For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us:
the holy.
Hebrews 9:11 But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building;
Mark 14:58 We heard him say, I will destroy this temple that is made with hands, and within three days I will build another made without hands.
John 2:19-21 Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up…
the figures.
Hebrews 9:9,23 Which was a figure for the time then present, in which were offered both gifts and sacrifices, that could not make him that did the service perfect, as pertaining to the conscience; …
Hebrews 8:2 A minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man.
but.
Hebrews 1:3 Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;
Hebrews 6:20 Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.
Hebrews 7:26 For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens;
appear.
Hebrews 7:25 Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.
Exodus 28:12,29 And thou shalt put the two stones upon the shoulders of the ephod for stones of memorial unto the children of Israel: and Aaron shall bear their names before the LORD upon his two shoulders for a memorial…
Zechariah 3:1 And he shewed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to resist him.
but He entered heaven itself
This phrase underscores the superiority of Christ's priesthood and sacrifice. Unlike the high priests of the Old Covenant who entered the Holy of Holies in the earthly tabernacle, Christ entered the true Holy of Holies—heaven itself. This act signifies the fulfillment of the Old Testament types and shadows, such as the Day of Atonement rituals. Christ's ascension into heaven is a pivotal event, marking His victory over sin and death and His exaltation at the right hand of God, as seen in Acts 1:9-11 and Ephesians 1:20-23. This entrance into heaven signifies the completion of His redemptive work and His ongoing intercession for believers.
now to appear on our behalf
Christ's appearance in heaven is not merely symbolic; it is an active, ongoing ministry. He serves as our advocate and mediator before God, as described in 1 John 2:1 and 1 Timothy 2:5. This advocacy is rooted in His sacrificial death and resurrection, which provide the basis for our justification and reconciliation with God. The phrase "on our behalf" emphasizes the personal and communal nature of Christ's work, highlighting His role as the High Priest who intercedes for His people, ensuring their access to God's grace and mercy.
in the presence of God
This phrase signifies the ultimate goal of Christ's redemptive work: to bring believers into the presence of God. In the Old Testament, the presence of God was often associated with the Holy of Holies, where only the high priest could enter once a year. Through Christ's sacrifice, the veil separating humanity from God's presence was torn, as described in Matthew 27:51, granting believers direct access to God. This access is a fulfillment of the promises found in the Old Testament, such as Jeremiah 31:33-34, where God promises a new covenant with His people. Christ's presence before God assures believers of their acceptance and the hope of eternal life in God's presence.
• The focus is squarely on Jesus—“the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29).
• His ministry as High Priest required an entrance, not into an earthly building, but into a realm worthy of His perfect sacrifice (Hebrews 9:11).
• The statement assumes His bodily resurrection and ascension (Acts 1:9-11), truths essential to faith.
• The tabernacle and later the temple were built “according to the pattern shown you on the mountain” (Exodus 25:40).
• Hebrews 8:5 reminds us these structures were “a shadow and copy of the heavenly things.”
• They served as visual aids:
– Highlighting God’s holiness through restricted access.
– Emphasizing the need for a mediator and an atoning sacrifice.
– Pointing forward to the day when symbols would give way to substance (Colossians 2:17).
• After offering Himself “once for all” (Hebrews 9:12), Christ ascended to the true, eternal sanctuary.
• Heaven is not merely a location; it is the unveiled dwelling of God’s glory (Revelation 21:22-23).
• Because Christ is there, believers have “a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens” (Hebrews 4:14).
• This entrance is permanent; unlike the priests who came and went yearly, Jesus “sat down at the right hand of God” (Hebrews 10:12).
• His current ministry is active, not passive:
– Advocate: “If anyone sins, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ the Righteous One” (1 John 2:1).
– Intercessor: “He always lives to intercede for them” (Hebrews 7:25).
– Guarantee: “Because I live, you also will live” (John 14:19).
• Every moment, His presence secures our acceptance. The Father sees us in the righteousness of His Son (2 Corinthians 5:21).
• No veil separates Christ—or those united to Him—from the Father (Hebrews 10:19-20).
• He stands where judgment and mercy meet, displaying the wounds that purchased redemption (Revelation 5:6).
• His position ensures:
– Continuous forgiveness (Romans 8:34).
– Unbroken fellowship (Hebrews 6:19-20).
– Certain hope of our own entrance there (John 17:24; Colossians 3:1-4).
Hebrews 9:24 declares that Jesus, the risen High Priest, bypassed every earthly replica and stepped into the real, heavenly sanctuary. There He now represents us before the Father, guaranteeing ongoing forgiveness, access, and future glory. Because He is present in heaven, believers can live on earth with unshakeable confidence in the finished work of Christ and the open door to God’s throne.
(24) For Christ is not entered.--Better, For Christ did not enter into a holy place made with hands. of like pattern to the true (or, real) holy place. In the second part of Hebrews 9:23 the two thoughts were the "heavenly things themselves" and "better sacrifices." Of these the first is taken up here; the second in Hebrews 9:25-26. That verse was general: this sets forth the actual fact. "For the sanctuary into which Christ entered is not a copy or a token of the things in the heavens, but heaven itself." "Of like pattern," see Hebrews 8:5; "the true," Hebrews 8:2; "into heaven itself," Hebrews 8:1.Now to appear in the presence of God for US.--Better, now to be made manifest before the face of God for us. We cannot doubt that these words continue the contrast between the true High Priest and the high priest on earth. On the Day of Atonement the high priest came before what was but a symbol of the Divine Presence; he caused the Holiest Place to be filled with the smoke of the incense before he entered with the blood of the offering. He did not dare to delay his return, even by prolonging his prayer, lest he should "excite terror in Israel." In the heavenly sanctuary the High Priest is made manifest before the face of God. (Comp. Exodus 33:20.) Three different words in these verses (Hebrews 9:24; Hebrews 9:26; Hebrews 9:28) are in the Authorised version rendered by the same word "appear": "to make manifest," "to manifest," "to appear," may serve as renderings which shall keep in mind the difference of the words. The form of the Greek verb might seem to imply a single appearance only; by the added word "now the writer corrects, or rather enlarges, the thought, and shows that the true meaning is a manifestation which is both one and unceasing. With emphasis he places at the close the words which indicate "the people" whose High Priest He has become. As in Hebrews 8:1 his language was "we have such a High Priest," and in Hebrews 9:14, "shall purge our conscience;" so here, it is on our behalf that Christ is manifested unto God. . . .
Verse 24. - For not into holy places made with hands did Christ enter, which are figures (ἀντίτυπα, antitypes) of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of (literally, before the face of) God for us. This verse confirms the view that "the heavenly things" of ver. 23 denoted the heavenly regions into which Christ is entered. Ἅγια at the beginning of the verse may be better translated "holy place" (as at vers. 12 and 25) rather than "places," since here the heavenly counterpart of the holy of holies, as distinguished from the" first tabernacle," appears to be in view, viz. "heaven itself," the heaven of heavens, the immediate presence or "face" of God, the "throne of the Majesty on high," to which Christ passed through the intermediate heavens. There he now (the perpetual now of the new era of accomplished redemption), in his humanity, in behalf of and representing all humanity, beholds for ever the very face of the eternal God, which Moses could not see and live, and of which the typical high priest saw from year to year but the emblem, in transitory glimpses, through intervening clouds of incense. The word ἀντίπυπα, like ὑποδείγματα in ver. 23, expresses the idea of the earthly sanctuary being a visible representation answering to a heavenly reality. The original τύπος (type) was shown to Moses in the mount (Hebrews 8:5); what was constructed by him on the earth below was the antitype to it. The words τύπος and ἀντίτυπος are elsewhere used to express respectively a prophetic figure of a fulfillment to come and the fulfillment itself (as in Romans 5:14 and 1 Peter 3:21, baptism in the latter text being regarded as the ἀντίτυπον of the Deluge), but still with the same idea of the type being prior to the antitype, the latter answering to the former.