The Symbolism of the Sanctuary

[RND]

The Symbolism of the Sanctuary

Psalms 77:13 KJV Thy way, O God, [is] in the sanctuary: who [is so] great a God as [our] God?

2 Cor 3:12 – 16 NIV Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold. 13 We are not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face to keep the Israelites from gazing at it while the radiance was fading away. 14 But their minds were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. It has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away. 15 Even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts. 16 But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away


When the veil of the Tabernacle, which is representative of the lies and mis-characterization that Satan has told about God is lifted and taken away we can see just exactly what was being pointed to by the ceremonial sacrifices and by the law (Mosaic). We can plainly see the Ark of the Testimony and have free and direct access to the Throne of God on Earth through His Son, the High Priest. Hebrews 3:1, Hebrews 4:15-16


Passover Lamb = Was not prayed over, no sins confessed over the lamb. This was offered from the owner’s flock symbolizing our part in the death of the innocent lamb which covers our sin. Eaten in the house and ingested and internalized as a sign of acceptance and trust in God’s word and actions. Symbolic of the work the Lamb does to cover our sin and that no work is required of us other than acceptance. Hebrews 9:22

Ezekiel 44:9 - Thus saith the Lord GOD; No stranger, uncircumcised in heart, nor uncircumcised in flesh, shall enter into my sanctuary, of any stranger that [is] among the children of Israel.

Sanctuary Curtain = White, symbol of purity; being cleansed by the blood.

Lamb, High Priest, Moses = All were a type of Christ. John 1:29

Outside of the Sanctuary = Represents the on looking world and universe into the mystery of sin and the process of redemption.1 Peter 1:1, 1 Corth. 4:9

Twelve Tribes = Represents all of the people of the earth. Home of the saved, New Jerusalem. Rev. 7:4, Rev. 21:12

Courtyard = World Itself. Where sin, and thus sacrifice, take place.

Brazen Alter = Farthest from God. Ezekiel 16:23-30. This represents false worship, self exaltation, and turning away from God.

Horns of the Brazen Alter = Represent the selfish, arrogant traits of character of the unconverted heart. Psalms 75:4-5

Blood of the sacrifice = Symbolic of the life of Christ. John 6:53-55

There are three types of “blood = death” used in the various ceremonies.
1. The lamb’s when we become Christians - Justification
2. The goat’s when Christians need forgiveness - Sanctification
3. The bullock’s for transfer into the sanctuary and for corporate sins - Sanctification

When eaten by the these transfer the character and nature of the sacrifice into the sinner.

Vessels to catch the blood = Represent the believers that have the love and character of Christ poured into them. Acts 9:4, 2 Tim 20-22.

Daily Priests = Represent the priesthood of believers. Exodus 19:6, John 20:21, 1 Peter 2:5

Dressed in white robes = Represents the character of Jesus which we partake in, which is imparted to us. Zec. 3:3-5

Laver = Represents the Holy Spirit that washes and cleanses us in preparation for the ministry. Titus 3:4-7

Fire in the Brazen Alter = Represents the Holy Spirit. Lev 10:1, As the Holy Spirit comes it burns away the things that separate us from knowledge of God’s true nature and character.

The Holy Place

The Holy Place = Represents the church, the congregation of believers. It is centered in the courtyard, representative of being “in” the world not “of” the world. 2 Corth. 6:17, John 1:15-16

Lamp stand = Symbolic of the living and written word. It was made of pure gold. John 1:14, Psalms 119:105 Oil in the lamp bowl = Represents the Holy Spirit in us. Light shines into the courtyard beckoning those in the courtyard to enter in to the sanctuary. Mathew 5:14-16

Shewbread = Word of God. John 6:35. 12 loafs represent the twelve tribes of the world. Jesus Christ’s word is sufficient to save everyone in the world.

Wine of the Table = Blood of Christ. Mathew 26:29

Golden Alter = Where incense was burned. Sweet smoke represents the prayers of the converted mixed with the fragrance of Christ. It represents the mind and heart of the “converted” people. Changed from “brazen” to “golden.” Gold represents the character of God. Incense represents Christ-like character. Psalms 141:2, 2 Corth. 2:14-15 Sweet smell draws all those outside the camp to enter into the sanctuary. Symbolizes our renewed character as Christians to a sinful world.

Horns on the Golden Alter = Represent the remaining sin that is slowly being taken away from the converted.

Curtain separating the Holy Place and Most Holy Place = When the veil of the Tabernacle, which is representative of the lies and mischaracterization that Satan has told about God is lifted and taken away we can see the light of the Shekinah Glory completely which symbolizes the Glory of God and His character. We can plainly see the Ark of the Testimony and have free access to the Throne of God on Earth through His Son, the High Priest. 2 Corth. 4:2-4, Hebrews 3:1, Hebrews 4:15-16

We can’t see God through the veil because of the lies that Satan has told about God’s character; The Light of God in Christ Jesus. Hebrews 2:14 – Satan holds the power of death. John 17:3 – Eternal life is knowing God contrasting Eternal death is “not knowing” God. Satan’s power is his lies that obscure our vision of God.

Most Holy Place

Most Holy Place = Contained the Ark of the Covenant. The Most Holy Place represents heaven and the believer in full unity and “oneness” of God and His creation. The Shekinah presence represents God the Father. Isaiah 9:2. The angels on the lid of the Ark represent the angelic host watching all the things that transpire between God and man.

Elements in the Ark = 1) The Manna represents the word of God, Jesus Christ. John 6:48-51. 2) The Ten Commandments are symbolic of the character and nature of Christ. The law of love. Matthew 22:37-40. Jesus came to “fulfill” or more properly “Fill Full” the law and the prophets. Matthew 5:17. 3) Aaron’s rod that Budded which represented Christ and His character that takes that which is dead (the Rod) and brings new life into it (the budding).

The Ark or Box = Represents the heart and mind of the converted believer. The heart of the regenerated believer that has Christ’s law and character now written in the heart. Hebrews 8:10 – Law in the old system was in the box, law in the new system is in the heart.

First thing the heart receives is the manna, or the word, which dispels the lies of Satan. When trust is restored we can open our hearts to Him writing His law on our hearts. Thus we which were “once dead” in sin and trespasses are changed and converted and made “alive” in Him through His word and His truth. We are now walking in the newness of life. Romans 6:13

The Lid or Mercy Seat = Represents Jesus Christ which connects the heart of the believer (Ark) and the Shekinah Glory of the Father (Between the Cherubim) Ephesians 1:9-10 Brings together the sinner and God – At-one-ment/Atonement
Col 1:16-20

Sin offering (Non-Priest) = 1) High Priest washes in the laver (Symbolic of the Holy Spirit cleansing). 2) Sins confessed over the head of the sacrifice (Represents where sin is born, in the mind – Jeremiah 17:9) 3) As soon as sin is attached to the sacrifice, the throat of the animal is cut which represents the destruction of the circle of life that sin produces. Sin separates us from the source of Life - John 14:6 (The life is in the blood/Circle of life broken/Leviticus 17:11) 4) Blood of the sacrifice is symbolic of the Blood of Christ of caught in the vessels (Represents the life of the sacrifice being poured out in us. The transfer of the nature and character of the sacrifice being poured out in us) 5) The blood is then placed by the High Priest on the four horns of the brazen alter, representing the conversion of character of the sinner and poured out at the foundation of the Brazen alter representing the foundation of our new nature. 6) The meat being eaten by the priests symbolizes the transfer of the sin to the High Priest.

 

[RND]

Symbolism of Sacrifices

As we approach the sanctuary, the first thing we see is a white linen fence all around the sanctuary. White linen is symbolic of righteousness. The contrast between the goodness of the sanctuary and the evil of sin all around us is instantly seared into our conscience. Inside is righteousness, outside we have no righteousness, for "we are all as an unclean thing and all our righteousness is as filthy rags. (Is 64:6) As we stand outside that pure white fence in our filthy condition, our hearts sink, it seems hopeless, there is no way we can ever measure up, and the way seems closed.

We approach the gate and open our hearts and minds to Jesus. He welcomes us with open arms, yet as we look at Him, our own sinfulness becomes even more apparent and we exclaim, "O wretched person that I am, who shall deliver me from this body of death? (Romans 7:24) Gently Jesus leads us to the first station in the court yard of the sanctuary. Here we see a large brazen alter on which sacrifices are offered.

Beside the alter, stands an innocent little lamb. We hear the words, "Behold the Lamb of God, which takes away the sins of the world." Suddenly we realize this isn't just a lamb, this is Jesus Himself, our Creator, our God, standing there. He is the sacrifice. "Come," Jesus calls, "Place your hands upon my head and confess your sins." Trembling we place our hands on the head of Him who has never cherished an evil thought, and confess all our dark imaginings, we look in the face that has only love and goodness, and confess all our hate and evil. We acknowledge specific sins and shortcomings, knowing that He has never sinned.



And as our attention is drawn to the cross to see what our sins did to Jesus, something happens inside. All our pride and selfishness is stripped bare, and we ask, "What is sin, that it should require such a sacrifice?" Suddenly the horror of sin is revealed to us. Those little sins that we thought we had a right to hang on to don't look so innocent anymore, and we experience what is know as repentance. Repentance includes sorrow for sin and a turning away from it.



True repentance does not happen outside the gate, just the covering of the blood for our sins takes place. We may experience regret for the consequences of sin while outside, we may even change our lifestyle, but only as we contemplate the cross in the presence of Jesus can we experience true repentance, which is so necessary to the Christian life. As we see what our sins did to Jesus and how He took our punishment because He loved us, we will begin to gate our sinfulness and long for Christ's righteousness. Gladly we surrender all our cherished idols--everything that stands between us and Christ we place on the alter and even more, we give ourselves to Jesus by the mercies of God, we present our bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God. (Romans 12:2)


At the alter we are forgiven, the penalty of our sins was paid by the Lamb of God. We experience peace that we never thought possible before. Yet our journey has only begun. Jesus lovingly guides us to the next station.



Now we see a huge bowl of water, called the laver. Here the priests washed their hands and feet before entering the Holy Place. So we too, before we enter the sanctuary, will be washed. Baptism is a symbol of this cleansing. Baptism means dying to the old way of life and being reborn in Christ. At the laver, we give up self rule and self righteousness, we choose Jesus as King and Lord of our lives. This cleansing was made possible by Christ's death, and He is anxious to take our sin stained garments and cloth us with the white robes of His righteousness. This spotless robe of righteousness doesn't cover our sins; it takes the place of the old filthy garments. Now we are clean, we are holy; through the agencies of "blood and water" we are forgiven and cleansed.


Now we are ready to enter the sanctuary itself. As we go into the Holy Place we are introduced to the key elements of living a Christian life. We see the table of shewbread, which symbolizes Jesus the Bread of Life. We see the golden candle stick, which symbolizes, Jesus the light of the world. We see the altar of incense, which symbolized Jesus intercessory prayers.


Everywhere we see Jesus. For being in God's sanctuary means abiding with Jesus. There is no other way to live the Christian life. "Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can you, except you abide in me" (John 15:4) The three articles of furniture in this apartment symbolize the essential elements in this abiding, sanctifying experience.


We go to the table of shewbread, here we spend time with Jesus studying His Word. "Sanctify them through Thy truth, Thy Word is truth." (John 17:17) If we want victories over sin, if we want Christ's power and strength, we must feed daily from the Word — the Bible. We need to fill our minds and thoughts with the words of God. The more we study and think about heavenly themes, the more our faith and love for Christ will grow, and the more our lives will reflect His character.


Notice something special about the shewbread, every Sabbath the bread was replaced with new loaves. This depicts the Sabbath experence, for though we feed upon the bread all week, on Sabbath we gain a fresh new supply as we spend the day with our Lord in a special way. Interestingly the manna did not fall on Sabbath, but the shewbread was renewed each Sabbath. This stresses that man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that comes from God. Upon the Sabbath the focus is not on physical bread, on Sabbath we seek a fresh, new supply of spiritual bread from our Lord and Savior in His Holy Word.


From the table of shewbread we move to the altar of incense. The altar of prayer. Prayer is described by one author as a key that unlocks heavens storehouse, where are treasured the boundless resources of Omnipotence. We need to use this key regularly in order to live the Christian life. During prayer we are to open our hearts to God as to a friend. When we pray we are in conversation with God Himself, we are drawn into a close, intimate relationship with Him.


In the earthly sanctuary it was the priest who offered the incense upon this altar and so it is no — Jesus takes our imperfect prayers and mixes them with His merits and presents them to God as sweet smelling incense.


Now there is one more step in the Holy Place. One more important aspect in the journey of sanctification. As we move toward this station we are surrounded by beautiful light. Our whole life begins to shine from the light of this candlestick. Before us stands the seven branched candlestick, each branch has a beautifully designed bowl at the top which contains olive oil. This candlestick represents Christ, "the Light of the World". The oil is the Holy Spirit, the source of power.


The purpose of the candlestick is to give light, so it should be our purpose as Christ's followers to let our light shine in this world of moral and spiritual darkness. Jesus said, "You are the light of the world . . . Let your light so shine before that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven (Matt. 5:14,15) We are Christ's lights on this earth. As we spend time in the Holy Place with Jesus, our lives and characters will be changed and we will reflect the light shining on us from Christ. You know, we tend to get so hung up on this work/faith thing.

If we would just follow the map it would be so clear. If we place works at the beginning of the journey, before we go through any of the stations, works is totally useless, any works are only an outward act that has no bearing whatsoever on our salvation. If we place works with the brazen altar or the laver, it makes works a means of gaining salvation and we can never earn our salvation. It is only after we have surrendered our hearts and lives to Christ, been forgiven and cleansed, and begun our walk with Christ in the Holy Place, that works come into the picture. As we dwell with Christ, we are filled with the thoughts of God and the purposes of God. We long to bring glory to God. Now our works are motivated by our desire to honor God and to give people around us the right concept of God. Our works show whether we are abiding in Christ or whether we are walking on our own.