Recently, I was driving down the highway and listening to my favorite CD by Chaim David. Chaim David lives in the old City of Jerusalem. Earlier this year I was browsing through some CD's at the Moriah Bookstore just outside The Temple Mount. In the store they were playing Chaim David's CD called "Build Your Home" and I couldn't resist it.

Anyway, as I finished the CD and hit the eject button to put in my next CD, the radio came on and the song that was playing was titled, "Ain't Nothin' Like the Real Thing, Baby." After listening to Chaim David worship the Lord in Hebrew, "Ain't Nothin' Like the Real Thing, Baby" didn't even compare, so I turned the radio off. However, it made me think.

In the Book of Hebrews, it tells us that after Jesus resurrected, He entered into the Holy of Holies and put His blood on the Mercy Seat. By doing this He made the way for anyone to have their sins washed away simply by believing in Him and receiving Him. Now what is so interesting about this is that Jesus entered the Holy of Holies that was the "real thing" and not the copy. Jesus didn't enter into the Holy of Holies in the earthly temple in Jerusalem which was a mere copy of the real thing. No! He went into heaven itself and put His blood on the original mercy seat.

A copy is good in that it gives us a likeness or an image of what the original is like. But the copy cannot fulfill what the original can.

The earthly priests in Jerusalem sacrificed and placed the blood of bulls and goats on the altar. The altar was not the true altar and the blood was not the true blood. They were only a type and shadow of the original. For this reason the blood of bulls and goats could never cleanse man from his sin, but could only cover, or atone.

The blood of Jesus, placed on the original mercy seat, made it possible for mankind to be cleansed from all sin. Atoning for (covering) sin is good but it does not even compare to cleansing, eradicating, and eliminating sin once and for all. The old covenant was good, but the new covenant is better. The copy was good, but there "ain't nothing like the real thing, baby."

Reference Scriptures

"Who serve the copy and shadow of the heavenly things, as Moses was divinely instructed when he was about to make the tabernacle. For He said, ‘See that you make all things according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.'" (Hebrews 8:5.)

"For Christ has not entered the holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us; not that He should offer Himself often, as the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood of another." (Hebrews 9:24-25.)

Devotion 0434