The Old Testament Witness to Christ and His Kingdom, Mentor's Guide, MG09

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T H E O L D T E S T A M E N T W I T N E S S T O C H R I S T A N D H I S K I N G D O M

The various elements and activities associated with the Tabernacle are a type of the salvation provided in Jesus Christ. In a real sense, the Tabernacle was a copy or shadow of the true dwelling place of God in the heavenlies, a symbol of God’s presence among his people, and a way for God to reveal through type the one true salvation in Jesus. The description of the Tabernacle’s dimensions and compartments (e.g., the Outer Court, the Holy Place, and the Holy of holies) illustrate the principle of access to God, and in the same way the Tabernacle provided this access, so Jesus Christ makes access to God final and perfect, available to all by faith through his blood sacrifice. The various articles of the Tabernacle represent distinctive aspects of Jesus Christ and his work: the Brazen Altar represents sacrificial redemption in Christ, the Laver represents the cleansing we receive through the blood of Jesus Christ, the Table of Shewbread represents Jesus Christ as the Bread of Life, the Golden Candlestick represents Christ as the Light of the world, the Altar of Incense represents Jesus’ ministry of intercession on behalf of his people, the Veil represents the body of Jesus torn and broken for us on Calvary, and the Ark of the Covenant represents the communion with God we share by faith in Jesus Christ. The high priesthood and its sacrifices are a type of the perfect high priesthood of Jesus Christ which is perfectly better than the pattern of Aaron’s priesthood, being of the order of Melchizedek’s, whose priestly order was eternal, unchangeable, perfect, and final. Jesus Christ fulfills in his life and sacrifice the meaning of all the offerings associated with the Temple sacrifices: the whole burnt offering is a type of Jesus’ own free will offering of himself to God; the meal offering is a type of Jesus’ own presentation and dedication of his life and sufferings to God acceptable to him in every respect; the peace offering is a type of Jesus Christ himself who is our peace with God and with one another; the sin offering is a type of Jesus Christ who became sin for us by bearing our offense and penalty on the Cross; the trespass offering is a type of how Jesus is propitiation for our sins as well as cleansing and provision for us to live a new life. Jesus is the antitype of the types included in Israel’s feasts, festivals, and convocations: in the Feast of the Passover , Jesus is our Paschal Lamb whose

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