"You shall also make the court of the tabernacle. For the south side there shall be hangings for the court made of fine woven linen, one hundred cubits long for one side. And its twenty pillars and their twenty sockets shall be bronze. The hooks of the pillars and their bands shall be silver. Likewise along the length of the north side there shall be hangings one hundred cubits long, with its twenty pillars and their twenty sockets of bronze, and the hooks of the pillars and their bands of silver. And along the width of the court on the west side shall be hangings of fifty cubits, with their ten pillars and their ten sockets. The width of the court on the east side shall be fifty cubits. The hangings on one side of the gate shall be fifteen cubits, with their three pillars and their three sockets. And on the other side shall be hangings of fifteen cubits, with their three pillars and their three sockets. For the gate of the court there shall be a screen twenty cubits long, woven of blue, purple, and scarlet thread, and fine woven linen, made by a weaver. It shall have four pillars and four sockets. All the pillars around the court shall have bands of silver; their hooks shall be of silver and their sockets of bronze. The length of the court shall be one hundred cubits, the width fifty throughout, and the height five cubits, made of fine woven linen, and its sockets of bronze. All the utensils of the tabernacle for all its service, all its pegs, and all the pegs of the court, shall be of bronze. And you shall command the children of Israel that they bring you pure oil of pressed olives for the light, to cause the lamp to burn continually. In the tabernacle of meeting, outside the veil which is before the Testimony, Aaron and his sons shall tend it from evening until morning before the LORD. It shall be a statute forever to their generations on behalf of the children of Israel."
The fence of the rectangular court of the Tabernacle measured 100 cubits in length. In the Bible, a cubit was set as the length extending from one's elbow to the tip of his finger, about 45 cm (18 inches) in today's measurement. As such, that the fence of the court of the Tabernacle was 100 cubits long means that it was about 45 m (150 feet) , and that its width was 50 cubits means that it was approximately 22.5 m (75 feet) wide. So this was the size of the House in which God dwelt among the people of Israel in the Old Testament's time.
The Outer Court of the Tabernacle Was Surrounded by a Fence
Have you seen a model of the Tabernacle in a picture or painting by any chance? Broadly speaking, the Tabernacle was divided into its court and the Tabernacle itself, the House of God. In this House of God, the Tabernacle, there was a small structure called the Sanctuary. The Sanctuary was covered by four different coverings: a covering woven of fine woven linen and blue, purple, and scarlet thread; another of goats' hair; that of lam skins dyed red; and a covering of badger skins.
At the eastside of the court of the Tabernacle was found its gate, woven of blue, purple, and scarlet thread and fine woven linen. Entering into this gate, we would have seen the altar of burnt offering and the laver. Passing the laver, we would have then seen the Tabernacle itself. The Tabernacle was divided into the Holy Place and the Most Holy, where God's Ark of the Testimony was found. The fence of the court of the Tabernacle was built with 60 pillars with hangings of fine white linen. The Tabernacle itself, on the other hand, was built with 48 boards and 9 pillars. We need to have at least a general idea of the external features of the Tabernacle in order to be able to understand what God is speaking to us through its format.
God dwelt inside the Tabernacle built with 48 boards. God manifested His presence to the people of Israel with the pillar of cloud by day and that of fire by night above the Tabernacle. And inside the Sanctuary, where God Himself dwelt, the glory of God filled the place. Inside the Holy Place, there were the table of showbread, the lampstand, and the altar of incense, and inside the Most Holy, there were the Ark of the Testimony and the mercy seat. These were off-limit places for the common people of Israel; only the priests and the High Priest could enter the places according to the system of the Tabernacle. It is written, "Now when these things had been thus prepared, the priests always went into the first part of the tabernacle, performing the services. But into the second part the high priest went alone once a year, not without blood, which he offered for himself and for the people's sins committed in ignorance" (Hebrews 9:6-7). This tells us that in today's age, only those who have the faith of gold that believes in the gospel of the water and the Spirit can live their lives with God while serving Him.
What is the meaning of the bread placed on the table of showbread? It means the Word of God. What does the altar of incense mean then? It tells us of prayers. Inside the Most Holy, there was the Ark of the Testimony, and the mercy seat, made of pure gold, was put above the Ark. The cherubim stretched out their wings above, covering the mercy seat with their wings, and they faced one another toward the mercy seat. This was the mercy seat, the place where God's grace was bestowed. Inside the Ark of the Testimony, the two stone tablets into which the Ten Commandments were carved, the sprouted staff of Aaron, and a jar filled with manna were placed. The Ark was covered by a gold covering (the mercy seat), and above it the cherubim were looking down toward the mercy seat.
Where Do Those Who Received the Remission of Sin Live?
The place where those who received the remission of sin live is inside the Sanctuary. The Sanctuary was built with 48 boards, all of which were overlaid with gold. Think about it. When you are looking at the golden wall not of just a handful, but of 48 golden boards, how brilliantly would it shine? As the interior of the Sanctuary and all its utensils were made of pure gold in this way, they shined brilliantly.
The altar of burnt offering and the laver in the outer court of the Tabernacle were all made of bronze, and the fence of the court was made of the pillars overlaid with silver and fine white linen. In contrast, all the utensils inside the Sanctuary were made of gold; the lampstand was golden, and so was the table of showbread. As all the items in the Sanctuary and its three-sided walls were thus made of pure gold, the inside of the Sanctuary always shined brilliantly in golden radiance.
That the inside of the Sanctuary thus shined brilliantly in golden radiance tells us that the saved saints live their precious lives of faith inside God's Church. The saints who live in their faith in the gospel of the water and the Spirit are like the pure gold found in the Sanctuary. The life that such saints live inside the Sanctuary is the blessed life that dwells in the Church, feeds on the Word of God, prays to and praises Him, and goes before the throne of God and is clothed in His grace everyday, all through the Church. This is the life of faith inside the Sanctuary. You must take it to your hearts that only the righteous who have been saved through the gospel of the water and the Spirit can live this precious life of faith inside the Sanctuary.
God Divided the Inside and Outside of the Sanctuary Clearly
As most houses have fences, the court of the Tabernacle also had a fence made of 60 pillars and surrounded by the hangings of fine white linen. At the east of the court, a gate made of blue, purple, and scarlet thread and fine woven linen was placed for all to see, measuring as long as 9 m (30 feet) in width.
In studying the Tabernacle, we must realize clearly what is the brilliant faith that God wants from us, what kind of faith is the faith of the saved, and, through the materials used for the Tabernacle, how our Lord has saved us. To learn what is the golden and brilliant faith captured inside the Sanctuary, we must first look carefully at the laver, the altar of burnt offering, and the fence that were placed in the outer court of the Tabernacle, and all the materials used for them. By doing so, we can find out with what kind of faith we can enter into the brilliantly golden and radiant Sanctuary.
What were in the outer court of the Tabernacle? There were the laver and the altar of burnt offering. And it was surrounded by 60 wooden pillars, and on these pillars the hangings of fine linen were placed as the court's fence. The pillars of this fence was made of acacia wood, which, despite its hardiness, was very light. The pillars made of this wood was approximately 2.25 m (7.5 feet) high, making it impossible for most people with normal heights to peek into the inside of the Tabernacle from the outside of the fence of the outer court. If something was deliberately placed to step on, one could possibly see inside the court, but without such help, it was impossible to peek inside. This tells us that through our own man-made efforts, we can never enter into the Kingdom of God.
At the bottom ends of the wooden pillars of the outer court, bronze sockets were placed, and their tops were capped with silver capitals. As the pillars could not stand on their own, silver bands clasped steadily the adjacent pillars to each other. And to support the pillars firmly in cross-directions, the silver hooks placed in the silver cover of the pillars were tied to the bronze pegs with the cords (Exodus 35:18).
What Were the Materials Used for the Gate of the Court of the Tabernacle?
The materials used for the gate of the court of the Tabernacle were blue, purple, and scarlet thread and fine woven linen. The height of the gate was 2.25 m (7.5 feet), , and its width was about 9 m (30 feet) . It was a screen woven of blue, purple, and scarlet thread and fine woven linen, which was hung on four pillars. As such, whenever one tried to enter into the court of the Tabernacle, he/she could easily find its gate.
The materials of blue, purple, and scarlet thread and fine woven linen used for the gate of the Tabernacle manifest that God would save us from all our sins through the four works of His Son Jesus. All the 60 wooden pillars and the fine linen of the fence of the court of the Tabernacle also manifest clearly through what method God would save you and me from our sins through His Son Jesus.
Through the gate of the outer court of the Tabernacle, in other words, God is revealing the mystery of salvation to us clearly. Let us once again go over the materials used for the gate of the court of the Tabernacle: blue, purple, and scarlet thread and fine woven linen. These four threads are critically important for us to be saved by believing in Jesus. If these materials were not important, the Bible would not have recorded them in so much detail.
All the materials used for the gate of the court of the Tabernacle were absolutely necessary for God to save you and me. However, the fact that the gate was woven of the blue, purple, and scarlet thread and the fine woven linen without fail is of utmost importance for God to save sinners, because these four threads were the very revelation of God's perfect salvation. This is how God determined. This is why God showed the model of the Tabernacle to Moses on the Mountain Sinai and told him to make the gate of the court of the Tabernacle accordingly.
What Are the Meanings of the Blue, Purple, and Scarlet Thread and the Fine Woven Linen?
The gate of the Holy Place was made of a curtain woven of blue, purple, and scarlet thread and fine woven linen, and the veil between the Holy Place and the Most Holy was also woven of these four threads. Not only this, but the ephod and the breastplate of the High Priest were also woven of blue, purple, and scarlet thread and fine woven linen. What, then, do the blue, purple, and scarlet thread and the fine woven linen tell us? What exactly do these blue, purple, and scarlet thread and fine woven linen, which were absolutely necessary for our Lord to save us, say to us? We must make sure to examine this issue closely.
First of all, the blue thread tells us of the baptism of Jesus Christ. Those who are ignorant of the significance of baptism do not know that the blue thread refers to the baptism of Jesus Christ. As such, those who are not born again generally claim that the meaning of the blue thread is, "Jesus Christ is God Himself, and He came to this earth in the flesh of a man." Others, on the other hand, claim, "the blue thread just means the Word." However, the Bible tells us that the blue thread means "Jesus' baptism through which He accepted the sins of the world onto Himself after coming this earth." The Scripture shows us clearly that the blue thread refers to the water baptism that Jesus received from John the Baptist. Reading the Word on the Tabernacle, I came to realize, "Aha, God wants to shows us the importance of our faith in the baptism of Jesus."
The robe worn by the high priest while giving offerings was also woven of blue thread. A plate of gold was hung on the turban that the High Priest wore on his head, and the cord that tied the plate to the turban was also blue. And on this plate of gold, the phrase, "Holiness to the Lord," was engraved. We can see that the blue cord that tied the gold plate on the High Priest's turban clearly manifests the baptism of Jesus that gives holiness to the Lord.
In this way, through the blue chord that tied the plate of gold to the turban, God speaks to us of our true salvation. In other words, the linchpin that gives us holiness is blue, and this is Jesus' baptism. Although the color blue generally reminds us of the blue sky, blue does not refer to only God. Of the blue, purple, and scarlet thread and the fine woven linen, the blue thread surely means the baptism of Jesus Christ. Put differently, the blue thread tells us that Jesus Christ took the sins of all the sinners of this world by being baptized (Matthew 3:15). Had Jesus not taken everyone's sins by being baptized, we the believers would not be able to give "holiness to the Lord." Were it not for the baptism that Jesus received, we could never be clothed in holiness before God.
Do you know the spiritual meaning of God's command to weave the gate of the court of the Tabernacle with blue thread according to the format shown to Moses? The gate of the court leading into the Tabernacle where God dwelt refers to Jesus Christ. No one can enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but through Jesus Christ. The gate of the court, which refers to Jesus, was woven of blue, purple, and scarlet thread and fine woven linen, clearly because God wanted to reveal the truth that leads us to our salvation. The purple thread refers to the Holy Spirit, telling us, "Jesus is the King of kings." The scarlet thread refers to the blood that Jesus shed on the Cross. The blue thread, as just mentioned, refers to the baptism that Jesus received from John the Baptist.
The blue, purple, and scarlet threads therefore tell us of Jesus' baptism, God's incarnation, and His death on the Cross. The works of Jesus manifested in these three threads give us the faith that enables us to go before Jehovah in holiness. That Jesus, God Himself, came to this earth in the flesh of a man, took the iniquities of sinners upon His own body by being baptized, and vicariously bore the condemnation of all sins and curses by shedding His blood-this is the very spiritual mystery of the blue, purple, and scarlet thread.
Perhaps you had thus far thought of the blue thread only as manifesting God or His Word. But you must now know clearly that the blue thread actually refers to the baptism of Jesus Christ. The baptism through which Jesus accepted all our sins passed onto Him is critically important and cannot left out of His works; as such, from the Tabernacle of the Old Testament, God is telling us of its importance.
Baptism Was the Means by Which Jesus Bore Our Sins
The pillars of the fence of the Tabernacle were made of acacia woods. Bronze sockets were placed at the bottom of these pillars, and silver capitals were capped on top of them. This tells us first that sinners must be judged for their sins. Only those who have been judged once for their sins can be saved. Those who have not been judged yet and therefore are not saved cannot avoid but be condemned to bear the eternal punishment for their sins when they go before God.
As it is written, "For the wages of sin is death,"(Romans 6:23) sinners will most certainly be subjected to God's fearful judgment for their sins. Sinners must therefore be judged by God once for their sins, and then live again by being clothed in His grace. This is what being born again is. The faith of the blue thread, that Jesus Christ took all our sins upon Himself through baptism, and the faith of the scarlet thread, that Jesus has delivered all sinners by being judged on the Cross-none other than this faith is what make us die once to our sins and be born again. You must realize that only the eternal condemnation awaits those who, because of their disbelief, cannot pass through the judgment in faith.
The baptism of Jesus was the means by which Christ bore all our sins to save us from our sins. Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist in order to take all our sins upon Himself. Jesus is God Himself, and yet to save us, He came to this earth in the flesh of a man, took all the iniquities of sinners upon Himself by being baptized by John the Baptist, the representative of mankind, and was condemned vicariously on sinners' behalf by giving up His own body on the Cross and shedding water and blood. The gate of the court of the Tabernacle is telling us in elaborate detail about the works that Jesus fulfilled as our Savior. Through the gate of the court of the Tabernacle, God is telling us clearly that Jesus has become the Savior of sinners.
The fine woven linen refers to the Word of the Old and New Testaments, which is this much detailed, and matches one another. How intricately would each strand be knitted to make this fine woven linen? Through the fine woven linen, God is telling us in detail how He has saved us.
When we look at carpets, we see that they are knitted by weaving different threads. Like this, God told the Israelites to make the gate of the court of the Tabernacle by weaving blue, purple, and scarlet thread on fine woven linen. This tell us that Jesus who came to us through the water (baptism), the blood (the Cross), and the Holy Spirit (Jesus is God), which are hidden in the intricate Word of God, is the very door of our salvation. By having the proper faith in Jesus Christ that is revealed in the intricate Word of God and by being clothed in His love, we have now been saved wholly through faith.
Jesus Christ did not save us haphazardly. We can see this when we look at the Tabernacle. Jesus has saved sinners elaborately. We can realize how elaborately He has saved us when we look at only the pillars of the fence. Why, of all numbers, is the number of the pillars of the fence 60? It is because the number 6 refers to man, while the number 3 refers to God. In Revelation 13, the mark of 666 appears, and God tells us that this number is the number of the Beast, and that the wise know the mystery of this number. Therefore, the number 666 means that man acts like God. What is the wish of mankind? Is it not to become like a perfect divine being? If we truly want to become like a divine being, then we must be born again by believing in Jesus and become the children of God. The 60 pillars refer to this implication elaborately.
However, instead of having faith, people commit the boastful, evil act of trying to be partakers of the divine nature through their own efforts. None other than this is the reason why people reinterpret all the Word according to the lust of man and misbelieve in their own man-made thoughts, for they do not have faith but only the lust that stands against God. Because of this lust of the flesh that tries to become whole by themselves and to reach the perfection of their flesh, they end up far removed from the Word of God.
The Word of Salvation Revealed in All the Items of the Tabernacle
For Jesus Christ to save sinners and pull them into the Sanctuary, all the utensils and materials of the Tabernacle were necessary. The altar of burnt offering was necessary, the laver was necessary, and the pillars, bronze sockets, silver capitals, hooks and silver bands were also all necessary. All these things are the utensils found outside the Sanctuary, and their materials were all necessary to turn a sinner into a righteous.
All these things were necessary to enable sinners to enter and live in the Kingdom of God, but the most important among them was the blue thread (Jesus' baptism). The blue, purple, and scarlet threads were used to make the gate of the court of the Tabernacle. These threads refer to the three works of Jesus that are needed by us when believing in God. First, Jesus came to this earth and took all our sins upon Himself with His baptism; second, Jesus is God (Spirit); and third, Jesus died on the Cross to bear the condemnation of all the sins that He accepted onto Himself through John at the Jordan River. This is the correct order of true faith that is needed for sinners to be saved and become the righteous.
When we read the Bible, we can realize just how intricate our Lord is. We can clearly find out that the One who has saved us so elaborately, strand by strand like the fine woven linen, is none other than God Himself. Furthermore, God made the Israelites to build the gate of the court of the Tabernacle by weaving blue, purple, and scarlet thread on fine linen that was as long as 9 m. As such, God made sure that anyone looking at the Tabernacle, even from far away, could discern the gate of the court of the Tabernacle.
The hangings of the fine white linen hung over the pillars of the court of the Tabernacle manifests God's holiness. As such, we can realize that sinners cannot dare to approach the Tabernacle, and that they can enter into its court only when they are saved by believing in the ministries of Jesus manifested in the blue, purple, and scarlet thread woven into the gate of the court of the Tabernacle. In this way, God has enabled sinners to know that Jesus Christ has blotted out all their sins and saved them through the water, the blood, and the Holy Spirit.
Not only this, but the materials of all the items that make up the Tabernacle, including the gate of its court, also show us the intricate Word needed for God to turns sinners into the righteous. Because God told the Israelites to make the gate of the court of the Tabernacle large enough for everyone to find, and because this gate was made by intricately weaving blue, purple, and scarlet thread on fine linen, God enabled all to understand clearly the important Word that can turn sinners into the righteous.
The gate of the court of the Tabernacle tells us that God has wholly saved us, who were like acacia wood, from sins through the blue thread (Jesus' baptism), the scarlet thread (the blood of the Cross), and the purple thread (Jesus is God). God has determined that only those who clearly believe in this can enter into the Sanctuary, the House of God.
(culled from bjnewlife.org)
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