HEBREWS 4:14-5:8 

The last 3 verses of Hebrews 4 turns from having established that Jesus the Great Redeemer has entered into God’s presence and into His present work, having gone before us as forerunner (see Hebrews 6:20. He is forerunner of the Heavenly Calling to His Body of believers.) He had “finished” His work of being the Great Apostle (sent one) to this World. (John 19:30) Jesus being our Great Deliverer from the world was typed by Moses being the lesser Deliverer (sent one) to deliver the people from Egypt. And now Paul continues on and exhorts us through the 6th chapter and 3rd verse to labor that we might also enter into God’s future heavenly calling. That is to say, the Promised Land of His Redemption “Rest”. And so Paul leads us to the great subject of the necessity of His Priesthood… “Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens… (That is to say that He passed through the heavens unto the realm of the 3rd Heaven where He is currently seated at the right hand of the Father. Using the typology of the Temple, the outer court is typed in the 1st heavens associated with this world, and the Holy Place is typed as the 2nd heavens and the Holiest Place or Holy of Holies is typed as the realm of the 3rd Heaven wherein the Father resides with Christ at His side as High Priest. As our intermediary, He intercedes for us 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.    

…Jesus… (the Son of Man and) the Son of God, Let us hold fast our profession (confession). For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” (It is not enough that He, as our LEADER, has brought us out of the kingdom of darkness. For we are not yet clear of satan in this “wilderness”. We are yet subject to his fiery attacks, for he once was our master. And he is more powerful than we, seeing also that he has a dry kindling ally in our camp; which is our own fallen nature.)  “…seeing then that…” (great need of sympathetic understanding and a representative before our God to address the accusations of our great adversary) “….we have a great high priest…”  (greater than Aaron’s temporal earthly priesthood. As what is Aaron’s priesthood in comparison to that of the Son of God’s Priesthood, Whose priesthood covers all the heavenly places to intervene for us? For this great eternal Priesthood He was appointed, in that although He was tempted in all points as we, yet He was without sin. We are His, and He is ours. In that He became the acceptable unblemished offering for sin, unto Priesthood. (He then set aside the Old Covenant, as is seen symbolically in the high priest rending his clothes (Matthew 26:65), and upon His offering Himself on the Cross; the two earthquakes, the rending of the Temple veil from top to bottom, and out of the grave came those to witness of Him. See Matthew 27:50-55 and 28:2.)  

Paul carries our thought from 4:14 through 5:11 from the deliverance from the kingdom of darkness and begins to lay out the deeper things of God’s Word. One deeper thing being that attentive faith should progressively then carry the believer into spiritual maturity, such as the understanding that “…every high priest taken from among men is ordained (appointed) for men in things pertaining to God, that he might offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins: who can have compassion on the ignorant, and on them that are out of the way… And no man taketh this honour unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron. So also Christ glorified not himself to be made an high priest; but he has said unto him, Thou art my Son, to day have I begotten thee….Who in the days of his flesh (while alive on the earth) when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared; Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered… This being no correction, as in an ordinary son, whose tendencies are unto disobedience, but to the Son of God, Creator and Sustainer of all things…never having to bow to a superior’s command. He never had a will other than that of perfect harmony with the Father’s. Now as the Son of Man, He was willingly put in circumstances to yield to His Father’s will. (Even circumstances counter–intuitive of a father, in that His Son must suffer, and who then “wills’ it to be so. God’s will is contrary to the Son of Man’s will, for as a man, He fears; not the fear of death to His body, but that of going into the place of Death. How shall He get out, the Father having turned His back upon Him. That was the fear, and that being the suffering test unto obedience. He learned what it was to suffer and obey. Submission unto suffering was the requirement of the Son of Man; unto the appointment of God the Father as the faithful Great High Priest unto those sons of glory called to the heavenly calling. It was the path that satan attempted to lure Him from. And that great suffering with His own will, (related to the terror of no return from the Place of Death in Hades) is what He wrestled with in the Garden and in the experience upon the Cross. (Psalm 22:1, Matthew 27:46) 

Thus He has learned and was perfected by the experience and the difficulties man faces in following the will of God by obeying Him. Thus the Hebrew Christians should recognize His sufferings unto the Great High Priest equals their atonement for mercy and grace needed to fulfill the Calling. Something they should have fear of falling short of due to lack of diligence on their part and satan’s presentation of the world in the deceitfulness of sin on the other part. Modern Day Christianity knows nothing of this “fear” as they erringly have placed themselves outside the possibility of God’s threatened warnings of recompense for faithless unbelief of those who fall short of the heavenly calling. The next verse 9 of chapter 6 says: “And (Jesus the Messiah) being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that OBEY him…” it does not say or mean; as some suppose ‘to all that BELIEVE on Him’. 

Now Paul pauses in verse 11 with revealing the spiritual depths associated with Christ in Melchizedek, seeing their lack of active enlightening faith in God’s revelatory Word. In Hebrews 5:12… having left off with the further, and deeper explanations of Christ’s Ministry as High Priest after the order of Melchizedek, Paul is moved by the Holy Spirit to lay the groundwork for the 3rd warning to Believers. In that their tepidness has caused it to be past time for their being established in the New Covenant doctrines of Jesus Christ. The exhorting declarations in 5:12-6:3 and the dire warning in verses Hebrews 6:4-8 are some of the most debated of the New Testament as to what their precise meanings are and to whom they speak.

Returning to 5:12… “For…” (This word ties together his previous pronouncement of Christ’s High Priest understanding with their current state; dull of hearing, childish in their understanding for which God holds them responsible as poor students, since it is far past time for them to have grown spiritually. They had heard the foundational doctrines of Jesus Christ, first–hand by Christ and or His Apostles, and having been a part of that first generation, had seen and experienced the power of the Holy Spirit. Those things having the inherent power to make them faithful and fruitful, they are therefore in danger of letting themselves drift pass their calling unto inheritance, and even worse; fall under the judgments of apostasy. 

[Hebrews 6:4-8] “For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened (granted an enlivened spirit), and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy ghost, And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers to come, if they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame. For the earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed receiveth blessing from God: But that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned. 

This third warning is an amplification of the first two, and that after having given them in the previous passages, even more insightful assurance of the legitimacy of the heavenly calling, and establishing even greater the realities and warrant of that Calling into God’s future Redemption Rest, and the seriousness of believers in Christ to not fall short of its attainment. Including now the grand effect of Jesus the Son of God and Son of Man resurrected, having entered into Heaven and now at the right hand of the Father, as our intermediary High Priest, unto the procuring of that Calling. In that He has granted additionally in Christ’s Atonement, an open audience to the throne of grace; that we might obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need in the diligent continuation in faithfulness unto the final inheritance of His heavenly Calling as worthy sons of glory, the Redemption Rest of God.  

The language of verse 4 is clearly addressed to Christian converts from Judaism in the first century who are now wavering in their faith, being tested as to whether they will maintain their confession that Jesus is the Messiah. It is the premise of the entire Book, causing divisiveness among the Jews unto their persecution.  

The strong language of this warning being a description of those for whom it would be impossible to obtain repentance… Being no mere glance at Jesus, but an established relationship now forsaken, and thereby verse 8 reveals “…as nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned.” Burned being taken to mean eternal lake of fire by many commentators, this being the great controversy between Calvinists and Armenianists (as to whom is Paul referring to) over the Centuries.  

Now 3 things should be known to rightly see who and what is in view with this warning of fiery judgment. 1) that eternal life is not in view or at risk as it is a gift 2) but the heavenly kingdom calling unto God’s 1000 year Redemption Rest of reward is in view and at dire risk 3) that all Christians shall stand before Jesus Christ’s fiery Judgment Seat, of which few have understood to be truly a JUDGMENT seat for His “saved” or born again believers. 1st Corinthians 3:15 being great example of what is being threatened in Hebrews 6:8. Further examples being seen in Matthew 18:23-35, 24:42-51, 25:14-30; Mark 8:34-38; Luke 12:1-12, 41-48, 19:11-27. 

Now these first-generation Hebrew Christians are in danger of being judged for doing exactly what those first-generation Israelites did, in the clear type found in Numbers 14. Where they, the redeemed Israelites from Egypt, now refused to enter and fight for the Promised Land, and in so doing incurred the Wrath of God. See Numbers 14, verses 11-12… “And the Lord said unto Moses, How long will this people provoke me? and how long will it be ere they believe me, for all the signs which I have shewed among them? I will smite them with the pestilence, and disinherit them and will make of thee a greater nation and mightier that they.” This He would have done were it not for Moses’ intercession (and where we should ask…would the Great High Priest do less for those full of unbelief in God’s Word of Hebrews 6:4?) 

Numbers 14:20-23,25,30,35… “And the Lord said, I have pardoned according to thy word: (having dealt with the loss of life (eternal) threat, now the inheritance issue) But as truly as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory (millennial) of the Lord. (but) Because all those men which have seen my glory, and my miracles (a clear type to those of Hebrews 6:4), which I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and have tempted me now these ten times, and have not hearkened to my voice; Surely they shall not see the land which I sware unto their fathers, neither shall any of them that provoked me see it:… Tomorrow turn you, and get you into the wilderness….Doubtless ye shall not come into the land, concerning which I sware to make you dwell therein,…I the Lord have said, I will surely do it unto all this evil congregation, that are gathered together against me: in this wilderness they shall be consumed, and there they shall die. (This all speaks to the threatened fate of those of Hebrews 6:8. Those He will not suffer to enter into His future heavenly kingdom; to be realized in the First Resurrection from among the dead, nor even to see it; as they will remain in the fiery wilderness of Hades under judgment, the intermediate place of the dead, until the 2nd Resurrection of all the remaining dead, as those disinherited from His promised Millennial Day of Redemption Rest in Christ’s Heavenly Kingdom. 

And as those in the type, who changed their minds/ repented the next day, they found that God did not…and so the repentance impossibility spoken of in Hebrews 6:6 is on God’s part, not the believers. As God does not take lightly those who have seen His revealed glory and yet later turn away in faithless short-mindedness or cowardly fear.