Let us examine the scriptures every day 2025
Thursday April 24, 2025
The sacred service these men give is a reflection and shadow of heavenly things (Heb. 8:5).
The tabernacle was the place where the Israelites gathered to worship God and offer sacrifices to Him (Ex. 29:43-46). They took it with them whenever they moved from one place to another in the desert (Ex. 25:8, 9; Num. 9:22). They used it for almost 500 years until the temple in Jerusalem was built. Now, the tabernacle also represented something much better. It was “a shadow of heavenly things” and represented the great spiritual temple of Jehovah. The apostle Paul said, “This tent [or tabernacle] is a symbolic representation for our times” (Heb. 9:9). So, when he wrote this to the Hebrews, the spiritual temple was already a reality. In fact, it came into existence in the year 29 AD. That year Jesus was baptized and began serving as Jehovah’s “great high priest” in the spiritual temple (Heb. 4:14; Acts 10:37, 38). w23.10 26 paras. 6, 7.
What was the tabernacle used for?
The shadow. Paul based his explanation of the spiritual temple on the tabernacle that Moses set up in 1512 BC (see the “Shadow and Reality” graphic). The tabernacle, also called the “tent of meeting,” was the place where the Israelites gathered to worship God and offer sacrifices to Him (Ex. 29:43-46). They took it with them whenever they moved from one place to another in the desert (Ex. 25:8, 9; Num. 9:22). They used it for almost 500 years until the temple in Jerusalem was built. Now, the tabernacle also represented something much better that would come later for Christians.
When did the spiritual temple come into existence?
The reality. The tabernacle was “a shadow of heavenly things” and represented Jehovah's great spiritual temple. Paul said, “This tent [or tabernacle] is a symbolic representation for our times” (Heb. 8:5; 9:9). So, when he wrote this to the Hebrews, the spiritual temple was already a reality. In fact, it came into existence in the year 29 AD. That year Jesus was baptized, anointed with holy spirit, and began serving as Jehovah’s “great high priest” in the spiritual temple (Heb. 4:14; Acts 10:37, 38).
According to Hebrews 7:23-27, what enormous difference is there between the high priests of Israel and the great High Priest, Jesus Christ?
The shadow. The high priest represented the people before God. Israel's first high priest, Aaron, was appointed by Jehovah when the tabernacle was dedicated. But Paul explained: “Since death prevented the priests from continuing in office, there had to be many priests succeeding one another” (read Hebrews 7:23-27).d Furthermore, because these high priests were imperfect, they had to offer sacrifices for their own sins. That is a huge difference between the high priests of Israel and the great High Priest, Jesus Christ.
The reality. Our High Priest, Jesus Christ, “is a servant [...] of the true tent which Jehovah pitched, and not man” (Heb. 8:1, 2). Paul explained that since Jesus “lives forever, his priesthood has no successors.” Furthermore, he said that Jesus is “undefiled, separated from sinners” and that, unlike the high priests of Israel, “he does not have to offer sacrifices daily” for his own sins. And what can we say about altars and sacrifices? Let's see the differences between shadow and reality.
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