The Temple Sanctuary

The temple here mentioned cannot be any literal temple in Jerusalem, since the last of these was destroyed by the Romans in 70 C.E. The apostle Paul, however, showed that even before that destruction, there had appeared another temple sanctuary that would endure right up to our day. This was the great spiritual temple that fulfilled the prophetic types provided by the tabernacle and later by the temples built in Jerusalem. It is "the true tent, which Jehovah put up, and no man," and its high priest is Jesus, whom Paul describes as having already "sat down at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens." Its Most Holy is the location of Jehovah's presence in heaven itself. -Hebrews 8:1, 2; 9:11, 24.

The apostle Paul explains that the curtain of the tabernacle, separating the Most Holy from the Holy compartment, pictures Jesus' flesh. When Jesus sacrificed his life, this curtain was rent in two, showing that Jesus' flesh was no longer a barrier to his entry into Jehovah's presence in heaven. On the basis of Jesus' sacrifice, his anointed under priests who died faithful would, in due course, also pass into the heavens. (Matthew 27:50,51; Hebrews 9:3; 10:19, 20) Paul points out, too, that the continual sacrifices of animals at the tabernacle pointed forward to Jesus' one sacrifice of his perfect human life. The altar of sacrifice in the courtyard represented Jehovah's provision, according to his will, for accepting Jesus' sacrifice in behalf of the "many" - of the anointed and, later, of the other sheep-who would be "earnestly looking for him for their salvation." -Hebrews 9:28; 10:9, 10; John 10:16.

From this divinely inspired information, we can conclude that the Holy Place in the tabernacle symbolizes a holy condition enjoyed first by Christ and then by the anointed members of the royal priesthood of the 144,000 while they are still on earth, before entering through "the curtain." (Hebrews 6:19, 20; 1 Peter 2:9) It well represents their having been adopted as spiritual sons of God, even as God acknowledged Jesus to be his Son following Jesus' baptism in the Jordan in 29 C.E. (Luke 3:22; Romans 8:15) And what of the inner courtyard, the only part of the tabernacle visible to non priestly Israelites and the place where the sacrifices were made? This pictures the perfect standing of the man Jesus that qualified him to offer his life for mankind. It also represents the righteous standing as holy ones, imputed on the basis of Jesus' sacrifice, that his anointed followers enjoy while on earth." -Romans 1:7; 5:1.

Next time:Measuring The Temple Sanctuary