Study Desk

And to whom did He swear that they would never enter His rest? Was it not to those who disobeyed?

Therefore, while the promise of entering His rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be deemed to have fallen short of it.

Now we who have believed enter that rest. As for the others, it is just as God has said: "So I swore on oath in My anger, 'They shall never enter My rest.'" And yet His works have been finished since the foundation of the world.

For somewhere He has spoken about the seventh day in this manner: "And on the seventh day God rested from all His works."

Since, then, it remains for some to enter His rest, and since those who formerly heard the good news did not enter because of their disobedience,

God again designated a certain day as "Today," when a long time later He spoke through David as was just stated: "Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts."

For whoever enters God's rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from His.

That is why he is obligated to offer sacrifices for his own sins, as well as for the sins of the people.

During the days of Jesus' earthly life, He offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the One who could save Him from death, and He was heard because of His reverence.

For God is not unjust. He will not forget your work and the love you have shown for His name as you have ministered to the saints and continue to do so.

When God made His promise to Abraham, since He had no one greater to swear by, He swore by Himself,

So when God wanted to make the unchanging nature of His purpose very clear to the heirs of the promise, He guaranteed it with an oath.

and Abraham apportioned to him a tenth of everything. First, his name means "king of righteousness." Then also, "king of Salem" means "king of peace."

But Melchizedek, who did not trace his descent from Levi, collected a tenth from Abraham and blessed him who had the promises.

For when Melchizedek met Abraham, Levi was still in the loin of his ancestor.

but Jesus became a priest with an oath by the One who said to Him: "The Lord has sworn and will not change His mind: 'You are a priest forever.'"

Unlike the other high priests, He does not need to offer daily sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the sins of the people; He sacrificed for sin once for all when He offered up Himself.

No longer will each one teach his neighbor or his brother, saying, 'Know the Lord,' because they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest.

He did not enter by the blood of goats and calves, but He entered the Most Holy Place once for all by His own blood, thus securing eternal redemption.

Nor did He enter heaven to offer Himself again and again, as the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood that is not his own.