Ang Pagsamba Rito sa Lupa at Doon sa Langit
1May mga tuntunin ang unang kasunduan tungkol sa pagsamba at may sambahang gawa ng tao. 2Itong Toldang Sambahan na ginawa nila ay may dalawang silid. Ang unang silid ay ang Banal na Lugar, kung saan naroon ang ilawan, ang mesa, at ang tinapay na handog sa Dios. 3Ang ikalawang silid ay ang Pinakabanal na Lugar. 4Naroon ang gintong altar na pinagsusunugan ng insenso at ang Kahon ng Kasunduan na nababalutan ng ginto. Nasa loob ng Kahon ang lalagyang ginto na may lamang “manna”, ang tungkod ni Aaron na nagkasibol, at ang malapad na mga bato kung saan nakaukit ang mga utos ng Dios. 5Sa ibabaw ng Kahon ay may mga kerubin na nagpapahiwatig ng presensya ng Dios, at nilililiman ng mga pakpak nito ang lugar na iyon kung saan pinapatawad ng Dios ang mga kasalanan ng tao. Ngunit hindi namin ito maipapaliwanag nang detalyado sa ngayon.
6Ganoon ang pagkakaayos sa loob ng Toldang Sambahan. At araw-araw pumapasok ang mga pari sa unang silid ng Tolda para gampanan ang tungkulin nila. 7Ngunit ang punong pari lang ang nakakapasok sa Pinakabanal na Lugar at minsan lang sa isang taon. At sa tuwing papasok siya rito, naghahandog siya ng dugo para sa sarili niyang mga kasalanan at sa mga kasalanang nagawa ng mga tao nang hindi nila nalalaman. 8Sa ginagawa nilang ito, ipinapakita ng Banal na Espiritu na hindi makakapasok sa Pinakabanal na Lugar ang karaniwang tao hanggaʼt naroon pa ang dating Toldang Sambahan. 9Ang Toldang iyon ay larawan lang ng kasalukuyang panahon. Sapagkat ang mga handog at kaloob na iniaalay doon ng mga tao ay hindi nakapaglilinis ng kanilang konsensya. 10Ang mga ginagawa nilang itoʼy nauukol lang sa mga pagkain at inumin at mga seremonya ng paglilinis. Mga tuntuning panlabas lamang ito na ipinapatupad hanggang sa dumating ang bagong pamamaraan ng Dios.
11Ngunit dumating na si Cristo na punong pari ng bagong pamamaraan na higit na mabuti kaysa sa dati. Pumasok siya sa mas dakila at mas ganap na Tolda na hindi gawa ng tao, at wala sa mundong ito. 12Minsan lang pumasok si Cristo sa Pinakabanal na Lugar. At hindi dugo ng kambing o ng guya9:12 guya: sa Ingles, “calf.” ang dala niya kundi ang sarili niyang dugo. At sa pamamagitan ng kanyang dugo, tinubos niya tayo sa mga kasalanan natin magpakailanman. 13Ayon sa Kautusan, kung itinuturing na marumi ang isang tao, kailangan siyang wisikan ng dugo ng kambing at toro, at ng abo ng guya para maging malinis. 14Kung nakakalinis ang mga ito, di lalo na ang dugo ni Cristo. Sa pamamagitan ng walang hanggang Banal na Espiritu, inialay ni Cristo ang sarili niya bilang handog na walang kapintasan sa Dios. Ang dugo niya ang lilinis sa ating pusoʼt isipan para matalikuran natin ang mga gawaing walang kabuluhan at paglingkuran ang Dios na buhay.
15Kaya si Cristo ang ginawang tagapamagitan sa atin at sa Dios sa bagong kasunduan. Sapagkat sa pamamagitan ng kanyang kamatayan, tinubos niya ang mga taong lumabag sa unang kasunduan. Dahil dito, matatanggap ng mga tinawag ng Dios ang walang hanggang pagpapala na ipinangako niya. 16Maihahalintulad ito sa isang huling testamento na kailangang mapatunayan na namatay na ang gumawa nito, 17dahil wala itong bisa habang nabubuhay pa siya. Nagkakabisa lang ang isang testamento kapag namatay na ang gumawa nito. 18Kaya maging ang unang kasunduan ay kinailangang pagtibayin sa pamamagitan ng dugo. 19Sapagkat nang ipahayag ni Moises ang Kautusan sa mga tao, kumuha siya ng dugo ng mga guyaʼt kambing, at hinaluan ng tubig. Isinawsaw niya rito ang balahibo ng tupa na kinulayan ng pula na nakatali sa sanga ng isopo. Pagkatapos, winisikan niya ang aklat ng Kautusan at ang mga tao. 20At sinabi niya: “Ito ang dugong nagpapatibay sa kasunduang ibinigay at ipinatutupad sa inyo ng Dios.”9:20 Exo. 24:8. 21Winisikan din niya ng dugo ang Toldang Sambahan at ang lahat ng bagay doon na ginagamit sa pagsamba. 22Ayon sa Kautusan, nililinis sa pamamagitan ng dugo ang halos lahat ng bagay na ginagamit sa pagsamba. At kung walang pagbubuhos ng dugo bilang handog sa Dios, wala ring kapatawaran ng mga kasalanan.
23Kaya kailangang linisin sa pamamagitan ng ganitong paraan ng paghahandog ang mga bagay sa sambahang ito na larawan lang ng mga bagay na nasa langit. Pero nangangailangan ng mas mabuting handog ang mga bagay na nasa langit. 24Sapagkat hindi pumasok si Cristo sa isang banal na lugar na gawa ng tao at larawan lang ng mga bagay na nasa langit, kundi sa langit mismo. Siya ngayon ay namamagitan para sa atin sa harap ng Dios. 25Ang punong pari ng mga Judio ay pumapasok sa Pinakabanal na Lugar bawat taon, na may dalang dugo ng hayop. Ngunit si Cristo ay minsan lamang naghandog ng kanyang sarili, at hindi na niya ito inulit-ulit pa. 26Dahil kung kailangang ulit-ulitin, maraming beses sanang nagdusa si Cristo mula pa nang likhain ang mundo. Pero minsan lamang siya naparito sa mundo para alisin ang mga kasalanan natin sa pamamagitan ng paghahandog ng kanyang sarili. Ginawa niya ito nitong mga huling araw. 27Itinakda sa mga tao ang mamatay nang minsan at pagkatapos nitoʼy ang paghuhukom ng Dios. 28Ganoon din naman, minsan lang namatay si Cristo nang inihandog niya ang kanyang sarili para alisin ang kasalanan ng mga tao. At muli siyang babalik dito sa mundo, hindi na para akuing muli ang kasalanan ng mga tao, kundi para iligtas ang mga taong naghihintay sa kanya.
Worship in the Holy Tent on Earth
1The first covenant had rules for worship. It also had a sacred tent on earth. 2A holy tent was set up. The lampstand was in the first room. So was the table with its holy bread. That was called the Holy Room. 3Behind the second curtain was a room called the Most Holy Room. 4It had the golden altar for incense. It also had the wooden chest called the ark of the covenant. The ark was covered with gold. It held the gold jar of manna. It held Aaron’s walking stick that had budded. It also held the stone tablets. The words of the covenant were written on them. 5The cherubim were above the ark. God showed his glory there. The cherubim spread their wings over the place where sin was paid for. But we can’t say everything about these things now.
6That’s how everything was arranged in the holy tent. The priests entered it at regular times. They went into the outer room to do their work for God and others. 7But only the high priest went into the inner room. He went in only once a year. He never entered without taking blood with him. He offered the blood for himself. He also offered it for the sins the people had committed because they didn’t know any better. 8Here is what the Holy Spirit was showing us. He was telling us that God had not yet clearly shown the way into the Most Holy Room. It would not be clearly shown as long as the first holy tent was still being used. 9That’s an example for the present time. It shows us that the gifts and sacrifices people offered were not enough. They were not able to remove the worshiper’s feelings of guilt. 10They deal only with food and drink and different kinds of special washings. They are rules people had to obey only until the new covenant came.
The Blood of Christ
11But Christ came to be the high priest of the good things already here now. When he came, he went through the greater and more perfect holy tent. This tent was not made with human hands. In other words, it is not a part of this creation. 12He did not enter by spilling the blood of goats and calves. He entered the Most Holy Room by spilling his own blood. He did it once and for all time. In this way, he paid the price to set us free from sin forever. 13The blood of goats and bulls is sprinkled on people. So are the ashes of a young cow. They are sprinkled on people the law called “unclean.” The people are sprinkled to make them holy. That makes them “clean” on the outside. 14But Christ offered himself to God without any flaw. He did this through the power of the eternal Holy Spirit. So how much cleaner will the blood of Christ make us! It washes away our feelings of guilt for committing sin. Sin always leads to death. But now we can serve the living God.
15That’s why Christ is the go-between of a new covenant. Now those God calls to himself will receive the eternal gift he promised. They will receive it now that Christ has died to save them. He died to set them free from the sins they committed under the first covenant.
16What happens when someone leaves a will? It is necessary to prove that the person who made the will has died. 17A will is in effect only when somebody has died. It never takes effect while the one who made it is still living. 18That’s why even the first covenant was not put into effect without the spilling of blood. 19Moses first announced every command of the law to all the people. Then he took the blood of calves. He also took water, bright red wool and branches of a hyssop plant. He sprinkled the Book of the Covenant. He also sprinkled all the people. 20He said, “This is the blood of the covenant God has commanded you to keep.” (Exodus 24:8) 21In the same way, he sprinkled the holy tent with blood. He also sprinkled everything that was used in worship there. 22In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be made “clean” with blood. Without the spilling of blood, no one can be forgiven.
23So the copies of the heavenly things had to be made pure with these sacrifices. But the heavenly things themselves had to be made pure with better sacrifices. 24Christ did not enter a sacred tent made with human hands. That tent was only a copy of the true one. He entered heaven itself. He did it to stand in front of God for us. He is there right now. 25The high priest enters the Most Holy Room every year. He enters with blood that is not his own. But Christ did not enter heaven to offer himself again and again. 26If he had, he would have had to suffer many times since the world was created. But he has appeared once and for all time. He has come at the time when God’s work is being completed. He has come to do away with sin by offering himself. 27People have to die once. After that, God will judge them. 28In the same way, Christ was offered up once. He took away the sins of many people. He will also come a second time. At that time he will not suffer for sin. Instead, he will come to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.
