Hebrews Chapter Nine, Indication

 

Hebrews 9:8 the Holy Spirit indicating this, that the way into the Holiest of All was not yet made manifest while the first tabernacle was still standing.

 

Pneumatology is the study of the Holy Spirit in Scripture. Many things have been said about God the Holy Spirit, and many Christian sects and pseudo-Christian cults claim that the Holy Spirit is not a person. He is not part of the Trinity, or Godhead.

While our study in Hebrews is not invested in a lengthy study of God the Holy Spirit, one can’t read past verses such as this one without being arrested by the nature of its construction. The Holy Spirit indicates to the readership of the Old Testament that the way into the Holiest of All was not yet open. As Scripture’s Author, the Holy Spirit used descriptive language to expound how the tabernacle was an indication that the Holiest of All was not accessible by means of the Levitical offerings.

 

Indication and description are excellent evidences of personhood. The Holy Spirit is not an energy source or breath, He is God. Through one human author (Moses) He indicated the transient reality of Israel’s priesthood. In Hebrews, and through it’s human author, He reveals that the way is now open, but not through the Jewish tabernacle.

 

Jesus our Lord refers to the Holy Spirit as “He” when revealing that when the Lord is gone, He will send the Holy Spirit, John 16:7, 8. The personal pronoun is used only to describe a Being, not a thing or object. The Holy Spirit’s purpose in this instance will be an agent of conviction. Determinate purpose is required to convict someone of something; it involves by inference reason and argumentation. These qualities abide only in those who also possess the quality of individual personhood.

 

Turning to the Book of Acts, or the Acts of the Apostles, we see much activity regarding the Holy Spirit. The book could honestly be subtitled, “The Acts of the Holy Spirit,” since He superintends the entire book’s history very actively throughout. We find Him in Acts chapter 8 maneuvering His servant Philip into a position to evangelize. “Then the Spirit said to Philip, “Go near and overtake this chariot,” Acts 8:29. When Philip did as he was commanded, “the Spirit of the Lord caught Philip away,” Acts 8:39. The Holy Spirit articulates His intentions and desires to others in a clear way; this is clearly evidence of His personhood. He caught Philip away, translating Philip like Elijah or Enoch from desert land to Azotus, Acts 8:40. And we know of the latter that the Lord took them. So it was with Philip.

 

Again in Acts the Holy Spirit declares His will by stating, “Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them,” Acts 13:2, NASB. This is one work our Lord Jesus mentioned when He told Saul, “Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do,” Acts 9:6. Told by whom? God the Holy Spirit. In Acts 13:4 we read, “So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went,” NASB. The Holy Spirit addresses the disciples as head of the church, telling the men gathered that He has work set apart for them to accomplish. Likewise, He sends them out; above that, we know from Paul’s epistle to the Corinthians that He also equips them, 1 Corinthians 12:7-11. Verse 11 is explicit in stating that the Holy Spirit distributes, “to each one individually as He wills.” The Holy Spirit’s will determines the spiritual gift each member of the church is equipped with. To deny the personhood and deity of the Holy Spirit is to bankrupt the professing church of the very gifts that make it useful for ministry.

 

We know in Isaiah 48:16 that the Holy Spirit, along with God the Father, sent the Christ to His people. In Ezekiel, when the prophet is overwhelmed by the vision of the Lord of Hosts, it is the Holy Spirit who, “entered me and set me on my feet, and spoke with me and said to me, “Go, shut yourself inside your house,” Ezekiel 3:24. The Holy Spirit entered Ezekiel to empower him for his coming ministry; a most challenging ministry to the hard hearted and stiff-necked children of Israel, already in exile as Jerusalem and Judah succumbed to Babylon’s armies, see also Ezekiel 2:2.

 

Scripture attests that the Holy Spirit can suffer grief by human misconduct, Ephesians 4:30, Isaiah 63:10. In both instances this is on account of His chosen people rebelling against His leadership. An energy source cannot be grieved. Grief is a trait that reveals emotion and reflection. It goes deeper than simply being sad. It is an intricate part of one’s personhood. Oxford defines “grief” as, “feel intense sorrow, especially because of someone’s death, or cause great distress to.” When someone wants what is best for you, and you turn away from their company and counsel, it grieves them. Parents with errant children can undoubtedly attest to this fact. So too does the Holy Spirit suffer grief when His children go astray.

 

The Holy Spirit was indicating that the way into the Holiest of All was not made manifest (obvious, evident, or visible) yet. The very presence of the earthly tabernacle was an indication to the Jews that their salvation had not been accomplished yet. They were still anticipating Messiah, and every lamb offered on the altar was a tacit reminder of His imminence.

 

The Holiest of All, of course, was the chamber where the Ark of the Covenant dwelt, the curtain barred the curious from entering, and the Shekinah glory resided over the mercy seat. We have already noted the Shekinah departing the temple prior to its overthrow at the hands of Nebuchadnezzar’s army, Ezekiel 10:18. The final act to demonstrate the transience of the temple’s purpose occurred when Christ’s offering for sin was completed. It is written, “Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom,” Matthew 27:51. What was this indicating? The way in, the barred way only the high priest could enter once a year, was thrown wide open. The blood of Christ had been shed; His life was an offering for sin, and by the offering we had all been redeemed. The curtain was destroyed, and the Holiest of All (on earth) exposed to curious eyes. Why? It was indicative that access to God and Heaven was now open through Jesus Christ. Those waiting in Abraham’s Bosom for the fullness of the time would wait no longer. Jesus descended and led captivity captive, bringing the saints prior to the cross into His Father’s presence in Heaven. There was no wall of separation between man and God any longer; Christ our Lord tore it down. There was no wall of separation between Jew and Gentile any longer; Christ our Lord tore it down. What the human high priest, descended from Aaron, could never do with animal sacrifice, Jesus did with His own blood: provide complete and sufficient atonement for all people.