God Drew The Plans Of Sanctuary-To Save us,3/6/2019,Study
God Drew The Plans Of Sanctuary
What did God ask Moses to build?
EXODUS 25:8 Let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them.
Answer:The Lord told Moses to build a sanctuary—a special building that would serve as a dwelling place for the God of hea
Note-The Great Controversy,pp.411–The sanctuary to which Paul here refers was the tabernacle built by Moses at the command of God as the earthly dwelling place of the Most High.
“Let them make Me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them” (Exodus 25:8), was the direction given to Moses while in the mount with God. The Israelites were journeying through the wilderness, and the tabernacle was so constructed that it could be removed from place to place; yet it was a structure of great magnificence. Its walls consisted of upright boards heavily plated with gold and set in sockets of silver, while the roof was formed of a series of curtains, or coverings, the outer of skins, the innermost of fine linen beautifully wrought with figures of cherubim.
Besides the outer court, which contained the altar of burnt offering, the tabernacle itself consisted of two apartments called the holy and the most holy place, separated by a rich and beautiful curtain,or veil; a similar veil closed the entrance to the first apartment.
In the holy place was the candlestick, on the south, with its seven lamps giving light to the sanctuary both by day and by night; on the north stood the table of shewbread; and before the veil separating the holy
from the most holy was the golden altar of incense, from which the cloud of fragrance, with the prayers of Israel, was daily ascending before God.
In the most holy place stood the ark, a chest of precious wood overlaid with gold, the depository of the two tables of stone upon which God had inscribed the law of Ten Commandments. Above the ark, and forming the cover to the sacred chest, was the mercy seat, a magnificent piece of workmanship, surmounted by two cherubim, one at each end, and all wrought of solid gold. In this apartment the divine presence was manifested in the cloud of glory between the cherubim.
After the settlement of the Hebrews in Canaan, the tabernacle was replaced by the temple of Solomon, which, though a permanent structure and upon a larger scale, observed the same proportions, and was similarly furnished. In this form the sanctuary existed—except while it lay in ruins in Daniel’s time—until its destruction by the Romans, in A.D.
This is the only sanctuary that ever existed on the earth, of which the Bible gives any information. This was declared by Paul to be the sanctuary of the first covenant.But has the new covenant no sanctuary?
Turning again to the book of Hebrews, the seekers for truth found that the existence of a second, or new-covenant sanctuary, was implied in the words of Paul already quoted: “Then verily the first covenant had alsoordinances of divine service, and a worldly sanctuary.” And the use of the word “also” intimates that Paul has before made mention of this sanctuary. Turning back to the beginning of the previous chapter, they read: “Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum: We have such an High Priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens; a Minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man.” Hebrews 8:1, 2.
Here is revealed the sanctuary of the new covenant. The sanctuary of the first covenant was pitched by man, built by Moses; this is pitched by the Lord, not by man. In that sanctuary the earthly priests performed their service; in this, Christ, our great High Priest, ministers at God’s right hand. One sanctuary was on earth, the other is in heaven.
Further, the tabernacle built by Moses was made after a pattern. The Lord directed him: “According to all that I show thee, after the pattern of the tabernacle, and the pattern of all the instruments thereof, even so shall ye make it.”And again the charge was given, “Look that thou make them after their pattern, which was showed thee in the mount.” Exodus 25:9, 40.
And Paul says that the first tabernacle “was a figure for the time then present, in which were offered both gifts and sacrifices;” that its holy places were “patterns of things in the heavens;” that the priests who offered gifts according to the law served “unto the example and shadow of heavenly things,” and that “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 9:9, 23; 8:5; 9:24.
NOTE-The original sanctuary was an elegant, tent-type structure (15 feet by 45 feet—based on an 18-inch cubit) in which the presence of God dwelt and special services were conducted. The walls were made of upright wooden boards set in silver sockets and overlaid with gold (Exodus 26:15–19, 29). The roof was made of four coverings: linen, goat hair, ram skin, and badger skin (Exodus 26:1, 7–14).
It had two rooms: the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place. A thick, heavy veil (curtain) separated the rooms. The courtyard—the area around the sanctuary—was 75 feet by 150 feet (Exodus 27:18).It was fenced with fine linen cloth supported by 60 pillars of brass(Exodus 27:9–16).
What did God expect His people to learn from the sanctuary?
Psalms 77:13 Your way, O God, is in the sanctuary; who is so great a God as our God?
NOTE- God’s way, the plan of salvation, is revealed in the earthly sanctuary. The Bible teaches that everything in the sanctuary—the dwelling, furniture, and services—are symbols of something Jesus did in saving us. This means we can fully comprehend the plan of salvation as we fully understand the symbolism connected with the sanctuary.
NOTE–Prophets and Kings,pp.50–Although God dwells not in temples made with hands, yet He honors with His presence the assemblies of His people. He has promised that when they come together to seek Him, to acknowledge their sins, and to pray for one another, He will meet with them by His Spirit. But those who assemble to worship Him should put away every evil thing. Unless they worship Him in spirit and truth and in the beauty of holiness, their coming together will be of no avail. Of such the Lord declares,
“This people draweth nigh unto Me with their mouth, and honoreth Me with their lips; but their heart is far from Me.” Matthew 15:8, 9. Those who worship God must worship Him “in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship Him.” John 4:23.
“The Lord is in His holy temple: let all the earth keep silence before Him.” Habakkuk 2:20.
From what source did Moses obtain the blueprints for the sanctuary? Of what was the building a copy?
Hebrew 8:1-5 Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum: We have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens;
2 A minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man.
3 For every high priest is ordained to offer gifts and sacrifices: wherefore it is of necessity that this man have somewhat also to offer.
4 For if he were on earth, he should not be a priest, seeing that there are priests that offer gifts according to the law:
5 Who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things, as Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle: for, See, saith he, that thou make all things according to the pattern shewed to thee in the mount
Answer:God Himself gave Moses the sanctuary’s construction specifications. The building was a copy of the original sanctuary in heaven.
What furniture was in the courtyard?
Exodus 27:1-8 And thou shalt make an altar of shittim wood, five cubits long, and five cubits broad; the altar shall be foursquare: and the height thereof shall be three cubits. 2 And thou shalt make the horns of it upon the four corners thereof: his horns shall be of the same: and thou shalt overlay it with brass. 3 And thou shalt make his pans to receive his ashes, and his shovels, and his basons, and his fleshhooks, and his firepans: all the vessels thereof thou shalt make of brass. 4 And thou shalt make for it a grate of network of brass; and upon the net shalt thou make four brasen rings in the four corners thereof. 5 And 27:1-8 shalt put it under the compass of the altar beneath, that the net may be even to the midst of the altar. 6 And thou shalt make staves for the altar, staves of shittim wood, and overlay them with brass. 7 And the staves shall be put into the rings, and the staves shall be upon the two sides of the altar, to bear it. 8 Hollow with boards shalt thou make it: as it was shewed thee in the mount, so shall they make it.
Answer: A. The altar of burnt offerings where animals were sacrificed, was located just inside its entrance (Exodus 27:1–8).
This altar represents the cross of Christ. The animal represents Jesus, the ultimate sacrifice (John 1:29).
B. The laver, located between the altar and the entrance to the sanctuary,was a large washbasin made of brass. Here priests washed their hands and feet before offering a sacrifice or entering the sanctuary(Exodus 30:17–21; 38:8). The water represents cleansing from sin and the new birth (Titus 3:5).
Titus 5:3-7 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; 6 Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; 7 That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
5. What furniture was in the holy place?
Answer: A. The table of shewbread (Exodus 25:23–30) represents Jesus, the living bread (John 6:51).
Exodus 30:7-8 And Aaron shall burn thereon sweet incense every morning: when he dresseth the lamps, he shall burn incense upon it. 8 And when Aaron lighteth the lamps at even, he shall burn incense upon it, a perpetual incense before the LORD throughout your generations
6. What furniture was in the most holy place?
Answer:The Ark of the Covenant, the only piece of furniture in the Most Holy Place (Exodus 25:10–22), was a chest of acacia wood overlaid with gold. Placed on top the chest were two angels made of solid gold. Between these two angels was the mercy seat (Exodus 25:17–22), where the presence of God dwelt. This symbolized God’s throne in heaven, which is likewise located between two angels (Psalm 80:1).
7. What was inside the ark?
Answer:The Ten Commandments, which God wrote on tables of stone, and which His people will always obey (Revelation 14:12), were inside the ark (Deuteronomy 10:4, 5). But the mercy seat was above them, which signifies that as long as God’s people confessed and forsook sin (Proverbs 28:13), mercy would be extended to them through the blood that was sprinkled on the mercy seat by the priest (Leviticus 16:15, 16). The blood of the animal represented Jesus’ blood that would be shed to bring us forgiveness of sin (Matthew 26:28; Hebrews 9:22).
8. Why did animals need to be sacrificed in the sanctuary services?
“According to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission” (Hebrews 9:22). “This is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins” (Matthew 26:28).
Answer: The sacrificing of animals was necessary to help people understand that without the shedding of Jesus’ blood, their sins could never be forgiven. The ugly, shocking truth is that the wage for sin is eternal death (Romans 6:23). Since all of us have sinned, all of us have earned death. When Adam and Eve sinned, they would have died at once except for Jesus, who stepped forward and offered to give His perfect life as a sacrifice to pay the death penalty for all people (John 3:16; Revelation 13:8). After sin, God required the sinner to bring an animal sacrifice (Genesis 4:3–7). The sinner was to kill the animal with his own hand (Leviticus 1:4, 5). It was bloody and shocking, and it indelibly impressed the sinner with the solemn reality of sin’s awful consequences (eternal death) and the desperate need of a Savior and Substitute.
Without a Savior, no one has any hope for salvation. The sacrificial system taught, through the symbol of the slain animal, that God would give His own Son to die for their sins (1 Corinthians 15:3). Jesus would become not only their Savior, but also their Substitute (Hebrews 9:28). When John the Baptist met Jesus, he said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). In the Old Testament, people looked forward to the cross for salvation. We look back to Calvary for salvation. There is no other source of salvation (Acts 4:12).
9. How were animals sacrificed in the sanctuary services, and with what meaning?
“He shall put his hand on the head of the burnt offering, and it will be accepted on his behalf to make atonement for him. … He shall kill it on the north side of the altar” (Leviticus 1:4, 11).
Answer: When a sinner brought a sacrificial animal to the door of the courtyard, a priest handed him a knife and a basin. The sinner laid his hands on the animal’s head and confessed his sins.
This symbolized the transfer of sin from the sinner to the animal. At that point, the sinner was considered innocent and the animal guilty. Since the animal was now symbolically guilty, it had to pay sin’s wage—death. By slaying the animal with his own hand, the sinner was thus graphically taught that sin caused the innocent animal’s death and that his sin would cause the death of the innocent Messiah.
10. When a sacrificial animal was offered for the entire congregation, what did the priest do with the blood? What does this symbolize?
“The anointed priest shall bring some of the bull’s blood to the tabernacle of meeting. Then the priest shall dip his finger in the blood and sprinkle it seven times before the Lord, in front of the veil” (Leviticus 4:16, 17).
Answer: When a sacrifice was offered for the sins of the entire congregation, the blood was taken by the priest, who represented Jesus (Hebrews 3:1), into the sanctuary and sprinkled before the veil that separated the two rooms.
The presence of God dwelt on the other side of the veil. Thus, the sins of the people were removed and symbolically transferred to the sanctuary. This ministry of the blood by the priest foreshadowed Jesus’ present ministry for us in heaven. After Jesus died on the cross as a sacrifice for sin, He arose and went to heaven as our priest to minister His blood in the heavenly sanctuary(Hebrews 9:11, 12). The blood ministered by the earthly priest represents Jesus applying His blood to our record of sins in the sanctuary above, showing that they are forgiven when we confess them in His name (1 John 1:9).
As our Sacrifice, Jesus brings us a completely transformed life with all sins forgiven.
11. Based on the sanctuary services, in what two major capacities does Jesus serve His people? What fantastic benefits do we receive from His loving ministry?
“Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us” (1 Corinthians 5:7). “Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:14–16).
As our High Priest, Jesus gives us the power to live right in the present and in the future.
Answer: Jesus serves as the Sacrifice for our sins and as our heavenly High Priest. Jesus’ death as our sacrificial Lamb and Substitute, and His continual powerful ministry as our heavenly Priest, accomplish two incredible miracles for us:
A. A complete life change called the new birth, with all the sins of the past forgiven (John 3:3–6; Romans 3:25).
These two miracles make a person righteous—which means a right relationship exists between the person and God. There is no possible way for a person to become righteous by works (his own efforts) because righteousness requires miracles that only Jesus can accomplish (Acts 4:12).
A person becomes righteous by trusting the Savior to do for him what he cannot do for himself. This is what is meant by the biblical term “righteousness by faith.” We ask Jesus to become the ruler of our lives and trust Him to work the needed miracles as we cooperate fully with Him. This righteousness, which is miraculously accomplished for us and in us by Christ, is the only true righteousness that exists. Every other kind is a counterfeit.
12. What six promises does the Bible give about the righteousness offered to us through Jesus?
Answer: A. He will cover our past sins and count us as guiltless (Isaiah 44:22; 1 John 1:9).
B. We were created in God’s image in the beginning (Genesis 1:26, 27). Jesus promises to restore us to God’s image (Romans 8:29).
C. Jesus gives us the desire to live righteously and then grants us His power to actually accomplish it (Philippians 2:13).
D. Jesus, by His miracle power, will cause us to happily do only the things that please God (Hebrews 13:20, 21; John 15:11).
E. He removes the death sentence from us by crediting us with His sinless life and atoning death (2 Corinthians 5:21).
F. Jesus assumes responsibility for keeping us faithful until He returns to take us to heaven (Philippians 1:6; Jude 1:24).
Jesus is ready to fulfill all these glorious promises in your life! Are you ready?
13. Does a person have any role at all to play in becoming righteous by faith?
“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven” (Matthew 7:21).
Answer: Yes. Jesus said we must do His Father’s will. In Old Testament days, a person who truly had been converted kept bringing lambs to sacrifice, indicating his sorrow for sin and his whole-hearted desire to let the Lord lead in his life.
Today, though we cannot work the miracles needed to become righteous, we must daily recommit to Jesus (1 Corinthians 15:31), inviting Him to direct our lives so those miracles can take place. We must be willing to be obedient and to follow where Jesus leads (John 12:26; Isaiah 1:18–20).
Our sinful nature causes us to want to have our own way (Isaiah 53:6) and thus to rebel against the Lord, just as Satan did in the beginning (Isaiah 14:12–14). Permitting Jesus to rule our lives is sometimes as difficult as having an eye plucked out or an arm torn off (Matthew 5:29, 30), because sin is addictive and can be overcome only by God’s miraculous power (Mark 10:27).
Many believe that Jesus will take to heaven all who merely profess salvation, regardless of their conduct. But this is not so. It is a deception. A Christian must follow Jesus’ example (1 Peter 2:21). The powerful blood of Jesus can accomplish this for us (Hebrews 13:12), but only if we give Jesus full control of our lives and follow where He leads—even when the path might sometimes be rough (Matthew 7:13, 14, 21).
14. What was the Day of Atonement?
Answer: A. Once each year, on the day of atonement, a solemn day of judgment took place in Israel (Leviticus 23:27). All were to confess every sin. Those who refused were that very day cut off forever from the camp of Israel (Leviticus 23:29).
B. Two goats were selected: One, the Lord’s goat the other, the scapegoat, representing Satan (Leviticus 16:8). The Lord’s goat was slain and offered for the sins of the people (Leviticus 16:9). But on this day the blood was taken into the most holy place and sprinkled upon and before the mercy seat (Leviticus 16:14). Only on this special judgment day did the high priest enter the most holy place to meet God at the mercy seat.
The sprinkled blood (representing Jesus’ sacrifice) was accepted by God, and the confessed sins of the people were transferred from the sanctuary to the high priest. He then transferred these confessed sins to the scapegoat, which was led into the wilderness (Leviticus 16:16, 20-22). In this manner, the sanctuary was cleansed of the sins of the people, which had been transferred there by the blood sprinkled before the veil and had been accumulating for a year.
15. Did the Day of Atonement symbolize or foreshadow a part of God’s great plan of salvation, as did the other facets of the earthly sanctuary and its services?
“It was necessary that the copies of the things in the heavens should be purified with these, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these” (Hebrews 9:23).
Answer: Yes. That day’s services pointed to the blotting out of sin by the real High Priest in the heavenly sanctuary. Through His shed blood applied to those written in the book of life, Christ would confirm the decisions of His people to serve Him eternally. This special judgment day, like that of Israel’s Yom Kippur, foreshadowed the final atonement to be made for planet Earth. From the yearly symbol of the ancient Day of Atonement, all of humanity is assured that our faithful High Priest, Jesus, still mediates in heaven for His people and stands ready to blot out the sins of all who exercise faith in His shed blood. The final atonement leads to the final judgment, which settles the sin question in the life of every individual, resulting in either life or death.
Ambassadors of Christ 