The Book of  HEBREWS
James J. Barker


Lesson 21
TYPES IN THE TABERNACLE

Text: HEBREWS 9:1-5


INTRODUCTION:


  1. "The first covenant" (9:1) refers to the Mosaic covenant (8:7).
  2. We have already noted that Christ is a priest after the order of Melchisedec (5:6, 10; 6:20; 7:21; etc.) and His priesthood is better than the Levitical priesthood.
  3. It is better for many reasons; one of the reasons being that the new sanctuary is better than the old (9:11).
  4. The "worldly ("earthly" -- margin) sanctuary was modeled after the "greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands" (9:11; cf. 8:2, 5).
  5. We see here in Hebrews 9 that the Old Testament tabernacle with its furniture and all of its ceremonies were typical.

 

I. THE TABERNACLE HAD THREE DIFFERENT SECTIONS

  1. First, there was the outer court, surrounded by a linen wall suspended on brazen pillars.
  2. The tabernacle itself was divided into two sections.  The first compartment was called "the holy place."
  3. In the holy place were the golden lampstand, a golden table for the twelve loaves of shewbread, and the golden altar where incense was offered (Heb. 9:2).
  4. No sacrifices were made on this altar.  It pictured the Lord Jesus Christ praying for us as our Intercessor (cf. 7:25).
  5. "And after the second veil...the Holiest of all" (9:3), or "the Holy of holies," where only the high priest could enter.  He was only allowed to enter once a year -- on the day of atonement.
  6. This veil, separating the holy place from the Holy of holies, was ripped in twain from the top to the bottom when our Lord died on the cross (Matt. 27:51).

 

II. FURNITURE INSIDE THE HOLY OF HOLIES

  1. In "Holiest of all" (9:3) stood the ark of the covenant containing the golden pot of manna (9:4).  This typified the Lord Jesus Christ, who said in John 6:35, "I am the bread of life."
  2. Also present was "Aaron's rod that budded, and the tables of the (Mosaic) covenant" (9:4b).
  3. These were tables of stone, and on them were inscribed the ten commandments.
  4. The ark of the covenant was covered with a golden lid -- "overlaid round about with gold" (9:4).  This lid was called "the mercy seat" (9:5).
  5. At the two ends of the mercy seat were the two cherubims of glory (9:5). They too were made of gold.   These two cherubims stretched forth their wings -- "shadowing the mercyseat" (9:5).
  6. The Greek word translated "mercyseat" is elsewhere translated "propitiation" (cf. Rom. 3:25; I John 2:2; 4:10).
  7. The cover of the ark -- the mercy seat --  in the Holy of Holies was sprinkled with the blood of the sacrifice on the annual day of atonement.   This typified Christ, who shed His blood as an atonement for sin.
  8. All your anxiety, all your care,
    Bring to the mercy seat, leave it there;
    Never a burden He cannot bear,
    Never a friend like Jesus.

 

III. TYPES OF CHRIST

  1. The golden candlestick (9:2) was in the first compartment, the holy place ("called the sanctuary") and is mentioned first.  This candlestick (lampstand) was very important because there were no windows in the tabernacle.
  2. The golden candlestick was a picture and type of the Lord Jesus Christ.  Jesus said in John 8:12 and 9:5, "I am the light of the world."
  3. The lampstand was made of pure gold, symbolizing our Lord's deity.
  4. The lampstand had seven branches with bowls shaped like almonds on each tip to hold oil for burning.   In Scripture, oil is an emblem of the Holy Spirit.
  5. In the "sanctuary" (9:2), that is "the holy place," across the room from the golden lampstand, was the table of shewbread (9:2).  The priests ate the shewbread, picturing believers who feast on Christ, the Bread of life.
  6. And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst."
  7. There were two articles of furniture in the Holy of holies, referred to in Hebrews 9:3 as "the Holiest of all."
  8. There was the ark of the covenant and the mercy seat (9:4).
  9. The author (more than likely the apostle Paul) also mentions "the golden censer" (9:4).  This censer would normally be situated in the holy place, between the golden lampstand and the table of shewbread.
  10. This has long puzzled students of Scripture.   Why is the golden censer now said to be in the Holy of holies?
  11. Here is a possible explanation: The ordinary censers used in the tabernacle worship were made of brass or copper.  But on the Day of Atonement the high priest used a golden censor when he went into the Holy of holies.

 

IV. THE ARK OF THE COVENANT

  1. Nothing in the Bible is said about the ark of the covenant in the Old Testament after the return from Babylon, but the Apocrypha states that the Ark could not be found when the Jewish people rebuilt the Temple at the time of Ezra and Zechariah.
  2. The explanation given in the Apocrypha was that the prophet Jeremiah hid the ark in a cave in Mt. Nebo before the Babylonian invasion, and that its location would not be revealed until God was ready for it to be found.
  3. Therefore, the Holy of holies in the Second Temple (Zerubbabel's temple, built after the return from captivity) was an empty compartment, without the ark of the covenant.
  4. When the Roman General Pompey conquered Jerusalem around 63 B.C., he demanded the privilege of entering the Holy of holies. When he went into the Holy of holies, he came out saying that he could not understand what was so important about an empty room.
  5. About 30 years ago there was a popular movie entitled, Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark.
  6. But the ark is not lost.  It is in heaven (cf. Rev. 8:3; 11:19).
  7. The ark of the covenant represented the presence of God.

 

CONCLUSION:

  1. With or without the ark of the covenant, a temple will be rebuilt and will be standing during the coming Tribulation (Matt. 24:5; II Thess. 2:4; Rev. 11:1, 2).   The Lord is coming soon!
  2. "Even so, come, Lord Jesus " (Rev. 22:20).


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