One of the recurring themes throughout the Bible is the concept of the sanctuary. In order to understand the scriptures, you must have a basic understanding of the sanctuary. Throughout the Bible, there are a variety of labels used for the place where God dwells among men: tabernacle, temple, sanctuary, and New Jerusalem. (Yes, the New Jerusalem is a sanctuary. John tells us that the city does not have a temple in it. This is because the city itself is the temple.) One source that I read said that “The word ‘sanctuary’ is mentioned 132 times and ‘tabernacle’ is mentioned 297 times in the Bible” (https://vineyardlabourer.info/01_sanctuary.html). That is a lot of mentions for a topic that too many Christians ignore. They think that the sanctuary is just a boring Old Testament topic that nerdy Bible scholars study, but the subject is not relevant since Jesus’ incarnation. In fact, most Christians assume that the topic of the sanctuary is limited to the books of Moses, but there are references to the sanctuary throughout the Bible, including the New Testament. If you add references to activities associated with the sanctuary, such as sacrifices, being washed clean, prayers as incense, bread, and the lamps, the sanctuary can be found in pretty much every book of the Bible. How curious that so many Christians minimize the importance of understanding the sanctuary and know little about it. One crucial lesson that I have learned in my time in the scriptures is that God does not include anything in His word that is not important. In addition, if God includes a topic over and over again, I know that I need to understand as much about that topic as I can. This principle is especially true for the sanctuary.
The sanctuary was a lesson book, a story, a prophecy, and a way to connect with God all rolled up into one location. I know of people who have studied the sanctuary deeply for years and are still finding profound lessons of God and His plans for us. The various articles of furniture, the yearly feasts, even the priests’ clothing have deep meaning for the Bible student. However, reading through the book of Leviticus, which lays out much of the original plan for the sanctuary, can be tedious and confusing for the beginning student. For this reason, I want to break down the study of sanctuary into small bite-sized pieces so that you can digest the information little by little without choking on it. (Did you like my figurative language? I hope so because I want you to start thinking figuratively. You need to go beyond seeing a diagram of a piece of sanctuary furniture to the reality that Jesus revealed about the function of that item if you are going to learn the lessons that God has given to you in His word.)
Okay, let’s start with a simple diagram of Moses’ tabernacle:
There are three basic parts to the tabernacle: the outer court, the Holy Place, and the Most Holy Place. There were two articles used in worship in the outer court. The first article was the bronze altar or the altar of burnt offering. This is where the animal sacrifices were offered to God for the forgiveness of the people’s sins. Next, was the bronze laver. This was a place for the priests to wash off before entering the Holy Place. Within the Holy Place, there were three pieces of furniture: the Table of Shewbread, the Lampstand, and the Altar of Incense. A curtain divided the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place, or the Holy of Holies. Within the Most Holy Place resided the Ark of the Covenant with two three-dimensional cherubim on the lid. The lid was called the Mercy Seat.
Now, that you have the basic layout, let’s quickly run through the superficial meaning of these pieces of furniture. I say superficial because this is just the tip of the iceberg of the lessons of the sanctuary. The first lesson to learn about the sanctuary is that the whole layout of the tabernacle represents our journey from enemy of God to royal priests. I am not speaking of Old Testament terms here. I am quoting Peter. “you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ” (1Peter 2:5). That is a sanctuary reference.
Anyway, let’s see how the parts of the sanctuary relate to your journey as a follower of Jesus. The altar of burnt offering represents Jesus’ sacrifice that justified you and gave you forgiveness for your sins. The laver represents your baptism, which in turn, is a symbol of being cleansed and made pure. In theological terms, it represents sanctification, being transformed into God’s image. The Holy Place is where you enter into fellowship with God. The table of shewbread symbolizes the action of internalizing God’s principles. “But he answered, “It is written, “‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God’” (Matthew 4:4). In other words, you eat the bread of life as you study God’s word and allow the Holy Spirit to open your mind and heart to the lessons that will transform you. The altar of incense is a symbol of prayer. “Let my prayer be counted as incense before you, and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice!” (Psalm 141:2). This is your communication with God. The lampstand represents Jesus shining out through you to the world. “In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16). The Most Holy Place is where God was. The Bible tells of times when God’s presence became so bright that no one could enter the tabernacle. The Mercy Seat represented God’s throne. It is interesting that God’s throne is viewed as a place of mercy, but that is a lesson for another time. In any case, the Holy Place and Most Holy place symbolize the location where fallen humans and the mighty God of the universe meet and commune together.
From the days of Moses to the time of Jesus, there was a curtain separating fallen humans from God because humans could not meet with God face-to-face and survive. Jesus came to create a new temple with no curtain. That is why the curtain was ripped apart at Jesus’ death. “And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit. And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split” (Matthew 27:50-51). Where is the new sanctuary with no curtain that Jesus formed? Unfortunately, too many people would answer that it was the church building. NO! We may use the term sanctuary to describe a place at the front of the building where the preacher delivers his sermons, but that is not God’s sanctuary. Jesus did not die on the cross so that we could have another sacred building. He died so that there would be no more need for a physical structure and no more need for a curtain. You are the new sanctuary. “Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?” (1 Corinthians 3:16).
Pentecost signaled the formation of new tabernacles with God no longer separated from His people by a curtain. God lives in us when we accept Him. This is not figurative either. It is more real than many Christians realize. We have a direct connection to God that too many of God’s sons and daughters take for granted and neglect. I pray that you will realize and maintain your precious connection to God, which Jesus sacrificed so much of Himself to gain for humanity. Do not hang up any curtains between your Savior and yourself.
Now, you have learned the lessons of the sanctuary and do not need to look any deeper, right? Wrong. I have only taught the beginning of the beginning of the lessons. This is like learning to repeat the alphabet so that you can begin reading words eventually. There is much more to learn, and each new lesson reveals God’s love for us with greater clarity, but we need to start with the basics before we can dig deeper.