The Tabernacle a Picture of Christ

February 2nd, 2026
by Lance Waldie

Hebrews 9:1-5 Now even the first covenant had regulations of divine worship and the earthly sanctuary. 2 For there was a tabernacle prepared, the outer one, in which were the lampstand and the table and the sacred bread; this is called the holy place. 3 Behind the second veil there was a tabernacle which is called the Holy of Holies, 4 having a golden altar of incense and the ark of the covenant covered on all sides with gold, in which was a golden jar holding the manna, and Aaron’s rod which budded, and the tables of the covenant; 5 and above it were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat; but of these things we cannot now speak in detail.

The “first covenant” is of course a reference to the old covenant, that of works established under the Mosaic Law. In this covenant, the Jews were blessed if they obeyed God, cursed if they disobeyed (Deut. 28). Part of that curse would include expulsion from the God’s Promised Land (Canaan), a land flowing with milk and honey given to Israel by God Himself.

God had instructed Israel to build a tabernacle—a portable tent through which they could approach Him. The tabernacle and its furnishings were mere shadows of the coming Christ. First, there was the Holy Place within the tabernacle where the seven-branched lampstand (Ex. 25:31-40; 27:20-21; 37:17-24), or Menorah, stood. Since there were no windows in the tabernacle, this gave the priests light. The significance of this is that whereas Israel was supposed to be a light to the nations (Isa. 42:6; 49:6), Jesus Christ is the “Light of the world” (John 8:12). His children (i.e., Christians) are to shine as lights in “this present darkness” (Eph. 6:12; Phil. 2:14-15).

Also in the Holy Place was the table of showbread that contained 12 loaves of bread edible only to the priests (Ex. 25:23-30; 37:10-16; Lev. 24:5-9). Every Sabbath the priests would replace the “bread of the presence” with new loaves, and the old loaves would be eaten. The bread was a reminder to the 12 tribes of Israel that God was with them, daily sustaining them. But it too was a shadow of Christ who is the “Bread of Life,” given not just to Israel but to the entire world (John 6:35ff.). Those who partake of Christ daily have His daily sustenance.

The other room inside the tabernacle was the Holy of Holies. In it was the ark of the covenant. On the top of the ark was a “mercy seat” made of gold with a cherub at both ends. This was the throne of God in the tabernacle (Ex. 25:10-22; Pss. 80:1; 99:1). On Yom Kippur, the blood was sprinkled on the mercy seat that covered the tablets of Law within the ark. So, instead of God seeing His Laws broken, He saw blood covering it. This too is a picture of Christ, the “mercy seat” for believers. But instead of His blood merely covering sin, it removes it completely. Truly, His blood is a “propitiation” (1 John 2:2; Rom. 3:25) for sin, a satisfaction.

Verse 4 says that the “golden altar” was also inside the Holy of Holies—the altar of incense used every morning and evening by a priest (Ex. 30:7-8) who burned incense showing it to be a picture of continual prayer ascending to God (cf. Ps. 141:2). This altar was daily accessible to the priests, not just the high priest on Yom Kippur, or the Day of Atonement (cf. Lev. 16), like the ark of the covenant behind the veil in the Holy of Holies. Pertaining to Jesus Christ it serves as a picture of Christ daily interceding for believers (7:25; cf. Rom. 8:33-34).

Strangely, v. 4 says that this incense altar was behind the veil alongside the ark in the Holy of Holies. This is contrary to Exodus 30:6 which says, “You shall put this altar in front of the veil that is near the ark of the testimony, in front of the mercy seat…” (italics mine). So, was the author of Hebrews mistaken in v. 4 claiming this altar was actually beyond the veil, inside the Holy of Holies? Not at all! The author is saying that since the altar of incense was directly in front of the veil, and since the high priest had to sprinkle it with blood prior to entering through the veil on the Day of Atonement to sprinkle blood on the mercy seat, the altar of incense is depicted as actually being in the Holy of Holies—functionally, not physically.

Food For Thought
If you know Jesus Christ as Lord then you can share the gospel message using any book of the Bible. To know Christ personally is to be able to read Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers and actually be excited about it! They are pictures of Christ. Sadly, orthodox Jews today have fixated on the pictures and shadows of Christ, refusing to believe that the Substance has already arrived.