BLOG 8....**Part Two** Looking Into the Mirror of the Old Testament and Seeing The Image of The New...

(Please see the end of the blog for source citation)

(Several key points were influenced by or directly copied from the workbook "A Woman's Heart: God's Dwelling Place" by Beth Moore)

From the first page of Genesis to the final sentence in Revelation, we see God’s eternal pursuit of mankind’s heart. We also see His unfathomable desire to commune intimately with man and have a personal relationship with Him. We see God throwing open the door of His heart to the heart of man to eternally commune with him. God created us, He chose us, so that we may know Who He is (Isaiah 43:10)

However, when mankind sinned, the door of our hearts that once was open to the heart of God was eternally closed. When man sinned, the doors of separation from He and God were immediately erected and bolted shut. Once the door was bolted shut, we became prisoners trapped behind these doors of sin; we became prisoners who had no hope of escape. Only one key could open the door; the Key of Calvary.

Only this key had the perfect shape to fit into the key hole that could unlock the door once again to allow God and man to abide in one another. Jesus is at the closed doors of your heart knocking. He says that if anyone will answer from the other side of the door and ask Him to unlock it, that He will honor their request. (Revelation 3:20)

Jesus continually knocks at the doors of our imprisoned hearts, knowing full well that we cannot open them. It takes us asking Him and agreeing to let Him unlock the doors of our jailed souls. Jesus knew that He was the only way that a divine key could be fashioned that could open those doors.

But the price of “cutting this key” was high; Jesus had to cut His flesh and His Soul in order to make that key. But He willingly agreed to pay it because He so longed to re-open the door of covenant relationship that sin had barred shut. Jesus alone paid the price to cut that salvation key and Jesus alone knows how to place the key in the locks of our hearts and turn it to open the door.

The Bible clearly supports the truth and reality that Jesus is the Only One Who can unlock and release us from EACH ONE of our prisons of sin. Isaiah 61:1 and Luke 4:18 both say that He came “to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners.” In John 8:34, Jesus says that, “everyone who sins is a slave to sin.” and speaks of their permanent release in verse 36, “if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”

The Tabernacle design depicted above represents man’s heart. There are several New Testament references to our hearts being the Tabernacles of God. I Corinthians 6:19 says that our “body is the temple of the Holy Spirit”. The Greek transliteration of the word temple is “Naos” which describes “…the temple at Jerusalem, but only of the sacred edifice (or sanctuary) itself, consisting of the Holy place and the Holy of Holies.” As we know from blog 1, the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies were the most exclusive parts of the Tabernacle in which God met with those who were sanctified. The Holy and the Holy of Holies are tangible representations of the how God’s new covenant deemed that the hearts of men would be the Tabernacled dwelling of Jehovah God.

God’s most earnest and heart-felt desire was to dwell among mankind. We can easily see this in His divine blueprint for the Tabernacle and by His desire to live in the Tabernacle of our hearts as New Testament believers. But if God desires our hearts to be His Tabernacle and we are imprisoned in cells of sin within our hearts, how can God dwell there since He can tolerate no sin??

Not only is the cross the key to unlocking us from our captivity, but it is also the compass that will navigate us down the road of redemption that we must follow once we are free. Jesus says that the road to salvation is narrow and there are few that find it (Matthew 7:13-14). This divine compass points us to the narrow gate on the East side of the Tabernacle of our hearts and leads us down the narrow path into a covenant relationship with our God.

The narrow path will have several “sanctification toll booths” along the way. The 4 stops on the roadmap are indicative of the path of remission that begins with the bronze altar of sacrifice and ends with the destination of the ark of the covenant/testimony.

Those who follow the roadmap of salvation become less of a prisoner and more of a High priest with each step towards God. (I Peter 2:9 and Revelation 1:5-6). The best thing about this pilgrimage is that we have a Travel Guide Who will guide us in our journey. We cannot travel this road without Him; Jesus knows the way because He is the way. (John 10:9)

The first stop on this roadmap to God is at the Bronze Altar of Sacrifice. As you recall the bronze altar was a tangible representation of the Sacrifice of Jesus in the New Testament. Everything from the incorruptible acacia wood (representing Christ’s humanity) to the 4 horns on the altar sides that were used to secure the sacrifice (Christ was known as the ‘horn of our salvation) are mirror images of the same reality. In order to continue down the redemption road, we must stop at the toll booth of remission before we can proceed.

The toll fee was too high for us to pay; we had no means whatsoever to pay it. We had to have someone else pay that fee for us so we could proceed down the road. The toll price? An innocent sacrifice with no blemish or spot, perfect in everyway, had to be slaughtered in order to pay our debt in full. In the Old Testament, only animals that were without spot or blemish could be acceptable sacrifices to God. In the New Testament, Jesus was the ultimate sacrifice that not only paid our debt in full but demonstrated the unfathomable love of God.

The next stop on the redemption road is at the Basin of Undefiled Water. This toll booth has another price that only our Travel Guide can pay for us. We cannot pass through this toll booth without being completely cleansed. We can only continue down the road towards the holy place of God if we have clean hands and a pure heart. (Psalm 24:3-4) Only Jesus has perfectly clean Hands that He can dip into the basin and wash us from head to toe. Once He cleanses us, we are consecrated and become God’s high priests. In the Old Testament, we see that the high priest and his sons had to perform a complete cleansing ritual. In the New Testament it is no different for us; we must pass through the Blood of Jesus and allow His Blood to thoroughly cleanse us from head to toe.

The first two toll booths are extremely important. We cannot pass into closer intimacy and fellowship with God unless we pass by the blood and the water. Just as the bronze basin offered the Israelites the right to be cleansed from daily sin, the Perfect Sacrifice offered on Calvary offers us the same right.

The importance of sacrificial blood and cleansing waters cannot not be emphasized enough. The strongest support for this truth can be found in John 19:34, “One of the soldiers pierced Jesus’ side with a spear bringing forth a sudden flow of blood and water.” Another supporting verse is found in I John 5:1-8 speaks of Christ’s victory over sin by the power found in holy blood and water. Once we pass through these first 2 toll booths, we are sanctified through Jesus and are now promoted to high priests for Him.

Now that our Travel Guide has lead us through the first 2 stops, let’s us continue onto toll booth number 3. As we approach this toll booth we notice that we are entering the inner sanctuary of the Tabernacle. The inner sanctuary of the Tabernacle was made up of 2 rooms, the Holy and the Holy of Holies. There is a sign placed at the entrance to toll booth number 3; only consecrated and sanctified high priests are allowed to pass through this toll. Your Travel Guide shows them your payment receipts from the first 2 tolls and you are allowed to proceed.

You ask your Travel Guide how it is that you are allowed to proceed? Only high priests can pass by this toll. Your Travel Guide happily tells you that since the toll fee was paid at booths 1 and 2, that you are now consecrated to be high priests of God and that you can joyfully enter into His Presence! (I Peter 2:9 and Revelation 1:5-6). As you walk through the door into the Holy, you notice a thick, beautiful veil that is separating the Holy from the room behind the veil, the Holy of Holies.

What was this curtain hiding? Essentially, it was shielding a holy God from sinful man. The veil was a divine barrier placed between man and God. The Presence of God remained shielded from man behind a thick curtain during the history of Israel. However, Jesus’ sacrificial death on the cross changed that. When He died, the curtain in the Jerusalem temple was torn in half, from the top to the bottom.

The torn veil illustrated Jesus’ body torn for us, from top to bottom, opening the way for us to come to God. He was indeed proclaiming that God’s redemptive plan was now complete. Jesus entered behind the veil on our behalf. Hebrews 6:19 says,“We can now boldly enter into God’s presence, “the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where Jesus, who went before us, has entered on our behalf.”

Our Travel Guide pushes aside the torn veil and we arrive at our final toll booth; our ultimate destination. We now arrive at the toll booth of the Ark of the Covenant (Testimony). This is the ultimate destination because this is the Holy of Holies; this is where the Presence of God resides.

This is where we come to enter into an eternal covenant of personal relationship and worship with the God Who loved us with such unfathomable love that He allowed His Son to escort us into His Presence. He so loved the world that He allowed His Only begotten Son to die on our behalf. (John 3:16). By divine invitation, we are privileged to stand before the ark of the testimony and the mercy seat.

Make no mistake we could not have made this pilgrimage down the narrow road of redemption without a divine invitation from God that Jesus RSVP ed. We, through ourselves, cannot approach God; but through Jesus all things are possible. (Matthew 19: 25-26)

The ark of the testimony was the focus of God’s divine dwelling, the seat of reconciliation. It is important to note that the ark was made of acacia wood and was overlaid with pure gold inside and out. The acacia wood speaks of Christ’s incorruptible humanity. The gold represents His Deity. Together they represent the unity of incorruptible man and God.

God also had divine plans for a cover that was placed on top of the ark of the testimony. This cover was known as “the atonement cover” (or “mercy seat”). The atonement cover was the lid for the ark. On top of it stood two cherubim (angels) at the two ends, facing each other.

The cherubim, symbols of God’s divine presence and power, were facing downward toward the ark with outstretched wings that covered the atonement cover. The whole structure was beaten out of one piece of pure gold. The atonement cover was God’s dwelling place in the tabernacle.

The most astoundingly obvious truth that connects the Old Testament promise of salvation and the New Testament’s fulfillment of that salvation is found in the Hebrew word describing the ark of the testimony. The Hebrew word for “ark of the testimony” is “arown” meaning “chest or coffin.” .” Why would a coffin serve as the earthly throne of God’s Glory?? Because God’s mercy rests on God’s “death”. The mercy seat was a fitting cover for a coffin. Had there been no plan for death, there would have been no possibility for mercy.

Remember how the information in the first blog, clearly connected the mercy seat “coffin” to the coffin that Jesus was placed in after His death? Remember the 2 angels that were sitting at the head and foot of where Jesus had lain in the “coffin” just like the angels were at the head and foot of the mercy seat? In both cases, the angels overlooked the central area of God’s glory. A more specific application the definition of the mercy seat being a coffin is to realize that all coffins are related to death. Jesus Christ was our mercy seat in the fact that He died for and was buried in a “coffin of sin” on our behalf.

To come before the ark of the testimony (covenant) and the mercy seat means that we are sanctified and consecrated high priests of the new covenant established through Jesus Christ.

Please look at the diagram again. The Tabernacle was representative of man’s heart, the place where God would ultimately dwell after Jesus’ death. When man sinned, we were imprisoned and only the key of the cross could free us. Once free we took the pilgrimage of salvation on the narrow road of redemption. Jesus is our Travel Companion Who is with us every step of the way as we enter into the covenanted Presence of God.

The cross over the diagram is extremely important. The four objects that the cross covers each represent and deeply symbolize what the cross represents. The four objects were used in the Old Testament Tabernacle; their symbolism directly connects with the salvation plan of the New Testament.

The cross provides us with permanent sin remission because of the innocent blood that was sacrificed for our sins. In the Old Testament this was fulfilled by slaughtering an unblemished animal; in the New Testament, Jesus was the unblemished Sacrifice. The high priests had to be cleansed in undefiled water; New Testament believers are cleansed by the purifying water of Jesus that was shed along with His Blood on Calvary. The veil of the Tabernacle was in place because sinful man had to be shielded from a perfect and holy God. Only men that were sanctified and consecrated could enter behind the veil. When Jesus died, however, the veil was torn into. We New Testament believers can only step behind the veil if we are sanctified and consecrated priests through the Blood of Jesus. Only the high priest could come before the ark of the testimony and the mercy seat. We can only approach God as high priests that are purified by the water and blood of Jesus.

From the foundation of the world, Jesus knew that He would have to give His Life. Revelation 13:8 refers to Christ as the “Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.” Even before time began, Jesus was willing to die for us!

The blue arrow on the diagram above represents the timeline of the
established covenant of God that began in the Garden of Eden, continued through the Old and New Testament, and ultimately ending in the New Testament. The Promise of the Cross was seen in the Old Testament Tabernacle and but was fulfilled through Jesus in the New Testament. The Covenant will continue until the end of time that is prophesied in Revelation; until every last iota of it is fulfilled. Jesus said in Matthew 5:18 that “until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.”

The Tabernacle was portable and carried by the Israelites when they wandered through the wilderness to get to their Promised Land. When God looked down on the Tabernacle, He saw the divine order of the objects within the Tabernacle.

The divine alignment of the 4 objects represents the progressive order of redemption; God knew that this alignment would yield the shape of a cross. This cross is representative of the Old Testament Law of Salvation. When the Israelites came before God, He did not see their depravity and unworthiness; He only saw the Cross that the Tabernacle objects formed. God saw that Sacrifice equals Intimacy. When the Israelites moved through the wilderness with the Tabernacle, God would look down and see a Cross moving across the wilderness. God saw His Chosen people, the people He could dwell among

God sees the Cross of Christ hovering over the Tabernacled hearts
of the believers. When God looks on the Tabernacle of our hearts, He sees the Cross of Christ; Sacrifice equals Intimacy. He does not see our sin and our worthless depravity, He sees His Chosen people, a people that He can dwell among..

The Old and New Testament are in perfect sync and perfect continuance. When we receive Jesus, His Blood covers us so that we can come before God and He can dwell in our midst. The Old Testament had a covenant with God which was the Old Law. New Testament believers have the same covenant with God but through Jesus. Jesus did not come to abolish the Old Testament Law but He came to fulfill it. (Matthew 5:17) Jesus did not do away with the Old Testament Law but He gave Himself on our behalf so that He could fulfill it.

I don’t know what this did for you but when God placed this diagram on my heart and once I really even began to gather its full meaning, I can only fall prostrate before the feet of my Lord, the Feet that endured nails driven through them for my sin. The Feet that walked for 33 years on this Earth, showing and testifying about Who God really was and that a relationship with is attainable and not only that it is desired.

Also, the total continuance between the Old and New Testaments, both books of the same covenant at a different stage. For the first time I realized that the Bible is all about relationship with God. It is all about how God knew before we were even born that He would die for us. Yet He did it anyway so that we would exercise the God-given right of choice. God loved us so much that He knowingly created us before the foundation of the world, knowing full well that we would sin. God knew that Jesus would have to die for my sins, for every one of us who sin, yet He willingly chose to do it because He valued relationship so much with mankind.

When I think about this, I realize that the Bible, from beginning to end is about covenant. It is about relationship. It is about us knowing a God Who loved us so much that He was willing to die for each one of our sins before we were even a thought. God wanted each of us to choose Him and for none of us to perish (II Peter 3:9). The symbol, the reality, the truth of the Cross; it is consistent throughout the entire Bible in every sentence and in every word.

Can you even remotely get your mind around this concept?? I can’t even imagine what pain my Savior endured for my own sins. I cower to think that my own self-righteousness served as a pathetic excuse for Christianity. Yet, if I or you had been the ONLY one who would have wanted a relationship with God, to get to know Him better, to seek His Face, to seek His Heart and His Love…Jesus knew that that one person could never do it on their own accord because they were still sinful…He would have endured all of that for that **ONE** person!!!

Truly the Bible message of the Bible is one of hopeless men finding hope in the Cross of salvation that began before time and was the ultimate reason that God breathed life into the Bible and filled it with His wonderful Words of Life. The Bible is not a book of legalistic rules and “have to’s” The Bible is a book that tells us that the God of the universe loves us so much that not only did He give us the ability to choose to love Him but He provided the most personal way imaginable for us to come before Him.

I believe that the personal Sacrifice God gave in the Person of His Only Son, was the hardest thing that He ever had to do. When He had to turn His head away right before Jesus died and withdraw from Him, I believe that nearly destroyed Him. The deepest desire of God’s heart is to have us know Him and love Him. Not for what He can do but for what He did. This realization made me want with all my heart to know the heart of God that loved me in all my worthless sin to allow His Son to die for me!! I want to know the heart of God. I want to know His thoughts. I want to know the God Who sought me before He even knew me.

This is what the Bible is all about. Getting to know Him, wanting to know Him with such a passion that you cannot help but yield every last part of your life to Him. Honestly, is anything in this life worth the value that Jesus’ death was? Not to me. Nothing else has brought the fulfillment and personal value to me than having a close, personal relationship with God. There is no limit to God’s Person; you cannot know Him too much. There are no barriers set up by God when we seek to know Him; the only barriers are set up by us.

Before closing, I would like to bring something else up that I struggle with....

Self-worth.

God laid the following on my heart....

When we commit our lives to Christ, we need to believe Him when He says we are worth what He did for us. We can only find worth in and through Him.

When we struggle with self-worth and we say we are not worth anything, we call God a liar. There are so many reasons that we do not believe we are worth what God says we are worth; it is usually a struggle because of our own fear, pride, or inability to forgive oneself.

Jesus knows what we are worth. How does He know? Because He who was worth everything….God’s Son…came even lower than our sinful level of worth. Our sin makes us unapproachable and worthless to God.

But what about Someone Who was the greatest that came down and became the least to us….and to God? Is this not what happened with Jesus died for us??

Tell me what is more worthless, someone dying who deserved it or Someone dying Who did not deserve it but chose it?

“The first shall be last and the last shall be first.” (Matthew 20:16)

(John 10-17-18) Jesus chose to make Himself worth-less than each one of us by becoming the most despised of all creation; God Himself even turned away because of the filth of sin.

Because God turned away from Him, Jesus understands what those in hell will feel like. The ultimate torment of those in hell will be that they will fully know that God turned His Face away from for all eternity. Because of the sin that Jesus carried on Him, God turned His Face away from Christ His last moments.

Not only did His physical body die but His Soul did too that fateful day.

He, the Son of God, who was in the position of the greatest….became less than we…and became less than the least….so that through His Sacrifice, we would live.

Not only did He come to give us life but He came to give it to us more abundantly. (John 10:10) Only He Who knew life at its most un-abundant place, rejected totally of God, can truly offer us abundant joyful life

Knowing Him does not stop when we receive salvation; that is just the beginning. He died for us so that we could seek and know Him every second of everyday. Through knowing Him do we begin to know ourselves.

Until He saves us, we can do nothing and therefore we can do nothing of worth. (John 15:5) Yet through Him, we can do all things. (Matthew 9:26)

He...God...The Absolute Standard of Truth or Lie... Who became the most worthless has the right to say who has and who does not have worth. So next time you think that you are a worthless failure beyond all hope, listen to the One Who became the MOST worthless and the MOST hopeless and re-evaluate your thoughts and put your trust in Him.

I want to end this blog by thanking Jesus, my Lord and my Savior, Who saw something of value in me, in you. Something of such great value He endured the most painful and brutal death possible. Lord, please help us to see past everything and only see You.

Amen.

Sources:

Many of the concepts and most of the material in this blog came directly from and was copied directly from the Bible study, “A Woman’s Heart” by Beth Moore.

This was the Bible study that totally changed the way that I saw God….He went from being totally unattainable to totally personal…I never realized how much God desired a relationship with me…with each one of us. Thank You Lord for all that You are and all that You do. Amen.

The website www. .the-tabernacle-place.com was also researched for information in the writing of this blog.

BLOG 8.....**Part One** Understanding the Sacrificial Love of God in the Old and New Testament Tabernacles

(Please see the end of the blog for source citation.)

(Most of this material is directed copied from the workbook, "A Woman's Heart, God's Dwelling Place" by Beth Moore)

In the diagram above, you will see the outline of the Tabernacle that the Israelites carried with them while they wandered through the wilderness to their Promised Land. Over the top of the Tabernacle diagram, you will see a cross that is placed over and directly connected to the 4 objects shown.

The 4 objects, the Tabernacle, and the Cross represent the absolute consistency and continuance of the Old and the New Testaments. The two testaments are mirrors to one another. The Old Testament reflects the promise of salvation and the New Testament testifies to the fulfillment of that promise. We will see in the next blog exactly how the Cross and the 4 objects mirror one another.

I have a deep hunger and desire to study God’s Word so that I can know Him for Who He is! It never ceases to amaze me how consistent and how perfectly the Bible is written! It is the most intriguing masterpiece I have ever been fortunate enough to get my hands on! During my prayer time, God placed the above diagram on my heart. I was blown away by how clear the message of the Bible is.

The message is simple; God loved man in spite of sin and would do everything in His Power to establish a personal relationship with each of us. From the beginning of the Old Testament in the Garden of to the end of the New Testament when John shares his astounding vision of the last days, the Bible is very clear that this is God’s deepest heartfelt desire.

By seeing the cross over the Tabernacle of the Old Testament and by seeing the cross over the Tabernacled hearts of believers in the New Testament, God does not see sin. God sees that He is able to dwell among us and we with Him.

The blue arrow on the diagram above represents the timeline of the established covenant of God represented by the Cross that began in the Garden of Eden, continued through the Old and New Testament, and ultimately ending in the New Testament. The Old and New Testament are in perfect sync and perfect continuance. Jesus did not do away with the Old Testament Law but He gave Himself on our behalf so that He could fulfill it.

During the Tabernacle construction, God had dictated divine and detailed instructions. Each article in the Tabernacle was expressly created to tangible convey God’s desire to provide salvation to mankind. Each article in the Tabernacle had symbolic meaning that directly tied into the future death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

I see God’s love in each one of them because each and every detail testified to His desire to be close to mankind. Each and every detail promised future deliverance and salvation to those who diligently sought His Face. I am not going to go into each and every article of the Tabernacle and expound on how they are representative of Jesus and His Salvation.

What I am going to do, however, is focus on the four main parts of the Tabernacle and how the Cross is directly related to each of them. Using material from the sources listed at the end of this blog, I will do my best to present a clear connection of God’s intangible plan in the Old Testament being tangibly fulfilled in the New. I will then tie the symbolism represented by each object into the reality of the Cross of Christ.

The objects shown in the diagram above are:

(1) The Bronze Altar of Sacrifice

(2) The Basin of Undefiled Water

(3) The Veil separating the Holy and the Holy of Holies

(4) The Ark of the Covenant

~The Bronze Altar of Sacrifice~

When the metal, bronze, is mentioned in the Bible the meaning that is collectively associated with it that it represents strength and judgment. Below, we will research the various aspects of the construction of the bronze altar of sacrifice. We will seek to understand the divine and omnipotent representation of these aspects and how they directly tie into the plan of salvation secured through the Cross of Christ.

In Numbers 21:5-9, we see that the Children of Israel were being punished for their blasphemous behavior towards God.

God sent serpents to bite them for their murmurings. If they were being bitten by serpents they would immediately die from their bites. However, when the people began to repent for their sin and seek God’s mercy, God was quick to hear their cries. God then instructed Moses to create a bronze pole with a bronze snake on it. When the people looked directly at the snake, they lived and did not die from the serpent venom.

When speaking to Nicodemus, Jesus compares Himself to this snake of salvation. Jesus says that as the snake was lifted up in the wilderness, so shall the “Son of Man be lifted up.” Jesus was referring to His impending crucifixion. Just as the people in the wilderness looked to the bronze snake to live, those of us who look at the cross of Jesus and believe on Him will live. (John 3:14-16).

In both cases, mankind is being threatened with judgment. But when mankind cries out to God and seeks absolution from their sin, God provides them an escape. The escape must be stronger than the judgment that the sin invoked on us. The snake was stronger than the judgment of serpents because those who looked on it were saved. Even more so, Jesus represents the ultimate strength and ultimate remission of sins.

When you first walk into the Tabernacle from the East entrance, the first thing you see is the Bronze Altar of Sacrifice.

This altar occupied front-and-center priority in the Tabernacle courtyard. God instructed that the Altar be constructed of acacia wood. Acacia wood is known for its incorruptibility because it resisted decay. This wood clearly represents Christ’s humanity; He was incorruptible in each and every moment of His Life. In death, His body never decayed (Psalms 16:10).

Another remarkable similarity between Christ and the acacia wood is that the acacia wood bore heavy, sharp thorns. I wince as I realize that the crown of thorns that were brutally pushed into the scalp of my Lord during His mock trial were heavy and sharp. I cannot imagine the pain He endured from that crown of thorns; it is horrible to even conjecture.

A horn at the corner of the square bronze altar served as the means by which the innocent sacrifice was tied down. The primary role of the horns was to secure the sacrifice. In Genesis 22:13, God provided a substitutionary sacrifice so that Isaac did not have to die. The Bible says that the animal was caught by its horns in a thicket. The animal’s horns in the thicket secured it so that it could be offered on Isaac’s behalf. In Psalms 18:2, David calls God “the horn of my salvation.”

Christ is the horn of our salvation; the One Who was willingly secured on a horrible cross by huge nails so that we could be secured in the Lamb’s book of life. Just like the animal caught in the thicket was sacrificed in place of Isaac, so was Jesus sacrificed in place of each one of us. Do you realize that He would willingly sacrificed Himself for each one of us that truly sought salvation and a covenanted relationship with God?? Such a thought is astounding and beyond human comprehension. Yet that is how much God loved each of us.

When John 3:16 says that God so loved the world that He gave His Only Son…it meant it in *every sense* of the word.

Just how important was the altar on which the horns rested? Jesus, in Matthew 23:16-19, clearly answers this question for us. As usual, the Pharisees were full of their own pride and only sought to glorify themselves. The Pharisees thrived on theatrics that placed all of the worship and glory on them and not on God.

The Pharisees “piously” declared that “if anyone swears by the altar it means nothing….but if they swear by the gift on it, they are bound by that oath.” Jesus was outraged at the Pharisees’ twisting of the Scriptures and asked them what was greater…the altar that sanctified the gift or the altar itself?

The obvious answer to His question was the altar. If the altar, representing the means by which we bring an offering, is unacceptable, how can the sacrifice placed on it be acceptable?? The acceptability of the altar itself was necessary for the acceptability of everything placed on it.

Everyone from the priests to the actual sacrifice itself had to meet God’s Divine approval.

The sacrifices offered upon the altar did not provide a permanent mend to the chasm between man and God but it did provide a temporary remission. The sacrifice enabled God to temporarily dwell among the children of Israel. I used to think that this was horrible that God would allow an innocent animal to die just for a temporary connection to mankind. But then I realized that God did not require any living thing He created to suffer more than He did. He allowed His Own Son to come and die on our behalf so that there would be permanent remission of sin. Jesus’ blood paved the way for man and God to re-establish their covenanted relationship.

It is also important to note that the fire on the altar was to be kept burning; the flame must not go out. The priests continually added firewood to ensure the fire was continually burning (Leviticus 6:12-13). The original fire that lit the altar was provided by God Himself. When the priests placed the sacrifice on the altar, God would demonstrate His acceptance by sending fire from heaven that would consume the sacrifice.

It is often assumed that the priests did all the sacrificial slaughtering; however, this is far from the truth. Each person that desired atonement made a personal sacrifice. Can you imagine laying one hand o the animal’s head and slaughtering the animal with the other?? We cringe at the thought; yet as the sinner held the animal’s head while its life fled, God’s purpose was clearly stated in living, crimson color; an innocent victim lost its life because of the sin of its killer. God desired that humans comprehend to some degree what price would later be paid on a wooden altar (remember the bronze altar was made of acacia wood) mounted at Golgotha.

Guilt was the emotional tie between the Israelite and the animal. Unspeakable love was the emotional tie between God and His Son. I can’t imagine how much He longed to NOT see His Son have to pay for our sins. Can any of us imagine allowing a child of ours who knew full well what he or she would endure to take on all the sins of the world?? We cringe in total horror at such a repulsive thought. Who is to think that God would feel any differently about His Own Son???

But Jesus knew, and God knew, that if Jesus did not die that all of humanity would be eternally damned. Sins could be atoned for on the cross only by heaping them on Christ Jesus, the unblemished Lamb. Think how many of them were yours and mine!! His Father had no choice but to muster every degree of His omnipotence and to turn His head. Jesus willingly agreed to do this for us (John 10: 11,17-18). He also said in John 6:39, that His sacrificial death was the “will of Him Who sent me; that I lose none of those He has given Me.”

God christened the altar with fire from heaven, bathing it in purification and consuming its blessed contents in glorious approval. We must not miss the perpetual significance of this heavenly fire. Only fire directly originating from God could truly purify and consume, or approve of an offering.

Therefore the fire must never be allowed to go out. Wood had to be added continually so that the original, divine flame would never be exhausted. God lit the fire, but humans had to fuel it.

At nightfall, Aaron and his sons were to offer an evening sacrifice that God commanded to be left burning on the altar all night. They were then to rise early in the morning and wait for the last of the ashes to fall through the bronze grate of the altar. The ashes invariably fell at dawn. Ancient Hebrew history records that the moment the last ash fell, the priests blew their trumpets in celebration, shouting, “It is finished.” Right before Jesus died, He shouted, “It is finished!” He then bowed His head and gave up His Spirit (John 19:30).

II Timothy 1:6 says, “For this reason, I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you.” The Greek word for “gift” is “charisma”…which is defined as “a gift of grace, an undeserved benefit from God.” It refers not only to salvation but also to the gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed as God deems necessary to every believer. Even your talents were not earned but given by God.

When we accepted Jesus, from that moment on, He lit the divine flame of salvation in our souls. II Timothy 1:6-8 tells us to actively partake in the testimony of our salvation. How can we keep the fire of God burning in our hearts if we do not spiritually tend to it? How do we tend to it? We testify about God’s grace in our lives, we seek to know Him more intimately and deeply each and every day, we believe Him and place our hope and trust in Him.

Again, we see God’s sovereign desire to interact with His Children. Power is up to God. Participation is up to us. It is our right to participate and interact with God. Such interaction would not have been possible without the ultimate altar of sacrifice – the Cross of Jesus.

Isn’t it amazing how God’s intricate and detailed design tangible represented so much the impending death of Jesus?

The Bible is truly consistent and is truly representative of the unfathomable love of our God. Amen?

~Basin of Undefiled Water~

Psalm 24:3-4 asks, “Who may ascend to the hill of the Lord? Who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart.” This verse sums up the content of this section. We will now learn about the basin of undefiled water and how it is directly connected to the New Testament covenant of Christ.

If you were to continue past the bronze altar, the next item you would see would be the bronze basin. The bronze basin was located between the altar and the Tabernacle. The exact purpose of the basin was for the high priest (Aaron) and his sons to wash their hands and feet.

What is the purpose of washing just the hands and feet? What purpose did this accomplish? In Exodus 29:4, Aaron and his sons were required to be “wash” themselves from head to toe at the Tabernacle door…BUT…in Exodus 30:19, they are only instructed to wash their hands and feet. Exodus 29:4 implies washing of the entire man and Exodus 30:19 speaks of the need to wash only their hands and feet.

The purpose of the cleansing is shown in both verses. Exodus 29:1 says, “This is what you are to do to consecrate them, so that they may serve me as priests.” God was consecrating the priests for service in a one-time experience in which they were sanctified and deemed acceptable. However, in Exodus 30:19, the process of washing is seen as an ongoing act of cleansing that the priests performed before entering into the holy place (the first room in the inner part of the Tabernacle). The first act of cleansing was initiated for them. The second was initiated by them.

The obvious comparison seen here is the fire that had to be maintained so that it continually burned on the Altar of Sacrifice; God provided the fire for them and it was maintained by them.

This is an ongoing theme for New Testament believers as well. God will light the fire of His Spirit in our heart but it is up to us to maintain it daily by growing in our relationship with Him.

The inner court of the Tabernacle was the sanctuary of fellowship. This is where the priests could be most close to God and His Presence. Priests could enter God’s court based on complete cleansing performed only once; however, to enter the place of fellowship with God, ongoing cleansing had to occur. That’s why the priests had to pass by the bronze altar BEFORE they could wash in the bronze basin.

Without passing by the place of sacrifice, there was no cleansing from ongoing sin.

It is the same for New Testament believers. We cannot come before God unless we pass by the Cross and are covered in its sacrificial Blood. Unless we are covered by Jesus’ Blood we cannot come before God. Once covered, however, we can be cleansed from ongoing sin. However, just like the 2 types of cleansing we read about above, God can cleanse our spirit and purge all sin from it until we are clean and white as snow. However, God expects us to maintain that cleaning by daily dying to self and washing ourselves in the sacrificial Blood that His Only Son shed for our sins (I Corinthians 15:31). When we “die” daily, we are glorifying God for Jesus’ sacrifice.

Another interesting fact about the bronze basin is that it was formed from mirrors….what was the reason for that?? The Israelite women presented the “mirrors” as an offering; the mirrors most likely came from their stay in Egypt. These mirrors were flattened pieces of highly-polished brass; they were considered a rare, luxury item. The Israelite women contributed these costly mirrors to offer something that represented vanity. It was a beautiful Old Testament expression of dying to self.

The mirrored basin also provided a sharp reflection of the priest as he stood before it for cleansing. The purpose is clear: before we can truly come before God for cleansing, we must examine ourselves to discover what parts of our hearts need to be cleansed in the healing water of the basin of God’s salvation. We must view ourselves in the mirror of God’s Perfect glory and repent from our sin. Only God can provide an accurate reflection of what parts of our lives need to be sanctified.

No doubt you realize that every detail of the Old Testament Tabernacle reflects a deep New Testament truth we can apply. Here are some examples of New Testament truths reflected by the intricate design of the Tabernacle:

Ephesians 5:25-26 says that, “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word.”

Hebrews 10:22 says, “Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.”

The outer court of the Tabernacle had only 2 fixtures, the Altar of Sacrifice and then the Basin of Undefiled Water.

In order to progress more deeply into the heart of the Tabernacle, you must pass by the blood and water to enter the place where the fellowship is sweet. Just as the bronze basin offered the Israelites the right to be cleansed daily from sin, the perfect Sacrifice was offered for us on Calvary. “One of the soldiers pierced Jesus’ side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water” (John 19:34).

John 13 records the Passover Feast where Jesus washed His Disciples feet. Verse 1 tells us that the intent behind washing His disciples’ feet was to “show them the full extent of His Love.” It was a well-known Jewish tradition that if you wanted to show respect to guests in your house, you had a servant wash their feet. Since most of the traveling in those days was done on foot and the shoes that the common person wore resembled sandals, it is safe to assume that every substance in the road got on their feet….from dirt to animal manure. The servant who was delegated this job was considered the lowliest servant in his master’s house.

So picture the Son of God humbling Himself to this position! Is it any wonder that Peter told Him, “You will never wash my feet!” Such an idea seemed preposterous to Peter! But Jesus told Peter that He did not wash His feet that He would have no part “with Him.” Peter then responded, “Then Lord, not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!” Jesus answered, “A person who has had a bath needs only to wash their feet.”

This conversation about the two types of cleaning tie back into the 2 types of cleaning that the priests practiced. One type was a complete cleaning that was done for them and was the only way they could enter into God’s Presence. The second type was the cleaning of the feet which allowed the priests to maintain an ongoing relationship with God. Note the word “ongoing”; in order to maintain this relationship, their feet had to be continually cleansed by water.

It is exactly the same message that is portrayed in the above conversation of Jesus and Peter. Notice that Christ did not say, “You have no part *of* Me” but, “You have no part *with* Me.” The crucial message is the full cleansing they had received on accepting Him concerned regeneration. The partial cleansing of their feet concerned relationship.

~Veil Separating the Holy and the Holy of Holies~

Psalm 91:4 says, “He will cover you with His feathers, and under His wings will you find refuge; His faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.” God will cover us with the sanctified, priestly garments of His glory and faithfulness. This verse sums up the importance of the altar of sacrifice and the basin of undefiled water. When we are covered by the Blood of the perfect sacrifice and cleansed in the waters of purity, we are covered and protected by God.

We will now progress into the inner sanctuary of the Tabernacle that only those covered by God dare to enter.

After we pass by the Basin of Undefiled Water, we come to the front door of the inner sanctuary of the Tabernacle. Only priests could enter into the inner sanctuary of the Tabernacle. The inner sanctuary of the Tabernacle was made up of 2 rooms, the Holy and the Holy of Holies. If you have accepted Christ’s gift of salvation, you are a part of the royal priesthood of His present kingdom (I Peter 2:9 and Revelation 1:5-6).

When we go inside the front door of the Tabernacle, we first enter into the Holy. When we enter into the Holy [Place] we see 3 furnishings that adorn the area. We see the Lampstand, table that held the Bread of the Presence, and the Altar of Incense. I would highly encourage individual study on each of these 3 furnishings. Just like a divine quilt, it is absolutely astounding how each of these furnishings intricately weave themselves into the truth of New Testament salvation through Jesus Christ.

The main purpose of the Holy Place is that it is the center of the communication God in fellowship, worship, and prayer.

Within the Holy Place of the tabernacle, there was an inner room called the Holy of Holies, or the Most Holy Place.

Judging from its name, we can see that it was a most sacred room, a place no ordinary person could enter. It was God’s special dwelling place in the midst of His people. During the Israelites’ wanderings in the wilderness, God appeared as a pillar of cloud or fire in and above the Holy of Holies.

A thick curtain separated the Holy of Holies from the Holy Place. This curtain, known as the “veil,” was made of fine linen and blue, purple and scarlet yarn. There were figures of cherubim (angels) embroidered onto it. Cherubim, spirits who serve God, were in the presence of God to demonstrate His almighty power and majesty. They also guarded the throne of God. These cherubim were also on the innermost layer of covering of the tent. If one looked upward, they would see the cherubim figures.

The word “veil” in Hebrew means a screen, divider or separator that hides. What was this curtain hiding? Essentially, it was shielding a holy God from sinful man. Whoever entered into the Holy of Holies was entering the very presence of God. In fact, anyone except the high priest who entered the Holy of Holies would die. Even the high priest, God’s chosen mediator with His people, could only pass through the veil and enter this sacred dwelling once a year, on a prescribed day called the Day of Atonement.

The picture of the veil was that of a barrier between man and God, showing man that the holiness of God could not be trifled with. God’s eyes are too pure to look on evil and He can tolerate no sin (Habakkuk 1:13). The veil was a barrier to make sure that man could not carelessly and irreverently enter into God’s awesome presence. Even as the high priest entered the Holy of Holies on the Day of Atonement, he had to make some meticulous preparations: He had to wash himself, put on special clothing, bring burning incense to let the smoke cover his eyes from a direct view of God, and bring blood with him to make atonement for sins.

“But only the high priest entered the inner room, and that only once a year, and never without blood, which he offered for himself and for the sins the people had committed in ignorance.” (Hebrews 9:7)

So the presence of God remained shielded from man behind a thick curtain during the history of Israel. However, Jesus’ sacrificial death on the cross changed that. When He died, the curtain in the Jerusalem temple was torn in half, from the top to the bottom. Only God could have carried out such an incredible feat because the veil was too high for human hands to have reached it, and too thick to have torn it. (The Jerusalem temple, a replica of the wilderness tabernacle, had a curtain that was about 60 feet in height, 30 feet in width and four inches thick.)

Furthermore, it was torn from top down, meaning this act must have come from above.

As the veil was torn, the Holy of Holies was exposed. God’s presence was now accessible to all. Shocking as this may have been to the priests ministering in the temple that day, it is indeed good news to us as believers, because we know that Jesus’ death has atoned for our sins and made us right before God. The torn veil illustrated Jesus’ body broken for us, opening the way for us to come to God. As Jesus cried out “It is finished!” on the cross, He was indeed proclaiming that God’s redemptive plan was now complete. The age of animal offerings was over. The ultimate offering had been sacrificed.

We can now boldly enter into God’s presence, “the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where Jesus, who went before us, has entered on our behalf.” (Hebrews 6:19-20)

“We, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s Glory, are being transformed into His likeness with every-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” (II Corinthians 3:18)

“Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body …let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith.” (Hebrews 10:19-22)

The phrase, “Since we have confidence.” is very important to note. Since Jesus’ death on the cross caused the veil to be split in half, we need to be confident that we have free access to our God. Jesus’ death made this possible; to not take advantage of such a divine privilege is nothing short of blasphemy. Jesus died so we could enter into God’s Presence and to not take the time to invest ourselves in a relationship with God makes His death in vain.

If you are not going behind the veil into the Holy of Holies with Him through worship and through intimacy with Jesus, it is not because you do not have access.

A further definition of the word “confidence” is provided in the New Testament Lexicon; the definition is very intriguing. To have “confidence” means that we have the “freedom to speak all that one thinks.” We are to approach and come before Him in truth. He knows when our words differ from our heart. He said through the prophet Isaiah that “your mouth is really close to me but your heart is not.” (Isaiah 29:13) He hears what we say but also recognizes it does not match our heart. Jesus also chastised the Pharisees’ theatric “praises” by saying, “These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.” (Matthew 15:8)

God would much whether we say less, speak less, and have our mouth match the words of our heart.

~The Ark of the Covenant (or Testimony)~

After passing by the Altar of Sacrifice and the purified waters of the basin and then come to the torn veil of the Tabernacle, the next object we see is the Ark of the Covenant.

In Exodus 25:22, God introduces the first object we see as we enter into the Holy of Holies; we see “the ark of the testimony (or covenant).” What was the purpose of this structure? The Hebrew word for “testimony” is “eduwth” which means “witness.”

The verse also indicates God’s divine reason for constructing the ark of the testimony, “There, above the cover between the 2 cherubim that are over the ark of the testimony, I will meet with you and give you all my commands for the Israelites.” God designed the ark of the testimony to witness and testify to not only His Omnipotent Presence but also His desire to commune personally with man.

Every ark that is mentioned in Scripture has a common purpose. In Genesis 7:7, the Bible speaks of the “ark” of Noah, which was used to preserve his family, himself, and the animals. Another example is seen in Exodus 2:3, which refers to the ark of bulrushes that Moses’ mother hid him in to protect him from harm. Biblical translations define “ark” as a “box, chest – an ark or a basket.”

No matter what name your version calls the “ark”, the purpose remains the same. Preservation was the common purpose of the arks in Scripture. The ark of the testimony was to preserve God’s witness. Without a doubt, the ark of the testimony had a priority position in the tabernacle.

Our relationship with God always begins where He is because He is the originator of all relationships. On our own accord, we can do nothing that pleases God. We cannot approach Him for our salvation or for a relationship with Him; God is the One Who approaches us. We can only approach God on the basis that He first approached us.

Our approach is always based on His approach. And His approach is always for the expressed purpose of our approach. God has had this agenda since creation, and it will continue until He approaches us in the air and I the twinkling of an eye invites us to approach Him there. (I Thessalonian 4:16-17)

The ark of the testimony was the place where God’s approach began in the tabernacle of his Presence. The Tabernacle was not just a sacred building. It was not simply a place of sacrifice or a center of worship. The Tabernacle was tangible evidence of intangible truth. It was a heavenly picture drawn on an earthly canvas.

In Revelation 11:19, the “ark of God’s covenant” was seen in the heavenly temple. The Apostle John had the unfathomable experience of getting to see the “true tabernacle set up by the Lord, not by man.”

(Hebrews 8:2) Proceeding from “the ark of the covenant “were “flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake, and a great hailstorm.” The earthquake and the great hail signify God’s impending judgment. However, it is important to note what the origin was for the lightning, voices, and thundering. When we look in Revelation 4:1-5, we see that all of these manifestations of glory originated from the throne of God.

Could it be that the true ark of the testimony, from which the earthly ark was patterned, was none other than God’s throne?? No one can be entirely certain.

But one thing is for certain; in the earthly tabernacle made divinely with human hands, the ark of the testimony was the throne of His Glory. It was the focus of His dwelling, the seat of reconciliation. It is important to note that the ark was made of acacia wood and was overlaid with pure gold inside and out.

Recall the representations that acacia wood and gold signified? The acacia wood speaks of Christ’s incorruptible humanity. The gold represents His Deity. Together they represent the unity of incorruptible man and God. Only One can fill such a position: our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

God also had divine plans for a cover that was placed on top of the ark of the testimony. This cover was known as “the atonement cover” (or “mercy seat”). The atonement cover was the lid for the ark. On top of it stood two cherubim (angels) at the two ends, facing each other.

The cherubim, symbols of God’s divine presence and power, were facing downward toward the ark with outstretched wings that covered the atonement cover. The whole structure was beaten out of one piece of pure gold. The atonement cover was God’s dwelling place in the tabernacle.

It was His throne, flanked by angels. God said to Moses:

“There, above the cover between the two cherubim that are over the ark of the
Testimony, I will meet with you and give you all my commands for the Israelites.” (Exodus 25:22)

“Tell your brother Aaron not to come whenever he chooses into the Most Holy Place behind the curtain in front of the atonement cover on the ark, or else he will die, because I appear in the cloud over the atonement cover.” (Leviticus 16:2)

The angelic figures that hovered over the mercy seat represent heavenly hosts gathered around God’s throne. This conclusion can be drawn from several significant passages that describe a similar angelic posture. In Psalm 80:1, God is described as “sitting enthroned between the cherubim.” Psalm 99:1 also speaks of God “sitting enthroned between the cherubim.” Isaiah 6:1-3 speaks of the Lord on a throne in between 2 seraphim angels who continually proclaimed the glory of God to one another. Isaiah 37:16 refers to the “God of Israel that dwells between the cherubim.”

Ezekiel 1:11 describes the posture of the angels as, “Their wings were spread out upward; each had two wings, one touching the wing of another creature on either side, and two wings covering its body.” The cherubim overlooked the “throne” or the “atonement cover/mercy seat” in the holy of holies as pictorial evidence of those who live to surround His Highness with praise in the true sanctuary.

Okay, this next part is totally cool! The Hebrew word for “ark of the testimony” is “arown”. It differs from the Hebrew words used for Noah’s ark and the Baby Moses’ ark. Although all 3 arks share the common purpose of preservation, the Hebrew word “arown” stretches the intent even further, meaning “chest or coffin.” Why would a coffin serve as the earthly throne of God’s Glory??

Because God’s mercy rests on God’s “death”.

The mercy seat was a fitting cover for a coffin. Had there been no plan for death, there would have been no possibility for mercy. How fitting that both the first and last objects in the tabernacle pointed to access by death. Whether in God’s approach to persons or to our approach to God, there is no approach at all without death – the death of the “Lamb that was slain from the creation of the world.” (Revelation 13:8).

In Luke 24:1-8, we see that the women came to the tomb of Jesus with spices that they had prepared. When they arrived at the tomb site, they noticed that the stone was rolled away and Jesus’ Body was not there. When the women went into the tomb, they were met by two angels that informed them that Jesus was risen.

Notice that there are 2 angels. Let’s discover their role and position at Christ’s tomb…or coffin. In John 20:10-13, we see that one angel was positioned at the head and one at the foot of where Jesus had lain. The angels overlooked the place where He had lain. The angels on the “mercy seat” or “coffin” also overlooked the central area of God’s glory.

The mercy seat was the focal point of God’s manifested glory to his People. The Hebrew word for “mercy seat” is “kapporeth” which means “lid or cover of the sacred ark”. The Hebrew word “kaphar” is a derivative of that word, meaning “to cover the sins, to reconcile, to pardon, to cancel, or to make atonement.” There are 69 instances in the Old Testament in which “kaphar” is translated “atonement.”

In Hebrews 9:1-5, the word for “mercy seat” is “hilasterion.” The Greek test that speaks of the direct correlation between Jesus and the mercy seat (of Romans 3:25) would read like this, “God presented [Jesus Christ] as a [mercy seat] through faith in his blood. Jesus Christ is the “hilasterion; He is the mercy seat. God sent His Son to be the mercy seat for our sins.

In the depths of our depravity Christ died for us. He did not wait for persons to get as “close as possible” through obedience through the law and righteous living. Our righteousness is considered as “filthy rags” (defined as used menstrual rags) before Him. (Isaiah 64:6) Christ, who was not blemished by sin, died for us, who were as dirty as a filthy, blood-soaked menstrual rag. Such love is too high for me to attain. (Psalm 139:6)

In the breadth of our separation from God, Christ died for us. He died for the people that yelled, “Crucify Him.” He died for those who whipped His flesh with whips. He died for those who slapped Him and spit on Him. He died for those that mocked Him and who embedded a crown of thorns into His brow. He died for the soldier who pounded spikes into His hands and feet. He died for those who humiliated Him by stripping away His garments. He died for the 11 who ran for their lives, abandoning Him in Gethsemane. In the moment in all of history when humanity could not have been further from God, Christ died for us.

Christ did not just die for the depths of that generation’s depravity. He, Who knew all things, died in advance for the most depraved deed any of us could do. We may not have been present in the crowd on the day of His death, but our sins were. So horrendous were the sins that hung on Christ that day, His Father was forced to look away. His Father had to forsake His Own Son so that through His Sacrifice Christ could intercede on our behalf.

Jesus experienced the excruciating pain [the word "excruciating" originated from the unspeakable pain of crucifixion] of being forsaken by God, so that we would not have to. And because He did, “we have peace with God.” (Romans 5:1)

The 4 objects shown in the diagram above are deeply connected with the meaning of the cross that is placed directly on top of them.

Please continue to PART TWO to see how the Old and New Testaments perfectly mirror the divine salvation plan set forth by the God Who is in diligent pursuit of mankind’s hearts.

Sources:

I want to begin this blog by giving all credit for the material in this blog to Jesus Himself. Without Him, I would have not had the resources or desire to publish this blog. Without Him, I would have not had the opportunity to study the Bible, Without Him, I would not have been able to even approach such an intimidating subject.

Please pray and give thanks to the Lord, not because of what I wrote or did not write, but because of Who He is.

I was also privileged enough to learn how to truly appreciate the Bible and its message through the Bible study, “A Woman’s Heart: God’s Dwelling Place” by Beth Moore.

This Bible study is the main source for the written material in this blog. Many of the concepts and most of the material in this blog came directly from and was copied directly from the Bible study, “A Woman’s Heart” by Beth Moore.

The website www. .the-tabernacle-place.com also provided excellent resources for this blog. Some of the researched material from this site was copied directly into this blog.