The meaning of Christ’s death

The symbol of Christianity is a Cross, because the death of Christ is of central importance.

Isaiah 52 We studied this 2 lessons ago.

The old Testament prophet, Isaiah, describes Jesus and his death.

Verse 6: All of us were like sheep that were lost, each of us going his own way. But the Lord made the punishment fall on him, the punishment all of us deserved.

1Peter 2We studied this last week.

Peter writes to Christians, explaining what Jesus’ death means to us.

Verse 24: Christ himself carried our sins in his body to the cross, so that we might die to sin and live for righteousness.

Hebrews 9

• 1The first covenant had rules for worship and a place made for worship as well. 2 A tent was put up, the outer one, which was called the Holy Place. In it were the lampstand and the table with the bread offered to God.

In the wilderness in Israel, a life-size replica of the biblical tabernacle has been constructed. 

While no original materials (e.g., gold, silver, bronze) have been used, the model is accurate in every other way based upon the biblical description

The Tabernacle was a tent 9m long, 5m wide and 5m high, divided into two rooms. The larger room was the first part called the “Holy Place.”

Behind a second curtain was a second room called the “Holy of Holies” or “The most Holy Place.”

The Holy Place - Sacred area -golden lampstand, table of showbread. 

The Table of Showbread   Built of acacia wood and overlaid with solid gold, the table had a surface of 1x 0.5m

Twelve loaves of bread were placed on the table on Sabbath and were replaced by fresh bread the following Sabbath. 

• 3 Behind the second curtain was the tent called the Most Holy Place. 4 In it were the gold altar for the burning of incense and the Covenant Box all covered with gold and containing the gold jar with the manna in it, Aaron's stick that had sprouted leaves, and the two stone tablets with the commandments written on them. 5 Above the Box were the winged creatures representing God's presence, with their wings spread over the place where sins were forgiven.

The altar of incense

According to the book of Exodus, this was actually just outside the curtain.

Ark of the Covenant Was the only object in the Holy of Holies. It contained the two tablets with the Ten Commandments, the rod of Aaron that blossomed and the pot of manna. 

The ark was covered by the "mercy seat“.  The ark represented the footstool of God's throne.  

But now is not the time to explain everything in detail. 6 This is how those things have been arranged. The priests go into the outer tent every day to perform their duties, 7 but only the high priest goes into the inner tent, and he does so only once a year. He takes with him blood which he offers to God on behalf of himself and for the sins which the people have committed without knowing they were sinning.

11 But Christ has already come as the High Priest of the good things that are already here. The tent in which He serves is greater and more perfect; it is not a tent made by human hands, that is, it is not a part of this created world.

12 When Christ went through the tent and entered once and for all into the Most Holy Place, he did not take the blood of goats and bulls to offer as a sacrifice; rather, he took his own blood and obtained eternal salvation for us.

23 Those things, which are copies of the heavenly originals, had to be purified in that way. But the heavenly things themselves require much better sacrifices. 24 For Christ did not go into a Holy Place made by human hands, which was a copy of the real one. He went into heaven itself, where he now appears on our behalf in the presence of God.

25 The Jewish high priest goes into the Most Holy Place every year with the blood of an animal. But Christ did not go in to offer himself many times, 26 for then he would have had to suffer many times ever since the creation of the world. Instead, now when all ages of time are nearing the end, he has appeared once and for all, to remove sin through the sacrifice of himself.

10: 11 Every Jewish priest performs his services every day and offers the same sacrifices many times; but these sacrifices can never take away sins. 12 Christ, however, offered one sacrifice for sins, an offering that is effective forever, and then he sat down at the right side of God. 13 There he now waits until God puts his enemies as a footstool under his feet. 14 With one sacrifice, then, he has made perfect forever those who are purified from sin.

12 Christ, however, offered one sacrifice for sins, an offering that is effective forever, and then he sat down at the right side of God.

You sit down when your work is finished. Jesus still prays for His people, but He can do that well because His work on earth is finished.

The Bible tells us that when Jesus died the curtain in the Temple between the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place was torn in two.

This shows us that the Old Testament way of looking for fellowship (friendship) with God through ritual and animal sacrifice was now replaced by Christ’s sacrifice on the cross.

Solomon’s Temple

Holy PlaceHoly of Holies

"It was a Babylonian curtain, embroidered with blue, and fine linen, and scarlet, and purple, and of a contexture that was truly wonderful. Nor was this mixture of colors without its mystical interpretation, but was a kind of image of the universe; for by the scarlet there seemed to be enigmatically signified fire, by the fine flax the earth, by the blue the air, and by the purple the sea; two of them having their colors the foundation of this resemblance; but the fine flax and the purple have their own origin for that foundation, the earth producing the one, and the sea the other. This curtain had also embroidered upon it all that was mystical in the heavens, excepting that of the [twelve] signs, representing living creatures" (War 5.5.4; 212-13).

To the west of the Holy Place lay the Holy of Holies where only the High Priest could enter once a year on the Day of Atonement; there was nothing in the Holy of Holies (War 5.5.5; 219; m. Mid. 4.7). The fact that there was no image of God in the holy of holies (or anywhere else in the Temple) was unusual in the ancient world and was incomprehensible to non-Jews. In fact, Josephus explains in some detail how, when he became emperor, Gaius (Caligula) ordered Petronius, proconsul of Syria, to erect a statue of him as in the sanctuary (naos) because he wanted the Jews to venerate him as a god. Petronius protested and delayed, and Gaius died before Petronius carried out the order, to the relief of all sensible people. (The Jews did agree to offer two sacrifices daily for the benefit of Caesar [Ant. 18.8.2-9; 261-309 = War 2.10.1-5; 184-203].) In m. Yoma 5.2, it is explained that there was a stone called "Foundation" (shetijah) three finger breadths high in the Holy of Holies. A curtain separated the Holy of Holies from the Holy Place (War 5.5.4; 212-13; 5..5.5; 219). Josephus describes this curtain in some detail. "It was a Babylonian curtain, embroidered with blue, and fine linen, and scarlet, and purple, and of a contexture that was truly wonderful. Nor was this mixture of colors without its mystical interpretation, but was a kind of image of the universe; for by the scarlet there seemed to be enigmatically signified fire, by the fine flax the earth, by the blue the air, and by the purple the sea; two of them having their colors the foundation of this resemblance; but the fine flax and the purple have their own origin for that foundation, the earth producing the one, and the sea the other. This curtain had also embroidered upon it all that was mystical in the heavens, excepting that of the [twelve] signs, representing living creatures" (War 5.5.4; 212-13).

Hebrews 9:1-71The first covenant had rules for worship and a place made for worship as well. 2 A tent was put up, the outer one, which was called the Holy Place. In it were the lampstand and the table with the bread offered to God. 3 Behind the second curtain was the tent called the Most Holy Place. 4 In it were the gold altar for the burning of incense and the Covenant Box all covered with gold and containing the gold jar with the manna in it, Aaron's stick that had sprouted leaves, and the two stone tablets with the commandments written on them. 5 Above the Box were the winged creatures representing God's presence, with their wings spread over the place where sins were forgiven. But now is not the time to explain everything in detail. 6 This is how those things have been arranged. The priests go into the outer tent every day to perform their duties, 7 but only the high priest goes into the inner tent, and he does so only once a year. He takes with him blood which he offers to God on behalf of himself and for the sins which the people have committed without knowing they were sinning.

The Outer Court The bronze laver and bronze altar were located in the outer court.  The altar was 7.5 feet square and 4.5 feet high, was made of acacia wood overlaid with bronze, and had a horn on each corner.  The fire on the altar was to be kept burning at all times and the daily sacrifices were offered in the morning and afternoon.

-The lampstand was made out of a single block of gold and had three branches coming out of each side of the central shaft.  The seven lamps on top of the branches were probably round saucers which held the wick and olive oil.

The Altar of Incense Also known as the "golden altar" or the "inner altar," this three foot high altar was the location of regular incense offerings. 

Every morning and evening when looking after the light of the lampstand, the priests would offer a mixture of frankincense and other aromatic gums.