Aurel Gheorghe Supporter

After spending 400 years in pagan Egypt, God’s people needed a picture lesson in the plan of salvation, thus He instructed Moses to build a tabernacle. 

The tabernacle consisted of three areas: the Courtyard, the Holy Place, and the Most Holy Place – which represent the three steps in the process of salvation: justification, sanctification, and glorification. 

There is only one door to enter the Courtyard: Jesus is the door. The altar of burnt offerings where animals were sacrificed was located just inside the courtyard entrance - it represents the Cross. The animal represents Jesus, the ultimate sacrifice.

Between the altar and the entrance to the sanctuary was the laver. Here priests washed their hands and feet before offering a sacrifice or entering the sanctuary. The water represents cleansing from sin and the new birth.

In the Holy Place, there is a table of shewbread – it represents Jesus, the bread of life. The seven-branch candlestick also represents Jesus, the light of the world, while the oil represents the Holy Spirit. The altar of incense represents the prayers of God’s people. 

Between the Holy Place and Most Holy Place, there is a veil representing Christ. The moment Christ died on the cross, the veil tore top to bottom, symbolizing the death of the Lamb of God, which now allows the believer access to the Most Holy Place through the Christ High Priest the only Mediator between man and God.

In the Most Holy Place, there is only one piece of furniture, the Ark of the Covenant, which contains the two tables of stone on which God's finger wrote the Ten Commandments. Above them, the mercy seat symbolizes God’s mercy extended to those who repent of their sins (the blood of the animal sprinkled on the seat represented Jesus’ blood that would be shed to bring us forgiveness of sin).

December 05 2021 • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report

Jack Gutknecht Supporter Arizona Bible College graduate and Dallas Seminary graduate

I have read some articles on its symbolism, and one thing is clear, believing that later the Temple would replace the Tabernacle:

Jesus’ body is the curtain ripped in two that brings us to the holy presence of God.

“Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh....” (Heb. 10:19-20). (See also Matthew 27:51: “the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom.”) Justin Taylor

Agreeing with Aurel Gheorghe who answered my question, too: "There was only one entrance to the enclosure and therefore only one way to get to the altar of God. When God puts up a fence and assigns the way in, nobody has the authority to question it or change it. Jesus claimed to be the only door (John 10:9) and the only way to God (John 14:6), which explains why Peter said,

“‘Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.’” (Acts 4:12 NKJV)

In today’s pluralistic society, many people like to think that every way is acceptable to God, but that attitude leads to death (Prov. 14:12; 16:25; Matt. 7:13-27).

The Wiersbe Bible Commentary

December 12 2021 • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report

Jeffrey Johnson Supporter

What does the tabernacle in Exodus symbolise?

The tabernacle in Exodus primarily symbolises God's desire to dwell among His people and provides a physical representation of the path to a relationship with a holy God. Every element of its design was a shadow or copy of heavenly realities and a foreshadowing (type) of Jesus Christ and His redemptive work. 

The central meaning of the Tabernacle (Hebrew: mishkan, meaning "dwelling place") was that God chose to reside in the midst of the Israelite camp. The descent of the glory cloud (Shekinah glory) to fill the Tabernacle confirmed His presence.

The whole structure's division into the Outer Court, the Holy Place, and the Most Holy Place (Holy of Holies) highlighted the gradations of holiness and the separation between a holy God and sinful humanity. The sacrificial system, carried out at the bronze altar in the courtyard, symbolised the necessity of blood atonement for sin to approach God.

The apostle Paul explains that the tabernacle was a prophetic illustration of “the greater and more perfect tent,” God's great place of worship.​—Heb 9:9, 11.

The apostle Paul throws more light upon the pictorial significance of the tabernacle. In a context discussing the pattern made by the tabernacle and the services carried on in it, he speaks of Jesus Christ as “a public servant of the holy place and of the true tent, which Jehovah put up, and not man.” (Heb 8:2)

Through this arrangement, faithful men can have a real approach to God. (Heb 4:16) The heavenly “sanctuary of the tent of the witness” or tabernacle was seen by the apostle John in vision.​—Re 15:5.

The Tabernacle was a detailed "gospel blueprint" that guided the Israelites toward God's plan of redemption, which was fully realised in Jesus Christ and is now experienced as God's Spirit dwells within believers.

The Tabernacle was central to Israelite worship, providing a sacred space for sacrifice and for God's glory to abide.

The symbolism of the Tabernacle is central to Christian theology, particularly in the book of Hebrews. The New Testament presents Jesus as the ultimate high priest and the fulfilment of the Tabernacle's purpose, with his sacrifice providing direct access to God's presence for believers.

14 hours ago • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report