The Sanctuary
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Welcome to this Bible lesson! Let's pray together:
O Lord, our God,
Please continue to guide us, as we now probe a fourth element to add to our toolbox: the
sanctuary.
Please show us how this subject can be useful to our understanding of Bible prophecy.
In Jesus Christ we pray.
Amen.
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Psalm 73:16,17
When I thought how to understand this, it was too painful
for me, until I went into the sanctuary of God.
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During our lesson «How to Study Prophecy»,
we saw that prophetic symbolism often refers to the sanctuary, its furnishings, and the
services that were taking place in it.
This lesson and the following two aim at helping us to familiarize ourselves with these
three subjects that must find a place in our toolbox, in order to guarantee the best
possible understanding of Bible prophecy.
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Genesis 3:21
Also for Adam and his wife the Lord God made tunics of
skin, and clothed them.
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At the beginning of the history of mankind, as a result of the disobedience of
Adam and Eve, God made a symbolic gesture in sacrificing an animal, to replace their
handsewn clothes of fig leaves with skin clothes.
In this way, God introduced them to the sacrificial system they had to practice,
foreshadowing the Savior to come, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.
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Exodus 25:8
And let [the children of Israel] make Me a sanctuary,
that I may dwell among them.
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As time passed, the meaning of this sacrificial system was lost.
Paganism transformed it into idolatry, even adding human sacrifices to it...
So God wanted to restore the original meaning of this system, through which men could
demonstrate their faith in the Savior to come.
So He instructed Moses to build a sanctuary so that He might dwell among His people.
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Hebrews 9:1-5 : Description of the earthly
sanctuary
Then indeed, even the first covenant had ordinances of
divine service and the earthly sanctuary.
For a tabernacle was prepared: the first part, in which was the lampstand, the table, and
the showbread, which is called the sanctuary.
And behind the second veil, the part of the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of All,
which had the golden altar of incense and the ark of the covenant overlaid on all sides
with gold, in which were (...) the tablets of the covenant.
And above it were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat.
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Here is a plan of the earthly sanctuary:
Most
Holy Place Holy Place Courtyard Entry 1.
Cherubim of gold
+--------|-------------|-----------------|-------+| 2. Mercy seat
| +------|-----+-------|--------+ First | N || 3. Ark of the
cove-
| | ///@1.@\\\ ) Second #@#@#5. (<--veil W-+-E || nant
containing
| |// # # \\(<--veil
) S |
tables of the Law
| |2.######## ) ## ||||||| ( # # /
\ -+ 4. Altar of incense
| | # nn # ( ## |+-|-+| ) ####
##### 5. Table of showbread
| | 3.###### ) 4. 6.+--|--+ ( 7.
8. | 6. 7-branch lampstand
| +------------+----------------+<--Tabernacle | 7. Laver of bronze
+------------------------------------------------+ 8. Altar of offering
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Numbers 1:51
And when the tabernacle is to go forward, the Levites
shall take it down; and when the tabernacle is to be set up, the Levites shall set it up.
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The first sanctuary, or tabernacle, was portable. Later, a permanent Temple in
Jerusalem replaced it.
The sanctuary was made up of three parts:
1. the courtyard;
2. the first part of the tabernacle,
called the Holy Place;
3. the second part of the tabernacle,
called the Most Holy Place.
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First, let's see the courtyard:
It was an enclosure approximately 50 metres (164 feet) long and 25 metres (82
feet) wide, surrounded by a fence 3 metres (10 feet) high.
Within the courtyard were placed:
- the altar of burnt offering, where
sacrifices were offered for the sins of the people;
- the laver of bronze, where priests
washed their feet and hands before entering the tabernacle to officiate.
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Then, the Holy Place:
It was the first part of the tabernacle, whose entry was made up of a linen
veil. A second veil separated the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place.
Within the Holy Place were placed:
- the table of showbread, on which were
placed the twelve showbread which were replaced each Sabbath;
- the seven-branch lampstand, which
supplied with oil seven lamps burning day and night, thus continually lighting up the
tabernacle;
- the altar of incense, where incense was
burned every morning and evening. Once a year, a ceremony was performed to purify it.
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And finally, the Most Holy Place (also called the Holiest of All):
It was the second part of the tabernacle where only the High Priest, once a
year, on the Day of Atonement, was allowed to enter, to perform the annual service.
Within the Most Holy Place were placed:
- the ark of the covenant, a chest of
acacia wood, overlaid with pure gold inside and out, containing the two tablets of stone
on which God had written the Ten Commandments;
- the mercy seat, serving as a lid to the
ark of the covenant, surmounted by two cherubs of solid gold, facing each other and each
spreading one wing over the mercy seat, with the other pointing at the ground.
We will come back to each one of these items in the lesson «The Sanctuary's
Furnishings».
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Hebrews 9:6,7
The priests always went into the first part of the
tabernacle [Holy Place], performing the services.
But into the second part [Most Holy Place] the high priest went alone once a year, not
without blood, which he offered for himself and for the people's sins.
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Two services took place in the sanctuary:
- the daily service, performed by the
priests in the Holy Place;
- the annual service, performed by the
high priest alone in the Most Holy Place, on the Day of Atonement (also called Day of
cleansing of the sanctuary).
We will come back to these services in the lesson «The Sanctuary's Services».
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Hebrews 9:8-10
The Holy Spirit indicating this, that the way into the
Holiest of All was not yet made manifest while the first tabernacle was still standing.
It was symbolic for the present time (...) until the time of reformation.
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The Bible teaches us that the sanctuary's services were given until the time of
reformation: what would replace them thereafter?
First, let's note that these verses describe the Hebrew sanctuary as «the
first tabernacle». We must then conclude that a second one exists.
Where is that second sanctuary, according to the Word of God?
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Exodus 25:9
According to all that I show you, that is, the pattern of
the tabernacle and the pattern of all its furnishings, just so you shall make it.
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Acts 7:44
Our fathers had the tabernacle of witness in the
wilderness, as [God] appointed, instructing Moses to make it according to the pattern that
he had seen.
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To instruct Moses in how to build the sanctuary, God showed him a pattern
already existing.
What was that pattern?
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Hebrews 8:4,5
For if [Jesus] were on earth, He would not be a priest,
since there are priests who offer the gifts according to the law; who serve the copy and
shadow of the heavenly things, as Moses was divinely instructed when he was about to make
the tabernacle.
For He said, «See that you make all things according to the pattern shown you on the
mountain.»
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The earthly sanctuary was thus the copy and shadow of a sanctuary situated in
heaven: the heavenly sanctuary.
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Revelation 15:5
After these things I looked, and behold, the temple of
the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened.
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Hebrews 8:1,2
We have such a High Priest, who is seated at 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 erected, and not man.
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In our next two lessons, we will see the correlation between the furnishings
and services of the two sanctuaries, earthly and heavenly.
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Ephesians 2:21,22
In [Jesus Christ] the whole building, being joined
together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together
for a habitation of God in the Spirit.
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Just before ending, here is a last interesting point: besides the heavenly
sanctuary, there are also many little temples where the Holy Spirit dwells!
In fact, these temples are the body of each Christian.
We are called to watch over the holiness of our bodies, just as the priests had to watch
over the holiness of the earthly sanctuary.
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Let's watch over the holiness of our bodies, the temples of the Spirit:
«Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that
the Spirit of God dwells in you? If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy
him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are.» (1 CORINTHIANS 3:16,17)
«Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom
you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore
glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's.» (1 CORINTHIANS 6:19,20)
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Let's thank God for His presence among us:
Our good Father,
Now we see that the subject of the sanctuary is not only useful in understanding Bible
prophecy, but also in helping us to grasp the meaning of the plan of salvation You offer
us through the sacrifice of Your only begotten Son.
We humbly ask You to allow us to go on with this study of the sanctuary, and to help us to
watch over the holiness of our body, which is the temple of the Holy Spirit here on earth.
In the precious name of Jesus Christ, our Savior.
Amen.
The test of Lesson 12 is waiting for you!