The Blood

Reason Number 2 that the tabernacle is not studied is because Jesus is now our high priest. What was it that set the high priest apart from the regular run-of-the-mill priest? What was common between them (the first ones, anyway)? Their blood. The first high priest was Aaron and the first priests were his four sons (Nadab, and Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar). Now Jesus is our high priest and we (believers) are priests. What do we have in common? The blood.

Having therefore, brethren, boldness for entering into the [holy of] holies by the blood of Jesus the new and living way which he has dedicated for us through the veil, that is, his flesh, and [having] a great priest over the house of God, let us approach with a true heart, in full assurance of faith, sprinkled as to our hearts from a wicked conscience, and washed as to our body with pure water. Heb. 10:19-22

Our True Tabernacle is Heaven

Reason Number 3 why the tabernacle is not studied is because … our true tabernacle is heaven (Heb. 8: 2). Well, if our true tabernacle is heaven and we know what the tabernacle was like, then we know a lot more about heaven than we think we do. God showed Moses the pattern for the tabernacle. I am convinced that when on the mountain Moses was permitted to see a vision of Heaven itself. When you look at the written accounts of people that have witnessed visions of heaven (like, Ezekiel, Isaiah, and John), you can see similarities between the account. If you know the tabernacle, you can see elements of the tabernacle in each account, especially in the Apocalypse.

As a random example let's look at Revelation 8:3.

And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and much incense was given to him, that he might give [efficacy] to the prayers of all saints at the golden altar which [was] before the throne.

John is in heaven and sees the golden altar of incense. And did you notice where it was located? Before the throne. In the tabernacle, the golden altar was located in front of the veil in the holy place...and behind the veil in the 'holiest of holiest' was the arc. On the arc was the mercy seat where Jehovah sat between the cherubim, His throne. What was missing in John's account? The veil. Why? Because it was rent. (I know that you knew that, especially if you have been following my posts...)

The Shadow Knows

Know the Shadow

The number four reason for not studying the tabernacle is that He takes away the first that he may establish the second (Heb. 10:9). God Himself says that He replaced tabernacle/temple worship, so, why study it?

The tabernacle was a shadow of things to come…If the tabernacle was a shadow and we now have the real thing and the real thing is more excellent (Heb. 8:6), why study the shadow?

For one thing, if we are familiar with the shadow, we will recognize the real thing, and, recognize the counterfeit.

Know the shadow.

The Bold Approach

Reason number 5 that the tabernacle is not studied is that …with the rent veil and Jesus entered as our forerunner, we are encouraged to… approach therefore with boldness to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy, and find grace for seasonable help (Heb 4:16). Without the veil, we are told to approach the throne with boldness. Boldly approach to… let your requests be made known to God.

How do you get to the throne? I guess you could just barge in, but, to get to the throne (where Jehovah sits between the Cherubim), we need to first enter the door (of the tabernacle)… pass by the Altar of Burnt Offering…pass the laver… enter the Holy place…walk between the Table of Presence and the lamp stand… and then the golden altar of incense. What is the significance of this approach and what does it mean to the New Testament Believer?

When the ancient Israelite was encamped around the tabernacle, their tents were pitched afar off. So when they had an offering, they had to travel to the door of the tabernacle with the offering. As New Testament believers need to come in prayer. God is not going to come to you in prayer, you need to come to God.

The Altar of Burnt Offering was the first thing they came to...where an innocent animal was sacrificed for the guilty sinner. When we come to God in prayer, we remember the Innocent One that shed His blood for us, the guilty sinner.

The next thing in line is the laver, where the priest were instructed to clean their hand and feet. As New Testament believers we still sin and need to confess our sins to be cleansed from all unrighteousness.

Then and only then, can we get to the Golden Altar of Incense with our requests.

The way we approach God today is as important as it was then. Approach boldly...but don't forget the steps.

Dying to Enter

Reason Number 6 that the tabernacle is not studied is that with the rent veil, Jesus has entered into the ‘Holiest of Holiest’ as our ‘forerunner’ … Wherein God, willing to shew more abundantly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeableness of his purpose, intervened by an oath, that by two unchangeable things, in which [it was] impossible that God should lie, we might have a strong encouragement, who have fled for refuge to lay hold on the hope set before us, which we have as anchor of the soul, both secure and firm, and entering into that within the veil, where Jesus is entered as forerunner for us... (Heb. 6:17-20). If He is the forerunner, then aren’t we to follow?

Do we have any right to follow? I don’t think so. The high priest was directed to stay out of the Holiest of Holiest that he die not (Lev. 16:2), except for one day a year. Many of things happened on that Day of Atonement but there was one thing required of the high priest when he entered the Holiest of Holiest on the that day that he die not. …And he shall put the incense upon the fire before Jehovah, that the cloud of the incense may cover the mercy-seat which is upon the testimony, that he die not. Lev. 16:13

So, in order to live, (or, die not) the high priest had to stay out of the Holiest of Holiest all year except for the Day of Atonement, and on that day he must put the incense upon the fire before Jehovah, that the cloud of the incense may cover the mercy seat. The life of the high priest was dependent on these.

Jesus died so He could enter.

The Rent Veil

Reason number 7 for not studying the tabernacle is because …the veil of the temple was rent in two from the top to the bottom. Doesn’t this signify that we (believers) now have direct access to Jehovah?

The veil was hung between the holy place and the ‘holiest of holiest’ where Jehovah dwelt between the cherubim. It kept the priest from entering into the presence of Jehovah but, at the same time, permitted them to enter the holy place and conduct their daily priestly duties.

If the tearing of the veil means that we now have direct access, then what does Hebrews 10:20 mean when it speaks of the veil as Jesus’s flesh … the new and living way which he has dedicated for us through the veil, that is, his flesh…?

To answer, it helps to know what the veil looked like, what it was made of, how it was hung and what it was hung on. Since the veil is a type of Christ, studying the tabernacle [and the veil], helps us understand Him.

Life is a stranger's sojourn

Strangers Welcomed

Reason Number 8 for not studying the tabernacle is because tabernacle worship was for ancient Israel. The Israelites were God’s chosen. God redeemed them out of Egypt unto Himself (see 1 Chron. 17:21). Though redeemed, the Israelites were sinful, thus the necessity for the tabernacle and tabernacle worship. Even though the instructions for tabernacle service were given to Moses for the Israelites, Jehovah made provisions for the stranger-- the non-descendants of Jacob.

Ye shall have one manner of law, as well for the stranger, as for one of your own country: for I [am] the LORD your God. Lev. 24:22

As one born among you shall the stranger who sojourneth with you be unto you; and thou shalt love him as thyself; for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am Jehovah your God. Lev. 19:34

See? Tabernacle worship was not just for ancient Israel, it was available to all, all that will. Whosoever will. Why? Because before they were redeemed, Israel was a stranger. Like Israel, we (as New Testament believers) are redeemed, yet still sin. Our approach to God was typified in the tabernacle of ancient Israel. The better we understand the tabernacle, the better we understand the proper way to approach God.

Welcome, Stranger!

And having begun from Moses

Reason Number 9 for not studying the tabernacle--it is so Old Testament. According to some random trivia site I found on the internet, there are 593,493 words in the Old Testament and 181,253 words in the New. Each word is inspired. Many more inspired words in the Old Testament. Just because it is in the Old Testament is not a reason not to study it.

Not only is it Old Testament, it was in the Law. But, you may say, we are under the Law no longer (Rom 6:14); hasn’t it been nailed to the cross (Col 9:14)? Besides, wasn’t salvation in the Old Testament somehow based on the Law? Have you ever read Ps. 119? I know that you know that there is a reference to the Law, precepts and statute in nearly each verse. The Law refers to the first 5 books of the Bible. The tabernacle design and service were dictated by God in the Law. Precepts are all the Thou shalts and thou shalt nots in the Law. Did you know that 5 out of every 6 precepts have something to do with the tabernacle? So what was David referring to when he wrote Psalm 119? Maybe the same that Jesus was referring to on the road to Emmaus: And having begun from Moses … he interpreted to them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself. Luke 24:27. Or after breaking bread with His disciples in Emmaus…these [are] the words which I spoke to you while I was yet with you, that all that is written concerning me in the law of Moses...must be fulfilled. Luke 24:44

No Devil in These Details

It is a mystery to me why the Old Testament tabernacle is studied by so few. Bible-believing Bible-thumping Christians are truly illiterate with respect to the tabernacle of the wilderness. Sure, we wade through the latter half of Exodus and Leviticus when we read through our Bibles on our read-your-Bible-in-a-year programs. We feel a sense of relief when we get to the end like it is something to endure and not something to enjoy in study. It’s kind of like genealogies in say, the first 11 chapters or so of First Chronicles. We read through them, maybe looking for a familiar name, or we may even look up a few in a Bible dictionary to see some of the name defined. We may even go so far as replace the name with its definition to see if it makes sense or not. But we do not spend time in study. We study the New Testament. We spend time on many stories in the Old. The creation story is studied as if it took up most of the Old Testament. The 10 Commandments are studied. We feel a certain connection to the 10 Commandments – they make sense to us, even in this day. In the book of Exodus, the 10 Commandments come a little before the instruction to build the tabernacle. There is a reason for this order, but we don’t feel any kind of connection to the tabernacle.

I developed this top-10 list. The top ten reasons that the tabernacle is not studied. These are based on personal observations – my personal observations ranked in reverse order. There is no Biblical basis for this list or its order. You may not agree; that’s okay.

The Top Ten Reasons that the Tabernacle is Not Studied:

Reason Number 10

The Number 10 reason that the tabernacle is not studied today is because it is boring. Details make it boring. Many details are given in its design and and seem to repeated in the construction. Let’s look at a couple quick examples:

The instruction for the tabernacle proper:

And thou shalt make the tabernacle [with] ten curtains of twined byssus, and blue, and purple, and scarlet: with cherubim of artistic work shalt thou make them. The length of one curtain shall be twenty-eight cubits, and the breadth of one curtain four cubits -- one measure for all the curtains. Five of the curtains shall be coupled one to another, and [the other] five curtains coupled one to another. And thou shalt make loops of blue on the edge of the one curtain at the end of the coupling; and likewise shalt thou make [them] in the edge of the outermost curtain in the other coupling. Fifty loops shalt thou make in the one curtain, and fifty loops shalt thou make at the end of the curtain in the other coupling: the loops shall be opposite to one another. And thou shalt make fifty clasps of gold, and couple the curtains together with the clasps, that the tabernacle may be one [whole]. Ex. 26:1-6

So much detail, so few verses. We are given sizes, numbers of curtains, materials of construction, colors, coupling methods, even the number of couplings.

Another example: Instructions for the construction of the laver are given in Ex.30: Thou shalt also make a laver of copper, and its stand of copper, for washing; and thou shalt put it between the tent of meeting and the altar, and shalt put water in it. The instructions as they were followed a few chapters later: And he made the laver of copper, and its stand of copper, of the mirrors of the crowds of women who crowded before the entrance of the tent of meeting. Ex. 38:8. Details. We are not only told what it is made of, copper, we are also told the source of the material and who offered it. But, interestingly, we are not given the dimensions for the laver.

There is a reason for each detail given. There is a reason for each detail omitted. Boring? Maybe. But when we look into the details, you won’t find the devil in them…you’ll see some of the many facets of Jesus Christ.