1 ^(A) Theophilus, I first wrote to you^[a] about all that Jesus did and taught from the very first ² until he was taken up to heaven. But before he was taken up, he gave orders to the apostles he had chosen with the help of the Holy Spirit.

³ For 40 days after Jesus had suffered and died, he proved in many ways that he had been raised from death. He appeared to his apostles and spoke to them about God's kingdom. ^4 (B) While he was still with them, he said:

Don't leave Jerusalem yet. Wait here for the Father to give you the Holy Spirit, just as I told you he has promised to do. ^5 (C) John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.

Jesus Is Taken to Heaven

⁶ While the apostles were still with Jesus, they asked him, “Lord, are you now going to give Israel its own king again?”^[b]

⁷ Jesus said to them, “You don't need to know the time of those events that only the Father controls. ^8 (D) But the Holy Spirit will come upon you and give you power. Then you will tell everyone about me in Jerusalem, in all Judea, in Samaria, and everywhere in the world.” ^9 (E) After Jesus had said this and while they were watching, he was taken up into a cloud. They could not see him, ¹⁰ but as he went up, they kept looking up into the sky.

Suddenly two men dressed in white clothes were standing there beside them. ¹¹ They said, “Why are you men from Galilee standing here and looking up into the sky? Jesus has been taken to heaven. But he will come back in the same way you have seen him go.”

Someone To Take the Place of Judas

^12-13 (F) The Mount of Olives was about a kilometer from Jerusalem. The apostles who had gone there were Peter, John, James, Andrew, Philip, Thomas, Bartholomew, Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, Simon, known as the Eager One,^[c] and Judas the son of James.

After the apostles returned to the city, they went upstairs to the room where they had been staying.

¹⁴ The apostles often met together and prayed with a single purpose in mind.^[d] The women and Mary the mother of Jesus would meet with them, and so would his brothers. ¹⁵ One day there were about 120 of the Lord's followers meeting together, and Peter stood up to speak to them. ^16-17 He said:

My friends, long ago by the power of the Holy Spirit, David said something about Judas, and what he said has now happened. Judas was one of us and had worked with us, but he brought the mob to arrest Jesus. ^18 (G) Then Judas bought some land with the money he was given for doing that evil thing. He fell headfirst into the field. His body burst open, and all his insides came out. ¹⁹ When the people of Jerusalem found out about this, they called the place Akeldama, which in the local language means “Field of Blood.”

^20 (H) In the book of Psalms it says,

A Better Promise

8 ^(A) What I mean is we have a high priest who sits at the right side^[a] of God's great throne in heaven. ² He also serves as the priest in the most holy place^[b] inside the real tent there in heaven. This tent of worship was set up by the Lord, not by humans.

³ Since all priests must offer gifts and sacrifices, Christ also needed to have something to offer. ⁴ If he were here on earth, he would not be a priest at all, because here the Law appoints other priests to offer sacrifices. ^5 (B) But the tent where they serve is just a copy and a shadow of the real one in heaven. Before Moses made the tent, he was told, “Be sure to make it exactly like the pattern you were shown on the mountain!” ⁶ Now Christ has been appointed to serve as a priest in a much better way, and he has given us much assurance of a better agreement.

⁷ If the first agreement with God had been all right, there would not have been any need for another one. ^8 (C) But the Lord found fault with it and said,

¹³ When the Lord talks about a new agreement, he means that the first one is out of date. And anything that is old and useless will soon disappear.

The Tent in Heaven

9 The first promise included rules for worship and a tent for worship here on earth. ^2 (D) The first part of the tent was called the holy place, and a lampstand, a table, and the sacred loaves of bread were kept there.

^3 (E) Behind the curtain was the most holy place. ^4 (F) The gold altar for burning incense was in this holy place. The gold-covered sacred chest was also there, and inside it were three things. First, there was a gold jar filled with manna.^[c] Then there was Aaron's walking stick that sprouted.^[d] Finally, there were the flat stones with the Ten Commandments written on them. ^5 (G) On top of the chest were the glorious creatures with wings^[e] opened out above the place of mercy.^[f]

Now isn't the time to go into detail about these things. ^6 (H) But this is how everything was when the priests went each day into the first part of the tent to do their duties. ^7 (I) However, only the high priest could go into the second part of the tent, and he went in only once a year. Each time he carried blood to offer for his sins and for any sins that the people had committed without meaning to.

⁸ All of this is the Holy Spirit's way of saying no one could enter the most holy place while the tent was still the place of worship. ⁹ This also has a meaning for today. It shows we cannot make our consciences clear by offering gifts and sacrifices. ¹⁰ These rules are merely about such things as eating and drinking and ceremonies for washing ourselves. And rules about physical things will last only until the time comes to change them for something better.

^11 (J) Christ came as the high priest of the good things that are now here.^[g] He also went into a much better tent that wasn't made by humans and that doesn't belong to this world. ¹² Then Christ went once for all into the most holy place and freed us from sin forever. He did this by offering his own blood instead of the blood of goats and bulls.

^13 (K) According to the Law of Moses, those people who become unclean are not fit to worship God. Yet they will be considered clean, if they are sprinkled with the blood of goats and bulls and with the ashes of a sacrificed calf. ¹⁴ But Christ was sinless, and he offered himself as an eternal and spiritual sacrifice to God. This is why his blood is much more powerful and makes our^[h] consciences clear. Now we can serve the living God and no longer do things that lead to death.

¹⁵ Christ died to rescue those who had sinned and broken the old agreement. Now he brings his chosen ones a new agreement with its guarantee of God's eternal blessings! ¹⁶ In fact, making an agreement of this kind is like writing a will. This is because the one who makes the will must die before it is of any use. ¹⁷ In other words, a will doesn't go into effect as long as the one who made it is still alive.

¹⁸ Blood was also used^[i] to put the first agreement into effect. ^19 (L) Moses told the people all the Law said they must do. Then he used red wool and a hyssop plant to sprinkle the people and the book of the Law with the blood of bulls and goats^[j] and with water. ²⁰ He told the people, “With this blood God makes his agreement with you.” ^21 (M) Moses also sprinkled blood on the tent and on everything else used in worship. ^22 (N) The Law says that almost everything must be sprinkled with blood, and no sins can be forgiven unless blood is offered.

Christ's Great Sacrifice

²³ These things are only copies of what is in heaven, and so they had to be made holy by these ceremonies. But the real things in heaven must be made holy by something better. ²⁴ This is why Christ did not go into a tent made by humans and was only a copy of the real one. Instead, he went into heaven and is now there with God to help us.

²⁵ Christ did not have to offer himself many times. He wasn't like a high priest who goes into the most holy place each year to offer the blood of an animal. ²⁶ If he had offered himself every year, he would have suffered many times since the creation of the world. But instead, near the end of time he offered himself once and for all, so he could be a sacrifice that does away with sin.

²⁷ We die only once, and then we are judged. ^28 (O) So Christ died only once to take away the sins of many people. But when he comes again, it will not be to take away sin. He will come to save everyone who is waiting for him.

10 The Law of Moses is like a shadow of the good things to come. This shadow isn't the good things themselves, because it cannot free people from sin by the sacrifices offered year after year. ² If there were worshipers who already have their sins washed away and their consciences made clear, there would not be any need to go on offering sacrifices. ^3-4 But the blood of bulls and goats cannot take away sins. It only reminds people of their sins from one year to the next.

^5 (P) When Christ came into the world, he said to God,

⁷ Then Christ said,

⁸ The Law teaches that offerings and sacrifices must be made because of sin. But why did Christ mention these things and say that God did not want them? ⁹ Well, it was to do away with offerings and sacrifices and to replace them. This is what he meant by saying to God, “I have come to do what you want.” ¹⁰ So we are made holy because Christ obeyed God and offered himself once for all.

^11 (Q) The priests do their work each day, and they keep on offering sacrifices that can never take away sins. ^12 (R) But Christ offered himself as a sacrifice that is good forever. Now he is sitting at God's right side,^{[k] 13} and he will stay there until his enemies are put under his power. ¹⁴ By his one sacrifice he has forever set free from sin the people he brings to God.

¹⁵ The Holy Spirit also speaks of this by telling us that the Lord said,

¹⁸ When sins are forgiven, there is no more need to offer sacrifices.

Encouragement and Warning

¹⁹ My friends, the blood of Jesus gives us courage to enter the most holy place ²⁰ by a new way that leads to life! And this way takes us through the curtain that is Christ himself.

²¹ We have a great high priest who is in charge of God's house. ^22 (U) So let's come near God with pure hearts and a confidence that comes from having faith. Let's keep our hearts pure, our consciences free from evil, and our bodies washed with clean water. ²³ We must hold tightly to the hope we say is ours. After all, we can trust the one who made the agreement with us. ²⁴ We should keep on encouraging each other to be thoughtful and to do helpful things. ²⁵ Some people have given up the habit of meeting for worship, but we must not do that. We should keep on encouraging each other, especially since you know that the day of the Lord's coming is getting closer.

²⁶ No sacrifices can be made for people who decide to sin after they find out about the truth. ^27 (V) They are God's enemies, and all they can look forward to is a terrible judgment and a furious fire. ^28 (W) If two or more witnesses accused someone of breaking the Law of Moses, that person could be put to death. ^29 (X) But it is much worse to dishonor God's Son and to disgrace the blood of the promise that made us holy. And it is just as bad to insult the Holy Spirit, who shows us mercy. ^30 (Y) We know that God has said he will punish and take revenge. We also know that the Scriptures say the Lord will judge his people. ³¹ It is a terrible thing to fall into the hands of the living God!

³² Don't forget all the hard times you went through when you first received the light. ³³ Sometimes you were abused and mistreated in public, and at other times you shared in the sufferings of others. ³⁴ You were kind to people in jail. And you gladly let your possessions be taken away, because you knew you had something better, something that would last forever.

³⁵ Keep on being brave! It will bring you great rewards. ³⁶ Learn to be patient, so you will please God and be given what he has promised. ^37 (Z) As the Scriptures say,