THE TABERNACLE OF GOD IN THE WILDERNESS
(Part Two)

Scripture Text: Hebrews 9
"Now in that first covenant between God and Israel, there were regulations for worship and a sacred tent here on earth.
There were two rooms in this tent. In the first room were a lampstand, a table, and loaves of holy bread on the table. This was called the Holy Place.
Then there was a curtain, and behind the curtain was the second room called the Most Holy Place. In that room were a gold incense altar and a wooden chest called the Ark of the Covenant, which was covered with gold on all sides. Inside the Ark were a gold jar containing some manna, Aaron's staff that sprouted leaves, and the stone tablets of the covenant with the Ten Commandments written on them. The glorious cherubim were above the Ark. Their wings were stretched out over the Ark's cover, the place of atonement. But we cannot explain all of these things now.
When these things were all in place, the priests went in and out of the first room regularly as they performed their religious duties. But only the high priest goes into the Most Holy Place, and only once a year, and always with blood, which he offers to God to cover his own sins and the sins the people have committed in ignorance. By these regulations the Holy Spirit revealed that the Most Holy Place was not open to the people as long as the first room and the entire system it represents were still in use.
This is an illustration pointing to the present time. For the gifts and sacrifices that the priests offer are not able to cleanse the consciences of the people who bring them. For that old system deals only with food and drink and ritual washing--external regulations that are in effect only until their limitations can be corrected.
So Christ has now become the High Priest over all the good things that have come. He has entered that great, perfect sanctuary in heaven, not made by human hands and not part of this created world. Once for all time he took blood into that Most Holy Place, but not the blood of goats and calves. He took his own blood, and with it he secured our salvation forever.
Under the old system, the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a young cow could cleanse people's bodies from ritual defilement. Just think how much more the blood of Christ will purify our hearts from deeds

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that lead to death so that we can worship the living God. For by the power of the eternal Spirit, Christ offered himself to God as a perfect sacrifice for our sins. That is why he is the one who mediates the new covenant between God and people, so that all who are invited can receive the eternal inheritance God has promised them. For Christ died to set them free from the penalty of the sins they had committed under that first covenant."

In our previous lesson, we studied the Tabernacle of the wilderness in its dimensions, construction methods and its furniture. In our lesson today, we will return to this ancient place of worship where God dwelt among His people and consider the wonderful spiritual lessons that are symbolized in this Old Testament type of Christ. In the very structure, furniture, and material of this Tabernacle it has pleased God in His glory to conceal and veil eternal truths. Much of the Word of God as we find it in the Old and New Testaments becomes meaningless to us without a general knowledge, understanding and interpretation of that which pertains to the Tabernacle of Moses.
We have noted in our previous study that God made the Tabernacle the centerpiece of the encampment of the Israelites as they traveled through the wilderness. Three tribes were placed on each of the four sides of this sacred structure. With approximately two million persons making up this nation, we can only conclude that the encampment was vast!
The writer of Hebrews tells us that God was the Architect. "Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle: for, See, saith he, that thou make all things according to the pattern shewed to thee in the mount." (Hebrews 8:5)
The walls of the Tabernacle were 150 feet in length, 75 feet wide and 7.5 feet high. They were made out of fine twined linen woven in needlework. The color was white. They were supported by 60 pillars, 20 down each side, and 10 on each end. The pillars were set in sockets of brass and had tops of silver. The walls of white linen symbolized the righteousness and holiness of God. When a person looked at white walls surrounding the place where God dwelt, they were reminded that God is a holy God. When a person approaches God, he must approach Him in reverence and awe, adoration and worship.
Christ is also symbolized in this wall of white curtains in his righteousness. "For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." (2 Corinthians 5:21)

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The white walls of the Tabernacle’s Court served both as a barrier and a protection. To those without, the holiness, of which it spoke, was an exclusion to all who would approach the Divine Courts otherwise than as God Himself had ordered. To those within it served as a shield, a shelter, an adornment, a glory, a defense.
The Court foreshadowed Christ on earth tabernacling among men, accessible to all who sought Him, but His glory beheld only by those who drew near to Him in faith. "And the Word (Christ) became flesh (human, incarnate) and tabernacled (fixed His tent of flesh, lived awhile) among us; and we [actually] saw His glory (His honor, His majesty), such glory as an only begotten son receives from his father, full of grace (favor, loving-kindness) and truth." (John 1:14 Amplified Text)
The worshiper, desiring to bring his offering (sacrifice) would enter the Court through the Gate. "And for the gate of the court shall be an hanging of twenty cubits (30 feet) of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen wrought with needlework; and their pillars shall be four, and their sockets four." (Exodus 27:16)
The Gate provides the only entrance to this sacred Court! This "hanging" which formed the entrance to the Court is closely connected in thought with the Veil and the Gate of the Tabernacle. Each of them served as a door, hiding the interior from one approaching from the outside. There could be no access to God of any kind--whether of comparatively distant worship, or of closer intimacy—except by Him who said, "I am the Way."
The Israelite who came to the brazen altar with his offering must pass through this gate of the Court; the priest who placed incense on the golden altar must enter by the door of the Tabernacle; the high priest who entered the Holy of Holies on the Day of Atonement must do so through the Veil, thus realizing the thrice repeated proof of the only way of access to God!
The antitypical teaching of the Gate is brought before us in John 10:9, where Christ says, "I am the Door, by me if any man enter in he shall be saved." "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life; no man cometh unto the Father but by Me." (John 14:6)
"Let it be known and understood by all of you, and by the whole house of Israel, that in the name and through the power and authority of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, Whom you crucified [but] Whom God raised from the dead, in Him and by means of Him this man

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is standing here before you well and sound in body.
This [Jesus] is the Stone which was despised and rejected by you, the builders, but which has become the Head of the Corner [the Cornerstone].
And there is salvation in and through no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by and in which we must be saved." (Acts 4:10-12 Amplified Text)
Once inside the Court, the first object you would see was the Brazen-altar. It is designated "the brazen altar" to distinguish it from the golden altar which was placed inside the Holy Place. It was also called the "altar of burnt offering." It was on this altar that the sinner’s sacrifice would be offered. There it stood: ever smoking, ever blood-stained, ever open to any guilty Hebrew that might wish to approach it. The sinner, having forfeited his life by sin, another life--an innocent one--must be given in his stead. When the Israelite brought his offering, before killing it he laid his hand on the animal’s head, thus becoming identified with it, and thereby the acceptableness of the flawless victim passed to him, while his sin is transferred to it.
The Brazen-altar, being the place where sacrifice was offered to God, it spoke, unmistakably, of the Cross of Christ. It pointed to the most solemn aspect of Calvary.
There is no forgiveness without the shedding of the blood of a sacrifice. And the one who makes the sacrifice, gives his life for another is the Substitute. There is no way to approach God--to be saved--other than through the death of our substitute who is Christ!
"The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world." (John 1:29)
"I give My life a ransom for many." (Mark 10:45)
"For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us." (1 Corinthians 5:7) "Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us..." (1 John 3:16)
"For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit." (1 Peter 3:18)
"But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God, he might taste death for everyone." (Hebrews 2:9)
There is another feature about this Brazen-altar that we cannot pass by. It is made from shittim wood and overlaid with bronze. In the Scriptures, gold speaks of glory and silver speaks of redemption, but brass or bronze always speaks of judgment!

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The serpent which Moses ordered to make and affix to the pole, was made of brass. When God made known the sore judgments which would come upon Israel for their disobedience, among other things He threatened, "And thy heaven that is above thy head shall be brass." (Deuteronomy 28:23) This bronze altar speaks of our Lord Jesus Christ who became that One who was lifted up on a pole (Cross) and judged for our sins. At Calvary, Jesus was judged for our sins and He took upon Himself the punishment for our transgressions.
The next item that attracts our attention as we move closer to the Tabernacle enclosure itself is the Laver. There is no specific measurement or pattern for the laver recorded in Scripture. It is described as a brazen vessel containing water, standing on a pedestal. The water was used for the cleansing of the priests. The ministry of the Laver points us to the ministry of the word of God in our lives. After we have received Christ and His atonement for our sins, one of the most important aspects of our growth in God is the Word.
The Laver tells of the need of cleansing if communion with God is to be maintained from the defilements of the way. The matter of sin has been dealt with at the Brazen-altar. For the ancient priest, after preparing and offering the animals in sacrifice, washing and cleansing was necessary.
The figure of water is universally familiar, and represents one of the most important and necessary elements in the physical universe. Without it, life could not be for a single moment. And so we find it in our Bible as one of the most important symbols of spiritual things. In our New Testament "water" is found in widely different connections. It is the element in which the believer is buried.
"...do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? Therefore we were buried with him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life." (Romans 6:3-5) Some students of Scripture suggest that the Laver is a type of water baptism which follows the forgiveness of our sins.
Water is found in connection with Christ’s first miracle. In the last chapter of our Bible, we read of "a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb." (Revelation 22:1) Concerning the "water" being a type of the Word of God, we note from Scripture the following: "Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave Himself for

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her, so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the Word." (Ephesians 5:25-26) "I have hidden Your Word in my heart that I might not sin against You." (Psalm 119:9)
The Word should be used to prevent us falling into evil. God’s Word has been given to us for "a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path"; that is, to expose the snares of Satan and to reveal the path in which we should walk.
In considering the spiritual lessons from the Tabernacle thus far, we have come through the Gate, the Door, which is Christ. We have placed our trust in Christ as Savior and in so doing, He has washed away all our sin! As His followers, we find great delight in His word and there our soul is nourished and satisfied. We find cleansing through His Word.
Now, let’s proceed to the Tabernacle itself! We have learned that this sacred structure is divided into two compartments...the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place. Remember, in ancient past, the Tabernacle was the place where God met with man, and so in Christ, He is our meeting place. No man cometh unto the Father but by Him (John 14:6). There is but one Mediator between God and man--the man Christ Jesus (1 Timothy 2:5). He is the One who spans the gulf between Deity and humanity because He Himself is both God and man.
The Tabernacle was simply a tent, a temporary convenience, something that was suited to be moved from place to place during the journeyings of the children of Israel. So it was when our blessed Lord tabernacled here among men. His stay was but a brief one--less than forty years; and like the type, He abode not long in any one place, but was constantly on the move, unwearied in the activity of His love.
But let’s enter behind the first curtain, and consider the three items of furniture in this Holy Place. The Door into this Tabernacle faced the east. In Genesis 3:24 we read that the Lord God "drove out the man, and He placed at the east of the garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming barrier. But here at the Tabernacle, where sin had been typically put away, the priestly family walking in the light, found a door on the eastern side of this sacred structure which admitted them into Jehovah’s dwelling place!
"And thou shalt make an hanging for the door of the tent, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen, wrought with needlework." (Exodus 26:36)

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The "blue" points to Christ as the Heavenly One, the Son of God; the "scarlet" refers to Him as the Son of man--suffering in the past, glorified on earth in a coming day. The "purple" speaks, distinctively, of the kingship of Christ, but also points to the wonderful union between His Deity and His humanity. The "hanging for the door" shut off the court of the Tabernacle from the Holy Place, yet also formed the entrance to it. It was that which gave the priests access to accomplish their service within. It spoke then, of the Christian’s worship and works being acceptable to God through the Lord Jesus Christ. Apart from the Mediator even the saints can offer nothing which our great and holy God will receive. We give thanks unto the Father "in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ" (Ephesians 5:20). It is "by Him" we are continually offering to God our sacrifice of praise (Hebrews 13:15). Our spiritual sacrifices are acceptable to God only "by Christ Jesus" (1 Peter 2:5)
Inside this sacred chamber measuring 30 feet by 15 feet and 15 feet in height, we notice the Lampstand or the Candlestick. This was the place of communion and the three pieces of furniture in this room spoke of fellowship. The Table, with its twelve loaves, pointed to Christ as the Substance of our fellowship, the One on whom we feed. The Lampstand foreshadowed Christ as the power for fellowship, as supplying the light necessary to it. The Incense-altar, prefigured Christ as maintaining our fellowship, by His intercession securing our continued acceptance before the Father.
The Lampstand had seven branches, supporting the "lighted" lamps. These foreshadowed the person and ministry of the Holy Spirit. It is the Spirit within the Sanctuary, glorifying Christ, taking of the things of Christ and showing them to His people.
There is a very remarkable Scripture in Isaiah 11 which gives us the final antitypical fulfillment of the sevenfold radiance of the Lampstand. There we read, "...there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots: And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him: The Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord."
The next item of furniture in the Holy Place we notice is the Table of Shewbread. The twelve loaves of bread were changed each Sabbath and the loaves that were removed from the table were eaten by the priests. In First Corinthians 10 the table is insep-

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arably connected with communion. The Lord’s Table is the symbol of fellowship with Christ, in separation from all that owns not His authority. The Table of Shewbread points to the person of Christ as the Sustainer of fellowship between God and His saints, the bread directing our thoughts to Christ as the Substance of it. "The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? For we being many are one bread, and one body; for we are all partakers of the one bread." (1 Corinthians 10:16,17)
We notice one more article of furniture in the Holy Place...the Golden Altar of Incense. It was for the purpose of burning incense before the Lord and incense always speaks to us of the prayers and intercession of the saints. Incense begins on the Altar with man, and as it burns, it ascends upward to God. The burning of incense also has significance when seen in relation to the ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ, our Great High Priest. The Bible says, "He ever liveth to make intercession for us." (Hebrews 7:25)
Thus, in the Holy Place we have fellowship with Christ through prayer, communion and the ministry of the Holy Spirit.
And now, as Christians, we have arrived at the location of the Veil that separates the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place. But that veil has been torn from top to bottom!
"And so, dear brothers and sister, we can boldly enter heaven’s Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus. This is the new life-giving way that Christ has opened up for us through the sacred curtain, by means of His death for us. And since we have a Great High Priest who rules over God’s people, let us go right into the presence of God, with true hearts fully trusting Him." (Hebrews 10:19-22) As the scene of the crucifixion was nearing an end. "Then Jesus shouted out again, and he gave up his spirit. At that moment the curtain in the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom." (Matthew 27)
In this sacred place, the Most Holy Place, God told Moses to place the Ark of the Covenant. The Mercy Seat formed the top of this small, gold covered box. It was here that mercy and reconciliation reigned! Praise God! The day will come when our journey here on the earth will come to end and we shall be wafted into the very presence of God and enjoy Him forever. Our Christian life begins with a divine encounter with Christ and His Cross. We experience His Spirit dwelling in us and the fellowship of the Family of God. But when He calls us home, what a day that will be...forever in His presence!