Chapter 30
The
Tabernacle and Its Services
[This
chapter is based on Exodus 25 to 40;
Leviticus 4 and 16.]
THE
command was communicated to Moses while in the mount with God, "Let
them make Me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them;" and full
directions were given for the construction of the tabernacle. By their
apostasy the Israelites forfeited the blessing of the divine Presence, and
for the time rendered impossible the erection of a sanctuary for God among
them. But after they were again taken into favor with Heaven, the great
leader proceeded to execute the divine command.
Chosen men
were especially endowed by God with skill and wisdom for the construction
of the sacred building. God Himself gave to Moses the plan of that
structure, with particular directions as to its size and form, the
materials to be employed, and every article of furniture which it was to
contain. The holy places made with hands were to be "figures of the
true," patterns of things in the heavens" (Hebrews 9:24, 23)--a
miniature representation of the heavenly temple where Christ, our great
High Priest, after offering His life as a sacrifice, was to minister in
the sinner's behalf. God presented before Moses in the mount a view of the
heavenly sanctuary, and commanded him to make all things according to the
pattern shown him. All these directions were carefully recorded by Moses,
who communicated them to the leaders of the people.
For the
building of the sanctuary great and expensive preparations were necessary;
a large amount of the most precious and costly material was required; yet
the Lord accepted only freewill offerings. "Of every man that giveth
it willingly with his heart ye shall take My offering" was the divine
command repeated by Moses to the congregation. Devotion to God and a
spirit of sacrifice were the first requisites in preparing a dwelling
place for the Most High.
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All the
people responded with one accord. "They came, every one whose heart
stirred him up, and every one whom his spirit made willing, and they
brought the Lord's offering to the work of the tabernacle of the
congregation, and for all His service, and for the holy garments. And they
came, both men and women, as many as were willinghearted, and brought
bracelets, and earrings, and rings, and tablets, all jewels of gold: and
every man that offered, offered an offering of gold unto the Lord."
"And
every man with whom was found blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine
linen, and goats' hair, and rams' skins dyed red, and sealskins, brought
them. Everyone that did offer an offering of silver and brass brought the
Lord's offering: and every man, with whom was found acacia wood for any
work of the service, brought it.
"And all
the women that were wisehearted did spin with their hands, and brought
that which they had spun, the blue, and the purple, the scarlet, and the
fine linen. And all the women whose heart stirred them up in wisdom spun
the goats' hair.
"And the
rulers brought the onyx stones, and the stones to be set, for the ephod,
and for the breastplate; and the spice, and the oil; for the light, and
for the anointing oil, and for the sweet incense." Exodus 35:23-28,
R.V.
While the
building of the sanctuary was in progress the people, old and young--men,
women, and children--continued to bring their offerings, until those in
charge of the work found that they had enough, and even more than could be
used. And Moses caused to be proclaimed throughout the camp, "Let
neither man nor woman make any more work for the offering of the
sanctuary. So the people were restrained from bringing." The
murmurings of the Israelites and the visitations of God's judgments
because of their sins are recorded as a warning to after-generations. And
their devotion, their zeal and liberality, are an example worthy of
imitation. All who love the worship of God and prize the blessing of His
sacred presence will manifest the same spirit of sacrifice in preparing a
house where He may meet with them. They will desire to bring to the Lord
an offering of the very best that they possess. A house built for God
should not be left in debt, for He is thereby dishonored. An amount
sufficient to accomplish the work should be freely given, that the workmen
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may be able to say, as did the builders of the tabernacle, "Bring no
more offerings."
The
tabernacle was so constructed that it could be taken apart and borne with
the Israelites in all their journeyings. It was therefore small, being not
more than fifty-five feet in length, and eighteen in breadth and height.
Yet it was a magnificent structure. The wood employed for the building and
its furniture was that of the acacia tree, which was less subject to decay
than any other to be obtained at Sinai. The walls consisted of upright
boards, set in silver sockets, and held firm by pillars and connecting
bars; and all were overlaid with gold, giving to the building the
appearance of solid gold. The roof was formed of four sets of curtains,
the innermost of "fine twined linen, and blue, and purple, and
scarlet: with cherubim of cunning work;" the other three respectively
were of goats' hair, rams' skins dyed red, and sealskins, so arranged as
to afford complete protection.
The building
was divided into two apartments by a rich and beautiful curtain, or veil,
suspended from gold-plated pillars; and a similar veil closed the entrance
of the first apartment. These, like the inner covering, which formed the
ceiling, were of the most gorgeous colors, blue, purple, and scarlet,
beautifully arranged, while inwrought with threads of gold and silver were
cherubim to represent the angelic host who are connected with the work of
the heavenly sanctuary and who are ministering spirits to the people of
God on earth.
The sacred
tent was enclosed in an open space called the court, which was surrounded
by hangings, or screens, of fine linen, suspended from pillars of brass.
The entrance to this enclosure was at the eastern end. It was closed by
curtains of costly material and beautiful workmanship, though inferior to
those of the sanctuary. The hangings of the court being only about half as
high as the walls of the tabernacle, the building could be plainly seen by
the people without. In the court, and nearest the entrance, stood the
brazen altar of burnt offering. Upon this altar were consumed all the
sacrifices made by fire unto the Lord, and its horns were sprinkled with
the atoning blood. Between the altar and the door of the tabernacle was
the laver, which was also of brass, made from the mirrors that had been
the freewill offering of the women of Israel. At the laver the priests
were to wash their hands and their feet whenever
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they went into the sacred
apartments, or approached the altar to offer a burnt offering unto the
Lord.
In the first
apartment, or holy place, were the table of showbread, the candlestick, or
lampstand, and the altar of incense. The table of showbread stood on the
north. With its ornamental crown, it was overlaid with pure gold. On this
table the priests were each Sabbath to place twelve cakes, arranged in two
piles, and sprinkled with frankincense. The loaves that were removed,
being accounted holy, were to be eaten by the priests. On the south was
the seven-branched candlestick, with its seven lamps. Its branches were
ornamented with exquisitely wrought flowers, resembling lilies, and the
whole was made from one solid piece of gold. There being no windows in the
tabernacle, the lamps were never all extinguished at one time, but shed
their light by day and by night. Just before the veil separating the holy
place from the most holy and the immediate presence of God, stood the
golden altar of incense. Upon this altar the priest was to burn incense
every morning and evening; its horns were touched with the blood of the
sin offering, and it was sprinkled with blood upon the great Day of
Atonement. The fire upon this altar was kindled by God Himself and was
sacredly cherished. Day and night the holy incense diffused its fragrance
throughout the sacred apartments, and without, far around the tabernacle.
Beyond the
inner veil was the holy of holies, where centered the symbolic service of
atonement and intercession, and which formed the connecting link between
heaven and earth. In this apartment was the ark, a chest of acacia wood,
overlaid within and without with gold, and having a crown of gold about
the top. It was made as a depository for the tables of stone, upon which
God Himself had inscribed the Ten Commandments. Hence it was called the
ark of God's testament, or the ark of the covenant, since the Ten
Commandments were the basis of the covenant made between God and Israel.
The cover of
the sacred chest was called the mercy seat. This was wrought of one solid
piece of gold, and was surmounted by golden cherubim, one standing on each
end. One wing of each angel was stretched forth on high, while the other
was folded over the body (see Ezekiel 1:11) in token of reverence and
humility. The position of the cherubim, with their faces turned
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toward
each other, and looking reverently downward toward the ark, represented
the reverence with which the heavenly host regard the law of God and their
interest in the plan of redemption.
Above the
mercy seat was the Shekinah, the manifestation of the divine Presence; and
from between the cherubim, God made known His will. Divine messages were
sometimes communicated to the high priest by a voice from the cloud.
Sometimes a light fell upon the angel at the right, to signify approval or
acceptance, or a shadow or cloud rested upon the one at the left to reveal
disapproval or rejection.
The law of
God, enshrined within the ark, was the great rule of righteousness and
judgment. That law pronounced death upon the transgressor; but above the
law was the mercy seat, upon which the presence of God was revealed, and
from which, by virtue of the atonement, pardon was granted to the
repentant sinner. Thus in the work of Christ for our redemption,
symbolized by the sanctuary service, "mercy and truth are met
together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other." Psalm
85:10.
No language
can describe the glory of the scene presented within the sanctuary--the
gold-plated walls reflecting the light from the golden candlestick, the
brilliant hues of the richly embroidered curtains with their shining
angels, the table, and the altar of incense, glittering with gold; beyond
the second veil the sacred ark, with its mystic cherubim, and above it the
holy Shekinah, the visible manifestation of Jehovah's presence; all but a
dim reflection of the glories of the temple of God in heaven, the great
center of the work for man's redemption.
A period of
about half a year was occupied in the building of the tabernacle. When it
was completed, Moses examined all the work of the builders, comparing it
with the pattern shown him in the mount and the directions he had received
from God. "As the Lord had commanded, even so had they done it: and
Moses blessed them." With eager interest the multitudes of Israel
crowded around to look upon the sacred structure. While they were
contemplating the scene with reverent satisfaction, the pillar of cloud
floated over the sanctuary and, descending, enveloped it. "And the
glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle." There was a revealing of
the divine majesty, and for a time even Moses could
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not enter. With deep
emotion the people beheld the token that the work of their hands was
accepted. There were no loud demonstrations of rejoicing. A solemn awe
rested upon all. But the gladness of their hearts welled up in tears of
joy, and they murmured low, earnest words of gratitude that God had
condescended to abide with them.
By divine
direction the tribe of Levi was set apart for the service of the
sanctuary. In the earliest times every man was the priest of his own
household. In the days of Abraham the priesthood was regarded as the
birthright of the eldest son. Now, instead of the first-born of all
Israel, the Lord accepted the tribe of Levi for the work of the sanctuary.
By this signal honor He manifested His approval of their fidelity, both in
adhering to His service and in executing His judgments when Israel
apostatized in the worship of the golden calf. The priesthood, however,
was restricted to the family of Aaron. Aaron and his sons alone were
permitted to minister before the Lord; the rest of the tribe were
entrusted with the charge of the tabernacle and its furniture, and they
were to attend upon the priests in their ministration, but they were not
to sacrifice, to burn incense, or to see the holy things till they were
covered.
In accordance
with their office, a special dress was appointed for the priests.
"Thou shalt make holy garments for Aaron thy brother, for glory and
for beauty," was the divine direction to Moses. The robe of the
common priest was of white linen, and woven in one piece. It extended
nearly to the feet and was confined about the waist by a white linen
girdle embroidered in blue, purple, and red. A linen turban, or miter,
completed his outer costume. Moses at the burning bush was directed to put
off his sandals, for the ground whereon he stood was holy. So the priests
were not to enter the sanctuary with shoes upon their feet. Particles of
dust cleaving to them would desecrate the holy place. They were to leave
their shoes in the court before entering the sanctuary, and also to wash
both their hands and their feet before ministering in the tabernacle or at
the altar of burnt offering. Thus was constantly taught the lesson that
all defilement must be put away from those who would approach into the
presence of God.
The garments
of the high priest were of costly material and beautiful workmanship,
befitting his exalted station. In addition
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to the linen dress of the
common priest, he wore a robe of blue, also woven in one piece. Around the
skirt it was ornamented with golden bells, and pomegranates of blue,
purple, and scarlet. Outside of this was the ephod, a shorter garment of
gold, blue, purple, scarlet, and white. It was confined by a girdle of the
same colors, beautifully wrought. The ephod was sleeveless, and on its
gold-embroidered shoulder pieces were set two onyx stones, bearing the
names of the twelve tribes of Israel.
Over the
ephod was the breastplate, the most sacred of the priestly vestments. This
was of the same material as the ephod. It was in the form of a square,
measuring a span, and was suspended from the shoulders by a cord of blue
from golden rings. The border was formed of a variety of precious stones,
the same that form the twelve foundations of the City of God. Within the
border were twelve stones set in gold, arranged in rows of four, and, like
those in the shoulder pieces, engraved with the names of the tribes. The
Lord's direction was, "Aaron shall bear the names of the children of
Israel in the breastplate of judgment upon his heart, when he goeth in
unto the holy place, for a memorial before the Lord continually."
Exodus 28:29. So Christ, the great High Priest, pleading His blood before
the Father in the sinner's behalf, bears upon His heart the name of every
repentant, believing soul. Says the psalmist, "I am poor and needy;
yet the Lord thinketh upon me." Psalm 40:17.
At the right
and left of the breastplate were two large stones of great brilliancy.
These were known as the Urim and Thummim. By them the will of God was made
known through the high priest. When questions were brought for decision
before the Lord, a halo of light encircling the precious stone at the
right was a token of the divine consent or approval, while a cloud
shadowing the stone at the left was an evidence of denial or
disapprobation.
The miter of
the high priest consisted of the white linen turban, having attached to it
by a lace of blue, a gold plate bearing the inscription, "Holiness to
Jehovah." Everything connected with the apparel and deportment of the
priests was to be such as to impress the beholder with a sense of the
holiness of God, the sacredness of His worship, and the purity required of
those who came into His presence.
Not only the
sanctuary itself, but the ministration of the
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priests, was to "serve
unto the example and shadow of heavenly things." Hebrews 8:5. Thus it
was of great importance; and the Lord, through Moses, gave the most
definite and explicit instruction concerning every point of this typical
service. The ministration of the sanctuary consisted of two divisions, a
daily and a yearly service. The daily service was performed at the altar
of burnt offering in the court of the tabernacle and in the holy place;
while the yearly service was in the most holy.
No mortal eye
but that of the high priest was to look upon the inner apartment of the
sanctuary. Only once a year could the priest enter there, and that after
the most careful and solemn preparation. With trembling he went in before
God, and the people in reverent silence awaited his return, their hearts
uplifted in earnest prayer for the divine blessing. Before the mercy seat
the high priest made the atonement for Israel; and in the cloud of glory,
God met with him. His stay here beyond the accustomed time filled them
with fear, lest because of their sins or his own he had been slain by the
glory of the Lord.
The daily
service consisted of the morning and evening burnt offering, the offering
of sweet incense on the golden altar, and the special offerings for
individual sins. And there were also offerings for sabbaths, new moons,
and special feasts.
Every morning
and evening a lamb of a year old was burned upon the altar, with its
appropriate meat offering, thus symbolizing the daily consecration of the
nation to Jehovah, and their constant dependence upon the atoning blood of
Christ. God expressly directed that every offering presented for the
service of the sanctuary should be "without blemish." Exodus
12:5. The priests were to examine all animals brought as a sacrifice, and
were to reject every one in which a defect was discovered. Only an
offering "without blemish" could be a symbol of His perfect
purity who was to offer Himself as "a lamb without blemish and
without spot." 1 Peter 1:19. The apostle Paul points to these
sacrifices as an illustration of what the followers of Christ are to
become. He says, "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies
of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable
unto God, which is your reasonable service." Romans 12:1. We are to
give ourselves to the service of God, and we should seek to make the
offering as nearly perfect as possible. God will not be pleased with
anything
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less than the best we can offer. Those who love Him with all the
heart, will desire to give Him the best service of the life, and they will
be constantly seeking to bring every power of their being into harmony
with the laws that will promote their ability to do His will.
In the
offering of incense the priest was brought more directly into the presence
of God than in any other act of the daily ministration. As the inner veil
of the sanctuary did no extend to the top of the building, the glory of
God, which was manifested above the mercy seat, was partially visible from
the first apartment. When the priest offered incense before the Lord, he
looked toward the ark; and as the cloud of incense arose, the divine glory
descended upon the mercy seat and filled the most holy place, and often so
filled both apartments that the priest was obliged to retire to the door
of the tabernacle. As in that typical service the priest looked by faith
to the mercy seat which he could not see, so the people of God are now to
direct their prayers to Christ, their great High Priest, who, unseen by
human vision, is pleading in their behalf in the sanctuary above.
The incense,
ascending with the prayers of Israel, represents the merits and
intercession of Christ, His perfect righteousness, which through faith is
imputed to His people, and which can alone make the worship of sinful
beings acceptable to God. Before the veil of the most holy place was an
altar of perpetual intercession, before the holy, an altar of continual
atonement. By blood and by incense God was to be approached--symbols
pointing to the great Mediator, through whom sinners may approach Jehovah,
and through whom alone mercy and salvation can be granted to the
repentant, believing soul.
As the
priests morning and evening entered the holy place at the time of incense,
the daily sacrifice was ready to be offered upon the altar in the court
without. This was a time of intense interest to the worshipers who
assembled at the tabernacle. Before entering into the presence of God
through the ministration of the priest, they were to engage in earnest
searching of heart and confession of sin. They united in silent prayer,
with their faces toward the holy place. Thus their petitions ascended with
the cloud of incense, while faith laid hold upon the merits of the
promised Saviour prefigured by the atoning sacrifice. The hours appointed
for the morning and the evening sacrifice
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were regarded as sacred, and
they came to be observed as the set time for worship throughout the Jewish
nation. And when in later times the Jews were scattered as captives in
distant lands, they still at the appointed hour turned their faces toward
Jerusalem and offered up their petitions to the God of Israel. In this
custom Christians have an example for morning and evening prayer. While
God condemns a mere round of ceremonies, without the spirit of worship, He
looks with great pleasure upon those who love Him, bowing morning and
evening to seek pardon for sins committed and to present their requests
for needed blessings.
The showbread
was kept ever before the Lord as a perpetual offering. Thus it was a part
of the daily sacrifice. It was called showbread, or "bread of the
presence," because it was ever before the face of the Lord. It was an
acknowledgment of man's dependence upon God for both temporal and
spiritual food, and that it is received only through the mediation of
Christ. God had fed Israel in the wilderness with bread from heaven, and
they were still dependent upon His bounty, both for temporal food and
spiritual blessings. Both the manna and the showbread pointed to Christ,
the living Bread, who is ever in the presence of God for us. He Himself
said, "I am the living Bread which came down from heaven." John
6:48-51. Frankincense was placed upon the loaves. When the bread was
removed every Sabbath, to be replaced by fresh loaves, the frankincense
was burned upon the altar as a memorial before God.
The most
important part of the daily ministration was the service performed in
behalf of individuals. The repentant sinner brought his offering to the
door of the tabernacle, and, placing his hand upon the victim's head,
confessed his sins, thus in figure transferring them from himself to the
innocent sacrifice. By his own hand the animal was then slain, and the
blood was carried by the priest into the holy place and sprinkled before
the veil, behind which was the ark containing the law that the sinner had
transgressed. By this ceremony the sin was, through the blood, transferred
in figure to the sanctuary. In some cases the blood was not taken into the
holy place; but the flesh was then to be eaten by the priest, as Moses
directed the sons of Aaron, saying, "God hath given it you to bear
the iniquity of the congregation."
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Leviticus 10:17. Both ceremonies
alike symbolized the transfer of the sin from the penitent to the
sanctuary.
Such was the
work that went on day by day throughout the year. The sins of Israel being
thus transferred to the sanctuary, the holy places were defiled, and a
special work became necessary for the removal of the sins. God commanded
that an atonement be made for each of the sacred apartments, as for the
altar, to "cleanse it, and hallow it from the uncleanness of the
children of Israel." Leviticus 16:19.
Once a year,
on the great Day of Atonement, the priest entered the most holy place for
the cleansing of the sanctuary. The work there performed completed the
yearly round of ministration.
On the Day of
Atonement two kids of the goats were brought to the door of the
tabernacle, and lots were cast upon them, "one lot for the Lord, and
the other lot for the scapegoat." The goat upon which the first lot
fell was to be slain as a sin offering for the people. And the priest was
to bring his blood within the veil, and sprinkle it upon the mercy seat.
"And he shall make an atonement for the holy place, because of the
uncleanness of the children of Israel, and because of their transgression
in all their sins; and so shall he do for the tabernacle of the
congregation, that remaineth among them in the midst of their
uncleanness."
"And
Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat, and confess
over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their
transgressions in all their sins, putting them upon the head of the goat,
and shall send him away by the hand of a fit man into the wilderness: and
the goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities into a land not
inhabited." Not until the goat had been thus sent away did the people
regard themselves as freed from the burden of their sins. Every man was to
afflict his soul while the work of atonement was going forward. All
business was laid aside, and the whole congregation of Israel spent the
day in solemn humiliation before God, with prayer, fasting, and deep
searching of heart.
Important
truths concerning the atonement were taught the people by this yearly
service. In the sin offerings presented during the year, a substituted had
been accepted in the sinner's stead; but the blood of the victim had not
made full atonement for the sin. It had only provided a means by which the
sin was
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transferred to the sanctuary. By the offering of blood, the sinner
acknowledged the authority of the law, confessed the guilt of his
transgression, and expressed his faith in Him who was to take away the sin
of the world; but he was not entirely released from the condemnation of
the law. On the Day of Atonement the high priest, having taken an offering
for the congregation, went into the most holy place with the blood and
sprinkled it upon the mercy seat, above the tables of the law. Thus the
claims of the law, which demanded the life of the sinner, were satisfied.
Then in his character of mediator the priest took the sins upon himself,
and, leaving the sanctuary, he bore with him the burden of Israel's guilt.
At the door of the tabernacle he laid his hands upon the head of the
scapegoat and confessed over him "all the iniquities of the children
of Israel, and all their transgressions in all their sins, putting them
upon the head of the goat." And as the goat bearing these sins was
sent away, they were, with him, regarded as forever separated from the
people. Such was the service performed "unto the example and shadow
of heavenly things." Hebrews 8:5.
As has been
stated, the earthly sanctuary was built by Moses according to the pattern
shown him in the mount. It was "a figure for the time then present,
in which were offered both gifts and sacrifices;" its two holy places
were "patterns of things in the heavens;" Christ, our great High
Priest, is "a minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle,
which the Lord pitched, and not man." Hebrews 9:9, 23; 8:2. As in
vision the apostle John was granted a view of the temple of God in heaven,
he beheld there "seven lamps of fire burning before the throne."
He saw an angel "having a golden censer; and there was given unto him
much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon
the golden altar which was before the throne." Revelation 4:5; 8:3.
Here the prophet was permitted to behold the first apartment of the
sanctuary in heaven; and he saw there the "seven lamps of fire"
and the "golden altar" represented by the golden candlestick and
the altar of incense in the sanctuary on earth. Again, "the temple of
God was opened" (Revelation 11:19), and he looked within the inner
veil, upon the holy of holies. Here he beheld "the ark of His
testament" (Revelation 11:19), represented by the sacred chest
constructed by Moses to contain the law of God.
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Moses made
the earthly sanctuary, "according to the fashion that he had
seen." Paul declares that "the tabernacle, and all the vessels
of the ministry," when completed, were "the patterns of things
in the heavens." Acts 7:44; Hebrews 9:21, 23. And John says that he
saw the sanctuary in heaven. That sanctuary, in which Jesus ministers in
our behalf, is the great original, of which the sanctuary built by Moses
was a copy.
The heavenly
temple, the abiding place of the King of kings, where "thousand
thousands ministered unto Him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood
before Him" (Daniel 7:10), that temple filled with the glory of the
eternal throne, where seraphim, its shining guardians, veil their faces in
adoration--no earthly structure could represent its vastness and its
glory. Yet important truths concerning the heavenly sanctuary and the
great work there carried forward for man's redemption were to be taught by
the earthly sanctuary and its services.
After His
ascension, our Saviour was to begin His work as our High Priest. Says
Paul, "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." Hebrews 9:24. As Christ's
ministration was to consist of two great divisions, each occupying a
period of time and having a distinctive place in the heavenly sanctuary,
so the typical ministration consisted of two divisions, the daily and the
yearly service, and to each a department of the tabernacle was devoted.
As Christ at
His ascension appeared in the presence of God to plead His blood in behalf
of penitent believers, so the priest in the daily ministration sprinkled
the blood of the sacrifice in the holy place in the sinner's behalf.
The blood of
Christ, while it was to release the repentant sinner from the condemnation
of the law, was not to cancel the sin; it would stand on record in the
sanctuary until the final atonement; so in the type the blood of the sin
offering removed the sin from the penitent, but it rested in the sanctuary
until the Day of Atonement.
In the great
day of final award, the dead are to be "judged out of those things
which were written in the books, according to their works."
Revelation 20:12. Then by virtue of the atoning blood of Christ, the sins
of all the truly penitent will be blotted from the books of heaven. Thus
the sanctuary will be freed, or
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cleansed, from the record of sin. In the
type, this great work of atonement, or blotting out of sins, was
represented by the services of the Day of Atonement--the cleansing of the
earthly sanctuary, which was accomplished by the removal, by virtue of the
blood of the sin offering, of the sins by which it had been polluted.
As in the
final atonement the sins of the truly penitent are to be blotted from the
records of heaven, no more to be remembered or come into mind, so in the
type they were borne away into the wilderness, forever separated from the
congregation.
Since Satan
is the originator of sin, the direct instigator of all the sins that
caused the death of the Son of God, justice demands that Satan shall
suffer the final punishment. Christ's work for the redemption of men and
the purification of the universe from sin will be closed by the removal of
sin from the heavenly sanctuary and the placing of these sins upon Satan,
who will bear the final penalty. So in the typical service, the yearly
round of ministration closed with the purification of the sanctuary, and
the confessing of the sins on the head of the scapegoat.
Thus in the
ministration of the tabernacle, and of the temple that afterward took its
place, the people were taught each day the great truths relative to
Christ's death and ministration, and once each year their minds were
carried forward to the closing events of the great controversy between
Christ and Satan, the final purification of the universe from sin and
sinners.
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