instruments thereof , even so shall ye make it ." And again the charge was given , " Look that thou make them after their pattern , which was showed thee in the mount ." Exodus 25:9 , 40 . And Paul says that the first tabernacle " was a figure for the time then present , in which were offered both gifts and sacrifices ;" that its holy places were " patterns of things in the heavens ;" that the priests who offered gifts according to the law served " unto the example and shadow of heavenly things ," and that " Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands , which are the figures of the true ; but into heaven itself , now to appear in the presence of God for us ." Hebrews 9:9 , 23 ; 8:5 ; 9:24 .
The sanctuary in heaven , in which Jesus ministers in our behalf , is the great original , of which the sanctuary built by Moses was a copy . God placed His Spirit upon the builders of the earthly sanctuary . The artistic skill displayed in its construction was a manifestation of divine wisdom . The walls had the appearance of massive gold , reflecting in every direction the light of the seven lamps of the golden candlestick . The table of shewbread and the altar of incense glittered like burnished gold . The gorgeous curtain which formed the ceiling , inwrought with figures of angels in blue and purple and scarlet , added to the beauty of the scene . And beyond the second veil was the holy Shekinah , the visible manifestation of God ' s glory , before which none but the high priest could enter and live .
The matchless splendor of the earthly tabernacle reflected to human vision the glories of that heavenly temple where Christ our forerunner ministers for us before the throne of God . The abiding place of the King of kings , where thousand thousands minister unto Him , and ten thousand times ten thousand stand before Him ( Daniel 7:10 ); that temple , filled with the glory of the eternal throne , where seraphim , its shining guardians , veil their faces in adoration , could find , in the most magnificent structure ever reared by human hands , but a faint reflection of its vastness and glory . Yet important truths concerning the heavenly sanctuary and the great work there carried forward for man ' s redemption were taught by the earthly sanctuary and its services .
The holy places of the sanctuary in heaven are represented by the two apartments in the sanctuary on earth . As in vision the apostle John was granted a view of the temple of God in heaven , he beheld there " seven lamps of fire burning before the throne ." Revelation 4:5 . He saw an angel " having a golden censer ; and there was given unto him much incense , that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne ." Revelation 8:3 . Here the prophet was permitted to behold the first apartment of the sanctuary in heaven ; and he saw there the " seven lamps of fire " and " the golden altar ," represented by the golden candlestick and the altar of incense in the sanctuary on earth . Again , " the temple of
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