by
Bachelors in Theology
2009
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Contents
2
Acknowledgments..................................................................iii
3
Introduction............................................................................iv
4
Chapter 1 - The Tabernacle.....................................................5
5
Chapter 2 - The Outer Court..................................................13
6
Chapter 3 - The Holy Place....................................................34
7
Chapter 4 - The Most Holy Place............................................50
8
Chapter 5 - Christ Jesus in the Tabernacle.............................64
9
Conclusion............................................................................67
10
Bibliography..........................................................................68
11
Bibliography
12
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
13
INTRODUCTION
14
CHAPTER 1 - THE TABERNACLE
15
book of Exodus chapter 25 are revealed to us the tabernacle
plan for salvation, not only for the children of Israel but also to
all those who trust and believe in the person and work of
Christ Jesus.
“And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the
children of Israel, that they bring me an offering: of every
an that giveth it willingly with his heart ye shall take my
offering. And this is the offering which ye shall take of them;
gold, and silver, and brass, And blue, and purple, and
scarlet, and fine linen, and goats' hair, And rams' skins dyed
red, and badgers' skins, and shittim wood, Oil for the light,
spices for anointing oil, and for sweet incense, Onyx stones,
and stones to be set in the ephod, and in the breastplate.
And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among
them. According to all that I shew thee, after the pattern of
the tabernacle, and the pattern of all the instruments
thereof, even so shall ye make it.” Exodus 25:1-9
Moses was called up into the mount to receive the plans for
the building’s construction, along with the details of the
materials to be used in the construction; additionally giving
16
instructions on who should build certain parts of the building
and its furnishings. What joy it most had been for Moses to
bear witness to the plans of the tabernacle along with the fact
that God would use it to dwell among the Israelites on earth.
So great and important was the tabernacle in God’s plan of
redemption that at least 50 chapters in the Bible are given for
the explanation of its pattern, construction, and service.
Nothing was left to chance that Moses would add his own
interpretation or ideas to the plan, as God revealed to him in
exacting detail every aspect of the tabernacle’s construction.
And more than 20 times in the book of Exodus do we read,
“as the Lord commanded Moses.” So it was not a mere
suggestion or recommendation for the construction of the
tabernacle, but God’s exact command that had to be followed
to the letter.
17
“And the children of Israel did according to the word of
Moses; and they borrowed of the Egyptians jewels of silver,
and jewels of gold, and raiment: And the LORD gave the
people favour in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they lent
unto them such things as they required. And they spoiled
the Egyptians.”
And so, with the spoils from the Egyptians; and those
obtained from there victory over the Amalekites (Antiquities
of the Jews - Book III, Chapter 5); as well as materials that
readily available in the wilderness. The tabernacle was in the
form of a tent 10 cubits wide and 30 cubits long having its
only entrance facing the east. The tent was composed of a
wooden framework made of 46 identical planks of wood 10
cubits long and 1½ cubit wide; there were planks each on the
north and south sides. Six of the planks were on the west end,
along with two additional planks that were ½ cubit wide. Each
of the planks stood vertically and rested on two sockets of
pure silver, which were the parts that were embedded in the
sand. Each of the boards was fastened together by five
horizontal gold-plated bars which passed through golden
hoops attached to each of the boards, thus uniting them into
a solid, rigid wall. All of the planks were made of acacia wood
plated with gold.
18
goats’ hair. The third covering was of rams’ skins dyed red.
The outer most covering was leather made from the skin of
badgers; some English translations state that the outer
covering was porpoise skins or sea cow skins; in either case
the outer covering was meant to be water resistant and able
to withstand the harsh environment.
19
was divided into two unequal parts. The front room or the
eastern facing room was 30 feet long and 15 feet wide and 15
feet high; and was called the Holy Place. The rear room was
separated by a veil was called the most Holy Place and was in
the shape of a cube, 15 x 15 x 15 feet.
For almost 500 years the tabernacle served as a place for God
to dwell among His people, and a place where His people
could draw near to Him.
20
While the Israelites were in conquest of the land of Canaan,
the tabernacle stayed at Gilgal, while the Ark of the Covenant
was carried from place to place with the armies of Israel. The
tabernacle was finally placed on the site it was to occupy
during the duration of the period of conquest and judges, and
that place was Shiloh (Joshua 18:1). As the years passed other
structures were added to the tabernacle while it was at Shiloh.
These included the living quarters for the priests and Levites
who served at the tabernacle. By the end of the period of the
judges, during the administration of Eli, at least some of the
priests lived on the tabernacle grounds (1 Samuel 3:3).
21
the second veil, the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of
all; Which had the golden censer, and the ark of the
covenant overlaid round about with gold, wherein was the
golden pot that had manna, and Aaron's rod that budded,
and the tables of the covenant; And over it the cherubims of
glory shadowing the mercyseat; of which we cannot now
speak particularly. Now when these things were thus
ordained, the priests went always into the first tabernacle,
accomplishing the service of God. But into the second went
the high priest alone once every year, not without blood,
which he offered for himself, and for the errors of the
people: The Holy Ghost this signifying, that the way into the
holiest of all was not yet made manifest, while as the first
tabernacle was yet standing: Which was a figure for the
time then present, in which were offered both gifts and
sacrifices, that could not make him that did the service
perfect, as pertaining to the conscience; Which stood only in
meats and drinks, and divers washings, and carnal
ordinances, imposed on them until the time of reformation.
But Christ being come an high priest of good things to
come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made
with hands, that is to say, not of this building; Neither by
the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he
entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal
redemption for us.”
22
figure of the true Tabernacle in heaven, where Christ is
enthroned in His High priestly ministry (Hebrews 9:23-24).
Here Paul states that the church is “an holy temple in the
Lord: in whom ye also are built together for an habitation of
God through the Spirit.” In this Scripture note that the word
temple is not the physical Temple with its porches and
surrounding buildings, but is the inner sanctuary, the holy of
holies. From the time of Christ’s death and ascension into
heaven God no longer dwells in physical structures but in the
spiritual body of the believer by way of the Holy Spirit, who
collectively make up the church. The Tabernacle, as well as
the Temple was holy and set apart for God’s service; likewise,
the church is holy and consecrated to His service. Today God
dwells in each believer by the Holy Spirit, forming us into His
Temple.
23
As we dig deeper into the workings of the tabernacle we will
come to know that it not only prefigures Christ and the
church, but it also prefigures the individual Christian. Paul tells
us this in 1 Corinthians 6:19.
24
throne of our heavenly Father is by way of belief in the life,
work, and death of Christ Jesus.
25
CHAPTER 2 - THE OUTER COURT
The outer court was the area inside the linen fence excluding
the tabernacle. Entering into the gate brought you to the
overwhelming beauty of the gold and brazen furnishing just
beyond the entrance.
The brazen altar was the first article of furnishings that you
encounter once entering into the tabernacle gate, and was
used for the sacrifice of animals for the sins of the people;
placed as God had commanded in Exodus 40:6.
“And thou shalt set the altar of the burnt offering before the
door of the tabernacle of the tent of the congregation.”
“And thou shalt set the laver between the tent of the
congregation and the altar, and shalt put water therein.”
In the brazen laver was placed water that the priests used to
cleanse themselves before entering into the Holy Place of the
tabernacle.
26
north and south sides, and 75 feet long on the west, and 45
feet long on the east, leaving room for the gate. The curtains
were woven from fine linen and suspended from the pillars,
which were also 5 cubits apart.
The material that formed this barrier was fine white linen
symbolizing righteousness. The symbolism is revealed in the
Book of Revelation where, at the wedding of Christ with His
bride (the church) who has made herself ready for the
wedding. Her wedding dress will be made of fine linen:
27
The fine white linen fence tells us that the righteousness of
God keeps men out. Jesus Christ is the righteousness of God.
The law was given as a standard' to show man exactly what is
the sum total of perfection and anything short of that is sin
and unrighteousness. God describes all of mans righteousness
as filthy rags (a used woman's menstrual garment). Jesus
said, "I have not come to destroy the law but to fulfill it."
When He was here He was a living example of a sinless life.
By dying for us and bearing our sin He becomes our substitute
by which we, in exchange, receive His perfect life. Our sin
went on Him and His perfect life is imputed to us. Therefore
when God sees us He sees the righteousness of Jesus Christ.
How good must one be to enter heaven? The answer is 'as
perfect as God.' That is because we have His righteousness
imputed to us by faith. Jesus Christ fulfilled the law. He was
without sin. Even when the Jewish leaders wanted to stone
Him He asked them, "for which good work are you going to
stone me?" and they answered, "because you being a man
make yourself out to be God." If a man were to gaze inside of
the Ark of the Covenant by lifting the mercy seat he would be
face to face with the law of God and without the blood it was
instant death. The judgment angels were upon the mercy seat
where the blood was to be sprinkled. Man in all of his
unrighteousness must approach God the proper way and not
the way of Cain. The law of God kills, not because it is bad but
because it reveals mans sin. The perfect man, Jesus Christ,
having never sinned was accepted on our behalf so that we
may receive the righteousness of God as the Word says, "for
28
as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so
also by one Man's obedience many will be made righteous."
The outer court was available for all Israelites to enter in and
roam about but could not enter into the Holy Place of the
tabernacle which only the priests could do. As mentioned
before, the outer court enclosure was made of fine white linen
that formed a barrier of entrance to anyone. The entrance
gate was not made from white linen but was woven from
multi-colors of white, blue, purple, and red threads that hung
as a curtain on four strong pillars. It is this entrance that
clearly marked out the only entrance that the sinner could
gain access to the court of God’s house. This 30 foot gate was
the entrance. Once an Israelite entered the gate into the outer
court with his sacrifice he was standing on "holy ground". As
we examine the gate it is important to note that we will be
discussing two more gates or curtains later. The entrance
gate was 20 cubits (30 feet). It was a curtain or screen made
of richly woven material:
29
There were no cherubim represented on this outdoor screen.
Cherubim were only seen within the Holy Place. This screen
with its blend of white, blue, purple and scarlet was identical
to that hanging at the entrance to the tabernacle building. But
it was very different from the white linen fence, which went
around the entire courtyard. Think of the beauty that would
meet the eye of the Israelite as he approached the gate of the
Tabernacle. The bright rays of the sun would be shining upon
the four colors of the gate.
This was the one and only way by which men and women
could draw near to God. It was the single entrance to the
entire tabernacle. There was no other way in. Whether he is a
priest going to carry out his duties or a repentant sinner
seeking forgiveness, a man had to enter by that one way. No
one could enter by any other way except this gate. Any
Israelite approaching the Tabernacle leading his sacrifice and
desiring atonement knew that there was no way to reach the
bronze altar but through the gate that faced east.
"On the east side, toward the rising of the sun, those of the
standard of the forces with Judah shall camp according to
their armies; “ Numbers 2:3
30
barred by the righteousness of God but because of the blood
of Christ we have a way of approach. The tribe of Judah
camped outside the eastern gate, the kingly tribe, and the
tribe that means praise. Jesus sits as king with everything
under Him. He is Malach Yahweh (The Lord our King). The
worship of countless hosts will be unto Him for eternity. The
beautiful gate reveals how beautiful Jesus is to behold. He is
the altogether lovely One. In Him there are no flaws. He is
perfect in character. If we could see His face we would see a
look of love that would give us strength forever.
Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No
one comes to the Father except through Me. John 14:6
But one of the elders said to me, "Do not weep. Behold, the
Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed
to open the scroll and to loose its seven seals." Revelation
5:5
"Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel, and his Redeemer,
the LORD of hosts: 'I am the First and I am the Last; besides
Me there is no God." Isaiah 44:6
31
The Brazen Altar
This was the altar on which the sacrifices were made which
Leviticus.1:9 describes as a sweet savour to the Lord. This
was where the blood was shed and the sinner was pardoned.
No matter how good a person was, without the shedding of
32
blood there was no forgiveness. No matter how good a person
was, without the shedding of blood there was no forgiveness.
'For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to
you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it
is the blood that makes atonement for the soul.' Leviticus
17:11
The priest would then catch the blood in a basin, and pour out
the blood at the foot of the altar and make the sacrifice and
the sinner would go home forgiven until the next sin.
Sacrifices were made throughout the year but the yearly
sacrifice was made by the high priest himself on the Day of
Atonement (Yom Kippur) once per year for the sins of the
nation.
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ecclesiastical derivation and not in any way connected with
the Hebrew meaning. In Hebrew the word is based on a verb
meaning 'to sacrifice' and 'altar' means 'a place where
sacrifice is made'. It speaks of that which is "lifted up". The
sacrifice was lifted up and then down on the bronze grating by
the priest where it remained lifted up from the earth. It also
signifies the sacrifice being lifted up in the form of smoke to
the Lord. Before the tabernacle those who wished to please
God would build an altar and call upon the name of the Lord.
" And thou shalt make an altar of shittim wood, five cubits
long, and five cubits broad; the altar shall be foursquare:
and the height thereof shall be three cubits.” Exodus 27:1
34
• It was 5 cubits square and represents man’s inability to
save himself.
By examining the verse we see that the altar and its horns
were one. Just as God’s person and His power are inseparably
connected. There's no limit to Gods power when a sacrifice is
made. Notice what else is taught concerning the horns:
35
“You shall take some of the blood of the bull and put it on
the horns of the altar with your finger, and pour all the
blood beside the base of the altar.” Exodus 29:12
36
Solomon: for, lo, he hath caught hold on the horns of the
altar, saying, Let king Solomon swear unto me today that he
will not slay his servant with the sword. And Solomon said, If
he will shew himself a worthy man, there shall not an hair of
him fall to the earth: but if wickedness shall be found in
him, he shall die. So king Solomon sent, and they brought
him down from the altar. And he came and bowed himself
to king Solomon: and Solomon said unto him, Go to thine
house.” 1Kings 1:50-53
37
That it was precious because God had accepted it for the
atonement of one’s sins.
Other utensils were the shovels that were used to gather the
ashes so that they can be placed into the pans for disposal
outside of the camp.
The basins were used to catch the blood from the offering of
which the priests would then sprinkle upon the horns and for
the pouring out at the base of the brazen alter.
The fork was a three-pronged tool that was used to place the
pieces of the offering onto the brazen alter.
“And the priests' custom with the people was that when any
man offered a sacrifice, the priest's servant would come
with a three-pronged fleshhook in his hand while the meat
was boiling.” 1 Samuel 2:13
38
The fire pans were Censers used to carry the fire (coals) from
off the altar into the Holy Place for service at the altar of
incense. The bronze altar which was lit by fire from heaven is
the one that sustains the altar of incense.
“And the fire on the altar shall be kept burning on it; it shall
not be put out. And the priest shall burn wood on it every
morning, and lay the burnt offering in order on it; and he
shall burn on it the fat of the peace offerings. A fire shall
always be burning on the altar; it shall never go out.”
Leviticus 6:12-13
39
“And there came a fire out from before the LORD, and
consumed upon the altar the burnt offering and the fat:
which when all the people saw, they shouted, and fell on
their faces.” Lev 9:24
“And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord
Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels,
In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not
God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ:
Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the
presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power; When
he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired
in all them that believe (because our testimony among you
was believed) in that day.” 2 Thessalonians 1:7-10
Although the Bible is ripe with many references to fire and its
use by God and His agents, I will endeavor to list just a few:
God when He punishes sin with His wrath (Ezekiel 21:31;
Hebrews 12:29), how the Word of God will be a fire in the
mouth of the one preaching the truth (Jeremiah 5:14; 23:29),
how the Holy Spirit will appear as a fire (Isaiah 4:4; Acts 2:3-
40
43), how angels will appear as flames of fire (Psalm 104:4),
how the lust of a man cause his soul to be burned by the
flames of desire (Proverbs 6:27-28 27), how easily wickedness
burns (Isaiah 9:18), how the tongue can be as a fire that burns
things in its path (Proverbs 16:27; James 3:6), how the
Hypocrites will burn in flames of judgment (Isaiah 50:11), that
Jesus came to bring persecution by showing the truth of God’s
word to the world (Luke 12:49-53), how fire will be used in the
judgments of the wicked (Genesis 19:24; Isaiah 66:24; Ezekiel
39:6), and how fie will be used to test how pure a Christians
life has been (1 Corinthian 3:12-15).
Without the altar no sin could be atoned for, nor could there
be worship offered to God. Every morning and evening a lamb
was offered on the altar. On special feast days and annual
rituals the Altar of Burnt Offering would be the focal point for
the various ceremonies.
41
goat for the sin of a ruler to a female goat or lamb for one of
the common people. This meant that the altar might be used
on behalf of the whole congregation of Israel or simply to
meet the need of that one individual sinner who had found his
way through the entrance gate and approached it with his
unblemished sacrificial lamb to seek the forgiveness of God.
He laid his hand on the head of the innocent victim to identify
himself with the one who was about to die. Then he killed the
innocent lamb. The death of the lamb took place instead of
the death of the sinful man.
It was the death of a substitute. The sinless must die for the
sinful. The blood of the blameless must be shed so that the
soul of the sinner might be preserved for: And it is at that
moment the waiting priest took 'some of the blood of the sin
offering with his finger and put it on the horns of the Altar of
Burnt Offering and poured out the rest of the blood at the
base of the altar'. The fat of the animal was removed and
burnt by fire on the altar.
Atonement had been made for the man's sin and he went on
his way forgiven. Because his sin had caused a separation
between him and His God he would make his way through the
camp of Israel, enter through the multi-colored screen and
enter the courtyard, carrying his sacrificial lamb and
presenting himself to the priest as a man needing forgiveness
and then confess his sin. The next thing he realized was that
he must identify himself with his sacrifice by laying his hand
upon the lamb's head. He also knew that his sin could not be
42
forgiven unless blood was shed. God had been very specific
about that.
As the blood of the lamb was shed and the life ebbed from its
body the Israelite had a very real understanding of the fact
that while the soul who sins will die, God had permitted the
death of a lamb in substitution for the death of the sinner
himself.
“And he shall take away all the fat thereof, as the fat of the
lamb is taken away from the sacrifice of the peace
offerings; and the priest shall burn them upon the altar,
according to the offerings made by fire unto the LORD: and
the priest shall make an atonement for his sin that he hath
committed, and it shall be forgiven him.” Leviticus 4:35
43
were bought and paid for by the blood of Christ. It’s like
writing a check year after year and cashing in on forgiveness,
but at some point the debt must be paid in full. The bank of
heaven, so to speak, had to make good all those checks. What
was the bank of heaven or better yet, who is the bank of
heaven. Christ the Lamb of God paid the debt in full. The book
of Hebrews makes this very clear:
“For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could
take away sins. Therefore, when He came into the world, He
said: "Sacrifice and offering You did not desire, but a body
You have prepared for Me. In burnt offerings and sacrifices
for sin you had no pleasure. Then I said, 'Behold, I have
come-- in the volume of the book it is written of Me-- to do
Your will, O God.' Previously saying, "Sacrifice and offering,
burnt offerings, and offerings for sin You did not desire, nor
had pleasure in them" (which are offered according to the
law), then He said, "Behold, I have come to do Your will, O
God." He takes away the first that He may establish the
second. By that will we have been sanctified through the
offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.” Hebrews
10:4-10
Jesus Himself bore the fire of Gods wrath on the altar of the
cross. Jesus said, "No man takes my life from Me but I lay it
down." He chose to go to the place of total abandonment and
humiliation and become a sin offering, the very object of all of
Gods wrath. His followers all scattered, the multitudes yelled,
"crucify Him," the Jewish aristocracy had mocked and scorned
Him, the Roman soldiers laughed at Him, the whole world
44
shook their heads, and even God had to forsake Him for that
moment. He was consumed with the full intensity of
abandonment so that He could win for Himself a bride and
pay the debt in full. Since the fall of man the fire of Gods
anger had never gone out until Jesus came and willingly
stretched out His arms and said, "It is finished," which was a
Roman victory cry in war. Since the time of Adam, the devil
was handed mans dominion by Adam (Luke 4) because of
Adams love for the woman, and the power of death came into
this world because the wages of sin is death. When Jesus died,
it was the death of an innocent Man because He had never
sinned. When Satan and death slew Jesus it slit its own throat.
Jesus went down and legally took the keys of death and Hades
from the devil and released those that had faith in Him for all
time. He died that we might live. On the altar of the cross a
great exchange took place: the innocent for the guilty. He
bore our punishment and we bare His innocence and
righteousness. So therefore we have the righteousness of
Christ through faith. This was Gods plan from the beginning.
That He Himself would die for the ones He loves. He suffered
what we deserve to suffer but will never have to.
45
The Brazen Laver
It was here at the bronze laver that the priests washed their
hands and feet before entering into and coming out of the
Holy Place. The laver was made from the bronze mirrors of
the women and filled with water for the continual cleansing of
the priests as they ministered in the work of the Lord.
“And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Thou shalt also
make a laver of brass, and his foot also of brass, to wash
withal: and thou shalt put it between the tabernacle of the
congregation and the altar, and thou shalt put water
therein. For Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and
their feet thereat: When they go into the tabernacle of the
congregation, they shall wash with water, that they die not;
or when they come near to the altar to minister, to burn
offering made by fire unto the LORD: So they shall wash
their hands and their feet, that they die not: and it shall be
a statute for ever to them, even to him and to his seed
throughout their generations.” Exodus 30:17-21
46
The brazen laver, not unlike the baptism of repentance by
John the Baptist, was a means for the priests to wash away
the blood of the sacrifice and the dust from the outer court,
cleansing themselves before they approach the Holy Place of
God. I’m sure that each time the priests approached the laver
the words of Moses echoes in their ears: “they shall wash with
water, that they die not” (Exodus 30:20). It was mandatory
that the priests that ministered before God go through this
physical purification. The laver was never used by others than
the priests, which was also used in the consecration service
when God anointed them for service. They were called by God
to serve and before they could begin that service they needed
to be washed thoroughly by the waters of the brazen laver.
The laver was placed between the door of the Holy Place and
the altar. It came after the altar, because a sacrifice needed
to be made first before the priest could even approach the
laver.
47
The appointed priest, as he entered the gate of the outer
court, faced the altar, where he made a sacrifice for himself
like any other Israelite. Once beyond the altar he was ready to
act as a serving priest and so at the laver he prepared himself
for the further service of God. He could then minister at the
altar or in the Holy Place because he washed at the laver.
The altar always came first for the priest, as with the believer
of today; Salvation and then service. God was approached by
way of the blood and the water, as with the believer of today,
we need to accept the atoning blood of Christ Jesus first; then
being baptized by the water.
48
laver. As I mentioned previously, only the hands and feet of
the priests were washed. And following is the reasons why:
49
and is described with the exact same terminology in the
Hebrew as the sexual union of a man with his wife.
“Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.” John
15:3
As the priest would wash his hands and his feet while coming
into the Presence of God (gold) and back out into the world
(bronze) so we are continually being cleansed from the
corruption of this world by the Word of God.
50
fountain of water springing up into everlasting life." When
Jesus stood and cried, "If any man thirst let him come to Me
and drink," it was on the great day of the feast of tabernacles
when the Jewish leaders were pouring the water from the pool
of Siloam onto the pavement of the temple symbolizing that
someday God will pour out the real water from heaven on His
people as promised through the prophet Ezekiel.
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CHAPTER 3 - THE HOLY PLACE
The Holy Place where the priests set out the bread of the
Presence was a room 20 cubits long by 10 cubits wide and 10
cubits in height (30 feet x 15 feet x 15 feet). Its sides were
formed by the golden upright frames. The beautiful linen
curtain with its pattern of cherubim could be viewed through
the framework in the front and on the ceiling. There were four
golden pillars at the entrance and in the back of the room was
the holy veil behind it was the Ark of the Covenant. Inside the
room every piece of holy furniture was golden: the golden
lampstand on the left side of the room, the table of
shewbread on the right, and the golden altar of incense in the
back before the veil that lead to the Holy of holies.
52
and it speaks to us of God’s perfect provision for the believers
who are in Christ.
53
The Golden Lampstand
54
them after their pattern, which was shewed thee in the
mount.” Exodus 25:31-40
55
are given as to its exact size. The seven oil lamps resting in
the flower petals were like small bowls. A flax or linen wick
would be placed in the lamp and the fire was never to go out
(Leviticus. 24:2).
Still today the Jews use pure olive oil to light the menorah on
Hanukkah because it is the finest quality to be found.
It was the high priest alone who trimmed and dressed the
lamp. He alone was responsible for the light shining.
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All day and all night, whether anyone was present or not,
these seven lamps constantly lit up the glory of the Holy Place
and especially on the table of the shewbread as a reminder
that Gods Presence is always with His people.
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The golden lampstand typified Christ, who lights up the walk
and fellowship of believers. The Holy Place had no windows to
allow light to shine into the tabernacle. The light in the Holy
Place was hidden from the world; only the priests had the
privilege of ministering and enjoying the light of the
lampstand. So it is also with the Christian, as believer-priests
we are able to enter into the light of fellowship with the Lord.
The world cannot see the light from the golden lampstand, not
because of it being hidden behind the walls of the tabernacle,
but because of their self-imposed blindness; a blindness that
keeps them from first coming through the gate of the
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tabernacle, placing their sacrifice of repentance on the altar,
then washing their hands and feet in the brazen laver;
whereby being clean enough to enter into the Holy Place to
see the light of the world. But no, the world will have no part
of it; and will reject Lord Jesus just as the Jews did some 2000
years ago.
“In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the
light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not
comprehend it.” John 1:4-5
Jesus made the world and created life and came to bring Gods
life to fallen man but since man is in darkness apart from
Jesus they could not comprehend the light that comes with
the life of God. The golden lampstand illuminated the
shewbread and so God illuminates His people. The Spirit of
God illuminates the dark mind of man to the knowledge of
God and to spiritual life. John went on to say,
"That was the true Light which gives light to every man
coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world
was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He
came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. But as
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many as received Him, to them He gave the right to
become children of God, to those who believe in His name:
who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor
of the will of man, but of God."
The oil that flowed in the lamp symbolized the ministry of the
Holy Spirit. The oil produced the glowing light that filled the
tabernacle and is spoken of by Jesus as the Spirits of God as
the lamps that sat before the throne of God (Revelation 4:5).
The seven spirits of God symbolize the perfection and fullness
of the Holy Spirit’s ministry. As the oil flows in the golden
lampstand branches, so does the Holy Spirit flow within the
believer, being the third person of the Godhead who
administers the plans, purposes, and programs of God on
earth.
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It is the indwelling of the Holy Spirit that shines within us,
giving us wisdom and understanding the Word of God. Just as
the priest in the tabernacle without light are unable to
minister in the Holy Place, we as Christians without the help of
the Holy Spirit lighting our way we too would be lost, unable
to minister to a dying world. It is the indwelling of the Holy
Spirit that make the word’s of Christ real to us, conforming us
to His image.
The lampstand cast its light on the other two items in the Holy
Place, and this speaks of the Spirit’s ministry on our behalf.
The light shined on the table of showbread from which the
priests received their daily sustenance. So it is with the Holy
Spirit in the life of a Christian, being that light that shines
upon our daily bread; giving us understanding of the Word of
God that is our nourishment of our spirit.
The tongs and snuff dishes that were used in trimming the
lampstand are symbolic of the cleansing of believers. Daily
the priests removed any dead and used up material from the
wick of the lamp that might cause the light to glow dim.
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Christians are that wick, standing between the oil (Holy Spirit)
and the light (Christ). When the light is shining brightly the
wick cannot be seen, but if the light goes dim or goes out; all
that can be seen is the burnt charcoal colored wick. When our
wick is defective, the oil of the Holy Spirit is unable to flow
through us, causing the light of Christ to flicker dimly, and
finally die out. We as believers must continually be trimmed
by the chastening, as spelled out in the following Scripture:
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that the new man came take up residence in the temple of
God, which is our body. When we are daily purged we find
that our light shines even more brightly, shining out into the
darkness of the world.
Man is blind apart from Jesus. Man cannot know God apart
from Jesus. Even if God were to come Himself to His very
home, man is incapable of perceiving any spiritual light
because the darkness has made him blind. The golden
lampstand speaks of Jesus as the light of the world.
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The Table of Shewbread
Inside the Holy Place and across from the golden lampstand
sits the table of shewbread. The priest had at his right hand
the table of shewbread, also referred to as the table of the
presence. It was made of acacia wood overlaid with pure gold.
Its size was 2 cubits (3 feet) in length by one cubit (1 1/2 feet)
in breadth and a height of 1 1/2 cubit (2 1/4 feet). Around the
table was a border of gold and then a little further in, on the
table top, an additional border which would hold the contents
in place so that they would not fall to the ground and be
defiled. The table had four legs, and two gold plated poles
were inserted through golden rings attached to the legs for
transporting.
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withal: of pure gold shalt thou make them. And thou shalt
set upon the table shewbread before me alway.” Exodus
25:23-30
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the grave when His body was resurrected, uncorrupted and
indestructible.
“And thou shalt take fine flour, and bake twelve cakes
thereof: two tenth deals shall be in one cake. And thou shalt
set them in two rows, six on a row, upon the pure table
before the LORD. And thou shalt put pure frankincense upon
each row, that it may be on the bread for a memorial, even
an offering made by fire unto the LORD. Every sabbath he
shall set it in order before the LORD continually, being taken
from the children of Israel by an everlasting covenant. And
it shall be Aaron's and his sons'; and they shall eat it in the
holy place: for it is most holy unto him of the offerings of
the LORD made by fire by a perpetual statute.”
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accept Him. The miracle of feeding the 5,000 was performed
by Jesus a day before He announced that He was the bread of
life. So wondrous was this miracle that 12 small baskets of
bread were left over after the feast, all from a little boy’s five
loaves of bread and two fish.
The bread was made of fine flour, which signified the bringing
forth from the earth; just as man was. The fine flour also
speaks of Jesus’ life and ministry. In order to make flour the
grain must be crushed, grounded, and sifted. What a picture
this presents of our Lord and Savior: Jesus went through the
sifting process with Satan when he tried to temp Him in the
wilderness; and we know that Satan is a sifter because he
requested to sift Peter like wheat. Jesus also went through the
sifting process with the scribes and Pharisees when they, time
and time again tried to test Him. And through it all no sin was
found in Jesus. Jesus went through the crushing process when
He was scourged before His crucifixion.
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and in so allowed Jesus to be brought into the world without
the sin component that each of us are born with.
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The Altar of Incense
The priest took a censer full of burning coals from the brazen
altar and specially prepared sweet incense and ignited it by
sprinkling it over the hot coals (Leviticus 16:12-13). From that
a thick cloud of smoke would fill the Holy Place, which was
symbolic of Israel’s prayers to God. A censer apparently was a
shallow bowl or pan with a handle on it. It could be also be
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used for removing the ashes from the altar or gathering up
the burnt parts of the wick from the lampstand.
“And the LORD said unto Moses, Take unto thee sweet
spices, stacte, and onycha, and galbanum; these sweet
spices with pure frankincense: of each shall there be a like
weight: And thou shalt make it a perfume, a confection after
the art of the apothecary, tempered together, pure and
holy: And thou shalt beat some of it very small, and put of it
before the testimony in the tabernacle of the congregation,
where I will meet with thee: it shall be unto you most holy.
And as for the perfume which thou shalt make, ye shall not
make to yourselves according to the composition thereof: it
shall be unto thee holy for the LORD. Whosoever shall make
like unto that, to smell thereto, shall even be cut off from
his people.” Exodus 30:34-38
It had 4 horns of gold, one with it, a horn on each corner, and
relates to rfour camps: Judah on the east, Ruben to the south,
Ephraim to the west, Dan to the north; all Gods people.
The golden altar was used for burning incense, which twice
every day was offered by the priest after he had tended the
wick and oil on the holy lamps. Its horns were also sprinkled
with the blood of the sin offering.
The incense was a mixture of three rich and rare spices, which
cannot be identified today. These were blended with
frankincense and beaten to a fine powder and then salt was
added. It was totally forbidden for this formula to be used by
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any private individual. It had to be used only in the worship of
God in the holy place. It was the offering of the person whose
sins had been forgiven by blood and who then went on to
express the fragrance of love and worship, which was most
pleasing to God.
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The golden altar of incense tells us of the ministry of Jesus as
our intercessor whose prayers never stop ascending to God on
our behalf. Jesus said to Peter, "I have prayed for you." The
four horns speak of Christ's ministry extending to the four
corners of the earth. He will always pray for His own no matter
where they are. He can intercede on our behalf because of
the atoning work on the cross of Calvary. The incense was
fueled by the fire from the altar. It is not just anyone praying
for us but the King Himself as represented by the crown of
gold. He knows our weaknesses and our failings and He is
praying for us always.
“I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which
thou hast given me; for they are thine. And all mine are
thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them.” John
17:9-10
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CHAPTER 4 - THE MOST HOLY PLACE
There was no seat for man but here Yahweh sat alone on the
throne of glory and righteousness. As the high priest entered
once a year, he entered with bowed head, no shoes upon his
feet, and bells. No human voice was heard, only the voice of
God.
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The Veil
The veil separated man from God. It was hung by gold hooks
from four gold-covered acacia wood pillars that rested upon
sockets of silver. The word "veil" means to separate. The veil
was made of finely spun white linen, blue, purple, and scarlet
just as the decorated curtains surrounding the Holy Place with
the richly ornamented figures of cherubim, but it was called
"the curtain of the Testimony" or "the veil." The veil could
never be touched except by the high priest, and then only
once a year to sprinkle blood on the mercy seat on the Day of
Atonement:
“And the LORD said unto Moses, Speak unto Aaron thy
brother, that he come not at all times into the holy place
within the vail before the mercy seat, which is upon the ark;
that he die not: for I will appear in the cloud upon the mercy
seat.” Leviticus 16:2
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The veil speaks of the body of Jesus Christ as testified in the
Writings of the New Testament which says that we can enter
by the blood of Christ "through the veil, that is, His flesh,"
right into the holy of holies. The veil was torn in two as the
spear was thrust into Christ's side and His body was broken.
Jesus suffered to the point of death so that we might have
access. Hebrews 12:2 tells us that He did it for the joy set
before Him. He betrothed us and only by dying could He take
us as His bride and have us for eternity. The veil being torn in
two speaks of the body of Jesus Christ being broken on our
behalf to make access to Him possible. And as Jesus said, no
man can come to the Father except through Him. The
presence of God was uncovered and all are now invited to
enter through the way Christ opened.
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The Ark of the Covenant
“And they shall make an ark of shittim wood: two cubits and
a half shall be the length thereof, and a cubit and a half the
breadth thereof, and a cubit and a half the height thereof.
And thou shalt overlay it with pure gold, within and without
shalt thou overlay it, and shalt make upon it a crown of gold
round about. And thou shalt cast four rings of gold for it,
and put them in the four corners thereof; and two rings
shall be in the one side of it, and two rings in the other side
of it. And thou shalt make staves of shittim wood, and
overlay them with gold. And thou shalt put the staves into
the rings by the sides of the ark, that the ark may be borne
with them. The staves shall be in the rings of the ark: they
shall not be taken from it. And thou shalt put into the ark
the testimony which I shall give thee. And thou shalt make a
mercy seat of pure gold: two cubits and a half shall be the
length thereof, and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof.
And thou shalt make two cherubims of gold, of beaten work
shalt thou make them, in the two ends of the mercy seat.
And make one cherub on the one end, and the other cherub
on the other end: even of the mercy seat shall ye make the
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cherubims on the two ends thereof. And the cherubims shall
stretch forth their wings on high, covering the mercy seat
with their wings, and their faces shall look one to another;
toward the mercy seat shall the faces of the cherubims be.
And thou shalt put the mercy seat above upon the ark; and
in the ark thou shalt put the testimony that I shall give thee.
And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with
thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two
cherubims which are upon the ark of the testimony, of all
things which I will give thee in commandment unto the
children of Israel.” Exodus 25:10-22
Only once per year on Yom Kippur could man enter beyond
the veil. The veil separated man from the holy of holies. It was
behind this veil and in the 10 cubit squared room called the
holy of holies that the most sacred piece of furniture in the
whole tabernacle structure was found. This was the Ark of the
Covenant which was mentioned first before all the other
furniture in the tabernacle. The lid on top of the ark was
traditionally known as the Mercy Seat which was considered a
separate piece of furniture but one with the ark. The ark was
right in the center of the camp and the glory cloud was seen
above the mercy seat and above the back portion of the
tabernacle.
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The ark rested on the dirt floor of the Holy of Holies with its
four gold rings that the gold poles were inserted through and
left permanently in position.
Inside the ark were 3 things: the two tables of the Law, a
golden pot of manna, and Aaron's rod that budded.
Again looking at the contents of the ark we find first, the two
unbroken tablets of stone where God had written the Ten
Commandments. It is important to note that the ark contained
the two tablets of the Decalogue (the Ten Commandments).
Remember that God had made a covenant with Israel, but the
people had broken it. In grace God renewed it and ordered
that its enduring record (the unbroken tablets) should be
deposited in the Holy Ark. The Book of the Covenant, which
dealt at length with other aspects of law and procedure, was
deposited alongside the ark. But the 10 commandments were
stored within the ark itself. Also contained in the ark was a
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golden pot containing an omer of manna (Hebrews 9:4) as a
memorial of God's provision. The third item which would be
added was Aaron's rod that sprouted buds and blossoms and
bore ripe almonds in a single night, authenticating God's
choice of Aaron for the priesthood (Hebrews. 9:4).
The crown of gold around the top of the ark speaks of the Lord
Jesus Christ as King of kings and Lord of lords. Jesus overcame
the onslaught of opposition that was set against Him His
whole life by the religious leaders, the wealthy Jewish
aristocracy, Rome itself, and even all the power of the enemy.
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He overcame even death itself and rose triumphantly and was
given a crown, and glory, and honor, because He is the King.
According to John it was Jesus who Isaiah saw seated on the
throne of glory with the angels crying “holy, holy, holy.”
The unbroken tables of stone set forth Jesus as the One who
perfectly kept the Law and never broke God's
Commandments. The Bible says that He "committed no sin,
nor was deceit found in His mouth." Jesus felt the pressure of
temptation at its full intensity yet he never sinned. Even the
look in His eye and the tone of His voice reflected the very
perfections of the holiness of God Himself. Aaron's rod that
budded also speaks of Jesus; something that had died and
supernaturally came to life again. Jesus said, "I am the
resurrection and the life." The golden pot of manna speaks of
Jesus as the bread of life who came down from heaven to
bring food, the Word of God, to a world in darkness and dying
of hunger.
It all points to Jesus. Even the golden poles speak of the ever
living and ever present Savior who is with us in all our
journeying and will never leave us nor forsake us. If you were
to examine the history of the ark there would be striking
resemblances to the ministry of Jesus our Lord:
• The ark went before the people - Jesus also went before
them:
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“And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before
them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice.”
John 10:4
And on and on, the ark was always first to lead them just as
Christ Jesus is the head of those that believe in His
redemptive work on the cross, accepting Him as the only one
who could save us from our sins.
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salvation have brought upon themselves the curse of being
placed into the lake of fire.
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The Mercy Seat
The Mercy Seat was the lid or cover of solid gold that sat on
top of the ark.
“And thou shalt make a mercy seat of pure gold: two cubits
and a half shall be the length thereof, and a cubit and a half
the breadth thereof. And thou shalt make two cherubims of
gold, of beaten work shalt thou make them, in the two ends
of the mercy seat. And make one cherub on the one end,
and the other cherub on the other end: even of the mercy
seat shall ye make the cherubims on the two ends thereof.
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And the cherubims shall stretch forth their wings on high,
covering the mercy seat with their wings, and their faces
shall look one to another; toward the mercy seat shall the
faces of the cherubims be. And thou shalt put the mercy
seat above upon the ark; and in the ark thou shalt put the
testimony that I shall give thee. And there I will meet with
thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy
seat, from between the two cherubims which are upon the
ark of the testimony, of all things which I will give thee in
commandment unto the children of Israel.” Exodus 25:17-
22
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overshadowed the gold lid and their faces constantly looked
down upon it. They were symbols of the presence and
holiness of the Lord and are His chosen instruments of
judgment toward any sinful approach toward the presence of
the Lord and as they look upon the blood the wrath of God is
appeased and they are at peace.
“And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with
thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two
cherubims which are upon the ark of the testimony, of all
things which I will give thee in commandment unto the
children of Israel.” Exodus 25:22
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When God had spoken to Moses out of the midst of the cloud
upon Sinai, He also told him that He would come down to
speak with him in the midst of His people. It was from the
area above the Mercy Seat that He did.
The Mercy Seat was where the blood was sprinkled by the
high priest once every year for the atonement of the sins of
the people. In the New Testament we can find two Scriptures
where the mercy seat is spoken of:
“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption
that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a
propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his
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righteousness for the remission of sins that are past,
through the forbearance of God; To declare, I say, at this
time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the
justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.” Romans 3:23-26
The Mercy Seat did not derive its worth from the purity of its
gold but from the fact that it was the place where the blood
of sacrifice was sprinkled in the presence of Yahweh.
The word for "mercy seat" is the same root for the word
"atonement". It means to cover, cancel, appease, or cleanse.
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In looking at the mercy-seat we need to view the two
cherubim that spread their wings about the mercy-seat,
viewing down upon the cover, down on their knees as if
praying. They represent the judgment of God, protecting the
throne from those that would want to enter in by any other
means then through Christ Jesus. And in looking at the
position their had upon the seat we can get a picture that
they were there also to avert God’s judgment upon Israel
because of the blood sprinkled mercy-seat. And it would
seem that in this position they were offering prayers for the
salvation of the nation of Israel. The Cherubim are revealed
by Ezekiel in chapter 1:5-10 as 4 living creatures, each one
having 4 different faces, the face of a man, lion, ox, and
eagle:
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This mercy seat was placed on top of the ark and it was here
that the blood was sprinkled. Because of the mercy seat the
tabernacle was called "the tent of meeting". Because here
God met with man:
“And thou shalt put the mercy seat above upon the ark; and
in the ark thou shalt put the testimony that I shall give thee.
2
And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with
thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two
cherubims which are upon the ark of the testimony, of all
things which I will give thee in commandment unto the
children of Israel.” Exodus 25:21-22
“My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin
not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the
Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: And he is the propitiation
for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of
the whole world.” 1 John 2:1-2
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“So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and
unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time
without sin unto salvation.” Hebrews 9:28
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CHAPTER 5 - CHRIST JESUS IN THE TABERNACLE
“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
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bring Christ to the cross, because it was He who went willingly
for us, but it is us who accept the sacrifice by belief in Him
who died without sin so that we could be forgiven of our sins.
The alter in the tabernacle, because of the sacrifice being laid
upon it and burnt unto the Lord we see Christ Jesus on the
cross, as that sacrifice, being hung there at the four points of
His body, just as the sacrificed animal was placed between
the four horns of the alter. The innards of the alter contained
the fire that consumed the sacrifice; and represents the wrath
of God as it purges and cleanses us of sin. Christ Jesus took on
that wrath upon the cross when the sins of the world were
poured out upon Him, one who knew no sin, but had to taste it
for our salvation.
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After the water cleansing we may enter into the Holy Place,
where we are bathed by the light of the world of which the
golden candlesticks, representing the light that Jesus was to a
darkened world. In the glory of His love we are able to partake
of the bread of life, the showbread giving physical nutrition to
the priests, Christ Jesus being the bread of life gives us
spiritual nutrition each and every day of our journey to glory.
And it is in our prayers that we see the Lord Jesus standing
between us and the living God just as the altar of incense did
for the children of Israel.
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His wrath because Jesus became our mercy-seat the day He
decided to step down from glory and put on the filthy rags of
man, and then live with man preaching and teaching the good
news of the salvation that He brings, and then to be beaten
and die for us. It is through the tabernacle that we can see the
risen Lord so clearly, and it is through Him that the Lord God
imputes righteousness upon us.
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CONCLUSION
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
Levy, David M.
The Tabernacle – Shadows of the Messiah, Nashville, Grand
Rapids, Michigan, Kregel Publications, 2003
DeHaan, M. R.
The Tabernacle, Nashville, Grand Rapids, Michigan,
Zondervan Publishing House, 1955
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