Hebrews -- Holding on to JesusНамуна

Where Heaven Meets Earth

Anyone who has put together a tent on a camping trip knows this about tents; they are very simple, yet also complex. The same is true of the tabernacle. The tabernacle was a tent, but also far more than just a tent. At first glance, it may have appeared simple, yet every detail carried profound spiritual meaning. The tabernacle was a carefully constructed meeting place between God and His people, a sacred space where heaven and earth touched.

The tabernacle complex was divided into three primary sections. The first was the outer courts, where the people of Israel could gather. At the center stood the actual tabernacle tent, measuring forty-five feet long, fifteen feet wide, and fifteen feet high. Inside, it was split into two separate rooms. The first room, the Holy Place, was where priests entered daily to perform sacred duties. Beyond it, behind a thick veil, was the Holy of Holies, the Most Holy Place, where only the high priest could enter, and only once a year on the Day of Atonement.

As we’ve seen in previous devotionals, this earthly tabernacle was a copy, a shadow of a greater reality—the true dwelling place of God in heaven (Hebrews 8:5). It symbolized something much deeper: the intersection between the spiritual and physical realms. It was a visual representation of what it means for a holy God to dwell among an unholy people. In essence, the tabernacle symbolized God’s presence throughout time: In the Old Testament, God dwelt among His people through the tabernacle and later the temple. In the New Testament, God took up residence in the hearts of believers through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19). In eternity, God’s people will dwell with Him forever in His heavenly temple, where there will be no need for sun or moon, for the glory of God will be its light (Revelation 21:22–23).

Within the tabernacle complex were six pieces of sacred furniture, two outside (the laver and brazen altar) and four inside. Each piece was full of meaning, not just functional, but symbolic of God’s character and redemptive plan.

The lampstand (Exodus 25:31–40) was made of pure gold, with a central stem and six branches. The lampstand stood in the Holy Place as the only source of light. It pointed to God’s illumination, His truth, His word, and ultimately Jesus, the Light of the World (John 8:12).

The table of showbread (Exodus 25:23–30) was crafted from acacia wood and overlaid with gold. It held twelve loaves of bread, representing the twelve tribes of Israel. It spoke of fellowship and God’s desire to commune with His people, and His provision for them.

The altar of incense (Exodus 30:1–10) was placed directly before the veil separating the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies. This golden altar was where incense was burned daily. It represented the prayers of the people rising to God (Psalm 141:2; Revelation 5:8).

The ark of the covenant (Exodus 25:10–22) was the only thing inside the Holy of Holies. This sacred chest contained three items: a golden jar of manna, reminding Israel of God’s provision and their grumbling. Aaron’s rod that budded, symbolizing God’s chosen leadership and Israel’s rebellion. The stone tablets of the covenant, representing God’s law and Israel’s failure to keep it. Over the ark was the mercy seat, a golden cover adorned with cherubim. It was here, once a year on the Day of Atonement, that the high priest sprinkled the blood of a sacrificial animal for the forgiveness of sins (Leviticus 16). As God looked down upon the contents of the ark—symbols of sin, rebellion, and failure—the blood on the mercy seat covered them from His sight.

This ritual, as powerful as it was, had to be repeated every year. It was a temporary covering, a shadow of something far greater to come. The priests entered the Holy Place daily to tend to their duties, keeping the lampstand burning, replacing the showbread, and burning incense. But only the high priest, and only once a year, could enter the Holy of Holies on the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur). He never entered without blood, first for his own sins and then for the sins of the people. The access was limited, the ritual somber. Rabbinic tradition tells us that the high priest would not linger in the Holy of Holies, lest the people outside feared he had been struck down. When he emerged alive, it was cause for celebration. But even this most sacred moment was still not complete fellowship. It was not intimacy; it was distance. It reminded the people that God was holy and they were not, that sin must be dealt with, and that the way into God’s presence was not yet fully open.

But then came Jesus. Hebrews 9 tells us that Christ, our Great High Priest, entered not into an earthly tabernacle, but into the heavenly one, and not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood. And He did it once and for all. When you gave your life to Christ, you experienced your own Day of Atonement. The blood of Jesus, the Lamb of God, was applied to the mercy seat in heaven on your behalf. But unlike the old system, this atonement didn’t just cover your sin temporarily; it wiped it away forever.

Now, the tabernacle of God is not a tent or a temple made by hands. It is you.

1 Corinthians 6:19 (NIV) “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God?”

God no longer dwells behind a veil. Through Christ, the veil has been torn. His presence now lives in the heart of every believer, and one day, we will see Him face-to-face, dwelling with Him forever.