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The Tabernacle and Court, Part 4:

The Most Holy Place

 

Under the Mosaic Law of the Israelite Covenant, only the High Priest was allowed to enter into the Most Holy Place of the Tabernacle, and only on one day each year. Lev. 16:2, 34; Heb. 9:7 On that day, the Day of Atonement, he was required to enter the Most Holy Place twice:

Leviticus 16:17 …that he may make atonement [1] for himself, and for his household, and [2] for all the assembly of Israel.

Under Christʼs Law of the Church Covenant,

Hebrews 8:1 We have such a High Priest… 2 a Minister of the Holy Places and of the true [i.e., Heavenly] Tabernacle which the Lord erected, and not man. … 9:12 …[who] entered [1] once into the Holy Places, having obtained (for) Himself* eternal redemption. … 24 For Christ has not entered into holy places made with hands, [which are] antitupa/antitypes/representations of the true, but into heaven itself, [2] now to appear in the Presence of God for us. … 28 To those who eagerly wait for Him, He will appear out [of heavenʼs Sanctuary] a second time without sin to [the purpose of] salvation. *Greek middle/reflexive voice.

The true meaning of this passage out of Hebrews is generally missed. The two-fold atonement required of Aaronic High Priests in the earthly Tabernacle was meant to be an accurate representation of the two-fold atonement ultimately required of the heavenly High Priest, Jesus Christ.

Although Jesus lived a sinless life, God “made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” 2 Cor. 5:21; Is. 53:4-6 Therefore, He was unclean upon His Resurrection from the dead, and needed to immediately ascend to the Most Holy Place in heaven to become purified. This is why He said to Mary Magdalene,

John 20:17 “Touch me not, for I have not yet ascended to my Father…”

In contrast, the same day in the evening, after His return from “having obtained (for) Himself eternal redemption” (Heb. 9:12, above), he told His disciples, “Handle Me and see…” Luke 24:39 By that time, atonement had been made “for Himself and for His household.” Lev. 16:17, above.

Aaronʼs household consisted of all Aaronic priests and their families. Christʼs household consists of all Melchizedek/Apostolic priests and their families, because He was

Hebrews 5:10 called by God as High Priest “according to the Order of Melchizedek…” 3:6 [and] Christ [was faithful] as Son [of God] over his own house, whose house we are if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm to the end.

The Head(s)

When the Tabernacle is viewed as an archetypal representation of man, the part that the Most Holy Place represents is the head. In both Hebrew and Greek, the term head is used both literally – the physical part of the body itself – and also and more often figuratively. Meanings for the latter include terms such as leader, chief authority, origin/beginning, foremost, and highest. Paul used this metaphor often:

1 Corinthians 11:3 …know that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of a woman is the man, and the head of Christ is God.

Ephesians 5:23 For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the Church; and He is Savior of the body. … 30 For we are members of His body, of His flesh, and of His bones.

Colossians 2:9 For in Him [Christ] dwells all of the fullness of the Theotētos/Divinity/Godhead bodily. 10 And in him your are made full, who is the head of all rule and authority.

This whole concept of levels of headship (hierarchical authority) has been under assault throughout our era of the Seventh/last of Revelation 2-3ʼs churches, the Church of Laodicea. That name is derived from laos/people + dikē/right/justice. All authority/headship in the Church, be it of God, Christ, anointed elders, or fathers of families, is being challenged and rebelled against under the popular cry of “human rights.” This is the spirit of apostasia/apostasy foretold in 2 Thessalonians 2:2-4 that is to precede the coming of both “the Day of Christ” and of the Son of Perdition.

The Realm of the Light

1 John 1:5 …God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all.

Matthew 6:22 The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore thine eye is single, thy whole body will be luminous/full of light.

Revelation 1:16 …His [Christʼs] countenance was like the sun shining in its strength.

Luke 3:16 He will baptize you in the Holy Spirit and fire…

Acts 2:3 Then there appeared to them [His disciples gathered on Pentecost] divided tongues as of fire, and one sat upon each one of them.

Exodus 24:2 The sight of the Glory of the LORD was like a consuming fire on the top of the mountain [Sinai].

Exodus 34:29 …the skin of [Mosesʼ] face shone while he talked with Him.

The highest heaven is the realm of the Radiant Light of Divinity, which radiance is (normally) clothed and concealed, progressively, downward through the lower two heavens and then earth. The highest heaven corresponds to the Most Holy Place of the Sanctuary, and to the head of the Divine Man.

The Divine Light was first manifested by and through the Divine Man, the Word of God:

John 1:4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. … 9 …the true light which gives light to every man…

Genesis 2:7 And the LORD God…breathed into his [Adamʼs] nostrils a neshamah/breath of life…

Thus the Divine Breath/Neshamah of Life is light itself.

Like spirit, breath has a higher and a lower nature, manifesting respectively as radiance and as fire.

The Ark

The only article contained within the Most Holy Place was the Ark of the Covenant, but it was multi-faceted in design and symbolism. It consisted of a gold-covered box that was 2½ cubits broad, and 1½ cubits wide and high: about 45" x 27" x 27." It was covered by a solid gold plate of the same breadth and width, traditionally called the Mercy Seat, although the Hebrew term kapporeth means lid/cover, without suggestion of it being a seat. Formed as one piece with the kapporeth were two solid gold cherubim arising from opposite ends of the cover, which faced each other and spread their wings toward each other, making a canopy over the Ark. Ex. 25:10-20

Exodus 25:21 “…and in the Ark you shall put the Testimony [the two stone tablets having the Ten Commandments] that I will give you. 22 And there I will meet with you, and I will speak with you from above the cover/Mercy Seat, from between the two cherubim…about all that I will command/enjoin you…”

Note here the two witnesses of testimony, divided above/below by the partition of the Arkʼs cover – the spiritual witness above, and the material witness below – representing the fact that the Word of God will always have witnesses both heavenly and earthly. Therefore in the End Times, even after the Lord has taken up the elect of His Church to heaven, there will still be saints remaining upon earth to bear witness, ones “keeping the commandments of God, and having the testimony of Jesus Christ.” Rev. 12:17

The Ark and the cherubim are a material representation of the Divine Chariot seen by Ezekiel. Ezek. 1, 10; 1 Chron. 28:18 The cover of the Ark represents the “firmament” thereof:

Ezekiel 1:25 A voice came from above the firmament… 26 And above the firmament…was the likeness of a throne…on…the throne was a likeness with the appearance of a Man high above it. … 28 … This was the appearance of the likeness of the Glory of the LORD.

The Seven Holy Convocation/Assembly Days

Leviticus 23 itemizes seven “moedim/appointed times of the LORD which you shall proclaim to be holy miqrawim/convocations…” Lev. 23:2, 37 The first three of them, appointed to take place in the Spring, were covered in Parts 1-3 of these articles:

1) First month, 15th day: the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and celebration of the Passover sacrifice. Symbolism: deliverance from physical bondage (the lusts of the flesh), and from physical death (via the resurrection of the dead).

2) First month, 21st day: the seventh/last day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Symbolism: water baptism. Purification of the soul from worldly doctrine and relationships, so that it may become able to receive heavenly doctrine and relationships.

3) Early third month, day variable: the Feast of Firstfruits/Pentecost. Symbolism: baptism of the Holy Spirit. Christʼs Spirit provides the way for our Adamic spirits to once again enter into the Presence of God, which ability had been lost at the Fall of Adam.

The four remaining appointed holy convocations take place in the Autumn. They all relate to the establishment of the Kingdom of God/Kingdom of Heaven upon earth:

Matthew 6:10 “Thy Kingdom come! Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”

These latter sacred assembly days all relate to the Most Holy Place in the Tabernacle. They are, in order,

4) Seventh month, 1st day: the Feast of Blowing of Trumpets.

5) Seventh month, 10th day: the Day of Atonement.

6) Seventh month, 15th day: the first day of the Feast of Tabernacles.

7) Seventh month, 22nd day: the Eighth Day.

These will be covered in the last two articles of this series.