Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary Hebrews 9:24

"For Christ entered not into a holy place made with hands, like in pattern to the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear before the face of God for us:" — Hebrews 9:24 (ASV)

“For” introduces an explanation of what precedes. Christ’s work for humankind was done where it really counted. We have already had the idea that Christ’s ministry was not in a sanctuary that is “man-made” (v.11), and here we come back to it. Not in such sanctuaries can the atonement be made that really deals with sin. A “man-made” sanctuary is a “copy” (GK 531) of the true one. This word as used here means that the tabernacle is the shadow of the real thing; the earthly antitype points us to the heavenly reality, “the true one.” What Christ entered is “heaven itself,” which is regarded as the true sanctuary. “Now” points to present activity. After his atoning work was done once for all, Christ now appears before God. We ourselves are not fit to stand before God and plead our case, and in any event we are on earth and not in God’s heaven. But Christ is there in our stead and in his capacity as the one who died as a better sacrifice (v.23) for sins.