| |
| |
After
these things I looked, and the temple of the tabernacle of
testimony in heaven was opened . . . (NASB) Rev. 15:5 |
The
Temple and Tabernacle. The
tabernacle of the testimony refers to the tabernacle that the Israelites made
in the wilderness at Moses’ direction. Both Moses (Exodus 38:21) and Stephen
in his sermon (Acts 7:44) refer to the tabernacle in the wilderness as the tabernacle
of testimony.
| |
Our
fathers had the tabernacle of testimony in the wilderness,
just as He who spoke to Moses directed him to make it according
to the pattern which he had seen. (NASB) Acts. 7:44 |
The
wilderness tabernacle was made according to one which exists in heaven.
This is a surprising statement. Just think - there is a tabernacle
in heaven! That is the statement of Moses, Stephen, and the author
of the book of Hebrews (Heb. 8:2, 5). The earthly tabernacle was
a copy of a heavenly one.
| |
And
in the same way he sprinkled both the tabernacle and all
the vessels of the ministry with the blood . . . Therefore
it was necessary for the copies of the things in the heavens
to be cleansed with these, but the heavenly things themselves
with better sacrifices than these. (NASB) Heb. 9:21-23 |
The
temple of the tabernacle of testimony refers to the holy of holies. The Holy
of Holies was considered the place of testimony. The veil into the Holy of Holies
was called the veil of testimony (Lev. 24:3) and the ark of the covenant inside
the Holy of Holies was called the ark of testimony (Ex. 31:7). The Holy of Holies
was a testimony about God. It spoke of God. So references to the testimony point
us to the place God met with us.
|
|
