Christ in all the scriptures Secrets of the Sanctuary

 Christ in all the scriptures

The Secrets of the Sanctuary   Exodus 37

Every detail of the Tabernacle is stated twice, once in the design (25-30), and, secondly in the construction (31-40).  Such is the importance of this, that it is repeated in every detail, and we derive such blessing if we study God's picture book of "the patterns in the heavens".  This is how God sees His dwelling with redeemed human beings, and presents us the loftiest view of all.  From design to construction, there is a different order of presentation, but the details remain the same.  In the first section (25-30) the Ark is mentioned first of all; in the second (36-40) it is the first of the vessels of the sanctuary to be made.  Thus the prominence of the Ark is established.  In the design, the Ark is detailed before any other; in the construction the Ark was the first mentioned of the seven vessels of the Tabernacle.  In chapter 37, we have the vessels of the sanctuary-namely the Ark and its Mercy Seat, the Table of Shewbread, the Lampstand, and the Golden Altar of incense.  In chapter 38 there is the Brazen Altar, and the Laver, then the courtyard, all outside the sanctuary.  All of them speak of Christ.

We focus now on the four vessels of the sanctuary, the Ark in the Holiest-the dwelling place of God; the other three in the Holy place-the sphere of the priesthood.  Only God and Moses and the Priesthood saw these sacred vessels.  They all speak of Christ in different ways:

The Ark and the Mercy Seat speak of Christ in Justification...expanded in Romans

The Table of shewbread is Christ in Communion...expanded in Corinthians

The Lampstand is Christ in Illumination...expanded in the writings of John

The Golden Altar is Christ in Intercession...expanded in Hebrews

Together, they describe the wonder of salvation, seen only by God and the Priests.  All four are the secrets of the Sanctuary.  These are awesome truths, beyond anything of this world.  They are of such excellence, they transcend human philosophy, and compel us to make them part of our thinking, as well as arranging to teach them corporately on an ongoing and ever increasing basis.  Such is the matter of their teaching, that it causes the angels of heaven to ponder, to cease their heavenly activity, to wonder whenever God's salvation in all its facets is enacted on earth-1st Peter 1v10-..."which things the angels desire to look into".  The word for desire is earnest desire (they can't get enough of it; they want to see every event, this is something they've never seen before, and they don't want to miss a moment!).  The word for "look into" is literally to bend down!  High and holy creatures, who dwell in heaven, bending down in rapt attention at what God is doing with mankind.  They are not concerned with the lesser issues of this world, these are the things they are watching.  We are on Heavens T.V. to put it so we can understand.  These Heavenly watchers are in wonderment at the grace and mercy of God, we are the object of their constant attention.  Perhaps, in light of that we could give more attention to these things, individually, and corporately.  It is my conviction that each church should set up a programme of teaching to expound to all the wonders of what salvation means.  It is, perhaps the lack of this that has led to so much confusion and debate and division.  The purity, the beauty, the simplicity, the availability, the perpetuity of the gospel, makes all lesser occupations of men to be mere kiddies toys.  What occupies angels, superior in wisdom and power than us, can surely be our primary occupation.  The following are fundamental to the gospel.

The Ark and the Mercy Seat-Christ in Justification

"For He made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him"-2nd Cor. 5v21.  The astounding truth of Justification!  It is all over the New Testament, but primarily expounded in the Roman epistle.   The words for justification, justify, righteousness are diakosine and dikaioo and occur 140 times in scripture, and 42 times in Romans.  Righteousness is the state of moral perfection required by God for entry into heaven, and the words mean literally "straight" with God.  It is clear none of us have it, also that only God can provide it, and this He has done in Christ.  The Ark brings before us the righteousness of God in Christ.

We note, first of all, the greatness of Christ's person in the shittim wood, overlaid with pure gold.  As we have stated before, and it stands repetition, incorruptible humanity with absolute Deity in one person.  Note how Romans marks this fact-1v3-4 ""...concerning His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, which came of the seed of David, according to the flesh (Humanity); and was declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the Spirit of holiness" (Deity).  Again, Romans 9v5, ""...of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is God over all blessed forever".   Atop the Ark is the Mercy Seat which covers the Ark, and represents His work.   Romans 3v25 says, "Whom God set forth a propitiation (a Mercy Seat-a place where man can meet God) through faith in His blood to declare His righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God, to declare at this time His righteousness, that He might be Just and the justifier of every one which believeth in Jesus."  Christ is the Mercy Seat, no longer behind two vails, but now "set forth" in public view.  The golden cherubims, symbolic of God's eternal justice, appear on the Mercy seat, but the flaming sword which cast out humanity from Eden (Genesis 3v24) is gone.  The justice of God has been satisfied.  They spread their wings on high in judicial approval, as they look toward each other and down to the pure gold Mercy Seat.  The sin and failure of man, symbolised in the Ark contents, has been met in Christ; the sin of disobedience in the unbroken tables of stone; the sin of dissatisfaction in the golden pot of manna; the sin of rebellion in Aaron's rod that budded.  From this sacred place God declares His righteousness, His way of making men and women right with Himself, through faith in the blood, from ages past until the end of time!  Nothing in all the world more compelling than this!

The Table of Shewbread-Christ in communion

We cannot live life in a vacuum.  The justified will inevitably adjust their lifestyle for obvious reasons.  Christ provides this new lifestyle with our salvation, bringing quality of life to a higher level.  What people have by faith in Christ-forgiveness of sins, a hope for the eternal future, a Father who loves them, the Holy Spirit to guide them is far superior to anything this world has to offer.  These blessings supersede all earthly problems and fits people for higher service.  When Jesus gives life, He gives it "more abundantly", and it is all acquired by faith.  In the Ark we have union, in the Table, communion; this is unfolded in the letters to Corinthians:

1st Corinthians 1v9, "God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord".

1st Corinthians 10v16-17, "The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ?  The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ?  For we being many are ONE BREAD, ONE BODY, for we are all partakers of that one bread"

2nd Corinthians 13v13-14, "All the saints salute you.  The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all.  Amen".

All the saints, all believers, share in this communion, it is not a closed communion to anyone who is in Christ.  All the priests partook of the shewbread, even those who had been debarred from serving as priests for any reason.  Our right to communion has not to do with our faithfulness, it has to do with the faithfulness of God.  

The Lampstand-Christ in Illumination 

Christ also illuminates the minds, necessary in a world full of opinions and philosophies.   One of the functions of the Lampstand, the beautiful golden candelabra, was to give light in the darkness, through the night, in the holy place.  This light was powered by oil, symbol of the Holy Spirit.  Scripture says "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and light unto my path"-Psalm 119v105.  It is the Holy Spirit who inspired the word, and in the word He sheds light on the glories of Christ, which is the purpose of these blogs-refer Luke 24v27, v44.  The light in the Holy Place illuminated the beautiful Lampstand (Exodus 25v37).  Continually, in the darkness, the light was always to shine before the Lord.  The Lampstand is no longer hidden by the vail, it is now in the public domain.  John presents this in his writings:

John 1v4, "In Him was life, and the life was the light of men";  John 1v9, "He was the true light which lighteth every man that cometh into the world"; John 8v12 "I am the light of the world; he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness but shall have the light of life."; John 9v5, "As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world".   Now that Jesus has left this world in exaltation, is there no more light of God in the world?  Thank God there is, and, wait for it, the light of God is through the churches, as depicted in Revelation 2/3 where the seven churches are characterised as seven golden lampstands!  With all their failure, and weakness, and problems, yet it is through them the light of God shines.  The light of God has never been, and will never be extinguished on this earth, although at times we must admit it is but a flickering torch.  This, of course brings responsibility on us all both individually and corporately, since Jesus said "Ye are the light of the world"-Matthew 5v14, and Paul wrote in Philippians 2v15, "...that ye might be blameless and harmless, the sons of God without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom ye shine as luminaries in the world.  By word and by walk, Jesus was the light of God in a dark world, and we are called to be the same.  Any light that we give is reflected light, and should be of "the knowledge of God in the face of Jesus Christ".  No matter the darkness, the light will never go out.

The Golden Altar-Christ in intercession

Notwithstanding the perfection of God's salvation, the reality is that God's people will fail.  The word in John is that "These things are written that ye sin not.  And if any man sin we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous"-1st John 2v1.  Sin to God is the same, whether it is in a Christian or in an unbeliever.  "God is light and in Him is no darkness at all" says the same writer.  He must punish sin in all its forms.  Since He will not punish us eternally because we are in Christ, He must punish sin when it arises.  Thus we need representation before God in this matter, and in 1st John, Christ is our Advocate (legal representative), and in the letter to Hebrews He is our great High Priest who pleads our cause.  1st John deals with more our sin, and Hebrews deals both with our sins and infirmities.  Both need representation before the throne.  We will not know this side of eternity what grief we were spared because of the intercessory work of Christ in heaven even now.  He also preserves from ourselves on the way to glory.  This work of intercession is going on now and to the end of the age.

Hebrews 2v17, "Wherefore, in all things it behoved Him to be made like unto His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people."

Hebrews 7v25 "Wherefore He is able also to save to the uttermost, all that come unto God by Him, seeing He ever liveth to make intercession for them".

Hebrews 9v24, "For 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".

The Golden Altar is His present work for us in intercession for our evils and for our weaknesses.

These are the four secrets of the sanctuary-Christ our Justification; Christ our Communion; Christ our Illumination; Christ our Intercession.