Tabernacle Tour - All Access Pass
The Tabernacle as we have learned in the blog, “Acceptable Worship”is a template design for acceptable worship as well as the design for our spiritual lives. God creates and designs all things with purpose. The Tabernacle is one creation, design, system of great purpose that is relevant today. God works within His own designs. God refuses to conform to man’s designs or religious thinking. The church; that is God’s people, should be a model of the Tabernacle both individually and corporately. Tabernacle simply means “tent, dwelling place, sanctuary.”
The tabernacle was first erected in the wilderness exactly one year after the Passover when the Israelites were freed from their Egyptian slavery (circa 1450 B.C.).
It was a mobile tent with portable furniture that the people traveled with and set up wherever they pitched camp. The tabernacle would be in the center of the camp, and the 12 tribes of Israel would set up their tents around it according to tribe. The instruction on howto build the tabernacle was first given to Moses in the wilderness, who then gave the orders to the Israelites.
Ex. 25:8 ¶ “Then have them make a sanctuary for me, and I will dwell among them.
Ex. 29:45 Then I will dwell among the Israelites and be their God.
Ex. 29:46 They will know that I am the LORD their God, who brought them out of Egypt so that I might dwell among them. I am the LORD their God.
This idea of God longing to dwell among His people has never changed. We see this example even in the garden with Adam & Eve communing in the cool of the day. Now with Jesus we see the same idea.
John 1:14 ¶ The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
Dwelling here can be interchanged with the word “Tabernacle.”Even as Jesus is a replacement of the physical Tabernacle of the Old Testament,there is still the design for the spiritual tabernacle. Template, Spiritual Realization. Even if Christians don’t recognize the design of the spiritual Tabernacle, that does not mean that the design is not there. The same design is put into place with Jesus ascension and the installment of the Holy Spirit.
John 16:7 But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go,I will send him to you.
The tabernacle is designed to experience each blessed part of the Holy Trinity; Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Ex. 25:9 Make this tabernacle and all its furnishings exactly like the pattern I will show you.
Why is this part so important? God only works within His own designs. There is great freedom and liberation inside of all of God’s designs. Satan,as a counterfeit, seduces people away from God’s designs thinking that there must be a better way. In following a false design we pay the price of loosing God’s blessings, provision and presence.
We will unpack and connect the physical Tabernacle to the Spiritual Tabernacle of the the church age. Our first encounter with the Tabernacle will be the one and only gate leading to the courtyard. There are not many ways to God. Only one way to God. Thus there is only one gate. This is the cornerstone of Good News message.
John 14:6 ¶ Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life.No one comes to the Father except through me.
This gate is 30 feet wide at the east end. The gate was, covered with a curtain with linen of blue, purple and scarlet.
John 10:9 I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture.
Matt. 7:13 ¶ “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.
Matt. 7:14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.
In this world of political correctness, we have been afraid of being called intolerant, pointing out the fact that there is only one way to heaven or salvation on earth. Jesus is the only way for salvation. Jesus is the only way to the Father. Jesus is the only way to heaven. Without the covering of Jesus, Humans are hopeless before a perfect God.
It all starts with proactively approaching and going through the gate of the Spiritual Tabernacle. God does not force us to go through the gate. We must choose to go. By going through the gate we can find forgiveness of sins and fellowship with three parts of our triune God. Knowing this ahead of time brings us to a position of thanksgiving and Joy.
Psa. 100:1 ¶ Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth.
Psa. 100:2 Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.
Psa. 100:3 Know that the LORD is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
Psa. 100:4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.
Psa. 100:5 For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.
The brazen altar, bronze altar, or altar of sacrifice was situated right inside the courtyard upon entering the gate to the tabernacle. The Hebrew root for altar means “to slay” or “slaughter.” The Latin word alta means “high.” An altar is a “high place for sacrifice/slaughter.” The altar stood raised on a mound of earth, higher than its surrounding furniture. This is a projection of Christ, our sacrifice, lifted up on the cross, His altar, which stood on a hill called Golgotha. The altar was made of wood from the acacia tree and overlaid with bronze (usually symbolic of judgment on sin in the Bible), measuring 7.5 feet on all four sides and 4.5 feet deep. Four horns projected from the top four corners and a bronze grating was inside to hold the animal. The altar was the place for burning animal sacrifices. It showed the Israelites that the first step for sinful man to approach a holy God was to be cleansed by the blood of an innocent creature. For a sin offering, a person had to bring an animal — a male one without blemish or defect from the flock or herd — to the priest at the tabernacle gate.
Leviticus 1:4 “He is to lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering,and it will be accepted on his behalf to make atonement for him.”
By laying his hand upon the head of the offering, the person was identifying with the sacrifice. His sin and guilt was being moved from himself to the animal. The priest would then slaughter the animal, sprinkle its blood in front of the veil of the Holy Place, burn the sacrifice,and pour the rest of it at the bottom of the altar. Blood is a significant agent of atonement and cleansing in the Old Testament.
Hebrews 9:22 “The law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.”
Why is blood still necessary? One of God’s attributes is justice. Forgiveness still needs payment or atonement.
If payment wasn’t made, God would not be Just. Blood equals life to God. This is the greatest sacrifice.
Leviticus 17:11 “For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one's life.”
What is the Significance of the Tabernacle Sacrifices?
Although the blood of the sacrifices covered over the sins of the Israelites, they had to perform the sacrifices year after year, for they were not freed permanently of a guilty conscience. However, Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, came as the ultimate and last sacrifice for mankind when He offered up His life. As Isaiah prophesied, the Christ would be like a lamb that is led to slaughter and pierced for our transgressions. His blood was sprinkled and poured out at the cross for us.
Mark 14:24 “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many.”
1 Peter 1:18-19 “For you know that … you were redeemed … with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.”
Hebrews 9:13-14 “The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!”
Hebrews 10:10, 14, 18 “We have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. …By one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy. …And where these have been forgiven, there is no longer any sacrifice for sin.”
2 Corinthians 5:2 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”
Horns were a symbol power and strength in biblical times.When the sacrifice was made, blood was dabbed on the horns of the altar,signifying the power of the blood to atone for sins. In the same way, there is mighty power in the blood of Christ. Jesus is the “horn of our salvation”(Psalm 18:2, Luke 1:69).
The animal sacrifices bore reference to the Passover lambs,which the Israelites slaughtered in like manner to save their firstborns from the last plague of God's judgment on Egypt (Exodus 12:1-13). Some of the Passover lambs were eaten after they were slaughtered. Just as the sacrificial lambs were sacrificed and eaten, so Jesus' body was sacrificed and"eaten." It was no coincidence that on the night before the Passover when Jesus was crucified, He “took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, ‘Take and eat; this is my body’” (Matthew 26:26).Earlier Jesus had taught His disciples:
John 6:53-56 “I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him.”
Jesus Himself is the Lamb of God as well as the Passover Lamb for those who believe in Him. Jesus is our covering to receive the Holy Spirit,enter the Holy Place and ultimately encounter The Father in the Holy of Holies or the throne room of The Father. This covering also identifies ownership. By entering the gate and receiving Jesus, we sign our own rights away and become bond servants for God. Our independence will need to broken to live a life reflecting the tabernacle that is God’s design.
Gal. 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
The laver, or basin, was a large bowl filled with water located halfway between the brazen altar and the Holy Place. Although God did not give specific measurements for the Laver, it was to be made entirely of bronze. The priests were to wash their hands and their feet in it before entering the Holy Place. The laver was located in a convenient place for washing and stood as a reminder that people need cleansing before approaching God. The priests atoned for their sins through a sacrifice at the brazen altar,but they cleansed themselves at the laver before serving in the Holy Place, so that they would be pure and not die before a holy God.
The application for believers today is that we are forgiven through Christ’s work on the cross, but we are washed through on going sanctification. Sanctification means to bring something back its original design and intention. Sanctification only happens when we identify our sin.This is called repentance. The trouble with popular Christian movements today are that they do not address sin, there is no cleansing, therefor there is no authentic holy place experience with the Holy Spirit. It leaves people in the outer court of the tabernacle. The word repent or repentance happens 56 times in the New Testament.
Matt. 3:1 ¶ In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the Desert of Judea
Matt. 3:2 and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.”
Luke 24:46 He told them, “This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day,
Luke 24:47 and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.
2Pet. 3:9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
2Pet. 3:10 ¶ But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare.
2Pet. 3:11 ¶ Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives.
Deliverance doesn’t happen without repentance. You will not be delivered from a sin or its consequence if you are not aware of sin. Hinduism,Buddhism, and new age thinking removed repentance because in these belief systems there is no personal relationship with God.
1John 1:4 We write this to make our joy complete.
1John 1:5 ¶ This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.
1John 1:6 If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth.
1John 1:7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us fromall sin.
1John 1:8 ¶ If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.
1John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
1John 1:10 If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.
What are the agents of cleansing that God offers? God’s Word is the best place to start because all instruction regarding God’s design starts here. We need to be washed ongoing in His Word that will provide the what and how of cleansing, so that we can serve and minister before Him.
Eph. 5:25 ¶ Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her
Eph. 5:26 to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word,
Eph. 5:27 and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.
The next weapon is the appropriation of the Blood of Jesus in every part of our lives.
Heb. 10:19 ¶ Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus,
Heb. 10:20 by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body,
Heb. 10:21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God,
Heb. 10:22 let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.
The Most Holy Place where we are encouraged to enter is the Holy of Holies or now the throne room of God. We can only enter with the covering of blood that is Christ Jesus.
The new living way is this tabernacle model that God has altered and placed in existence through Jesus. There is only one priest allowed in the Holy of Holies. That is still true yet God will allow each of us to enter with Jesus the Great Priest! Like worship, cleansing (deliverance) only happens in spirit and in truth. The pure water here is a reference to physical baptism and as well a spiritual baptism of the living water of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit baptism is necessary for authentic interchange in the Holy Place;the next stop on our Tour of the Tabernacle.
Our next agent of cleansing (Deliverance) are specific prayers of authority. Not Shot Gun Prayers. Jesus never prayed shot gun prayers.
Matt. 18:18 ¶ “I tell you the truth, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.
Eph. 6:10 ¶ Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.
Eph. 6:11 Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.
Eph. 6:12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
This armor that is spoken of is figurative language there presents our character and authority in Jesus. Truth is a belt, Righteousness is a breastplate, Gospel of Peace are like shoes, Faith is a shield, Salvation is a helmet, The Spirit is a sword that is navigated by the Word. The authority that we take in the Spirit of Jesus is the only authority for deliverance.
God doesn’t want us taking our demons into the Holy Place or the Holy of Holies. He wants us cleansed, delivered and healed.
Mark 16:15 ¶ He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.
Mark 16:16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. (Only one way into the gate of the Tabernacle.)
Mark 16:17 And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues;
Mark 16:18 they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.”
Mark 16:19 ¶ After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, he was taken up into heaven and he sat at the right hand of God.
Most of the time, the last things that people say before they leave are usually the most important. These commands are very important and they fit right into the Tabernacle model both corporately and personally.
1Cor. 6:15 Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ himself? Shall I then take the members of Christ and unite them with a prostitute? Never!
1Cor. 6:16 Do you not know that he who unites himself with a prostitute is one with her in body? For it is said, “The two will become one flesh.”
1Cor. 6:17 But he who unites himself with the Lord is one with him inspirit.
1Cor. 6:18 ¶ Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a man commits are outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body.
1Cor. 6:19 Do you not know that your body is a temple (very close the word Tabernacle) of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;
1Cor. 6:20 you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.
Our next stop on our Tabernacle Tour is the Holy Place.
This is where we find three very significant items of ministry before God: Branched Lamp Stand, Table Of Shewbread, and the Alter of Incense. We will unpack each of these in the weeks to come. The Holy Place was only accessible to priests before the sacrifice of Jesus Christ that now allows believers an all access pass. The holy place measured 30 ft long by 15 ft wide and 15 ft high. 6750 cubic feet. The number 15 in the bible pictures rest that happens after deliverance. 30 represents dedication to a task or calling plus fulfillment of prophecy. Ex. Jesus sold for 30 pieces of silver. The facts tell us that the early Christian church followed the Trinitarian tabernacle model in their architecture and worship. Even today we see it in architecture with Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox and Anglican Churches. The whole point of the Tabernacle was to draw people closer to God. It is God’s design to encounter and experience Him. Interface with Him!
A repentant sinner could now walk forward through the Tabernacle and get closer to the presence of an almighty God both covered and cleansed through deliverance. This is an idea that many churches have not subscribed to. Where the average person had to stop, and a priest take over, we now can keep going and experience this Holy Place that is the transition from physical world to Spiritual realms. We meet the Holy Spirit represented by the Branched Lamp Stand. Let’s discuss the Holy Spirit.
John 14:15 ¶ “If you love me, you will obey what I command.
John 14:16 And I will ask the Father,and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever —
John 14:17 the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.
John 14:18 I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.
John 14:19 Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live.
John 14:20 On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.
The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Jesus that is through outreach Part of the Tabernacle.
John 15:26 ¶ “When the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me.
We can’t truly know Jesus without being baptized in the Holy Spirit. After washing their hands and feet at the laver,the priests could enter the Holy Place, which was the first room in the tent of the tabernacle. There were three pieces of furniture in the Holy Place: the menorah, the table of Shewbread and the golden altar of incense.
The menorah, also called the “golden lamp stand” or“candlestick,” stood at the left side of the Holy Place. It was hammered out of one piece of pure gold. Like for the laver, there were no specific instructions about the size of the menorah, but the fact that it was fashioned out of one piece of pure gold would have limited its size.The lamp stand had a central branch from which three branches extended from each side, forming a total of seven branches. Seven lamps holding olive oil and wicks stood on top of the branches. Each branch looked like that of an almond tree, containing buds,blossoms and flowers. The priests were instructed to keep the lamps burning continuously.
Leviticus 24:1-3 “The Lord said to Moses, ‘Command the Israelites to bring you clear oil of pressed olives for the light so that the lamps may be kept burning continually. Outside the curtain of the Testimony in the Tent of Meeting, Aaron is to tend the lamps before the Lord from evening till morning,continually.’”
The lamp stand was the only source of light in the Holy Place,so without it, it would be dark. The same is true inside of each of us. The light shone upon the table of Shewbread and the altar of incense, enabling the priests to fellowship with God and intercede on behalf of God’s people. The articles in the Holy Place have no specific processional order that shows God’s design for freedom as a model for today. Just as the lamp stand was placed in God’s dwelling place so that the priests could approach God, Jesus gave us an opportunity to finally see God with His covering.
John 1:9 The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.
John 8:12 “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
John 12:46 “I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness.”
One parallel: Jesus is represented by the main branch of the lamp stand, and we as believers are represented by the six branches that extend from original branch.
John 15:5 ¶ “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.
Eph. 5:8 ¶ For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light
Eph. 5:9 (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness,righteousness and truth)
Eph. 5:10 and find out what pleases the Lord.
Eph. 5:11 Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.
Jesus calls us “light of the world” and commands us to “let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5: 14, 16). Two other significant symbols that can be seen from include the fact that it was made of pure gold (not gold plated) and had seven branches. Pure gold is are presentation of the deity and perfection of Jesus Christ, and seven is the number of completeness in the Bible. The believer is made complete by the perfection of Christ.
Rev. 4:5 From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder. Before the throne, seven lamps were blazing. These are the seven spirits of God.
Is. 11:2 The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him — the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD.
This is One manifested part of our triune God that is commissioned to be present (Yahweh Shammah) upon this earth and take residence inside of each of us. The Father resides in the throne room that is not on this earth and Jesus with his glorified body sits at the Father’s right hand.
John 16:7 But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.
John 16:8 When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment:
John 16:9 in regard to sin, because men do not believe in me;
John 16:10 in regard to righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer;
John 16:11 and in regard to judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned.
John 16:12 ¶ “I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear.
John 16:13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears,and he will tell you what is yet to come.
John 16:14 He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you.
John 16:15 All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will take from what is mine and make it known to you.
John 16:16 ¶ “In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me.”
There is a two-fold revelation in that final statement: 1. We will see Jesus at His second perusia (Coming).
2. Jesus will be our visible High Priest covering for entering the Holy of Holies and or the throne room of the Father. We are as miniature triune walking tabernacles of body, soul/spirit, and Holy Spirit. Corporately,as a cleansed church, we will experience all that God has promised with the Holy Spirit. Truth, salvation, healing, deliverance, revelation, prophecy, all the fruits of the spirit, all the gifts of the spirit. Corporately, as a church not cleansed, we can experience more of the same inauthentic, even demonic manifestations in the Holy Place. How, earth is strategically positioned by God between heaven and hell which means we can have manifestations of both within the same proximity. This why Christians can still enter the Holy Place in worship and be demonically oppressed and even leave the same way. The Holy Spirit wants us clean and free so we can have ultimate freedom with Him in the Holy Place.
The table of Shewbread was a small table made of acacia wood and overlaid with pure gold. It measured 3 feet by 1.5 feet and was 2 feet, 3 inches high. It stood on the right side of the Holy Place across from the lamp stand and held 12 loaves of bread, representing the 12 tribes of Israel. The priests baked the bread with fine flour and it remained on the table before the Lord for a week; every Sabbath day the priests would remove it and eat it in the Holy Place, then put fresh bread on the table. Only priests could eat the bread, and it could only be eaten in the Holy Place, because it was holy. "On the festivals, the table would be raised aloft and displayed to the pilgrims. The priests would call out: 'Behold how precious you are to God! The bread was removed as required, but though seven days have passed they are still hot as if freshly baked' (BT Menachot 29:A). "This was one of the miracles experienced in the Holy Temple, revealing to all that the Divine Presence indeed rested there. The rabbis further relate that when the breads were distributed to the priests, each received a measure the size of a bean seed . . . and yet they ate it and were completely satiated!" “Shewbread” also was called “bread of the presence” because it was to be always in the Lord’s presence. “Bread of the face” Bread in which God is seen. The table and the bread were a picture of God’s willingness to fellowship and communion (literally speaking, sharing something in common) with man.
"Shewbread" mentioned in scripture, you will notice there is NO MENTION of its being "unleavened." The Scriptures merely state that it was LECHEM -- THAT IS, "BREAD."Could this have been leavened bread? They refer to the bread as loaves or cakes. It most likely was, since the word for "unleavened," matzah, is NOWHERE USED in regard to the"Shewbread"! Certainly, if God had commanded that the Shewbread be made of UNleavened bread, His Word would have stated such! There is no such commandment in all the Scriptures pertaining to the "Shewbread." In this case,"leaven" obviously does not pertain to "sin." God would never accept "SIN" as an offering to Him. Rather, the leaven portrays the Holy Spirit, as it does in the parable of the women who hid two measures of leaven in her meal, until the whole was "leavened" -- a type of the action and working of YEHOVAH's holy spirit, which over time makes us holy, and converts our human nature into YEHOVAH's divine nature through ongoing cleansing. Blood covering with repentance and authoritative prayer against demonic oppression.
Matt. 13:33 ¶ He told them still another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into a large amount of flour until it worked all through the dough.”
Yeast changes the “Nature” of the bread just like God wants to change the Nature of a human to that of His Son Jesus. This is God’s design for the Holy Spirit working through every part of our life and our church in the Holy Place. What IS "unleavened bread"? What does it picture?In the book of Exodus it is referred to as "the bread of AFFLICTION."
Deut. 16:3 Do not eat it with bread made with yeast, but for seven days eat unleavened bread, the bread of affliction, because you left Egypt in haste— so that all the days of your life you may remember the time of your departure from Egypt.
It pictures hard times, suffering, urgency, a tough road,trials and tribulations. Paul also speaks of "the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.”
1Cor. 5:8 Therefore let us keep the Festival, not with the old yeast,the yeast of malice and wickedness, but with bread without yeast, the bread of sincerity and truth.
How are sincerity and truth related to our afflictions?Simple. As David put it: "Before I was afflicted I went astray: but now have I kept thy word" (Psalm 119:67). Afflictions are good for us, in that they lead us to trust in and depend upon God. Totality Teaching!
"Most commentators understand the Presence-bread as an expression of thankfulness and standing acknowledgment on the part of the children of Israel that God was the Giver of man's daily necessities" It was like an invitation to share a meal, an extension of friendship.
Eating together often is an act of fellowship. God was willing for man to enter into Jesus (Holy Spirits) presence to fellowship with Him, and this invitation was always open. Jesus exemplified this when He ate with tax collectors, prostitutes and the sinners of Jewish society. But this was more than just a gesture of friendship on earth. Jesus came to call sinners to Him, make them right with God, so that they could enjoy everlasting fellowship with God.
John 6:35, 49-50 “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty. … Your forefathers ate the manna in the desert, yet they died. But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which a man may eat and not die.”
God so desires our fellowship that He was willing to come to earth from heaven as our “bread of life” (Jesus) to give eternal life to all those who would partake in it. At Jesus’ last Passover meal with His disciples,Jesus described Himself as bread again:
Luke 22:19 ¶ And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.”
Jesus’ “Given” body is our only access to fellowship with God.
Today, we celebrate the Lord’s Supper, or communion, to remember this important truth. And today, as in the day of Moses’ tabernacle,God still desires to have fellowship and sit down for a feast with His people.
Revelations 3:20 “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.”
The golden altar of incense, which is not to be confused with the brazen altar, sat in front of the curtain that separated the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies. This altar was smaller than the brazen altar. It was a square with each side measuring 1.5 feet and was 3 feet high. It was made of acacia wood and overlaid with pure gold. Four horns protruded from the four corners of the altar. God commanded the priests to burn incense on the golden altar every morning and evening, the same time that the daily burnt offerings were made. The incense was to be left burning continually throughout the day and night as a pleasing aroma to the Lord. It was made of an equal part of four precious spices (stacte, onycha, galbanum and frankincense)and was considered holy. God commanded the Israelites not to use the same formula outside the tabernacle to make perfume for their own consumption;otherwise, they were to be cut off from their people (Exodus 30:34-38). The incense was a symbol of the prayers, intercession and worship of the people going up to God as a sweet fragrance. God wanted His dwelling to be a place where people could approach Him and pray to Him.
Isaiah 56:7 “…for my house will be called a house of prayer for all nations.”
Matt. 21:12 ¶ Jesus entered the temple area and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves.
Matt. 21:13 “It is written,” he said to them, “‘My house will be called a house of prayer,’ but you are making it a ‘den of robbers.’”
Matt. 21:14 ¶ The blind and the lame came to him at the temple, and he healed them.
This is a picture of what God expects our Holy Place to be like. In the church age we can ascribe the den of robbers as demonic oppression in the life of an individual. In Jesus authority they are cast out. After the deliverance healing happens. Cleansed, our being becomes a more acceptable temple. The picture of prayers wafting up to heaven like incense is captured in David’s psalm and also in John’s vision in Revelation:
Psalm 141:2 “May my prayer be set before you like incense; may the lifting up of my hands be like the evening sacrifice.”
Revelations 8:3-4 “Another angel, who had a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense to offer, with the prayers of all the saints, on the golden altar before the throne. The smoke of the incense,together with the prayers of the saints, went up before God from the angel’s hand.”
The golden altar is a representation of Christ, who is our intercessor before God the Father. During His days on earth, Jesus prayed for the believers. He was like the high priest of the tabernacle, who bore the names of each of the Israelite tribes on his breastplate before God. Just before He was betrayed and sentenced to death, Jesus interceded for His disciples and all believers, asking God to guard them from evil and sanctify them by His Word, and that they may see God’s glory and be a witness to the world (John 17:1-26). Today, Jesus still is our high priest at the Father’s side, interceding for God’s people:
Romans 8:34 “Christ Jesus, who died — more than that, who was raised to life — is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.”
Notice again where Jesus ultimately resides at the right hand of the Father in the throne room. This is different than the Holy Place. Since we have been forgiven of our sins through the blood of Christ, we also come boldly in prayer in Jesus’ name. When we pray in Jesus’ name, we are praying based on the work He has done and not on our own merit. It is in His powerful name that we are saved and baptized, and in His name we live, speak and act.
John 14:13-14 “And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.”
The horns of the golden altar were sprinkled with blood from the animal sacrifice to cleanse and purify it from the sins of the Israelites much like the the horns of the Brazen alter horns as well.
Lev. 4:7 The priest shall then put some of the blood on the horns of the altar of fragrant incense that is before the LORD in the Tent of Meeting.The rest of the bull’s blood he shall pour out at the base of the altar of burnt offering at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.
Just as the horns on the brazen altar represent the power of Christ’s blood to forgive sins, the horns on golden altar signify the power of His blood in prayer as we confess our sins and ask for His forgiveness.
Repentance is intertwined in the entire design of the tabernacle both old and new testament designs. Sin is not minimized because of Jesus blood. Sin is covered by Jesus blood.
James 5:15-16 And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven.Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that youmay be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.”
This is another conditional verse in the NT in reference to repentance just like 1 John 1:9.
1John 1:8 ¶ If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.
1John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
1John 1:10 If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.
We are now coming to end of our Tabernacle tour.
We now find ourselves in the most interesting and cherished place of all; the Holy of Holies. Within the Holy Place of the tabernacle,there was an inner room called the Holy of Holies, or the Most Holy Place. Judging from its name, we can see that it was a most sacred room, a place no ordinary person could enter. It was God’s special dwelling place in the midst of His people. During the Israelites’ wanderings in the wilderness, God appeared as a pillar of cloud or fire in and above the Holy of Holies. The Holy of Holies was a perfect cube — its length, width and height were all equal to 15 feet. The number 15 in the bible pictures rest that happens after deliverance.
A thick curtain separated the Holy of Holies from the Holy Place. This curtain, known as the “veil,” was made of fine linen and blue,purple and scarlet yarn. There were figures of cherubim (angels) embroidered onto it. Cherubim, spirits who serve God, were in the presence of God to demonstrate His almighty power and majesty. They also guarded the throne of God. These cherubim were also on the innermost layer of covering of the tent. If one looked upward, they would see the cherubim figures. The word “veil” in Hebrew means a screen, divider or separator that hides. What was this curtain hiding? The Veil was shielding a holy God from sinful man. Whoever entered into the Holy of Holies was entering the very presence of God. In fact, anyone except the high priest who entered the Holy of Holies would die. Even the high priest, God’s chosen mediator with His people, could only pass through the veil and enter this sacred dwelling once a year, on a prescribed day called the Day of Atonement. The picture of the veil was that of a barrier between man and God,showing man that the holiness of God could not be messed with. God’s eyes are too pure to look on evil and He can tolerate no sin.
Hab. 1:13 Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity: wherefore lookest thou upon them that deal treacherously, and holdest thy tongue when the wicked devoureth the man that is more righteous than he?
Iniquity is the propensity to sin: an inclination or natural tendency to behave in a particular way. The veil was a barrier to make sure that man could not carelessly and irreverently enter into God’s awesome presence.
Is it possible that we are not encountering God in His Holy Place / Throne Room for a lack of the quality of reverence. Even as the high priest entered the Holy of Holies on the Day of Atonement, he had to make some meticulous preparations: He had to wash himself (picture of repentance and deliverance), Put on special clothing: (Garments are study unto themselves. God recognizes that Holy Garments elevate the wearer. There are Garments that represent Praise, Healing, Dedication, Forgiveness.) The High Priest brought burning incense to let the smoke cover his eyes from a direct view of God, and brought blood with him to make atonement for sins.
Hebrews 9:7 “But only the high priest entered the inner room, and that only once a year, and never without blood, which he offered for himself and for the sins the people had committed in ignorance.”
So the presence of God remained shielded from man behind a thick curtain during the history of Israel. However, Jesus’ sacrificial death on the cross changed that. When He died, the curtain in the Jerusalem temple was torn in half, from the top to the bottom. Only God could have carried out such an incredible feat because the veil was too high for human hands to have reached it, and too thick to have torn it. (The Jerusalem temple, a replica of the wilderness tabernacle, had a curtain that was about 60 feet in height, 30 feet in width and four inches thick.) Furthermore, it was torn from top down,meaning this act must have come from above. As the veil was torn, the Holy of Holies was exposed. God’s presence was now accessible to all.
Shocking as this may have been to the priests ministering in the temple that day, it is indeed good news to us as believers, because we know that Jesus’ death has atoned for our sins and made us right before God. The torn veil illustrated Jesus’ body broken for us, opening the way for us to come to God. As Jesus cried out “It is finished!” on the cross, He was indeed proclaiming that God’s redemptive plan was now complete. The age of animal offerings was over. The ultimate offering had been sacrificed.
Heb. 6:19 We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain,
Heb. 6:20 where Jesus, who went before us, has entered on our behalf.He has become a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.
The Holy of Holies is a representation of heaven itself,God’s dwelling place, which we have access now through Christ. In Revelations,John’s vision of heaven — the New Jerusalem — also was a perfect square, just as the Holy of Holies was.
Rev. 21:16 The city was laid out like a square, as long as it was wide.He measured the city with the rod and found it to be 12,000 stadia (stadiums) in length, and as wide and high as it is long.
Heb. 9:8 The Holy Spirit was showing by this that the way into the Most Holy Place had not yet been disclosed as long as the first tabernacle was still standing.
The Holy Spirit used the pattern of the OT tabernacle to teach important truths. The limited access into the Most Holy Place was meant to bring home the fact that ordinary people had no direct access to the presence of God. Now, however, people do have such access through the finished work of Christ.
Heb. 9:9 This is an illustration for the present time, indicating that the gifts and sacrifices being offered were not able to clear the conscience of the worshiper.
“This is an illustration for the present time.” That is, the real meaning of the tabernacle can now be understood.
The trouble with the sacrificial offerings of the old covenant was that they could not “clear the conscience of the worshiper.” The ordinances of the old covenant had been external. They had not been able to come to grips with the real problem, that of the troubled conscience. This could be demonic oppression and your own heart condemning each of us.
1John 3:18 Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.
1John 3:19 This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence
1John 3:20 whenever our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything.
1John 3:21 ¶ Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God
1John 3:22 and receive from him anything we ask, because we obey his commands and do what pleases him.
Heb. 9:10 They are only a matter of food and drink and various ceremonial washings — external regulations applying until the time of the new order.
All such things the author dismisses as “external regulations.” They have their place, but only “until the time of the new order.” The new covenant Christ brought has replaced all the merely external regulations of the old way.
Heb. 9:11 ¶ When Christ came as high priest of the good things that are already here, he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not man-made, that is to say, not a part of this creation.
This is the New Testament model that we have been discussing.The sacrifices of the old covenant were ineffectual. In strong contrast Christ made an offering that secures a redemption valid for all eternity. Many see a reference to heaven in “a greater and more perfect tabernacle”; others think of Christ’s flesh, his glorified body, or his people. Some suggestions seem negated by the words “not man-made, that is to say, not a part of this creation”.
Heb. 9:12 He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves;but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption.
Heb. 9:13 The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean.
The verb “sanctify”, often used of the moral and spiritual process of “sanctification,” here refers to a ritual matter. The Levitical system is not dismissed as useless. It had its values and was effective within its limits. But those limits were concerned with what is outward. It is a template for inner cleansing.
Heb. 9:14 How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!
Atonement must be seen in the light of God’s demand for uprightness in a world where people sin constantly. No view of atonement can be satisfactory that does not regard the divine demand. “Unblemished.” We can’t effectively serve God without authentic cleansing.
Heb. 9:15 ¶ For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant,that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance — now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant.
Heb. 9:16 ¶ In the case of a will, it is necessary to prove the death of the one who made it,
Heb. 9:17 because a will is in force only when somebody has died; it never takes effect while the one who made it is living.
Heb. 9:18 This is why even the first covenant was not put into effect without blood.
Heb. 9:19 When Moses had proclaimed every commandment of the law to all the people, he took the blood of calves, together with water, scarlet wooland branches of hyssop, and sprinkled the scroll and all the people.
Heb. 9:20 He said, “This is the blood of the covenant, which God has commanded you to keep.”
Heb. 9:21 In the same way, he sprinkled with the blood both the tabernacle and everything used in its ceremonies.
Heb. 9:22 In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.
Heb. 9:23 ¶ It was necessary, then, for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with these sacrifices, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.
Heb. 9:24 For Christ did not enter a man-made sanctuary that was only a copy of the true one; he entered heaven itself, now to appear for us in God’s presence.
A “man-made” sanctuary is a “copy” of the true one. This word as used here means that the tabernacle is the shadow of the real thing; the earthly antitype points us to the heavenly reality, “the true one.” Here is that covering picture again that we can’t enter without the covering of Jesus blood. We ourselves are not fit to stand before God and plead our case, and in any event we are on earth and not in God’s heaven. Therefor God’s design must accommodate our visits to the Holy Of Holies by way of the covering of Jesus our High Priest and translating through some type of dimensional veil that does separate humans from heaven.
Heb. 9:25 Nor did he enter heaven to offer himself again and again,the way the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood that is not his own.
Heb. 9:26 Then Christ would have had to suffer many times since the creation of the world. But now he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself.
Heb. 9:27 Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment,
Heb. 9:28 so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.
So this is not the whole story. Christ will come back a second time, and then he will not be concerned with sin. How & why? Sin was dealt with finally at his first coming.
He gave us everything we need to deal with Satan the author of sin. We have Jesus blood and his authority to set every captive free. For Jesus there is nothing more that He needs to do. The second time he will come“to bring
salvation.” We have the return of Christ Spirit through the Holy Spirit that secures a person for the day of redemption. This allows for holy place encounters with the Holy Spirit. We have ongoing baptisms and afterglows with the Holy Spirit. All different than the Holy of Holies encounters. Jesus true second parusia will be the ultimate consummation of salvation, healing,and deliverance. At that point each chosen believer will completely saved,healed and delivered. This is the ultimate ministry of Jesus Christ!
Within the Holy of Holies, was one piece of furniture comprising two parts: the Ark of the Covenant and the atonement cover (or“mercy seat”) on top of it. The ark was a chest made of acacia wood, overlaid with pure gold inside and out. It was 3 feet, 9 inches long and 2 feet, 3 inches wide and high. God commanded Moses to put in the ark three items: a golden pot of manna, Aaron’s staff that had budded, and the two stone tablets on which the Ten Commandments were written. The atonement cover was the lid for the ark. On top of it stood two cherubim (angels) at the two ends, facing each other. The cherubim, symbols of God’s divine presence and power, were facing downward toward the ark with outstretched wings that covered the atonement cover. The whole structure was beaten out of one piece of pure gold. The atonement cover was God’s dwelling place in the tabernacle. It was His throne, flanked by angels. God said to Moses:
Exodus 25:22 “There, above the cover between the two cherubim that are over the ark of the Testimony, I will meet with you and give you all my commands for the Israelites.”
Leviticus 16:2 “Tell your brother Aaron not to come whenever he chooses into the Most Holy Place behind the curtain in front of the atonement cover on the ark, or else he will die, because I appear in the cloud over the atonement cover.”
Other Scriptures also speak of God’s throne:
2 Samuel 6:2 “…the ark of God, which is called by the Name, the name of the Lord Almighty, who is enthroned between the cherubim that are on the ark.”
Isaiah 37:16 “O Lord Almighty, God of Israel, enthroned between the cherubim, you alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth.”
Above the ark and the atonement cover, God appeared in His glory in “unapproachable light.”
1Tim. 6:16 who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light,whom no one has seen or can see. To him be honor and might forever. Amen.
This light is sometimes referred to as the Shekinah glory.The word Shekinah, although it does not appear in our English bibles, has the same roots as the word for tabernacle in Hebrew and refers to the presence of the Lord. Because the ark was God’s throne among His people, it was a symbol of His presence and power with them wherever it went. There are quite a number of miracles recorded in the Old Testament surrounding the ark: Parting of the river Jordan, Lost battles without the Ark, Philistine idol fell over,Philistine plagues. The word ark means: a container for precious cargo. Other famous arks are Noah’s ark & the New Testament church.
Articles in the Ark of the Covenant: a jar of bread, a stick and two stones. The three articles represented some of the most embarrassing and disgraceful events in the history of the Israelites. First let’s discuss the pot of manna: God had provided this bread-like food for the Israelites when they grumbled during the wanderings in the desert. It was bread from heaven! Second,Aaron’s staff that had budded: The people, out of jealousy, rebelled against Aaron as their high priest. God confirmed his choice of Aaron’s household as the priestly line by a dead stick that came to life. The staff reminded the Israelites that on more than one occasion, they had rejected God’s authority. Third, the two stone tablets with the Ten Commandments: God had chosen the Israelites as His special people. For the Israelites to qualify for that distinction, they must obey His Law, the Ten Commandments. This was a conditional agreement:
Exodus 19:5-6 “Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.”
Over and over again, they violated God’s holy Law. When God looked down from His presence above the ark, He did not see the reminders of sin. They were covered by a necessary object — the atonement cover. The Israelites found acceptance with God by believing His word to be true — that when their sins were covered by blood, God temporarily overlooked their sins as if they had been obliterated. But Jesus Christ has become our permanent atonement cover. The atonement cover was God’s throne in the midst of the Israelites. God is on His throne today in heaven and Jesus, our high priest, is at His right side. When we come to God now, we approach a throne of grace.
Hebrews 4:16 “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence,so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”
Articles in the Ark — Revisited: The three items in the ark actually point to Jesus. Manna,the bread from heaven, in itself did not impart life. But Jesus told us that He is the true bread from heaven.
John 6:32, 48-50 “Jesus said to them, ‘I tell you the truth, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. I am the bread of life. Your forefathers ate the manna in the desert, yet they died. But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which a man may eat and not die.’”
Second, Aaron’s budding staff: Jesus didn’t reject God’s authority. Instead, He submitted Himself to the Father’s will and died on the cross. Then Jesus came back to life like Aaron’s budding rod, “the first fruits from the dead” Third, the Ten Commandments: Jesus didn’t reject God’s right standard of living. He lived a sinless life and obeyed God’s law perfectly,becoming our perfect sacrifice and intercessor. His sacrifice instituted a new covenant that was not based on the Law.
Rom. 3:20 Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin.
Rom. 3:21 ¶ But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify.
Rom. 3:22 This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference,
Rom. 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
Rom. 3:24 and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.
Jesus covers and gives us the weapons to right the wrongs of the consequences of our rebellion and take back the ground that either Satan stole or was simply handed. The Tabernacle has Jesus throughout and is God’s design for worship and for life!
