Answer: The Hebrews were tempted to return to their old covenant, while it still existed. ‘The Letter To The Hebrews’ was written to explain in great detail why their everliving new covenant priest is better than their always dying old covenant priests. Because Jesus lives forever, their new covenant was founded on better promises (actually fulfilling the promises made to Abraham). Jesus’ new covenant priesthood was renewing His old covenant creation once for all time, in heaven and on earth – Hebrews 12:22-24. The necessity for the annual old covenant renewals has come to an end.

The born from above Hebrews are called the church of the firstborn ones (verse 23). After Jesus was resurrected on First Fruit of Barley harvest, the Hebrews were the first nationality to be born of the Holy Spirit Jesus sent to them in Jerusalem. The 12 tribes were born from above on Pentecost, which was the first fruit of the Wheat harvest. Jesus took Adam’s place in his/His old covenant death and was raised on the day of First Fruit Barley harvest, never to die again. His Holy Spirit resurrection obviously created a better life for the Hebrews, to say the least. The Hebrews in transition were warned not to turn back in their hearts and perish like their fathers had done on their way to the typical promised land – Hebrews 3:9,17,4:6,11. Aaron (old covenant priest) had actually made an idol for them to worship in the wilderness. Unlike old covenant Aaron, Jesus is the exact representation of the Father, even when He was in the old covenant, even before He became the Hebrews’ High Priest.

Hebrews 7:20-27

ECB ²⁰ And inasmuch as not apart from an oath: ²¹ For indeed they became priests apart from an oath; but this with an oath through him who worded to him, Yah Veh oaths and regrets not, You are a priest to the eons after the order of Malki Sedeq. ^{Psalm 110:4 22} Yah Shua became a pledge by a much better covenant: ²³ and indeed, they became many priests, because they were forbidden to abide by reason of death. ²⁴ And this one, because he abides to the eons, has an inviolable priesthood. 

²⁵ So he is also able to save them to completion/shalom who come to Elohim through him – ever living to intercede for them. 

²⁶ For such an archpriest befits us [us Hebrews] – merciful, innocent, unpolluted, separated from sinners, and being higher than the heavens; ²⁷ who has no day by day necessity exactly as those archpriests to offer sacrifice first for his own sins and then for those of the people: for he did this once, offering himself.

The main point being made by the writer to the Hebrews is that God is the one replacing the Hebrew old covenant with the Hebrew new covenant, because the old system (world or cosmos) was unable to save them, as pointed out in Hebrews 7:11. This new priestly order for the Hebrew covenant is far superior because it is the fulfillment of the earthbound copies of the things in heaven – Hebrews 5:9, 9:12. The order of Melchisedek replaced the order of Aaron. Melchisedek had blessed Moses. Aaron made a golden calf to worship and then Moses broke their covenant written on two tablets of stone, as a reflection of what they had already done – Exodus 20:2-5.

Jesus, as the new high priest of the Hebrews, ascended to their real temple in heaven, to insure the salvation of all His chosen people – Hebrews 8:9. Of course the new covenant Joshua succeeded in doing what the old covenant Joshua couldn’t do – Hebrews 4:8-11. Jesus (aka Yeshua or Joshua) isn’t taking millennia to do what the typical Joshua couldn’t do, after the 40 year flesh re-generation in the wilderness. As the antitype of Joshua, Jesus also took 40 years to remake the nation. His Holy Spirit renewal started with His baptism in the Jordan River. He took His spiritually regenerated nation into His heavenly promised land as a fulfilment of the sabbath rest. The wilderness journey did not take thousands of years plus. From Jesus baptism in the old covenant Jerusalem to His new covenant consummation was His 40-year Holy Spirit renewal. From Jesus’ birth to the new covenant consummation was His antitypical 70 years fulfilment, again not thousands of years and still waiting. 2024 years and still counting is not a fulfillment of the Hebrew types. 3, 7, 8, 12, 40, 50, 70 and 1000 are typical numbers that Jesus fulfilled.

Jesus’ brother Jacob wrote early on in the transition of covenants, to the 12 tribes scattered, around AD 45-48. The 12 tribes is another name for the Hebrews. As the first Christ-followers, the 12 tribes were admonished by Jesus’ brother to persevere in their belief and to not be double souled. Trying to keep the old covenant couldn’t save them. In fact it was sure to cut them off from the promised blessings – James 1:5-8. Jacob wrote to the 12 tribes as a new covenant servant of God and of Christ. Jacob’s letter to the Hebrews was written before he met with the Jerusalem council concerning the requirements for the Gentiles who were also being birthed from above into their new covenant. Jacob wrote concerning the Hebrews not the Gentiles.

James 1:1 – more accurately called Jacob 1:1

ECB ¹
SALUTATION
Yaaqovos, [Jacobos] a servant of Elohim [God] and of Adonay [Lord] Yah Shua [Jesus] Messiah [Christ]: To the twelve scions [tribes] of the diaspora: Cheers.

Peter wrote to the Hebrews many years after Jacob wrote to them. Like Jacob, Peter also wrote to the diaspora, but Peter wrote to the chosen ones in the diaspora. Jacob seems to make his appeal to everyone in the 12 tribes and to their failure to keep the law. Peter is more advanced in the transition. He narrows his writing to the chosen ones among the diaspora, around AD 62-67, to encourage them to keep on persevering into the consummation of their faith, which was their salvation.

1 Peter 1:9

CLV ⁹ being requited with the consummation of your faith, the salvation of your souls.”

The Letter To The Hebrews was written to the Hebrews in AD 63 or 64. It explains in great detail how their never ending new covenant is superior to their old covenant that was about to disappear. Their final sabbath rest for the people of God was only found in the new covenant faith of the Messiah.

Hebrews 4:9-11 NIV

There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works, just as God did from his. Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will perish by following their example of disobedience.

John 3:16

CLV ¹⁶ For thus God loves the world, so that He gives His only-begotten Son, that everyone who is believing in Him should not be perishing, but may be having life eonian.”

Much later into the transition of covenants, Jesus’ brother Jude wrote to the ones who by this time have already been Holyized. Jude wrote around AD 67 or later. By this late date into the transition of covenants, Jude does not just address the Hebrews but is open to born again Gentiles too. The old covenant paradigm being fulfilled remains Hebrew in origin. Jude reminds all God’s new covenant people how the unfaithful Hebrews were typically destroyed en route to their typical promised land. This is now the real thing: the consummation of their faith: the salvation of their souls, even the salvation of Gentile souls.

Jude 1:1-5

LITV ¹ Jude, a slave of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, to the ones called in God the Father, having been set apart, and having been kept to Jesus Christ: ² Mercy and peace, and love be multiplied to you. ³ Having made all haste to write to you about the common salvation, beloved, I had need to write to you to exhort you to contend earnestly for the faith once delivered to the saints. ⁴ For certain men crept in secretly, those having been of old marked out to this condemnation, ungodly ones perverting the grace of God for unbridled lust, and denying the only Master, God, even our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁵ But I intend to remind you, you once knowing these things, that the Lord having saved a people out of the land of Egypt, in the second place destroyed the ones not believing.

Jude 1:3 speaks of the faith once delivered to the saints while Hebrews speaks of the many times and many ways God spoke. The Hebrew’s national belief was given to them by Moses on the first Pentecost. The Hebrews were reborn when the faith of their Messiah was sent to them from heaven while they were celebrating their first birth as a nation. It was reiterated many times and many ways for over a thousand years. But the final way God spoke to the Hebrews was through His Son.

Hebrews 1:1-3

LITV ¹ In many parts and in many ways of old, God spoke to the fathers in the prophets; ² in these last days He spoke to us in the Son, whom He appointed heir of all; through whom He indeed made the ages; ³ who being the shining splendor of His glory, and the express image of His essence, and upholding all things by the word of His power,

having made purification of our [Hebrew] sins through Himself,

He sat down on the right of the Majesty on high, Psa. 110:1

Who were the enemies of God and His people? Paul was an old covenant enemy to the body of Christ before he entered the new covenant. He is just outside of Jerusalem giving his approval while a born again Jew is being murdered.

Stephen’s defense of his renewed faith before the rabbinic court enraged his old covenant Jewish audience. Stephen was taken out of the city and stoned to death. His final words, a prayer of forgiveness for his attackers (Acts of the Apostles 7:60), reveal the faith of the Jewish Messiah on the cross (Luke 23:34).

Acts 9:3-6

CLV ³ Now in his going he came to be nearing Damascus. Suddenly a light out of heaven flashes about him. ⁴ And falling on the earth, he hears a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? ⁵ Yet he said, “Who art Thou, Lord?Yet He said, “I am Jesus Whom you are persecuting.” ⁶ Nevertheless, rise and enter the city, and it will be spoken to you what you must be doing.”

Revelation 6:9-10

YLT ⁹ And when he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those slain because of the word of God, and because of the testimony that they held, ¹⁰ and they were crying with a great voice, saying, `Till when, O Master, the Holy and the True, dost Thou not judge and take vengeance of our blood from those dwelling upon the land?’