Let them make for me a sanctuary, so that I may live among them.
Exodus 25:8 (NET)
Why all this falderal about The Tabernacle (and its more recent translation, The Temples) anyhow?
What's the big deal? Why is Resplendent Daughter spending so much time on this topic? Aren't we supposed to be studying Hebrews?! Ha, ha, well, we are! Our main text for today is Hebrews 9:11-14 (ESV).
11But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come,ethen through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) 12he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption. 13For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctifyf for the purification of the flesh, 14how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify ourg conscience from dead works to serve the living God.
I was surprised to learn1 that the Tabernacle's construction and rituals, the Levitical priesthood, and the transporting of the Tabernacle from place to place are mentioned in 50 chapters of our Bible. So, to ignore the study of this very important Bible component would be akin to ignoring a book of the Bible the size of Ezekiel. Additionally, it is a representation of the true Tabernacle in Heaven. We have already seen in previous posts parallels to the life and ministry of Jesus Christ. But, there is one additional reason, one that resonates the most with me; and, that is the one I want to explore today. In today's post, we will focus on the last and most innermost area of the Tabernacle/Temple, the most "sacred ground", the area called The Holy of Holies.
First, let's examine the physical characteristics of this most holy place.2
Its entrance was marked by a gorgeous piece of tapestry, similar to the one that marked the entrance to The Holy Place. (If you have been following my blog, I wrote about that room in the last post.)
The description of that tapestry can be found in Exodus 26:31-34. The base material was the finest of linen and it was woven through with scarlet, purple and blue threads, with artistic renderings of cherubim (a specific class of angelic beings - - see Ezekiel 1, 10 and Isaiah 6). No priest, except for the high priest, was ever allowed to touch this curtain; and, the high priest could touch it only once each year.
The room itself was 15'x15' square. There was no light in the room. When light was needed, that is, once a year when the high priest (shoeless and with head bowed) entered on the Day of Atonement, the Shekinah Glory of God Almighty, appeared as a brilliant cloud, descended and lit the room. The ark contained one piece of furniture only: the ark of the covenant. Now, you will be glad to know that I am not going to launch off into an extensive exploration of the ark of the covenant in this post. But, here is a brief description.3
The ark was constructed of acacia wood and was 45" long, and 27" high and wide.
It was overlaid with pure gold. Around the perimeter of the ark's top was a raised "crown", ornate like a crown, and the top of the ark was overlaid with the purest gold. This flat surface was called the mercy seat. It was on this mercy seat that the priest would sprinkle the blood of the Passover lamb, when he entered the Holy of Holies on the Day of Atonement. When this occurred, the presence of God Himself, the Shekinah Glory, would appear and fill the room.
And now (finally), your "big takeaway":
The Holy of Holies still exists today.
"What?!", you exclaim. "The Tabernacle is nonexistent. The Temples have been destroyed. How can that be?"
One of my very favorite verses in the Bible is Luke 23:45 - -
"The sun stopped shining (was darkened) and the veil of the Temple was torn down the middle."
The Temple veil was 60 feet long/tall and 30 feet wide, weighing thousands of pounds. Moreover, it was (depending on your source) from 1 to 4 inches thick. This was a massive curtain. Luke tells us that, at the moment of Jesus' death, presumably God (who else?) split that sacred curtain (which no one was to touch except once a year, remember?) right down the middle, from top to bottom.
Why? Why would He do that? What does it mean?
Jesus had just poured out His life on the Cross, paralleling the sacrifice of the Passover Lamb in the Temple at that same time. It is entirely possible that, at the moment Jesus died, the High Priest was IN the Holy of Holies sprinkling blood on the mercy seat. The times of day (when Jesus died and when that lamb sacrifice was to occur on the Day of Atonement) match up!
When Jesus died for our sins, His blood forever paid the price. There was no longer any need for a physical ark or mercy seat. The "curtain" separating God from mankind was torn because Jesus Christ, our High Priest, had made an eternal sacrifice, an eternal way for mankind to come to God.
"But, ... you said the Holy of Holies still exists today?" Yes, that Holy of Holies is in the heart of each and every believer in Jesus, every follower who has asked Him to sprinkle His blood on his heart. At the moment a person asks Jesus to come into the very core of their eternal being, into his spirit, and merge His Holy Spirit with his, that spiritual veil that separates sinful man from a holy God is torn, forever torn. The Holy Spirit then dwells in the "heart" of every person who gives his or her life to Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. Hallelujah! Let's praise Him!
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