The command came to Moses while he was on the mountain with God, “Let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them” (Exodus 25:8). Full directions were given for constructing the tabernacle. By their apostasy, the Israelites gave up their right to the divine Presence, but after God took them into favor again, the great leader proceeded to carry out the divine command.1TC 225.2

God Himself gave Moses the plan for the sanctuary, its size and form, the materials to be used, and every article of furniture it was to contain. The holy places made with human hands were “copies of the true,” “copies of the things in the heavens” (Hebrews 9:24, 23), a miniature representation of the heavenly temple where Christ, our great High Priest, was to minister in the sinner’s behalf. God showed Moses the heavenly sanctuary and commanded him to make everything according to the pattern shown to him.1TC 225.3

A large amount of the most costly material was required for building the sanctuary, yet the Lord only accepted freewill offerings.1TC 226.1

All the people responded. “Then everyone came whose heart was stirred, and everyone whose spirit was willing, and they brought the Lord’s offering for the work of the tabernacle of meeting. ... They came, both men and women, as many as had a willing heart, and brought earrings and nose rings, rings and necklaces, all jewelry of gold.”1TC 226.2

While the sanctuary was being built, men, women, and children continued to bring their offerings until those in charge of the work found that they had more than could be used. And Moses sent out an important announcement throughout the camp, “‘Let neither man nor woman do any more work for the offering of the sanctuary.’ And the people were restrained from bringing.” The Israelites’ devotion, zeal, and liberality are a worthy example to follow. All who love the worship of God will show the same spirit of sacrifice in preparing a house where He may meet with them. We should freely give enough to accomplish the work, so that the builders may be able to say, as the builders of the tabernacle did, “Bring no more offerings.”1TC 226.3

The tabernacle was small, not more than fifty-five feet long and eighteen wide and high. Yet it was magnificent. The wood was from the acacia tree, which was less likely to decay than any other wood at Sinai. The walls consisted of upright boards, set in silver sockets, and held firm by pillars and connection bars. All overlaid with gold, they looked like solid gold.1TC 226.4

Two Apartments Symbolize Two Phases of Ministry

The building was divided into two apartments by a beautiful veil, and a similar veil closed the entrance of the first apartment. These were of magnificent colors—blue, purple, and scarlet—with cherubim woven in with threads of gold and silver to represent the angelic host.1TC 226.5

The sacred tent was surrounded by an open space called the court. The entrance was at the eastern end, closed by curtains of beautiful workmanship, but not as spectacular as those of the sanctuary. People outside the court could see the building plainly. The bronze altar of burnt offering stood in the court. All the sacrifices made by fire to the Lord were consumed on this altar, and its horns were sprinkled with the atoning blood. Between the altar and the door of the tabernacle was the laver, the large bronze basin made from the mirrors that had been the freewill offering of the women of Israel. The priests were to wash their hands and feet at the laver whenever they went into the sacred tabernacle or approached the altar to offer a burnt offering to the Lord.1TC 227.1

In the tabernacle’s first apartment, the holy place, were the table of showbread, the lampstand, and the altar of incense. The table of showbread stood on the north, and it was overlaid with pure gold. Each Sabbath the priests were to place twelve cakes, arranged in two piles, on this table. On the south was the seven-branched lampstand, its branches decorated with exquisitely-made flowers, all crafted from one solid piece of gold. The lamps were never all extinguished at one time, but gave their light day and night.1TC 227.2

Just in front of the veil separating the holy place from the most holy and the immediate presence of God stood the golden altar of incense. Every morning and evening the priest was to burn incense on this altar; on the great Day of Atonement its horns were touched with the blood of the sin offering and sprinkled with blood. God Himself kindled the fire on this altar. Day and night the holy incense spread its fragrance throughout the sacred apartments and far around the tabernacle.1TC 227.3

Beyond the inner veil was the holy of holies, the center of the symbolic service of atonement and intercession, the connecting link between heaven and earth. In this apartment was the ark, overlaid with gold inside and out, which contained the tablets of stone, the Ten Commandments. It was called the ark of God’s tes tament, the ark of the covenant, since the Ten Commandments were the basis of the covenant made between God and Israel.1TC 227.4

The cover of the chest was called the mercy seat. This was made of one solid piece of gold, with golden cherubim mounted on each end. The position of the cherubim, with their faces turned toward each other and looking reverently downward toward the ark, represented the reverence that the heavenly host have for the law of God and their interest in the plan of redemption.1TC 228.1

Above the mercy seat was the Shekinah, the visible evidence of the divine Presence. Divine messages were sometimes communicated to the high priest by a voice from the cloud.1TC 228.2

The law of God inside the ark was the great rule of righteousness and judgment. That law pronounced death on the law-breaker, but above the law was the mercy seat. On the basis of the atonement, pardon was granted to the repentant sinner. “Mercy and truth have met together; righteousness and peace have kissed” (Psalm 85:10).1TC 228.3

A Dim Reflection of Heavenly Glory

No language can describe the glory inside the sanctuary. The gold-plated walls reflecting light from the golden lampstand; the table, and altar of incense, glittering with gold; beyond the second veil the sacred ark, and above it the holy Shekinah, the visible evidence of Jehovah’s presence—all were no more than a dim reflection of the glories of the temple of God in heaven, the great center of the work for our redemption.1TC 228.4

Building the tabernacle took about half a year. When it was completed, Moses examined all the work of the builders. “As the Lord had commanded, just so had they done it. And Moses blessed them.” The people of Israel crowded around to look at the sacred structure. The pillar of cloud floated over the sanctuary, and “the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.” There was a display of the divine majesty, and for some time even Moses could not enter. With deep emotion the people gazed at the sign that God had accepted the work of their hands. A solemn awe rested on everyone. The gladness of their hearts welled up in tears of joy, and they whispered sincere words of thankfulness that God had lowered Himself to dwell with them.1TC 228.5

In the days of Abraham, the priesthood was the birthright of the oldest son. Now, instead of the first-born, the Lord accepted the tribe of Levi for the work of the sanctuary. However, only Aaron and his sons were permitted to serve as actual priests before the Lord; the rest of the tribe were entrusted with responsibilities for the tabernacle and its furniture.1TC 229.1

Special clothing was worn by the priests. The robe of the common priest was of white linen, woven in one piece, held at the waist by a white linen belt embroidered in blue, purple, and red. On his head was a linen turban or miter. This completed his outer attire. The priests were to leave their shoes in the court before entering the sanctuary, and were also to wash both their hands and feet before ministering in the tabernacle. This made the lesson clear that those who would approach the presence of God must put away all defilement.1TC 229.2

The garments of the high priest were made of costly material and revealed beautiful workmanship. In addition to the linen clothing of the common priest, he wore a robe of blue, also woven in one piece. The skirt was decorated all around with golden bells, and pomegranates of blue, purple, and scarlet. The ephod, a shorter garment, was held by a belt of the same colors. The ephod was sleeveless, and on its shoulder pieces were two onyx stones containing the names of the twelve tribes of Israel.1TC 229.3

Over the ephod was the square-shaped breastplate, suspended from the shoulders by a cord of blue. The border was formed from a variety of precious stones, the same that form the twelve foundations of the City of God. The Lord directed, “Aaron shall bear the names of the sons of Israel on the breastplate of judgment over his heart, when he goes into the holy place, as a memorial before the Lord continually” (Exodus 28:29). So Christ, the great High Priest, pleading His blood in the sinner’s behalf, bears on His heart the name of every repentant, believing person.1TC 229.4

Two large stones known as the Urim and Thummim were at the right and left of the breastplate. When questions were brought before the Lord, a halo of light encircling the stone at the right was a sign of God’s approval, while a cloud shadowing the stone at the left was evidence of denial.1TC 229.5

Everything connected with the clothing and actions of the priests was to impress the people with the holiness of God and the purity required of those who come into His presence.1TC 230.1

The Sanctuary Ministry Foreshadowed
Heavenly Things

Not only the sanctuary but the ministry of the priests was to serve as a “copy and shadow of the heavenly things” (Hebrews 8:5). The work of ministry consisted of two divisions—daily and yearly services. The daily service took place at the altar of burnt offering in the court of the tabernacle and in the holy place, while the yearly service was in the most holy.1TC 230.2

No human eye except that of the high priest was to see the inner apartment of the sanctuary, and he could enter there only once a year. In reverent silence the people awaited his return, their hearts uplifted in prayer for the divine blessing. The high priest made the atonement for Israel at the mercy seat, and God, in the cloud of glory, met with him. If the high priest stayed longer than the accustomed time, the people were filled with fear that because of their sins or his own he had been killed by the glory of the Lord.1TC 230.3

The Daily Service

Every morning and evening a year-old lamb was burned on the altar, symbolizing the daily consecration of the nation and their constant dependence on the atoning blood of Christ. Only an offering “without blemish” could be a symbol of the perfect purity of Jesus, who was to offer Himself as “a lamb without blemish and without spot” (1 Peter 1:19). The apostle Paul says, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service” (Romans 12:1). Those who love Him with all the heart will give Him the best service of their life and will con stantly look for ways to bring every power of their being into harmony with His will.1TC 230.4

When the priest offered incense, he came more directly into the presence of God than in any other act of the daily ministry. The glory of God that appeared above the mercy seat was partially visible from the first apartment. When the priest offered incense before the Lord, he looked toward the ark, and as the divine glory descended on the mercy seat and filled the most holy place, often the priest had to retreat to the door of the tabernacle. As the priest looked by faith to the mercy seat, which he could not see, so the people of God are now to direct their prayers to Christ, their great High Priest, who is pleading in their behalf in the sanctuary above.1TC 231.1

The incense represents the worthiness and intercession of Christ and His perfect righteousness, which through faith is credited to His people and is the only thing that can make the worship of sinful beings acceptable to God. God was to be approached by blood and by incense—symbols pointing to the great Mediator, the only one through whom mercy and salvation can be granted to the sinner who has repented.1TC 231.2

As the priests entered the holy place morning and evening, the daily sacrifice was ready to be offered on the altar in the court. This was a time of intense interest—the worshipers at the tabernacle were to search their hearts and confess their sins. Their requests rose with the cloud of incense, while their faith clung to the merits of the promised Savior that the atoning sacrifice represented. In later times the Jews, scattered as captives in distant lands, still turned their faces toward Jerusalem at the appointed hour and offered their prayers to the God of Israel. This custom gives Christians an example for morning and evening prayer. God looks with great gladness on those who bow morning and evening to seek pardon and to present their requests for blessings.1TC 231.3

The showbread was an ongoing offering, part of the daily sacrifice. It was always in the presence of the Lord (Exodus 25:30), acknowledging human dependence on God for both physical and spiritual food, received only through Christ’s mediation. God had fed Israel with bread from heaven, and they were still dependent on His gifts, both for physical food and spiritual blessings. Both the manna and the showbread pointed to Christ, the living Bread. He Himself said, “I am the living Bread which came down from heaven” (John 6:48-51). The bread was removed every Sabbath and replaced with fresh loaves.1TC 231.4

The most important part of the daily ministry was the service for the benefit of individuals. The repentant sinner brought his offering to the door of the tabernacle, and, placing his hand upon the victim’s head, confessed his sins, thus symbolically transferring the sins from himself to the innocent sacrifice. By his own hand the animal was then killed, and the priest carried the blood into the holy place and sprinkled it in front of the veil, behind which was the ark containing the law that the sinner had transgressed. By this ceremony the sin was transferred symbolically to the sanctuary through the blood. In some cases the blood was not taken into the holy place (See Appendix, Note 5.), but the flesh was eaten by the priest, as Moses directed, saying, “God has given it you to bear the guilt of the congregation” (Leviticus 10:17). Both ceremonies symbolized the transfer of sin from the repenting person to the sanctuary.1TC 232.1

This work went on day by day throughout the year. With the sins of Israel having been transferred to the sanctuary, the holy places were defiled, and a special work became necessary to remove the sins. God commanded that an atonement be made for each of the sacred apartments, as for the altar, to “cleanse it, and hallow it from the uncleanness of the children of Israel” (Leviticus 16:19).1TC 232.2

Once a year, on the great Day of Atonement, the high priest entered the most holy place for the cleansing of the sanctuary. He brought two kids of the goats to the door of the tabernacle and cast lots for them, “one lot for the Lord and the other lot for the scapegoat.” The goat on which the first lot fell was killed as a sin offering for the people. The priest was to bring its blood within the veil and sprinkle it on the mercy seat. “So he shall make atonement for the Holy Place, because of the uncleanness of the children of Israel, and because of their transgressions, for all their sins; and so he shall do for the tabernacle of meeting.”1TC 232.3

“Aaron shall lay both his hands on the head of the live goat, confess over it all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions, concerning all their sins, putting them on the head of the goat, and shall send it away into the wilderness by the hand of a suitable man. The goat shall bear on itself all their iniquities to an uninhabited land.” Not until the goat had been led away did the people regard themselves as free from the burden of their sins. All Israel were to search their hearts while the work of atonement was going forward. All business was laid aside, and the whole congregation of Israel spent the day in solemn humiliation before God, with prayer, fasting, and deep searching of heart.1TC 233.1

Truths Taught by the Day of Atonement

This yearly service taught important truths concerning the atonement. In the sin offerings presented during the year, a substitute had been accepted in the sinner’s place, but the blood of the victim had not made full atonement for the sin. It had only provided a means of transferring the sin to the sanctuary. By offering the blood, the sinner confessed the guilt of his transgression and expressed faith in Him who was to take away the sin of the world. But the sinner was not entirely released from the condemnation of the law. On the Day of Atonement the high priest, having offered a sacrifice for the congregation, went into the most holy place with the blood and sprinkled it on the mercy seat, above the tablets of the law.1TC 233.2

In this way the claims of the law, which demanded the sinner’s life, were satisfied. Then in his role of mediator the priest took the sins upon himself and, leaving the sanctuary, bore with him the burden of Israel’s guilt. He laid his hands on the head of the scapegoat and confessed over it “all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions, concerning all their sins, putting them on the head of the goat.” When the goat was sent away, these sins were regarded as forever separated from the people. This service was performed as a “copy and shadow of the heavenly things” (Hebrews 8:5).1TC 233.3

The True Heavenly Sanctuary

The earthly sanctuary was “symbolic for the present time in which both gifts and sacrifices are offered”; its two holy places were “copies of the things in the heavens.” Christ, our great High Priest, is “a Minister of the sanctuary and of the true tabernacle which the Lord erected, and not man” (Hebrews 9:9, 23; 8:2).1TC 234.1

The apostle John was given a view of the temple of God in heaven. He saw there “seven lamps of fire” that “were burning before the throne.” He saw an angel “having a golden censer ... . He was given much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne” (Revelation 4:5; 8:3). Here the prophet was permitted to look into the first apartment of the sanctuary in heaven. Again, “the temple of God was opened in heaven,” and within the inner veil he looked on the holy of holies. Here he saw “the ark of His covenant” (Revelation 11:19), represented by the sacred chest that Moses constructed to contain the law of God.1TC 234.2

Paul declares that “the tabernacle and all the vessels of the ministry,” when completed, were “the copies of things in the heavens” (Hebrews 9:21, 23). And John says that he saw the sanctuary in heaven. That sanctuary, in which Jesus ministers in our behalf, is the great original. The sanctuary Moses built was a copy.1TC 234.3

The earthly sanctuary and its services were to teach important lessons concerning the heavenly sanctuary and the work done there for saving human beings.1TC 234.4

After His ascension, our Savior was to begin His work as our High Priest. “Christ has not entered the holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us” (Hebrews 9:24). Christ’s priestly ministry was to consist of two great divisions, each occupying a period of time and having a distinctive place in the heavenly sanctuary. So the symbolic, earthly ministry consisted of two divisions—the daily and the yearly service—and an apartment of the tabernacle was devoted to each.1TC 234.5

At His ascension, Christ appeared in the presence of God to plead His blood for repentant believers. To symbolize this, the priest in the daily ministration sprinkled the blood of the sacrifice in the holy place on the sinner’s behalf.1TC 234.6

Though the blood of Christ was to release the repentant sinner from the condemnation of the law, it was not to conceal the sin, which would stand on record in the sanctuary until the final atonement. So in the symbolic services of the sanctuary, the blood of the sin offering removed the sin from the repenting person, but it stayed in the sanctuary until the Day of Atonement.1TC 235.1

In the great day of final award, the dead will be “judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books” (Revelation 20:12). Then the sins of all the truly repentant ones will be blotted from the books of heaven. Thus the sanctuary will be freed, or cleansed, from the record of sin. In the symbolic service this great work of blotting out of sins was represented by the services of the Day of Atonement, the cleansing of the earthly sanctuary by removing the sins that had polluted it.1TC 235.2

In the final atonement the sins of the truly penitent are to be blotted from the records of heaven, no more to be remembered or come into mind. So in the symbolic service they were carried away into the wilderness, separated from the congregation forever.1TC 235.3

Since Satan is the one responsible for all the sins that caused the death of the Son of God, justice demands that Satan suffer the final punishment. Christ’s work to redeem men and women and to purify the universe from sin will be closed by placing these sins on Satan, who will bear the final penalty. So in the earthly service, the yearly cycle of services was closed by purifying the sanctuary and confessing the sins on the head of the scapegoat.1TC 235.4

So in the services of the tabernacle, each day the people were taught the great truths of Christ’s death and ministry, and once each year, their thoughts were carried into the future, to the closing events of the great controversy between Christ and Satan, and the final purifying of the universe from sin and sinners.1TC 235.5

Satan’s Hatred of God’s Law

The Sin of Nadab and Abihu

The Sanctuary: God’s Dwelling Place in Israel

The Attack

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