26. then--in that case.
must . . . have suffered--rather as Greek, "It
would have been necessary for Him often to suffer." In order to "offer"
(Heb 9:25),
or present Himself often before God in the heavenly holiest place, like
the legal high priests making fresh renewals of this high priestly
function. He would have had, and would have often to suffer. His
oblation of Himself before God was once for all (that is, the
bringing in of His blood into the heavenly Holy of Holies), and
therefore the preliminary suffering was once for all.
since the foundation of the world--The continued sins of men,
from their first creation, would entail a continual suffering on earth,
and consequent oblation of His blood in the heavenly holiest place,
since the foundation of the world, if the one oblation "in the
fulness of time" were not sufficient. PHILO
[The Creation of the World, p. 637], shows that the high priest
of the Hebrews offered sacrifices for the whole human race. "If there
had been greater efficacy in the repetition of the oblation, Christ
necessarily would not have been so long promised, but would have been
sent immediately after the foundation of the world to suffer, and offer
Himself at successive periods" [GROTIUS].
now--as the case is,
once--for all; without need of renewal. Rome's fiction of an
UNBLOODY sacrifice in the mass, contradicts her
assertion that the blood of Christ is present in the wine; and
also confutes her assertion that the mass is propitiatory; for, if
unbloody, it cannot be propitiatory; for without
shedding of blood there is no remission
(Heb 9:22).
Moreover, the expression "once" for all here, and in
Heb 9:28,
and Heb 10:10, 12,
proves the falsity of her view that there is a continually repeated
offering of Christ in the Eucharist or mass. The offering of Christ was
a thing once done that it might be thought of for ever (compare
Note, see on
Heb 10:12).
in the end of the world--Greek, "at the consummation of
the ages"; the winding up of all the previous ages from the foundation
of the world; to be followed by a new age
(Heb 1:1, 2).
The last age, beyond which no further age is to be expected before
Christ's speedy second coming, which is the complement of the first
coming; literally, "the ends of the ages";
Mt 28:20
is literally, "the consummation of the age," or world
(singular; not as here, plural, ages). Compare "the fulness of
times,"
Eph 1:10.
appeared--Greek, "been manifested" on earth
(1Ti 3:16;
1Pe 1:20).
English Version has confounded three distinct Greek
verbs, by translating all alike,
Heb 9:24, 26, 28,
"appear." But, in
Heb 9:24,
it is "to present Himself," namely, before God in the heavenly
sanctuary; in
Heb 9:26,
"been manifested" on earth: in
Heb 9:28,
"shall be seen" by all, and especially believers.
put away--abolish; doing away sin's power as well by delivering
men from its guilt and penalty, so that it should be powerless to
condemn men, as also from its yoke, so that they shall at last sin no
more.
sin--singular number; all the sins of men of every age are
regarded as one mass laid on Christ. He hath not only droned for
all actual sins, but destroyed sin itself.
Joh 1:29,
"Behold the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin (not merely
the sins: singular, not plural) of the world."
by the sacrifice of himself--Greek, "by (through) His
own sacrifice"; not by "blood of others"
(Heb 9:25).
ALFORD loses this contrast in translating, "by His
sacrifice."
JFB.
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