Between the AngelsSample

Day 5: Where Mercy Remains

"But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God." Hebrews 10:12 (ESV)

The mercy seat was never intended to remain on Earth.

For centuries, it rested inside the Tabernacle, then inside the Temple, hidden behind a curtain. Once a year, blood was placed upon it. Once a year, atonement was made. But the ark commanded to Moses disappeared from history. After the Babylonian exile (605-538 BC), the Holy of Holies was left empty. In Jesus' time, the temple had no ark. The mercy seat had disappeared.

But it was not lost. It was waiting for the true and permanent one.

When Christ ascended to heaven, He entered the true sanctuary, not the copy or model like the Tabernacle, but the original. And there, in the presence of God, He presented not the blood of animals that needed to be offered again, but His own blood, His own life, given once and for all.

The mercy seat now exists in heaven. And seated beside it is the One who is both the offering and the High Priest. He is not standing and does not repeat the sacrifice multiple times. Jesus sits because the work of covering is complete.

And there, mercy remains.

Mercy does not fade with time. It does not weaken with repeated failures. It does not grow impatient with those who keep returning. The blood that was offered once continues to speak. The priest who sat continues to intercede. The mercy that was secured continues to be available.

This changes everything about how we approach God.

Under the old covenant, only one man could enter the Holy of Holies. Only on one day and only with blood that was not his own. The people waited outside. They could not draw near. The mercy seat was real, but it was inaccessible.

Now the way is open. The blood that speaks on our behalf is already there. We do not need a priest to go in for us. Christ has gone in and remains there. And because He remains, mercy remains.

When guilt returns, mercy remains. When shame accuses, mercy remains. When we wonder if we have exhausted God's patience, the seated priest is the answer. He finished the work before we began to fail. And He is still there.

The writer of Hebrews tells us to approach with confidence. Not because we have earned the right or proven ourselves worthy. But because the mercy seat in heaven is occupied by Someone who knows us, who bore our sins, and who has not moved from His place of grace.

What Mary saw at the tomb was a glimpse. Two angels. An empty space. A finished work. But what exists now in heaven is the reality that scene was pointing to.

The mercy seat remains. The priest is seated. And for all who come, mercy remains.

And Mary didn't leave that garden of the tomb to give the greatest news of the ages to the disciples because she understood theology. She went to announce it because she heard her name. The same Christ, who would soon enter the heavenly sanctuary and sit down, was before her, resurrected and alive, and called her by name. The greeting was cosmic, but it became personal in a single word.

That's what the mercy seat has always been about. It is not just a place where sin is covered, but a place where God meets His people. And now that place is a Person, and He knows your name.

For Reflection:

• Do you live as if mercy remains or as if it could run out?
• When you fail, do you approach God with confidence or hesitation? What would change if you truly believed that the priest who sat down is still there and mercy has not departed?

(If you have been blessed with the revelation of the place of mercy, share this plan with someone who needs it today.)

Eternally grateful for the cross of Jesus Christ,

Sara Lingel