In one of Jesus’ discussions on life during the Kingdom, He related a truth that will not be unique to that age. He informed His listeners that there will be a time under His majestic reign in which sharing the Gospel will no longer be necessary, for all will know Him then, ‘from the least to the greatest.’ It will be a blessed time when sin and disobedience will be severely judged, and not tolerated. Jesus’ name will be exalted, and He will receive the worshipful praise of all nations.

However, that which is mentioned in Hebrews 8, that is not limited to the glorious Kingdom age, but is a rich treasure for all believers, is described in…

Hebrews 8:12 For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.

The word, ‘merciful,’ in this passage, is often translated, ‘propitiation.’ It gives the meaning of bringing satisfaction to God by means of the blood shed by our Lord, and applied to the mercy seat in Heaven as an everlasting payment for our sin.

This truth takes on a fuller meaning when one considers the awful offense that sin was to God. Man was created in perfection, as a means of bringing heart-felt love and worship to His Creator. Man was the crowning work of the six days of bringing this world into existence. God longed to share a close relationship with His mortal being. Man could enjoy everything his eyes could take in. Everything, that is, but one tree.

God gave man everything; He simply included one simple boundary. Of course, it was to that restricted tree man fled. Man sinned, and immediately cut off his close relationship with His God. Instead of the sweet strolls in the Garden, man ran and hid in the bushes, now afraid of God.

Man’s way had seemed so ‘right.’ He had convinced himself that he somehow could go his own way, somehow pretending that God really didn’t care. The world had seemed so alluring; it had seemed like a shame to miss all the enjoyment it could offer. Man threw away a blessed eternal life with God, and received in its place the condemnation that accompanies the rebellious way of man in sin. Man’s choice of self, turned out to be a poor bargain.

If it were not for the mercy of our God, Adam, and every man since him, would follow their self-centered ways right into Hell. Out of His infinite heart of love, God fashioned a plan whereby man could be reconciled with His offended God. It would be costly, but in the end, man would have a way of escape from the fiery judgment that awaited him.

God took upon Himself the awful penalty that sin demanded. He sent His only Son to die on the cross and shed His sinless blood. We can be saved from our sin all because we have a God in Heaven who is merciful.