외국인칼럼 > 영어칼럼 > The mystery of Jesus Christ’s sufferings and atonement shown through the tabernacle

1. Fine twisted linen of the court of the tabernacle
The court of the tabernacle is enclosed by fine twisted linen that is 5 cubits (7.48 ft) high. The fine twisted linen represents the righteousness of saints bestowed through the atoning death of Jesus Christ. This reminds us of the time when Joseph of Arimathea took away Jesus’ body and wrapped Him in linen after Jesus had suffered and died on the cross. The saints who have been justified by His grace are also wearing fine white linen in Revelation 19:8.

2. The pegs of the enclosure
Pegs are tiny and seem insignificant. They are not visible because they are embedded deep in the ground. However, they support the entire structure of the tabernacle. They reflect the image of Jesus Christ who came down to the earth in flesh and obeyed to the point of death on the cross.

3. The screens made out of blue, purple and scarlet material weaved with fine linen
All the gates of the tabernacle consist of the screens made out of blue, purple, and scarlet material weaved with fine linen, and this foreshadows Jesus’ divine nature and His sacri-ficial ministry. Blue represents the sacred life which belongs to the heavens, and purple signifies the royal authority of Jesus. Color of blood, red portrays the complete cleansing of our sins once for all by Jesus Christ’s blood sacrifice on the cross. The fine twisted linen signifies the purity of Jesus’ life that endured much afflictions and sufferings.

4. The entrance to the most holy place
There was a veil between the holy place and the most holy place, but the veil was torn in two from top to bottom when Jesus breathed His last and died on the cross; hence, Jesus inaugurated the way for us through the veil. Hebrews 10:20 testifies that the veil was the flesh of Jesus. By being torn on the cross as a sin offering, Jesus opened the eternal path for sinful mankind to draw near to God.

5. The court of the tabernacle
The court of the tabernacle was a place for slaughtering the animal sacrifices and eating the meat that were given as offerings to God. It was a place of gruesome death as well as a place of sharing beautiful reconciliation. Redemptive-historically, this shows Jesus’ min-istry of atonement and reconciliation. Jesus reconciled us to God by bearing our sins and dying on the cross on our behalf.

6. The silver sockets of the boards
The total number of the silver sockets was 100, and they have the sacrificial duty of hold-ing up the boards. The silver sockets were made as the “ransom for his life (ESV)” of the Israelite males who were numbered in the census (Exod 30:11-16). Ransom refers to “the money required for forgiveness of sin.” Jesus delivered us from our sins by giving His own life as a ransom to purchase us.

7. Altar of burnt offering
There was no part of the bonze altar that was not saturated by the blood of the sacrifice offerings. Just as the blood drenched the bronze altar and soaked the ground, Jesus’ blood covered his entire body from head to toe on the cross and drenched the hill of Golgotha.
Indeed, the last altar where Jesus was torn as the sin offering for mankind was the cross of Golgotha.

8. The purple cloth that was used to transport the altar of burnt offering
People imputed their sins on the animals and these animals were killed on the altar of burnt offering. When transporting the altar of burnt offering, a purple cloth was spread over it (Num 4:13-14); and this reminds us of the purple robe Jesus wore right before the crucifixion. Purple is the color of the king’s garment, and the Roman soldiers dressed Jesus in a purple (scarlet) robe. In order to clothe the sinners with the garment of righteousness, Jesus was unclothed, torn, and clothed with the garment stained with blood.

9. Laver
In the tabernacle where sacrifices were offered continuously, the laver always had to be filled with holy water so that the priests could perform the cleansing ritual of washing their hands and feet. The laver represents the grace of redemption by Jesus Christ’s cross, which washes away our sin. Jesus shed his blood and water when a Roman soldier pierced His side with a spear. Blood and water is an expression that sums up Jesus’ ministry as the Christ on the earth. Jesus’s blood is the blood of life that saves the sinners, and the water Jesus shed is the water of life that sanctifies us eternally.

10. Covering for the tent of rams’ skins dyed red
The rams’ skins dyed red symbolizes the blood sacrifice and the death of Jesus, the Lamb for our atonement. Jesus poured out His blood that saturated His entire body from head to toe?all for our sins.
Jesus poured out His blood and water from His every wound where He was lashed, from His head thrust with the crown of thorns, from His nailed hands and feet, and from His side pierced with a Roman soldier’s spear. The blood of the cross?the blood of the cov-enant that was predestined before the ages?embodies the eternal life of God as well as the soul, the heart, the will, and the spirit of our Lord.

11. The golden lampstand
The lampstand in the holy place was made of hammered work on pure gold. The process of hammering the gold portrays the sufferings and the countless beatings endured by pre-cious Jesus. Nevertheless, Jesus Christ brightens our souls as the light of life that drives out the darkness.

12. The position of the altar of incense
The altar of incense was placed in front of the veil between the holy place and the most holy place. The altar of incense was placed across from the mercy seat, and its position symbol-izes the intercessory ministry of Jesus Christ who stands on the right side of God’s throne.
After Jesus suffered on the cross, rose from the dead, and ascended into heaven, He stands on the right side of God’s throne, ceaselessly interceding for the salvation of God’s elect.

13. The making of the ark of the covenant
The ark of the covenant was made out of acacia wood and was overlaid with pure gold inside and out. Acacia wood (Shittim tree) is a humble tree that does not have any stately form and it grows in the dry desert grounds. Shittim tree not only symbolizes the human-ity of Jesus Christ but also foreshadows His brutal sufferings on the cross. Being overlaid with pure gold inside and out, the ark of the covenant illustrates how God calls us sinners and redeems us by covering our inner and outer man with the precious blood of Christ, which is more precious than pure gold.

14. The mercy seat
The cover of the ark of the covenant is called the mercy seat. On the Day of Atonement each year, the high priest sprinkled the blood of the sin offering on the mercy seat. First, he sprinkled the blood on the east side of the mercy seat, and then he sprinkled the blood in front of the mercy seat seven times. Sprinkling the blood towards the east of the mercy seat?that is, toward the entrance of the most holy place?symbolizes purifying the path of God’s presence. Moreover, sprinkling the blood seven times in front of the mercy seat foreshadows the perfect atonement of Jesus Christ. This shows that Jesus Christ’s work of atonement on the cross completely resolves all sins of humanity.

by Reporter Ji Geun-ook
This is a partial summary of the 9th book of the Redemptive History Series, The Mystery of the Wondrous Glory: The Tabernacle and the Ark of the Covenant (Authored by Rev. Abraham Park; published by Huisun)