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins. But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year. For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.” Hebrews 10:1-4
Verse one is talking about the sacrificial system of the Old Testament sanctuary service, unable to make sinners perfect. It was just a shadow of Christ and what He would do to make His people perfect.
Verse 2 talks about if the Old Testament sacrifices and offerings were able to make the people perfect, then they would have stopped being offered. There is no point of continuing offering sacrifices if the people are made perfect. But because those offerings of sacrificial beasts cannot make a people perfect, they needed to be continually offered to continually deal with their sins.
And being made perfect is cleansing the people completely from sin to the point that they would have no consciousness of sins.
So the problem is sin and how to deal with it. The whole purpose of offering sacrificial beasts is to show faith in the true and great Sacrifice that would be made on Calvary to solve the sin problem forever. But even after this sacrifice is offered, there is still need of ministration, not in the earthly sanctuary, but in the heavenly sanctuary.
The blood of beasts in the Mosaic sanctuary service prefigured the blood of Christ which has the power to actually take away sins and cleanse the conscience forever.
“For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.” But the blood of Christ does have power to take away sins and make the conscience clean. But what does this actually really mean and when will this be accomplished?
Under the Mosaic sanctuary service the sins of the believers were forgiven in figure, not in reality. It was not until Christ, the true and real sacrifice, to which all the beasts prefigured, was offered on Calvary that the sins which were forgiven in figure were forgiven in reality. Now from the cross forward all sins are forgiven in reality. Look what the pioneer said,
“The law “added because of transgressions” unmistakably points to a remedial system, temporary in duration, “till the seed should come.” The moral law is referred to as the one transgressed. But the “added” law, of which Paul is speaking, made provision for the forgiveness of these transgressions in figure, till the real, Sacrifice should be offered.” The Law in the Book of Galatians p. 44 G.I. Butler
The believers in the Old Testament showed their faith in the Future Sacrifice by offering a lamb. When they offered a lamb they were saying by their actions, “I believe that a True Lamb and real Sacrifice would come to die for my sins, this beast only prefigures the Son of God.”
Were they right that a True Sacrifice would come and die? Yes they were so righteousness could be imputed to them and their sins could be forgiven in figure. So when Christ died on Calvary all those sins forgiven in figure in the Old Testament were forgiven in REALITY. And when the investigative judgment started and names was brought before God, their sins were blotted out in reality.
Let’s keep studying to see what this means though.
When the worshippers are finally purged or cleansed this will put them in a position where they have no more consciousness of sins. What does it mean to be purged or cleansed in the light of the sanctuary services? We must go to Leviticus 16 which talks about the cleansing of the sanctuary on the Day of Atonement.
“And this shall be a statute for ever unto you: that in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, ye shall afflict your souls, and do no work at all, whether it be one of your own country, or a stranger that sojourneth among you: For on that day shall the priest make an atonement for you, to cleanse you, that ye may be clean from all your sins before the Lord.” Leviticus 16:29,30
The day of Atonement shown in Leviticus 16 was a foreshadow of the real cleansing of the sanctuary and Day of Atonement that started in 1844. The cleansing of the sanctuary was the removing of sin from the sanctuary. And the cleansing of the sanctuary extended to the cleansing of the people so they can be cleansed from all their sins.
In the earthly service, once the people were cleansed from their sins on the Day of Atonement, the work of service that was going on for a whole year was completed. So the real service that has been going on since Jesus ascended to heaven and started His high priest ministry will be finished when He cleanses the heavenly sanctuary.
Again, that cleansing of the heavenly sanctuary started in 1844 and it extends to the cleansing of the people, just like the cleansing of the earthly sanctuary. The objective is to cleanse the people from all their sins.
But the cleansing of the earthly sanctuary could not accomplish the cleansing of the people from sin to the point when they will “have had no more conscience of sins.” Heb. 10:2
In the Greek conscience of sins mean, “consciousness, awareness, inner knowing,” of sins.
The cleansing of the heavenly sanctuary which has the power to cleanse from sin not in figure, BUT IN REALITY started with the dead. When the dead in Christ names came up before God in the investigative judgment and their sins were blotted out, when they are resurrected they will have no more conscience, awareness, or inner knowing of sins.
When the judgment passes to the living and their sins are blotted out they will have no more consciousness, awareness, or inner knowing of sins. This is why they cant remember their sins.
Speaking of the time of trouble after the sanctuary service is closed and the righteous sins are blotted out it says, “But while they have a deep sense of their unworthiness, they have no concealed wrongs to reveal. Their sins have gone beforehand to judgment and have been blotted out, and they cannot bring them to remembrance.” Great Controversy p. 620
You see how the judgment and the blotting out of sins go hand in hand? The judgment is linked with the cleansing of the sanctuary. So if you can remember any sin that you have committed and are ashamed of it, (Which is all of us) this shows that your name have not come up in the investigative judgment and your sins have not been blotted out yet.
When this gracious work has been accomplished for you, you will not be able to bring your sins back to memory and will no longer be ashamed of any sin you have ever committed. Your conscience, awareness, and inner being will be completely cleansed from all the guilt, trauma, and effects of sin.
So in a way it’s a blessing (only right now) that we can recall our sins (although they’re forgiven and we are ashamed of them). This shows us that the sanctuary service is still going on and if I have any sins in my life right now, I can simply confess them and they will be transferred to the sanctuary in heaven waiting to be blotted out of my conscience, awareness, and inner knowing.
In the mean time I will be clothe with the perfect and spotless righteousness of Christ and ALL my past sins will be forgiven, WAITING TO BE BLOTTED OUT!
“I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.” Isaiah 61:10