We Can Go In Too!

“This is the most holy place.” – Ezekiel 41:4

In his vision, Ezekiel was standing with his “tour guide” inside the temple. The destruction of Jerusalem happened 14 years before Ezekiel’s vision, and Israel had been in exile for a total of 25 years. And yet, Ezekiel stood in the temple, representing God’s restoration of Israel one day as well as a reminder of his covenant with them. And not only was he in the temple. Ezekiel found himself in the most holy place of the temple. Now, as a priest, Ezekiel had the “ceremonial qualifications” to enter the sacred areas of the temple. Ezekiel, as a priest, would have had a regular ministry within the temple entrusted to him by God to perform holy duties and rituals. And yet, it was only the high priest who went into the most holy place one time a year on the Day of Atonement. 

“But I’m not a priest. And I’m definitely not the high priest.” 

And you’re right in saying that you’re not the high priest. Only Jesus is the true and faithful High Priest. And yet, follower of Jesus, you are a priest. Peter reminds the readers of this in his first letter. “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his possession, so that you may proclaim the praises of the one who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:9, CSB). We are part of the priesthood of believers because of what Jesus accomplished for us through his death and resurrection. We have a ministry before God, having direct access to God himself, because of our faithful High Priest, Jesus.

And notice not just a priest, but a royal priest. In the Old Testament, priests were not part of the royal family. A priest was never a king, and a king was never a priest. And yet, in 1 Peter 2, we are referred to as “a royal priesthood.” How can this be? This is because we have been adopted into the family of God, which brings about a sense of royalty to our identity. Our identities changed when we surrendered our lives to Christ. As the apostle John reminded his readers in his first letter, “See what great love the Father has given us that we should be called God’s children — and we are!” (1 John 3:1, CSB). Paul words it this way:

15 For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear. Instead, you received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father!” 16 The Spirit himself testifies together with our spirit that we are God’s children, 17 and if children, also heirs—heirs of God and coheirs with Christ—if indeed we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him. – Romans 8:15-17, CSB (emphasis added)

So what does all of this mean? It means that…

…we can go in too!” 

We can go into the most holy place, the very presence of God, because of the work of our Great High Priest, Jesus Christ. And because of his great work, we are children of God who have access to our Heavenly Father whenever we want or need it.

19 Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have boldness to enter the sanctuary through the blood of Jesus—20 he has inaugurated for us a new and living way through the curtain (that is, through his flesh)—21 and since we have a great high priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed in pure water. 23 Let us hold on to the confession of our hope without wavering, since he who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider one another in order to provoke love and good works, 25 not neglecting to gather together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging each other, and all the more as you see the day approaching. – Hebrews 10:19-25, CSB

We can go in, too, friends. Because of Jesus, we are seen as priests with holy duties in service to our King. But we are also seen as royalty because of our new identities as children of God.