Follow the Lamb Seminar
God With Us
TEXT: “And God said, “Let them make me a sanctuary that I may dwell among them.” Ex. 25:8
INTRO: God took more than a million people setting them free from bondage in Egypt and taught them the way of salvation using the motif of the sanctuary symbols, types, and colors. It is important to understand the sanctuary in order to have faith in the process needed to complete the salvation project. The subject of restoration involved in sanctuary messages is the very foundation of our faith.
What pattern did Moses follow as he designed the tabernacle in the wilderness? He looked into heaven and saw the grand original and was instructed to make a portable model of the heavenly sanctuary. He was instructed in great detail how to make it and he meticulously wrote each detail in Exodus. Hebrews 8:5 , 1 &2; 2 Corinthians 5:1;
Who else has seen into heaven’s sanctuary? John the disciple who was closest to Jesus was given the visions which are recorded in Revelation. (Revelation 11:19)
WHY did the King of the Universe ask poor slaves to build His own house? The plan of salvation is based on unselfishness as seen in the death of Jesus for us on the cross. He can dwell with us if we give. If we are selfish God cannot dwell with us. He taught this grand lesson to the Israelites by asking them to give. It is written in Malachi 3:9-12 that God asks one tenth of our income to be given to His storehouse. By following this plan we discover amazing blessings of not having room for all He will give to us. It is a condition for His presence and blessing. It is a sign of partnership.
Why did our rich King of the Universe require the building of His house when He has so much power and money He could speak and His house would be there? What lesson is here for us? Giving is a prerequisite step before a generous God can camp and dwell with the people. Jesus said it is more blessed to give than to receive. (Acts 20:35) He wants to give blessings when it will not damage our characters. If we share our gifts, it will not spoil us for Him to share more. So He promises one hundred times blessings on those who are giving to His projects of going into all the world with the gospel. Mark 10:29-30
Why is it important to study the sanctuary? I can see 6 good reasons why it is important to understand the sanctuary.
1. It helps us understand God’s government and His process of dealing with sin and restoring those who turn to Him and believe and obey Him.
2. It was made after a pattern in heaven that has been seen by several people.
a. Moses (Exodus 25:8,9)
b. Daniel (Daniel 7:10)
c. John (Revelation 4)
3. The third reason to study the sanctuary theme is that it helps us understand the book of Revelation. For example: The four creatures with eyes and wings (Rev. 4:7-8) are the same symbols on tribe banners of the four leading tribes on North, South, East, West) Refer to the picture at the beginning of this study outline.
4. The study of the tabernacle helps to visualize deep important truths to our salvation and describes what is happening now in heaven. (Revelation 4:5, & Revelation 11:19)
5. The details of the sanctuary have significance even as specific as timing of events.
6. Important prophecies of the end of time are revealed to the student who spends the time to grasp these magnificent camouflaged truths.
We direct our attention now to how the sanctuary is a shadow of what is in heaven.
What was the sanctuary Moses built a shadow of? It was a shadow of the far more beautiful and magnificent sanctuary of heaven. Hebrews 9:23-24 selection of leaders to do His work. It also signified that God had forgiven Aaron’s terrible mistake in making a golden calf and encouraging people to commit adultery and break so many of the commandments. When Aaron, the brother of Moses sincerely pleaded for forgiveness it was granted and God looked upon Him as though He had never sinned. He was entrusted with the position of the High Priest representing God to the people.
Can you tell by its shadow how many people are inside an airplane? No, it is impossible for you are only looking on the outside shadow of the plane. How much can you learn from a shadow? The Bible gives enough information for salvation in the shadow of the sanctuary.
As I begin the theme of the sanctuary, I call your attention to the Most Holy Room which represents the very seat of the government of heaven. In that location in heaven, the Ruler of the whole universe exists. In His throne room, justice decisions are made regarding every individual on this earth. As we look at the furniture in this room, we learn more about what God is like.
THE ARK:
References to the ark are found in Exodus 25:10-22, Exodus 25:10, and Exodus 31:2-6. Putting God in first place, we want to first look at the most important symbol of His presence, the ark. Here is the seat of God’s government. He is the Master mind behind the whole salvation design. We are looking at the architect of the building and aspects of salvation it represents. There is a Hebrew word “Shekinah” which describes a very bright light. This Shekinah Glory was a light of glory from God seen above the ark.
There was a crown all around the top: What does the crown signify? Exodus 25:11, James 1:12 and Revelation 2:10.
The Contents of this sacred wooden box were manna, Aaron’s walking stick, and the Holy Stones with the Ten Commandments engraved on them by God’s own finger. Exodus 16:15, Exodus 17-3-5, and Exodus 16:32-34. Manna was in a golden container. It was collected from the grain that looked like Coriander seeds. This was dropped from the sky from God in the early morning every day except the 7th day. They were to gather extra manna on Friday and prepare it for eating on the 7th day. Aaron’s walking stick had flowers, leaves, and fruit of the almond on it. It was made that way during a crisis over spiritual leadership. It was kept in the ark to bring out on special occasions. The live items on a dead stick were extremely strong evidence of God’s power in
The ark was made of a special wood which did not easily decay. Acacia wood was God’s requested wood.
The porting the ark was very important. It signified dignity and respect for the King and Ruler of the universe. When a general is victorious in battle, his soldiers often will carry him on their shoulders in love and respect to their commander. This same thing is done by angels for the Ruler of the Universe.
The ark is to be carried on the shoulders of the four priests dressed in white robes to their feet and white caps. At their waist, was a belt of red, blue, and purple. References in the Bible for this can be found in 1 Chronicles 15:15; Exodus. 25:13; 2 Samuel 6:6 & 7, Numbers 7:9.
There was a Bible story recorded many years later, during the time of King David which illustrated the importance of this detail. There was a procession into the Jerusalem. King David was singing and had the ark ported on a cart drawn by oxen. Among the four men chosen to accompany the ark was a man named Uzzah. He knew the correct way but refused to tell this to the king.
"And when they came to Nachon's threshing-floor, Uzzah put forth his hand to the ark of God, and took hold of it; for the oxen shook it. And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Uzzah, and God smote him there for his error; and there he died by the ark of God." Uzzah was angry with the oxen, because they stumbled. He showed a manifest distrust of God, as though he who had brought the ark from the land of the Philistines, could not take care of it. Angels who attended the ark struck down Uzzah for presuming impatiently to put his hand upon the ark of God. {1SP 410.1}
"And David was afraid of the Lord that day, and said, How shall the ark of the Lord come to me? So David would not remove the ark of the Lord unto him into the city of David; but David carried it aside into the house of Obed-edom, the Gittite." David knew that he was a sinful man; and he was afraid that, like Uzzah, he should in some way be presumptuous, and call forth the wrath of God upon himself. "And the ark of the Lord continued in the house of Obed-edom, the Gittite, three months; and the Lord blessed Obed-edom, and all his household." {1SP 410.2}
God would teach his people that, while his ark was a terror and death to those who transgressed his commandments contained in it, it was also a blessing and strength to those who were obedient to his commandments.
Uzzah put forth his hand to the ark of God, and took hold of it; for the oxen shook it. And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Uzzah, and God smote him there for his error. 2 Samuel 6:6, 7. {Conflict and Courage 176.1}
The fate of Uzzah was a divine judgment upon the violation of a most explicit command. Through Moses the Lord had given special instruction concerning the transportation of the ark. None but the priests, the descendants of Aaron, were to touch it, or even to look upon it uncovered. . . . {Conflict and Courage 176.2}
The priests were to cover the ark, and then the Kohathites must lift it by the staves, which were placed in rings upon each side of the ark and were never removed. To the Gershonites and Merarites, who had in charge the curtains and boards and pillars of the tabernacle, Moses gave carts and oxen for the transportation of that which was committed to them. "But unto the sons of Kohath he gave none: because the service of the sanctuary belonging unto them was that they should bear upon their shoulders" (Numbers 7:9). Thus in the bringing of the ark from Kirjathjearim there had been a direct and inexcusable disregard of the Lord's directions. . . . {Conflict and Courage 176.3}
Uzzah was well aware of these instructions and kept his mouth shut. He should have spoken up and David would have gladly followed God’s instructions. His silence in such a mistake showed he was rebelling and unwilling to respect the Holy commands of God. He was beyond help and God took his life. The angels guarding the ark were the ones who struck him dead. He lost his life when grabbing onto the ark to steady it. 2 Samuel 6: 6,7.
There is so much importance attached to the study of the sanctuary. We will continue to study it throughout eternity. It has themes which the most intelligent Bible students on this earth have never understood. Since 1972 I began to study this theme and continue sharing and learning over these years. It is my purpose to accept only Bible reasons for the theme I present. Many go to the Jews to discover meanings. I find this can be a problem because the deep meanings were not understood and they tormented Jesus and missed the prophecies described in the sanctuary.
“A correct understanding of the ministration in the heavenly sanctuary is the foundation of our faith. The subject of the sanctuary and the investigative judgment should be clearly understood by the people of God. All need a knowledge for themselves of the position and work of their great High Priest. Otherwise it will be impossible for them to exercise faith that is essential at this time, or to occupy the position which God designs them to fill.” Evangelism 221.
“The sanctuary is the very center of Christ’s work in behalf of men. It concerns every soul living upon the earth.” Great Controversy page 488.
There are important meanings found in the colors of the sanctuary. We will look at a few of those now.
The first is the color blue. What did the color blue symbolize? There was a directive requesting the people to wear a blue fringe to remind them of the ten commandments. Numbers 15:38; Numbers 4:5-6. On Mt Sinai under God’s feet paved work of sapphire as the heavens was seen under God’s feet. Exodus 24:10-18.
Badger skin:
There were special instructions regarding the Manna:
How much manna were they to gather per each man? One omer. That amount was 2.08 quarts. Ex. 16:16
"And when the dew that lay was gone up, behold, upon the face of the wilderness there lay a small round thing, as small as the hoar-frost, on the ground. And when the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another, It is manna; for they wist not what it was. And Moses said unto them, This is the bread which the Lord hath given you to eat. This is the thing which the Lord hath commanded, Gather of it every man, according to his eating, an omer for every man according to the number of your persons; take ye every man for them which are in his tents. {1Spirit of Prophecy 224.1}
"And the children of Israel did so, and gathered, some more, some less. And when they did mete it with an omer, he that gathered much had nothing over, and he that gathered little had no lack. They gathered every man according to his eating. And Moses said, Let no man leave of it till the morning. Notwithstanding, they hearkened not unto Moses; but some of them left of it until the morning, and it bred worms and stank. And Moses was wroth with them. And they gathered it every morning, every man according to his eating, and when the sun waxed hot, it melted. {1Spirit of Prophecy 224.2} What happened if they disobeyed and gathered extra? Exodus 16:20
What happened if they did not get it in the early morning? It melted and was gone. Exodus 16:21
What day were they to gather double portions? Friday. Exodus 16:22
How long did they eat manna? Up until they entered the land of Canaan. Exodus 16:35
And through nearly forty years of wandering the Israelites were constantly reminded of God's appointed rest day, by the withholding of the manna every seventh day and the miraculous preservation of the double portion that fell on the preparation day. {Prophets and Kings 180.2}
Before entering the Promised Land, the Israelites were admonished by Moses to "keep the Sabbath day to sanctify it." Deuteronomy 5:12. The Lord designed that by a faithful observance of the Sabbath command, Israel should continually be reminded of their accountability to Him as their Creator and their Redeemer. While they should keep the Sabbath in the proper spirit, idolatry could not exist; but should the claims of this precept of the Decalogue be set aside as no longer binding, the Creator would be forgotten and men would worship other gods. "I gave them My Sabbaths," God declared, "to be a sign between Me and them, that they might know that I am the Lord that sanctify them." Yet "they despised My judgments, and walked not in My statutes, but polluted My Sabbaths: for their heart went after their idols." And in His appeal to them to return to Him
to return to Him, He called their attention anew to the importance of keeping the Sabbath holy. "I am the Lord your God," He said; "walk in My statutes, and keep My judgments, and do them; and hallow My Sabbaths; and they shall be a sign between Me and you, that ye may know that I am the Lord your God." Ezekiel 20:12, 16, 19, 20. {Prophets and Kings 181.1}
The coverings of the ark describe more information to us:
How was the ark covered? Numbers 4:5-6 “And when the camp setteth forward, Aaron shall come, and his sons, and they shall take down the covering veil, and cover the ark of testimony with it: Numbers 4:6 And shall put thereon the covering of badgers' skins, and shall spread over [it] a cloth wholly of blue, and shall put in the staves thereof. “
These colors alert us to the fact that there is meaning here. The veil is red, blue and purple. The red is the blood of Jesus. The blue symbolizes the law, and the purple shows a result of mixing law and Jesus blood covering the broken law. That is mercy. The blue outer covering was to represent the most important content, the Ten Commandments. This law can never change for it represents God’s unchangeable character.
Inside the Most Holy Place God can be approached through our prayers. He loves to communicate with us.
There was a special day on the Day of Atonement where the High Priest could ask God a question involving a yes or no answer. If the answer was “yes”, the angel on the right of the ark would light up with God’s glory. If the answer was “no”, the angel on the left would have a dark vapor cloud. God also communicated by speaking to the High Priest and by signs on the breast plate of judgement. If the answer was “yes,” the Urim would light up with God’s glory. If the answer was “no”, the Thumin stone would have a dark vapor cloud over it. God has a very intense interest in His people. He does want to communicate with them. He has kept the Bible through centuries of dangers of burning, and destructions. He has maintained the translators so they could do the work of getting the Bible into the language of the people. He has spoken by dreams and visions. The Bible says He will do this even to the end of time on this earth. (Joel 2:28 and 29)
Communicating God:
Will God still communicate to His people? The answer is an obvious Yes. Better answers happen if there is obedience. If one is following the light he has, He can give more light. Proverbs 3: 5 & 6; God promises to direct by saying the promise, In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy path. I quote this from Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In the next verse in Proverbs 3:6 it reads “In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. “
God demonstrates a great interest in communicating. The question remains with us. Are we listening for His directions?
The reference for the communication from signs on the cherubim on the ark is found in Exodus 25.
Exodus 25:20 And the cherubims shall stretch forth [their] wings on high, covering the mercy seat with their wings, and their faces [shall look] one to another; toward the mercy seat shall the faces of the cherubims be.
Exodus 25:21 And thou shalt put the mercy seat above upon the ark; and in the ark thou shalt put the testimony that I shall give thee. Exodus 25:22 And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubims which [are] upon the ark of the testimony, of all [things] which I will give thee in commandment unto the children of Israel.
If you are seeking Him, He will show you great and mighty things which you know not. If you will spend an hour each day on the life of Christ, especially the closing scenes, and if you have a desire to know and be like Him, you will be changed into His likeness and His way of thinking which is described in the ten commandments. You must make the investment of your time. The best time for this is before anyone else is awake. God can waken you morning by morning to instruct you.
David says the same thing in Psalms 50. He says, “The Lord GOD hath given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to [him that is] weary: he wakeneth morning by morning, he wakeneth mine ear to hear as the learned. Psalms 50:5 The Lord GOD hath opened mine ear, and I was not rebellious, neither turned away back.”
Where did God communicate? Above the 10 Commandments. This is a very important place. It is a description of how God thinks. Those who love this law and follow it will be directed. Exodus 25:21 And thou shalt put the mercy seat above upon the ark; and in the ark thou shalt put the testimony that I shall give thee. Exodus 25:22 says, “And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubims which [are] upon the ark of the testimony, of all [things] which I will give thee in commandment unto the children of Israel.”
Spend time with God in the Most Holy Place in the audience chamber of the Most High. Anywhere you kneel and pray is a special place. God promises to meet when two or three gather together in His name. He comes to meet with them. This becomes the Holy place because God is there. Mathew 18:20 “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”
An interesting incident happened to me.
I witnessed a woman in so great a rush to get home that she pushed to the front of a line at the market. She paid for her food and then rushed away forgetting the items she had purchased. It seemed she was like those of us who do not take time to kneel and tell God what is needed and pray for a character change and to intercede for others. We run up and say our need and run away trying to do it ourselves. Much of the items we pray for can only be helped by a miracle from God.
While at Loma Linda University I thought I was preparing to be His missionary doctor. I was many times urgently studying for exams and praying only while running from the home to the school. I also ate on the run. I went boating on the weekend with some friends. During that first Friday evening, we put up or tents and enjoyed the quiet sounds of the lake rippling. We fell asleep but I had a dream. I saw Jesus coming in the clouds. I rejoiced but when Jesus looked at me, He was crying. An intensity of despair swept over me. I was lost. I was shocked. I thought I was a good person but now all the good in me seemed as though I was dirty and without clothing of anything but rags. I asked for counsel because I don’t want to be lost. I don’t want anything more than to be saved. I asked Him to open the Steps to Christ to instruct me on my biggest lack. He did. I read the chapter on prayer. He showed me I neglected the only thing which could prepare me. I was running out the door daily to study for science courses in medicine without spending time in His Most Holy Place. I was rushing in with my shoes on and rushing out without gaining my blessings from Him. He showed me the second coming in a dream and the tears in His eyes as He looked at me. Then the chapter on the importance of prayer in the book Steps to Christ was impressed on my heart as the key to my being ready for heaven. In Jeremiah 33:3 The Bible says, “Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.” How about you? Are you praying and going where others like to pray? God will show us great and mighty things that we don’t know if we will realize God is with us.
When you pray, you are entering into the Most Holy Room into the very audience of the King of the Universe. He wants to hear directly from your heart what is concerning you. He has invited all to make a special time for prayer daily during early morning and during the sunset hour. God wants to live with you. As you realize God is with us, it is certain that no man can stand against His mighty power. So in respect and humility go to be with Him and commune with Him. He will direct your paths.
In conclusion:
God is with us. His ways are holy and we must respect and honor Him. The whole sanctuary explains His plan for our salvation. It also shows future events not yet fulfilled. If we understand and study well the sanctuary themes, we will be ready to stand firm for the truth in the last days. We will catch deeper meanings of the prophecies of Daniel chapter 12, Mathew 24, and the book of Revelation as it teaches last day events.
The first half of the Sanctuary Seminar teaches keys which are used to open the prophecies over the final events. The last half builds on these and shows the camouflaged secrets of the final events. Daniel chapter 12 says the wise will understand them. Let us be among those wise. Your faith will grow very strong if you attend every meeting, doing as God teaches you, listening carefully, taking notes, and participating in making a model or a painting of the sanctuary. If you ask for the Holy Spirit to help you apply each lesson, your life will have deeper meaning and greater joy as a result of the seminar.
Colosians 2:17
QUIZ 12 questions, one for each group in the room sitting near a tribe banner:
1. The sanctuary is a shadow of what?
2. What does the color blue represent and where is the Bible reference?
3. Why did not the richest King of the Universe make His own tabernacle?
4. What does the color red represent?
5. What does the color purple teach?
6. What are the contents of the ark?
7. How much manna was to be gathered for each Israelite?
8. What day was there no manna?
9. What happened if they gathered extra on the wrong day?
10. What did the budding and fruit bearing walking stick of Aaron teach us?
11. Where also is the same motif?
12. Name 2 people who looked into heaven and saw the ark and temple?
13. What was the correct method for porting the ark?
14. What did this method teach?
15. Why did Uzah die when he touched the ark?
16. Where did God communicate from in our story today?
17. What 3 methods of communicating to the High Priest did we study today?
18. Bible text which states that blue symbolized the ten commandments?
19. What was the title of today’s program?
