The Furniture of the Tabernacle Was a Parable of Christ

The furnishings of the tabernacle speak loudly of Jesus of Nazareth. It must, because the writer of Hebrews said that it did:  “The Holy Spirit is signifying this, ... 9 which is a symbol for the present time ... 11 But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things to come, He entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation; 12 and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption” (Heb 9:8, 11-12 NASB).

The furnishings of the tabernacle were laid out in the shape of the cross. One may think this strange and that we are promoting sensationalism, but the reader is encouraged to remember that Yahweh instructed Moses to make the tabernacle after the pattern he had seen in the mount. This reference is to Mt. Sinai. It is not so much that Moses saw the original tabernacle in Heaven, and was building one on the earth like it. No. What Moses saw in the Mount was Yahweh’s plan of salvation, complete with the Sacrificial Lamb on Golgotha. The tabernacle was, then, designed to depict that revelation (given, by God, to Moses) in symbolic form.

The tabernacle furnishings consisted of the following items:

The Golden Ark of the Covenant, along with its Mercyseat, shown to the far left in the above diagram. It is opaqued to the illustration, because of its representation of the heavenly throne of God; therefore, it is not properly considered in the cross configuration of the other items that relate directly to Christ’s earthly mission (Ex 25:10ff and 25:17ff respectively); 

The Golden Altar of Incense, which is in the Holy Place just outside the veil that separates the Holy of Holies (not shown in the diagram) from the Holy Place (Ex 30:1ff); 

The seven pronged Golden Lampstand against the South wall of the Holy Place (Ex 25:31ff); 

The Golden Table of Shewbread against the North wall of the Holy Place (Ex 25:23ff); 

The Brass Laver of water in the outer courtyard, outside the door of the tent (door of the tent not shown in the diagram) (Ex 30:17ff);

The Brass Altar of Holocaust between the Laver and the entrance to the outer court.

It should be pointed out, at this juncture, that throughout the Tabernacle there is a combination of shittem wood and gold (the gold overlaying the shittem wood).

 We see this in every piece of furniture (except the lampstand) that is within the tent itself,  along with the boards and bars that make up the walls of the tent. This particular combination represents the two natures of Christ. The shittem wood is very strong: insect and rot resistant; it is, therefore,  a perfect type of the humanity of Christ that was sinless and pure. The gold, as has already been pointed out, represents the deity of Christ.

Here, we review the contents of the Tabernacle, and see Christ Jesus in every piece. We keep in our minds that the writer of Hebrews identified the Tabernacle of Moses as the “figure”  (the word he actually used is παραβολὴ, Strong’s #G3805), parabōlē; the English is “parable,” a metaphor: an example about which a doctrine is illustrated; a thing serving as a figure of something else. So, then we come to the Ark of the Covenant.

Apostolically Speaking

☩ David Ignatius

Read other essays by the Bishop on the Tabernacle of Moses:

Godhead Theology of the Tabernacle of Moses (Introduction)
https://bishopjerrylhayes.blogspot.com/2016/08/godhead-theology-of-tabernacle-of-moses_5.html

Metals of the Tabernacle of Moses are a Parable of Jesus Christ
http://bishopjerrylhayes.blogspot.com/2016/08/metals-of-tabernacle-of-moses-are.html

The Color Scheme Of The Tabernacle of Moses Is A Parable of Jesus Christ:
http://bishopjerrylhayes.blogspot.com/2016/08/the-color-scheme-of-tabernacle-is.html

The Ark of the Covenant and its Contents are a Parable of Jesus Christ:
http://bishopjerrylhayes.blogspot.com/2016/08/the-ark-of-covenant-and-its-contents.html

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Excerpted from the author's book entitled "Godhead Theology." Published by Seven Millennium Publications. Order your personal copy today: 
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