The Tabernacle - Timeless Truths of The Fence and The Door.
God described the Tabernacle Inside Out
Exo 25:8 And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them.
Exo 25:9 According to all that I shew thee, [after] the pattern of the tabernacle, and the pattern of all the instruments thereof, even so shall ye make [it].
Exo 25:10 And they shall make an ark [of] shittim wood: two cubits and a half [shall be] the length thereof, and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof, and a cubit and a half the height thereof.
God started with the Ark. That is the inner most piece of furniture. The Ark represented God’s presence. It was kept in the most holy place.
Then God describes the furniture in the holy place, the table of shew bread and the candlestick and so on. God did not start with the fence. The fence is the first thing that man sees. But the instructions were given from God’s point of view.
Giving the instructions starting from the Ark and then moving out to man shows that it is God that is seeking man.
2Pe 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
Luk 19:10 For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.
Man does have a free will and God’s seeking can be resisted. But make no mistake God is involved in seeking men. It is God that brings the conviction thru the preaching of His word.
God seeks to dwell with us.
It was not until He redeemed a people by the blood of the lamb, that He did dwell among them.
God visited Adam and Eve
God appeared to Abraham
God spoke to Moses at the burning bush
But it was only after He redeemed them that He dwelt among them. God only dwelt with a blood bought people. It was the blood that let God get close to His people.
We see a picture here of Eph. 2:13
Eph 2:13 But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.
God seeks to dwell with His people and that is only made possible by what Christ did on the cross.
God describes the Tabernacle from the inside out. However, we are concerned in this study of how a sinful man can approach a Holy God, give acceptable worship, and fellowship with a perfect Holy, Just, and Loving God.
So we are going to look at the Tabernacle from that view point. We are going to start on the outside and work our way in. For that is the way that man comes to God.
The Fence
The first thing that man comes up against when trying to get to God is the fence.
Exo 27:9 And thou shalt make the court of the tabernacle: for the south side southward [there shall be] hangings for the court [of] fine twined linen of an hundred cubits long for one side:
Exo 27:10 And the twenty pillars thereof and their twenty sockets [shall be of] brass; the hooks of the pillars and their fillets [shall be of] silver.
Exo 27:11 And likewise for the north side in length [there shall be] hangings of an hundred [cubits] long, and his twenty pillars and their twenty sockets [of] brass; the hooks of the pillars and their fillets [of] silver.
Exo 27:12 And [for] the breadth of the court on the west side [shall be] hangings of fifty cubits: their pillars ten, and their sockets ten.
Exo 27:13 And the breadth of the court on the east side eastward [shall be] fifty cubits.
Exo 27:14 The hangings of one side [of the gate shall be] fifteen cubits: their pillars three, and their sockets three.
Exo 27:15 And on the other side [shall be] hangings fifteen [cubits]: their pillars three, and their sockets three.
Exo 27:16 And for the gate of the court [shall be] an hanging of twenty cubits, [of] blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen, wrought with needlework: [and] their pillars [shall be] four, and their sockets four.
Exo 27:17 All the pillars round about the court [shall be] filleted with silver; their hooks [shall be of] silver, and their sockets [of] brass.
Exo 27:18 The length of the court [shall be] an hundred cubits, and the breadth fifty every where, and the height five cubits [of] fine twined linen, and their sockets [of] brass.
Exo 27:19 All the vessels of the tabernacle in all the service thereof, and all the pins thereof, and all the pins of the court, [shall be of] brass.
The wall of the court was 1 cubit = 18” 150 x 75 feet wide x 7 ˝ feet high.
White linen is a type of righteousness
Rev 19:8 And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.
Fine white linen is a symbol of righteousness. This linen was supported by sockets of brass.
The Fence was supported by 60 pillars resting in sockets of brass.
Brass is a type of judgment.
Dan 7:19 Then I would know the truth of the fourth beast, which was diverse from all the others, exceeding dreadful, whose teeth [were of] iron, and his nails [of] brass; [which] devoured, brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with his feet;
Here we see brass involved in some serious judgment.
Num 21:9 And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived.
The pole was a symbol of Christ going to the cross. It was made of brass because Jesus took the judgment of the Father to pay for your sin. He took the judgment of God so you would not have to.
Deu 28:23 And thy heaven that [is] over thy head shall be brass, and the earth that is under thee [shall be] iron.
Rev 1:15 And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters.
There is a day when Jesus is coming back in judgment.
So in the fence we see God’s righteousness in the white linen and we see God’s Judgment in the Brass.
Here righteousness and judgment are connected. Because God is righteous He must Judge. The two go together. They are connected. Not judging wickedness is not right.
If you took out the brass the white linen fence would fall to the ground. The fence would have no support. If God did not judge then His righteousness would fall. Without judgment you can not have righteousness.
And this righteousness and judgment is a barrier to man. That is the lesson of the fence.
The fence is a barrier to keep a sinful man out
The Righteousness of God shuts out the unbeliever.
Joh 3:36 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.
If you don’t come to God His one and only way, then you are shut out.
If God let the sinner into heaven, then it would not be heaven. It would be ruined. It would not be right.
But there is one more material in the fence. There are fillets of silver.
And attached to the righteousness and judgment are fillets of silver
Silver is a type of redemption
We will get into that in depth when we get to the lesson on the foundation of the Holy Place.
Jesus was righteous, Jesus bore God’s judgment for us on the cross, to provide redemption. White linen, Brass, and Silver.
The man on the outside could see God’s righteousness displayed before him. He could see that it was connected to the judgment of God and that redemption was available and connected to righteousness and judgment. In the fence we have all three.
Rom 5:18 Therefore as by the offence of one [judgment came] upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one [the free gift came] upon all men unto justification of life.
Holy Spirit convicts the lost of righteousness and judgment and is instrumental in bringing the lost to redemption.
Joh 16:7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.
Joh 16:8 And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:
You look at that fence and you are convicted of righteousness and of judgment. But if that was all you would leave you with no hope. But there was also the silver. Letting men know that even with righteousness and Judgment that there is also a way of redemption.
But that is all that the man sees. He cannot see what is going on inside. 7 ˝ feet high.
The unbeliever does not understand why we want to serve God.
1Co 2:14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know [them], because they are spiritually discerned.
The man on the out side cannot see the inside. The lost world does not understand. They can not see why you would want to go to church at all let alone Sunday school and Sunday night and again on Wednesday.
Joh 3:3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
The fence served another purpose. It Also protects from what is outside
The Righteousness of God also shuts in the believer.
You cannot loose your salvation. God’s judgment on the matter is you believe with a repentant heart and you will have eternal life.
If He took eternal life away after He gave it to you, then that would not be right.
Joh 10:28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any [man] pluck them out of my hand.
Joh 10:29 My Father, which gave [them] me, is greater than all; and no [man] is able to pluck [them] out of my Father's hand.
Joh 10:30 I and [my] Father are one.
You cannot be one with God the Father unless you are God.
The Door
Exo 27:16 And for the gate of the court [shall be] an hanging of twenty cubits, [of] blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen, wrought with needlework: [and] their pillars [shall be] four, and their sockets four.
Joh 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
Act 4:12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.
Jesus is the only way. Allah cannot do it, the Pope can't do it, Mary can't do it. Jesus is the only way. That is why there was only one door. And this one and only door had 4 colors. The four colors speak of the 4 Gospels of Christ .
Purple – Royalty – King – Matthew Jesus is the Royal one Mat 2:2
Scarlet – sacrifice – servant – Mark
Blue – Heaven – deity – John Jesus is the heavenly one. John 1:1-2 14
White – purity – perfect man – Luke He is the spotless one Luke 1:34-35
All 4 colors are in the gate .
John 10:9 Christ said “I am the door: by me if any man enter in he shall be saved” The door represents Christ, and it is thirty feet wide, It truly is whosoever will may come. The door was wide to show that Christ has room to let everyone come in. His ability and His willingness to save is large. It is big enough for all.
1Jo 2:2 And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for [the sins of] the whole world.
Christ is the door, He is the only way to heaven, And he died for all.
Christ died for the Arab, the Chinese, the Russian, and anyone else you can name.
Christ is the door and He is wide enough to accommodate everyone who will come.
So let’s say that 5 men hear that they can now fellowship will God. So they take a trip to the Tabernacle and they walk up to a high white fence. The fence is 7 ˝ feet high. They cannot even see over the fence.
The white color of the fence stands for righteousness and all of these men know that they have sinned and come short of the righteousness that God demands. The white fence stands for the righteousness of God and that is a barrier to a sinful man. And they see the brass and know that God is a God of Judgment.
They look to the left and then to the right and all they see is this barrier keeping them from fellowshipping with a Holy God. They are about to walk away but then they see the silver telling them that there is a way of redemption.
They turn and start walking around the fence to see if there is a way in. Maybe there will be a gap somewhere. Maybe they can find a loophole so to speak to sneak thru. So they walk the distance of one side and then the second side and still the fence is perfect. There are no imperfections in it. No way to get in. They go to the third side and still nothing put perfect righteousness keeping them out. Men have been trying to find another way in since Cain and they have never found it because there is no way thru the white curtain of God’s righteousness except to go thru His one and only door.
Then they come to the 4th and final side and they find the door. And what a remarkable door it is. It is a very large door that is inviting them in. They would think, there sure is enough room for us to go thru.
And it is a very beautiful door and it is very attractive. It stands out. There is no mistaking that this is the way in. And there is no mistaking that this is the only way in.
And this door is not camouflaged and hard to find. This door is not a secret for a select few. This door is brightly colored to catch the attention of the people. As if to say here am I. Come on in.
And all the 5 men have to do to have fellowship is to enter the door and be saved. But wait, there are difficulties. The door is made of blue, scarlet, purple, and fine white linen. And as we have seen all of these colors have a meaning. They stand for something.
The first man looks and the door and refuses to enter because of the blue. Blue stands for the heavenly character of Christ. This man refuses to accept the virgin birth. He thinks that Christ was just a good man. Just a good teacher and he refuses to accept His deity. He refuses to believe that Jesus was God manifested in the flesh.
He refuses to believe God's Holy Word.
Phi 2:5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
Phi 2:6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:
I have news for you, you cannot be equal with God unless you are God. These verses are a clear declaration that Jesus is God.
Phi 2:7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:
The first man sees the blue and turns away. And there are his kind all around us today. They refuse to believe that Jesus was God. Jesus is God.
Jehovah witnesses have not went thru the door they are on their way to a fiery hell. They have refused the blue in the door. Mormons same thing. You have turned away from the only door the only way in. You modern liberal preachers who don't believe in the virgin birth, the same goes for you. You need to accept the blue in the door.
The second man looks at the door and refuses to enter because of the scarlet in the door. The scarlet speaks of the blood of Christ that was shed for the remission of sin. Without it there is no salvation.
Heb 9:22 And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.
This man hates what he calls the slaughter house religion. And like Cain he does not want a bloody religion. This man stumbles at the cross. And so he too turns away.
His kind is also all around us today. And many of them are preachers and religious leaders. They don’t preach or teach about the blood. They don’t want the songs that mention blood in their song books.
But there is still power in the blood. In fact it has the only power that there is to save. You have to accept the shed blood of Christ. You have to go thru the door with scarlet on it.
The third man looks at the door and refuses to enter because of the purple. Purple speaks of the Kingship of Christ.
Joh 19:2 And the soldiers platted a crown of thorns, and put [it] on his head, and they put on him a purple robe,
Joh 19:3 And said, Hail, King of the Jews! and they smote him with their hands.
He knows that if he enters in that because Christ is king that he will be expected to be ruled by the King.
Luk 19:14 But his citizens hated him, and sent a message after him, saying, We will not have this [man] to reign over us.
He sees that Christ is King, but He refuses to let Him rule over him and so he too walks away. And his kind is still here today also.
The forth man not only sees the purple but he also sees the white next to the purple and knows that this King is righteous and that He does not like sin. He knows that this king will ask him to give up his sin. And he turns away because he loves his sin.
Joh 3:19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
The forth man also does not want to accept Christ’s righteousness to save him, instead he loves his own righteousness. He wants to work his way to heaven. Be proud about it. So he to turns away.
The fifth man is now standing there all alone, and looks at the Blue and accepts the deity. He looks at the scarlet and he accepts the blood that was shed for his sin, he looks at the purple and recognizes Christ’s right to be King. He looks at the white and is willing to turn from his sin. He is willing to turn away from his righteousness and accept the righteousness of Jesus.
The fifth man gladly accepted all that the Scriptures claim for Christ and he enters thru the door and gets saved.
Some of the other men who refused to enter thru the door go and get a ladder and climbed over the fence. But it does not work that way. That is not going to work.
Joh 10:1 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.
You can’t take out any one color from the door.
Without Blue, Jesus would not be from heaven.
Without Purple, He would not be a Messiah and King
Without Scarlet, He would not be a Saviour
Without Linen, Jesus would need a Saviour Himself. Praise God He didn't. Jesus was sinless.
Only gate – John 14:6
Joh 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
Wide gate – John 3:16
Joh 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Accessible Gate John 10:9
Joh 10:9 I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.
Attractive Gate – Matt 11:28
Mat 11:28 Come unto me, all [ye] that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Mat 11:29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
Mat 11:30 For my yoke [is] easy, and my burden is light.
But coming to the gate and even accepting everything that it stood for is not enough. You are still on the outside unless you enter in.
Head knowledge alone does not save. Head belief alone does not save. You have to enter in. You have to take action. Just standing at the door does not get you thru. You have to call upon the Lord.
There must be a receiving.
You must enter the door.
That is why the Bible says whosoever calls upon the name of the Lord. There has to be a calling. Your family cannot pray for you, your pastor cannot pray for you. You must call upon Him for yourself.
Joh 1:12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, [even] to them that believe on his name:
Only those that receive Jesus become sons of God.
You must call upon the name of the Lord to be saved.
Timeless Truths of the Fence and the Door.
1 Man is a sinner
2 God's Righteousness and Judgment is a barrier to fellowship with man
3 There is only one door. Only one way to enter into fellowship with God. And that one and only door is Jesus.
4 The door is wide and has room for all.
5 It is not a hidden or secret door. The way is made plain.
6 Man cannot see what is inside until he enters in.
7 God's righteousness and judgment also protect what is inside.