Lessons From Holy Places (Hebrews 9:1-5 Jeff Kliewer)

Christ as the Only Way of Salvation

Statement that God is the only one that can save us from our sinful life. The song starts out with a question, who O Lord could save themselves? Which we know the answer is we can't. God is the only one that can save.

And further in the song we have, you O Lord have made a way, which goes to John 14 6. I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father but through me. Essentially the song is a great reminder and allows us to sing our faith and give God the glory and the praise and the thanks for saving us.

Let's start this morning with You alone can rescue.

But save themselves, lift up our eyes, and praise the name of you forever.

The Danger of Man-Made Holy Places

Not just milk but by bread and solid meat for food Lord that we would be mature and not mere infants in Christ. So this morning Lord as we open your word to look at some of the deep things of God. Lord to look into the holy of holies, to look into the tabernacle, that our eyes would look there and see Christ and see a Savior who is perfect.

That we would fall more in love with Jesus and that we would go forth from this place with a great passion to tell the world about our great high priest. In Jesus name, Amen. So I've had the opportunity to travel the world a little bit and see some interesting sites.

One of them was in Istanbul where I went into a mosque and I saw what their mosque looks like there. They had this giant chandelier and of course every mosque faces towards Mecca where they have what's called the Kayaba, which is a big black stone with a building built around it and the Muslims of the world will go and walk in circle seven times around this thing.

That's like their most holy place. They think it's where Isaac, well actually Ishmael was offered according to them. Another time about three years ago there was the opening of a temple in Philadelphia, a so-called holy place of the Latter-day Saints, the Mormon Church.

So before they opened it they spent about a month allowing the public to go in and look at it. So of course I went and tried to evangelize there but they had they had this baptismal thing with like oxen on the bottom, carved oxen, where they would baptize people for the dead.

Meaning like do ancestral research to find out who they should do baptisms for. But then as you go throughout the temple it's just one little room after another and as you do research on what happens there it's more to do with Freemasonry than it is to do with the Bible.

They have secret handshakes, they have passwords, and they have these eternal sealing ceremonies for marriage. Of course Joseph Smith married about 33 women so you needed a lot of rooms for that and it is it's just a totally unbiblical quote-unquote holy place.

If you were to go to India or parts of China you would find of course Buddhist temples and it's filled with idols and various things that they call holy. These things are a danger to people because going there or even let's say the the Roman Catholic Church in New York City.

Anybody been there? It's got all of the big open Cathedral and it has images to different saints and there's all the smells and bells and people go and they feel like ah I'm holy now because I've gone to this holy place.

It can be a danger to people because thinking that they're entering a holy place they think that they have approached God and God has cleaned them and they're now acceptable to God. Those are a particular danger but in New Jersey in the 21st century there is a greater danger related to these holy places and that is the religion of New Jersey which is that all of these particularities whether it's a Muslim synagogue or whatever or a Buddhist or Mormon temple all of these are fine and good because that's just somebody's private doctrinal beliefs and the only thing that really matters is your ethical life.

So husbands how do you treat your wives? How do you raise your kids? How do you live as a good neighbor and citizen? In New Jersey the the religion of the land is very postmodern. The idea is that all of these various things are good for a person.

Everybody has their own truth and whatever works for them is well and good. The holy places don't actually matter what matters is how a person lives their life. I would say that's a much greater danger in New Jersey and we're gonna see why in the text today.

How many of you have ever set out to read through the Bible cover to cover? Many many of you have tried that? Now don't raise your hand for this one because this might be embarrassing. How many of you have tried but failed and you stopped reading somewhere around Exodus chapter 20?

Exodus 20 when all the laws come into play and then in 25 with the tabernacle and all the particularities of curtains and furniture and various things that are in the temple or in the tabernacle. Many people set out to read through the Bible but they get bogged down in the particularities and it seems like why am I reading this?

What does this have to do with me in modern-day America? Well we're gonna find out. Today I would like to give you a tour inside the tabernacle and here's how we're gonna do it. I'm gonna call on the guys in the back to play a three-minute video which is a walkthrough of a replica of the tabernacle built to the precise prescriptions the very particular descriptions of Exodus 25 to 40.

Sounds like a roaring good time right? If you're a Bible nerd you're like yes come on but most people are thinking all right all right I'll watch that but no this actually matters a lot. This points us to Jesus Christ and we're gonna see how so roll it guys.

The Tabernacle as a Pattern of Christ

Now the tabernacle measures.

75 feet wide by 150 feet long. The courtyard has 60 posts with linen curtains all around it. The courtyard posts were 7 .5 feet high and that's exactly what these are here. Each post had a bronze base with silver hooks and rings on the top.

Acacia wood was used for the tabernacle and you can see in this area we'll show you some of these acacia trees here. The eastern gate which was the entrance had four posts and a colored curtain. Now interestingly when Solomon built the temple in Jerusalem the eastern gate also faced entrance to the temple.

The bronze altar measured 7 .5 feet wide and was square and was about 4 .5 feet high and had four horns on each corner and they were called the horns of the altar. Their bronze labor or wash basin was made from brass.

The holy chamber measured 45 feet long by 15 feet wide by 15 feet high. It was made of 10 curtains of fine linen of blue purple and scarlet yarn each with an embroidered cherubim. Inside was the holy place which measured 15 feet wide by 35 feet long and it contained the menorah made from a single piece of gold, the table of showbread representing the unleavened bread of the first Passover and it measures 36 inches wide by 18 inches deep by 27 inches tall.

There were 12 loaves of bread which represented the twelve tribes of Israel. There was the altar of incense which measured 18 inches square by 3 feet tall. Only a special kind of incense was to be used.

The priest wore white linen robes with a colorful sash. The high priest wore special garments, a turban, ephod, breast plate and robe. The breastplate contained 12 stones each representing the 12 tribes of Israel.

There were bells and pomegranates at the bottom of the robe so that when the high priest went in once a year the bells were to help the people outside to hear that the high priest was still alive while inside.

So now we go inside the Holy of Holies. Only the high priest could enter the Holy of Holies once a year. He had to be purified from all sin before entering. Inside the Holy of Holies was the Ark of the Covenant which measured 45 inches wide by 27 inches deep by 27 inches tall.

On top of the Ark of the Covenant was the mercy seat which measured 27 inches high. Molded to it were two winged cherubim angel figures made from one piece of gold. Inside the Ark of the Covenant was the stone tablets which had written on them the Ten Commandments by the literal finger of God.

It had Aaron's rod that budded and a jar of manna. So turn with.

Hebrews 9:1-5 and the Holiness of God

Me to Hebrews chapter 9 verses 1 to 5. Even this little glance inside the tabernacle belies any vain human notion of being worthy to approach the thrice holy God. In the book of Isaiah, Isaiah sees the very throne room of God.

The angels cry holy holy holy day and night and Isaiah says I am undone because I am a man of unclean lips and I live among a people of unclean lips and my eyes have seen the king. A glance inside the tabernacle is not meant to make you feel good about yourself.

The tabernacle indicates the holiness of God that he is other that he is greater that he is pure light and that we sinners cannot approach him but God makes a way a way of salvation a way for sinners like us to come to him and the tabernacle in a beautiful amazing way pictures that salvation and it's very much centered on the person of Christ.

So let's read it Hebrews 9 1 to 5. Now even the first covenant had regulations for worship and an earthly place of holiness for a tent that word tent is tabernacle. A tent was prepared the first section in which were the lampstand and the table and the bread of the presence it is called the holy place having sorry behind the second curtain was a second section called the most holy place having the golden altar of incense and the Ark of the Covenant covered on all sides with gold in which was a golden urn holding the manna and Aaron staff that budded and the tablets of the Covenant above it were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat of these things.

We cannot now speak in detail. Okay we'll stop there for today we can speak in detail now as the author was writing he's saying this is the particular revelation that I have to give and he's gonna stay on point.

But we then as Christians have thousands of years so far more than 2 ,000 years to exposit these things to go back to Exodus to look here and to take a deep dive to see what these things actually mean and how they point us to Christ.

So in verse 1 it says. Now even the first covenant had regulations for worship and an earthly place of holiness. That word holiness is very important. The word holy means set apart. It means otherness.

So God is holy. He is set apart from sinful men and women and children. He's other. He is pure. God is holy and so there's an earthly place that indicates his holiness. Now this is quite the opposite of the man-made holy places of earth.

The man-made holy places so-called holy places of earth. All assume that you can come because you're good enough to come. You're worthy to be there. But a place of holiness actually keeps people out.

That's very important. Nobody can come except for the high priest and to the Holy of Holies. We'll talk about that in a minute. Which pictures Christ. The idea of holiness is that he is unapproachable and that we're not good.

We're not worthy to come to his presence. That's the starting point. Then it says it has regulations. Notice regulations are very particular. In fact chapter 8 told us see to it that you make everything precisely according to the pattern that you were given Moses.

You're to make things very particular. You can't miss a detail. Everything has to be precise. Now our world would say don't worry about the details. All that matters is love. All we need is love. But particularity is implied by the word regulations.

It has to be very much a certain way. So let's take a look at 12 things within the tabernacle. And I'll say to you all of them point to how we're not worthy to come. But that God is a Savior who makes a way for us.

And it's in the person of Christ. All of the tabernacle points to the Son of God and to look here will be to see him. So in verse 2 it says. A tent was prepared. The first section this place we learn is called the holy place.

Now the Levites were allowed to go there but nobody else only a Levite could go there. However the Levites were chosen to serve in the physical temple. God lives in heaven and there is a priest who is greater than the Levites.

How do I know that. Because I've been reading chapter 7 that priest who is greater than the Levites is Jesus. He comes from a higher order. And that order is the order of Melchizedek. When Levi was just a little twinkle in his father's eye.

When Abraham encountered Melchizedek Abraham tithed up to Melchizedek. So Melchizedek is greater than Abraham. Meaning there's a greater priesthood than the ones than the one of Levi. So the Levites can go.

But Christ comes into the holy place by a greater priesthood when he gets there. When you go into the holy place what's the first thing you see. Look in the text verse 2 in which were the lampstand. Why was God so particular to say that you must have a lampstand in the holy place.

Well the first thing it communicates is that none can see. It's dark in there. It's very dark in the holy place. It's behind a thick curtain overlaid with other curtains and then the interior is overlaid with gold.

Not a lot of light in there. But when you light up the lampstand and it reflects off the gold the place is lit up. What does this indicate that God is the one who opens eyes to see brothers and sisters.

You were blind like the one that Jesus healed until the Lord opened your eyes that you would see there was a veil a thick curtain over your face blinding your eyes so that you cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ who is the image of God.

But supernaturally God lifts that veil. And you see when Jesus came he appeared in the temple. But before he went there he was visiting with his disciples. There was a festival going on in the city the festival of tabernacles feast of booths where the Jewish people would come and build little tents to remember how when they came out they didn't have homes.

They were wanderers Hebrew sojourner wanderer. They would go to the temple and build little tabernacles. And the disciples said to Jesus are you going up. And he said no. So they went on ahead. But he came up privately and he arrived in Jerusalem in the temple temple which is kind of the permanent form of the tabernacle just before the crack of dawn.

And there in the court of the women were four giant menorahs. Historians say these things were massive. The priest would feed that those fires and it would light up the entire temple and much of the city of Jerusalem.

In John chapter 8 verse 12 we're told what happens when Jesus gets there. He proclaims in the temple in front of everybody. Remember these words. John 8 12. I am the light of the world. He proclaimed himself to be the light at the feast of tabernacles under the lights of the menorahs in the temple indicating that that lampstand in the tabernacle had a lot more meaning than the Jewish people realized it was pointing to him.

So then look to the left in the tabernacle across from the lampstand was a table a table. And again this indicates that no one has rights but God invites. We don't have a right to go eat at the table of God.

But Matthew 22 Jesus tells a parable of how he invites people to the wedding feast to come and eat with him and turn with me. Now to Matthew 26 you'll recognize the parallel here right away in Matthew 26 verse 20 and following I want us to read this because at the end of my sermon today we're going to take the bread and the cup.

If you don't have one one of the deacons will bring it to you at the end. And this represents the body and blood of Christ. Matthew chapter 26 verse 20 it was evening he reclined at table with the twelve verses 21 to 25 you see the betrayal of Judas.

But look at verse 26 now as they were eating Jesus took bread and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples and said take eat this is my body. And he took a cup and when he had given thanks he gave it to them saying drink of it all of you.

For this is my blood of the covenant which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sin. So the table of the Lord we are invited to come. And we learned from Matthew 22 that many are called but fewer chosen.

The table of the Lord is an open invitation for those who are willing to come but he must work in our hearts that we would will to come. It says in Hebrews 9 verse 2 there was a table and the bread of the presence.

This table was for holding the bread. In John chapter 6 Jesus took bread that was brought to him by a little boy and he multiplied that bread so much so that he fed 5 ,000 people and the people were excited about that and said well Jesus Moses kept giving them this bread every day giving them manna in the wilderness implying hey you want to just keep feeding us.

We can we can deal with this this works. We can live with this arrangement. But Jesus said to them I am the bread of life. He claimed to be the bread that came from heaven. In John 6 35 you see in that holy place the the symbols of the table and the bread.

The lampstand was ultimately to point us to Christ. But we haven't yet gone into the most holy place. Look at verse 3 Hebrews 9 3. Behind the second curtain was a second section called the most holy place.

Now even the Levites were unwelcome there only one person could go in. He was the great high priest. The high priest could go in and only once a year on the Day of Atonement he could go behind the curtain and minister to make an offering and sprinkle blood on the mercy seat.

Behind the second curtain was the most holy place. Flip back a couple pages to Hebrews 6 verses 19 to 20. Hebrews 6 19 to 20 says we have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek you see Jesus is a high priest who went into the holy place to anchor a place for us.

There he is the great high priest that is allowed to go. In Leviticus 16 we learned that when the great high priest would go in once a year he first of all had to take blood from the sacrifice and go in and sprinkle that on the mercy seat.

Then he could come and take blood from the sacrifice and offer it for the sins of the people. The first time was for his own sin because he's not worthy to be the great high priest. The second time was for the sins of the people.

Jesus went into the holy place once into heaven itself and offered a one-time sacrifice. We'll see that in a minute. But notice a couple things in the holy place. Verse 4 having the golden altar of incense.

Christ the Light, Bread, and High Priest

None are pleasing but God delights. When Jesus appeared John the Baptist was baptizing in the wilderness. John said to Jesus I can't baptize you. I need you to baptize me. But Jesus said it is necessary why to fulfill all righteousness to identify him as the Son of God.

And so when he was brought under the water and came up from his baptism a dove descended and landed on his shoulder and light shone from heaven. And the voice of the Father said this is my son in whom I am well pleased.

In John 8 29 Jesus says he always does what pleases the Father. The picture of the altar of incense speaks to what pleases God and we assume that we are pleasing to God. But the truth of the Bible is that we're not no one pleases God.

According to Romans 3 we all fall short of his glory. In fact we have a stench about us. We have an odor. Now don't look at your neighbor and say mm-hmm that's true. I would not be very nice right now.

But we have a stench spiritually speaking of sin. And what is required is that God would have a pleasing aroma. And here's how his plan of salvation works. He is pleased with his son. The father sees the son that he sent walking in perfect obedience obeying the law at every point and willingly laying down his life for his friends.

The father sees that sacrifice and finds pleasure in what God has done what Christ has done on our behalf. So the altar of incense points to the fact that God is pleased in the son. He's not pleased with me in my own works however religious I might be whatever rituals I might perform cannot please him apart from the perfect righteousness of Christ.

Next look at verse 4 having the golden altar of incense and the Ark of the Covenant covered on covered on all sides with gold. I think that's why Indiana Jones wanted to find it right. He wanted to get that gold or the thing itself would be worth something.

Maybe that's the only knowledge we have of the Ark of the Covenant. But what is the meaning of the Ark of the Covenant. The meaning is that nothing can contain God. But he comes to meet with us. When Solomon built the temple he prayed this way.

He said the world and all the universe cannot contain you. How much less this temple I have built. Solomon recognized God cannot be contained. But the Ark of the Covenant was God condescending to dwell with us to meet with us even though we don't deserve it.

So the Ark of the Covenant represented the presence of God among the people. When they went into battle the Ark went before them and they won victories. One time Hophni and Phineas were wicked Levitical priests sinning at the altar sexually and and stealing.

And so when the Ark led the people into battle what happened against the Philistines. The Philistines conquered Israel and they stole the Ark. So now the people of God retreated back to Israel and the Ark was left alone with the enemy.

The Philistines took the Ark and they put it in the temple of Dagon this false temple this man-made temple of unholy religion. And Dagon presided over this temple and overnight they left the Ark of the Covenant.

In the morning they came and opened the door and discovered something that Dagon was bowing down before the Ark. Dagon had toppled from his place and was laying prostrate face down before the tabernacle.

Well the priests were very unnerved by this so they propped him back up again. After all he's made of stone they can prop him up. And they went their way. The next morning they came. Not only did they discover that Dagon had bowed before the temple before the Ark of the Covenant again but this time when he fell his face got smashed and his head off and his stone hands were crumbled into pieces.

He was destroyed on the threshold. And that's why by the way people won't step on the threshold of a door you know that superstition. Because Dagon fell on the threshold of Dagon's temple he was bowing to the Ark of the Covenant.

The Philistines began to suffer many plagues and so they sent back the Ark of the Covenant. It found its way back to Israel riding on an oxen and then was returned to the temple. But all of this is to picture the true Holy One the presence of God in our midst.

When Jesus was crucified the centurion who stood guard over him who represents you and I like Dagon crucifying the Son of God evil rejecting the truth of God. Yet Jesus died the death that we deserve.

And the centurion bowed before the Son he said surely this is the Son of God. When he saw the earthquake and the temple veil torn in two the centurion bowed before the Son of God. Jesus is that ultimate presence of God the Ark of the Covenant.

We shouldn't be looking for the old one. It's time has run its course. Now Jesus alone. Is that our next. What else is in there. You guys remember what came next. The urn. A golden urn holding manna. Now what's so interesting about the manna is that when the Israelites would gather the manna on a daily basis it would be enough to feed them.

But what would happen if they tried to hold on to it for an extra day. It would be rancid the next day it wouldn't be able to be preserved. So how is it that there was manna in the Ark of the Covenant.

The message here is that it's God who preserves. In fact think about it. In the Holy of Holies the priest went once a year to sprinkle blood. So who was cleaning it. Who was cleaning the tabernacle all year long.

God himself kept it pure and clean. God himself preserved that manna in that jar. It was supernatural that the manna did not go rancid and it pictures that God preserves us. He's the one keeping us. If it weren't for his keeping preserving power we would go rancid.

When that hard thing happens in your life the death of a loved one or physical pain we would turn away our faith would fail. But Jesus tells Peter what I have prayed for you that your faith will not fail.

See God has a preserving power. He keeps his children he preserves us so that we will endure the perseverance of the Saints. Next there was the staff that budded. This is interesting. Why is Aaron's staff that budded kept inside the tabernacle inside the Ark of the Covenant.

Well you'd have to know the story right. So what happened. There was a guy named Cora led a rebellion and he thought he could be a priest and do what he wanted to do. But God judged between Cora and Aaron and he judged so severely that the ground itself opened up and swallowed Cora and those who followed him.

And the next day he said listen. Moses told all of the people of Israel send a staff from each of the tribes of Israel and Aaron. You bring your staff to represent the Levites. And put all twelve of these in the tabernacle.

And in the morning whichever one buds. Now it's an old piece of wood a dead stick. None of them should bud. But the next morning they discovered that Aaron's staff had budded. What is the meaning of this.

It means that God himself has appointed Aaron. God has chosen the one to be his high priest. And all contenders like Cora and the rebels and any other tribe or anybody else who comes every contender to the throne will be put down.

God appoints his high priest in the same way God has spoken and declared who his high priest will be. Where is that to be found in the Bible. Psalm 110. Some of you know it verse 4 you are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.

And in that very psalm he's called the Lord seated at the right hand of the God of God. Psalm 110 verse 2 says he has a staff in his hand. The ruling staff rule in the midst of your enemies. You see Jesus is the one designated appointed chosen by God to be that high priest.

And there are many contenders in the world. There are false prophets that go out among us false teachers. All of the contenders come. But Jesus alone has the staff that God has made to bud the one that God has chosen.

That's the meaning of Aaron's staff that budded next the tablets of the Covenant. What are those. The Ten Commandments. Right. When Moses went up on the mountain he got the Ten Commandments on two tablets.

And one day I want to preach a sermon or a couple sermons on the Ten Commandments because I think it's so important for our culture. The Ten Commandments give us the basic understanding of morality for laws that are vertical relating to protecting the honor of God.

That we would not make idols. That we would not take his name in vain. That we would worship no other God beside him. Things of this nature they're God word very important. But the next six are man word horizontal in how we treat one another.

The Ten Commandments give us the ethics of life. And so the commandment honor your father and mother creates the authority structures of this world. That there is a difference between father and son. There is a hierarchy.

The commandment thou shalt not commit adultery protects marriage that God has defined marriage to be between man and woman and anything else is a profaning of God's design. God is the one who wrote these laws with his finger in stone.

So when people break laws they're truly breaking themselves against the rock. He's the one who wrote these things the Ten Commandments. God protects private property. Thou shalt not steal which is really the basis of a capitalistic system that a government can't just steal and take the resources of a people and redistribute them as they please.

But God says thou shalt not steal the ethics of life. Human life is protected and thou shalt not murder. And so the life of babies is protected in the womb by the law of God. But it goes beyond the external to the internal.

Thou shalt not covet that protects purity of heart. Coveting is not something that we do outwardly. It's something that happens in our mind in our heart. So in Romans chapter 7 Paul says this is what slew him.

He felt like he was doing great with the other Ten Commandments. But when it got to the Tenth Commandment thou shalt not covet. It cut him to the heart because he realized that in his heart he's wicked.

He commits adultery in his lustful thinking. He commits murder in his rageful ideas even if he never outwardly does them. So the law to not covet is a protection of purity of heart. But here's the big idea the commandments slay us.

We break ourselves against them. Everybody in this room breaks them all. At some point in our lives we're guilty of it. But there's one who has kept the law perfectly one his name is Jesus the perfect law keeper who never sinned even at the level of his heart absolute pure light.

The law points us to the one who keeps it and he imputes that righteousness to us. Next we're almost done. The cherubim says in verse 5 above it were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat.

Cherubim are angels. These were carved angels with their wings touching hovering over the mercy seat. Why did God choose so particularly to have angels. Because none can worship but God inspires. Angels are able to worship in spirit and truth.

Why they've never fallen. They have no sin. They can dwell in the presence of God in Isaiah 6. In Revelation 5 we see the angels proclaiming the glory of God. They're worshiping in spirit and they're delighting to do it.

They never grow tired. Some of you grow tired with my long-winded sermons right. I can't blame you. It's kind of hot in here too so I can't blame you. But they don't grow tired worshiping for all ages.

They teach us what it is to worship. We see them doing it. But if you look with me to John chapter 20 real quick look at John chapter 20 verse 12 when Jesus our Lord rose from the dead and the women came to find him looking at the place where he lay.

What does it say in John chapter 20 verse 12 she saw two angels cherubim in white sitting where the body of Jesus had lain one at the head and one at the feet. Isn't that an amazing picture that of all the things that God could have put inside of his tabernacle he had carved angels with wings touching from head to foot across the mercy seat.

I think it pictures here the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. When the women came to the tomb there were angels probably wings touching from head to toe over that place where our justification was accomplished.

In the resurrection of Jesus from the dead risen that we would be justified. Lastly in Hebrews 9 it says in verse 5. The mercy seat. Now the rest of chapter 9 and 10 we will spend time discussing this.

It is so important. The mercy seat speaks to the forgiveness that we receive through the blood of Christ. Remember that the priest could only go in once per year. He had to bring blood for his own sin.

He'd have a handful of blood that he would then sprinkle on the mercy seat to indicate the forgiveness of his own sin. And then he'd go and get the blood for the sins of the people the unintentional sins of the people.

And the Holy Spirit was indicating with this that the forgiveness of sin requires the shedding of blood. I know you guys probably got lost in Leviticus 17. Right. But what is Leviticus 17 11 say. Without the shedding of blood there's no forgiveness.

For God has given the blood on the altar to make atonement for sin. Because life is in the blood so the life is in the blood. A living human has blood. The life of Jesus was in the human body and blood.

And this was what was required to make atonement for sin. There had to be a sprinkling of blood on the mercy seat. And everything that was happening in that tabernacle was pointing to this. The mercy seat in the tabernacle was only a shadow a picture.