The Tabernacle of Moses Reveals the Secret of Your Eternal Destiny
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Category Archives: Tabernacle of Moses
Exodus 25 and the Grander Picture of the Tabernacle of Moses and Man’s Ultimate Destiny
This section of the Torah (Parashah Terumah or Exodus 25:1–27:19) contains YHVH’s instructions to Israel to build a tabernacle or sanctuary so, in his own words, “I may dwell among them” (Exod 25:8). Is this some quaint, archaic and irrelevant historical event that occurred millennia ago, or is there a larger prophetic picture here that points to something much grander that relates to you and me? The answer to the latter question is a most definite and emphatic, “Yes!”
For historical context, YHVH created man in his image for the purpose of raising up a family of glorified sons and daughters to become like him and to live with him forever in a glorified and elevated state of existence. To that end, he placed the first humans in an idyllic garden where he could walk and commune with them in the cool of the day—symbolic of a state of restful or comfortable and relaxed communion. Sadly, this one-on-one relationship did not last long, and man was thrust out of the garden (symbolic of YHVH’s dwelling place on earth) because of sin and the lack of man’s holiness without which no man can come into the presence of Elohim.
Some 3,500 years later in the time of Moses, we find YHVH instructing the Israelites to build a another dwelling place for him that he might abide with his people once more. Instead of a garden, it is a house. In the Tabernacle of Moses, the holy of holies was the one spot where YHVH desired to dwell on earth again with his human children.
But there is one caveat. One cannot merely go tramping casually or cavalierly into the holy presence of YHVH in a state of sinful impurity or unholiness. There is a process of spiritual cleansing that must first occur and the tabernacle (along with the seven biblical feasts) reveals that seven step process, which is YHVH’s plan of redemption or salvation for man.
The tabernacle is a symbolic and metaphorical picture of this process as well as a picture of Yeshua who is the way. Amazingly, the tabernacle is also a picture of each of us, who must follow Yeshua step-by-step if we are to come into the presence of our holy (pure and sinless) Heavenly Father.
To be sure, YHVH desires a personal relationship not only with corporate Israel, but with each of us individually well. The nation of Israel is comprised of individual entities each with his and her own relationship with the Creator. Coming into the inner sanctum of the holy of holies in the tabernacle (representative of YHVH’s heavenly throne room) should be the ultimate goal of each person. YHVH’s desires and plan is to lead us into his presence by way of Yeshua his Son, who is the way, the truth and the life and the only way to the Father.
This process of spiritual cleansing begins to occur when we come to faith in Yeshua, repent of our sin and then allow the Holy Spirit to begin a work on the inside of each of us. The tabernacle is the gospel tract that outlines the progressive steps in this cleansing process. Moreover, the tabernacle outlines the steps required for the indwelling presence of YHVH’s Spirit which activates our personal spirit thus drawing us upward to himself. As such, we become a living Tabernacle of Moses or, as Paul characterizes it, a temple of the Holy Spirit.
To the degree that we allow YHVH to work in us, to cleanse and refine us, is to the degree that we advance along the progressive steps upward toward our Father in heaven as outlined in the Tabernacle of Moses.
If we will be honest with ourselves, most of us are not as far along in this process as we esteem ourselves to be. There for YHVH’s grace go all of us! But at least we have the road map of the tabernacle to show us the way onward and upward. There are no shortcut to Elohim, and this journey will take a lifetime, and even then, we will still need the grace of Elohim as well as the imputed righteousness of Yeshua to make up the lack of how far we fall short of “the mark for the prize of the high calling of Elohim in Messiah Yeshua” (Phil 3:14). This is because the righteous are scarcely saved (1 Pet 4:18), and all of our righteousness is as filthy rags (Isa 64:6). When we finally come to this realization and humble ourselves before YHVH Almighty and allow him to begin cleaning us spiritually (a process called “sanctification”) from the inside out, it is then that he can begin his work in us and lift or raise us up (Jas 4:10) to seat us in heavenly places with Yeshua (Eph 2:6). It is then that we will be fully born again as new, glorified and immortalized children of Elohim and adopted into his eternal family.
This is the ultimate message of the entire Bible of which the Tabernacle of Moses is an illustrative, symbolic and prophetic depiction that even a child can visualize. Sadly, it is also a truth and message that churchianity has largely overlooked!
Now let’s take this whole discussion one step further and to yet a higher level…
Exodus 40:2–7, Set up the tabernacle. YHVH’s instructions to Moses to set up the furnishings in the tabernacle followed a particular order. In fact, if one traces Moses’s footsteps in doing so, it forms an interesting geometric pattern that is highly significant spiritually. Let’s explore this.
In placing the furnishings in the tabernacle, Moses first started in the holy of holies where he set up the ark of the covenant. After this, he went into the holy place and over to the right west side where he set up the table of show bread. He then moved across to the left or east side of the holy place and set up the menorah. Next, he moved to the center of the holy place in front of the curtain or veil separating the holy place from the holy of holies where he set up the altar of incense. After this, Moses made a straight line and exited out of the tabernacle itself into the outer courtyard where he set up the altar of sacrifice. Having done this, Moses then set up the bronze laver, also in the outer courtyard just in front of the door leading into the tabernacle. If you trace Moses’ steps and make a line in the dirt, what is the outline?
The outline of Moses’ movements makes a triangle on a cross with the base of the triangle forming the arm of a cross. The base of cross corresponds to the altar of sacrifice, while apex of the triangle corresponds to the altar of incense and the top of the cross, which extends past the apex of the triangle is where the testimony in the holy of holies is. Why did YHVH instruct Moses to set up the tabernacle’s furnishings in this order, and not another order? What is the spiritual significance of this particular pattern? How does it relate to you and me? Let’s unpack this.
The base of this arrow is at the altar of sacrifice representing Yeshua’s death on the cross atoning for our sins. Next, the arrow points us to the bronze laver picturing a believer’s next step in his spiritual walk which is baptism for the remission of sins and legally identifying with Yeshua’s death, burial and resurrection, as well as receipt of Elohim’s Set-Apart Spirit and the washing of our lives by the water of the Word of Elohim. Next we come to the menorah picturing the Spirit of life in Yeshua the Messiah as the new believer begins to manifest evidence of the redeemed life, which is the fruit and gifts of the Spirit, which shine like a light into the dark world around us. Next we come to the table of the showbread picturing the regathering and unification of the tribes of Israel around the table of Yeshua’s body in sweet fellowship and covenantal relationship. Through the Messiah of Israel, the scattered tribes, along with those Gentiles who have been grafted into the tribes of Israel, will be regathered. After this regathering, the tribes will move together and in one accord to the place in the tabernacle of pray and worship which is the altar of incense as they prepare to enter into the eternal kingdom of YHVH Elohim’s presence as pictured by the holy of holies under the glory cloud of YHVH himself.
The way to Elohim through Yeshua the Messiah is laid out in the Tabernacle of Moses making the outline of a cross and an arrow that points heavenward. By starting in holy of holies and going outward toward the altar of sacrifice, this is a clear message that heaven is reaching downward toward sinful man and inviting him to come up to meet his Father in heaven by way of the cross of Yeshua the Messiah.
Conversely, when the tabernacle is viewed from the outside looking in, it is showing man the way upward to the Father through Yeshua the Messiah. So as there are humans who are seeking the way upward, at the same time, our Father in heaven is reaching downward beckoning his wayward children back to him.
This demonstrates to us that the tabernacle is, in reality, a giant gospel tract that shows sinful man the way of salvation leading to his glorification as immortal sons and daughters of YHVH Elohim, our Father in heaven. As we read in Psalms,
Your way, O Elohim, is in the sanctuary; who is so great a El as our Elohim? (Psalm 77:13)
Sukkot Series (2)— Marriage, Procreation & Family Prefigure the Family/Kingdom of God
This video series presents an amazingly expansive view of the gospel message including explaining the mystery and higher purpose of marriage, sexual procreation, and family as the creative process by which YHVH is expanding his own glorified, spiritual family. The mainstream church has largely missed this aspect of the gospel message, which has been hidden in plain sight in your Bibles all along.
The theme of sexual and spiritual procreation runs like a major thread forming part of the rich tapestry of the gospel message from Genesis to Revelation.
Moreover, marriage and family are the cornerstone building blocks of the kingdom of Elohim and are the Creator’s plan to recreate himself (in a majorly stepped down version, of course) or “the God family” that will live forever with him in the new heavens and new earth.
To that end, two families presently coexist on earth—a physical and a spiritual one. Adam and Eve started the physical family of man that then went astray spiritually. Then Elohim raised up Abraham to start a physical family that would then become a spiritual one — the nation and chosen people of Elohim with the commission of expanding that family throughout the world by being a spiritual light to the nations through the spreading of the Torah-based gospel message.
Yeshua the Messiah is squarely at the center of Elohim’s plan to expand this spiritual family, by unifying the physical and spiritual families in himself culminating with his marriage to his glorified saints who qualify to be his bride.
Creating the kingdom or family of Elohim then is the higher purpose of physical marriage, sexual procreation and family.
Of course, Satan the devil is promulgating his own counterfeit family and kingdom on this earth to compete with that of Elohim. But Satan’s plan, which involves sexual promiscuity and perversion, the destruction of the family and marriage and male and female genders, if allowed to continue, will end in the extinction of the human race.
Thankfully Yeshua the Messiah will return and destroy Satan’s nefarious plans along with his global world order before they come to fruition. He will then establish his universal kingdom on this earth that will last forever.
This then is Elohim’s ultimate and expanded plan of salvation to which the mainstream church has largely been oblivious for some 1,900 years.
End Times Prophecies: The Feasts, Tabernacle & Marriage of the Lamb
Chag Sameach Sukkot—Joyous Feast of Tabernacles!
The Historical Roots of Our Faith, Present Relevance for believers & Prophetic End-Time Implications
Ya’acov Natan Lawrence
A Teaching Ministry of Hoshana Rabbah Biblical Resources
Spiritual and Ceremonial Aspects of Sukkot
Overview of the Season
Sukkot (also spelled “Succoth”) or the Feast of Tabernacle (also known as the Feast of Booths, the Feast of Ingathering) is the sixth of YHVH’s seven annual feast days in Creator’s plan of redemption for mankind. This festival is mostly prophetic in its spiritual significance and pictures what the world will be like after the second coming of Yeshua the Messiah when he will come live one earth with his people as he sets up his world-ruling government. Like a river of life, his word and Spirit will go forth from Jerusalems and his glory will cover the earth as the waters cover the sea. During this time of global peace and prosperity, Satan, the wicked one and his minions, will have either been destroyed or will be confined to the bottomless pit, and the lion and lamb will happily play together with the little child, and YHVH’s Torah-law will be universally taught and adhered to. And there is much more beyond this to learn about Sukkot or the Season of Our Joy as we are about to discover.
Sukkot occurs in the early fall of the year on the fifteenth day of the seventh month on YHVH’s biblical calendar fifteen days after Yom Teruah (the Day of Shofar Blowing) and five days after Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement). This festival lasts for seven days and directly following it is a separate festival called Shemini Atzeret literally meaning “the Eighth Solemn Assembly”and commonly referred to as “the Eighth Day.”
We see in the early fall a rapid succession of biblical feasts with one coming right after another. It is a time of great energy, excitement and anticipation both in the natural realm and prophetically.
We also observe a transition from the somber and repentant, even frightening, mood of Yom Teruah and Yom Kippur to the joyous and celebratory mood of the Feast of Sukkot, and no wonder, for the first two fall festivals of YHVH represent a very dark and ominous time in human history—the end of the age with the judgments of Elohim being poured out upon the earth (great tribulation, wrath of Elohim, battle of Armageddon, and Satan being bound and cast into the bottomless pit). But this same period culminates in the return of the Messiah, Yeshua, to rule the earth during the Messianic Age as King of kings and Lord of lords. The Feast of Tabernacles pictures this glorious epoch in the history of humanity’s tenure upon this earth—a time of unspeakable joy and triumph of good over evil, righteousness over wickedness, the children of light over the children of darkness, love over hate, and the truth of YHVH (epitomized by Yeshua) over the lies of Satan.
Thus Saith YHVH’s Word on the Feast of Tabernacles and the Eighth Day
The Word of Elohim must be the foundation for all that we do, say and think. With that in mind, here are the scriptures that reveal YHVH’s Truth about this glorious, upward-looking festival:
Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, The fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the feast of tabernacles for seven days unto YHVH. 35 On the first day shall be an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein. 36 Seven days ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto YHVH: on the eighth day shall be an holy convocation unto you; and ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto YHVH: it is a solemn assembly; and ye shall do no servile work therein. 37 These are the feasts of YHVH, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, to offer an offering made by fire unto YHVH, a burnt offering, and a meat offering, a sacrifice, and drink offerings, every thing upon his day: 38 Beside the sabbaths of YHVH, and beside your gifts, and beside all your vows, and beside all your freewill offerings, which ye give unto YHVH. 39 Also in the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when ye have gathered in the fruit of the land, ye shall keep a feast unto YHVH seven days: on the first day shall be a sabbath, and on the eighth day shall be a sabbath. 40 And ye shall take you on the first day the boughs of goodly trees, branches of palm trees, and the boughs of thick trees, and willows of the brook; and ye shall rejoice before YHVH your Elohim seven days. 41 And ye shall keep it a feast unto YHVH seven days in the year. It shall be a statute for ever in your generations: ye shall celebrate it in the seventh month. 42 Ye shall dwell in booths seven days; all that are Israelites born shall dwell in booths: 43 That your generations may know that I made the children of Israel to dwell in booths, when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am YHVH your Elohim. (Lev 23:34–43)
Three times thou shalt keep a feast unto me in the year. 15 Thou shalt keep the feast of unleavened bread: (thou shalt eat unleavened bread seven days, as I commanded thee, in the time appointed of the month Abib; for in it thou camest out from Egypt: and none shall appear before me empty:) 16 And the feast of harvest, the first fruits of thy labours, which thou hast sown in the field: and the feast of ingathering, which is in the end of the year, when thou hast gathered in thy labours out of the field. 17 Three times in the year all thy males shall appear before the Adon YHVH. (Exod 23:14–17)
And on the fifteenth day of the seventh month ye shall have an holy convocation; ye shall do no servile work, and ye shall keep a feast unto YHVH seven days … [all the sacrifices and offerings are to be made on these days are then listed] …. 35 On the eighth day ye shall have a solemn assembly: ye shall do no servile work therein … [the sacrifices and offerings that are to be made on this day are then listed]. (Num 29:12, 35)
Thou shalt observe the feast of tabernacles seven days, after that thou hast gathered in thy corn and thy wine: 14 And thou shalt rejoice in thy feast, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy manservant, and thy maidservant, and the Levite, the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, that are within thy gates. 15 Seven days shalt thou keep a solemn feast unto YHVH thy Elohim in the place which YHVH shall choose: because YHVH thy Elohim shall bless thee in all thine increase, and in all the works of thine hands, therefore thou shalt surely rejoice. 16 Three times in a year shall all thy males appear before YHVH thy Elohim in the place which he shall choose; in the feast of unleavened bread, and in the feast of weeks, and in the feast of tabernacles: and they shall not appear before YHVH empty: 17 Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of YHVH thy Elohim which he hath given thee. (Deut 16: 13–17)
And they found written in the law which YHVH had commanded by Moses, that the children of Israel should dwell in booths in the feast of the seventh month: 15 And that they should publish and proclaim in all their cities, and in Jerusalem, saying, Go forth unto the mount, and fetch olive branches, and pine branches, and myrtle branches, and palm branches, and branches of thick trees, to make booths, as it is written. 16 So the people went forth, and brought them, and made themselves booths, every one upon the roof of his house, and in their courts, and in the courts of the house of Elohim, and in the street of the water gate, and in the street of the gate of Ephraim. 17 And all the congregation of them that were come again out of the captivity made booths, and sat under the booths: for since the days of Jeshua the son of Nun unto that day had not the children of Israel done so. And there was very great gladness. 18 Also day by day, from the first day unto the last day, he read in the book of the law of Elohim. And they kept the feast seven days; and on the eighth day was a solemn assembly, according unto the manner. (Neh 8: 14–18)
And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, YHVH of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles. 17 And it shall be, that whoso will not come up of all the families of the earth unto Jerusalem to worship the King, YHVH of hosts, even upon them shall be no rain. 18 And if the family of Egypt go not up, and come not, that have no rain; there shall be the plague, wherewith YHVH will smite the heathen that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles. 19 This shall be the punishment of Egypt, and the punishment of all nations that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles. (Zech 14:16–19)
Now the Jews’ feast of tabernacles was at hand. 10 But when his brethren were gone up, then went he also up unto the feast, not openly, but as it were in secret. 11 Then the Jews sought him at the feast, and said, Where is he? 14 Now about the midst of the feast Yeshua went up into the temple, and taught. 37 In the last day, that great day of the feast, Yeshua stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. 38 He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. 39 (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Set-apart Spirit was not yet given; because that Yeshua was not yet glorified.) (John 7: 2, 10, 11, 14, 37–39)
Meaning of the Word Sukkot
The word sukkot (plural of sukkah) is Hebrew for “tabernacles, booths, or any tent-like temporary dwelling.” The Tabernacle or Mishkan that YHVH commanded Moses to construct in the wilderness was a sukkah—literally, a portable tent or habitation for YHVH himself. In fact, the time period of the Feast of Sukkot marks the beginning of Israel’s construction of the mishkan (tabernacle), for Moses received the second tablets containing the ten commandments or statements of YHVH on Yom Teruah and it was immediately after this that the Torah records that the Israelites began building the tabernacle.
The Sukkah
The sukkah, a flimsy, tent-like dwelling, represents the frailty of man’s physical life, for the physical body of man is nothing more than a “temporary dwelling” in which mortal man lives (2 Cor 5:1–6) until physical death occurs followed by the resurrection of the saints into eternal life.
While in this physical state man must totally depend upon his Creator for everything, without whom we would perish both physically and spiritually in this wilderness in which we find ourselves called life. This is exactly the lesson we learn from the children of Israel’s experience during 40 years of wandering in the wilderness. They depended totally upon YHVH for food, water, clothing and protection from the heat, cold and their enemies.
YHVH Sukkah-ed With His People
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Chukat—Red Heifer & Bronze Serpent Mysteries Explained
In this video, we discover the deeper, gospel-centered implications of the mysterious Tabernacle of Moses ceremony of the red heifer. The spiritual ramifications of this curious ritual that affect your life are much deeper than you have probably supposed. We also discover the deeper meaning of the bronze serpent, how it relates to Satan the serpent, as well as Yeshua’s death on the cross. Along the way, we also tag a number of other bases including the anointed presence of Elohim, some false teachings in the mainstream church, some rules of biblical interpretation and much more. It’s a long video, but one that is packed with a plethora of potentially life-changing insights that will challenge you and may even leave you a bit stunned.
Psalm 77—Victory Over End Times Evil in the Inner Sanctum