Tabernacle

As a Picture of the Garden of Eden

Build Me a Sanctuary that I may dwell in

them, Exodus 25:8

God wanted relationship with His people but

needed a place to protect His people so His

glory would not destroy them.

The sacrificial system was there to cover the

sin of the people. Every time you sin, you

must bring a sacrifice to pay for (cover) it.

Leviticus chapters 1-8. It was a ‘Life

exchange’ so the people wouldn’t die for their

sin and could remain alive to be in

relationship with God. The Life is in the blood

and is given to make atonement for the soul,

Lev.17:11. See also Gen.9:4; Lev.3:17; 7:26-

27; 19:26; Deut.12:15-16, 22-24.

God asked that the Tabernacle be built facing

the East, Ex.27:13-16. Pagans worship their

gods while they face the East (the rising sun)

and they built their temples facing the East.

God said His people need to bring Him their

sacrifices to the Tabernacle, Lev.17:5. Moses,

Deut.30:15-20; and Joshua, Josh.24:14-25;

both challenged the people to choose who

they will serve. They had to show their choice

and turn their backs on the false gods.

The Garden was where God walked and

communed with man, Gen.3:8a.

Man was in God’s glory or had God’s glory

dwelling in him, but when he disobeyed God

and sinned, he lost God’s glory and was

outside and naked, Gen.3:7.

God made the 1st sacrifice in the Garden of

Eden when He clothed Adam and Eve with

tunics of skin, Gen.3:21.

He shed the blood of the innocent to pay for

the sin of the guilty. He instituted the ‘Life

exchange’ sacrifice system.

Adam and Eve were thrown out of the Garden

of Eden towards the East, Gen.3:23-24.

Paul tells us in 1 Cor.10:20-21, that we must

make the same choice of who to serve, today.

You cannot drink the cup of The Lord and the

cup of demons; you cannot partake of the

Lord’s table and of the table of demons.

God asked for golden Cherub angels to be

embroidered on the Perochat curtain before

the Holy of Holies, Ex.26:31-33.

God set Cherubim East of Eden to guard the

way back to the Tree of Life so Adam and Eve

couldn’t return and eat of the fruit of the

tree and be stuck in sin forever, Gen.3:22-24.

The Serpents At the burning bush, Moses’s rod became a

‘Nachash’ or Snake (later called a serpent),

Ex.3:2-4

In Pharaoh’s court, Aaron’s rod became a

‘Tanin’ or crocodile (later called a serpent),

Ex.7:9-12.

The Egyptians believed that the crocodile god

protected Pharaoh, so when God’s crocodile

ate up all Pharaoh’s magicians crocodiles, God

was demonstrating that he was greater and

was removing Pharaoh’s perceived protection.

Israel’s release from Egypt Then the 10th plague was the death of the 1st

born. Pharaoh was considered the god-in-

residence in Egypt and he couldn’t protect his

1st born or those of his people; but God

protected His people’s 1st born by the blood of

the Passover Lamb. So He told Moses to

dedicate the 1st born male of Israel to Him,

Ex.13:2. After this plague Pharaoh released

the Children of Israel, Ex.12:31-32.

Egyptian Backstory God promised Abraham a Nation, a Land, and

a Seed. Abraham’s grandson, Jacob and his

family (70 people), went into Egypt. They

ended up being slaves for 400 years, as God

had told Abraham; and they left 430 years

later (as a Nation), to the day that they had

entered, Ex.12:40-41. They also left wealthy

as God had promised, Gen.15:13-16. From

there, God led them to the Promised Land.

Messiah is The Seed.

The Ten Plagues God then sent 10 plagues that were in effect,

attacks on the most revered Egyptian gods; to

show that they were not gods at all, but false

images, Deut.6:22. It showed that only God

was Almighty. (See the extra study notes on

this subject). We see the 9th plague was

darkness. God turned the sun off (Ra), and

instructed Moses to tell the people to go to

the Egyptians and ask for gifts, Ex.3:21-22;

11:2-3; 12:35-36. This is when the nation of

Israel gained the wealth promised by God.

The Giving of the Law God called Moses up to Him on the mountain,

and there God gave him the stone tablets with

the Ten Commandments, and all the

instructions about the Tabernacle, Ex.24.

Moses was with God 40 days and 40 nights,

which is just 6 weeks.

The Law Broken and Servers Exchanged When Moses returned and saw the sin of the

people, he threw down the stone tablets and

they broke, Ex.32:19. After he made the

people drink the dust of the idol, Moses called

out to ask who would come out to him to

stand on behalf of God. The 1st born who were

dedicated to God didn’t come, only Moses’s

tribe the Levites came, Ex.32:26. So God

exchanged the 1st born for the Levites,

Nu.3:12-13, 40-48. The Priests are Levites.

Only the Priests and Levites could enter the

courtyard, Nu.3:6-10. Only the Priests and

High Priest to the Holy Place, and only the

High Priest on Yom Kippur, to the Holy of

Holies, Lev.16.

The Journey to Mt. Sinai After the Passover meal, the nation was

released and God led them to Mt. Sinai. This

was about 7 weeks (Passover to Shavuot); in

the 3rd month after leaving. At Mt. Sinai, God

made a covenant with the people, and they

agreed to obey and to listen to Him, Ex.19.

The Breaking of the Covenant The people, after 6 weeks of waiting at the

base of the mountain, thought Moses was

dead, so demanded of Aaron to build them

gods they could follow, Ex.32. Aaron went

ahead and built a golden calf and altar, and

the people broke their covenant with God and

returned to pagan idol worship of false gods.

God called Sinai His marriage covenant,

Jer.2:2-3, and when it was broken, He called

it adultery and prostitution, Jer.2:4-37; 3:1,

6, 8; 5:7; 9:2; 13:27; 23:10.

The Journey to the Promised Land

begins Then God told them to pack and follow Him to

the Promised Land. God led by the pillar of

cloud by day, and fire by night, Ex.40:36-38;

Nu.10:34; they only moved when the pillar

moved, Nu.9:15-23.

For 11 days the nation travelled toward the

Promised Land. Every time something

happened that the people didn’t like, they

complained and said, ”why did you bring us

here; we’re going to die”, Ex.5:21; 14:11;

15:24:16:2-3; 17:3; Nu.11:1, 5; 14:1-3;16:13-

14; 20:3-5; 21:5.

God finally gave them what they kept talking

about and that unbelieving generation died in

the wilderness and Joshua and Caleb (who

believed God), led the Children into the

Promised Land 40 years later, Nu.14:20-35.

Building the Tabernacle The Spirit of the Lord came upon Batzalel (in

the shadow of God) and gave him the talent

to build what God asked; and Aholiav (tent of

father) with talent to teach people, Ex.31:1-

6; 35:30-36:2; 38:22-23. The people brought

their treasures and came to build the pieces

God had asked for. When all was ready, Moses

came and inspected them and they put up the

Tabernacle and dedicated it, Ex.40; Nu.7.

That was around 8-9 months. There at Mt.

Sianai they celebrated the 1st anniversary of

Passover, Nu.9:1-14.

Tabernacle As a Picture of the Messiah

Build Me a Sanctuary that I may dwell

in them, Exodus 25:8

In the Hebrew language the word for

Sanctuary is Mishchan (place to dwell), and He

couldn’t literally dwell in them as they are

still under the temporary covering of the

sacrificial animal blood. The Tabernacle in

the midst of the tents of the people is a

picture of God’s intent to return to live in the

creature He created to dwell in, Gen.2:7.

God told Moses to take what was available to

build the Tabernacle, so in the desert are

Acacia trees. Very hard wood, twisted and

thorny. They hardly get any water.

Most of the wood, after it was joined together

and shaped, was covered for service.

The fulfilment of God’s intent we see in John

17:20-21, when Messiah prays for the disciples

and those who believe because of their

testimony (that includes us who believe today

and in the future), “Father, as You and I are

One so may they be One in Us”.

In fact, John chapters 14-17 are full of such

statements.

Before we come to God we are out in the

spiritual desert and are like the hard, twisted,

thorny trees; bitter and unforgiving, but when

we come to God and confess our sin and ask

for forgivness, we are then available to Him.

He shapes us for His service and He covers us.

God asked for the Tabernacle to be built

facing the East, Ex.27:13-16 (like all the

pagan temples facing the rising sun). The

pagans worship towards the East; Adam and

Eve were thrown out of Eden toward the East.

In Leviticus 17:3-6, 8-9, God says to Moses to

tell the people to bring Him their sacrifices.

Joshua later also challenges the people,

Josh.24:15, “choose this day whom you will

serve…”. By bringing the sacrifices and

offerings to the entrance of the Tabernacle,

the people turned their backs to the false

gods (in the East).

The Priests had to present the sacrifices on

behalf of the people, Lev.17:6. Anyone else

coming close had to die, Nu.1:51; Nu.3:10,

38; Nu.18:4, 7.

The Priests were the mediators between the

people and God.

Notice also, those willing to stand for God,

Ex.32:26, and those willing to bring of their

treasure, Ex.25:2-8. God leaves the choice to

the people, but warns them they will live with

the consequences of their choice; good or

bad, Lev.26; Deut.28.

Paul tells us we must make the same choice

today, 1 Cor.10:21, we can’t fellowship at

God’s table and the table of demons.

We must choose who to serve.

Messiah is our mediator between us and God,

1 Tim.2:5; Heb.8:6; 9:15; 12:24.

God shows us what has to be done, there is no

other way, but He will never take slave labor;

we must choose and live with the

consequences of our choice.

Fire came from God to start the Altar fire,

Lev.9:24, and the Priests had to never let it

go out, Lev.6:9-13. The Lord thy God is a

consuming fire, Deut.4:24.

So God sent it and the Priests had to maintain

it; to add wood and keep the fire burning and

to take some with them when they moved.

Also to add oil to the Lampstand to keep the

light burning, Lev.6:9-13; Ex.30:7-8.

Only this Holy Fire could enter to the Holy

Place, Lev.16:12.

The Life is in the blood and no-one was

permitted to eat or drink it, Gen.9:4; Lev.3:7;

7:26; 17:12; Deut.12:16, 23; 15:23; it had to

be poured out in atonement for sin,

Lev.17:11, 14.

The blood of the sacrifices had to be poured

out around and sprinkled on the horns of the

Altar, Ex.29:12; Lev.4:7, 18; 9:9; etc.

Yeshua sent the Holy Spirit to us. There are

references to Him as Fire, ‘for our God is a

consuming Fire, Heb.12:29. The Holy Spirit

appeared as tongues of fire, Acts 2:3-4, as

promised in Luke 3:16, with the Holy Spirit

and with fire.

We must maintain the relationship (Matt.25:1-

13) just as the Priests had to keep the fire

burning.

The Holy Spirit comes to live in us and we

become living temples of the Holy Spirit, 1

Cor.3:16-17; Eph.2:21-22.

The Blood of Yeshua was shed at the cross to

atone for our sin, 1 Peter 1:19.

The Passover Lamb had to be a young male up

to 1 year old, without spot or blemish. It had

to live in your house with you for 4 days; then

it was to be declared pure, sacrificed, the

blood put on the door posts and the body

eaten by everyone, Ex.12.

The coals from the sacrificial Altar were put

outside the camp in a clean place, Lev.6:10-

11.The guilt sin offering, when the blood went

in to be poured out at the Altar (along with

the fat and the kidneys), the body was carried

outside the camp and burnt on the Holy coals,

Ex.29:14; Lev.4:11-12; etc.

The other sacrifices, permanent whole lamb,

peace and thanksgiving; the whole or portion

was burnt on the Altar, and the ash became

part of the Holy coals.

There was a sacrifice also for unintentional

sin, Nu.15:22-31.

Messiah (Christ) is our Passover Lamb. He

entered Jerusalem on a colt of a donkey as

prophesied in Zechariah 9:9; Matt.21:1-10. He

was 4 days teaching and cleaning up the

Temple ‘spiritually’; then He was arrested on

the 4th evening and taken to trial all night. He

was declared pure by Pontius Pilate and King

Herod; and then crucified (sacrificed),

Matt.27, and the other gospels.

The Last Supper with the disciples followed

the Passover pattern, but after the meal He

blessed the wine and told the disciples that it

was His blood of the new covenant shed for

them and for many; “take, drink”,

Matt.26:26-28. This was the 1st time in

scriptures that anyone was told to drink the

symbol of blood. Yeshua was declaring that He

was The Seed of woman that would crush

Satan’s head, Gen.3:15; He was The Seed

promised to Abraham through whom all the

nations would be blessed, Gal.3:16; He was

the Messiah who came to take All the sin and

give All His Life in return. So every time we

celebrate this Communion the bread and

wine, we are to remember Him, 1 Cor.11:24-

25.

Messiah came to fulfil the Law and as our sin

sacrifice, He was crucified outside the city

(outside the camp), Heb.13:11-13.

Yeshua was our whole Lamb sacrifice and our

Peace and Thanksgiving sacrifices. He even

paid for our unintentional sin. If God revealed

all our sin at once, we will not survive. Christ

paid and as The Holy Spirit reveals an

attitude, behavior, intention, etc., that is not

of God; we need to confess, repent and

renounce that sin and ask Him to replace it

with His attitude, behavior, intent, etc.

Be transformed by the renewing of our minds,

Rom.12:2. Replace our old attributes for

those of The Holy Spirit, Gal.5:22-26, The

Fruit of The Holy Spirit.

The Courtyard was 50 by 100 cubits. The posts

were from Acacia wood and all had Copper

bases and Silver tops and white linen all

around except for the entrance on the East

side, Ex.27:9-19; 38:9-20.

In here were all the copper items; The

Sacrificial Altar covered with copper, Ex.27:1-

8; 38:1-7, and The washbasin made of pure

polished copper mirrors, Ex.30:17-21; 38:8.

This is where the sacrificing and cleansing

took place.

The Holy Place internally was 10 by 10 by 20

cubits and had an entrance on the East end,

Ex.26:35-37.

In here were most of the Golden items; The

Table of Shewbread covered with gold,

Nu.25:23-30; 37:10-16; The Menorah was solid

gold, Nu.25:31-40; 37:17-24; and The Incense

Altar covered with gold, Nu.30:1-10; 37:25-

29.

The High Priest entered to represent the

people before God, present the Incense as

Prayer, Praise and Worship; the Priests, to

keep the Light of God’s presence, eat and

replace the bread once a week, Lev.24:5-9, as

a representation of God’s covenant to totally

provide for Israel, Ex.19:3-6.

The Courtyard was where Redemption takes

place. The Spirit of Wisdom and

Understanding, Is.11:2, when we understand

we have sinned and need a savior and get

wisdom to come to Yeshua. I am redeemed by

the Blood of the Lamb, out of the hand of my

enemy Satan. If we confess our sin, He is

faithful and just to forgive our sin and to

cleanse us from all unrighteousness, 1 Jn.1:9.

The Altar=The Cross=Judgement/Payment

Washbasin=Word/Water of God=Cleansing

We are in Christ when we are redeemed.

The Holy Place was where Sanctification takes

place. The Spirit of Counsel and Might,

Is.11:2, where we receive God’s advice and

His strength.

The bread on the Table=Yeshua, The Bread of

Life offered once for all, sanctifies us,

Heb.10:10.

The Menorah=Holy Spirit. He sanctifies us and

our offerings, 1 Cor.6:11; Rom.15:16.

The Incense Altar=Prayer, Praise and Worship.

Sanctified by the Word of God and prayer, 1

Tim.4:5.

See also; 1 Cor.1:2; 2 Tim.2:21; Heb.2:11.

The Holy of Holies internally was 10 by 10 by

10 cubits and had an entrance on the East

end, Ex.26:30-34.

In here was The Ark of the Covenant; which

was a box of Acacia wood covered in gold and

a lid with 2 Cherub angels, all of solid gold,

Ex.25:10-22; 37:1-9.

Inside were the Stone Tablets of The Law,

Deut.10:1-5 (the Book of the Law was beside

the Ark, Deut.31:26); and outside in front,

The Golden Bowl of Manna, Ex.16:33-34; and

Aaron’s Rod that Flowered and Fruited with

ripe Almonds, Nu.17:10.

Almond is the first to flower and the last to

set its fruit.

The Holy of Holies is where Glorification takes

place. The Spirit of Intimacy and Reverence

(Fear of the Lord), Is.11:2, where we are in

Awe of God and in Intimate relationship with

Him. Hebrews is the only book in the Bible

that places all the items inside The Ark,

Heb.9:4, as the writer is talking about Christ

as the fulfilment, and these all represent

Messiah.

The Ark where God is enthroned between the

Cherubim and holding the symbols of The

Messiah;

The Word of God, Jn.1:14;

The Bread from Heaven, Jn.6:48-51;

The Resurrection and The Life, Jn.11:25;

The Alpha and Omega, Rev.21:6.

We are being transformed into the same

image (of the Lord) from glory to glory.., 2

Cor.3:18; Rom.9:23; 1 Cor.2:7.

The Pure Metals used in The Tabernacle:

Copper: soft and pliable, able to be beaten

and molded into shape but not melted until

super-heated to 1085oC.

Gold: soft and pliable, able to be beaten and

molded into shape but not melted until super-

heated to 1065oC.

Silver: soft and pliable, able to be beaten and

molded into shape but melts at 961oC.

Notice God asked for Copper and Gold to

cover the wood of the 2 Altars respectively; so

the wood, sealed in these metals so oxygen

doesn’t get in, would be protected from the

fire.

The Colours used in The Tabernacle:

Fine twisted Linen = White

Blue Yarn

Purple Yarn

Scarlet Yarn

To be used in:

Covering curtains, Ex.26:1

Courtyard Entrance curtain, Ex.27:16

Holy Place Entrance curtain, Ex.26:36

Holy of Holies Entrance curtain, Ex.26:31

(with golden Cherubim)

Fine Linen to make the Courtyard

(surrounding) curtains.

In ancient cultures and in some still today,

the metals represent:

Copper = Judgement

Gold = Righteousness

Silver = Redemption

God warns against using mixes, Lev.19:19, so

lets look at Brass and Bronze.

Brass (Cu 65%, Zn 15%) melts at 900oC

Bronze (Cu 90%, Sn 10%) melts at 850oC

So Brass or Bronze would eventually buckle

and crack with a constant fire; air gets in so

the wood would burn and the Altar collapse.

In most cultures today:

White = Purity

Blue = Heaven

Purple = King (Royalty)

Scarlet = Blood

If we mix Blue and Red (Scarlet), we get

Purple every time. So it is a representation of

The Messiah, our King, who is fully God, from

Heaven, and fully man, from Earth.

Earth-Adama-Adam-Dam (blood).

Covering; we are In Christ, Jn.15:5; 17:21;

Gal.3:27.

Entrance; He Is The Way, Jn14:6

He is The Truth, Jn.1:17

He is The Life, Heb.9:7-8; Gen.3:24

Surrounding; He will never leave us (surrounds

and protects us), Heb.13:5; Deut.31:6

The Altar:

5 by 5 by 3 cubits high.

Acacia wood covered with Copper. It had no

steps but a ramp so the Priests could work

modestly without exposing themselves (also

pagan altars have steps, usually with gods

painted or carved on them). It had rods so the

Levites could hand-carry it when they moved,

Ex.27:1-8; 38:1-7.

Copper = Judgement

The blood poured out at the Altar was to

atone (pay) for the sin of the people.

The Washbasin:

No measurements and no wood as a basis. No

rods but a frame to put under when it was

needed to be carried (presumably like the

Lampstand), Nu.4:10.

It was built from pure polished copper

mirrors, Ex.30:18; 38:8; 40:30.

The Levites had to constantly bring Living

water from a spring to keep filling the basin

(the Levites were to assist the Priests, Nu.3:6-

9; Lev.8:22-26), as the Priests took water out

to wash their hands and feet before every

offering and before going to minister in The

Holy, Ex.30:19-22; 40:31-32.

God’s Word is like water that cleanses,

Ps.51:2, 7; 119:9; Eph.5:26.

God put no limits on the water; we can’t limit

God’s word.

The Cross:

Where the sin of the world was judged; and

where the Blood of Messiah was poured out to

pay for our sin, Heb.9:14-15, 28.

The Living Water/Word:

Yeshua is The Word of God, Jn.1:14, The Word

became flesh and dwelt among us. He called

out in the Temple, “come to Me and I will

give you springs of Living Water”, Jn.7:37-38.

He said to the woman at the well in Samaria,

“if only you knew who is asking for a drink,

you would have asked Him and He would have

given you Living water”, Jn.4:10, 13-14.

Yeshua gives unlimited cleansing.

God’s Word is like a mirror, James 1:22-25.

In The Courtyard

The Building:

48 panels, 10 by 1 ½ cubits each.

Acacia wood covered with beaten gold

(righteousness); 20 on each side, 6 across the

back and 1 extra on each corner at the back.

Each panel had 2 solid silver (redemption)

bases to stand in.

Each side had 5 rods to hold it together; 1 rod

through the middle of the wood of the panels,

and 4 on the outside which were held in place

by rings attached to the panels.

It made a strong building but easy to

dismantle and pack onto 6 ox carts, along

with all the courtyard pieces, to be

transported, Ex.26:15-30; 36:20-34.

There were 8,580 Levite men from age 30-50

who were responsible for packing, moving,

and reconstructing the Tabernacle, Nu.4:47-

49. Each was told by name what his job was,

Nu.4:19. They were supervised by Aaron’s

sons Eliezer and Itamar, Nu.3:32; 4:16, 28,

33; Lev.8:22.

The Body of Messiah:

When we confess our sins, are forgiven and

the Holy Spirit lives within us we are available

to God and He shapes us for His service. We

are each clothed in the Righteousness of The

Messiah, 2 Cor.5:21; Phil.3:9; Eph.6:14;

Is.61:10. We are each standing in His

redemption, Rom.3:24; 1 Cor.1:30; Eph.1:7;

Col.1:14; Heb.9:12. And corporately we are

held together by the 5 gifts (ministries)

Messiah gave to equip us for the work of

service, Eph.4:11-13.

Individually we are the Temple of the Holy

Spirit, 2 Cor.6:16, and corporately we are the

Body of Christ, Rom.12:5. Living stones jointly

supplied, 1 Pet.2:5.

Each of us has a specific job; we can’t all do

the same thing. We are members of one body,

each with a part to play so that the whole

body functions properly, 1 Cor.12.

The Coverings:

4 layers of coverings were over the building; 2

from material against the building and 2 from

leather open like an awning, Ex.26:1-14; 36:8-

19.

The first material was fine linen made from

the 4 colours mentioned earlier. Each of the

10 curtains had a golden Cherub angel

embroidered on it, Ex.26:1 and they were 28

cubits long, Ex.26:2, so they covered from the

top of the base over the building to the base

on the other side. They had 50 loops of blue

thread along the edges and were join by gold

clasps, Ex.26:3-6.

The second material was woven goat hair and

was 30 cubits long, so covered from the

ground, over the building to the ground. They

were joined with copper clasps. There were

11 curtains and the extra hung over the back

of the building, Ex.26:7-13.

The third covering was from Ram skins dyed

red, Ex.26:14.

The forth covering was from Tachash (some

marine animal? Whale, Dolphin, Sea lion, Sea

cow), a very thick skin, Ex.26:14.

You don’t see the treasure or the colours.

We are in Messiah and He in us:

The colours representing the Messiah; He is

fully God and fully man, and He covers us. We

are in Him, and He in us, Jn.14:20.

Our muscles look like fibers woven together.

Then we have blood vessels supplying the

muscles and skin.

Then about 7 layers of skin like thick marine

animal skin?

When the Holy Spirit lives within, we carry

the treasure of Heaven in bodies of flesh and

blood, 2 Cor.4:7.

People just see us as human (like a tent), they

don’t see the treasure inside; unless we open

up and share with them!

The only wood not covered are the posts all

around the courtyard. They were acacia posts

with Copper (Judgement) bases and Silver

(Redemption) tops. Pure linen surrounded the

courtyard, Ex.27:9-19; 38:9-20.

Three Entrances:

The only way into the courtyard was through a

4-coloured curtain with 4 Acacia posts. The

posts had copper bases and silver tops like the

courtyard posts, Ex.27:16; 38:18-19.

The only way into The Holy was through a 4-

coloured curtain with 5 Acacia pillars covered

in gold. The pillars had copper bases,

Ex.26:36-37; 36:37-38.

The only way into The Holy of Holies was

through a 4-coloured curtain with gold Cherub

angels embroidered on it and with 4 Acacia

pillars covered in gold. The pillars had silver

bases, Ex.26:31-33; 36:35-36.

Messiah is the only pure human and He paid

for our judgement; He brought us redemption.

He promised He would never leave or forsake

us, Jn.14:18; Heb.13:5; Deut.31:6, 8;

Josh.1:5.

It’s a picture of Him surrounding us.

Three sections:

The Messiah is the way back to God, Jn.14:6.

He paid for our sin and redeemed us.

Moses wrote 5 books of the Law which brought

judgement, and is the foundation of the old

covenant. 5 Pillars represent Grace. Messianic

colours in the curtain. We see in Jn.1:17 that

the Law came through Moses, but Grace and

Truth through Christ.

There are 4 Gospels on the redemption Christ

brought, and these are the foundation of the

new covenant. God had Cherub angels

guarding the way to the tree of Life in the

Garden of Eden, Gen.3:24. God tore this

curtain in the Temple when Christ paid the

price on the cross, Matt.27:51; Mark 15:38;

Luke 23:45; Heb.10:19-22.

The Table:

2 by1 by 1 ½ high. Acacia wood covered with

gold and rods to hand-carry.

On it were 12 unleavened breads that the

Priests had to eat every Shabbat and replace

with fresh loaves, Lev.24:5-9.

It was a picture of God’s covenant promise to

always provide Israel with what they needed

to live on. Ex.19:4-6.

They had total provision, guidance and

protection but they always complained about

something! “why did you bring us here, we

are going to die…”, Ex.14:11; 16:2-3; 17:3.

Even after the proof of abundant provision in

the Promised Land, they cried all night about

the giants; so God said in the morning, “I took

you out of Egypt; you saw My wonders; and

you STILL don’t believe Me!! As you have said

to Me so I will give you; you will die”,

Nu.14:20-35. They ended up bringing

judgement on themselves.

Except for Joshua and Caleb who believed

God; they led the Children into The Land,

Nu.14:30-31, 38.

God’s Provision:

Yeshua is the Bread of Life, Jn.6:51.

Yeshua gives us what we need for Life and

Godliness, 2 Pet.1:3.

We will be tested, James 1; 1 Pet.4:12, 17,

and the Bible warns us to learn from the

Children of Israel, 1 Cor.10:5-11.

Rom.1:24, 26, 28, warns us that God will hand

us over to our own desires; not a good place

to be, as we don’t know what is really good

for us or not.

Faithful is He who promised, He will do it, 1

Thes.5:24. Put on the whole armor of God,

and having done all; stand, Eph.6:13.

Inside the Holy Place

The Lampstand:

No measurements and no wood. No rods but a

frame that was put under when it needed to

be carried, Nu.4:10.

It was made from one piece of pure gold,

beaten into shape. The Menorah had 7

branches; 1 central and 3 pairs. We only know

the weight, 1 talent (about 40kg), Ex.25:31-

40; 37:17-24; Nu.8:1-4. It had the oil lamps on

top of the branches and the priests had to fill

the oil and trim the wicks to keep it burning

(maintain it), Ex.27:20-21; Lev.24:1-4. It was

the only light in the Holy Place.

The priests also had to be anointed with

special oil to be dedicated to serve God,

Ex.30:30.

Is.11:1-2, says that on the rod from Jesse’s

root (Messiah) would come the 7 Spirits of

God, v2 names them.

The Spirit of the LORD

The Spirit of Wisdom and Understanding

The Spirit of Counsel and Might

The Spirit of Intimacy and Reverence (Fear of

the Lord).

The branches had Almond flowers and nobs as

a decoration. In Hebrew Almond (Shaked)

means ‘to diligently watch, be alert, be

awake’, God showed Jeremiah the prophet,

an Almond branch because He said He is

watching over His word to fulfil It, Jer.1:11-

12. The prophet had to announce God’s word;

the Almond tree is the first to flower and

announce spring every year.

God took Israel out of Egypt with its pagan

worship, but then He had to work at getting

the pagan mentality out of them.

The Light:

We can’t limit The Holy Spirit.

God did everything to restore our relationship

with Him, He started the fire, and we must

maintain this relationship. If you don’t feel

close to God, guess who moved!

Christ is the Light of the world, Jn.8:12.

The oil represents the work of the Holy Spirit;

Christ said to wait until the Holy Spirit anoints

us with power, Acts 1:4-5, 8; we can’t serve

God without the Holy Spirit, Jn.15:4-5.

At Christ’s baptism the Holy Spirit came to

dwell, Matt.3:16; Mark 1:10; Luke 3:21-22.

Rev.3:1, Yeshua says He is the one that has

the 7 Spirits of God, He is referring to Is.11:1-

2.

Christ said that when the Holy Spirit comes,

He will take Yeshua’s words and continue to

teach us and remind us of what He said,

Jn.14:26; 16:12-15.

God took us out of Satan’s kingdom of

darkness into His kingdom of Light. We grew

up learning how to hate, be jealous,

unforgiving, etc.; all Satan’s ways, but now

God wants all that stinking thinking and

behavior out and His in; The Fruit of the

Spirit, Gal.5:22-23. We need to be

transformed by the renewing of our mind,

Rom.12:2. We are to take every thought

captive unto Christ, 2 Cor.10:5. As we walk

with the Spirit we will grow into the image of

Christ, 2 Cor.3:18.

The Incense Altar:

1 by 1 by 2 cubits high. Acacia wood covered

with gold and rods to hand-carry, Ex.30:1-6;

37:25-28.

Only the Holy coals from the sacrificial altar

could enter to The Holy Place, Lev.16:12;

Lev.10:1 (unauthorized fire), Ex.30:9-10.

Special incense was to be made to burn on the

altar, and put on every evening and morning,

Ex.30:7-8. It had a lot of spices so was a

sweet smelling incense, Ex.30:34-38, 37:29.

Incense is likened to prayer, intercession,

praise, worship and thanksgiving, Is.60:6;

Jer.17:26; Ps.141:2; Ps.34:1, etc.

The Priests:

The sons of Aaron were consecrated to serve

the Lord and present the offerings to the Lord

on behalf of the people, Ex.28:1; Lev.9:7;

Lev.10:17-18.

They wore pure linen trousers, a linen robe, a

sash of the 4 colours and a linen head-

covering, Ex.28:39-43; 29:8-9; 39:27-29.

Our Sweet Incense:

We see in the Psalms and the writings of the

prophets that our prayer praise and worship is

like sweet incense to the Lord; our response

of thanksgiving for what the Lord has done for

us. Also in Rev.8:3-4, an angel was give much

incense to burn with the prayers of the saints.

Yeshua ever lives to intercede for us,

Heb.7:24-26; so this is what He is still doing

for us.

Our submission to God in our prayer praise

and worship is a powerful weapon against our

enemy Satan, James 4:7.

We are Priests:

Yeshua has made us a kingdom and priests to

serve God, Rev.1:6; 5:10; 20:6.

We have the ministry of reconciliation, 2

Cor.3, 4, 5:11-21.

The High Priest:

God appointed Aaron as the 1st High Priest,

Ex.28:1. He told Moses to have skilled people

to make robes and items of clothing to give

the priests dignity when the serve Him,

Ex.28:2-5. (Description in Ex.39:1-31).

The High Priest was to dress in a fine linen

tunic with a robe of blue over that, Ex.28:31-

32. This robe had blue, purple, and red

pomegranates with bells of gold between

them so he could be heard ministering daily

before the Lord in the Holy place, Ex.28:33-

35. (not on Yom Kippur. See later).

Over the blue robe was an Ephod woven in the

4 colours and gold thread, Ex.28:6-7.

Attached to this was a woven breastplate with

12 precious stones set in gold and each having

a name of a son of Jacob, Ex.28:15-30. Also

on his shoulders, engraved in black Onyx

(6+6), again the 12 names in order of birth,

Ex.28:9-14. The High Priest had to carry or

represent Israel over his heart and on his

shoulders as he went before the Lord,

Ex.28:12, 29-30, ‘as a memorial continually

before the Lord’.

On his forehead was a gold band engraved

“Holy to the Lord” and tied with a blue cord,

Ex.28:36-38. All his service was Holy to the

Lord; that the gifts of the people may be

acceptable before the Lord, Ex.28:38.

On his head was a turban of fine linen,

Ex.28:39.

The linen undergarments for the High Priest

and Priests were to cover the body when they

went in to minister, Ex.28:42-43.

Messiah is our High Priest:

We see in Heb.6:20; 10:21, that Yeshua is our

great High Priest, so He carries or represents

us daily by name before the Father, over His

heart and on His shoulders. The Good

Shepherd who goes to find the lost sheep and

carry it home on His shoulders, Luke 15:4-6;

Jn.10:1-18.

The names of the sons of Jacob represent

Messiah;

Reuben Behold a son

Simeon He heard my voice

Levi Joined

Judah Praise the Lord

Dan Judge

Naphtali Mighty struggles

Gad Good fortune

Asher Happy

Issachar He will bring reward

Zebulun Dwelling, place of honor

Joseph Fruitful

Benjamin Son of my right hand

Notice that Ben’s mother had first called him

Ben-Oni, son of my suffering, as she was

dying, but Jacob changed it to Benjamin. So

Yeshua is son of suffering, Is.53; but He is now

seated at Father’s right hand, Col.3:1.

Yom Kippur:

The Day of Atonement was the only day that

the High Priest could enter to the Holy of

Holies, Lev.16.(he was the only one permitted

to enter but it mentions Moses was in there at

least on the day of dedication of the

Tabernacle, Ex.40:20-21).

He only wore white linen, Lev.16:4, which

means he laid aside all his glorious robes and

dressed humbly to minister before the Lord.

First he had to take hot coals from the altar

and some of the fine incense and put it inside

the Holy of Holies, Lev.16:12-13.

Then he took the blood of a bull sacrificed for

him and his family and sprinkled the blood on

the atonement cover of the Ark, Lev.16:6, 11,

14. Then he could take the blood of the goat

chosen to die for Israel and sprinkle it on the

atonement cover, Lev.16:7-9, 15. Then he

would sprinkle some of the blood of both

sacrifices on all the Holy Items to purify them,

Lev.16:16, 18-20. Then he would take the live

goat and lay his hands on its head and confess

the sins of the nation and give it to someone

especially chosen to take it way out into the

desert and release it (to take away the sin),

Lev.16:7-10, 20-22. He had to do all this work

on his own, no one was to be in there,

Lev.16:17. Then he would take water into the

Holy Place, take off his linen robe and wash.

Then he would put on all his high Priestly

robes and go out in front of the people to

finish Yom Kippur, Lev.16:23-34.

Messiah has Atoned for us:

Yeshua came humbly as a pure man to do the

Fathers’ will, Jn.5:19, 30; 8:28. He laid aside

His glory (emptied Himself), Phil.2:6-8;

Heb.2:6-9; 5:5.

He was empowered by the Holy Spirit,

Matt.3:13-17; Mark 1:9-11; Luke 3:21-22; John

1:29-34.

He was sinless as His seed is from the Father

not Adam; so He was born without sin and He

chose to NOT sin but lived in complete

obedience to God, Phil.2:8.

He did not need the blood of bulls to atone

for Him; He was the pure sinless sacrifice so

could take His own blood to the Heavenly

Tabernacle, Heb.7:24-28; 8:2; 9:11-28.

Yeshua did not come to cover our sin; He

came once and for all time to Pay for our sin,

to Cleanse us from sin, and to Take Away our

sin.

He is now in heaven, in all His glory, and

SEATED at the right hand of the Father, Mark

16:19; Col.3:1; Heb.1:3; 10:12. The WORK of

Salvation is finished (the High Priest never sat

down but was on duty every day and once

every year he had to do the work of

atonement in the Tabernacle).

He will come again to Earth in all His Glory,

Rev.1:7, every eye WILL see Him; there will

be no mistake as to who He is.

So every day the blood of all the sacrifices;

bull, goat, lamb, doves (for the poor people),

covered the sin on the Sacrificial altar in the

courtyard; but 1 day a year the blood went all

the way in to Pay for the sin; then all the way

out to cleanse from the sin; and then all the

way away to take away the sin.

The Ark of the Covenant:

2 ½ by 1 ½ by 1 ½ cubits high. Acacia wood

box covered with gold inside and out, with 2

acacia rods covered in gold for hand-carrying.

These were on an East/West orientation so

they must have touched the back wall and the

Perochat (Holy of Holies curtain), so where

they touched could be seen from inside the

Holy place, 1 kings 8:8. The Ark was in the

middle of the Holy of Holies.

There were 7 Holy Items of furniture but they

only carried 6 because the lid of the Ark was

the 7th and always remained on top of the box

section of the Ark.

The Atonement cover was 2 ½ by 1 ½ cubits

and was made from solid pure gold with solid

gold Cherub angels, one on each end with

their wings covering and their heads bowed

watching the atonement cover, Ex.25:10-22;

26:34; 37:1-9. There are no measurements or

detailed description of the Cherubim. We are

NOT to worship angels; God just wants us to

be aware of their presence.

Batzalel built them (he was filled with the

Holy Spirit), and the priests never saw them;

they had to cover the Ark with the Perochat

The Holy of Holies curtain was torn from top

to bottom in the Temple when Messiah paid

the price for our sin on the cross; that we may

enter in back to God’s presence, Matt.27:50-

51; Mark 15:37-38; Luke 23:44-46; Heb.10:19-

22.

The Ark of the Testimony:

The Ark of the Covenant was also called the

Ark of the Testimony because of the things

associated with it that testify to God’s

provision.

The book of Hebrews is the only book in the

Bible that puts all the items inside the Ark,

Heb.9:4. Hebrews is talking about the

fulfilment of the Tabernacle in Messiah.

Messiah is the Word of God (Testimony/Law)

Messiah is the Bread from Heaven (Manna)

Messiah is the Resurrection and the Life (rod

that came to life)

It is interesting to note that Aarons staff was

an Almond (like Jeremiah’s vision). The

Almond is the first tree to flower every Spring

but it is the last to set the fruit 8-9 months

later.

Messiah is The First and the Last, Alpha and

Omega, Aleph and Tav, The Beginning and the

End, Rev.1:8, 11; 21:6; 22:13. He is the First

fruit from the dead, 1 Cor.15:20 23.

Inside The Holy of Holies

curtain without sneaking a peek at the Ark,

Nu.4:5-6.

Inside the Ark were the stone tablets of the

Law, Ex.25:21; Deut.10:1-5; 1 Kings 8:9.

Outside in front of the Ark was a golden bowl

of Manna, Ex.16:32-34; and Aaron’s staff

which sprouted overnight, Nu.17:5. Not only

sprouted, but budded, blossomed and

produced ripe almond fruit. God told Moses to

put the almond staff of Aaron in front of the

Testimony as a sign, Nu.17:8-11.

It is worth thinking about how the High Priest

entered the Holy of Holies on Yom Kippur.

When God’s presence came to camp, every

one fell on their faces, no-one could stand or

enter His presence, Ex.40:34-35; Lev.9:24;

So the High Priest would not have walked or

stood inside the Holy of Holies; he most likely

went under the curtain on his hands and

knees. Also there was no natural or artificial

light in there and we are not told if God’s

express glory (shekinah) was glowing to give

light, Ex.29:43; 40:34-35, so it could have

been pitch black and anyway very clouded

with the smoke of incense. He went in

between the rods, Lev.16:12, 15; so he was

guided to the right place. Ps. 23:4, Thy Rod

and Staff, they guide and discipline me. He

would just have to kneel where he was and

sprinkle the blood on the atonement cover.

The Holy Items:

The Altar, Washbasin, Incense Altar and Ark

were in line from East to West in the entire

complex and then the Table and Lampstand in

orientation North to South in the Holy Place.

This makes the sign of a cross as the

foundation of the Tabernacle.

God put before us Life and Death; Blessing

and Cursing and told us what He wants;”

Choose Life”, Deut.30:19. He is not willing

that any should perish, 2 Pet.3:9; Deut.4:29-

31.

The Cross:

In Heb.9:3-4, it talks about the Golden altar

in front of the Ark. Hebrews is talking of the

fulfilment in Messiah so the curtain has been

torn and the symbol of the cross is the

foundation of the Tabernacle.

The Lamb was slain from before the

foundation of the Earth, Rev.13:8. So God

knew what was going to happen before He

started creating. This is His 1st plan; to come

in person, suffer and die for a creation He had

not begun to make. He didn’t ask Adam and

Eve, “where are you?”, because He didn’t

know; He asked so they would come out of

hiding and ‘fess up’ to what they had done.

That’s what we must do, 1 John 1:9, IF we

will confess our sin….

Confess, Repent, Believe, Receive;

Choose to refuse, you lose.

1 Jn.1:9; Matt.3:2; Jn.3:16.

Rom.3:23; 6:23.

We have all sinned and the wages for sin is

death. Somebody has to pay! Christ paid. So if

we come how He has told us then we are

forgiven and paid for by His blood; but if we

don’t, then we have to pay for our own sin at

the end of the age and be eternally separated

from God, Rev.2:11; Matt.13:40-42, 49-50.

Messiah has already paid so we don’t have to

experience this terror, Matt.27:46; Mark

15:34, He experienced this terror on our

behalf.

Final Encouragement

I would encourage you all to be like the Bereans

who Paul commended because they went back to

scripture and checked out everything they heard to

make sure it was true, Acts 17:11. We are in the end

of days where, if it were possible, even the elect

will be deceived, Matt.24:24, Mark 13:22. Satan

can counterfeit to a limited extent miraculous

things, as in Pharaohs' court and some of the

plagues. Satan will give deceptive power to those

who follow him, Rev12:13-14; Rev.18:23;

Rev.19:20. Paul said that Satan can appear as an

angel of light, 2 Cor.11:14-15. Don't be lead astray

by a different gospel, Gal.1:8. So check out

everything you see and hear (including this

transcript) with the word of God; no matter how

wonderful it appears.

Jesus said the scriptures testified of Him, Jn.5:39.

He also expounded the scriptures to the disciples on

the road to Emmaus, Luke 24:27.

Paul says to Timothy in 1Tim.3:16 and without

controversy great is the mystery of godliness:

God was manifest in the flesh,

Justified in the Spirit,

Seen by angels,

Preached among the Gentiles,

Believed on in the world,

Received up in glory.

The book of Hebrews chapters 1-10 is all about

Yeshua, who He is and what He has done. (All the

New Covenant is about Yeshua).

The only scriptures the early church had was what

we call the Old Testament. There is nothing in the

New Testament that has not first been stated in the

Old. As it has been told to me: 'The New in the Old

is concealed and the Old in the New is revealed'.

May God continue to reveal to you His purposes as

you diligently search His Word and seek His face,

Heb.11:6. You will find Him if you seek Him with

all your heart and with all your soul, Deut.4:29. At

all cost, do what it takes to become and stay one of

God’s special treasure. Phil.3:8-15, 20-21.

For a more expanded Tabernacle Transcript of

the tour given by Alimae Berean at the

Tabernacle in Timna Park; there is an e-book

available for purchase in the shop on this

website, along with books in the God’s Plan

series as they are published.

God’s Mud Baby

God’s Global Reset

God’s Earthly Thoroughfare

God’s Ground-plan for Salvation

God’s Mud Baby is available

This has been updated on 16-6-16

Copyright: Alimae Berean 2010