The Tabernacle Work

Christ's present work is that of a High Priest, as with the Priest in the Old Testament in the tabernacle in the wilderness. He is now "TARRYING WITHIN THE VAIL." As the High Priest entered through the "Vail" into the "Most Holy Place" once a year, on the "Day of Atonement," to present the blood of the sacrifice and make intercession for the SINS of the people, so Jesus entered into the "Holy of Holies" of the Heavenly Tabernacle when He ascended and passed through the "Vail of the Clouds" and disappeared from earthly view. Acts 1:9; Heb. 4:14. "For Christ is not entered into the Holy Places made with hands (such as the Tabernacle or Temple), which are the figures of the true; but INTO HEAVEN ITSELF, now to appear in the presence of God for us." Heb. 9:24. Heaven, not earth, is the sphere of Christ's PRIESTLY Ministry. He never appeared as a Priest in the Temple at Jerusalem. 

He went there to teach, but never to offer sacrifices or burn incense.

The Sacrifices and ceremonies of the Tabernacle and Temple services did not make the offerers perfect, or they would not have ceased to be offered. They were but SHADOWS or Types of things to come. Heb. 10:1-3. Among them was the "Day of Atonement." On that day the High Priest entered alone into the Holy Place, and having divested himself of his garments of "Glory and Beauty," he washed himself, and arrayed himself in linen clothes with a linen Mitre upon his head. He then filled a Censer with burning coals from off the Incense Altar and entered through the "Vail" into the "Most Holy Place," and putting incense upon the coals of the Censer, so that the smoke would cover the "Mercy Seat" on the "Ark of the Covenant" and hide it from view lest he die, he withdrew from the "Most Holy Place" and passed out into the Court of the Tabernacle, were he slew a bullock for a "Sin Offering" for himself and his house, and taking of it's blood he re-entered the Tabernacle and passing through the "Vail" he sprinkled with his finger of the blood seven times eastward before the "Mercy Seat," thus making Atonement for himself and his household. He then returned to the Court of the Tabernacle and slew the goat that had been selected by lot for the "Sin Offering," and took of it's blood and re-entered for the third time the "Most Holy Place," and did with it's blood as he had done with the blood of his bullock, thus making Atonement for the sins of the Congregation.

He then returned to the Court, and going to the "Brazen Altar" he made Atonement for it by sprinkling of the mixed blood of the bullock and goat upon it with his finger seven times, after he had first anointed the horns of the Altar with the blood.

He then took the live goat, called the "Scapegoat," and laying his hands upon it's head, he confessed the sins of the Children of Israel, thus placing them upon the head of the "Scapegoat," and then he sent it by a "Fit Man" into the wilderness, into a land uninhabited, where it was left, thus carrying away the iniquities of the people.

Aaron then returned to the Holy Place of the Tabernacle and took off his linen garments, washed himself, and robed himself again in his garments of  "Glory and Beauty," and then returned to the Court of the Tabernacle. Until he thus appeared the people were in doubt as to whether God had accepted the "Sin Offering" or not. If his stay was unduly prolonged they would fear that the Offering had been rejected and the High Priest smitten with death. They listen then for the tinkling of the bells upon the bottom of the High Priest's robe, and when they heard them they were assured the sacrifice had been accepted.

When the High Priest came out in his garments of "Glory and Beauty," he went to the "Brazen Altar" and offered a "Burnt Offering" for himself, and one for the people, as a token of their revived consecration to God.

Let us take the work of the High Priest on the "Day of Atonement" and apply it to our High Priest Jesus Christ. When Jesus "Emptied Himself" of His Heavenly Glory (Phil. 2:5-8), He laid aside His garments of "Glory and Beauty," and put on the "Linen Garments" of humanity in which to minister. He had no occasion to offer incense in the "Most Holy Place," or to offer a bullock as a "Sin Offering" for Himself, for He was sinless, but He had to offer a Sin Offering for the world. It is here that we see that no single offering could typify the work of Christ, for Christ's work is two-fold. First He died as a "Sin Offering" for SIN, and then He rose from the dead and ascended through the "Vail of the Cloud" into the "Holy of Holies" of the "Heavenly Tabernacle" and offered HIS OWN BLOOD as an Atonement for the sin of the world. This could only be foreshadowed by the use of two goats. The first was made a "Sin Offering" and such had to die, the second was called the "Scapegoat" and bore away the sins of the people into the wilderness. Lev. 16:8-10, 20-22. So in connection with the cleansing of the leper, two birds were to be dipped in the blood of the earthen vessel over running water, and the living bird was to be dipped in the blood of the slain bird, and let fly in the open field, after the blood of the slain bird had been sprinkled seven times upon him who was to be cleansed of his leprosy. Lev. 14:1-7.

The High Priest entered into the "Most High Place" once a year with the blood of others, but Jesus Christ our High Priest entered ONCE FOR ALL with His OWN BLOOD into the "Holy of Holies" of the "Heavenly Tabernacle," otherwise He must have suffered yearly since the foundation of the world (Age), "But now once in the END OF THE AGE (the Old Testament Age), hath He appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself." Heb. 9:24-26.

Having, as our High Priest, taken His own blood within the "Vail," Jesus still tarries engaged in His High Priestly work, and will continue to tarry throughout this 

                          "GREAT DAY OF ATONEMENT,"

and at it's close He will lay aside His High Priestly robes and come forth in His Kingly dress of "Glory and Beauty" to rule and reign in Kingly splendor.

There was no provision made for sitting down in the Tabernacle or Temple, for there was no time for sitting down, as sacrifices were continuously being offered; but Jesus our High Priest offered the sacrifice of Himself "ONCE FOR ALL," and then "SAT DOWN" at the right hand of God, on God's Throne (Heb.12:2), which is in this Dispensation the "Throne of Grace." Heb. 4:16.

In Acts 7:55-56, we read that Stephen saw Jesus STANDING at the right hand of God. This may mean either of two things, Either Jesus rose to receive Stephen or that He had not yet sat down, for we must not forget that Jesus really did not begin His High Priestly work until after His final rejection by the Jews, that culminated in the stoning of Stephen, who charged them with being "stiffnecked" and resisting the Holy Ghost. Acts 7:51.

It is worthy of note that the "Divine Three" were rejected in succession by the Jewish nation. They reject "God the Father" in the days of Samuel (I Sam. 8:6-7); "God the Son" in the "Days of His flesh," saying - "We will not have this man to rule over us" (Matt. 21:37-39); and God the Holy Ghost when they resisted the Holy Ghost who spoke through Stephen. Acts 7:51.

A. MEDIATOR:

     Paul writing to Timothy said that the will of God was that all men might be saved, and that he had appointed to that end a "MEDIATOR" between God and man, the MAN CHRIST JESUS. I Tim. 2:3-6. He is a "Mediator" for both believers and unbelievers, but He had to become a MAN to "Mediate" between God and man. A man can mediate between two men, but he cannot mediate between a man and a horse, because he has not the nature of both a man and a horse. So the Son of God could not mediate between God and man until He became the "Divine MAN," that is, had the nature of both God and man. It was necessary then for the Son of God to become a MAN that He might mediate between God and man, and when He ascended He took up His MANHOOD with Him, and He is now in Heaven the MAN CHRIST JESUS. I Tim. 2:5. 

B. ADVOCATE:

     In I John 2:1 we read - "my little children, these things write I unto you, that you sin not. And if any man sin, we have an ADVOCATE with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous." From this we see that Jesus is the Advocate of the righteous only, for the Epistle is addressed to "My little children," and to those who were entitled to call God FATHER. The sinner does not need an Advocate; he needs a SAVIOUR. What is the use of an Advocate when the trial is over, the jury has rendered its decision, the judge pronounced sentence and the day of execution set! What a condemned man needs then is not an Advocate, but a PARDON. The Bible distinctly states that, "he that believeth not IS CONDEMNED ALREADY."  and "That the WRATH OF GOD ABIDETH ON HIM." John 3:18, 36. What the sinner needs to do is not to ask Jesus to intercede for him, but to accept the FINISHED WORK of Christ on the Cross in his behalf.

Some hold that the Atonement was in the nature of a COMMERCIAL TRANSACTION. In a commercial transaction there must be a "buyer" and a "seller," a "thing to be sold," and a "price to be paid," and if the thing sold was 100 horses, the "buyer" would want to be sure that he not only got the right number, but the right ONES. On this view of the Atonement Jesus paid with His blood only for a certain number, and they are the ones He had chosen, the ELECT. The advocate of this view hold to the theory of a LIMITED ATONEMENT.

Others claim that as the Bible represents the Atonement as made for ALL men, therefore all men will be saved. These persons are consistently UNIVERSALISTS.

The third class holds the view that the nature of Christ's Atonement was not the mere payment of the debt of a few, the elect; neither does it save ALL men, but it was such an assumption of the penalty of the law, that God can now honorably and justly forgive any man his sin who repents and accepts Christ as his Saviour.

This latter view must be the correct view, for it is the only view that corresponds with the facts. For the Scriptures distinctly teach in such passages as - "WHOSOEVER cometh unto Me I will in no wise cast out" (John 6:37), that salvation is not limited to any special class; and the demand for repentance and faith shows that if men are to be saved, they are to be saved on certain conditions, and not merely because Jesus died on the cross. Jesus then is the "Advocate" of only those who are saved.

If Jesus is our Advocate then, what is He our Advocate for? Not for SIN, for that was Atoned for on the Cross. He is our Advocate for the "sins" we commit since we became a Christian. "My little children, these things write I unot you, that ye SIN NOT. And if any man SIN, we have an Advocate." I John 2:1. Our Advocate then is to intercede for us because we SIN, that is His business, that is why He remains constantly beside the Father. If a man break the Law, or, is accused of breaking it, the first thing he needs is a lawyer, or advocate, one who will plead his cause and see that he gets justice. So the believer when he sins needs an advocate.

Many Christians are disheartened and discouraged because they sin and feel that it is a sign that they were never converted. But the scriptures teach that they will sin. The Apostle says - "If we say that we have No SIN, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us." I John 1:8. We must learn to distinguish between our 

                                          STANDING AND STATE.








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The temple is about to be rebuilt. When it is rebuilt the seven year Tribulation period will begin. 



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