Jesus Revealed
in the Tabernacle
Pastor Benny Hinn
It's impossible to simply
take a glance at God's Word and think we know anything.
God's Word is a treasure,
but often we have to dig beneath the surface to discover the depth and value of
the unsearchable riches in Him.
The Tabernacle in the
wilderness is a great example. It's more than a tent. It's more than a place
where sacrifices were offered.
It's so much more!
The study of the design and
details of the ancient Tabernacle is filled with rich symbolism and eternal
significance. Most importantly, the Tabernacle’s design and details point
directly to our Lord Jesus Christ.
God’s Dwelling Place
The Tabernacle was the transportable meeting
place described in the Old Testament book of Exodus where Almighty God met with
the children of Israel during the 40 years they wandered in the desert.
Specific instructions were given by God to
Moses at Mount Sinai. The construction materials were made from gold, silver,
brass, furs, jewels, and other treasured materials taken from the land of
Egypt.
The tent-like dwelling place was built of
woven layers of curtains, along with 48 standing boards covered with polished
gold. These boards were held in place by five bars on each side.
The design and account of the construction of
the Tabernacle is given in Exodus 25-31 and 36-41.
Specifically, Exodus 25 details the materials
needed for the Ark of the Covenant, the table for 12 showbread, and the golden
candle stick (menorah). Exodus 26 offers additional specifications for the
Tabernacle itself, as well as the bars and partitions. Exodus 27 describes the
construction of the copper altar, the enclosure itself, and the oil for
anointing. Exodus 28 spoke to the priests’ vestments, including the garments,
ephod, ring settings, the breastplate, robe, head-plate, tunic, turban, sashes,
and trousers. Exodus 29 described the consecration of both the priests and
altar. And Exodus 30 shared details about incense, the incense altar,
washstand, and anointing oil.
Directly inside the gate of the Outer Court
was the altar for burnt offerings. Between that altar and the door leading into
the Inner Court was the laver. In the Inner Court was the Holy Place, which
housed the Table of showbread, Golden Candlestick, and Altar of Incense. A
veil, suspended from four pillars, separated the Holy Place from the Most Holy
Place, or Holy of Holies, where the Ark of the Covenant was placed.
The Tabernacle Revealed Christ Jesus
The portable sanctuary became a living symbol
and dwelling place, for God desired to be with His children despite their sin.
Just as He sent His only begotten Son to take
away our sins and make us holy, through the Tabernacle God gave a way to
understand His Holiness and dwell in their midst.
Hebrews 9 takes us on the journey from the
Outer Court to the Inner Court, giving a deep understanding of what God was
showing His people through the Tabernacle (and later the Temple in Jerusalem).
In the Outer Court, where all could enter,
the bronze altar was a symbol of the cross where Jesus, the Lamb of God, died
for our sins, once and for all, with no more sacrifices needed.
Near the bronze altar was the basin, filled
with water and used for ceremonial cleansing of the priests. With Jesus, all
believers can be made pure, not just washed, and made a completely new
creation.
Beyond the bronze altar was the entrance into
the Inner Court for a select few. In this heart of the Tabernacle, a place of
privilege, the Holy Place was a room where priestly duties were completed.
Inside the Holy Place was the lamp stand, made of pure gold, shedding light in
the dark room. Jesus, by contrast, became the Light of the world. The 12 loaves
of bread foreshadowed Jesus who called Himself the Bread of Life. The smell of
incense burning on the altar was a symbol of prayer going up to God as a sweet
fragrance, even “as Christ also hath loved us, and
hath given Himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling
savour” (Ephesians 5:2) Logos Bible
In the innermost part of the Tabernacle, The
Holy of Holies, also called the Most Holy Place, was separated by the very
thick curtain. This veil shielded man from a Holy God, and no one but the High
Priest could enter, and he could only do so once a year. Thankfully, when Jesus
died on Calvary’s Cross, that veil was torn from the top to the bottom,
allowing all believers direct access to God and to the Ark of the Covenant
where God’s Presence dwelled. Our Lord Jesus Christ, through His death, burial,
and resurrection, gave us access to God’s Presence.
God had always wanted to be with His people,
and the Tabernacle revealed His plan to take away the sins of the world, to
make us holy and acceptable, and to dwell in His Presence!
From the Outer Court to the Inner Court
Jesus was revealed in the Tabernacle, along
with God’s Plan to make us holy, acceptable, and intimate with God Almighty.
So what do we do with that revelation?
The psalmist wrote: “O
God, You are my God; early will I seek You; my soul thirsts for You; my flesh
longs for You in a dry and thirsty land where there is no water. So I have
looked for you in the sanctuary, to see Your Power and Your Glory” (Psalm
63:1-2) Logos Bible Software
God wants us to dwell with Him in His
sanctuary, to live in His Presence!
Seeking God in this dimension is comparable
to entering the Outer Court of the Tabernacle, as described in the Old
Testament (Exodus 25-40; Leviticus 8). Everything begins to change as you fall
on your knees there. Your flesh fights you every step of the way, and a war
wages around you as you pray and seek Him. You get tired, the phone rings, the
dog barks, and people need you “right now.” Still, somehow, you must keep going
if you want to move into the Inner Court and eventually the Holy of Holies.
Rest assured, you wouldn’t be pursuing Him
this deeply unless the Holy Spirit has placed a supernatural hunger and thirst
inside your heart. How you respond to that gentle tugging and desire will
ultimately determine whether you enter the Inner Court.
You must make time to be with the Lord. Search for Him; seek Him while He may be
found. There will be a battle! Wrestle
against the flesh—you must crucify your flesh—for that’s the only way you can
enter His Presence.
The Apostle Paul said, “I die daily.” The flesh cannot get into the Holy Place or Holy of
Holies. As with the Temple, the sacrifices of the flesh must take place in the
Outer Court.
Entering God’s Presence
Let me condense what takes hours to teach and
quickly offer seven thoughts on what happens as you move from the Outer Court
to the Inner Court, and as God prepares you eventually to enter the Holy of
Holies:
You will receive a better knowledge of self
in the Outer Court, but as you move into the Inner Court, you will receive a
greater knowledge of God.
You can receive cleansing from sin in the
Outer Court, but in the Holy Place, you will receive a greater understanding of
God’s Righteousness.
In the Outer Court, your flesh must be
sacrificed to Him. In the Inner Court, your killing of self ends and His filling
of your spirit begins.
God holds you in the Outer Court as you
praise and worship Him. In the Inner Court, you hold Him and learn to embrace
Him fully.
Your tongue begins to be governed by Him in
the Outer Court, but in the Holy Place, your tongue begins to govern, with His
anointing. You can’t loose and bind in the Outer Court. You only do so in the
Holy Place.
God gives wisdom in the Outer Court, but when
you get to the Holy Place, God makes you a vessel of honor.
In the Outer Court God opens your eyes, but
in the Inner Court the windows of Heaven are opened unto you.
You will go through battles. You may feel
like quitting a million times. Demons will fight you. Friends and family won’t
always understand. Yet as you break through from the flesh (Outer Court) to the
soul (Holy Place or Inner Court), you are being readied to enter the area of
the Spirit (Holy of Holies).
Inside the Holy of Holies
People who hear this teaching often ask, “How
can I move from the Outer Court to the Holy Place and Holy of Holies?”
It requires diligence. You must place the
greatest of priorities on spending time with Him. As mentioned, you must
sacrifice the flesh and things of the flesh. The cost is great, yet the rewards
are beyond measure.
Is it worth the price you must pay? Ask
anyone who has truly spent any length of time in God’s Presence. The second you
move into the Holy of Holies, you cannot help but be touched by His Light…and
so much more!
We are given this description: “Righteousness and justice are the foundation of
Your throne; mercy and truth go before Your face. Blessed are the people who
know the joyful sound! They walk, O Lord, in the light of Your countenance. In
Your Name they rejoice all day long, and in Your righteousness they are
exalted” (Psalm 89:19Open in Logos Bible Software.
Righteousness! His face! Heavenly sounds!
Light! Exaltation! All these are there in the throne room.
There is joy unspeakable in the Presence of
God!
You understand, more than ever before, God’s
all-sufficiency. His nature begins to permeate you. Things of this earth become
less important as time with Him becomes more dear. Your life is forever
changed, yet you realize that the transformation has only begun.
In His Presence you will truly know what it
means to be more than a conqueror. You will become a bold witness because of what
you have witnessed in His Presence.
Your focus on eternal things becomes clearer
than you can imagine!
The Holy of Holies and You
Untitled-1Do you want to experience God’s Presence
in this dimension?
Are you willing to pay the price? He’s
waiting for you in a place described by the Apostle Paul: “But
we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are
being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the
Spirit of the Lord” (2 Corinthians 3:18Open in Logos Bible Software.
As you seek Him with your whole heart and an
unquenchable thirst for Him drives you to your knees in prayer, you will begin
to move toward the Holy of Holies.
Once the Glory of His Presence has touched
your life, you will never be the same.
Spiritual hunger will draw you as the things of earth grow dim in the
Light of His Glory. And the resounding
cry of your heart will echo that of Moses when He said, “Show me Your ways that I may know You!”
That is my prayer for you—that you will
understand how Jesus was revealed in the Tabernacle, and that you will discover
for yourself how to move deeply into God’s Presence every day!