Chapter 234 Water of Life Revelation 22

Revelation 22:1-5 NLTse (1) Then the angel showed me a river with the water of life, clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb. (2) It flowed down the center of the main street. On each side of the river grew a tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, with a fresh crop each month. The leaves were used for medicine to heal the nations. (3) No longer will there be a curse upon anything. For the throne of God and of the Lamb will be there, and his servants will worship him. (4) And they will see his face, and his name will be written on their foreheads. (5) And there will be no night there–no need for lamps or sun–for the Lord God will shine on them. And they will reign forever and ever.

Here we are in the middle of the newly created earth. So many things to see and experience. The saints have been in Heaven for a thousand years, and who knows what will be learned and experienced during that time. Can it get better? Can anything be better than Heaven? We can only hope and pray to find out.

After John saw New Jerusalem come down from Heaven, and actually measured the city, an angel takes him inside. And what does John see? What does John write about? A river of life. It seems so important, I feel like I should be capitalizing River of Life. The water is so clear, a fisherman noticed it. The river actually flowed from Jesus’ throne. Imagine seeing your best friend in the whole world sitting on the throne of the Universe, and that river flowing from that throne. John knew what that river symbolized, all the things Jesus talked about. The living water, the information Jesus couldn’t wait to share with this world. Jesus wanted to share those visions with John and the other disciples, but He knew there would be a time when John really needed that vision.

John was still physically stuck on that island Rome designated for thieves, murderers, and political prisoners they wanted to quietly eliminate. As an apostle, John was slowly changing that world. There is no way John liked that world, or the rough life he had to live. But John was reaching out to the last people on earth no one thought could be saved. Oh if John could have taken some of that water back with him.

That water shows how the world will share the experiences Jesus wants to share, and teach. The river of life flowed down the main street, a symbol drawing us back to the parable about the sower spreading his seed along that path. Seed falls into our path of life, and do we pay attention long enough to give it root? Or do we let the world, all its distractions, the devil, and his agents take it away. Think about it. A seed needs water to grow. Saints are like seeds. Saints need that water from Jesus’ throne to continue to grow. That is Heaven and the new earth, always something new to learn, experience, and share. And we will be sharing those experiences with the King of the Universe, the God over all and everything.

That river nourishes a tree of life on each side of it. A special tree that bears a different fruit each month. Everything in the new earth will keep changing. There will always be something new to pay attention to. That tree will never be like the fig tree Jesus made wither in one day. The new tree will always have green leaves, and those leaves will heal.

What will those leaves heal? There won’t be any diseases, viruses, or defects on the new earth. Those leaves will not be used for physical healing. Then what kind of healing? The thousand years spent in Heaven prepares us for something. Something big and important. Just before the New City touches on earth, Satan rallies all the armies from the entire history of earth for one final battle. Lost people are raised from the dead with the same mentality they met the grave. For an instant the world is filled with all the bigotry, hatred, greed, and violence built up over the ages. All that sin is thrown in the lake of fire. That has to be an emotional scene. How many people standing on the walls of New Jerusalem will see people they knew meet their fate in that lake of fire? To say the least, we will need emotional healing. We will understand the symbolism, and know how those symbols and leaves will get us over those emotions. The saints from this world will have to share their experiences on earth, wallowing in the cesspool of sin. At times it won’t be easy. The daggers of emotional pain, and the thought of, “what more could I have done,” will hit people like a sledge hammer at times. We will need emotional healing, and the Universe will look at us in a whole new light. The saints from this world become Jesus’ priests, the teachers He needs, the teachers He died for. It may not be much, but it will be a way of saying, “thank you,” to Jesus.

This is from a book under construction at this time. Hoping to get it published before the end of this year. But no publisher is going to touch a book that actually gives this world a glimmer of real hope. What do you think?

Chapter 11 The Separating Curtain

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Exodus 26:31-37 NLTse “For the inside of the Tabernacle, make a special curtain of finely woven linen. Decorate it with blue, purple, and scarlet thread and with skillfully embroidered cherubim. (32) Hang this curtain on gold hooks attached to four posts of acacia wood. Overlay the posts with gold, and set them in four silver bases. (33) Hang the inner curtain from clasps, and put the Ark of the Covenant in the room behind it. This curtain will separate the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place. (34) “Then put the Ark’s cover–the place of atonement–on top of the Ark of the Covenant inside the Most Holy Place. (35) Place the table outside the inner curtain on the north side of the Tabernacle, and place the lampstand across the room on the south side. (36) “Make another curtain for the entrance to the sacred tent. Make it of finely woven linen and embroider it with exquisite designs, using blue, purple, and scarlet thread. (37) Craft five posts from acacia wood. Overlay them with gold, and hang the curtain from them with gold hooks. Cast five bronze bases for the posts.

Inside the Tabernacle a special curtain was hung between four pole or columns. Gold hooks attached the curtain to the columns. This curtain made a separation between the Holy and Most Holy compartments. The Most Holy contained the Ark of the Covenant. The first room contained the table, placed in the north side, and lampstand on the south side.

Another curtain was made to cover the entrance of the Tabernacle hung in the same manner as the curtain used to separate the Holy from the Most Holy. Moses didn’t mention anything about cherubim or angles on the curtain over the entrance. But Moses did say it had exquisite designs. All of those curtains were made of the finest linen.

Now we have a better picture of the inside of the Tabernacle. One set of linen curtains decorated with blue, purple, and scarlet thread with images of angels covered the back and both sides. That was the north, south, and western walls. The curtains on the north and south walls went from the the Most Holy into the Holy room. They showed a connecting element between the two. A support structure shared the same connection. A portion of those gold covered boards could be seen inside the Holy and Most Holy compartments.

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A special curtain was made to separate the Holy room from the Most Holy. It was similar in design to the curtains along the three sides, except it was connected to four gold covered wooden pillars by gold hooks. The curtain covering the entrance on the east side were the same colors as the other curtains but Moses didn’t describe any angels on that curtain. It was also attached to pillars by gold hooks.

Silver bases were also visible inside the Tabernacle. They were used to hold up the walls and the columns supporting the separating curtain and curtain covering the entrance. The columns supporting the curtain at the entrance were held up by bronze bases.

When looking up, gold can be seen. Along the ground, silver bases. At the entrance of the Tabernacle, gold covered columns were supported by bronze bases. At this point we don’t want to assume what those materials represent, or why they are used in their particular locations. When it comes time to examine symbolism, we have to remember this is a pattern of the Tabernacle Moses saw in Heaven.

The Tabernacle is a mixture of splendor and simplicity. It features precious metals of gold, silver, and bronze. Materials mentioned and used as symbols throughout the Bible. The Tabernacle Moses build was a copy of the Heavenly Sanctuary where Jesus judges this world. The book of Hebrews compares details of the Tabernacle and Sanctuary. One of the most interesting points in that comparison is the movement of one piece of furniture from one location to another. Strange as it may seem, Moses was not yet shown that alter. For some reason, God followed His pattern of placing details in His particular order. At this point, it is best to follow the pattern as Moses was shown and just as he recorded it.

When we stray from God’s pattern, we may think we are doing Him a service. But we’ve seen how that turned out with Sarah and some of the other women. We may ask why God offered the priesthood to Israel before they were ready. To answer that question, we have to gain a more complete understanding of the priesthood and how they were to represent God in their ministry. We can’t do that by jumping around from chapter to chapter and book to book. We have to follow God’s sequence and pattern. If we followed the usual method of study some people use, we most likely will miss details. When we stray away from God’s sequence, we are guaranteed to miss lessons locked away in the course Moses dictated.

Since the Tabernacle is also a pattern of Jesus’ ministry, in Heaven as well as in this world, we hope to learn secrets not yet revealed. There are specific procedures the priests had to follow when ministering in the Tabernacle. Are those reflections on Jesus’ ministry, our role as His representatives, or both? Since those steps were recorded for us to learn from, wouldn’t those records showing the view Moses saw in Heaven be just as, or more important?

Chapter 4 The Ark

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Exodus 25:8-22 NLTse “Have the people of Israel build me a holy sanctuary so I can live among them. (9) You must build this Tabernacle and its furnishings exactly according to the pattern I will show you. (10) “Have the people make an Ark of acacia wood–a sacred chest 45 inches long, 27 inches wide, and 27 inches high. (11) Overlay it inside and outside with pure gold, and run a molding of gold all around it. (12) Cast four gold rings and attach them to its four feet, two rings on each side. (13) Make poles from acacia wood, and overlay them with gold. (14) Insert the poles into the rings at the sides of the Ark to carry it. (15) These carrying poles must stay inside the rings; never remove them. (16) When the Ark is finished, place inside it the stone tablets inscribed with the terms of the covenant, which I will give to you. (17) “Then make the Ark’s cover–the place of atonement–from pure gold. It must be 45 inches long and 27 inches wide. (18) Then make two cherubim from hammered gold, and place them on the two ends of the atonement cover. (19) Mold the cherubim on each end of the atonement cover, making it all of one piece of gold. (20) The cherubim will face each other and look down on the atonement cover. With their wings spread above it, they will protect it. (21) Place inside the Ark the stone tablets inscribed with the terms of the covenant, which I will give to you. Then put the atonement cover on top of the Ark. (22) I will meet with you there and talk to you from above the atonement cover between the gold cherubim that hover over the Ark of the Covenant. From there I will give you my commands for the people of Israel.

This chapter begins with a real surprise for me and I hope it will be one for you. Using the NLT translation turned up an unusual phrase, atonement cover. Checking the KJV with Strong’s numbers, I looked up the Hebrew word to find something rather interesting.

H3727 כּפּרת kappôreth

From H3722; a lid (used only of the cover of the sacred Ark): – mercy seat.

H3722 כּפר kâphar

A primitive root; to cover (specifically with bitumen); figuratively to expiate or condone, to placate or cancel: – appease, make (an) atonement, cleanse, disannul, forgive, be merciful, pacify, pardon, to pitch, purge (away), put off, (make) reconcile (-liation).

Genesis 6:14 KJV Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch.

Gen 6:14 Make^H6213 thee an ark^H8392 of gopher^H1613 wood;^H6086 rooms^H7064 shalt thou make^{H6213 (H853)} in the ark,^H8392 and shalt pitch^H3722 it within^{H4480 H1004} and without^{H4480 H2351} with pitch.^H3724

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The Hebrew word used to describe the covering on the Ark containing the ten commandments comes from the same word used to describe the material used to cover the outside of Noah’s ark. It suddenly became clear, they share the name Ark for a reason.

I had to look up the Hebrew meaning for the word Ark. It simply means a box. Now we know why modern artists show Noah’s ark as a rectangular box instead of a shape like a ship. They obviously looked up the word Ark in a Hebrew dictionary. There is nothing mystical or symbolic about the box, but it’s quite a different story when we look at what’s inside. Noah’s ark contained all the animals, bird’s, insects, and other breathing creatures in this world. Noah’s ark contained everything for a new future in this world, as well as four families, seed, and the right amount of animals to carry on the sacrificial system at that time. What does the sacrifice in Noah’s time have to do with the Ark with the commandments?

Blood from the animals Noah sacrificed didn’t cover his ark. Their blood wasn’t meant to cover the ark. They simply pointed to a far greater sacrifice pointing to a much more important beginning. Like all symbols, they pointed to a far greater fulfillment without copying the entire process seen in the fulfillment. That’s an important rule to remember. Symbols always point to something far greater.

The Ark built for the Tabernacle was designed to hold the second set of ten commandments Moses brought down from that mountain. We can go into detail about the ten commandments or we look at details Moses was given for the Ark. The Ark was build exactly the way Moses was told to build it. Moses was shown a pattern, which was the Sanctuary in Heaven.

The Ark was made from acacia wood. The acacia tree is commonly known as the thorn tree. Branches are generally covered in thorns. It is also know for its vast number of seeds. The sap, leaves, bark, roots, and other parts of the tree are used for a number of medicines as well as preservatives. You can see how that wood has a number of symbolic meanings showing how the law it contained heals and preserves, as well as pointing to short glimpse of Heaven. “Fruit trees of all kinds will grow along both sides of the river. The leaves of these trees will never turn brown and fall, and there will always be fruit on their branches. There will be a new crop every month, for they are watered by the river flowing from the Temple. The fruit will be for food and the leaves for healing.” (Ezekiel 47:12 NLTse).

Wood also made the Ark easier for the priests to carry from sight to sight. Can you imagine how much the Ark would have weighed if it was solid gold? The inside and outside were covered with pure gold. Pure gold can be hammered or rolled into very thin sheets. It had to be pure gold. Any impurities would have shown up as defects in thin sheets used to cover the Ark.

Poles designed to carry the Ark were also made from acacia wood covered in gold. Not pure gold, but gold, indicating other materials were used to give that gold covering more strength and properties to resist wear and tear during the moving process. Rings used on the Ark also had alloys added to reduce wear. We can see details for the Ark were given by the Master Designer who thought of everything.

The Ark’s cover was made of pure gold designed to be cast in one piece. We don’t know how tall the cover was, so we can’t calculate the weigh. The cover included the imagine of two cherubim. Many people consider them images of angels. Some claim they represent two covering angels. When we look at angels in other parts of the Bible, we see examples of their role in salvation, as well as spiritual warfare. One angel wiped out an entire army in one night. That night the angel of the LORD went out to the Assyrian camp and killed 185,000 Assyrian soldiers. When the surviving Assyrians woke up the next morning, they found corpses everywhere. (2 Kings 19:35 NLTse). Another angel warned Balaam when he was traveling to curse Israel. Jacob saw a vision of angels. Meanwhile, Jacob left Beersheba and traveled toward Haran. At sundown he arrived at a good place to set up camp and stopped there for the night. Jacob found a stone to rest his head against and lay down to sleep. As he slept, he dreamed of a stairway that reached from the earth up to heaven. And he saw the angels of God going up and down the stairway. (Genesis 28:10-12 NLTse). One of Jesus’ disciples saw a similar vision. Then Nathanael exclaimed, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God–the King of Israel!” Jesus asked him, “Do you believe this just because I told you I had seen you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than this.” Then he said, “I tell you the truth, you will all see heaven open and the angels of God going up and down on the Son of Man, the one who is the stairway between heaven and earth.” (John 1:49-51 NLTse).

The New Testament showed an increased role for angels in this world. Gabriel talked with Zechariah and Mary. An angel took Peter out of prison and angels played key roles throughout John book of Revelation. Angels on the Ark had a special purpose of covering or protecting the law.

The cover is known to most people as the mercy seat or atonement cover. Atonement is a strange word found throughout the Old Testament, but only mentioned in the New Testament a few times. Atonement is one of those words difficult to understand by looking at the definition and is often misused or defined much different than the way it is used in the Bible. To understand what an atonement means, we have to look at a few verses.

Exodus 29:36 MKJV And you shall offer every day a bull, a sin offering for atonement. And you shall cleanse the altar when you have made an atonement for it, and you shall anoint it to sanctify it.

Exodus 30:10 MKJV And Aaron shall make an atonement upon the horns of it once in a year with the blood of the sin offerings of atonement. He shall make atonement on it once in the year throughout your generations. It is most holy to Jehovah.

Exodus 30:16 MKJV And you shall take the atonement silver of the sons of Israel, and shall appoint it for the service of the tabernacle of the congregation, so that it may be a memorial to the sons of Israel before Jehovah, to make an atonement for your souls.

Exodus 32:30 MKJV And it happened on the next day, Moses said to the people, You have sinned a great sin. And now I will go up to Jehovah. Perhaps I shall make an atonement for your sin.

Here we see bulls, Aaron, money, and Moses making an atonement. Neither one has a thing to do with forgiving sins. Only Christ can cleanse us of sin. An atonement reminds people about their sins. An atonement is a reminder. The covering on Noah’s ark didn’t forgive sins. Neither does the covering on the Ark containing the ten commandments. They also serve as reminders.

Not much is recorded about the covering angels. When we think of the cover as a reminder, one mention of a covering angel shows a part of the Tabernacle few people consider.

Ezekiel 28:13-19 MKJV You have been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was your covering, the ruby, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the turquoise, and the emerald, and gold. The workmanship of your tambourines and of your flutes was prepared in you in the day that you were created. (14) You were the anointed cherub that covers, and I had put you in the holy height of God where you were; you have walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. (15) You were perfect in your ways from the day that you were created, until iniquity was found in you. (16) By the multitude of your goods they have filled your midst with violence, and you have sinned. So I cast you profaned from the height of God, and I destroy you, O covering cherub, from among the stones of fire. (17) Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; you have spoiled your wisdom because of your brightness. I will cast you to the ground; I will put you before kings, that they may behold you. (18) By the host of your iniquities, by the iniquity of your trade, you have profaned your holy places; so I brought a fire from your midst; it shall devour you, and I will give you for ashes on the earth, before the eyes of all who see you. (19) All who know you among the peoples shall be astonished at you; you shall be terrors, and you will not be forever.

Not man people think of the Tabernacle pointing back, or being a reminder of the war that began on Heaven. Lucifer was known as a covering angel. Ezekiel didn’t record any connection between the Ark in Heaven and Lucifer, but he was one of the most decorated, gifted, and important angels in Heaven. The covering on the Ark reminds us how far a fall can be. If one of God’s closet, most gifted, and decorated angels fell, what chance do we have?

What made Lucifer fall? Ezekiel didn’t record many details beyond what we have to accept as the main reason for his fall. Lucifer got caught up in his own beauty and knowledge. God compared Lucifer to Tyre, a major trade center at the time attracting the wisest and richest men in the world. Tyre excelled in automation for their time, arranging docks, warehouses, and markets to make the best use of the area. Tyre worked to find new and inventive methods to load and unload ships in record time. Tyre’s king dedicated himself and his kingdom to building, maintaining, and improving the world’s greatest, richest, and most efficient trade center. Everyone in the world was impressed with Tyre’s ingenuity, including Solomon, who went to Tyre to hire designers, a work force, and materials to build his temple.

After the Ark was built, people began to place their own interpretations on it. Some thought it had some type of supernatural powers. Those beliefs exist today to some extent. The Bible contains one story about a couple of priests who decided to carry the Ark off to war. God made in plain, He was the one who told the priests when and where to move. Then the cloud covered the Tabernacle, and the glory of the LORD filled the Tabernacle. Moses could no longer enter the Tabernacle because the cloud had settled down over it, and the glory of the LORD filled the Tabernacle. Now whenever the cloud lifted from the Tabernacle, the people of Israel would set out on their journey, following it. But if the cloud did not rise, they remained where they were until it lifted. The cloud of the LORD hovered over the Tabernacle during the day, and at night fire glowed inside the cloud so the whole family of Israel could see it. This continued throughout all their journeys. (Exodus 40:34-38 NLTse).

That didn’t make much of a difference to them. Eli’s sons weren’t very good at following rules. They went off to war against the Philistines, and when things seemed to be going bad, sent a few people back to bring in the Ark. So they sent men to Shiloh to bring the Ark of the Covenant of the LORD of Heaven’s Armies, who is enthroned between the cherubim. Hophni and Phinehas, the sons of Eli, were also there with the Ark of the Covenant of God. (1 Samuel 4:4 NLTse).

They made at least three mistakes. They didn’t pray. That showed their lack of a relationship and understanding of God. Those two priests thought the Ark could do something to defeat the Philistines. And they didn’t use priests dedicated to carry the Ark.

I will meet with you there and talk to you from above the atonement cover between the gold cherubim that hover over the Ark of the Covenant. From there I will give you my commands for the people of Israel. God promised to meet Moses in front of the Ark. This is an important detail to consider.

The entire construction of the Tabernacle centered on the Ark. It was kept in a compartment known as the Most Holy. As we progress through the Tabernacle in the order Moses recorded it, we will begin to understand the role of the Ark as well as its location.

Then there was a curtain, and behind the curtain was the second room called the Most Holy Place. In that room were a gold incense altar and a wooden chest called the Ark of the Covenant, which was covered with gold on all sides. Inside the Ark were a gold jar containing manna, Aaron’s staff that sprouted leaves, and the stone tablets of the covenant. Above the Ark were the cherubim of divine glory, whose wings stretched out over the Ark’s cover, the place of atonement. But we cannot explain these things in detail now. (Hebrews 9:3-5 NLTse).

The Tabernacle Framework

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Wood Frames

Exodus 26:15-25 NLTse “For the framework of the Tabernacle, construct frames of acacia wood. (16) Each frame must be 15 feet high and 27 inches wide, (17) with two pegs under each frame. Make all the frames identical. (18) Make twenty of these frames to support the curtains on the south side of the Tabernacle. (19) Also make forty silver bases–two bases under each frame, with the pegs fitting securely into the bases. (20) For the north side of the Tabernacle, make another twenty frames, (21) with their forty silver bases, two bases under each frame. (22) Make six frames for the rear–the west side of the Tabernacle– (23) along with two additional frames to reinforce the rear corners of the Tabernacle. (24) These corner frames will be matched at the bottom and firmly attached at the top with a single ring, forming a single corner unit. Make both of these corner units the same way. (25) So there will be eight frames at the rear of the Tabernacle, set in sixteen silver bases–two bases under each frame.

The wooden framework used for structural support may be the most difficult pieces to understand. It’s not time to jump around looking for any kind of spiritual meaning for any of these items. The only sure way we will know the real spiritual meaning is to allow the Bible to explain itself. Some people refer to that as context. But there is a huge misunderstand of context. Many people think context is maintained by matching a single key word in one verse with another verse usually taken from a different book. They make the mistake of defining context as a single word relationship between two sentences. This of course is wrong. It is often dangerous and in most cases misleading.

con·text

ˈkäntekst/

noun

1. the circumstances that form the setting for an event, statement, or idea, and in terms of which it can be fully understood and assessed.

“the decision was taken within the context of planned cuts in spending”

synonyms:

Circumstances, conditions, factors, state of affairs, situation, background,scene, setting

1. • the parts of something written or spoken that immediately precede and follow a word or passage and clarify its meaning.

“word processing is affected by the context in which words appear”

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The English definition of context is far different than how some people define it in Bible Study. I prefer to rely on related stories or events to establish context as the most reliable method to interpret symbols. The majority of symbols in the Bible are interpreted within the same chapter, previous, or following chapter. That’s because consecutive chapters deal with the same story or event, which satisfies the definition of context. We’ve seen examples in this book when the book of Hebrews provided detailed explanations of some of the articles in the Tabernacle. That’s because Hebrews is written about the same subject. To guarantee accuracy, we have to follow the same rules to interpret every symbol.

At this point we have few details to consider. Those details explain the construction of the supporting walls. Moses was given the exact dimensions of each board. We have to keep in mind, Israel had to either carry 15 foot long boards out of Egypt, or God had to lead them to a location with trees they could make the boards from. If they manufactured the lumber, they had to cut down trees, saw and plain the boards to exact dimensions. What are the chance of carrying out the correct size boards out of Egypt made from acacia wood? It’s evident, there is a certain amount of labor involved in the process.

Moses was shown a specific design for the frames and to hold them together. Moses was also shown a design for bases to hold the frames in place. Those bases had to be designed to hold up against any type of wind and storm the Tabernacle had to endure. The frames were a vital part of design. The wooden framework supported the curtains described earlier. Corners were designed so two pieces would support and reinforce each other. This design in still common for wooden frames including homes.

This is a good point to review what we’ve seen so far and what has been explained about each item. At times it is good to make a list or chart. Some people see details more clearly with a chart.

Ark – held the law inside and regulations outside

Table – set for a meal

Lampstand – provides light, almonds, flowers, and buds

Inner curtain – images of angels

Outer curtains – goat hair, ram skins, outside skins

Framework – support for the curtains

We can look back on details for these items in previous chapters. We haven’t seen a lot of details about the Ark, but there are a few chapters written on the commandments. They were introduced when God personally told Israel about them. This showed the connection between God, His law, and His people. The arrangement between the Ark and table show how close they are, the law and our relationship with Christ. We can sit down and talk about the law, as well as other things with Him any time. The lights are always on.

The purpose of the table was illustrated by the meal Moses, Aaron, his sons, and the seventy elders had on God’s mountain. One of the few previous stories we can relate to the lampstand is light at creation. Light was necessary for all the life created in the following days.

I noticed something in the sequence Moses received so far. It is like showing a house. Most people look at the inside, then look at the outside. If we put ourselves in Moses’ spot, we can see how God showed him the inside, then took him outside to see the exterior. After showing Moses the Ark, table set for a meal, and the lampstand, God showed him the curtains on the inside. Then God took Moses outside, drew back the exterior coverings to show the first, then second, and finally the outside cover. Once God showed Moses all the curtains, God pulled back all three outside covering to show Moses the supports and how they are connected.

To some people this may seem like Moses was shown a pattern or process opposite of the one the high priest would use when entering the Most Holy. But that is not true. Moses was given a much more detailed view of the Tabernacle. God also used a different order. Like the order God used in at creation, a process to show Moses the Tabernacle was not the order many of us would use. The order seemed to be much like one we would use, until we get to the curtains and support frame. God had a reason to use the order He did. We haven’t gathered enough information to know why.

Crossbars

Exodus 26:26-30 NLTse “Make crossbars of acacia wood to link the frames, five crossbars for the north side of the Tabernacle (27) and five for the south side. Also make five crossbars for the rear of the Tabernacle, which will face west. (28) The middle crossbar, attached halfway up the frames, will run all the way from one end of the Tabernacle to the other. (29) Overlay the frames with gold, and make gold rings to hold the crossbars. Overlay the crossbars with gold as well. (30) “Set up this Tabernacle according to the pattern you were shown on the mountain.

Crossbars held the vertical boards together. Each vertical board was put into two silver bases. Poles or crossbars locked the boards together. It was a simple and effective design. Each board was 27 inches wide and 15 feet tall. Twenty boards were used for the north and south walls making those walls 45 feet long. The west wall consisted of six boards making it thirteen and a half feet wide. The east side was covered by a curtain allowing access for Moses and Aaron.

The inner curtain was six feet high, leaving nine feet of the support walls visible from the inside of the Tabernacle. The boards making up the frames were covered in gold. The inside of the Tabernacle was lite by the light reflecting off the gold walls above the inner curtain. The golden Ark was in the shadow on the curtain between the Holy and Most Holy and gave off a warm glow from the light reflected off the gold covered laws. God’s design made the best use of light.

The crossbars were made of the same materials as the boards, acacia wood covered in gold, This is similar to the Ark and table which were covered in pure gold. The walls included a series of gold rings the poles or crossbars slide through.

In this case poles were used to hold walls in place. Other poles were used to move pieces. Without knowing the spiritual meaning of poles or the materials, we can’t begin to guess what they may mean. But we’ve seen how little pieces of information bring out details of previous items Moses described. This has been a lesson showing how the entire story must be understood by comparing small details with previous chapters.

Chapter 5 Preparing for the Tabernacle

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Bring Your Offerings

Exodus 25:1-9 NLTse The LORD said to Moses, (2) “Tell the people of Israel to bring me their sacred offerings. Accept the contributions from all whose hearts are moved to offer them. (3) Here is a list of sacred offerings you may accept from them: gold, silver, and bronze; (4) blue, purple, and scarlet thread; fine linen and goat hair for cloth; (5) tanned ram skins and fine goatskin leather; acacia wood; (6) olive oil for the lamps; spices for the anointing oil and the fragrant incense; (7) onyx stones, and other gemstones to be set in the ephod and the priest’s chestpiece. (8) “Have the people of Israel build me a holy sanctuary so I can live among them. (9) You must build this Tabernacle and its furnishings exactly according to the pattern I will show you.

Obviously, the first step in any building project is to collect material. That’s where God told Moses to begin. I’ve covered details on those building material’s in a previous book, The Tabernacle: “T” is for the Cross. I am not going to review a lot of details of that book which covered the building materials and construction of the Tabernacle from an engineering prospective. That book is available for download on the Internet.

To understand the scene, we have to look at how the previous chapter ended. Then Moses climbed up the mountain, and the cloud covered it. And the glory of the LORD settled down on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it for six days. On the seventh day the LORD called to Moses from inside the cloud. To the Israelites at the foot of the mountain, the glory of the LORD appeared at the summit like a consuming fire. Then Moses disappeared into the cloud as he climbed higher up the mountain. He remained on the mountain forty days and forty nights. (Exodus 24:15-18 NLTse).

Moses went up the mountain to meet with God. That tells us why chapter 25 began with God telling Moses what to do. The first step was to collect material for the project. All of the materials were to be contributed by the people. This shows us how God’s Spirit was working before God revealed any of the plans for the Tabernacle to Moses. Since we looked at how all the building materials to create this world were in place before God shed light on the subject, we can see how God arranged for Israel to carry every item required for the Tabernacle out of Egypt.

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We have to look deeper into that story. Almost every person who left with Moses was a slave in Egypt. There were a few people who left because of all the plagues and miracles they saw, but we have no way of determining exact numbers. That’s not our concern. We can be assured, God had everything under control.

Moses used the words, Tell the people of Israel to bring me their sacred offerings.” Israel represents those people enslaved in Egypt based on the prophecy given to Abraham. Then the LORD said to Abram, “You can be sure that your descendants will be strangers in a foreign land, where they will be oppressed as slaves for 400 years. But I will punish the nation that enslaves them, and in the end they will come away with great wealth. (Genesis 15:13-14 NLTse).

We now have a spiritual puzzle to solve. It’s easy to see the lesson on the surface. People leaving Egypt represented people freed from bondage. That’s the easy part. But here were told, all the materials required to build the Tabernacle came out of bondage. What does that mean? How does it apply to the Tabernacle and our roles in the plan of salvation?

First of all, we see Israel had to work for 400 years for the materials they carried out. We should stick to the facts on the surface, simple details about those years of bondage that have been reviewed hundreds of times. Sure that bondage represents our life and time here on this world. Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave of sin. (John 8:34 NLTse). So let us stop going over the basic teachings about Christ again and again. Let us go on instead and become mature in our understanding. Surely we don’t need to start again with the fundamental importance of repenting from evil deeds and placing our faith in God. You don’t need further instruction about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. And so, God willing, we will move forward to further understanding. (Hebrews 6:1-3 NLTse).

How do we determine the spiritual significance of those items taken out of Egypt? We know the Tabernacle is a model of the Heavenly Sanctuary. And we know the Heavenly Sanctuary does not contain any materials from this world. Hebrews tells us the clear distinction between the Tabernacle and the Heavenly Sanctuary.

This is an illustration pointing to the present time. For the gifts and sacrifices that the priests offer are not able to cleanse the consciences of the people who bring them. For that old system deals only with food and drink and various cleansing ceremonies–physical regulations that were in effect only until a better system could be established. So Christ has now become the High Priest over all the good things that have come. He has entered that greater, more perfect Tabernacle in heaven, which was not made by human hands and is not part of this created world. With his own blood–not the blood of goats and calves–he entered the Most Holy Place once for all time and secured our redemption forever. (Hebrews 9:9-12 NLTse).

The Tabernacle Moses built pointed to the perfect Heavenly Tabernacle and its system. The old Tabernacle passed away, pointing to the passing away of sins and eventual cleansing of this world. Those materials taken from Egypt were never intended to be a permanent structure or place of worship.

Some of those materials Moses was told to collect were different than materials in Heaven. We’ve not told about tanned ram skins and fine goatskin leather in God’s Sanctuary. Those were symbols to remind us what went into the Tabernacle built on this world. They reminded people of the sacrifices that had to be made. The sacrifices that began the day sin entered this world, and God fashioned clothing from animal skins for Adam and Eve. Death is a product of sin and God used a number of ways to keep that reminder in front of us. It was important for God to make sure we didn’t forget the cost of sin. “For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16 NLTse).

Take a closer look at the order of materials God gave to Moses. He began with gold, silver, and bronze; then moved to blue, purple, and scarlet thread; fine linen and goat hair for cloth; tanned ram skins and fine goatskin leather; acacia wood; He finally added, olive oil for the lamps; spices for the anointing oil and the fragrant incense. God moved from materials that lasted the longest time, to items we consider consumable. God used a designed progression hoping we would notice the process locked away in the list of materials.

Then God went out of what we would consider a progressive order into a new spiritual order; onyx stones, and other gemstones to be set in the ephod and the priest’s chestpiece. When we follow the specific order God gave Moses, we have to ask, why did God list those last? Are they the materials that were consumed the quickest? On the physical view, no. On the spiritual view, yes.

Long before the Tabernacle was lost in the pages of the Bible and replaced by a stone temple, materials used in the chestpiece, or high priest’s breastplate lost their significance, power, and symbolic meaning. Later we will look into more details about the breastplate. A slight understanding of the history of the breastplate and Israel will show a few clues. People like king Saul tried to misuse the breastplate. At that time it was taken away from Saul and delivered to David. At times it seemed to be forgotten. The breastplate was used as a form of communication with God. It also contained twelve stones, one for each of Israel’s twelve tribes. After king Solomon, the kingdom was split. Little was mentioned about the breastplate after that. On a spiritual level, the breastplate was lost before services ceased inside the Tabernacle.

God made certain Moses built the Tabernacle and its furnishings exactly according to the pattern he was shown. Moses saw a pattern of the Heavenly Sanctuary and made a copy of it on this world. It was important not to miss a single detail, so Moses, Israel, and everyone after them would not miss a single detail about Christ and His ministry here in this world and in Heaven.

One of the things we’ve learned about God’s Word, is how much we learn by looking back. That’s the best way to understand the emotions and trials involved in getting from one phase to the next. To gain and better understanding of those materials, we can go all the way back to the point Moses began the process of freeing those slaves from Egypt.

Another important part of this story tells about the materials Israel took out of Egypt. Then the LORD said to Moses, “I will strike Pharaoh and the land of Egypt with one more blow. After that, Pharaoh will let you leave this country. In fact, he will be so eager to get rid of you that he will force you all to leave. Tell all the Israelite men and women to ask their Egyptian neighbors for articles of silver and gold.” (Now the LORD had caused the Egyptians to look favorably on the people of Israel. And Moses was considered a very great man in the land of Egypt, respected by Pharaoh’s officials and the Egyptian people alike.) (Exodus 11:1-3 NLTse).

Moses didn’t record many details about the materials Israel collected from the Egyptians. The strange thing about this event is, this is the first and only time Moses told the people to collect things from previous owners. Moses told Israel what they were supposed to do before he talked to Pharaoh about the last plague, the death of the firstborn. This showed Israel, God knew the outcome before it occurred.

Imagine all the different attitudes the Egyptians faced. Some Israelites did as Moses commanded and asked for anything the Egyptians wanted to freely give. Others demanded, and a few viewed the situation as a chance for revenge. God said, He would make the Egyptians look favorably on the Israelites. But what about the Israelites? Were they prepared to treat the Egyptians with any type of respect?

The KJV used the word borrow, instead of the word ask. In a sense, that’s all they did was borrow everything. Generations later, every piece of gold and silver used in the temple returned to Egypt. In the fifth year of King Rehoboam’s reign, King Shishak of Egypt came up and attacked Jerusalem. He ransacked the treasuries of the LORD’s Temple and the royal palace; he stole everything, including all the gold shields Solomon had made. (1 Kings 14:25-26 NLTse). It appears the KJV didn’t use the word borrow by accident.

Another thing I noticed about that event. Moses had to only tell them once. That was one of the few times Moses didn’t have to repeat himself. There’s something about that fact that should worry us. But the event is found in other parts of Exodus and once in Genesis.

And the people of Israel did as Moses had instructed; they asked the Egyptians for clothing and articles of silver and gold. The LORD caused the Egyptians to look favorably on the Israelites, and they gave the Israelites whatever they asked for. So they stripped the Egyptians of their wealth!(Exodus 12:35-36 NLTse).

Moses didn’t have to repeat himself or remind them to go door to door asking for things. It was sort of payment for their entire lives as slaves. Israel knew their parents and grandparents were slaves. They didn’t feel they could carry enough to pay for multiple life times of slavery. How would you feel spending your entire life as a slave, and seeing your parents die as slave? Then a day comes along and it’s pay back time. It’s amazing Moses didn’t record anything about Egyptians loosing their lives that day. Something restrained them. The thought of being a priest was sinking in. Hearing screams and cries from across the field all night softened their hearts. God had the right timing in every detail.

So I will raise my hand and strike the Egyptians, performing all kinds of miracles among them. Then at last he will let you go. And I will cause the Egyptians to look favorably on you. They will give you gifts when you go so you will not leave empty-handed. Every Israelite woman will ask for articles of silver and gold and fine clothing from her Egyptian neighbors and from the foreign women in their houses. You will dress your sons and daughters with these, stripping the Egyptians of their wealth.”

(Exodus 3:20-22 NLTse)

This must have been an important event if it was recorded so many times. One of the purposes it served is teach Moses to look back to see how his faith had grown over time. This is something Moses had to teach Israel to do to properly prepare them for the priesthood. Moses didn’t record many details that happened behind the scenes. That’s something we have to approach God’s throne to learn more about. That is one way our faith is formed and sealed. Moses often spoke directly with God. That’s a lesson we need to pay attention to. As we approach God’s throne to listen to His detailed account of what happened behind the recorded story, He explains details in scripture we would never see without His guidance. Which is one step Israel had to learn to become an effective kingdom made up of priests for God.

The same applies today. How can we become an effective army on God’s side if we don’t listen to orders, or we don’t know the order God uses? We learn about that order in the same way God instructed Moses when He told him to look back and review the lives of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. If we’re smart, we’ll see keys pointing us back even further. That’s how God links the past to the present to prepare us for the future.

Looking at the order of the texts, we see how God prepared Moses. God gave Moses the answer, then later, when Moses needed a boost in faith, reminded him to look back. God does the same with us. God communicates with us the same way He communicated with Moses. God sends us back to review stories in scripture. When we listen, God explains how those stories apply to our lives at that moment. We see how past lessons and events apply to the problems and decisions we face. In this case, the pattern also showed how God made a teacher out of Moses. He had a message to give Israel. One of those lessons included, how to communicate and rely directly on God and how God uses stories from the past to answer questions and guide us on the next step. Everything hinged on direct communication with God. If Israel was going to be ready to accept the priesthood, they had to put away every aspect of the form of religion they were leaving and learn God’s method of worship.

For Israel, that began with listening to God’s Spirit as they collected every item to manufacture and complete the Tabernacle. God would reinforce that lesson when they looked back to realize what they accomplished without knowing the end result. God’s order was, collect the materials, give the design, then show the people how they served God without leaving out a single detail. It was a lesson showing Israel how to rely on God.

Man’s way would have been far different. Men would have changed God’s order and totally missed the spiritual lesson. Men would have finalized the design, shared the design with everyone, made a list of materials required, then sent people out to collect every item on the list. We’ve seen how God’s order at creation was different then men would have followed. We’ve also seen the order God used for those plagues was different than men would have expected to follow. God’s plans not only worked, they accomplished much more than any man could have planned. They also locked away spiritual lessons designed for generations to look back on and learn from.

Then the LORD said to Abram, “You can be sure that your descendants will be strangers in a foreign land, where they will be oppressed as slaves for 400 years. But I will punish the nation that enslaves them, and in the end they will come away with great wealth.

(Genesis 15:13-14 NLTse)

God shared His plans with Abraham, who didn’t really understand too many of the details. He had to accept what he was given and apply it to his life. Future generations would look on this prophecy and see more and more details revealed. That was God’s plan which always extends much further and teaches more than anyone could imagine. That is a part of faith few people consider. We have to accept the fact, prophecy is designed to reach one generation on one level, another generation on another level, be fulfilled in one generation, and teach lessons of varying degrees to future generations. To say or think we know everything about a prophecy is to limit, or eliminate God’s Spirit from the process. Common sense should tell you, removing God’s Spirit from a prophecy is a return to the type of priesthood Israel was told to leave behind.

Plans for the Tabernacle

One of the most interesting and important details about the Tabernacle is how every piece was described not once, but at least twice. You must build this Tabernacle and its furnishings exactly according to the pattern I will show you. (Exodus 25:9 NLTse).

Exodus 25:10-22 NLTse “Have the people make an Ark of acacia wood–a sacred chest 45 inches long, 27 inches wide, and 27 inches high. (11) Overlay it inside and outside with pure gold, and run a molding of gold all around it. (12) Cast four gold rings and attach them to its four feet, two rings on each side. (13) Make poles from acacia wood, and overlay them with gold. (14) Insert the poles into the rings at the sides of the Ark to carry it. (15) These carrying poles must stay inside the rings; never remove them. (16) When the Ark is finished, place inside it the stone tablets inscribed with the terms of the covenant, which I will give to you. (17) “Then make the Ark’s cover–the place of atonement–from pure gold. It must be 45 inches long and 27 inches wide. (18) Then make two cherubim from hammered gold, and place them on the two ends of the atonement cover. (19) Mold the cherubim on each end of the atonement cover, making it all of one piece of gold. (20) The cherubim will face each other and look down on the atonement cover. With their wings spread above it, they will protect it. (21) Place inside the Ark the stone tablets inscribed with the terms of the covenant, which I will give to you. Then put the atonement cover on top of the Ark. (22) I will meet with you there and talk to you from above the atonement cover between the gold cherubim that hover over the Ark of the Covenant. From there I will give you my commands for the people of Israel.

Exodus 37:1-15 NLTse Next Bezalel made the Ark of acacia wood–a sacred chest 45 inches long, 27 inches wide, and 27 inches high. (2) He overlaid it inside and outside with pure gold, and he ran a molding of gold all around it. (3) He cast four gold rings and attached them to its four feet, two rings on each side. (4) Then he made poles from acacia wood and overlaid them with gold. (5) He inserted the poles into the rings at the sides of the Ark to carry it. (6) Then he made the Ark’s cover–the place of atonement–from pure gold. It was 45 inches long and 27 inches wide. (7) He made two cherubim from hammered gold and placed them on the two ends of the atonement cover. (8) He molded the cherubim on each end of the atonement cover, making it all of one piece of gold. (9) The cherubim faced each other and looked down on the atonement cover. With their wings spread above it, they protected it. (10) Then Bezalel made the table of acacia wood, 36 inches long, 18 inches wide, and 27 inches high. (11) He overlaid it with pure gold and ran a gold molding around the edge. (12) He decorated it with a 3-inch border all around, and he ran a gold molding along the border. (13) Then he cast four gold rings for the table and attached them at the four corners next to the four legs. (14) The rings were attached near the border to hold the poles that were used to carry the table. (15) He made these poles from acacia wood and overlaid them with gold.

Exodus 25:23-28 NLTse “Then make a table of acacia wood, 36 inches long, 18 inches wide, and 27 inches high. (24) Overlay it with pure gold and run a gold molding around the edge. (25) Decorate it with a 3-inch border all around, and run a gold molding along the border. (26) Make four gold rings for the table and attach them at the four corners next to the four legs. (27) Attach the rings near the border to hold the poles that are used to carry the table. (28) Make these poles from acacia wood, and overlay them with gold.

Exodus 37:10-15 NLTse Then Bezalel made the table of acacia wood, 36 inches long, 18 inches wide, and 27 inches high. (11) He overlaid it with pure gold and ran a gold molding around the edge. (12) He decorated it with a 3-inch border all around, and he ran a gold molding along the border. (13) Then he cast four gold rings for the table and attached them at the four corners next to the four legs. (14) The rings were attached near the border to hold the poles that were used to carry the table. (15) He made these poles from acacia wood and overlaid them with gold.

Exodus 25:29-30 NLTse Make special containers of pure gold for the table–bowls, pans, pitchers, and jars–to be used in pouring out liquid offerings. (30) Place the Bread of the Presence on the table to remain before me at all times.

Exodus 37:16 NLTse Then he made special containers of pure gold for the table–bowls, pans, jars, and pitchers–to be used in pouring out liquid offerings.

Exodus 25:31-40 NLTse “Make a lampstand of pure, hammered gold. Make the entire lampstand and its decorations of one piece–the base, center stem, lamp cups, buds, and petals. (32) Make it with six branches going out from the center stem, three on each side. (33) Each of the six branches will have three lamp cups shaped like almond blossoms, complete with buds and petals. (34) Craft the center stem of the lampstand with four lamp cups shaped like almond blossoms, complete with buds and petals. (35) There will also be an almond bud beneath each pair of branches where the six branches extend from the center stem. (36) The almond buds and branches must all be of one piece with the center stem, and they must be hammered from pure gold. (37) Then make the seven lamps for the lampstand, and set them so they reflect their light forward. (38) The lamp snuffers and trays must also be made of pure gold. (39) You will need seventy-five pounds of pure gold for the lampstand and its accessories. (40) “Be sure that you make everything according to the pattern I have shown you here on the mountain.

Exodus 37:17-24 NLTse Then Bezalel made the lampstand of pure, hammered gold. He made the entire lampstand and its decorations of one piece–the base, center stem, lamp cups, buds, and petals. (18) The lampstand had six branches going out from the center stem, three on each side. (19) Each of the six branches had three lamp cups shaped like almond blossoms, complete with buds and petals. (20) The center stem of the lampstand was crafted with four lamp cups shaped like almond blossoms, complete with buds and petals. (21) There was an almond bud beneath each pair of branches where the six branches extended from the center stem, all made of one piece. (22) The almond buds and branches were all of one piece with the center stem, and they were hammered from pure gold. (23) He also made seven lamps for the lampstand, lamp snuffers, and trays, all of pure gold. (24) The entire lampstand, along with its accessories, was made from seventy-five pounds of pure gold.

The list goes on and on. The Tabernacle is the most detailed structure in the Bible containing more symbols than any other item in the Bible. Why did God go into such detail and repeat those details? As we’ve seen, authors repeat details to draw attention to them. After all, the Tabernacle is a symbol of God’s Son and His ministry. They serve in a system of worship that is only a copy, a shadow of the real one in heaven. For when Moses was getting ready to build the Tabernacle, God gave him this warning: “Be sure that you make everything according to the pattern I have shown you here on the mountain.” (Hebrews 8:5 NLTse). The Book of Hebrews serves as a guide to symbols in the Tabernacle.

Hebrews 9:1-12 NLTse That first covenant between God and Israel had regulations for worship and a place of worship here on earth. (2) There were two rooms in that Tabernacle. In the first room were a lampstand, a table, and sacred loaves of bread on the table. This room was called the Holy Place. (3) Then there was a curtain, and behind the curtain was the second room called the Most Holy Place. (4) In that room were a gold incense altar and a wooden chest called the Ark of the Covenant, which was covered with gold on all sides. Inside the Ark were a gold jar containing manna, Aaron’s staff that sprouted leaves, and the stone tablets of the covenant. (5) Above the Ark were the cherubim of divine glory, whose wings stretched out over the Ark’s cover, the place of atonement. But we cannot explain these things in detail now. (6) When these things were all in place, the priests regularly entered the first room as they performed their religious duties. (7) But only the high priest ever entered the Most Holy Place, and only once a year. And he always offered blood for his own sins and for the sins the people had committed in ignorance. (8) By these regulations the Holy Spirit revealed that the entrance to the Most Holy Place was not freely open as long as the Tabernacle and the system it represented were still in use. (9) This is an illustration pointing to the present time. For the gifts and sacrifices that the priests offer are not able to cleanse the consciences of the people who bring them. (10) For that old system deals only with food and drink and various cleansing ceremonies–physical regulations that were in effect only until a better system could be established. (11) So Christ has now become the High Priest over all the good things that have come. He has entered that greater, more perfect Tabernacle in heaven, which was not made by human hands and is not part of this created world. (12) With his own blood–not the blood of goats and calves–he entered the Most Holy Place once for all time and secured our redemption forever.

There’s no doubt, the design of the Tabernacle God gave to Moses was a model of the Heavenly Sanctuary, services conducted in Heaven, and Jesus’ ministry all rolled into one. In short, the Tabernacle is a model of the plan of salvation. The question is, where do we begin? There is a strong urge to jump ahead, or around from subject to subject, or symbol to symbol. Looking at what has been accumulated so far would lead us to believe, God had a good reason to repeat the order of the items in the Tabernacle, as well as the details. We’ve also seen the same process and order used at creation. We’ve also seen how God followed a particular order at creation we may not have followed. But when we stuck with God’s order of teaching, unexpected details were revealed. We can expect to see the same pattern as we study details in the Tabernacle in the order Moses recorded them.