Christ and the Tabernacle
THE TABERNACLE
Tabernacle
Defined:
- “tent”, “place of dwelling” or “sanctuary”
- a sacred place where God chose to meet with His people
THE SEPARATION FROM
GOD’S PRESENCE
GARDEN OF EDEN
God created the garden and man served God in it.
God met with man “in the cool of the day.” Probably in the
evening since “cool” means “wind” and in the East the wind
generally rises in the evening
Adam and Eve hid from God (because of the guilt and shame of
their sin) and God sought them out.
It is God that has initiated the search for lost mankind attempting
to reconcile man to God and reestablish unbroken
relationship between us.
TOWER OF BABEL
Man’s attempt to come into the presence of God man’s own way
Made of brick for stone and slime for mortar – no mention of any
precious metals or anything about the structure of it except that it
was a “tower.”
Intent was to “make us a name” so that they would not be
scattered abroad (man was supposed to replenish the whole
earth and subdue and exercise dominion over it)
Because of the unique power of the tongue and man’s misuse of
this power by his wicked imagination man would have
contaminated the whole earth.
THE TABERNACLE
Psalms 127:1a.
“Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain
that build it:”
THE TABERNACLE
The Wilderness Tabernacle
Design of the Tabernacle proper given to Moses by God.
Exodus 25 thru Exodus 27
The Tabernacle design included not only the building but also
its furnishings
its attendants (priesthood)
the attendant’s apparel
the pattern of service of the attendants
the identity and purpose of feast days
Exodus 15:11-13 “Who among the gods is like
you, O LORD? Who is like you— majestic in
holiness, awesome in glory, working wonders?
In your unfailing love you will lead the people
you have redeemed.”
Jesus in the Old Testament: Mt. Sinai &
The Tabernacle
The Tabernacle
Heb. 9: 2 There were two
rooms in that Tabernacle.
In the first room were a
lampstand, a table, and
sacred loaves of bread on
the table. This room was
called the Holy Place.
3 Then there was a curtain
[veil], and behind the
curtain was the second room
called the Most Holy Place.
The Most Holy
Place
“The Veil”
The Holy
Place
Jesus in the Old Testament: Mt. Sinai &
Prayer
Holy
Spirit
God’s
Word
The Tabernacle with God’s Shekhina glory
Picture with permission of the Temple Institute, Jerusalem
The Tabernacle or ‘Mishkan’ means ‘tent of meeting’.
It represents the ‘Shekhina’ or indwelling presence of God.
God’s glory filled the tabernacle. A cloud covered it by day and a fire
by night. (Exodus 40:34, 38; Numbers 9:15)
Camp of Israel
Levites
Numbers 24
1 Now when Balaam saw that it pleased the LORD to bless
Israel, he did not resort to sorcery as at other times, but turned
his face toward the desert.
2 When Balaam looked out and saw Israel encamped tribe by
tribe, the Spirit of God came upon him
3 and he uttered his oracle:
"The oracle of Balaam son of
Beor,
the oracle of one whose eye sees clearly,
4 the oracle of one
who hears the words of God,
who sees a vision from the
Almighty, who falls prostrate, and
whose eyes are opened:
5 “How beautiful are your tents, O Jacob, your dwelling places,
O Israel!”
W
Moses
Tabernacle
S
N
E
It is God’s Intention to save a
people unto Himself
Exodus 14 demonstrates the redeemed being
saved from the power of slavery through the
Red Sea. What was the goal or point of
redemption? - to bring the people into the
land of milk and honey? - or to bring His
people unto himself ?
The goal of redemption was for God to
dwell among His people!
• Exodus 25:8-9; And let them
make me a sanctuary; that I
may dwell among them.
According to all that I shew
thee, after the pattern of the
tabernacle, and the pattern
of all the instruments thereof,
even so shall ye make it.
The journey from outside the tabernacle into
the Holy of Holies is a journey where Christ, our
perfect High Priest, leads each step of the way.
• The Bronze Altar is a type of Christ our Substitute and
Sacrifice.
• The Laver is a type of Christ our cleansing and
regeneration.
• The Candlestick is a type of Christ the Light of the
World.
• The Table of Shewbread is a type of Christ the Bread of
Life.
• The Incense Altar is a type of Christ our Intercessor and
Advocate.
• The Mercy Seat (Ark Cover) is a type of Christ our
Propitiation.
Process represented by the Elements
 The Brass Altar
 Blood - Redemption
 The Brass Laver
 Water - Sanctification
 The Golden Table
 Bread - The Word
 The Golden
 The Oil - Ministry of
Lampstand
 The Golden Altar
the Holy Spirit
 Incense –
Prayer/Worship
The Court Fence begins the Journey
(Exodus 27:9-18; 38:9-17; 40:33)
The court fence was the outer border of the
Tabernacle site. It consisted of the following:
 Linen curtains (probably white)
(Exodus 27:9-18)
 Pillars, sockets, hooks, and fillets
(tops and rods) (Exodus 27:10-18)
 Pins of bronze (brass) (Ex. 27:19; 38:20)
Wooden Posts
Copper Sockets
Gold Posts
Silver
Sockets
Gold Posts
Copper Sockets
White
Curtain
POSTS THROUGHOUT
MOST
TABERNACLE
HOLY
HOLY
COURT
Wood
Gold
Gold
Copper
Copper
Silver
Entrance
The Gate


The gate separated people from the
magnificent and holy God.
God could only be approached with
repentance and sacrifice when the
people came inside the gate.
(Psalm 15:1, 2)
The Gate
Jesus referred to
himself as the gate
(door). Anyone who
enters through Jesus
will receive eternal
life. (John 10:9)
Burnt Offering Altar
• Sacrifices
• Fire never
went out
• Fire for altar
of incense
The Bronze Altar
The measurements of the bronze altar:
 7.5 ft long
 7.5 ft wide
 4.5 ft high
The Bronze Altar



The bronze altar was made of
(acacia) wood.
The altar was square and covered with
bronze (brass).
The four corners of the altar had horns
overlaid with bronze.
The Bronze Altar
Several kinds of offerings were made on the
bronze altar:





Burnt offering (bull, sheep, goats without
blemish, or birds) (Leviticus 1:1-17)
Grain offering (Leviticus 2:1-16)
Peace offering (goat or lamb) (Lev. 3:1-17)
Sin offering (bull, goat, or lamb) (Lev. 4:1-35)
Trespass offering (female of the flock, lamb,
goat kid, bird or grain) (Lev. 5 & 6)
The Bronze Altar
The Sacrifice was necessary for forgiveness.
The blood of the animal was important to
justify the people before God.



A proper sacrifice was an animal that
was valuable and perfect, not flawed.
Sin was serious. Only shed blood which
stands for life, could pay for sin.
By laying his hand on it, the person
identified with the animal sacrificed.
The Bronze Altar
When John the
Baptist saw Jesus
approaching he
informed the people
that Jesus is the
“Lamb of God” who
will take away the
sin of the world.
(John 1:29)
Laver
• Polish Brass
• Cleansing
• Reflective
The Bronze Laver
The bronze laver was used for ceremonial
washing:


Priests bathed their entire body when
they were ordained. (Exodus 29:4)
Following ordination, the priests had to
wash their hands and feet every time they
entered the Tabernacle or approached the
bronze altar to minister, or they would
die. (Exodus 30:19-21)
Eph 5:25-26: “Husbands, love
your wives, just as Christ also
loved
the church and
gave Himself
for her, that
He might sanctify
and cleanse her
with the washing
of water by the
word,” NKJV
Aaron had to be
washed in order
fitly to represent
the purity of the
antitype, Jesus,
who knew no
sin.
Tent of Meeting
• 7 pieces of
furniture
• 3 courts of
worship
Coverings
• Curtains of
fine linen
• Goat hair
• Ram’s skins
dyed red
• Badger skin
The actual tent that God would dwell in,
was separated into two compartments,
the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place.
In the Most Holy Place was the Ark & the
Mercy Seat. The Glory cloud which
represented the very presence of God
hovered over the Mercy Seat and
remained there whenever the Tabernacle
stood still. What a comfort it was for His
people to know God was so near. As He
protected His people from the heat of
the sun by day and provided a fire by
night to assure them He was there.
“The Word became flesh, and dwelt among us...” Notice
the word “dwelt”. The word in the original Greek, skenoo,
meaning to dwell, is connected to the idea of living in a
tent. The word tent in Greek is skenos, and we are told
that St. Paul was a tentmaker by trade, a skenopoios.
Some, therefore, have translated the passage, “...and
tabernacled (or tented) among us.”
Now, in that a tent or tabernacle is a temporary dwelling,
the word is used in our passage to denote the
temporariness of Christ’s earthly stay. But it is doing more.
John is, by the Holy Spirit, drawing a connection between
Christ and the Tabernacle of the OT.
Prayer
Holy
Spirit
God’s
Word
The Two Chambers
OT vs. NT
Holy Place
• 3 stages of the
almond plant
• Oil of the lamp
rests on the
fruit
• 7 branches
• One shaft
• 3 shoots on
each side
The Golden Lampstand
(Exodus 25:31-40)

The lampstand was made of
one talent of pure hammered
gold, one solid piece.

It had a central shaft with six
branches, three on each side, making
it a seven-branched lampstand.

Each branch had knobs, flowers,
and an almond-shaped bowl to
hold pure olive oil.
The Golden Lampstand

The priest’s duty was to trim the
wicks and keep the lamps lit.

The lampstand was designed to
provide light for the Tabernacle.

The lampstand was the first item seen
upon entering the Tabernacle as a
reminder to his people that God is light.
The Golden Lampstand

The Word of God is a light for believers. It
guides them through life, and protects them
from evil and darkness. (Psalm 119:105)

The Bible says that Jesus is God’s Word in
human form. (John 1:1, 14)

Jesus referred to himself as the light of the
world and those who follow him will never
walk in darkness (John 8:12; 9:5; 12:46)
The Golden Lampstand
Followers of Jesus are
called to be lights in dark
places. Phil 2:15-16
In teaching the saints and
evangelizing the lost,
through words and
actions, the light of Christ
is projected from
believers.
(Matthew 5:14-16)
The 7 branched Lampstand ‘Menorah’
It was decorated with
almond buds which
mean
‘watch’/ ‘be ready’
Stood on the left (South).
Hammered out of one piece of gold.
The Hebrew word for ‘watch’ sounds like the word for ‘almond’.
(Jeremiah 1:11-12)
Golden
Candlestick
Rev 1:20 –
“…the seven
lampstands which you saw are
the seven churches.” NKJV
Table of Shew Bread
• Gold plated
• 12 loaves
• New each
week
• Old eaten by
priest
The Table of Showbread
The measurements of the Table of Showbread:



3 ft long
1.5 ft wide
2.25 ft. high
Table of Shew-bread
The Table of Showbread

On the table of showbread, the
priests placed twelve loaves of bread
(six loaves in two stacks) made from
fine flour. (Leviticus 24:5-9)

Wine was placed on the altar with
the bread.

These loaves represented the twelve
tribes of Israel.
The Table of Showbread

The Table with the loaves was a
continual reminder of the everlasting
covenant between God and the children
of Israel.

Fresh bread was placed there every
Sabbath as a memorial of God’s
provision for them.

The bread was eaten by the priests.
• All the furniture in the tabernacle on the way
to God speaks of Christ because He is the
only way to God. The spiritual level must be
established when studying the tabernacle. To
the ancient Israelites it was a means of
approach to God, a pattern of heavenly
things, and a shadow of coming things. The
bread of life is offered to satisfy the hunger
for life. The table is the basis of fellowship
with God. A picture of our Lord as our basis
of fellowship with God.
• The table symbolizes fellowship. It shows
a gesture of friendship, as inviting a friend
to share a meal. The table in the
tabernacle shows God’s desire for
fellowship with us. Jesus was a friend of
publicans and sinners because He sat and
ate with them at the table. God wishes to
satisfy our hunger. God’s salvation is
likened to a banquet with the table spread
for royalty.
A Fellowship Meal
• The apostle John may have had this in mind
as he penned, in 1st John 1:5-7. 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. If we say that we
have fellowship with him, and walk in
darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: But if
we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we
have fellowship one with another, and the
blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us
from all sin. (KJV)
Altar of Incense
• Gold
• Fire from
bronze altar
• Incense taken
off altar and
placed in
priest’s
censer
The Altar of Incense
The Altar of Incense
The High Priest burned incense upon it
every morning and evening.

The fire for the incense came from the
Bronze Altar in the outer court.

The Lord required a special sweet
incense, a mixture of spices, used only
for the Tabernacle (Exodus 30:35-37),
to be burned on the altar of incense.

The priest was in danger of death if any
other incense was burned. (Lev. 10:1-2)
Incense Alter
Rev 8:3 – “Then another
angel, having a golden
censer, came and stood
at the altar. He was
given much incense, that
he should offer it with
the prayers of all the
saints upon the golden
altar which was before
the throne.” NKJV
Rev 5:8 –
“… golden
bowls full of
incense, which
are the prayers
of the saints.”
NKJV
The Altar of Incense

Jesus went away frequently to pray.
(Matthew 14:23;Luke 5:16)

Jesus taught his disciples how to pray.
(Matthew 6:5-15)

Believers in Jesus are told to pray
constantly. (Acts 1:14; Romans 8:26)
• Exod 26:31-33 And thou shalt make a veil of blue,
and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen of
cunning work: with cherubims shall it be made:
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. And thou
shalt hang up the veil under the taches, that thou
mayest bring in thither within the veil the ark of
the testimony: and the veil shall divide unto you
between the holy place and the most holy. (KJV)
The Veil

The veil was a divider between the
Holy Place and the Most Holy Place.

The veil was a barrier between God
and man.

Once a year, on the Day of Atonement,
the high priest would enter the Most
Holy Place (Holy of Holies) through
this veil. (Leviticus 23:26-32)
The Veil

When Jesus died on the cross, the veil
in the Temple was torn from top to
bottom. (Matthew 27:51)

The torn veil symbolizes the ability of
every believer, not just a high priest, to
approach God through the death of Jesus.

Because of Jesus, sin no longer
separates believers from God.
• Heb 10:19-22 Having therefore, brethren,
boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of
Jesus, By a new and living way, which he hath
consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say,
his flesh; And having an high priest over the
house of God; 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.
•
• The Veil is the last entrance that the priest had
to go through to enter before he was in the
Presence of God. The last enemy of God’s
people was death. Christ has burst through
the portals of death removing its sting. How
good to know when we depart this scene we
shall enter through the Veil and be accepted
before God in love.
Holy of Holies
• Overlaid with
gold
• Manna
• Aaron’s rod
• Stones with 10
Commandments
• Mercy Seat
Tables of the Law
Aaron’s
Rod
Golden Pot of
Manna
Contents of the Ark of the Covenant
Contents of the Ark



Aaron’s Rod = Acceptableness of the “Royal
Priesthood” to Jehovah (Numbers 17)
Golden Pot of Manna (incorruptible Ex 16:32) =
Immortality of Christ & the Church (Rev 2:17)
Tables of the Law = Christ met the full
requirements of God’s perfect law.
The Ark … and all of its contents
are covered by “Mercy!”
Intercession
1. Intercession strengthens the
believers in daily life as they face
temptation. How?
• Heb 4:15-16 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. Let us therefore
come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we
may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in
time of need.
Thus it was necessary for the
copies of the heavenly things to
be purified with these rites, but
the heavenly things themselves
with better sacrifices than these.
(Hebrews 9:23)
That which the Levitical priests did day by day, year by
year, exactly in the way prescribed by God,
foreshadowed that which Jesus would do perfectly, by
virtue of His perfect life and righteousness, thus
providing a perfect, eternal way of entrance into the
presence of God the Father.
Jesus & the Tabernacle
Hebrews 9:11,12 But when Christ
appeared as a high priest of the
good things to come, He entered
through the greater and more
perfect tabernacle, not made with
hands, that is to say, not of this
creation…
Jesus in the Old Testament: Mt. Sinai &
Heb 9:24-25 – “For Christ
has not entered the holy
places made with hands,
which are copies of the true,
but into heaven itself, now to
appear in the presence of God
for us; not that He should
offer Himself often, as the
high priest enters the Most
Holy Place every year with
blood of another” NKJV
This is, dare we say it.....?
.....Eschatological !!!
“The whole point of the tabernacle system of
worship was on the one hand to show God’s
intent to have fellowship with his people,
while on the other hand showing that the way
for this was not yet open. The key phrase is
“not yet.” Therein is summed up the entire
Old Testament religion. No, the way was not
open to God; it was barred. But it was not
simply not open, but not yet open – not yet,
that is, until the time of Christ. “
- Richard D. Phillips
Hebrews (Reformed Expository Commentary)
Entrance
• John 10:9, “I am
the gate; whoever
enters through me
will be saved. He
will come in and
go out, and find
pasture.”
Burnt Offering Altar
Laver
Tent of Meeting
• John 14:6, “Jesus answered, "I am the
way and the truth and the life. No one
comes to the Father except through me.”
Coverings
(Red
Rams
•Protection
(Badger
•Sin
Offering
(Goat
Hair)
••Covering
Righteousness
(Linen)
skins)
Skin)
•Rom
8:31:30,
,”For“Itwhat
• 1 Cor
is the
•I
Jn3:3-4,
2:2,powerless
“He
isthe
the
•II law
Thbecause
“But
was
to do
of him
that
youin
atoning
sacrifice
for
our
Lord
is
faithful,
and
he
that
it
was
weakened
by
the
are
in
Christ
Jesus,
who
sins,
and
notand
only
willsinful
strengthen
nature,
God for
did by
hasyou
become
forthe
us
ours
but
also
for
protect
from
the
evilsins
sending his own Son
in the
wisdom
from
God-that
of
the
whole
world.”
one.
We
have
confidence
likeness of sinful man to be
is,Lord
our that
righteousness,
in the
you
a sin
offering.
Andare
so he
holiness
doing
and willand
continue
condemned
sin
in sinful
to do
redemption.”
the things we
man,
command.”
Holy Place
John 8:12, “When Jesus
spoke again to the people,
he said, "I am the light of
the world. Whoever follows
me will never walk in
darkness, but will have the
light of life.“”
Table of Shew Bread
Altar of Incense
Holy of Holies- Veil
• Heb 10:20, “by a new and
living way opened for us
through the curtain, that is,
his body,”
• Matt 27:50-51, “And when
Jesus had cried out again in a
loud voice, he gave up his
spirit. At that moment the
curtain of the temple was
torn in two from top to
bottom. The earth shook and
the rocks split.”
Holy of Holies-Ark
Holy of Holies- Mercy-Seat
Rom 3:25, “God presented
him as a sacrifice of
atonement, through faith in
his blood. He did this to
demonstrate his justice,
because in his forbearance
he had left the sins
committed beforehand
unpunished—”
The New Jerusalem
Will come down from heaven
‘…now God’s dwelling place is with men..’ ( Revelation 21:3)
‘God Almighty and the Lamb are its Temple’
(Revelation 21:22)