Typology of Jesus in the Bible

This past Wednesday night, I had the opportunity to teach on the Typology of Jesus Christ in the Bible by using the Tabernacle. What a beautiful picture the Tabernacle paints of Jesus! From beginning to end - you see Jesus in it! As we consider the very word - TABERNACLE - we are reminded about John 1:14 which says, "And the Word became flesh and dwelt (TABERNACLED) among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth." All throughout Scripture, after the fall of man, you see how the Lord desired to get closer and closer to the heart of man. First we see His presence in the Tabernacle, and then we see His presence in the Temple. Then we see how God becomes man and dwells among us in the person of Jesus Christ. Talk about get close to the heart of man! He was living, walking, talking, eating, drinking, etc. with mankind. And lastly, we see that those who give their lives to the Lord, the Holy Spirit resides in the very heart of man. You can't get any closer than that! It is amazing that the Lord desires this close relationship with man. Well, let's get back to the tabernacle.

The first thing that we note is the Gate. There was only ONE gate. Just as Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life and no man get to the Father except through Me." (John 14:6) It was also a very WIDE gate. 35 feet wide! John 3:16 says "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever would believe in Him would not perish but would have everlasting life." The Gate was wide enough for WHOSOEVER!
Once you would go through the gate and enter the inner courts, the very first piece of furniture that you would notice would be the Altar of Burnt Offering. This was the very place of Sacrifice and Atonement. The individual coming into the inner courts would bring their sacrifice. Why? Because of their sins! It was because of their sins that this animal would be sacrifice. Blood would be spilled and now the offerer would be atoned for their sins. The word atoned literally means "a covering." As it says in the book of Hebrews, "For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins." (Heb. 10:4) This blood would only cover the sins of the individual. This was just a forshadowing of Jesus Himself. But note what it says in Hebrews 10:12 "But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;" The blood of Jesus does not just cover our sins, it cleanses our sins! 1 John 1:9!

The next piece of furniture that you would notice was the Wash Basin. This was made out of the brazen mirrors that the women offered up. Now let me ask you. What does a mirror do? It tells you the truth! It tells you what is there! If there are any mistakes, it reveals them to you. Now this Wash Basin was a clear picture of the Word of God. As you know, in John 1:1-3 we see that Jesus is the Word of God. As we look into the Word, He reveals to us the truth. He reveals to us what is wrong and what needs to be fixed. What another beautiful picture of Jesus!
Now as we enter into the first room of the Tabernacle, The Holy Place. We note three pieces of furniture. The first one that would stand out would be the Lampstand. Once again a picture of Jesus. As Jesus declared in John 8:12 "I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life."

Next you would notice the Table of Showbread. The bread was a beautiful picture of Jesus. It was unleavened bread that was made from grain that would have been crushed and then would be baked through the fire. These three things are a picture of Christ. As you know leaven in the Bible, is a picture of sin. This bread was unleavened bread (Jesus' life without sin), the grain was crushed, just as He was bruised for our iniquities, and He endured the "fire" of the cross. Something else to note about the Table of Showbread was the table. There was only one job for the Table to do. SHOW THE BREAD! The table is a picture of what we are called to do. Show the Bread! Simply show Jesus!
Lastly, in the Holy Place you would note the Altar of Incense. This was made out of acacia wood, representing the life of Christ, and was overlayed with Gold, representing the Deity of Christ. It was also the highest piece of furniture in this room. As you do deeper study, you will note that this altar is a picture of prayer. As as you look into the life of Christ, He lead the example and put prayer in the highest priority. What an example for us!

Now we enter the Holy of Holies. There was one piece of furniture in this room. It was called the Ark of the Covenant. The lid of the Ark was known as the Mercy Seat. Now there were a few items that were inside this Ark of the Covenant. But the one that I want to point out was the 10 Commandments. The Law! As you look into the law, you will recognize one thing, you are guilty of all of them. Now as we read in the book of Exodus, the Lord states that it is in between the two cheribum on top of the Mercy Seat is where His presence was. Now the Lord is a holy and just God. And yet in His merciful ways He provided the Mercy Seat. To cover the 10 Commandments. To cover the evidence of us being guilty. So how is this a picture of Christ. In 1 John 2:2 "And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world." The word propitiation literally means Mercy Seat. So what a picture of Christ! He became that Mercy Seat for us.
So as we examine this Tabernacle. From beginning to end - it is a picture of Christ!