God Directs The Tabernacle Design (Part Three)

God Commands Priestly Duties

Text: Exodus Chapters 28 – 31

The Tabernacle required great skill and special talent to follow the examples God gave to Moses. It would take many people with a great dedication to move and erect repeatedly but the most important thing the Tabernacle did was to provide a place to meet with God.

There are many today that think once they are "Born Again they have met all the requirements God gave them and they can go on about their lives and some think that they do not even have to change the way they live. Neither of these things are true and those that think this way need to see what God has to say about it.

God tells the Church:

Heb 10:22 Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.

Heb 10:23 Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)

Heb 10:24 And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:

Heb 10:25 [Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: (and so much the more), as ye see the day approaching].

God not only says to not forsake coming together but in the day of the Church(the last days) to even meet more often.

That word "forsaking" means to desert the assembling or to abandon the Church.

The most important things about the Tabernacle took place when "the ministry God assigned to it" took place!

In this time of Israel the Tabernacle defined the ministry of the "Priest".

1.) What is a "Priest"?

One who represents "Man" to "God"!

"that he may minister unto me in the priest’s office"

Heb 5:1 For every high priest taken from among men is ordained for men [in things pertaining to God], that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins:

Heb 5:2 Who can have compassion on the ignorant, and on them that are out of the way; for that he himself also is compassed with infirmity.

Heb 5:3 And by reason hereof he ought, as for the people, so also for himself, to offer for sins.

Heb 5:4 [And no man taketh this honour unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron].

And our High Priest:

Heb 5:5 So also Christ glorified not himself to be made an high priest; but he that said unto him, Thou art my Son, to day have I begotten thee.

To compare a "priest" and "prophet":

A prophet is one who represents "God" to "Man":

Exo 7:1 And the LORD said unto Moses, See, [I have made thee a god to Pharaoh]: and Aaron thy brother shall be thy prophet.

So Our Lord:

Heb 9:24 For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, [now to appear in the presence of God for us]:

1.) We will see that through the attire of the Priest, God has a special concern that everything in our approach to Him shall be perfect. (28:2)

2.) We will see a constant and profound emphasis on "Holiness". (28:36)

This is an example of how our approach to God should be.

3.) We will know the assurance given that the people were never out of God’s thoughts. (28:29,30)

4.) What we should realize is the "Glory", the "Power", the "Comfort" and the "Inspiration" of Jesus Christ Our Lord.

Heb 4:14 Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession.

Heb 4:15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.

Heb 4:16 [Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need].

And remember to go see Him in the House that has His name. A local "Bible Believing Church". Any place of worship not based on the "Written Word Of God" is just a place to fellowship and not a "Place of Worship"

God says:

Joh 4:23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.

Joh 4:24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

There should be an assembling for worship:

Mat 18:20 For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.

*****Our Text:

Exo 28:1 And take thou unto thee Aaron thy brother, and his sons with him, from among the children of Israel, that he may minister unto me in the priest’s office, even Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron’s sons.

Exo 28:2 And thou shalt make holy garments for Aaron thy brother for glory and for beauty.

Exo 28:3 And thou shalt speak unto all that are wise hearted, whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom, that they may make Aaron’s garments to consecrate him, that he may minister unto me in the priest’s office.

Exo 28:4 And these are the garments which they shall make; a breastplate, and an ephod, and a robe, and a broidered coat, a mitre, and a girdle: and they shall make holy garments for Aaron thy brother, and his sons, that he may minister unto me in the priest’s office.

Exo 28:5 And they shall take gold, and blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen.

Exo 28:6 And they shall make the ephod of gold, of blue, and of purple, of scarlet, and fine twined linen, with cunning work.

Exo 28:7 It shall have the two shoulderpieces thereof joined at the two edges thereof; and so it shall be joined together.

Aaron and his sons are the first "partnership" of priests in the Bible and Aaron’s son were priest only because they were in the family line.

What we will see is that Aaron and his sons are a "type" of the "spiritual priesthood" of all true believers in the New Testament, who are priests only because of Our Lord Jesus. Our True High Priest!

1Pe 2:5 Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.

Rev 1:6 And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

Rev 5:10 And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.

Aaron the High Priest, in offering sacrifices was also a "type" of Christ who offered the "Ultimate Sacrifice". All other sacrifices were only a shadow to His sacrifice.

Aaron was also a "type" of Christ in his death. When Aaron’s time came to die, God told Moses to bring Aaron and Eleazar to Mount Hor.

Num 20:23 And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron in mount Hor, by the coast of the land of Edom, saying,

Num 20:24 Aaron shall be gathered unto his people: for he shall not enter into the land which I have given unto the children of Israel, because ye rebelled against my word at the water of Meribah.

Num 20:25 Take Aaron and Eleazar his son, and bring them up unto mount Hor:

Num 20:26 And strip Aaron of his garments, and put them upon Eleazar his son: and Aaron shall be gathered unto his people, and shall die there.

Num 20:27 And Moses did as the LORD commanded: and they went up into mount Hor in the sight of all the congregation.

Num 20:28 And Moses stripped Aaron of his garments, and put them upon Eleazar his son; and Aaron died there in the top of the mount: and Moses and Eleazar came down from the mount.

Aaron died there and God concealed the record of his burial. By Aaron’s going up the Mount and not returning it becomes a "type" of the ascension of Jesus Christ.

Eleazar returned in his place, wearing the high priestly garments. In "type" this represents the "Second Coming" of Our Lord.

While Aaron was living it was Eleazar who was chief over the tribe of the Levites.

Num 3:32 And Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest shall be chief over the chief of the Levites, and have the oversight of them that keep the charge of the sanctuary.

It was Eleazar that was over "Oil" for the Lampstand, the "Incense", the "Anointing Oil, and the "Tabernacle" itself.

Num 4:16 And to the office of Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest pertaineth the oil for the light, and the sweet incense, and the daily meat offering, and the anointing oil, and the oversight of all the tabernacle, and of all that therein is, in the sanctuary, and in the vessels thereof.

Aaron in "type" was as the ministry of Christ on this earth and Eleazar was a "type" of a Christ ministry in Heaven, throughout the Church Age until His Coming again.

Comparing scripture with scripture we can see that the Levites are a "type" of the Church:

Eph 3:9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ:

Eph 3:10 To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God,

compare:

Num 1:48 For the LORD had spoken unto Moses, saying,

Num 1:49 Only thou shalt not number the tribe of Levi, neither take the sum of them among the children of Israel:

Num 1:50 But thou shalt appoint the Levites over the tabernacle of testimony, and over all the vessels thereof, and over all things that belong to it: they shall bear the tabernacle, and all the vessels thereof; and they shall minister unto it, and shall encamp round about the tabernacle.

Num 2:33 [But the Levites were not numbered among the children of Israel]; as the LORD commanded Moses.

Num 3:12 And I, [behold, I have taken the Levites from among the children of Israel] instead of all the firstborn that openeth the matrix among the children of Israel: therefore the Levites shall be mine;

Num 3:13 Because all the firstborn are mine; for on the day that I smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt I hallowed unto me all the firstborn in Israel, both man and beast: [mine shall they be: I am the LORD].

Num 3:41 [And thou shalt take the Levites for me (I am the LORD)] instead of all the firstborn among the children of Israel; and the cattle of the Levites instead of all the firstlings among the cattle of the children of Israel.

Num 3:45 Take the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the children of Israel, and the cattle of the Levites instead of their cattle; [and the Levites shall be mine: I am the LORD].

And the Church:

Act 20:28 Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.

1Co 6:19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?

1Co 6:20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.

*****I.) The Ephod: (28:4-7)

It is only in the "Ephod", the "Curious Girdle" of the Ephod and the "Breast Plate" that we find "Gold" woven into the fabric. We know the "Gold" represents in "type" of "Deity". Mixed with the blue, the scarlet, and the fine twined linen we have in "type" the "Royalty", the "Suffering" and the "Spotless Righteousness" of Jesus Christ Our Lord. (in that order)

The (2) shoulder pieces:

Two is the number for "fellowship" the "joining together" is the very purpose of the "Priesthood". Even at the name of "Levi" we get the meaning of "joined unto".

Gen 29:34 And she conceived again, and bare a son; and said, Now this time will my husband be [joined unto me], because I have born him three sons: therefore was his name called Levi.

Rachel had suffered from the want of a child but Leah had suffered for the WANT OF LOVE!

The "Levites" are in "type" the Church, as the Church seeks to be "joined unto" Our Lord Jesus.

The 2 piece Ephod being "joined together" at the "shoulders" is in "type" the role of Christ Jesus, our "Eternal High Priest" joining man to God. The "Shoulders" represent the "Sustaining Power of God"

*****II.) The Curious Girdle:

Exo 28:8 And the curious girdle of the ephod, which is upon it, shall be of the same, according to the work thereof; even of gold, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen.

Lev 8:7 And he put upon him the coat, and girded him with the girdle, and clothed him with the robe, and put the ephod upon him, and [he girded him with the curious girdle of the ephod, and bound it unto him therewith].

The binding of the "Curious Girdle" indicated the High Priest was ready for his service.

In "type" we can know that Our Own High Priest is willing to and ready to meet our every need and that His "strength" will never fail.

*****III.) The (2) stones:

Exo 28:9 And thou shalt take two onyx stones, and grave on them the names of the children of Israel:

Exo 28:10 Six of their names on one stone, and the other six names of the rest on the other stone, according to their birth.

Exo 28:11 With the work of an engraver in stone, like the engravings of a signet, shalt thou engrave the two stones with the names of the children of Israel: thou shalt make them to be set in ouches of gold.

Exo 28:12 [And thou shalt put the two stones upon the shoulders of the ephod for stones of memorial unto the children of Israel: and Aaron shall bear their names before the LORD upon his two shoulders for a memorial].

Also on the "Shoulders" were these (2) stones and the High Priest bore the names engraved on those (2) stones.

This represents that "those written in the Lamb’s Book of Life" will always be carried with Our Own Great High Priest and it is He that "Sustains" us.

*****IV.) The Breast Plate of Judgment:

Exo 28:15 And thou shalt make the breastplate of judgment with cunning work; after the work of the ephod thou shalt make it; of gold, of blue, and of purple, and of scarlet, and of fine twined linen, shalt thou make it.

Exo 28:16 Foursquare it shall be being doubled; a span shall be the length thereof, and a span shall be the breadth thereof.

Exo 28:17 And thou shalt set in it settings of stones, even four rows of stones: the first row shall be a sardius, a topaz, and a carbuncle: this shall be the first row.

Exo 28:18 And the second row shall be an emerald, a sapphire, and a diamond.

Exo 28:19 And the third row a ligure, an agate, and an amethyst.

Exo 28:20 And the fourth row a beryl, and an onyx, and a jasper: they shall be set in gold in their inclosings.

Exo 28:21 And the stones shall be with the names of the children of Israel, twelve, according to their names, like the engravings of a signet; every one with his name shall they be according to the twelve tribes.

The "Breastplate" is the most costly of all the garments. God is a God of order and this is the first of the "garments mentioned".

Exo 28:4 And these are the garments which they shall make; [a breastplate], and an ephod, and a robe, and a broidered coat, a mitre, and a girdle: and they shall make holy garments for Aaron thy brother, and his sons, that he may minister unto me in the priest’s office.

Though each stone may have a significance there is not time in this study to get into that. What we can readily see is that each name is recorded twice.

1.) Once on the Onyx stone:

Exodus 28:9

2.) Once on the stones of the Breastplate.

Exodus 28:21

This can certainly mean that God will never forget the names of "His Children".

Isa 49:15 Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee.

Isa 49:16 Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me.

The Apostle John also saw these names on the gates of New Jerusalem:

Rev 21:10 And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God,

Rev 21:11 Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal;

Rev 21:12 And had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel:

This "breastplate" was securely fastened with (4) golden chains. (2) to the shoulder pieces and (2) to the curious girdle.

Jesus Christ will always hide the names of God’s Children on His heart!

The "union with Christ" (2) is a major theme in the Tabernacle study.

*****Our Text:

Exo 28:30 And thou shalt put in the breastplate of judgment the Urim and the Thummim; and they shall be upon Aaron’s heart, when he goeth in before the LORD: and Aaron shall bear the judgment of the children of Israel upon his heart before the LORD continually.

The "Urim" and the "Thummim" are defined as "lights" and "perfections".

In other words it is the job of the High Priests to shed "light" on the "complete truth", The Perfect Word Of God!

The "Urim" and the "Thummim" were a combination that represent God’s Perfect Balance in "Grace", "Mercy", "Judgment" and "Wrath"!

1Jn 1:5 This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, [that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all].

Deu 32:4 He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he.

All the perfections of God are seen in Jesus Christ:

Joh 14:9 Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? [he that hath seen me hath seen the Father]; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?

The "Urim" and the "Thummim" are only a foreshadow of Jesus Christ!

*****Our Text:

Exo 28:31 And thou shalt make the robe of the ephod all of blue.

Exo 28:32 And there shall be an hole in the top of it, in the midst thereof: it shall have a binding of woven work round about the hole of it, as it were the hole of an habergeon, that it be not rent.

Exo 28:33 And beneath upon the hem of it thou shalt make pomegranates of blue, and of purple, and of scarlet, round about the hem thereof; and bells of gold between them round about:

Exo 28:34 A golden bell and a pomegranate, a golden bell and a pomegranate, upon the hem of the robe round about.

Exo 28:35 And it shall be upon Aaron to minister: and his sound shall be heard when he goeth in unto the holy place before the LORD, and when he cometh out, that he die not.

The Hebrew word for "robe" used here is "meheel". It is uses 28 times in the Bible.

1.) 19 times robe or robes.

2.) 7 times as mantle.

3.) 1 time cloak.

4.) 1 time coat.

There should be little doubt that this was the upper or outer garment,

This "Robe of Blue" points to Our Heavenly Prince, the soon coming KING of Kings.

It was a woven work and probably seamless.

Joh 19:23 Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took his garments, and made four parts, to every soldier a part; and also his coat: [now the coat was without seam, woven from the top throughout].

Exo 39:22 And he made the robe of the ephod of woven work, all of blue.

Exo 39:23 And there was an hole in the midst of the robe, as the hole of an habergeon, with a band round about the hole, that it should not rend.

A special feature of this Robe was that it had a full circle of Golden Bells and Pomegranates(of blue, of purple, and of scarlet).

We have the symbolism of the colors:

Blue = Heavenly

Purple = Royalty

Scarlet = Suffering

But also Our Lord’s "Fruitfulness" on this Earth.

These "Bells" were meant to be heard when the High Priests was in and out of the Holy Place.

God tells us that those that believe will know the joyful sound of Our Lord:

Psa 89:15 Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound: they shall walk, O LORD, in the light of thy countenance.

We should also know the glad tidings of the Word of God:

Rom 10:15 And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, [How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things]!

Rom 10:18 But I say, Have they not heard? [Yes verily, their sound went into all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the world].

*****Our text:

Exo 28:36 And thou shalt make a plate of pure gold, and grave upon it, like the engravings of a signet, HOLINESS TO THE LORD.

Exo 28:37 And thou shalt put it on a blue lace, that it may be upon the mitre; upon the forefront of the mitre it shall be.

Exo 28:38 And it shall be upon Aaron’s forehead, that Aaron may bear the iniquity of the holy things, which the children of Israel shall hallow in all their holy gifts; and it shall be always upon his forehead, that they may be accepted before the LORD.

Exo 28:39 And thou shalt embroider the coat of fine linen, and thou shalt make the mitre of fine linen, and thou shalt make the girdle of needlework.

Verse 38 tells us that the "Most Holy Things" that man can do are still corrupted and stained with "Sin".

It is only our High Priest, the Lord Jesus Christ who "MUST" bear the iniquity of all "Holy Things"!

That "plate of Gold" on Aaron’s forehead is symbolic of Jesus Christ bearing us, even though we can pray and offer up gifts to God. Anything we offer God are acceptable only by virtue of the "Shed Blood Of Jesus"!

Heb 9:21 Moreover he sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle, and all the vessels of the ministry.

Heb 9:22 And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.

Jesus offers up a "Warning" for those that try to get to the "Wedding Supper" of the "Bride" by any other means.

Mat 22:11 And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment:

Mat 22:12 And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless.

Mat 22:13 Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Mat 22:14 For many are called, but few are chosen.

It is Our Lord that has chosen the "Wedding Garments"!

Rom 4:8 Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin.

God speaks of Abraham

Rom 4:21 And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.

Rom 4:22 And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness.

Rom 4:23 Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him;

Rom 4:24 But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead;

Rom 4:25 Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.

These garments of the High Priest should tell us that only through the "Righteousness of Jesus" (Our Garment) can we be admitted to the Marriage Supper Of The Lamb!

Paul goes on to say our garment must be Jesus Christ:

Rom 13:14 But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.

We know that Adam and Eve tried to make their own garments with the fig leaves but the correct garment had to come through the "Blood" of an "Innocent Lamb".

God’s Lamb is Himself!

Gen 22:8 And Abraham said, My son, [God will provide himself a lamb] for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together.

*****Our Text:

Exo 28:39 And thou shalt embroider the coat of fine linen, and thou shalt make the mitre of fine linen, and thou shalt make the girdle of needlework.

Exo 39:27 And they made coats of fine linen of woven work for Aaron, and for his sons,

Exo 39:28 And a mitre of fine linen, and goodly bonnets of fine linen, and linen breeches of fine twined linen,

Exo 39:29 And a girdle of fine twined linen, and blue, and purple, and scarlet, of needlework; as the LORD commanded Moses.

Though the coats that were worn by Aaron and his sons were identical, Aaron wore the "Mitre" while his sons wore "Bonnets".

Both of these are "symbols" of the "Reverence" of God.

*****Our text:

Exo 28:42 And thou shalt make them linen breeches to cover their nakedness; from the loins even unto the thighs they shall reach:

Exo 28:43 And they shall be upon Aaron, and upon his sons, when they come in unto the tabernacle of the congregation, or when they come near unto the altar to minister in the holy place; that they bear not iniquity, and die: it shall be a statute for ever unto him and his seed after him.

We can see that they all wore the linen britches.

The wearing of under garments were not done in these days. This linen britches served the priests as this function. This shows us that we all should dress appropriately, and reverence the House of God for every child of God is a priest.

1Pe 2:5 Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.

*****Our Text:

Exodus 29:1-37

*****The Washing:

Exo 29:4 And Aaron and his sons thou shalt bring unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and shalt wash them with water.

There can be little doubt that this in "type" is referring to the newly "Born Again" child of God:

Tit 3:4 But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared,

Tit 3:5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, [by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost];

Tit 3:6 Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour;

Tit 3:7 That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

Moses was God’s man so he had to do the washing.

We also see Our Lord Jesus:

Joh 13:10 Jesus saith to him, He that is washed needeth not save to wash his feet, but is clean every whit: and ye are clean, but not all.

*****The Anointing:

Lev 8:10 And Moses took the anointing oil, and anointed the tabernacle and all that was therein, and sanctified them.

Lev 8:11 And he sprinkled thereof upon the altar seven times, and anointed the altar and all his vessels, both the laver and his foot, to sanctify them.

Lev 8:12 And he poured of the anointing oil upon Aaron’s head, and anointed him, to sanctify him.

The Tabernacle and everything that was in it, were anointed with "Oil" (our Holy Ghost) and all the vessels were "Sanctified"(set apart for sacred service).

Only the "Altar" was sprinkled in addition to the anointing. (The Altar is in "type" the "Cross")

It is believed that only Aaron was anointed with oil and then this anointing was counted for his sons and those that followed.

When Our High Priest, the Lord Jesus Christ was anointed then that anointing was counted for everyone that believes on Him for their "Salvation".

*****The Sin Offering:

Exo 29:10 And thou shalt cause a bullock to be brought before the tabernacle of the congregation: and Aaron and his sons shall put their hands upon the head of the bullock.

Exo 29:11 And thou shalt kill the bullock before the LORD, by the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.

Exo 29:12 And thou shalt take of the blood of the bullock, and put it upon the horns of the altar with thy finger, and pour all the blood beside the bottom of the altar.

Exo 29:13 And thou shalt take all the fat that covereth the inwards, and the caul that is above the liver, and the two kidneys, and the fat that is upon them, and burn them upon the altar.

Exo 29:14 But the flesh of the bullock, and his skin, and his dung, shalt thou burn with fire without the camp: it is a sin offering.

Israel had no High Priest until Aaron was anointed by Moses. Moses had performed all official duties up until this point.

*****The laying on of hands:

This was a ceremonial act that represented the transferring of "Sin" to "innocent" victim. Immediately after the transfer then the bullock was killed and the "Blood was applied to the Altar". To the Altar, the Horns and what remained was poured on the ground at the bottom of the Altar.

Why?

Verse 21, "he shall be hallowed, and his garments, and his sons, and his sons’ garments with him"

(Set aside for the sacred use of God!)

The "Sin Offering", was not a sweet savor unto the Lord and was to be burnt with fire outside the Tabernacle and the camp.

Our Lord Jesus was led to the Hill called Golgotha:

Joh 19:17 And he bearing his cross went forth into a place called the place of a skull, which is called in the Hebrew Golgotha:

Joh 19:18 Where they crucified him,

Heb 13:11 For the bodies of those beasts, whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin, are burned without the camp.

Heb 13:12 Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate.

Heb 13:13 Let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach.

*****The Burnt offering:

Exo 29:15 Thou shalt also take one ram; and Aaron and his sons shall put their hands upon the head of the ram.

Exo 29:16 And thou shalt slay the ram, and thou shalt take his blood, and sprinkle it round about upon the altar.

Exo 29:17 And thou shalt cut the ram in pieces, and wash the inwards of him, and his legs, and put them unto his pieces, and unto his head.

Exo 29:18 And thou shalt burn the whole ram upon the altar: it is a burnt offering unto the LORD: it is a sweet savour, an offering made by fire unto the LORD.

The "Burnt" signified God’s acceptance in anticipation of the "SHED" Blood of Jesus.

Eph 1:6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.

Before we go any further let’s point out the difference between the "Shed Blood" and as some say the "Spilt Blood"

1.) To "shed" is an intentional act.

2.) To spill though it could be intentional, is most times by accident.

Jesus Christ intentionally died on the Cross and He intentionally "Shed" His Blood! It was no accident!

The "washing" of the inwards symbolizes the inner being, the nature, the affections, the attitudes.

The "washing" of the legs symbolizes our walk in this life.

The Bible says after we are redeemed we too need a washing:

Eph 5:25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;

Eph 5:26 That [he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word],

TO SAY WE HAVE FAITH WITHOUT SEEING THE FRUIT OF IT IS A FALSE CLAIM!

Jas 2:26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.

All dead faith will be fruitless!

*****The "Ram of Consecration":

Exodus 29:19-28

Moses would kill this ram only after Aaron and his sons had identified themselves with the ram by laying their hands upon it’s head.

Moses then killed the ram and took the blood and put it on:

1.) The tip of Aaron’s right ear = his dedication to the Word of God

2.) The thumb of Aaron’s right hand = his service to God

3.) The big toe of Aaron’s right foot = his walk with God

4.)Moses did the same to each of Aaron’s sons.

We are washed in the blood of Jesus:

Heb 9:14 How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works [to serve the living God]?

Moses then sprinkled the blood upon the Altar "round about" which means on "every side"

There were "seven" parts of this "Consecration Lamb" that were to be burnt on that Altar together with unleavened bread and an unleavened cake tempered with oil and an unleavened wafer anointed with oil.

Lev 8:25 And he took the fat, and the rump, and all the fat that was upon the inwards, and the caul above the liver, and the two kidneys, and their fat, and the right shoulder:

Lev 8:26 And out of the basket of unleavened bread, that was before the LORD, he took one unleavened cake, and a cake of oiled bread, and one wafer, and put them on the fat, and upon the right shoulder:

Lev 8:27 And he put all upon Aaron’s hands, and upon his sons’ hands, and waved them for a wave offering before the LORD.

Lev 8:28 And Moses took them from off their hands, and burnt them on the altar upon the burnt offering: they were consecrations for a sweet savour: it is an offering made by fire unto the LORD.

1.) The Unleavened "Bread" = "Freedom from Sin" (Especially that of Jesus)

2.) The Unleavened "Cakes tempered with oil" = Speak of Our Lord Jesus being filled with the Holy Spirit even before His birth at Bethlehem.

3.) The Unleavened "Wafers anointed with oil" = This special "anointing" by the Holy Spirit gave to us in "Type" Our Lord’s power to fulfill the work assigned by the Father in every minute detail.

Moses then took of the "anointing" oil ("Holy Spirit") and the "Blood" from the Altar ("Blood of Calvary") and sprinkled it upon Aaron and his sons.

Lev 8:30 And Moses took of the anointing oil, and of the blood which was upon the altar, and sprinkled it upon Aaron, and upon his garments, and upon his sons, and upon his sons’ garments with him; and sanctified Aaron, and his garments, and his sons, and his sons’ garments with him.

Heb 9:14 How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

Aaron and his sons then boiled the the remaining flesh of the "Consecration Ram" and ate it with the bread from the basket "at the door of the Tabernacle".

All these ceremonies were to be completed and repeated for "seven days". Seven the number of "perfection".

In "type" this shows that it is imperative for the "believer" to abide in Christ Jesus "always"! That we die not!

Lev 8:35 Therefore shall ye abide at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation day and night seven days, and keep the charge of the LORD, [that ye die not]: for so I am commanded.

Aaron performed his first priestly duties on the (8th) day, (his new beginning) but he still had to sacrifice another calf before he could begin.

But Our Lord:

Heb 7:26 For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens;

Heb 7:27 Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people’s: for this he did once, when he offered up himself.

Heb 7:28 For the law maketh men high priests which have infirmity; but the word of the oath, which was since the law, maketh the Son, who is consecrated for evermore.

And Our Lord Jesus will never have to sacrifice Himself ever again:

Heb 10:12 But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;

Heb 10:13 From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool.

Heb 10:14 For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.

The believer knows certain things:

1.) We are "formed" by Our Lord:

Psa 139:13 For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother’s womb.

Psa 139:14 I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.

Psa 139:15 My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.

Psa 139:16 Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them.

2.) We are "purchased" by Our Lord:

Act 20:28 Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.

3.) We are "cleansed" by Our Lord:

Rev 1:5 And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,

4.) We are "redeemed" by Our Lord:

Gal 3:13 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:

5.) We are then "endowed" with the Holy Spirit for safe keeping:

Eph 1:13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,

Eph 1:14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.

How can we ever deny Him?

*****Our text:

Exodus Chapter 30

The Incense Alter:

Exo 30:1 And thou shalt make an altar to burn incense upon: of shittim wood shalt thou make it.

Exo 30:2 A cubit shall be the length thereof, and a cubit the breadth thereof; foursquare shall it be: and two cubits shall be the height thereof: the horns thereof shall be of the same.

Exo 30:3 And thou shalt overlay it with pure gold, the top thereof, and the sides thereof round about, and the horns thereof; and thou shalt make unto it a crown of gold round about.

Exo 30:4 And two golden rings shalt thou make to it under the crown of it, by the two corners thereof, upon the two sides of it shalt thou make it; and they shall be for places for the staves to bear it withal.

Exo 30:5 And thou shalt make the staves of shittim wood, and overlay them with gold.

Exo 30:6 And thou shalt put it before the vail that is by the ark of the testimony, before the mercy seat that is over the testimony, where I will meet with thee.

Exo 30:7 And Aaron shall burn thereon sweet incense every morning: when he dresseth the lamps, he shall burn incense upon it.

Exo 30:8 And when Aaron lighteth the lamps at even, he shall burn incense upon it, a perpetual incense before the LORD throughout your generations.

Exo 30:9 Ye shall offer no strange incense thereon, nor burnt sacrifice, nor meat offering; neither shall ye pour drink offering thereon.

Exo 30:10 And Aaron shall make an atonement upon the horns of it once in a year with the blood of the sin offering of atonements: once in the year shall he make atonement upon it throughout your generations: it is most holy unto the LORD.

We must notice the order in which God teaches us these things. God instructed Moses on the "Consecration" of the Priest before He introduced this Golden Altar.

In "Type" this Altar represent Our Lord Jesus as our "Mediator"!

1Ti 2:5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;

1Ti 2:6 Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.

Aaron and the Brazen Altar are "types" of Christ in His sacrificial role at Mount Calvary but this Golden Altar stood squarely in front of the ‘Mercy Seat" depicting Christ Jesus interceding at God’s right hand for all believers.

1.) We still have the "incorruptible wood" the humanity of Jesus.

2.) We still have the "Golden deity" the One True God.

3.) We still have the "One" cubit the "One" being the need for unity with human relationships.

4.) We have "two" cubits high pointing to the "union and fellowship with Our Lord Jesus.

We must remember if our "vertical" relationship with Christ is not as it should be then our "horizontal" relationships with our families and all other will also suffer.

Mat 19:19 Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

Our "prayers" will go unheard and be fruitless because of faulty human relationships!

*****The Horns and the Crown:

Those "Horns" still symbolize power! On the Brazen Altar it is the "Power of the Blood" but here on the Golden Altar they represent the "Power of Prayer".

A "Horn" on each corner means the the "power of Prayer" is available to every believer in the "same strength". We hinder that power by our own actions.

Psa 66:18 If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me:

These "horns" do symbolize the "power of prayer" but they do not magnify the power of prayer.

The "incense" represents our prayers but until incense is burnt on the Golden Altar which represents Our Advocate with the Father, can we have no "Power in our Prayer life"

1Jn 2:1 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:

1Jn 2:2 And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.

It is only in Jesus that our prayers have power!

If a "prayer" is not prayed in the "Name of Jesus", that name above all other names, it will not be answered. We must pray under His Authority, under His Glory.

Jesus Christ is our "legal Advocate" just as He is "Our Savior"!

*****The Golden Crown on this Altar, which is not present on the Brazen Alter, is the "Divine Authority" that backs this altar. This Golden Crown is in "type" the Victory Our Savior had at the Cross!

1Co 15:57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

*****This Golden Altar stood just outside the "Veil" of the "Holy of Holies". It was squarely in front of the "Mercy Seat". Christ Jesus opened for us a "new and living way" through Himself because that "Veil" is fore ever gone to the believer, but we still have to pass by this Golden Altar before we can go through that "Door", that "Door" being Jesus.

Heb 4:16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

But we must go "Humbly" no matter what others teach.

Jas 4:10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.

We cannot be lifted up any other way.

1Pe 5:6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:

We cannot be exalted when the time comes in any other way.

Mat 23:12 And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.

God will allow us to approach His Throne without any kind of appointment but only if we come through the "Door of Jesus" HUMBLY!

Jesus Christ is the ultimate fulfillment of the Levitcal priesthood!

1.) We cannot bypass the Cross.

2.) We cannot bypass the Washing by His Word.

3.) We cannot fore-go the Living Bread.

4.)But Most Important of All, we have to have Jesus Christ as Our Intercessor!

Heb 7:25 Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.

*****This Golden Altar was intended for "Sweet Incense" if our prayers are not seasoned with "love, devotion, and worship then we are offering "strange incense"!

Joh 9:31 Now we know that God heareth not sinners: but if any man be a worshipper of God, and doeth his will, him he heareth.

Jas 4:3 Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.

Aaron was to burn sweet incense upon this Altar every morning and every evening so once a day was not enough.

In order for a sinner to be saved a prayer of faith had to be prayed. This person is then Born Again into a new life. That prayer was then was the breath that gave "New Life".

Prayer then is the Christian Believer’s vital breadth. Our bodies cannot survive without breathing and our spirit cannot survive without prayer.

Paul said:

1Th 5:17 Pray without ceasing.

*****The Anointing Oil

Exo 30:22 Moreover the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

Exo 30:23 Take thou also unto thee principal spices, of pure myrrh five hundred shekels, and of sweet cinnamon half so much, even two hundred and fifty shekels, and of sweet calamus two hundred and fifty shekels,

Exo 30:24 And of cassia five hundred shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary, and of oil olive an hin:

Exo 30:25 And thou shalt make it an oil of holy ointment, an ointment compound after the art of the apothecary: it shall be an holy anointing oil.

Exo 30:26 And thou shalt anoint the tabernacle of the congregation therewith, and the ark of the testimony,

Exo 30:27 And the table and all his vessels, and the candlestick and his vessels, and the altar of incense,

Exo 30:28 And the altar of burnt offering with all his vessels, and the laver and his foot.

Exo 30:29 And thou shalt sanctify them, that they may be most holy: whatsoever toucheth them shall be holy.

Exo 30:30 And thou shalt anoint Aaron and his sons, and consecrate them, that they may minister unto me in the priest’s office.

Exo 30:31 And thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel, saying, This shall be an holy anointing oil unto me throughout your generations.

Exo 30:32 Upon man’s flesh shall it not be poured, neither shall ye make any other like it, after the composition of it: it is holy, and it shall be holy unto you.

Exo 30:33 Whosoever compoundeth any like it, or whosoever putteth any of it upon a stranger, shall even be cut off from his people.

We already know that "Oil" symbolizes the Holy Spirit. We have seen that all the Vessels, the Furniture and the Tabernacle itself have been anointed with "Oil".

Everyone of these objects represent certain aspects of Jesus Christ, His Ministry, and the Church.

Isa 11:1 And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots:

Isa 11:2 And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD;

We can see this totally symbolized in the Golden Lampstand.

Joh 15:5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

As a Lampstand it would be the Oil that flowed. The Lamp could not burn without the "Oil".

All this points to the "Work" of the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Oil cannot be poured on anything that man chooses but only on the things that God has chosen.

Exo 30:32 Upon man’s flesh shall it not be poured, neither shall ye make any other like it, after the composition of it: it is holy, and it shall be holy unto you.

Even the sweet spices for the incense was reserved for the Tabernacle.

What God sets apart for His use is Holy, Sanctified, and Reverent.

Gal 6:7 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.

Let’s Pray!

The Design Of The Tabernacle Comes From God
(Part One)

Our Text:

Exodus Chapters 25-27

The Theme of this lesson is simple and is given by God Himself, as God told Moses:

Exo 25:8  And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them.
Exo 25:9  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.

The study of the Tabernacle will open our eyes to Jesus Christ in the Old Testament. If we seek wisdom in a word picture of God’s Word there is no better place to start than with the Tabernacle.

What is "wisdom"?

Wisdom is an action we can only take after we have been filled with knowledge.

If a man does not know Our Lord then they are not very wise:

Pro 9:10  The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.
Pro 9:11  For by me thy days shall be multiplied, and the years of thy life shall be increased.

We can even live longer knowing the things of God!

We can gain much knowledge of Jesus and His Ministry by understanding the design and use of the Tabernacle.

The story of the Tabernacle represents Our Creator, Our Lord and Our Savior, Jesus Christ. Every piece of furniture, every feature and every service in the Tabernacle teaches us something about Jesus Christ and His Church and His Ministry here on this earth.

It was in the forty days Moses spent with God that gave him the exact detail in every way of His Tabernacle.

To compare, God used just two chapters in Genesis to tell us of His creation but God will use 50 chapters in His Holy Word to teach us of His Tabernacle. When we skip over these scriptures or think they are boring then we have missed a very important part of God’s teaching and the purpose of Jesus Christ.

The Tabernacle was real important to God!

BUT: God has one rule for His Word for us all:

2Ti 3:16  All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
2Ti 3:17  That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.

The key word in this passage is the word "ALL"!

We as believers cannot neglect any portion of God’s Word without suffering loss.

This includes the Old Testament:

Rom 15:4  [For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning], that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.

The Tabernacle has at least three meanings in "Typology":

1.) The Tabernacle is a ‘Type" of God’s Heavenly dwelling.

Paul wrote of the Tabernacle sacrifices:

Heb 9:23  It was therefore necessary that [the patterns] of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.
Heb 9:24  For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us:

In other words we have in the ministry of the Tabernacle a "pattern" or a "shadow" of the things of Heaven.

2.) The Tabernacle is a "Type" of Jesus Christ.

Col 2:9  For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.

Heb 10:7  Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God.
Heb 10:8  Above when he said, [Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein; which are offered by the law;
Heb 10:9  Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second.]

3.) The Tabernacle is a ‘Type" of Christ in His Church.

Rev 21:1  And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.
Rev 21:2  And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
Rev 21:3  And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, [Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them], and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.

What did God says in Exodus 25:8 "make me a sanctuary that I may dwell among them.

We should be overwhelmed with joy knowing Our Saviour, Our God wants to live with us!

SO:

The "Key" to unlocking the understanding of the Tabernacle, is Jesus Christ.

Joh 1:14  And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

That word "dwelt" comes from a Greek word that means "to tent or to tabernacle with us".

We know that the "Lamb" "Our Lord" was ordained before the foundation of the world:

The Bible says:

1Pe 1:18  Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers;
1Pe 1:19  But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:
1Pe 1:20  [Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world], but was manifest in these last times for you,

If Christ existed before the Tabernacle and He did, it can be said the the Tabernacle was then designed to show us God’s, Christ Child, God’s Lamb whose name is Jesus!

We read these words especially around Christmas:

Luk 2:11  For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

Luk 2:21  And when eight days were accomplished for the circumcising of the child, his name was called JESUS, which was so named of the angel before he was conceived in the womb.

So Christ was born, lived, and died, in exact accord with God’s prophetic plan given to us from the Old Testament.

*****Our Text:

Exo 25:1  And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
Exo 25:2  Speak unto the children of Israel, that they bring me an offering: of every man that giveth it willingly with his heart ye shall take my offering.
Exo 25:3  And this is the offering which ye shall take of them; gold, and silver, and brass,
Exo 25:4  And blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen, and goats’ hair,
Exo 25:5  And rams’ skins dyed red, and badgers’ skins, and shittim wood,
Exo 25:6  Oil for the light, spices for anointing oil, and for sweet incense,
Exo 25:7  Onyx stones, and stones to be set in the ephod, and in the breastplate.
Exo 25:8  And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them.
Exo 25:9  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.

Before God brought Israel out of Egypt, He provided through the Egyptians, more than enough material for building the Tabernacle.

God had told Abraham:

Gen 15:13  And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years;
Gen 15:14  And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance.

God had told Moses:

Exo 3:21  And I will give this people favour in the sight of the Egyptians: and it shall come to pass, that, when ye go, ye shall not go empty:
Exo 3:22  But every woman shall borrow of her neighbour, and of her that sojourneth in her house, jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment: and ye shall put them upon your sons, and upon your daughters; and ye shall spoil the Egyptians.

What did Israel do?

Exo 12:35  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:
Exo 12:36  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.

You see Jehovah God knows everything that will happen in the future and makes things available for His plan to work just as He designed. We know God told Abraham about this over four hundred years before it took place.

God owns this world we live in and everything in it. Even we His believing children are not our own owner:

1Co 6:19  What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?
1Co 6:20  For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.

We are only stewards of what God has placed in our care!

God used this material to teach, just as He uses everything that comes across our life to teach us. God will now teach Israel the art of "giving" and "giving willingly".

Remember these lessons are more for God’s Church than they were for Israel in this time of Moses.

We know that this as taught by the Apostle Paul and was acted on by the Church:

2Co 8:1  Moreover, brethren, we do you to wit of the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia;
2Co 8:2  How that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded unto the riches of their liberality.

The gift of "Giving" is a gift that the Holy Spirit places in the believer:

Rom 12:6  Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith;
Rom 12:7  Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teacheth, on teaching;
Rom 12:8  Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: [he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity]; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness.

We see that these children of Israel, having that same joy at this time, willingly brought more than enough:

Exo 36:3  And they received of Moses all the offering, which the children of Israel had brought for the work of the service of the sanctuary, to make it withal. And they brought yet unto him free offerings every morning.
Exo 36:4  And all the wise men, that wrought all the work of the sanctuary, came every man from his work which they made;
Exo 36:5  And they spake unto Moses, saying, The people bring much more than enough for the service of the work, which the LORD commanded to make.

For a proper study of the Tabernacle there are some keys to remember:

The Materials and colors:

1.) Gold————–Represents the "deity and glory" of the Lord Jesus Christ.

2.) Silver————-Represents the "Atonement"

Exo 30:14  Every one that passeth among them that are numbered, from twenty years old and above, shall give an offering unto the LORD.
Exo 30:15  The rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less than half a shekel, when they give an offering unto the LORD, to make an atonement for your souls.
Exo 30:16  And thou shalt take the atonement money of the children of Israel, and shalt appoint it for the service of the tabernacle of the congregation; that it may be a memorial unto the children of Israel before the LORD, to make an atonement for your souls.

3.) Brass————Represents "Judgment"

Deu 28:23  And thy heaven that is over thy head shall be brass, and the earth that is under thee shall be iron.
Deu 28:24  The LORD shall make the rain of thy land powder and dust: from heaven shall it come down upon thee, until thou be destroyed.

4.) Blue————-Represents "The Heavenly One"

5.) Purple———–Represents "The Royal One"

6.) Scarlet———–Represents "The Suffering Servant" (Atoning Blood)

7.) Fine Linen——-Represents The "Righteousness" of the Saints.

Rev 19:8  And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.

8.) Goats Hair——Represents:

A.) The "Fatal Sin" of man.

Rom 5:12  Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:
Rom 5:13  (For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law.

B.) Plus the "Sin Offering". (Remember The Scape Goat and the Slain Goat)

Isa 53:10  Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.

2Co 5:21  For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

9.) Ram’s Skins dyed red—–Represents "Consecration" (obedient unto death)

10.) Badgers Skins————Represents "The Unlimited protection in Jesus Christ"

11.) The Shittim Wood——–Represents "The Incorruptible Humanity of Jesus Christ"

Psa 16:10  For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.

12.) The Oil——————-Represents "The Holy Spirit" The Spirit of Christ Jesus.

1Pe 1:10  Of which salvation the prophets have enquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you:
1Pe 1:11  Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow.

13.) Sweet Spices————-Represent "The Beautiful Fragrant Life Of The Believer"

Exo 30:34  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:
Exo 30:35  And thou shalt make it a perfume, a confection after the art of the apothecary, tempered together, pure and holy:
Exo 30:36  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.

Nothing will be sweeter than the day we meet Our Lord!

14.) The Veil—————-Represents "Through the Flesh of Jesus"

Heb 10:19  Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus,
Heb 10:20  By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh;
Heb 10:21  And having an high priest over the house of God;
Heb 10:22  Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.

**********There is also "Symbolism" attached to the "numbers" and "measurements" used in the construction of the Tabernacle:

One———-Unity
Two———-Fellowship, Union with Christ, Any Two are a Witness.
Three———The Holy Trinity, The Triune Godhead
Four———-The Earth (The four winds, the four corners of)
Five———–"Grace"
Six————Man, Human weakness, Short of perfection (Rom 3:23)
Seven———"Perfection"
Eight———A New Beginning
Nine———-Spiritual Fruit (Galatians 5:23-25)
Ten———–Responsibility on Earth; "Completeness"
Eleven——–Human Failure; Confusion; Judgment
Twelve——-The Number For Human Government (Twelve tribes. twelve Apostles)
Forty———"Testing" Probation (Jonah 3:4; Luke 4:2)
Fifty———-The Year of the Jubilee

*****The Measurements:

1 and 1/2 cubits = Three (The Trinity)

2 and 1/2 cubits = Five (Grace)

*****Other things:

baking, beating, bruising, burning, crushing, piercing, roasting = The Suffering of Christ Our Lord

Exo 39:3  And [they did beat the gold] into thin plates, and cut it into wires, to work it in the blue, and in the purple, and in the scarlet, and in the fine linen, with cunning work.

Exo 12:9  Eat not of it raw, nor sodden at all with water, [but roast with fire]; his head with his legs, and with the purtenance thereof. (The "Roasted Lamb")

God will begin the construction of the Tabernacle with the making of the furniture and the first piece was the "Ark".

*****Our Text:

Exo 25:10  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.
Exo 25:11  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.
Exo 25:12  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.
Exo 25:13  And thou shalt make staves of shittim wood, and overlay them with gold.
Exo 25:14  And thou shalt put the staves into the rings by the sides of the ark, that the ark may be borne with them.
Exo 25:15  The staves shall be in the rings of the ark: they shall not be taken from it.
Exo 25:16  And thou shalt put into the ark the testimony which I shall give thee.

(Also Exodus 37:1-5)

The Ark was made of "Shittim Wood". This wood is sometimes referred to as "Iron Wood". It comes from the acacia family of trees. Even though the average height of this tree is only about 25 feet it is a valuable tree. This hard wood is resistant enough to heat and decay that it is said to be indestructible.

This is why this wood is a "type" of Christ Jesus:

Heb 10:5  Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me

Act 13:35  Wherefore he saith also in another psalm, Thou shalt not suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. 

The Ark was overlaid with "Gold" within and without. This is to remind us thar Christ Jesus retained His full "deity" in His union with His humanity. Throughout the Tabernacle, the wood is a "type of Christ and the gold is a "type" of His deity.

Php 2:6  Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:
Php 2:7  But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:
Php 2:8  And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

Heb 2:17  Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people.

Jesus Christ was God in the flesh!

Jesus Christ needed to be totally God and totally Man in One Body for His work on this earth!

The "Ark" emphasizes the "Person" of Jesus and we will see that the "Mercy Seat" will emphasize His "Purpose".

The Atonement was equally on His "Godhood" and on His "Manhood".

Rom 3:25  Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;

The "Crown of God" upon the "Ark" foreshadows the "Man" Christ Jesus as King and King of Kings.

Rev 19:16  And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.

What do the dimensions of the "Ark" reveal?

Length 2 and 1/2 cubits = five and five = "Grace"

Breadth and Height 1 and 1/2 cubits = three and three = "The Trinity"

Vertical girth 4 times 1 and 1/2 = 6 and 6 = "the Number of Man"

Horizontal girth 2 times 2 and 1/2 plus 2 times 1 and 1/2 = 5+3 = 8 which = "The New Beginning"

The Bible plainly teaches that the "Trinity" by "Grace" offers "Man" a "New Beginning"!

2Co 5:17  Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
2Co 5:18  And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;

This "Ark" was to be carried in high respect and reverence:

1Ch 15:15  And the children of the Levites bare the ark of God upon their shoulders with the staves thereon, as Moses commanded according to the word of the LORD.

*****What was supposed to go into this "Ark"?

1.) The Tablets of Stone, (The Testimony) The Ten Commandments:

God’s Law was kept only by Jesus Christ. All others have kept the broken Laws.

Rom 3:23  For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

Only in Christ Jesus can we be pardoned, cleansed, and safely covered by the Mercy Seat that was sprinkled with the innocent "Blood".

2.) The Golden Pot of Manna is a "type" of Jesus Christ as the "Bread of Life":

Joh 6:33  For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world.
Joh 6:34  Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread.
Joh 6:35  And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.

3.) Aaron’s Rod: This depicts a "type" of the "Resurrection of Jesus Christ":

Life that came from death, Christ "Our Mediator" rose from the dead. Our Life is in Him because it is He that is Life.

Joh 1:4  In him was life; and the life was the light of men.

Joh 11:25  Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:
Joh 11:26  And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?

Joh 14:19  Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: [because I live, ye shall live also].

Our safety is not in the "Ark" but our safety is in He that "Sits on the Ark"!

*****Our Text:

Exo 25:17  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.
Exo 25:18  And thou shalt make two cherubims of gold, of beaten work shalt thou make them, in the two ends of the mercy seat.
Exo 25:19  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.
Exo 25:20  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.
Exo 25:21  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.
Exo 25:22  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.

As the "Ark" emphasized the "Person" of Christ, the "Mercy Seat" will emphasize the "Purpose of Christ". The "Mercy Seat" was a plate of pure gold, no wood. Only the "Deity" can offer saving mercy!

Only the blood of the "Sinless Lamb of God" could be used to save mankind.

Heb 10:4  For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.

God met with Moses on the "Mercy Seat":(Verse 22)

Num 7:89  And when Moses was gone into the tabernacle of the congregation to speak with him, then he heard the voice of one speaking unto him from off the mercy seat that was upon the ark of testimony, from between the two cherubims: and he spake unto him.

This "Mercy Seat" is then a "type" of Jesus Christ.

Psa 85:10  Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other.

Christ our "Mercy Seat" is a place of rest for our sin-sick soul.

Mat 11:28  Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Mat 11:29  Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: [and ye shall find rest unto your souls].

It is only in Jesus Christ where God rest His lawful case against us:

Eph 1:6  To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.

Only through "His Blood" sprinkled "Mercy Seat" can there be "Atonement for the Soul"

Exo 12:13  And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and [when I see the blood, I will pass over you], and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt.

The "Mercy Seat" has the same dimensions as the Ark which is Our New Beginning.

The Length plus the Breadth (2 1/2 + 1 1/2) = 4. Four being the number of the earth shows that there will even be a "New Earth" when Jesus returns:

Isa 65:17  For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind.

Rev 21:1  And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.

We must not forget we cannot use "types" to establish Doctrine, but we can use "types" to illustrate Doctrine that is already established by the Scriptures!

Because the thickness of the "Mercy Seat is not stated we can say that the dimensions are boundless, infinite. This is the truth of God’s "Grace" and His Mercy"!

However the "Mercy Seat" is exactly the same width and length of the Ark so there is only enough of God’s "Mercy and Grace" to cover only those that "Believe".

There is coming a day when God will show His "Wrath" without "Mercy"!

Rev 14:10  The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:

The golden crown upon the Ark proclaimed Jesus as "King of Kings and Lord of Lords", His Deity and His Humanity inseparable. This "Mercy Seat" fits down right inside that golden crown and is secured in place by it.

This "Rightful Position" is forever secure, regardless of those that do not believe or any demonic force.

1Jn 2:2  And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.

1Jn 4:10  Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

There is no other:

Act 4:12  Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

1Ti 2:5  For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;
1Ti 2:6  Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.

Php 2:9  Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:
Php 2:10  That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;
Php 2:11  And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

*****The Cherubim:

The Bible teaches us that the "Angels" are ministering spirits:

Heb 1:14  Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?

We know also that "Angels" can take on the form of man when needed for man’s benefit.

The "Cherubim" are the "Guardians of God’s Holiness’!

Over the Mercy Seat there were two Cherubim beaten out of One piece of Gold:

In "type" the "One Piece" gives recognition of Christ as the "Creator":

Joh 1:3  All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. (The One)

Col 1:16  For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: (The One by Him and for Him)

Heb 2:11  For both he that sanctifieth and [they who are sanctified are all of one]: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren,

No doubt it took a special skill to do this from one piece of Gold:

Exo 31:2  See, I have called by name Bezaleel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah:
Exo 31:3  And I have filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, and in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship,
Exo 31:4  To devise cunning works, to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass,
Exo 31:5  And in cutting of stones, to set them, and in carving of timber, to work in all manner of workmanship.
Exo 31:6  And I, behold, I have given with him Aholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan: and in the hearts of all that are wise hearted I have put wisdom, that they may make all that I have commanded thee;

Exo 35:30  And Moses said unto the children of Israel, See, the LORD hath called by name Bezaleel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah;
Exo 35:31  And he hath filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship;
Exo 35:32  And to devise curious works, to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass,

Is there anything to hard for God?

"Beating" denotes suffering. If the angels can rejoice when a sinner repents then they probably suffer grief when a soul goes astray. Remember they base their joy on the "One" that sits on the throne. We know He can be grieved.

Luk 15:7  I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.

Mat 18:10  Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven [their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven].

These "Cherubim" focus steadily on the "Shekinah Glory" which shows their interest in the Plan of God. They want God to be happy!

1Pe 1:10  Of which salvation the prophets have enquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you:
1Pe 1:11  Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow.
1Pe 1:12  Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; [which things the angels desire to look into].

In this we can see that God is teaching the angels by the Church. How can we fail Him as we do?

Eph 3:10  To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God,
Eph 3:11  According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord:

Oh What a Saviour!

*****The Shekinah Glory:

Even though the word "Shekinah" is not found in the Bible it is the name given to the manifestation of God’s presence.

The Shekinah Glory is that flame of Glory, enclosed in a cloud for man’s protection.

Lev 16:2  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].

What we know from God’s Word is that the Shekinah Glory of God left the Mercy Seat for good in the time of Ezekiel:

Eze 8:1  And it came to pass in the sixth year, in the sixth month, in the fifth day of the month, as I sat in mine house, and the elders of Judah sat before me, that the hand of the Lord GOD fell there upon me.
Eze 8:2  Then I beheld, and lo a likeness as the appearance of fire: from the appearance of his loins even downward, fire; and from his loins even upward, as the appearance of brightness, as the colour of amber.
Eze 8:3  And he put forth the form of an hand, and took me by a lock of mine head; and the spirit lifted me up between the earth and the heaven, and brought me in the visions of God to Jerusalem, to the door of the inner gate that looketh toward the north; where was the seat of the image of jealousy, which provoketh to jealousy.
Eze 8:4  And, behold, the glory of the God of Israel was there, according to the vision that I saw in the plain.
Eze 8:5  Then said he unto me, Son of man, lift up thine eyes now the way toward the north. So I lifted up mine eyes the way toward the north, and behold northward at the gate of the altar this image of jealousy in the entry.
Eze 8:6  He said furthermore unto me, Son of man, seest thou what they do? even the great abominations that the house of Israel committeth here, that I should go far off from my sanctuary? but turn thee yet again, and thou shalt see greater abominations.

The Shekinah Glory of God began departing from apostate Israel:

1.) It left the Mercy Seat and stood over the threshold of the Temple:

Eze 10:4  Then the glory of the LORD went up from the cherub, and stood over the threshold of the house; and the house was filled with the cloud, and the court was full of the brightness of the LORD’S glory.

2.) It left the threshold and hovered over Jerusalem:

Eze 10:18  Then the glory of the LORD departed from off the threshold of the house, and stood over the cherubims.
Eze 10:19  And the cherubims lifted up their wings, and mounted up from the earth in my sight: when they went out, the wheels also were beside them, and every one stood at the door of the east gate of the LORD’S house; and the glory of the God of Israel was over them above.

Eze 11:23  And the glory of the LORD went up from the midst of the city, and stood upon the mountain which is on the east side of the city.

3.) It went up from the midst of the Jerusalem and stood on the Mount of Olives;

Eze 11:23  And the glory of the LORD went up from the midst of the city, and stood upon the mountain which is on the east side of the city.

4.) After this we do not read of the Shekinah Glory of the Lord except through the prophets until Jesus is born:

Luk 2:9  And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.

5.) For 33 years the "Glory" of the Lord shined inside of Jesus here on this earth:

Joh 1:14  And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

6.) Just once on the "Mount of Transfiguration", Our Lord let it shine through;

Mat 17:2  And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light.

Mar 9:3  And his raiment became shining, exceeding white as snow; so as no fuller on earth can white them.

Luk 9:29  And as he prayed, the fashion of his countenance was altered, and his raiment was white and glistering.

7.) Forty days after Jesus was risen from the dead, He again went to the Mount of Olives, where he ascended again from the same Mount from which Ezekiel had seen the "Glory" of God 600 hundred years earlier.

Luk 24:50  And he led them out as far as to Bethany, and he lifted up his hands, and blessed them.
Luk 24:51  And it came to pass, while he blessed them, he was parted from them, and carried up into heaven.

8.) Ten days later the "Glory of the Lord" reappeared in the form of "cloven tongues like as of fire"

Act 2:3  And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.
Act 2:4  And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

Today the "Glory of God indwells His Church, awaiting the Rapture, to ascend once more into Heaven.

It is a shame there are some that make God’s Glory nothing more than some imaginary angelic language.

*****Our Text:

Exo 25:23  Thou shalt also make a table of shittim wood: two cubits shall be the length thereof, and a cubit the breadth thereof, and a cubit and a half the height thereof.
Exo 25:24  And thou shalt overlay it with pure gold, and make thereto a crown of gold round about.
Exo 25:25  And thou shalt make unto it a border of an hand breadth round about, and thou shalt make a golden crown to the border thereof round about.
Exo 25:26  And thou shalt make for it four rings of gold, and put the rings in the four corners that are on the four feet thereof.
Exo 25:27  Over against the border shall the rings be for places of the staves to bear the table.
Exo 25:28  And thou shalt make the staves of shittim wood, and overlay them with gold, that the table may be borne with them.
Exo 25:29  And thou shalt make the dishes thereof, and spoons thereof, and covers thereof, and bowls thereof, to cover withal: of pure gold shalt thou make them.
Exo 25:30  And thou shalt set upon the table shewbread before me alway.

I.) The Table for the "Shewbread":

The table made of wood, represents Jesus Christ in the flesh. Being overlaid with Gold tells us of His pure deity.

"He became fully Man to be made "The Living Bread" for all of us and he retained His deity that he might be "Our Eternal Life".

Col 3:3  For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.

The Table was 1 cubit wide = (unity)

The Table was 2 cubits long = (fellowship, union with Christ, and the 2 cubits would also = (The Trinity)

This table reminds is of the Lord’s Table:

To the Church:

1Co 10:21  Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord’s table, and of the table of devils.

True fellowship then depends on "unity" with Christ and all fellowship with Christ Jesus involves the "Holy Trinity".

As the priests of the Tabernacle had fellowship at this table, The Church can have fellowship with Our Own High Priests, Jesus Christ!

Heb 8:1  Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum: We have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens;
Heb 8:2  A minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man.

There was a border all the way around this table that was also crowned with gold. This is the only place in the construction of the Tabernacle that a measurement call a "handbreadth" is used.

This border enclosed 12 loaves of the ”Shewbread". These 12 loaves represented the 12 tribes of Israel. This "handbreath" then reminds us of the protecting "Hand" of Our Lord. The crown of God is the symbol of His authority and His "power" to protect His Own:

Isa 49:15  Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee.
Isa 49:16  Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me.

II.) The "Shewbread":

The "Recipe"

Lev 24:5  And thou shalt take fine flour, and bake twelve cakes thereof: two tenth deals shall be in one cake.
Lev 24:6  And thou shalt set them in two rows, six on a row, upon the pure table before the LORD.
Lev 24:7  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.
Lev 24:8  Every sabbath he shall set it in order before the LORD continually, being taken from the children of Israel by an everlasting covenant.
Lev 24:9  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.

1.) The "fine flour".

This speaks of uniform perfection. The pure life of Christ. Man was not saved just by the Pure Life of Christ but by His "Atoning" death.

2.) "Baking"  tells us of His suffering and His death.

3.) Christ "Crucified" then is the "True Bread" from Heaven.

Joh 6:50  This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die.
Joh 6:51  I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.

Joh 6:58  This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever.

4.) "Cakes" :

A cake in the days of this Tabernacle was punctured.

The body of Jesus Christ was punctured in "five"  places on the cross. Five = Grace.

5.) The "Shewbread" was "Hallowed Bread’:

1Sa 21:6  So the priest gave him hallowed bread: for there was no bread there but the shewbread, that was taken from before the LORD, to put hot bread in the day when it was taken away.

This bread was intended for the priests:

Mat 12:3  But he said unto them, Have ye not read what David did, when he was an hungred, and they that were with him;
Mat 12:4  How he entered into the house of God, and did eat the shewbread, which was not lawful for him to eat, neither for them which were with him, but only for the priests?

Now the true disciples of Jesus Christ are "The Holy Priesthood":

1Pe 2:5  Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.

1Pe 2:9  But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:

Rev 1:6  And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

Rev 5:10  And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.

All "born again" Christians have access to the "True Bread" from Heaven!

III.) The "Lampstand":

*****Our Text:

Exo 25:31  And thou shalt make a candlestick of pure gold: of beaten work shall the candlestick be made: his shaft, and his branches, his bowls, his knops, and his flowers, shall be of the same.
Exo 25:32  And six branches shall come out of the sides of it; three branches of the candlestick out of the one side, and three branches of the candlestick out of the other side:
Exo 25:33  Three bowls made like unto almonds, with a knop and a flower in one branch; and three bowls made like almonds in the other branch, with a knop and a flower: so in the six branches that come out of the candlestick.
Exo 25:34  And in the candlestick shall be four bowls made like unto almonds, with their knops and their flowers.
Exo 25:35  And there shall be a knop under two branches of the same, and a knop under two branches of the same, and a knop under two branches of the same, according to the six branches that proceed out of the candlestick.
Exo 25:36  Their knops and their branches shall be of the same: all it shall be one beaten work of pure gold.
Exo 25:37  And thou shalt make the seven lamps thereof: and they shall light the lamps thereof, that they may give light over against it.
Exo 25:38  And the tongs thereof, and the snuffdishes thereof, shall be of pure gold.
Exo 25:39  Of a talent of pure gold shall he make it, with all these vessels.
Exo 25:40  And look that thou make them after their pattern, which was shewed thee in the mount.

The "Lampstand" is not a candlestick but it is a lamp that uses "Oil".

There are no dimensions given for the "Lampstand" and it was made of "Gold". This speaks of the fact that Christ Jesus has no boundaries nor limitations.

The "talent of Gold" speaks of the enormous price Jesus paid for our redemption.

This "lampstand" was hammered out of "one" piece of Gold that at today’s rate would be worth about a million dollars not considering the skill to produce such a treasure.

The "Three Sets"

Represent three stages of maturity:

a.) buds
b.) blossoms
c.) mature almonds

This speaks of perpetual fruitfulness, which can come only through Jesus Christ

John said:

Rev 1:12  And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks;
Rev 1:13  And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle.

Rev 1:19  Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter;
Rev 1:20  The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches.

This seven-branched "Lampstand" was supported by "One Central Stem"

Seven speaks of "perfection"

There were six branches which is the "number of man"

Man always comes up short of perfection!

Jesus said in His Words:

Joh 15:5  I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

Inside the Tabernacle there were no windows, no natural light, nor any other lamp. This was the only light.

Jesus Christ is the true light:

Joh 1:9  That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.

Joh 9:5  As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.

Since Christ Jesus ascended back to Heaven, it is the Church that is suppose to be the "Light" until the Rapture:

Mat 5:14  Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.
Mat 5:15  Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.
Mat 5:16  Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

Jesus said that that His Church(His Saints), though persecuted and many martyrd would never perish:

Luk 21:18  But there shall not an hair of your head perish.
Luk 21:19  In your patience possess ye your souls.

Rom 8:35  Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
Rom 8:36  As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.
Rom 8:37  Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.
Rom 8:38  For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
Rom 8:39  Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

To be continued in next lesson.

God Directs The Tabernacle Design (Part Two)

Chapters 26, 27

I.) The Curtains and the Coverings:

*****Our Text:

Exo 26:1  Moreover thou shalt make the tabernacle with ten curtains of fine twined linen, and blue, and purple, and scarlet: with cherubims of cunning work shalt thou make them.
Exo 26:2  The length of one curtain shall be eight and twenty cubits, and the breadth of one curtain four cubits: and every one of the curtains shall have one measure.
Exo 26:3  The five curtains shall be coupled together one to another; and other five curtains shall be coupled one to another.
Exo 26:4  And thou shalt make loops of blue upon the edge of the one curtain from the selvedge in the coupling; and likewise shalt thou make in the uttermost edge of another curtain, in the coupling of the second.
Exo 26:5  Fifty loops shalt thou make in the one curtain, and fifty loops shalt thou make in the edge of the curtain that is in the coupling of the second; that the loops may take hold one of another.
Exo 26:6  And thou shalt make fifty taches of gold, and couple the curtains together with the taches: and it shall be one tabernacle.

This is the only curtain “fine twined linen” that is given priority over the blue, purple and scarlet colors. In all other parts of the Tabernacle the colors are named first.

Linen is made of “flax” a product of the soil. This curtain symbolizes the righteousness of Christ in His Earthly Ministry.

This also speaks of the attire of the “Bride of Christ” whose fine twined linen is from above as they were attired in Heaven:

Rev 19:8  And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.

This curtain had the Cherubim, who are guardians of God’s Holiness on them:

Exo 36:8  And every wise hearted man among them that wrought the work of the tabernacle made ten curtains of fine twined linen, and blue, and purple, and scarlet: with cherubims of cunning work made he them.

These “Cherubim” were a warning to all that entered that they were “standing on Holy Ground”.

We must believe that these numbers do have a meaning in the design of the Tabernacle:

1.) Fine twined linen from the earth = 4
2.) The width of each strip and it’s quality = 7
3.) (7 times 4 = 28)
4.) By “grace” are we saved! 5 coupled to 5 = “Grace upon Grace” = 10 the number of “completeness”.
5.) “50” loops of “blue”: 5 times 10 =50 which = “Grace Completed”.
6.) The 50th year was the Year of Jubilee.
a.) Debts were cancelled.
b.) Mortgages were released.
c.) Captives Were Set Free. Jesus did this for un on Mount Calvary (Complete Grace)

How did Jesus begin His Ministry?

Luk 4:17  And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written,
Luk 4:18  The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,
Luk 4:19  To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.

Jesus quoted from the Old Testament

Isa 61:1  The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;
Isa 61:2  To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, [and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn];

Jesus did not read about the “day of vengeance” because it has not yet come even in our day!

Jesus set us free on Mount Calvary, symbolized by the Year of Jubilee and by these curtains!

God’s “redemptive” Grace the righteousness represented by the fine twined linen is imputed to those that believe by “faith”, then God’s “enabling” Grace imparts the to the believer the divine Nature of Christ by “a born again experience”. “Righteousness” coupled together with “faith” and the “Cross”
creates “One Tabernacle” where “God will Dwell”!

Col 1:27  To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:

II.) The Goats Hair Curtain:

*****Exo 26:7  And thou shalt make curtains of goats’ hair to be a covering upon the tabernacle: eleven curtains shalt thou make.
Exo 26:8  The length of one curtain shall be thirty cubits, and the breadth of one curtain four cubits: and the eleven curtains shall be all of one measure.
Exo 26:9  And thou shalt couple five curtains by themselves, and six curtains by themselves, and shalt double the sixth curtain in the forefront of the tabernacle.
Exo 26:10  And thou shalt make fifty loops on the edge of the one curtain that is outmost in the coupling, and fifty loops in the edge of the curtain which coupleth the second.
Exo 26:11  And thou shalt make fifty taches of brass, and put the taches into the loops, and couple the tent together, that it may be one.
Exo 26:12  And the remnant that remaineth of the curtains of the tent, the half curtain that remaineth, shall hang over the backside of the tabernacle.
Exo 26:13  And a cubit on the one side, and a cubit on the other side of that which remaineth in the length of the curtains of the tent, it shall hang over the sides of the tabernacle on this side and on that side, to cover it.

A.) The “goats hair” is first a “Type” of Sin, human failure and confusion.

It only took “one sin” from Adam to ruin God’s Creation.

11 is then the correct number and goats hair is the correct material.

Rebekah used goats hair to deceive Isaac.

In the judgment of the nations:

Mat 25:31  When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:
Mat 25:32  And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:
Mat 25:33  And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.

Goats then represent human failure!

6 is the number of man, these six curtains coupled to themselves then emphasize the “fallen nature of Man”.

A sixth curtain was doubled. This should remind us that though our sins be forgiven, we are still in this flesh!

Psa 51:3  For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.

We need constant “Grace” to live in victory!

1Co 15:57  But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

This Goats hair curtain is called a “tent”:

Our earthly bodies are our temporary home until we receive our glorified body:

Rom 8:23  And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.
Rom 8:24  For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?

The death of our flesh reminds us that these bodies of flesh are not redeemed when we are saved.

B.) The Goats Hair Curtain is also a “Type of Christ” as our sin offering:

2Co 5:21  For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

Isa 53:10  Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.

The “scapegoat” made an atonement for Israel:

Lev 16:10  But the goat, on which the lot fell to be the scapegoat, shall be presented alive before the LORD, to make an atonement with him, and to let him go for a scapegoat into the wilderness.

THERE IS NO JUSTIFICATION FOR CONTINUING IN KNOWN SIN!

50 Brass taches:

As the 50 taches of “Brass” coupled the tent together, that it may be “One” so The Cross is in “type” the 50th year and couples the redeemed (6) to the redeemer (5) that they become “One”.

Joh 17:21  That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.

III.) The Covering of Ram’s Skins Dyed Red:

Exo 26:14  And thou shalt make a covering for the tent of rams’ skins dyed red, and a covering above of badgers’ skins.

Rams were used for the consecration of the priests fro office:

1.) The Burnt offering:

Exo 29:15  Thou shalt also take one ram; and Aaron and his sons shall put their hands upon the head of the ram.
Exo 29:16  And thou shalt slay the ram, and thou shalt take his blood, and sprinkle it round about upon the altar.
Exo 29:17  And thou shalt cut the ram in pieces, and wash the inwards of him, and his legs, and put them unto his pieces, and unto his head.
Exo 29:18  And thou shalt burn the whole ram upon the altar: it is a burnt offering unto the LORD: it is a sweet savour, an offering made by fire unto the LORD.

2.) One for consecration:

Exo 29:19  And thou shalt take the other ram; and Aaron and his sons shall put their hands upon the head of the ram.
Exo 29:20  Then shalt thou kill the ram, and take of his blood, and put it upon the tip of the right ear of Aaron, and upon the tip of the right ear of his sons, and upon the thumb of their right hand, and upon the great toe of their right foot, and sprinkle the blood upon the altar round about.
Exo 29:21  And thou shalt take of the blood that is upon the altar, and of the anointing oil, and sprinkle it upon Aaron, and upon his garments, and upon his sons, and upon the garments of his sons with him: and he shall be hallowed, and his garments, and his sons, and his sons’ garments with him.
Exo 29:22  Also thou shalt take of the ram the fat and the rump, and the fat that covereth the inwards, and the caul above the liver, and the two kidneys, and the fat that is upon them, and the right shoulder; for it is a ram of consecration:

Our Lord Jesus sanctified Himself to be our High Priest and also our Sacrifice at the same time:

Joh 17:19  And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.

No Human priest would be qualified to officiate the Sacrifice of Our Lord!

Heb 7:26  For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens;
Heb 7:27  Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people’s: for this he did once, when he offered up himself.
Heb 7:28  For the law maketh men high priests which have infirmity; but the word of the oath, which was since the law, maketh the Son, who is consecrated for evermore.

Rams’ skins denote Christ Jesus, Our Suffering High Priest “consecrated for ever more”

1Ti 2:5  For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;
1Ti 2:6  Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.

The Red dye in “type” the Blood of Jesus:

Heb 9:22  And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.

IV.) The top covering of “Badger Skins”:

Exo 26:14  And thou shalt make a covering for the tent of rams’ skins dyed red, [and a covering above of badgers’ skins].

These skins were a tough durable leather that was non-porous, water repellent and weather resistant.

The Beauty on the inside of the Tabernacle was protected from the “World”:

They symbolized the torture, the ridicule, the shame and all the other things Jesus endured for Our Sakes.

Isa 53:2  For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.

There are no dimensions given:

This covering was in “type” the boundless and immeasurable protection that all believers have in Christ Jesus.

The Lost man will never know the “Inner Beauty Of Jesus Christ”!

It is Christ Jesus that expresses that Beauty in His Bride:

Eph 5:27  That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.

Son 5:16  His mouth is most sweet: yea, [he is altogether lovely]. This is my beloved, and this is my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem.

V.) The Tabernacle Structure:

Exo 26:15  And thou shalt make boards for the tabernacle of shittim wood standing up.
Exo 26:16  Ten cubits shall be the length of a board, and a cubit and a half shall be the breadth of one board.
Exo 26:17  Two tenons shall there be in one board, set in order one against another: thus shalt thou make for all the boards of the tabernacle.
Exo 26:18  And thou shalt make the boards for the tabernacle, twenty boards on the south side southward.
Exo 26:19  And thou shalt make forty sockets of silver under the twenty boards; two sockets under one board for his two tenons, and two sockets under another board for his two tenons.
Exo 26:20  And for the second side of the tabernacle on the north side there shall be twenty boards:
Exo 26:21  And their forty sockets of silver; two sockets under one board, and two sockets under another board.
Exo 26:22  And for the sides of the tabernacle westward thou shalt make six boards.
Exo 26:23  And two boards shalt thou make for the corners of the tabernacle in the two sides.
Exo 26:24  And they shall be coupled together beneath, and they shall be coupled together above the head of it unto one ring: thus shall it be for them both; they shall be for the two corners.
Exo 26:25  And they shall be eight boards, and their sockets of silver, sixteen sockets; two sockets under one board, and two sockets under another board.
Exo 26:26  And thou shalt make bars of shittim wood; five for the boards of the one side of the tabernacle,
Exo 26:27  And five bars for the boards of the other side of the tabernacle, and five bars for the boards of the side of the tabernacle, for the two sides westward.
Exo 26:28  And the middle bar in the midst of the boards shall reach from end to end.
Exo 26:29  And thou shalt overlay the boards with gold, and make their rings of gold for places for the bars: and thou shalt overlay the bars with gold.
Exo 26:30  And thou shalt rear up the tabernacle according to the fashion thereof which was shewed thee in the mount.
Exo 26:31  And thou shalt make a vail of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen of cunning work: with cherubims shall it be made:
Exo 26:32  And thou shalt hang it upon four pillars of shittim wood overlaid with gold: their hooks shall be of gold, upon the four sockets of silver.
Exo 26:33  And thou shalt hang up the vail under the taches, that thou mayest bring in thither within the vail the ark of the testimony: and the vail shall divide unto you between the holy place and the most holy.
Exo 26:34  And thou shalt put the mercy seat upon the ark of the testimony in the most holy place.
Exo 26:35  And thou shalt set the table without the vail, and the candlestick over against the table on the side of the tabernacle toward the south: and thou shalt put the table on the north side.
Exo 26:36  And thou shalt make an hanging for the door of the tent, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen, wrought with needlework.
Exo 26:37  And thou shalt make for the hanging five pillars of shittim wood, and overlay them with gold, and their hooks shall be of gold: and thou shalt cast five sockets of brass for them.

1.) The Boards, Sockets, and Bars: (15-29)

The first step in making lumber is to cut down the tree which separates the tree from it’s roots and then to remove the branches. We can see the “type” even here.

To be transformed from sinners into saints, we must be separated from our carnal roots and striped of every branch that reaches out to this worldly system we live in.

We must fall like that timber but at the feet of Jesus and submit to “Spiritual” surgery!

Eze 36:25  Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you.
Eze 36:26  A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.

In “type” the Tabernacle represents Jesus Christ and His Church on this Earth. That being so then these boards must be in “type” the members of His body.

Every board was 10 cubits long: 10 = (Responsible, Completed)

Every board was 1 and 1/2 cubits wide: 3 = (The Holy Trinity)

That “completeness” was not in man but in Jesus Christ.

Man by himself can only be filthy rags:

Isa 64:6  But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.

If we try to compare any goodness we think we have to others we see as not so good then we are not very wise:

2Co 10:12  For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise.

Perfection can only come through Christ Jesus:

Joh 15:5  I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

When the Tabernacle boards are (encased in Gold) they represent the members of Christ “Body”.

Eph 5:30  For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.

The standard being Christ then every board is exactly the same (10 cubits high)

Eph 1:6  To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.

Apart from Jesus Christ none of us are complete:

Eph 4:13  Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:
Eph 4:14  That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;
Eph 4:15  But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:
Eph 4:16  From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.

In Christ “man” is no longer known “after the flesh”:

2Co 5:16  Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more.

In Christ “we” become “partakers of His divine nature”:

2Pe 1:4  Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

God sees those that believe as “Complete in Christ”:

Col 2:10  And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:
Col 2:11  In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ:
Col 2:12  [Buried with him in baptism], wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.

God sees us a perfect when we are in His “Will”:

Col 4:12  Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ, saluteth you, always labouring fervently for you in prayers, [that ye may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God].

Now there were 48 boards in all but that number is not found. It is said 20 boards on each side which = 10 doubled or dual completion. Jesus Christ did a complete work toward God and man!

At the “West” end there were 6 boards plus 2 corner boards. These were mitered around the corners and tied all three sides together:

6 the number of man + 2 union with Christ = 8 a new beginning.

Psa 118:22  The stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner.
Psa 118:23  This is the LORD’S doing; it is marvellous in our eyes.

The number 2 is found 13 times in these verses. The “Union With Christ” is the “Secret of Life”.

These boards stood side by side and were held firmly together by 5 bars = “Grace all the way around”

These  bars also of “shittim” wood encased in “gold” showing still the dual nature of Our Lord Jesus.

The Middle bar would shoot through from one end to the other:

Exo 36:33  And he made the middle bar to shoot through the boards from the one end to the other.

It can be said if the boards are the members then:

Col 1:27  To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; [which is Christ in you, the hope of glory]:

2.) The Veil, It’s Silver Sockets and Four Pillars. (31-33)

Though the Bible does not give us the meaning of the four colors used we do know that the symbolisms fit Jesus:

Jesus is the Heavenly One (Blue), The Royal One (purple), The Suffering Servant (scarlet) and the Righteous One (fine [white] linen).

The Bible does tell us that the “Veil” represents the flesh of Christ:

Heb 10:20  By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh;

It is no wonder the “Veil” was rent into at the moment of His death. For by His death He has made a “New and Living Way” into the “Holy of Holies” giving us access to the “Mercy Seat”, the “Throne of God”

The way to the Holy of Holies was closed except on the Great Day of Atonement:

Heb 9:7  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:
Heb 9:8  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:

But after the death of Jesus on that Cross:

Heb 4:16  Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

This “Veil” was embroidered with “Cherubim” and hung on “Four” pillars of “Wood” overlaid with “Gold”.

The 4 (the number of earth) is the most appropriate number of pillars to represent Christ’s life on Earth and His death on Calvary. This “veil” was rent into when Jesus died. (2 + 2 = 4)

These 4 pillars stood in sockets of “Silver”, (the Atonement)

The hooks of “Gold” (Christ’s constant support from Heaven even while hanging on the Cross):

2Co 5:19  To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.

3.) The Door, Five Pillars, Chapiters, Fillets of Gold and Sockets of Silver. (36-37)

The door (Tabernacle Entrance) had a hanging of blue, purple, scarlet and fine twined linen just as the Veil. There were three entrances (To the Court, To the Tabernacle, To the Holy of Holies). All these entrances represent Jesus Christ who is the only way to Heaven:

Joh 14:6  Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

Jesus said he was the “Door” not the “Doorway”:

Joh 10:7  Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep.
Joh 10:8  [All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers]: but the sheep did not hear them.
Joh 10:9  I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.

However, there were significant contrasts:

a.) This door had no “Cherubim”.
b.) This door had 5 pillars and not 4.
c.) This door had brass sockets and not silver.
d.) This door had pillars that were crowned with chapiters and filets of Gold.

Exo 36:37  And he made an hanging for the tabernacle door of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen, of needlework;
Exo 36:38  And the five pillars of it with their hooks: and he overlaid their chapiters and their fillets with gold: but their five sockets were of brass.

Why?

A.) The “Veil” denotes the body of flesh in which Jesus suffered and died. In His earthly life and in His death He wore no crown of Gold but only that of “thorns”.

B.) At Calvary he was humiliated and “cut off” in the prime of His earthly life.

Isa 53:8  He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? [for he was cut off out of the land of the living]: for the transgression of my people was he stricken.

a.) The 5 pillars at the “door” were crowned with “Golden Chapiters”:

5 is the number and Christ is the means of “Grace”.

We are still living in the “Age of Grace”! Jesus is no longer humiliated, He has ascended to the right hand of God and therefore Crowned.

b.) Jesus is the “Door”.

Jesus is the “Gate”, The “Door” and the “Veil”. These all are “types” of Him.

The Bible says:

Rev 22:13  I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.

Joh 1:3  All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.

Heb 1:2  Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;
Heb 1:3  Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;

Rev 19:11  And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.

These “pillars” of the “Door” stand in “Brass” (judgment).

Once Jesus took our sins upon Himself and stood in judgment “for us”, but now and forever he will be “our Judge”

Jas 5:9  Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned: [behold, the judge standeth before the door].

Though 5 (grace) and brass (judgment) seem to contradict. We know that even this time of “grace” abounds in “judgment”.

1Co 11:31  For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.
1Co 11:32  But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world.

“THAT’S WHAT [GRACE] IS ALL ABOUT”!

IV.) The Brazen Altar. (Exo 27:1-8)

Exo 27:1  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.
Exo 27:2  And thou shalt make the horns of it upon the four corners thereof: his horns shall be of the same: and thou shalt overlay it with brass.
Exo 27:3  And thou shalt make his pans to receive his ashes, and his shovels, and his basons, and his fleshhooks, and his firepans: all the vessels thereof thou shalt make of brass.
Exo 27:4  And thou shalt make for it a grate of network of brass; and upon the net shalt thou make four brasen rings in the four corners thereof.
Exo 27:5  And thou shalt put it under the compass of the altar beneath, that the net may be even to the midst of the altar.
Exo 27:6  And thou shalt make staves for the altar, staves of shittim wood, and overlay them with brass.
Exo 27:7  And the staves shall be put into the rings, and the staves shall be upon the two sides of the altar, to bear it.
Exo 27:8  Hollow with boards shalt thou make it: as it was shewed thee in the mount, so shall they make it.

This “Altar” was the one place where all sacrifices were offered. We know that this “Altar” is then a “type” of the Cross.

Lev 17:2  Speak unto Aaron, and unto his sons, and unto all the children of Israel, and say unto them; This is the thing which the LORD hath commanded, saying,
Lev 17:3  What man soever there be of the house of Israel, that killeth an ox, or lamb, or goat, in the camp, or that killeth it out of the camp,
Lev 17:4  And bringeth it not unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, to offer an offering unto the LORD before the tabernacle of the LORD; blood shall be imputed unto that man; he hath shed blood; and that man shall be cut off from among his people:
Lev 17:5  To the end that the children of Israel may bring their sacrifices, which they offer in the open field, even that they may bring them unto the LORD, unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, unto the priest, and offer them for peace offerings unto the LORD.
Lev 17:6  And the priest shall sprinkle the blood upon the altar of the LORD at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and burn the fat for a sweet savour unto the LORD.

Lev 17:8  And thou shalt say unto them, Whatsoever man there be of the house of Israel, or of the strangers which sojourn among you, that offereth a burnt offering or sacrifice,
Lev 17:9  And bringeth it not unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, to offer it unto the LORD; even that man shall be cut off from among his people.

God says what He means and he means what He says:

THERE IS NO SUBSTITUTE FOR THE CROSS!

1.) God chose the place of Sacrifice.
2.) God chose the only acceptable Sacrifice.
3.) God chose the “materials of the “Altar”.
4.) God chose the “dimensions of the “Altar”.

3a.) The “wood” (in type “humanity”): Christ became man for the purpose of taking our sin and give His life for a ransom.

Mar 10:45  For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.

Heb 4:15  For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.

4a.) The length and the breadth were “5” cubits and was “4” square. “Grace is equally available to all mankind”.

The Horns on each corner symbolized the “Power of the Blood”:

Heb 9:12  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.

Rev 1:5  And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. [Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood],

Act 20:28  Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, [which he hath purchased with his own blood].

The Bible says:

2Co 5:19  To wit, [that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself], not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.

And also:

Heb 9:14  [How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit] offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

There is no doubt of the Holy Trinity’s involvement in our “Salvation”!

The “Altar” was (3) cubits high!

The “wood” and the “horns” were overlaid with “brass” in “type” (judgment).

1Pe 3:18  For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, [the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God], being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:

The “grate”(net) was of solid “brass” (no wood) in the middle of the “Altar”

Even this has a message;

Mat 27:46  And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?

Halfway down placed the “grate” at the same height as the “Table” and the “Ark”.

The “Table” (fellowship), the “Mercy Seat” (the Throne of God) were both made possible through the “Ark” (Mount Calvary, The Cross).

V.) The Outer Court, Pillars, Sockets, Hangings, Hooks, Pins

Exo 27:9  And thou shalt make the court of the tabernacle: for the south side southward there shall be hangings for the court of fine twined linen of an hundred cubits long for one side:
Exo 27:10  And the twenty pillars thereof and their twenty sockets shall be of brass; the hooks of the pillars and their fillets shall be of silver.
Exo 27:11  And likewise for the north side in length there shall be hangings of an hundred cubits long, and his twenty pillars and their twenty sockets of brass; the hooks of the pillars and their fillets of silver.
Exo 27:12  And for the breadth of the court on the west side shall be hangings of fifty cubits: their pillars ten, and their sockets ten.
Exo 27:13  And the breadth of the court on the east side eastward shall be fifty cubits.
Exo 27:14  The hangings of one side of the gate shall be fifteen cubits: their pillars three, and their sockets three.
Exo 27:15  And on the other side shall be hangings fifteen cubits: their pillars three, and their sockets three.
Exo 27:16  And for the gate of the court shall be an hanging of twenty cubits, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen, wrought with needlework: and their pillars shall be four, and their sockets four.
Exo 27:17  All the pillars round about the court shall be filleted with silver; their hooks shall be of silver, and their sockets of brass.
Exo 27:18  The length of the court shall be an hundred cubits, and the breadth fifty every where, and the height five cubits of fine twined linen, and their sockets of brass.
Exo 27:19  All the vessels of the tabernacle in all the service thereof, and all the pins thereof, and all the pins of the court, shall be of brass.

The “Outer Court: separated the worship center from the outside world.

Joh 15:19  If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.

Joh 17:14  I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.
Joh 17:15  I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil.
Joh 17:16  They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.

Those in the “Worship Center” are to be set apart as God’s “purchased property”.

Israel:

Exo 19:5  Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine:

Amo 3:2  You only have I known of all the families of the earth: therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities.

The Church:

2Co 6:14  Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?
2Co 6:15  And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?
2Co 6:16  And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
2Co 6:17  Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,
2Co 6:18  And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.

Eph 5:11  And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.

Around the “Court yard” stood 60 pillars of “Brass” or “wood” overlaid with brass”.

The “wood” still a “type” of humanity. We have already said the “boards” standing shoulder to shoulder is in “type” the Church, the Body of Christ. Then these pillars are in “type” the individual “believer”.

They hold up the “fine twined linen”:

Rev 19:8  And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.

The “Church” (boards) stand in “silver” (atonement), but as individuals each stands alone in his own socket of “brass”.

2Co 5:10  For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.

60 “brazen” pillars, standing in 60 sockets of “brass” yet all were “crowned with silver” (atonement)

That is  twelve fold multiple of “Grace” (12 times 5 =60)

The Hanging of “fine twined linen” was (5) cubits high all the way around the court. The worship center was surrounded by “Grace”.

There was no gold in the outer court. The “Gold” was only used in the vessels, the boards, the pillars and the hooks either inside or attached to the Tabernacle.

The most prominent materials in the court were “brass” and “wood”.

Only at the top, above the linen hanging, were “silver chapiters, fillets, and hooks”. (Atonement)

It is the (Atonement) that caries the weight of the linen hangings (righteousness) for our righteousness depends totally on Jesus Christ Our Lord.

Apart from His redeeming “Grace” we have no righteousness.

Mal 4:2  But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall.

Heb 1:8  But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom.

The “Silver” hooks at the top of the “Pillars” were for ropes that anchored the pillars to pins of “Brass”.

Each pillar was held securely in place. In “type” we need to be anchored in Our Lord Jesus Christ.

Heb 6:19  Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil;

The humanity (The Wood) and (The Pillars) the Body of Christ. The “Gold” and “Brass” Our Saviour and Our Judge.

If we could see the picture of these pillars of wood and from the inside and the hangings we could get a picture of the Cross.

*****The Gate:  Exo 27:16

The hanging of the “Gate” (representing Christ Jesus)  was distinctively different from the Pure White hanging around the court yard.

The Gate, the Door and the Veil were all the same colors: Blue, Purple, Scarlet on White.

(Blue)Joh 8:23  And he said unto them, Ye are from beneath; I am from above: ye are of this world; I am not of this world.

(Purple)Rev 19:16  And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.

(Scarlet)Isa 53

(Fine White Linen)1Jn 2:29  If ye know that he is righteous, ye know that every one that doeth righteousness is born of him.

The Gate, The Door, The Veil all say: Joh 14:6  Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

The Gate is only half as high as the Door but it is (2) times as wide.

The Altar(Calvary) is just inside the Gate. Redemption is wide open to one and all.

We may enter through that “Gate”(The Yard) but the way through the “Door” (Truth)

Mat 13:41  The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity;
Mat 13:42  And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.

Mat 13:47  Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind:
Mat 13:48  Which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away.
Mat 13:49  So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just,
Mat 13:50  And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.

The Door is only half as wide but twice as high:

A “door’ can be entered or it may be closed allowing no entrance. Jesus Christ as the “Door” prevents Sin in His House. Some who enter at the “Gate” are not willing to pick up their own Cross and follow Jesus. The Closer we get to the Lord the Door will narrow.

Mat 7:13  Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:
Mat 7:14  Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

The “Veil” signifies the death of Christ. To enter “we too must die to self”.

Mar 8:34  And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
Mar 8:35  For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel’s, the same shall save it.
Mar 8:36  For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?
Mar 8:37  Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?
Mar 8:38  Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.

Jesus is the “Door” to the (truth) and He will also be our Judge.

Act 10:42  And he commanded us to preach unto the people, and to testify that it is he which was ordained of God to be the Judge of quick and dead.

If we abide in Christ, He will show us the way:

Gal 2:20  I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

*****The Oil for the Lampstand:

Exo 27:20  And thou shalt command the children of Israel, that they bring thee pure oil olive beaten for the light, to cause the lamp to burn always.
Exo 27:21  In the tabernacle of the congregation without the vail, which is before the testimony, Aaron and his sons shall order it from evening to morning before the LORD: it shall be a statute for ever unto their generations on the behalf of the children of Israel.

This was the pure olive oil obtained by beating.

Does The Holy Spirit suffer?

1.) Yes and it can be serious!

Eph 4:30  And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.

Why do our churches fail?

Eph 4:31  Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:
Eph 4:32  And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.

2.) Can He be touched by our infirmities?

Heb 4:15  For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.

He knows what it takes to over come our weakness. Are we putting forth the effort. Again why do our churches fail?

3.) Can He “Vexed” by our “rebellion”?

Isa 63:10  But they rebelled, and vexed his holy Spirit: therefore he was turned to be their enemy, and he fought against them.

God can be our enemy. Read what He said to the seven churches of Revelation.

4.) The Holy Spirit is the “Oil for the Lampstand”. It is He that makes the Light to burn in the Church.

And God said:

Don’t put it out and don’t let it go out.

Without the Spirit their is no ‘Light” in the Church!

With Him their is no “Darkness” in the Church!

Let’s Pray!