1For the Law, since it has only a shadow of the good things to come and not the very form of things, can never, by the same sacrifices which they offer continually year by year, make perfect those who draw near.

 2Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, because the worshipers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have had consciousness of sins? 3But in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins year by year.

4For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sin.

We understand that the law was only a shadow of things to come.

What is it the law could not do?

Now we have the failure of the law mentioned. Could not make those perfect who offered sacrifices.

What is it that the Law could not do? The answer is here!

The Law could not cleanse the human conscience. The sacrifices themselves were reminders of sin.

The blood of bulls and goats could not take away sin from where?

See vs. 2-3.

It is often stated that sin was not forgiven in the OT. To the contrary, sin was forgiven in the OT. (See Leviticus 4:20; 26, 35 and many more). The above section of text never claims that sin was not forgiven under the Law. People read that into the text.

The context above is this: The Law failed because those people who were offering sacrifices could not cleanse their conscience. After years and years of killing because of sin, at some point just killing another animal brought back all the former sins (v.3). It was the sin still on the human conscience that the blood of bulls and goats could not remove. God forgave people. They did not forgive themselves

5Therefore, when He comes into the world, He says,
         "SACRIFICE AND OFFERING YOU HAVE NOT DESIRED,
         BUT A BODY YOU HAVE PREPARED FOR ME;
    6IN WHOLE BURNT OFFERINGS AND sacrifices FOR SIN YOU HAVE TAKEN NO PLEASURE.
    7"THEN I SAID, 'BEHOLD, I HAVE COME
         (IN THE SCROLL OF THE BOOK IT IS WRITTEN OF ME)
         TO DO YOUR WILL, O GOD.'"

8After saying above, "SACRIFICES AND OFFERINGS AND WHOLE BURNT OFFERINGS AND sacrifices FOR SIN YOU HAVE NOT DESIRED, NOR HAVE YOU TAKEN PLEASURE in them" (which are offered according to the Law), 9then He said, "BEHOLD, I HAVE COME TO DO YOUR WILL." He takes away the first in order to establish the second. 10By this will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

I. Our author now takes us back to Psalms 40:6-8. His point is to say that this prophetic utterance which speaks of David really meant Jesus Christ.

II. Using this as a spring board, we are told that God prepared a body Himself for a sacrifice. Further, we are told that this 'prepared body' was to replace the Burnt Offering (The Burnt Offering) and the Sin Offering (Sin Offering). The combination of the two offerings are for worship and sacrifice.

III. We are further told that this body was "prepared" by reading the will of God (YHWH) from "the book." Meaning that Jesus read about His mission on earth and recognized His destiny. (The prepared body is a Hebrew idiom).

IV. We find the steps of that preparation in Isaiah 50:4.

Verse 11-14. The Levitical Priesthood stood while offering their sacrifices but Jesus sat down.

His sacrifice was once and for all. In verse 13 we find that the Priesthood will terminate when Jesus stands. This time Jesus will come to judge (Jn. 5:22, 26, 27. In verse 14, Jesus perfected us before the Father with His one sacrifice. We then are sacrificially perfected once and for all.

15And the Holy Spirit also testifies to us; for after saying, 16"THIS IS THE COVENANT THAT I WILL MAKE WITH THEM AFTER THOSE DAYS, SAYS THE LORD: I WILL PUT MY LAWS UPON THEIR HEART, AND ON THEIR MIND I WILL WRITE THEM," He then says, 17"AND THEIR SINS AND THEIR LAWLESS DEEDS I WILL REMEMBER NO MORE."
18Now where there is forgiveness of these things, there is no longer any offering for sin.

V. 15__ The Spirit bears witness that we are forever perfected sacrificially.
V. 16_18 Once again we have the reference to Jeremiah 31. Thus, the Holy Spirit is part of the New Covenant (Acts 2:38). The remission here is "present tense." It is continued remission which means there is no place left for a sacrifice.

The Context of V. 19ff.
1.  New Covenant
2.  Boldness, Rights, Freedom
3.  True Heart
4.  Fullness of Faith
5.  Hearts sprinkled with blood
6.  Body Washed 

The Veil in the Temple had always been typology for the flesh of Christ.
VEIL (2) - (1) (parokheth; katapetasma; the King James Version vail): In Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, the veil that hung between the two holy chambers of the tabernacle is mentioned 23 times (Ex 26:31, etc.). In several places it is termed "the veil of the screen" and it is distinguished from "the screen for the door of the tabernacle" (Ex 35:12,15; 39:34,38). By the latter is meant the curtain that hung outside the holy place, i.e. at the tabernacle entrance. Ex 26:31 informs us that the veil was made of fine-twined linen, and that its colors were blue and purple and scarlet. It was embroidered with cherubim. At each removal of the tabernacle the veil was used to enwrap the ark of the testimony (Nu 4:5). From its proximity to this central object of the Hebrew ceremonial system, the veil is termed "the veil of the testimony" (Lev 24:3), "the veil which is before the testimony" (Ex 27:21), etc. In Solomon's Temple the veil is mentioned but once (2 Ch 3:14). It was protected by doors of olive wood (1 Ki 6:31). In the later temple it is alluded to in 1 Macc 1:22. Its presence in Herod's temple is attested by the statement in each of the Synoptists that at the time of Christ's death the veil of the temple was rent from top to bottom, or in the midst (Mt 27:51; Mk 15:38; Lk 23:45; compare in Mishna, Mid. ii. 1; iv.7). This fact is the basis of the profound truth expressed by the writer to the Hebrews that Jesus, by His sacrificial death, opened for all believers a way into the holiest "through the veil, that is to say, his flesh" (Heb 10:20).
Here is the point: Where those of the Old Testament passed through the veil to enter into the most holy place, we pass through the flesh of Christ.

The comprehensive use of the language of worship in the New Testament certainly includes (indeed especially so according to Everett Ferguson) the meeting together of Christians for religious purposes. I am obliged to furnish or speak on the assembly and the many commands relating to the assembly if asked. However, I only want to stress the importance of the assembly and the behavior of those who consistently miss the assembly.

If we accept a wider idea of ‘worship’ which I believe is taught in the NT, then attending the assembly becomes part of our ministry to each other. In community there is strength. Individual weaknesses are overcome through the encouragement of others. People need one another. The meetings of the church provide the opportunity for learning of needs, planning to meet them, and acting together. Forsaking the assembly is not a sin against an institution, but against the brothers and sisters to whom we owe mutual edification and fellowship (Heb. 10:25). Having said that, is very easy and common to misuse Hebrews 10:25.

Enkataleipontes is a rare word and before we become carried away, let us make sure we are using it in the correct context. The letter of Hebrews was written to Jews who were abandoning the assembly. These were not people who were missing a few times once in a while. They were leaving. Furthermore, notice the word above. It is a cognate, one word made out of several words. If we look in the center of the word we see lip and this is a form of the word luo which is to destroy or divorce. Missing the assembly a few times is not divorcing or abandoning. It is a misuse of this passage then on two fronts (one the context, and two the grammar) to beat the brethren over the head for missing the assembly. 

The assembly of Christians is part of their total service to God. Even if one puts emphasis on the biblical passages where worship is defined as service to others, the assembly as the time of meeting together for mutual encouragement is in fact worship and service to each other.

The church in assembly not only provides encouragement to its members but also approaches God (Heb. 10:19-25). This does not just refer to Sunday morning. It is very generic and means what it says. That is, when God’s people come together we are an assembly. In the Psalms, the assembly of God’s people was the place for praise to Him and the place where His awesome presence was felt. Heb. 2:12 quotes from Psalms 22:22, “I will tell your name to my brothers and sisters in the midst of the congregation I will praise you.” The next verse continues, “You who fear the Lord, praise Him! All you offspring of Jacob, glorify Him, all you offspring of Israel!” (Ps. 22:23). Hebrews 12:23-28 similarly connects the “assembly of the first born who are enrolled in heaven” with offering "to God an acceptable worship with reverence and awe.”

In the OT, the general phrase “to call upon the name of the Lord” was used to refer to worship of God in confession and prayer. This phrase is used to characterize Christians in 1^st Cor. 1:2, "those who in every place call on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.” Paul by these words reminds the ekklesia of God at Corinth that they are not alone.¹

The phrase "in every place” (in Christian usage based on Mal. 1:11) seems to have had a special reference “to every meeting place.”

Moreover, the proclamation (calling on the Lord) and worship had a common content—God’s acts of grace. The proclamation and confession of God’s wonderful deeds (1^st Peter 2:9; Heb. 10:23; 13:15) looks back to his historical acts of grace in Christ and forward to the accomplishment of his will when Christ comes again. This recital both praises God for His salvation and declares to human beings that salvation.

The assembly therefore, is related to the work of the church which is proclaiming God’s Word, strengthening believers, and ministering to their needs. The assembly exemplifies worship as the whole Christian life. 

VV. 22-25  Since Christ has furnished us a way into the Most Holy we can draw near with all confidence. As the first covenant was inaugurated with with the sprinkling of blood (see Exodus 24:3-8) the New Covenant is also. In this case, the blood is on our hearts. The washing in water is an obvious reference to 'baptism' or 'the mikvah' for the Jewish person. (The Way to God is Through the Mikvah)

V.25, The day drawing near that "they could see" is a reference to the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. There are several textual indicators (see v.32ff, these people were part of the 66 rebellion), that prove this.

26For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, 27but a terrifying expectation of judgment and THE FURY OF A FIRE WHICH WILL CONSUME THE ADVERSARIES. 28 Anyone who has set aside the Law of Moses dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses.

29How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled under foot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace? 30For we know Him who said, "VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY " And again, "THE LORD WILL JUDGE HIS PEOPLE."

31It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

The former days mentioned here may be any number of persecutions or a combination of all. Persecution broke out about A.D. 33 after the stoning of Stephen and again in 44 A.D. under Herod Agriappa I when James the son of Zebedde was beheaded. Persecution broke out again in A.D. 62 when James the Just was stoned by the orders of Annas II. Then we have the persecutions around A.D. 41 under Claudius and finally we must mention those under Nero around 64.A.D.

The one coming in "a little while" is probably Titus and the Roman Army and the city of Jerusalem and the Temple will cease to be.