6 - STUDIES IN THE TABERNACLE

6 - STUDIES IN THE TABERNACLE

October 24, 1964 

Pastor Henry F. Kulp

Exodus 27: 1 - 5 And thou shalt make an altar of shittim wood, five cubits long, and five cubits broad; the altar shall be foursquare: and the height thereof shall be three cubits. And thou shalt make the horns of it upon the four corners thereof: his horns shall be of the same: and thou shalt overlay it with brass. And thou shalt make his pans to receive his ashes, and his shovels, and his basons, and his fleshhooks, and his firepans: all the vessels thereof thou shalt make of brass. And thou shalt make for it a grate of network of brass; and upon the net shalt thou make four brasen rings in the four corners thereof. And thou shalt put it under the compass of the altar beneath, that the net may be even to the midst of the altar.

As you come into the first enclosure of the Tabernacle through the first door, you come to the brazen altar, and there the blood was shed for sin. This altar was of brass and it was just inside the door. The outside door of the Tabernacle. Remember, that the Tabernacle proper was enclosed with an outer court, and around that outer court was a curtain abut 8 feet in height, the front of the Tabernacle was facing east—that is the sunrise, and there was the gate. The gate was made of curtains about 30 feet broad. The gate was wide enough for however many wanted to get in. The door is always wide enough for all who want to get in—but you have to be sure to come that way. You have to come by the way of the altar, because the way of the altar is by the way of blood.

I’d like to take you back to Exodus 12: 13 And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt.

There is one word in that verse that is so important, and the blood shall be to you for a token. A token is something that represents something else. A token is that which may not be of any value in itself, but it represents something of value. A token represents something of greater value than itself. I am sure that if you have ridden on buses or trollies, you know about a token. The token is a little thing, and it is not worth very much. If you lived in a big city—I don’t know about our city here—you would find that you could buy tokens to ride buses or subways—some times they represent 10 cents—the token itself is not worth 10 cents, but you can get a 10 cent ride with that token. So it is accepted for far more than it is worth. The blood of the Old Testament—the blood that was shed there in the Old Testament was a token. God says here—I have given you the blood for a token. ?What did blood of that little lamb represents better blood—it represented the blood that was yet to be shed.

1/ In the Old Testament, God accepted the blood of a lamb because that blood of that little lamb that died, was a token of a better blood—a precious blood. That was yet to be shed in the future at Calvary. All the blood on Jewish altars pointed forward to the blood of Calvary. Hundreds of offerings—thousands—for in the days of Solomon, 10,000 bullocks were sacrificed at a single feast, and all that blood of the Old Testament, was a finger of God, pointing to Calvary. God said that the blood of Jesus Christ is precious blood. God never called the blood of the Old Testament precious. It was just a token. So let’s contrast that.

I Peter 1: 19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:

Now God never called the blood of the Old Testament precious. It was just a token, and the blood of the Old Testament never saved anyone. Those who trusted the blood of the Old Testament were trusting Calvary, and God accepted their faith in that blood for faith in the blood of Calvary.

2/ This altar was about 8 feet square, covered the brass. Remember, it was just inside the gate. They killed the offering on the outside, and they carried the carcass inside, laid it on the altar, and burned the carcass of the offering on the altar. The blood was important, because they took the blood inside.

Exodus 27: 8 Hollow with boards shalt thou make it: as it was shewed thee in the mount, so shall they make it.

Please notice this verse. Hollow with boards shalt thou make it—notice, the word, hollow. This altar, I think was just a frame covering something. I’d like you to turn back to Exodus 20: 24 An altar of earth thou shalt make unto me, and shalt sacrifice thereon thy burnt offerings, and thy peace offerings, thy sheep, and thine oxen: in all places where I record my name I will come unto thee, and I will bless thee.

Then notice the 25th verse, And if thou wilt make me an altar of stone, thou shalt not build it of hewn stone: for if thou lift up thy tool upon it, thou hast polluted it.

God said, I want an altar of earth or stone, and if you make it of stone, don’t touch it—the moment you make God’s worship fancy, you spoil it. God’s worship is to be simple. And God said, If you build me an altar, build it of earth or stone, and if it is stone, it is to be unhewn—you are not to put a tool upon it—leave it in its rough state. I believe this brazen altar was just a frame, and wherever the people went they built an altar unto the Lord of stone, and they put this altar over it.

4/ I think we should understand the altar. It was just inside the gate. I think we can understand it better, if we look at one or two of the offerings that were laid upon it. So we can see how the altar was used.

Leviticus 1: 3 If his offering be a burnt sacrifice of the herd, let him offer a male without blemish: he shall offer it of his own voluntary will at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before the Lord.

This is the burnt offering. First of all, notice, he shall offer it of his own voluntary will. When you come to the altar, you must do it of your own voluntary will. Your will must be in it—you must say, I receive Him as my Redeemer, my sacrifice, my substitute.

Then notice, secondly, he shall put his hand upon the head of the offering. That is identification. You identify yourself with the head of the offering. That is identification. You identify yourself with the offering— which, of course, is a picture of Jesus Christ, and, of course, this is substitution. The little animal takes your place. That animal is going to die. It is going to take your sin because you laid your hand upon that offering, your sin was transferred to that offering, and you identified yourself with that offering.

5/ Then, notice, verse 4 And he shall put his hand upon the head of the burnt offering; and it shall be accepted for him to make atonement for him.

Here is the third thing. You have to be accepted by God. God must be satisfied. God accepts the offering. Some people say, Don’t bother us, we are satisfied with the religion we have. Christian Scientists will tell you that —I am satisfied with what I have. But that doesn’t amount to anything. Is God satisfied? You must satisfy God. And God is only satisfied with the innocent substitute and the shedding of blood. Notice, it shall be accepted for him to make an atonement for him.

Notice, Ephesians 1: 6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.—Jesus Christ, by His sacrifice.

6/ Remember, they killed the sacrifice on the outside, and they carried the parts into the altar, and it was burned there. There was one sacrifice that was not taken into the altar. I want to show it to you.

Leviticus 4: 2 - 5 Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, If a soul shall sin through ignorance against any of the commandments of the Lord concerning things which ought not to be done, and shall do against any of them: If the priest that is anointed do sin according to the sin of the people; then let him bring for his sin, which he hath sinned, a young bullock without blemish unto the Lord for a sin offering. And he shall bring the bullock unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before the Lord; and shall lay his hand upon the bullock's head, and kill the bullock before the Lord. And the priest that is anointed shall take of the bullock's blood, and bring it to the tabernacle of the congregation:

This is called the sin offering. The blood was the only part of the sin offering that was carried in to the altar. Now, look at the 12ht verse Even the whole bullock shall be carried forth without the camp unto a clean place, where the ashes are poured out, and burn him on the wood with fire, when the ashes are poured out shall he be burned. The sin offering was saturated with sin. It represented sin. The sins of all the people were on that animal, it was accursed of God, and God did not have it brought in. It was taken on the outside of the camp, and burned, consumed with fire. That is where Christ was crucified, outside of the city wall—there He became a cursed thing for us, where He bore our sins.

II Corinthians 5: 21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

Here is a verse that should be marked in every believer’s Bible. Christ was the thing that God hates—that’s sin. God hates sin, and Jesus Christ was made sin. Christ was made that which God hates. As we have told you before, Calvary was the place of the skull outside the city.

John 19: 16 - 18 Then delivered he him therefore unto them to be crucified. And they took Jesus, and led him away. And he bearing his cross went forth into a place called the place of a skull, which is called in the

Hebrew Golgotha: Where they crucified him, and two other with him, on either side one, and Jesus in the midst.

Remember, this is a place where human skulls were lying around. Where criminals had been crucified and died and the very weight of the body of the criminal would drag him from the nails, and at night jackets, wild dogs, and other wild animals would come and consume the flesh and the bone would be lying around. No one ever went to that place called Calvary—it was a horrible place. That is where Jesus Christ was crucified. It isn’t any wonder at all that His disciples wouldn’t go—His mother went, but His disciples didn’t want to go. John went and took His mother, and the woman who loved Him went, but His disciples wouldn’t go—it was a horrible place.

Hebrews 13: 13 Let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach.

7/ You will notice, Exodus 27: 2 And thou shalt make the horns of it upon the four corners thereof: his horns shall be of the same: and thou shalt overlay it with brass.

That on this altar there were horns, on the four corners of the altar. As far as anyone knows, and I’ve checked thoroughly into this, and I can’t find that they were ever used. Some of the books I’ve read say that the four horns pointed in four directions, north, east, south, and west, and this is because God wanted the great offering of Christ to be known in all the world, but actually, if I understand this properly, that is not so, because the front of the altar was facing the east, and the sides and the back were facing in other directions. But the horns were on the corners pointing north-east, south-west, south-east and south-west. Which really aren’t real directions. But there is a meaning to the horns, and I think they were there so the sacrifice could be bound to the altar, that is a sacrifice that needed to be bound. Those sacrifices were dead, and they didn’t need to be bound, but a time would come when there would be a living sacrifice to be bound to the horns of the altar.

But let us notice, something in Genesis 22: 9 And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood.

As you know this is the offering of Isaac. Abraham was offering his beloved son—I think the most majestic type we have in all the Bible is right here—the only type of the Father offering the Son. Abraham had to do something that was very difficult. When they came to the place which God had told him of, Abraham built an altar there and laid the wood upon it, and bound Isaac. Isaac was bound, he was a living sacrifice. He is a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ.

I want you to turn to Psalms 118: 27 God is the Lord, which hath shewed us light: bind the sacrifice with cords, even unto the horns of the altar.

That is what the horns were for, to bind the sacrifice. A dead sacrifice needed no binding, but this is prophetic, there would be a time when the sacrifice would be alive, Who would sacrifice Himself living, and here is the prophecy. Bind the sacrifice with cords, even unto the horns of the altar.

8/ Matthew 26: 36 - 39 Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder. And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very heavy. Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me. And he went a little farther, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.

This is the Garden of Gethsemane. But notice verse 39 He went a little farther and fell on His Face.

Remember that. Jesus Fell on His face in the Garden. I don’t think we understand Gethsemane. Christ did not sit calmly in the garden and pray, Thy Weill be done. Jesus prayers the same thing over three times, and it was, Thy will be done.

Matthew 27: 40 And saying, Thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, save thyself. If thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross.

The crowds finally came, the mocking crowd that followed Jesus, and this is what they said in verse 40. And saying, Thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, save thyself. If thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross. 

Verse 41 Likewise also, the chief priests mocking Him with the scribe and the elders—said, He saved others, Himself He cannot save. If He be the King of Israel, let Him come down from the cross and we will believe Him.

When Christ was on the cross, they said, Come down from the cross—but He was bound—bind the sacrifice with cords. He was not bound with cords, but when He said, Thy will be done, three times to the Father, His Father led Him to the cross, and when they said, Come down from the cross, He could not come down for the cross, He was bound by God’s will to the horns of the altar. That is the meaning of the prophecies—bind the sacrifice with cords. He could not come down from the cross. He was bound—bind the sacrifice with cords, even to the horns of the altar. He was there for you and for me.

AMEN

10/24/1964 / 5 - STUDIES IN THE TABERNACLE / 9/28/2024

4 - STUDIES IN THE TABERNACLE

4 - STUDIES IN THE TABERNACLE

OCTOBER 7, 1964 

Pastor Henry F. Kulp

Exodus 25: 8 And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them.

As we have been studying the tabernacle, we told you that God told Moses and the children of Israel to build a Tabernacle, so that He could dwell among men—He wanted to dwell among His people. Then we told you that the main teaching of the Tabernacle is that it reveals Jesus Christ. The Tabernacle tells us about Christ—His Person and His work for us.

1/ This was possibly the most expensive building, that was ever erected upon the face of the earth. It was the only perfect building, and we are now studying the Ark of the Covenant that was placed in the Holy of Holies—this is the room where God came down and communed with man. We told you that it was about the size of a trunk, perhaps 40” long and 27” high and broad—it was just a common box. The word, ark, means, coffin, and it was made with Achaia (a-kay-sha) and it could be called shittum wood, overlaid with gold. The wood and the gold speak of the dual nature of Jesus Christ—He is God and He is man.

2/ Exodus 25: 16 And thou shalt put into the ark the testimony which I shall give thee.

Here we have, And thou shalt put into the ark the testimony which I shall give thee. There were certain things put into the Ark—the testimony, which was the Ten Commandments written on stone by the finger of God were put into the Ark. Then some other things were put into the Ark—

Hebrews 9: 4 Which had the golden censer, and the ark of the covenant overlaid round about with gold, wherein was the golden pot that had manna, and Aaron's rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant;

The rod of Aaron that budded, and then a pot of manna in a golden pot. If the Ark represents the Lord Jesus Christ and is a type of Christ—then the things that were put into the Ark must all speak of the Lord Jesus Christ. If we find things inside the Ark, then they must be typical of what we find in Jesus Christ. You know, if you have been studying the Pauline Epistles there is a little phrase that Paul uses over and over again of just two words —in Christ.

3/ Last week we spoke of Aaron’s rod that budded. And we said that dead stick in one night became alive and gave forth buds and almonds, and this is a picture of Christ having life in Himself. He came forth from the dead and He brings life to those who believe in Jesus Christ. In Him is life.

4/ But now let us look at the law. Let us look at Psalms 40: 8 I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart.

This is the Lord Jesus Christ speaking, because in these two verses 7 - 8 are quoted in the book of Hebrews as of the Lord Jesus Christ, and we have recorded a conversation between the Father and the Son. As told by the Holy Spirit. In the 40th chapter of Psalms something is added that we do not have in the book of Hebrews—Thy law is written in my heart—so we see the written law was in the Ark, and the Ark is a picture of Jesus Christ. So the law of God was in the heart of Jesus Christ. So we find the law of God in Christ, just the same way the law was in the Ark. We say that we are glad we are not under the law, because we recognized that we break the law all the time, and the only thing the law can do is condemn us, kill us, for it is a murderer. But how can we say that? How is it possible for us to say that we are not under the law? That does not mean that God has just tossed aside the law—no, that law had to be kept by someone, and then that someone had to pay the price of the broken law.

5/ Someone had to keep the law absolutely and fulfill it to the letter. And then die and bear the curse of the law. That is the only reason we are not

under the law. Someone undertook to keep it for us, and paid the price of it. Jesus Christ is the only One Who could say, the law is within My heart. We have to say that sin is in our hearts. Everyone except the Lord Jesus Christ could say that—but Jesus Christ could say the law is in My heart. He came into this world and He loved the law of God, and He kept it to the letter, and He had a righteousness that comes from the keeping of the law. Here is something to understand—if you can keep the law, then you have the righteousness of the law—so Christ came, He kept the law to the letter, and He had a righteousness that comes from the keeping of the law, and He bestowed that upon those who have no righteousness. I am sure that you know that you do not have any righteousness of your own, for remember, God said, all your righteousness are as filthy rags—what does that mean? That means you have a righteousness that is ready for the ash heap. So that is where your righteousness belongs—in an ash heap—all you can do with your righteousness is throw it away, but there is a righteousness from keeping the law, and Christ has this righteousness— He kept the law.

6/ I Corinthians 1: 30 But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:

Notice this carefully—But of Him are ye in Christ Jesus who of God is made unto us wisdom and righteousness—you see Christ is made unto us righteousness, and that is a wonderful thing—we have the righteousness of Christ—-we don’t have anything to fear. Here is a righteousness that God can find no fault in—and through faith in Christ we have His righteousness. This is because that when the Lord Jesus Christ was born into this world, God’s law was in His heart. Just the way the written law was in the Ark. Now notice Philippians 3: 9 and being found in Him—that is in Christ, not having mine own righteousness. You see, Paul was through with His own righteousness. He had thrown it in the ash heap.Not having mine own righteousness which is of the law, and that which is

through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith. That is the righteousness He gives us.

John Bunion put this in a marvelous way—perhaps you would say it is a strange way, but it was always very good to me. He said that Jesus Christ has an infinite righteousness as the Son of God, because He was infinitely holy. God is infinitely righteous—God was infinitely righteous as the Son of God, but when he came down here to this earth He lived out a human righteousness, for He was truly man. He lived out a human righteousness that is just as perfect as God is perfect. Righteousness in the Bible is pictured as a robe. Righteousness is put over us as a garment, and John Bunion says, “the Bible says, if you have two coats, give one away.” So the Lord Jesus Christ had two righteousnesses. One as the Son of God and the other as a man. So His righteousness as a man He has given to us. I believe that is true—we have the human righteousness of Jesus Christ.

7/ Exodus 16: 32 - 33 And Moses said, This is the thing which the Lord commandeth, Fill an omer of it to be kept for your generations; that they may see the bread wherewith I have fed you in the wilderness, when I brought you forth from the land of Egypt. And Moses said unto Aaron, Take a pot, and put an omer full of manna therein, and lay it up before the Lord, to be kept for your generations.

The next thing we see in the Ark is the golden pot of manna. Remember, that when God sent the manna down upon the children of Israel in the wilderness, He said to Moses, Take a golden pot of that manna and lay it up.

This manna was to be kept for your generations that they may see the bread wherewith I have fed you In the wilderness. There was no Ark then, there was no Tabernacle, but God said to Moses, take a pot of that manna and keep it, lay it up. And that manna was later placed in the Ark and kept for generations to come that they might see it. That manna was different

from other manna because the manna in the wilderness corrupted after one day, it corrupted and it bred worms.

Exodus 16: 19 - 22 And Moses said, Let no man leave of it till the morning. Notwithstanding they hearkened not unto Moses; but some of them left of it until the morning, and it bred worms, and stank: and Moses was wroth with them. And they gathered it every morning, every man according to his eating: and when the sun waxed hot, it melted. And it came to pass, that on the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, two omers for one man: and all the rulers of the congregation came and told Moses.

They were told to gather only for one day, each morning they were to gather it. They were not to gather more than they needed for that one day. But some of the Israelites did not hearken unto Moses, and they kept it till the next morning, and it bred worms and stank, and Moses was angry with them. Then, of course, on the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread that was for two days, because when the Sabbath came they were not to gather on that day. But here this manna is different in as much as the manna that was put into the golden pot, and then in the Ark did not corrupt, did not breed worms, and did not stink. It was not subject to corruption. Now, we said whatever was in the Ark was in Christ, and so corruption is not in Christ. Jesus Christ said, I am manna, I am bread.

John 6: 45 It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me.

John 6: 50 This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die.

John 6: 48 I am that bread of life.

He said, a man may eat of this bread and not die. That manna in the Ark did not corrupt, and Jesus Christ said, I am manna and I am bread and I do not corrupt, and if you eat of me, you will never die. Jesus Christ is the manna, the bread of Heaven that lasts forever, that lives forever. Christ said, He is the bread. He didn’t say, I have brought the bread, but I am the bread. If you eat of Me, you shall live forever.

8/ Notice, John 6: 57 As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me.

So Christ is the hidden manna, is the manna in the Ark that was incorruptible. So Christ said, I am the manna, the bread from Heaven, but I’m not the manna that your father’s ate in the wilderness, for they ate of it and died, but if you eat of Me, you shall live forever, you shall have eternal life, and never die.

9/ Colossians 2: 3 In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

Notice, in Whom are hid—the last word of the previous verse is Christ, and in Whom are hid all the treasurers of wisdom and knowledge— that is a picture of the Ark. All of this was hidden in the Ark under the Mercy Seat—no one could see it. God has hidden things for you in Christ, ours is to find them out. Our work as believers, as Christians, and as saved individuals is to find out all these things that God has put into Christ for us—In Christ are hidden all the treasurers of wisdom and knowledge, and it is the only knowledge worth having. If you know Christ, it doesn’t matter what else you know. Somebody said, “In this world, it doesn’t matter what you know, it is who you know.” That is true in Christianity. If you know Him what else matters? For in Him are all God’s treasurers of wisdom and knowledge and they are ours. As believers in Jesus Christ, we are to find out what God has put in Christ for us. To grow in the grace and the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ.

II Peter 3: 18 But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.

Peter exhorts us to do that. This is exactly what we are trying to do as we study the Tabernacle. Christ should become more precious to us, we should see what is in Christ for us.

Exodus 25: 23 Thou shalt also make a table of shittim wood: two cubits shall be the length thereof, and a cubit the breadth thereof, and a cubit and a half the height thereof.

There was a cover for this box. It was the Mercy Seat. And from above the Mercy Seat is where God was to meet with man.

Romans 3: 25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;

Whom God has sent forth to be a propitiation, that means a Mercy Seat. Jesus Christ is the Mercy Seat, and this Mercy Seat speaks of the only way of meeting with God. It is in Christ. You can’t meet with Him in any other way. The meeting place is Christ.

AMEN

10/7/1964 / 4 - STUDIES IN THE TABERNACLE / 9/25/2024

2 - STUDIES IN THE TABERNACLE

2 - STUDIES IN THE TABERNACLE 

September 23, 1964

PASTOR HENRY F. KULP

Exodus 25: 8 And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them.

Here God told Moses that the children of Israel were to construct upon this earth a building that would be the dwelling place of God. And it was the only building ever constructed upon this earth which was perfect from its very beginning—it never needed attention—it never needed an addition or alteration and the blueprint and the pattern were made minutely in Heaven by God and committed to Moses for the children of Israel. Every single detail was designated by Almighty God.

1/ The amazing thing about this building is that it was not an imposing structure. The exterior was actually unattractive, and if one would come upon the tabernacle in the wilderness and view it from the outside he would have little hint of its inner glory and beauty. The stranger would be without knowledge of the exquisite beauty and breathtaking splendor that was in the inside. Only after one had entered through the door at its Eastern end, stopped to sacrifice at the altar of burnt offering, and washed his hands and feet at the laver—only then would he begin to recognize the beauty of the tabernacle.

2/ We are making this model so that you will have a mental picture that will help you to understand the teaching of the tabernacle in the wilderness. You are going to have to use your imagination, of course. Imagine first of all a rectangular plot of ground 75 ft. wide and 150 ft. long. This is the size of an ordinary city lot. This lot is enclosed by a fence, approximately 7 1/2 ft. high. This fence is made up of posts with curtains, on each of the long sides there are 20 posts, and each of the ends had 10 posts. In the eastern end of this fence there was a gate through which one could enter. We must see that the fence encloses the north, south and west, but at the eastern and of this enclosure was the only means of entrance into the sacred area. This gate was 30 ft wide.

3/ The enclosure was called the Court of the Gentiles, and the Court of the Gentiles always faced to the East, toward the rising of the sun, for it is a clear type of Jesus Christ, the Sun of Righteousness. At the eastern end of the court, just inside the gate or door, stood a brazen altar and to the west of this stood a brazen laver, or wash basin, containing water for the cleansing of those who entered into the Holy Place or the Tabernacle. The altar and the laver, of the wash basin were the only two items of furniture in this open, roofless court.

4/ The Tabernacle itself was a flat roofed rectangular tent-like building, located at the western end of this enclosure. It was a portable building, 15 ft. wide, 15 ft. high and 45 ft. long. And was abut the size of an extra large living room. The space was divided into two compartments. The front room facing the east was 30 ft. long, and 15 ft. wide and 15 ft. high. This was called the Holy Place, or the first sanctuary. The rear room, and this was separated from the first room by a veil, it was the shape of a perfect cube. 15 x 15 x 15. This was called the Holy of Holies, or the Most Holy Place.

5/ In the Holy Place, the larger of the two rooms, there were three pieces of furniture. The dining table on the north side, the lamp on the south side, and between these and slightly to the rear was the altar of incense. In the smaller room, called the Holy of Holies, behind the veil, there was just one piece of furniture—the ark of the covenant, with the Mercy Seat.

6/ This means there were exactly seven pieces of furniture—speaking of the perfection of the Lord Jesus Christ. We said everything in the Tabernacle speaks of Christ, and seven is the number of perfection.

7/ There is a very interesting fact here—these articles of furniture are so arranged, that if we draw a straight line from the altar at the door to the ark in the Holy of Holies, you will divide the Tabernacle into equal parts—then you draw a line across this line from the dining table on the north side to the lamp on the south side, we have a perfect figure of a cross. We said the Tabernacle speaks of Christ, and of course, it speaks of Him in His death. That work which He performed for us upon the cross of Calvary.

8/ Just a little while ago we mentioned that the Tabernacle in its exterior is anything but attractive. Jesus Christ, when He died, in His death was anything but attractive. We have told you so often, He was matted with blood. His body was torn from the scourging.

Isaiah 52: 13 - 14 Behold, my servant shall deal prudently, he shall be exalted and extolled, and be very high.As many were astonied at thee; his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men:

As men look at Christ in His death, they do not find anything attractive at all. His death is actually a stumbling block to many.

9/ We said there is only one door, only one gate, only one way of entrance, and, of course, this again speaks of Jesus Christ.

John 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.

Then, of course, John 14: 6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

Everywhere you turn in this Tabernacle, you see a truth concerning Jesus Christ.

10/ As I sum up the Tabernacle, I believe the main teaching is found in a piece of furniture called the Ark of the Covenant, and this is the one we want to start with tonight.

Exodus 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.

This was about the size of an ordinary trunk, perhaps about 40” long, and 27” high and broad. Just a common box. In the 11th verse, And thou shalt overlay it with pure gold, within and without shalt thou overlay it, and shalt make upon it a crown of gold round about.

To begin with it was to be made of wood—of acacia (A-Kay-sha) wood. This is a lasting wood that does not rot, and it was to be covered with gold inside and out. Gold is Deity and wood is humanity. This ark is the type of the Lord Jesus Christ in His deity and His humanity. He is a man and yet He is God. What a wonderful Being the Lord Jesus Christ is. His body was a human body, and yet He was deity.

11/ Christ is a different being than He was before. The Trinity is different than He ever was before. The Trinity was Three Persons, pure spirit. Now one Person of the Trinity, as human as well as spiritual. And Jesus Christ was typified by the wood and the gold—Human and Deity. This is wonderful to think about. Let me show it to you in the Gospel of John.

John 4: 6 - 7 Now Jacob's well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with his journey, sat thus on the well: and it was about the sixth hour. There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink.

Christ is here talking to the woman of Samaria. Jacob’s well was there, Jesus therefore being wearied with His journey—Jesus Christ was tired—He got tired just the way you do. He had walked too far, and when we do that, we get tired, and so did He. So He had to sit down and rest.

12/ Then you will remember, another time He got sleepy and slept in a boat in the middle of the day—while the men rowed, He went to sleep. He was just as much a human as you are. He got tired and hungry and thirsty and weary. He slept in a boat, yet He stood up and quieted the waves. Here is humanity and deity. Here in the 4th chapter of John, He was weary from His journey. He had walked too far, and then in the 7th verse there cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water. Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink—He was thirsty. Then in the 14th verse. Whosoever drinkers of the water that I shall give him, shall never thirst. He had just said He was thirsty, and He said to the woman, give me a drink, but now, He says, I have water, that if you drink of that, you will never thirst. Don’t you see? Deity and humanity. Hungry, and yet He could feed the multitudes, sleepy and yet He could quiet the storm, thirsty and He could give you something to drink that would cause you never to thirst throughout all eternity. Humanity and deity in Jesus Christ.

13/ Exodus 25: 11 And thou shalt overlay it with pure gold, within and without shalt thou overlay it, and shalt make upon it a crown of gold round about.

I believe this has a reference to Jesus Christ, being crowned. He was crowned with thorns when He was crucified, and someday He will be crowned with the diadem of this universe.

14/ Before we go on any farther, I want you to see that the ark is the most important furniture in the entire Tabernacle, and it brings us down to the basic reason for the Tabernacle. God was teaching Israel a very important lesson. Last week we gave you two reasons for the tabernacle. #1 It pictures Jesus Christ. #2 Because God wanted His people with Him unto Himself. Now, the third reason, and this is important. Before an individual can be saved, he must first learn that he cannot save himself. Adam had to learn this tremendous lesson. After he had sinned, he imagined that he could get rid of his sin with a self-made garment of fig leaves. But God came down and ignored Adam’s flimsy fig leaves and pronounced a curse upon Adam and all his offspring, and then slew an animal and clothed Adam with the skin of that innocent substitute. Adam had to be taught he could do nothing to save himself. This is the very reason that God had to teach Israel and Israel becomes the object lesson to all who live in our day, that we cannot be saved by our own activities. God draws up the best standard of living that can ever be found, and this perfect standing cannot bring righteousness, bring salvation.

15/ Let us notice how Israel needed this lesson driven home to them, and how it was illustrated in the Tabernacle. Before we have the record of the actual building of the Tabernacle, there is the story of the giving of the law.

Starting in Exodus 19: 24 And the Lord said unto him, Away, get thee down, and thou shalt come up, thou, and Aaron with thee: but let not the priests and the people break through to come up unto the Lord, lest he break forth upon them.

We have a detailed account of the commandments, statutes, precepts and laws, which God gave to Israel through Moses. Then after He gives all this, starting with Chapter 25, He gives us the Tabernacle.

16/ But notice, Exodus 24: 3 And Moses came and told the people all the words of the Lord, and all the judgments: and all the people answered with one voice, and said, All the words which the Lord hath said will we do.

Oh, poor blinded souls. They stood before God’s Holy Law and said, we can keep the Law. All the words which the Lord hath said, we will do. How little they knew or understood their own hearts, their own inability. But Moses recognized how blind they were, and so immediately in Exodus 24: 4 And Moses wrote all the words of the Lord, and rose up early in the morning, and builded an altar under the hill, and twelve pillars, according to the twelve tribes of Israel.

Moses wrote all the words of the Lord and rose up early in the morning and builded an altar under the hill. He realized that Israel could not be saved by keeping the Law, but only by the blood of a sacrifice, so he built an altar. Then the record continues.

Exodus 24: 5 - 7 And he sent young men of the children of Israel, which offered burnt offerings, and sacrificed peace offerings of oxen unto the Lord. And Moses took half of the blood, and put it in basons; and half of the blood he sprinkled on the altar. And he took the book of the covenant, and read in the audience of the people: and they said, All that the Lord hath said will we do, and be obedient.

He sprinkled blood all over them and over the Tabernacle, showing the necessity for man to receive God’s atonement apart from his own works.

17/ In this ark, God put the Law, and this ark is none other than a coffin. The law in Jesus Christ is dead.

Genesis 50: 26 So Joseph died, being an hundred and ten years old: and they embalmed him, and he was put in a coffin in Egypt.

And here it speaks about Joseph and they embalmed him and he was put in a coffin. That word, coffin, is AW—RONE an ark or a coffin. So the law is put in a coffin—it is dead.

Galatians 2: 18 - 19 For if I build again the things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor. For I through the law am dead to the law, that I might live unto God.

AMEN

9/23/1964 / 2 - STUDIES IN THE TABERNACLE / 9/22/2024

3 - STUDIES IN THE TABERNACLE

3 - STUDIES IN THE TABERNACLE

September 30, 1964 

Pastor Henry F. Kulp

Exodus 25: 8 And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them.

As we study the Tabernacle in the Wilderness, it is well for us to recognize, it was the only building ever constructed upon this earth with was perfect from its very beginning. We must recognize that this was the most costly building for its size ever erected. The building itself was only 45 ft. long and 15 ft. wide, having only two rooms, one the size of an ordinary living room, and the other the size of a bedroom. Yet its cost is estimated to have exceeded two million dollars. Just think of this—a perfect building, small by many standards, yet costing over two million dollars.

1/ This is the place where God wanted to meet with man. Then it is necessary for us to see that it was bounded by a white linen fence. 7 1/2 ft. high, suspended on 60 pillars or posts of solid brass. Of course, the purpose of the fence was to keep man out. Man’s approach to the Tabernacle where God dwelt was barred completely by the white linen fence that surrounded it, and white linen, of course, speaks of God’s perfect righteousness—and it is God’s righteousness and man being sinful that there is no meeting place with God and man. Man could not come over the fence, or under the fence, or through it—he had to come by means of the door, especially made for that at the eastern end of the enclosure. The door or gate was 30 ft. long, 7 1/2 ft. high, and, of course, the door is a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ.

John 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.

2/ Remember, this was the oily place on earth where God could meet with man. There was no other place, and it was the only one place of sacrifice. God Almighty would not accept any sacrifice, no matter how perfect, which was not brought to the altar in this one and only Tabernacle.

Leviticus 17: 3 - 4 What man soever there be of the house of Israel, that killeth an ox, or lamb, or goat, in the camp, or that killeth it out of the camp, And bringeth it not unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, to offer an offering unto the Lord before the tabernacle of the Lord; blood shall be imputed unto that man; he hath shed blood; and that man shall be cut off from among his people:

That was the only place of sacrifice permitted, and that was repeatedly sacrificing in other places. In groves, upon high hills, and this provoked the displeasure of the Lord and brought judgment upon them. There is still today only one way to God, and that one way is in Jesus Christ through His sacrifice.

3/ if, when you went through that first door into the Tabernacle’s outer court, you would come to the brazen altar, and it would be dripping blood. God said, take the blood of the offering and sprinkle it all over the altar, and what is left, pour out at the foot of the altar. That must have been a terrible place, that altar. The ground around it soaked with blood. You can meet with God only by blood.

4/ But we have been studying the ark of the covenant.

Exodus 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.

It was about the size of an ordinary trunk. Perhaps about 40 inches long and about 27 inches high and broad. Just a common box. We said the word, ark, means the same as coffin.

Now notice, Exodus 25: 11 And thou shalt overlay it with pure gold, within and without shalt thou overlay it, and shalt make upon it a crown of gold round about.

It was to be made of wood overlaid with pure gold, but yet they were one single board or one single box. Gold represents deity and wood is humanity. This ark was the type of the Lord Jesus Christ in His deity and His humanity. He is a man, and yet He is God, what a wonderful being is our Lord Jesus Christ. His body is a human body, but yet He is deity.

5/ Christ is a different being than He was before. The Trinity was three Persons, all pure Spirit. Now One Person of the Trinity is human as well as Spirit, and Jesus Christ was pictured by the gold and the wood—His humanity and His deity. Let me show you what I mean.

John 4: 7 There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink.

Here Christ is talking to the woman of Samaria, verse 6 Jacob’s well was there. Now Jacob's well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with his journey, sat thus on the well: and it was about the sixth hour.

Jesus Christ was tired. He had walked so far that now He was weary, just as you and I get weary by walking farther than our physical bodies can stand, and so Jesus Christ was weary. He had walked too far. He got tired just the way you do. So He had to sit down and rest.

6/ Then, you will remember another timeHe got sleepy and slept in a boat in the middle of the day while the men rowed, he went to sleep. He was just as human as you are, and so He slept in a boat. But yet, He stood up and quieted the waves. Here is humanity and deity, but here in our portion of Scripture, He was wearied from His journey, He had walked too far, then notice, verse 7 He was thirsty—He said, Give me to drink, but then in verse 14 he said, But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.

Whosoever drinks of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst. He had just said he was thirsty, Give me to drink, but I have water, that if you drink of the water I give you, you will never thirst. He was hungry, and yet he could feed the multitudes, sleepy, yet He could quiet the waves, thirsty, yet He could give something to drink that would cause you never to thirst throughout all eternity. Humanity and deity in Jesus Christ.

7/ Exodus 25: 12 - 14 And thou shalt cast four rings of gold for it, and put them in the four corners thereof; and two rings shall be in the one side of it, and two rings in the other side of it. And thou shalt make staves of shittim wood, and overlay them with gold. And thou shalt put the staves into the rings by the sides of the ark, that the ark may be borne with them.

Everywhere that Israel went they were to take the ark with them. They were not to go without it. The ark is a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ, and this lesson means a lot to us, for everywhere we go we take Christ with us, he indwells us. It is a wonderful lesson. God made provision for this ark to be transported, it had to be carried. God, at a certain time, would tell them to move, and they were to go, and they would take the ark with them.

8/ It was carried by Israel through the wilderness during their long trek of 40 years, the ark led the way across the river Jordan, and also around the walls of Jericho. Let us notice something very interesting about the carrying of the ark.

II Samuel 6: 6 - 7 And when they came to Nachon's threshingfloor, Uzzah put forth his hand to the ark of God, and took hold of it; for the oxen shook it. And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Uzzah; and God smote him there for his error; and there he died by the ark of God.

When they came to Nachon (Nay con) threshing floor, Uzziah, put forth his hand to the ark of God and took hold of it, for the oxen, shook it, and the anger of the Lord was kindled against him, and God smote him there for his error, and there he died by the ark of God.

That doesn’t seem right, does it? But there is a very good reason why God killed this man. The ark was in control of the Philistines, they had taken it away from the Israelites, and David wanted it back with the people again, and so he chose men of Israel 30,000. The ark had been captured in the days of Saul, and all during his reign the nation had not sought to get the ark back. Remember the ark represented the presence of God, and they were not concerned about Him or His presence in their midst, and David, being aroused, sent out an appeal that all the people gather to him, and it was not long before he had gotten a fire in their hearts and they wanted the ark back, ad 30,000 men were chosen.

9/ And they recovered the ark. II Samuel 6: 3 And they set the ark of God upon a new cart, and brought it out of the house of Abinadab that was in Gibeah: and Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, drave the new cart.

They set the ark of God upon a new cart and brought it out of the house of Abimadad—this sounds fine, a brand new cart, just made to bring the ark of God back into the land of the people. It was a lovely, newly made cart, certainly the ark demanded the very best they could give it. Yet it was the very thing that God did not want. The trouble was that David had forgotten the Word of God and what Moses had commanded according to the ark, he followed the mind of the flesh, rather than the Word of God. The Word of God says that the sons of Kohath were to bear the ark, they were not to touch any holy things less they die. It was not to be carried in a cart, but upon the shoulders of the priests. There we read, Uzziah put forth his hand to the ark of God and took hold of it. The ark stands for the things of God, which do not need the support of the hand of flesh. Again, we have the fact brought home to us, God does not need man to help Him. Every man needs this truth burned into his heart, so two things are brought out here—number one is, that you must do things God’s way, and number two, the things of God do not need the support of man.

10/ But let us see what was in the ark.

Hebrews 9: 4 Which had the golden censer, and the ark of the covenant overlaid round about with gold, wherein was the golden pot that had manna, and Aaron's rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant;

Here we have a beautiful study of the Tabernacle and the ark. Here we read that there were three things in the ark. The table of the law, that is the Ten Commandments, the law of God, and then Aaron’s rod that budded, and then the golden bowl or pot with manna. And we want to find out if all three things speak of Christ and so it makes an interesting study.

First of all, let us look at Aaron’s rod that budded.

Numbers 16: 2 And they rose up before Moses, with certain of the children of Israel, two hundred and fifty princes of the assembly, famous in the congregation, men of renown:

This is where the rebellion started against Moses and Aaron. They accused Moses and Aaron of setting themselves up as superior to everyone else in the camp. The men said all the Lord’s people are holy and there are 250 of them. They were the leading men in the nation, and they rose up against Moses and Aaron. Do you know what Moses and Aaron did? They did what they always did. They fell on their faces before the Lord. That is the best place to go when anyone talks about you. That is a hard lesson to learn, but it is one we can learn. Just get on your face before the Lord. Three times in this account, Moses and Aaron fell on their faces before the Lord, and the Lord spoke to them and took their part and brought them out.

11/ Numbers 17: 8 And it came to pass, that on the morrow Moses went into the tabernacle of witness; and, behold, the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded, and brought forth buds, and bloomed blossoms, and yielded almonds.

After God spoke to Moses, He destroyed the men. Fire destroyed some of them, and the earth opened its mouth and they went down alive into the pit, and God said unto Moses, I give you a sign so that all Israel will know I have chosen you and Aaron. God said that the twelve leaders of the twelve tribes should each bring a rod and lay them before the Lord, and leave them there overnight before the Lord, and I will show you whom I have chosen.

Notice, all this happened in one night. The work of a whole season in one night. A dead stick brings forth life and fruit. What is that? It is resurrection. Life out of death. Do we find that in Christ? Yes, we do. Aaron’s rod that budded.

John 1: 4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men.

In Him was life, that could not be said of anyone else who came into this world. Jesus Christ is life.

AMEN

9/30/1964 / #3 - STUDIES IN THE TABERNACLE / 9/23/2024

1 - STUDIES IN THE TABERNACLE

1 - STUDIES IN THE TABERNACLE

Henry F. Kulp

Exodus 19: 4 Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles' wings, and brought you unto myself.

Up to this point in the book of Exodus we have seen the mighty power of God bringing the children of Israel out of Egypt, and we have seen the power of the blood. The Lord delivered three million people out of the hand of Pharaoh, not with an army, not with might; not with soldiers, but with the blood of the Lamb. God said to Moses, I am going to bring you out ow take a little lamb and kill it and sprinkle the blood. That was the end when they did that they were free. They went out free from Pharaoh, and crossed the Red Sea into the desert. Now they are out in the desert with the Lord and here in Exodus 19: 4 we read, Ye have seen what I did onto the Egyptians, and now I bear you on eagle’s wings, and brought you unto Myself.

He loved them, they were His people. God created the nation for Himself. Israel is not a nation like other nations. Down through the years they tried to get back among the nations, but they were not very successful, for God called them from among the nations.

1/ So the important point is, I have brought you out of Egypt to get you to Myself. I have brought you here. It is true they didn’t want the Lord God very much, but the Lord wanted them, so he brought them out to the wilderness to have them there so that He could come down and dwell among them. He wanted to dwell among them.

Exodus 25: 8 He said, And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them.

So, as you study the book of Exodus, you will find that the main thing that will grasp your heart and mind is that God wanted to dwell among men, and He did so in the Tabernacle in the wilderness.

2/ There are two things to see in the Tabernacle. We have just given you number one, that God wanted to dwell among His people on the earth. Then secondly, it is important for us to recognize that the only value in studying the Tabernacle is to find out more about the Lord Jesus Christ.There is absolutely no real benefit in knowing about the Tabernacle, unless you see Christ in it. Everything about the Tabernacle speaks about Jesus Christ. He is everything. There is nothing in the universe worth knowing but Him. There isn’t any knowledge worth having beside that of knowing Christ. Paul said—that I might know HIm. And he said, for Whom I have

suffered the loss of everything. So let us pray as we go through the tabernacle study that we will learn more about the Lord Jesus Christ, and find the Lord Jesus Christ everywhere in the Tabernacle.

3/ The first point—He came to dwell among men.

Exodus 25: 8 And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them.

The Lord had to leave this world when sin came in. God had to withdraw His presence. There was a presence of God in the Garden of Eden—they walked with God, they talked with God, but when they fell into sin, God had to withdraw, but the Lord had a plan, an eternal purpose, a plan by which He could come back and dwell among the human race, because he loves the human race. So after he gave the Law, he called Moses up into the mount, and gave Moses the plan whereby He could come down and dwell among His people. God gave Moses what we call the tabernacle. There had never been a dwelling place for God since the Garden of Eden. He never dwelt anywhere on earth. God never dwelt with any man on this earth. God appeared unto Abraham. He appeared unto Jacob. He appeared unto Noah, and talked with him, but God didn’t dwell with anyone. God’s dwelling place was not with man, from the Time of the Garden of Eden, until the time of the giving of the Tabernacle in the wilderness.

4/ Now let’s notice something else…

Matthew 1:23 Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us. Just spend a moment with this verse—Behold, a virgin shall be with child and shall bring forth a son, and shall call His Name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us. 

God has come down in the Person of Jesus Christ. He has come down to dwell among men, but to do so, he had to put on humanity. Because men could not live with God in His glory. God put humanity and Deity in one body. Back in the Old Testament, in the Tabernacle, God was with Israel in the Shekinah Glory, but now God came down so that He could dwell among men, and He was veiled in human flesh.

5/ But where does God dwell now? Some people think He dwells in a church building. They call the church building the house of God, and they call the auditorium the sanctuary. No, God doesn’t dwell in a building made of stone, brick, mortar, steel or wood. If God dwelt here in this building, He would be alone most of the time, wouldn’t He? But God does dwell on earth, but He does not dwell in buildings as such.

I Corinthians 6: 19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?

Your body is the Temple. God does have a temple on this earth. He dwells in each saved person in the room tonight that the Holy Spirit lives in. If we should be driven out of this building tonight because of persecution, because of what we believe because of Jesus Christ, we could meet in a cave, we could meet in a garage, and have just as much blessing, and have the Lord with us just as much because He does not live in buildings.

6/ Now notice, Colossians 1: 27 To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

Christ in us. We should recognize, as we walk through this wilderness world, that Christ is in us. This should have a bearing upon the places we go. One man asked if he should go to a certain place, and he friend said, NO, and he asked him why, and he said, because I would have to take the Lord with me. I can’t leave the Lord outside, the Lord has to go with me wherever I go.

7/ We said that in the Tabernacle you should see Jesus Christ. We told you last Sunday night all God talks about is Jesus Christ.

Hebrews 1: 1 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;

That should be translated, God in time past, God spake unto the fathers. In these days he is speaking to us all about His Son. That is the way it ought to read. 

In the Old Testament He spoke to the fathers, and in these days to us, and all he talks about is His Son. God loves His Son, and God talks about His Son, and God wants to have you talk about His Son, so let us talk more about Jesus Christ.

Philippians 3: 8 Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,

Paul says, I have suffered the loss of all things for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord. Now the word, excellency is super.

We laud about super things these days. Sometimes we use it about our car, and we say it is a super car. That is the word that Paul uses. Super knowledge. It is better than anything else.

8/ They were told to bring materials that the Lord wanted for the building of the tabernacle, and in Exodus 25: 4 And blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen, and goats' hair, Here we have three colors—blue and purple and scarlet.

Just for a starter let us look at those three colors and see how they speak of Jesus Christ. These three colors have a wonderful rich teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ. First of all, blue is the heavenly color. Blue speaks of Heaven. Almost everyone is unanimous in this teaching, and the only Heavenly life the world has ever had is the life of the Lord Jesus, for that life was absolutely heavenly. Everything he said could have been said in Heaven. A lot of things that you and I say couldn’t be said in Heaven. If you were in Heaven, you wouldn’t say some of the things you say now, but not so with the Lord Jesus Christ. He never said anything He had to change. He never said anything He had to be sorry for. You couldn’t say that about Abraham. The Jews were real proud of Abraham—they were the children of Abraham. But Abraham went down into Egypt and told a lie to save his life. And then he did it a second time, and God had to plague men who were kings in order to save Abraham and Sarah. Then the life of Moses wasn’t heavenly either. He killed a man, and the life of David certainly wasn’t heavenly, but the life of Christ was different from all mankind.

Just notice John 8: 23 And he said unto them, Ye are from beneath; I am from above: ye are of this world; I am not of this world.

No one that ever lived could say that. He said, You are here and you belong here. But I am from above, I don’t belong here. Then there is another verse I would like you to notice, 

II Corinthians 4: 6 For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

Now notice, in the face of Jesus Christ. That is the only face that shows Heaven and God. That is why I think they should never try to draw a picture of Christ Jesus, because you can’t put Heaven in it, and you can’t put God in it. The Lord is not like the pictures you see, that isn’t Jesus Christ, that is just someone’s imagination, and a very poor imagination at that. The glory of God is in the face of Jesus Christ, and the more we know Him the more we see the glory of God in that face.

9/ The second color is purple, and of course, everyone knows that is the royal color. The Lord Jesus Christ was not only Heavenly, but He is royalty. He is really the only One down here Who has real royalty.

I Timothy 6: 14, 15 That thou keep this commandment without spot, unrebukable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ: Which in his times he shall shew, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords;

There is the only Potentate—the only one real King. The word, potentate is a word used only once in the Bible—and it comes from the word that can be translated in English by dynasty. Dynasty means a line of kings who reigned indefinitely, but this word is used for the Lord. He is, in Himself, a dynasty. Everything that a dynasty means, He is that. He is the dynasty. He is the only King. Then notice the last part of the 16th vs Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen. Who only hath immortality. 

Somebody asked me about that the other day. Immortality means a body that never dies. Eternal life is not immortal life. Eternal existence is not immortality. If God has saved you and has not saved your body, you would not be immortal. As an unclothed spirit with the Lord, you could live forever with Him, but you would not be immortal. God made us two-fold, inward man and outward man. And we are not complete without a body. Now the Lord Jesus Christ was a Man and He had a body that was immortal, and He is the only One at the present time Who has a body that is immortal.

10/ The third color is scarlet—that is sacrifice. Blue, heavenly—purple the royal color, scarlet, the sacrificial color. Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.

As the Lamb of God, He had to die. All the sacrifices of the Old Testament spoke about Him. There are many different sacrifices. There were bullocks, there were goats, there were calves, there were lambs, and they were sacrificed at different times for different purposes, but every one spoke of the Lord Jesus Christ. Scarlet—that is the blood color.

AMEN

1 - STUDIES IN THE TABERNACLE