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What is the purpose of the Heavenly Sanctuary and When was it built?

AdamjEdgar

Active Member
Backgound

In Exodus we find Moses was told by God to build a tabernacle according to a specific plan given by God

Ex 25:9You must make the tabernacle and design all its furnishings according to the pattern I show you.

In the book of Hebrews, the apostle Paul states

Heb 9: 11But when Christ came as high priest of the good things that have come,f He went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not made by hands and is not a part of this creation. 12He did not enter by the blood of goats and calves, but He entered the Most Holy Place once for all by His own blood, thus securing eternal redemption.

So here we have an earthly tabernacle in Exodus that is a copy of the heavenly sanctuary that Paul describes in the New Testament.

From our reading of both Exodus and Hebrews, it is very obvious to me that the Heavenly Sanctuary predates the earthly...if the earthly is a copy, then the original must predate it!


Question
So this raises an important theological concept which i had not thought about before. Indeed, i recently put my thoughts about this to a Bachelor degree trained minister and even he mused that he had not thought about this before either...and did not mention that anyone had even raised this concept with him in his 40 years in the ministry

caveat - this concept is far more in-depth than some might think. The point that i am leading too, and which i hope others might also support through their own study on this topic is that, if the heavenly tabernacle predates the earthly, it may very well predate the earthly because it was built because of the rebellion of Lucifer and his angels.The plan of salvation may actually be far bigger than just us in that it may very well extend to those angels who repented (about 1/6th of them if memory serves correct) and that Christ won back to God after the rebellion began in heaven!

So, this leads me to questions, after which, i will start other forum topics regarding the other parts of this concept that i am working on.

1. What is the purpose of the Heavenly Sanctuary?
2. When was the Heavenly Sanctuary made?
 
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exchemist

Veteran Member
Backgound

In Exodus we find Moses was told by God to build a tabernacle according to a specific plan given by God

Ex 25:9You must make the tabernacle and design all its furnishings according to the pattern I show you.

In the book of Hebrews, the apostle Paul states

Heb 9: 11But when Christ came as high priest of the good things that have come,f He went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not made by hands and is not a part of this creation. 12He did not enter by the blood of goats and calves, but He entered the Most Holy Place once for all by His own blood, thus securing eternal redemption.

So here we have an earthly tabernacle in Exodus that is a copy of the heavenly sanctuary that Paul describes in the New Testament.

From our reading of both Exodus and Hebrews, it is very obvious to me that the Heavenly Sanctuary predates the earthly...if the earthly is a copy, then the original must predate it!


Question
So this raises an important theological concept which i had not thought about before. Indeed, i recently put my thoughts about this to a Bachelor degree trained minister and even he mused that he had not thought about this before either...and did not mention that anyone had even raised this concept with him in his 40 years in the ministry

caveat - this concept is far more in-depth than some might think. The point that i am leading too, and which i hope others might also support through their own study on this topic is that, if the heavenly tabernacle predates the earthly, it may very well predate the earthly because it was built because of the rebellion of Lucifer and his angels.The plan of salvation may actually be far bigger than just us in that it may very well extend to those angels who repented (about 1/6th of them if memory serves correct) and that Christ won back to God after the rebellion began in heaven!

So, this leads me to questions, after which, i will start other forum topics regarding the other parts of this concept that i am working on.

1. What is the purpose of the Heavenly Sanctuary?
2. When was the Heavenly Sanctuary made?
Surely it's imagery, that's all? St. Paul was writing to the Hebrews, fellow Jews. So what he's doing is expressing Christ's redemptive act in terms of the historic practice and beliefs of the Jews. He uses the imagery of Christ as the ultimate High Priest, taking a blood sacrifice of Himself into the heavenly Holy of Holies, i.e. carrying an offering into the presence of God, just as the Jewish High Priest once a year used to take a sacrificial blood offering into the Holy of Holies in the temple. It's a very powerful piece of explanatory imagery, for the particular audience he was addressing.

I don't see what Lucifer has to do with any of this.
 
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Brian2

Veteran Member
Backgound

In Exodus we find Moses was told by God to build a tabernacle according to a specific plan given by God

Ex 25:9You must make the tabernacle and design all its furnishings according to the pattern I show you.

In the book of Hebrews, the apostle Paul states

Heb 9: 11But when Christ came as high priest of the good things that have come,f He went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not made by hands and is not a part of this creation. 12He did not enter by the blood of goats and calves, but He entered the Most Holy Place once for all by His own blood, thus securing eternal redemption.

So here we have an earthly tabernacle in Exodus that is a copy of the heavenly sanctuary that Paul describes in the New Testament.

From our reading of both Exodus and Hebrews, it is very obvious to me that the Heavenly Sanctuary predates the earthly...if the earthly is a copy, then the original must predate it!


Question
So this raises an important theological concept which i had not thought about before. Indeed, i recently put my thoughts about this to a Bachelor degree trained minister and even he mused that he had not thought about this before either...and did not mention that anyone had even raised this concept with him in his 40 years in the ministry

caveat - this concept is far more in-depth than some might think. The point that i am leading too, and which i hope others might also support through their own study on this topic is that, if the heavenly tabernacle predates the earthly, it may very well predate the earthly because it was built because of the rebellion of Lucifer and his angels.The plan of salvation may actually be far bigger than just us in that it may very well extend to those angels who repented (about 1/6th of them if memory serves correct) and that Christ won back to God after the rebellion began in heaven!

So, this leads me to questions, after which, i will start other forum topics regarding the other parts of this concept that i am working on.

1. What is the purpose of the Heavenly Sanctuary?
2. When was the Heavenly Sanctuary made?

Where did you get the one sixth of them repented?
 

Brickjectivity

Turned to Stone. Now I stretch daily.
Staff member
Premium Member
In Exodus we find Moses was told by God to build a tabernacle according to a specific plan given by God
The tabernacle also follows the layout of the way to the Tree of Life in the Garden Eden which is guarded by a cherubim with a fiery sword. To enter the tabernacle one must travel west through its gate, and it is aligned like Eden. On its eastern side are three tribes of Israel: Judah, Issachar and Zebulon. The other three sides each have 3 tribes. The twelve tribes together are the sons of Abraham, but these may represent anyone who becomes a child of Abraham. "...and I am one of them, and so are you...la la la etc." So imagine we are there, too, you and I and everyone all pitched in tents around this tabernacle waiting to go in, waiting for the secret to be revealed. The conclusion!

But while we are waiting year upon year suddenly the glory rises up from the tabernacle and starts hovering in a new direction, and dash-it-all that means we have to start breaking camp and follow it. That is what the law says: that when the glory moves the camp must follow. And all of the heavy things that are part of the tabernacle must be folded, packed away and carried or wheeled or dragged along by one tribe, which like Joseph is helping all the rest. This is handled by the lucky descendants of Kohath. What an annoyance for them, huh. All of those heavy poles and multiple layers of skins (seemingly pointless) have to be lovingly and cautiously put onto someone's backs. Whose backs? Who volunteers to be a son of Kohath? Who will not tire of setting up and breaking down camp and waiting for some random moment when they will have to stop what they are doing and carry on again. Being a son of Abraham is relatively easy.

1. What is the purpose of the Heavenly Sanctuary?
2. When was the Heavenly Sanctuary made?
What if father abraham is a heavenly father and that his will to live in peace is the heavenly plan. (No I am not calling him God). The term 'Sanctuary' refers to a place where we can be safe from harm, but that place is not walled cities controlled by strong kings with wicked armies. For Abraham and his kin these are failed, earthly, concepts. They have been tried, and they don't last. The walls crumble and also lock us in like slaves. The armies turn against us or are defeated. The kings become corrupt. Instead let there be peace between all kinds of people, and let them choose to forgive grievances and to fellowship. Let people live in tents in the open! But there is danger and difficulty in trying to live this way. How can it ever be accomplished? There must be some way, some plan to make this happen. This is where the story of Abraham begins, and it is the pattern which the physical tabernacle follows. The pattern is heavenly, because it is not yet known what the answer will be. Analogous to this unknown answer, the ark in the physical tabernacle is hidden by a curtain. In there in the innermost place is the answer to the hope of Israel.
 
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