The Sanctuary's
Furnishings
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Let's pray together:
Father,
We thank You for guiding us once again, as we continue to study the subject of the
sanctuary.
May our understanding of the symbolic meaning of the sanctuary's furnishings become a
useful instrument that we may add to our toolbox, to better understand 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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In this second lesson about the sanctuary, we will study the furnishings placed
in it.
These furnishings hold a wonderful symbolism that we must fully grasp, in order to have
the best possible understanding of Bible prophecy.
First, let's review the plan of the sanctuary, showing the arrangement of its furnishings.
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Plan of the sanctuary, showing the arrangement of its furnishings :
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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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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In our last lesson, we saw that when God indicated to Moses how to build the
sanctuary, He showed him a pattern that already existed: the heavenly sanctuary.
Not only the tabernacle of meeting but also «all its furnishings»
were made according to the pattern of the heavenly sanctuary.
Let's now see the furnishings of each part of the sanctuary.
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First, let's look at the furnishings found in the courtyard:
In our last lesson, we learned that the courtyard is the name given to the
enclosure in the center of which the tabernacle of meeting is placed.
In the courtyard, we find the following two items:
- the altar of burnt offering;
- the laver of bronze.
Let's look at these items one by one, with their symbolism.
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Exodus 27:1,2
You shall make an altar of acacia wood, five cubits long
and five cubits broad - the altar shall be square - and its height shall be three cubits.
You shall make its horns on its four corners; its horns shall be of one piece with it. And
you shall overlay it with bronze.
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As indicated by its name, the altar of burnt offering was used to offer
sacrifices for the forgiveness of sins.
The services that were performed there will be the subject of our next lesson.
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Exodus 27:1,8
You shall make an altar of acacia wood (...).
As it was shown you on the mountain, so shall they make it.
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The altar of burnt offering, just like all the other furnishings of the
sanctuary, was made according to the pattern of the heavenly sanctuary.
But then, what is the use of the altar of burnt offering in the heavenly sanctuary? What
is its symbolic significance?
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Revelation 5:6
And I looked, and behold, in the midst of the throne and
of the four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as though it
had been slain.
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Revelation 13:8
And all who dwell on the earth will worship [the beast],
whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the
foundation of the world.
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The altar of burnt offering in the heavenly sanctuary receives the highest
sacrifice, the Lamb of God, slain for our salvation.
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Hebrews 9:12
Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own
blood [Christ] entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal
redemption.
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Hebrews 10:19
Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest
by the blood of Jesus (...).
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In the earthly sanctuary, the sacrifice of an animal gave access to the other
services of the sanctuary.
This symbolized the sacrifice of Jesus, which gives access to the other services of the
heavenly sanctuary.
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Revelation 6:9
When He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the
souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they
held.
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The altar of burnt offering in the heavenly sanctuary also receives the blood
of the martyrs, who died for their unshakeable faithfulness to Jesus Christ, the Lamb of
God.
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Exodus 30:18-20
You shall also make a laver of bronze, with its base also
of bronze, for washing.
You shall put it between the tabernacle of meeting and the altar. And you shall put water
in it, for Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet in water from it.
When they go into the tabernacle of meeting, or when they come near the altar to minister,
to burn an offering made by fire to the Lord, they shall wash with water, lest they die.
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Now let's take a look at the laver of bronze, where the priests washed their
hands and feet before entering the tabernacle of meeting to officiate.
What did this article and its use symbolize?
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Ephesians 5:25,26
Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for it,
that He might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word.
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Acts 2:38
Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name
of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy
Spirit.
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Just as the altar is followed by the laver of bronze, we accept Jesus'
sacrifice and then we are baptized, showing by this symbol our choice to receive the
cleansing of our hearts through the work of the Spirit within us.
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John 13:10
Jesus said to [Peter],
«He who is bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean.»
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Baptism by immersion is a complete bath, symbolizing the believer's
justification, the forgiveness of his sins, and his complete regeneration in Jesus Christ.
But as we walk the Christian life, our feet become dusty: we then come to Jesus for
cleansing.
By foot washing, a kind of little baptism, we acknowledge that we always need the blood of
Christ.
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John 13:10
He who is bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is
completely clean.
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Now we can better understand the words of Jesus: he who is washed (by the
washing of baptism) does not need to be rebaptized when he makes a mistake, since he has
not lost his faith in Christ.
Foot washing is a continuous guarantee of Christ's cleansing grace.
Let's remember though that baptism and foot washing have no cleansing virtue in
themselves: Christ is the One who, through these services, cleanses us.
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Now, let's continue with the furnishings of the Holy Place:
We remember that the Holy Place is the first part of the tabernacle of meeting,
whose entrance is made up of a veil. A second veil separates the Holy Place from the Most
Holy Place.
We find in the Holy Place:
- the table of showbread;
- the seven-branch lampstand;
- the altar of incense.
Here again, let's look at these furnishings one by one with their symbolism.
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Exodus 25:23,24,30
You shall also make a table of acacia wood (...). You
shall overlay it with pure gold, and make a molding of gold all around. (...)
You shall set the showbread on the table before Me always.
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Leviticus 24:8
Every Sabbath he shall set it in order before the Lord
continually, being taken from the children of Israel by an everlasting covenant.
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First, there was the table of showbread, upon which were set the twelve loaves
of showbread, replaced every Sabbath.
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Luke 22:19
And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it
to them, saying,
«This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.»
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John 6:51
[Jesus said,] «I am the living bread which came down
from heaven.
If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My
flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world.»
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Bread symbolizes the body of Jesus Christ, offered in sacrifice for our sins.
And why were the loaves of showbread replaced every Sabbath?
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Matthew 16:11,12
«How is it you do not understand that I did not speak to
you concerning bread? But you should beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and
Sadducees.»
Then they understood that He did not tell them to beware of the leaven of bread, but of
the doctrine of the Pharisees and Sadducees.
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Jesus also used the image of bread to symbolize the teaching of spiritual
things.
«To replace the showbread every Sabbath» thus invites us to
regularly deepen our knowledge of God and His will.
«My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me.» (John 4:34)
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Amos 8:11
I will send a famine on the land, not a famine of bread,
nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord.
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2 Peter 3:18
But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and
Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen.
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Let's feed on the living bread each day, each week, so that we may grow in the
grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ.
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Exodus 25:31,32,37
You shall also make a lampstand of pure gold (...). Six
branches shall come out of its sides (...).
You shall make seven lamps for it, and they shall arrange its lamps so that they give
light in front of it.
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Leviticus 24:2
Command the children of Israel that they bring to you
pure oil of pressed olives for the light, to make the lamps burn continually.
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Now, let's see the seven-branch lampstand, used to supply with oil seven lamps
burning night and day, giving continuous light to the sanctuary.
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Exodus 25:31,40
You shall also make a lampstand of pure gold (...).
See to it that you make them according to the pattern which was shown you on the mountain.
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The seven-branch lampstand was also made according to the pattern of the
heavenly sanctuary.
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There is indeed a seven-branch lampstand in the heavenly sanctuary:
«I saw seven golden lampstands, and in the midst of the
seven lampstands One like the Son of Man, clothed with a garment down to the feet and
girded about the chest with a golden band.» (REVELATION 1:12,13)
«To the angel of the church of Ephesus write, "These things says He who holds the
seven stars in His right hand, who walks in the midst of the seven golden lampstands
(...)."» (REVELATION 2:1)
«And from the throne proceeded lightnings, thunderings, and voices. And there were seven
lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God.» (REVELATION
4:5)
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John 8:12
[Jesus said,] «I am the light of the world. He who
follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.»
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2 Corinthians 4:6
For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of
darkness who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of
God in the face of Jesus Christ.
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Just like the other furnishings of the sanctuary, the lampstand points to the
ministry of Christ, the light of the world, who always enlightens us.
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Zechariah 4:2-6: The oil in the lampstand
symbolizes the Holy Spirit who enlightens us.
And [the angel] said to me, «What do you see?»
So I said, «I am looking, and there is a lampstand of solid gold with a bowl on top of
it, and on the stand seven lamps with seven pipes to the seven lamps. Two olive trees are
by it, one at the right of the bowl and the other at its left.»
So I answered and spoke to the angel who talked with me, saying, «What are these, my
lord?»
Then the angel who talked with me answered and said to me, «Do you not know what these
are?»
And I said, «No, my lord.»
So he answered and said to me: «This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: "Not by
might nor by power, but by My Spirit," says the Lord of hosts.»
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Exodus 30:1,3,6-9
You shall make an altar to burn incense on (...). You
shall overlay [it] with pure gold (...). You shall put it before the veil that is before
the ark of the Testimony (...).
Aaron shall burn on it sweet incense every morning (...), a perpetual incense before the
Lord throughout your generations.
You shall not offer strange incense on it, or a burnt offering, or a meal offering; nor
shall you pour a drink offering on it.
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Finally, let's look at the altar of incense, upon which was burned sweet
incense every morning and evening.
What is its use, and its symbolic value?
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Incense ascending from the altar symbolizes the prayers of the saints:
«The four living creatures and the twenty-four elders
fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are
the prayers of the saints.» (REVELATION 5:8)
«Then another angel, having a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. And he was
given much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all the saints upon the
golden altar which was before the throne. And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers
of the saints, ascended before God from the angel's hand.» (REVELATION 8:3,4)
«Let my prayer be set before You as incense, the lifting up of my hands as the evening
sacrifice.» (PSALM 141:2)
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Revelation 8:4
And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the
saints, ascended before God.
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Romans 8:26,27
Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we
do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession
for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.
Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes
intercession for the saints according to the will of God.
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The Holy Spirit perfumes our prayers, making them acceptable to God.
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Finally, let's study the furnishings found in the Most Holy Place:
The Most Holy Place is the second part of the tabernacle of meeting.
Here are its furnishings:
- the ark of the covenant;
- the mercy seat.
Let's look at these items one by one, along with their symbolism.
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Exodus 25:10,11,16
They shall make an ark of acacia wood (...). You shall
overlay it with pure gold (...).
You shall put into the ark the Testimony.
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Deuteronomy 10:4,5
[The Lord] wrote on the tablets according to the first
writing, the Ten Commandments, which the Lord had spoken to you in the mountain (...).
[I] put the tablets in the ark which I had made; and there they are, just as the Lord
commanded me.
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The ark of the covenant, a chest overlaid with gold inside and outside,
contained the two tablets on which God wrote the Ten Commandments.
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Revelation 11:19
Then the temple of God was opened in heaven, and the ark
of His covenant was seen in His temple.
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Revelation 12:17
And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to
make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the
testimony of Jesus Christ.
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The presence of the ark of the covenant in the heavenly sanctuary testifies to
the importance of the commandments of God, which are kept by His people, as we saw in the
lesson «The Commandments of God».
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Exodus 25:17,18,21,22
You shall make a mercy seat of pure gold (...). You shall
make two cherubim of gold (...) at the two ends of the mercy seat. (...) You shall put the
mercy seat on top of the ark (...).
There I will meet with you, and I will speak with you from above the mercy seat, from
between the two cherubim which are on the ark of the Testimony, of all things which I will
give you in commandment to the children of Israel.
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Finally, let's look at the mercy seat.
Used as a lid over the ark of the covenant, it was topped by two cherubim between which
God, in the form of a flame (the «Shekinah»), gave His instructions to the high priest.
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Romans 3:25
God set forth [Jesus] to be a propitiation by His blood,
through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness.
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1 Peter 1:12
They were ministering the things which now have been
reported to you through those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent
from heaven - things which angels desire to look into.
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The mercy seat points to the sacrifice of Jesus, wonderful work attracting the
attention of the angels, just like the cherubim on the mercy seat.
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Romans 5:20
Moreover the law entered that the offense might abound.
But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more.
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Hebrews 4:16
Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that
we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
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The mercy seat is placed above the tablets of the law, showing us that by the
sacrifice of our sin offering, Jesus Christ our propitiation, we get the forgiveness of
our sins, that is, our transgressions of God's law.
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The furnishings of the sanctuary show the stages of the Christian life :
<<-- Progress of
the Christian life --<< +--- Beginning of Christian life
+======================================+ | 1. Repentance, confession, Je-
| +========================+ _ | |
sus accepted as sacrifice
| |//@ 7. @\\) 5. #@#@#4. ( / \ 1. | | (altar of
burnt offering).
| | ######## ( ## ||||||| ) | | / \ | 2. Baptism (laver of
bronze).
| |6.# nn # ) ## |+-|-+| ( \_/ #### <-+ 3. Jesus, light of the world,
| | ###### ( +--|--+3.) 2. #### |
enlightens us (lampstand).
| +========================+ |
4. Jesus, living bread, feeds
+======================================+ us (table of
showbread).
5. The Spirit with us, our prayers ascend before God (altar of incense).
6. The law shows God's will (ark of the covenant containing the law).
7. The mercy of God forgives our transgressions of the law (mercy seat).
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Let's thank God:
Our heavenly Father,
What a wonderful message is contained in Your sanctuary and the furnishings that we find
in it!
May these furnishings be a continuous source of inspiration, as we progress day after day
in our Christian life.
May Your grace be with us, this blessed grace that saves us and helps us to do Your will,
as expressed in Your Ten Commandments. In Jesus Christ we pray.
Amen.
The test of Lesson 13 is waiting for you!