But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect Tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) He entered once for all into the Holy Places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of His own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption.
Hebrews 9:11-12

The Tabernacle, a huge tent that served as a portable temple, was built according to the blueprint revealed by God to Moses on Mount Sinai, at the same time that God gave him the Ten Commandments. It had to be built exactly as described, because it was a mere copy of the real center of worship in heaven.

Years later, the same pattern was followed in the building of the Temple in Jerusalem. Bulls, sheep and goats were offered on an altar outside and their blood sprinkled there, to atone for sin. One day each year, called Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, the blood was carried in to the Most Holy Place inside of the Tent and sprinkled on the Ark, the golden box that contained the stone tablets of God’s Law, covering it.

God was teaching us something about worship, and about drawing near to Him. 

Finally, the Lord Jesus, the high priest of the New Covenant that God had promised, came, He offered the perfect sacrifice: Himself, and His own blood. He presented His offering, not in a Temple made with human hands, an earthly copy, but in the perfect Temple, the real worship center in Heaven.

He did this just one time. There was no need to repeat His offering year after year, because this one was perfect. This was the reality that God had been illustrating for hundreds of years by means of the drama of the Tabernacle, the Altar, the Ark, and the sacrifices.

The promise was fulfilled. The Messiah had come, done what He had been sent to do, and we are redeemed, forgiven, and accepted into God’s presence. God’s broken law has been covered, as we draw near to Him, trusting in His forgiveness.

Lord Jesus, my Savior, my Redeemer, my Priest and King, thank You for opening the way to Your own presence by Your perfect, once-and-for-all sacrifice. Amen!

Pastor Dan Giles