Jesus Unmasked: The Truth Will Shock You (10 page)

Sacrifice

(Altar of Burnt Offerings)

Entrance to the Outer Courtyard

Entrance to the Outer Courtyard

The Children of Israel entered the tabernacle through the door, which always faced east, into the outer courtyard.

Christ Is the Door

Jesus said. . . . “I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved” (John 10:7–9).

Laver

The laver was a water basin in which the priests washed their hands and feet daily. They could not enter the Holy Place without washing themselves in an act of ceremonial purification.

Christ Is the Laver

Peter said to Him, “Never shall You wash my feet.” Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no part of Me” (John 13:8).

Golden Lampstand or Candlestand with Menorrah

A seven-branched candlestick made of pure gold burned olive oil night and day, serving as the only light in the tabernacle. Without this light, they could not see God in His Holy Place. In darkness, the other articles would have been impossible to see.

Christ Is the Lampstand

Jesus again spoke to them, saying, “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in darkness, but will have the Light of life” (John 8:12).

Table of Showbread

The table with showbread was to the right as one entered the Holy Place. On it were 12 loaves of bread representing God’s covenant people, Israel. The table was a place of communion and fellowship between God and people.

Christ Is the Showbread

Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger” (John 6:35).

Golden Altar (Altar of Incense)

The golden altar was used to burn incense. Its fragrance wafted across the mercy seat and above the other furniture. The incense burned on the altar continuously. The incense on the altar represented prayer and speaks to us on intercession. Coals to heat this altar came from the altar of sacrifice after the blood of the sacrifice dripped on them. This was God’s supremely holy altar.

Christ Is the Altar of Incense

He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them (Hebrews 7:25).

Veil

The veil was a very thick curtain made of blue, purple, and scarlet fine and twined linen. No priest could enter the Holy of Holies to approach the ark of the covenant except through the veil. If a high priest passed through the veil without being sacrificially clean, God would strike him dead. God cannot have sin in His presence.

Christ Is the Veil

We have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh (Heb. 10:19–20).

Ark of the Covenant

This special trunk-like box was the centerpiece of the Holy of Holies. On top of the ark was a lid called the mercy seat. Hovering above the mercy seat were two cherubim with outstretched wings. The ark contained the two tablets of the Ten Commandments, a pot of manna, and Aaron’s rod that budded.

One time a year, on the Day of Atonement, the blood of a goat was placed on the mercy seat to cover the sins of the people. It was there above the mercy seat that God hovered in the pillar of cloud and offered propitiation for the people.

Christ Is the Mercy Seat

Jesus Christ, whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith (Romans 3:24–25).

Priests

The priests were the mediators between God and man. The high priest was the head priest.

Christ Is the High Priest

For it was fitting for us to have such a high priest, holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners and exalted above the heavens (Hebrews 7:26).

Sacrifice

Yearly, an unblemished lamb was slaughtered for the covering of sins of the individual. The priests would place their hands on the lamb, symbolically transferring the sins of the people to the lamb that would be slaughtered for the covering, but not forgiveness, of sins.

Christ Is the Sacrifice

By this will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all (Hebrews 10:10).

Something Is Missing

Did you notice a piece of furniture is strangely absent? Hint: day after day, year after year, the priests entered in and out of the tabernacle to offer sacrifices. They stood on their feet hour after hour and never sat down because their work was never done.

The piece of furniture that was missing in the tabernacle was a chair. The old covenant priests continually offered sacrifices as a picture of the greater sacrifice that was needed. They never rested from their labor (Heb. 10:11).

Jesus Christ Sat Down

Jesus Christ finished His sacrificial work to forgive sins once and for all time (Heb. 9:15–28; Matt. 26:28), rose from the dead (Luke 24:6; 1 Cor. 15:4, 12–17) and ascended into heaven (John 24:5; Acts 1:9).

Paul Washer vividly describes what happens next by applying Psalm 24:7–10.
1

Jesus, the Great High Priest, triumphantly approached the gates of heaven and demanded, “
Lift up your heads, O gates,
and be lifted up, O ancient doors,
t
hat the King of glory may come in!”

From inside there was a reply,
“
Who is the King of glory?”

Jesus thundered,
“
The
Lord
strong and mighty,
t
he
Lord
mighty in battle.
Lift up your heads, O gates,
a
nd lift them up, O ancient doors,
t
hat the King of glory may come in!”

Again, the attendants asked,
“
Who is this King of glory?”

Jesus shattered the heavens,
“
The
Lord
of hosts,
He is the King of glory.”

As the gates swung open, for the first time ever, a human entered heaven.

Jesus Christ, the resurrected God-man marched through the gates toward His throne at the right hand of God. And He sat down (Heb. 10:12).

The sacrificial work of our Great High Priest was so total, so perfect, so complete, He triumphantly rested from His labor.

Every priest
stands daily
ministering and offering time after time the same sacrifices, which can
never take away sins
;
but He, having offered
one sacrifice
for sins
for all time
,
sat down
at the right hand of God, waiting from that time onward until His enemies be made a footstool for His feet. For by one offering He has
perfected for all time
those who are sanctified (Heb. 10:11–14).

Where Does God Tabernacle Now?

God the Son, Jesus Christ, is now seated in authority at the right hand of God the Father (Matt. 26:64; Heb. 1:3; Ps. 110:1). That does not mean He has abandoned us.

While Jesus was preparing the disciples for His death, He told them, “
But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you” (John 16:7).

Jesus promised to send the Helper, His Holy Spirit, the third person in the trinitarian Godhead, to those who would repent and believe in Him to the glory of God the Father. Jesus is now in heaven, but His Holy Spirit dwells in those who believe.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places
in Christ
,
just as He chose us in Him
before the foundation of the world
, that we would be holy and blameless before Him.

In love
He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will,
to the praise of the glory of His grace
, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.

In Him
we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace
which He lavished on us. In all wisdom and insight
He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His
kind intention
which He purposed in Him
with a view to an administration suitable to the fullness of the times, that is, the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens and things on the earth.

In Him
also we have obtained an inheritance, having been
predestined
according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will,
to the end that we who were the first to hope in Christ would be to the praise of His glory.

In Him
, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation — having also believed, you were
sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit
of promise,
 
who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession,
to the praise of His glory
(Eph. 1:3–14).

Because God’s Holy Spirit tabernacles in His people, the Apostle Paul wrote, “Do you not know that your body is a
temple of the Holy Spirit
who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? (1 Cor. 6:19).

And again Paul said:

But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead
dwells in you
, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through
His Spirit who dwells in you
(
Rom. 8:11).

If You Are a Christian

Each individual Christian is a living temple. In the Old Testament, God’s presence descended on the tabernacle one day a year; because of the work of Jesus, God dwells perpetually in the heart of every believer. God actually tabernacles in you. You are a temple of the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit of God is at work in you, granting you the power to be conformed more and more into the image of Jesus Christ so you can glorify God the Father and one day join Him in His heavenly tabernacle.

If You Are Not a Christian

God is not dwelling in you. God is not your friend, He is your enemy.

For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace,
 
because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able
to do so,
 
and those who are in the flesh cannot please God (Rom. 8:6–8).