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Millenial Man
Back to Jerusalem
The Coming King
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Bricks Without
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Witch of Endor
Cities of Ash
A River of Life
Resting the
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Bowing to Baylon
A Heavenly
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Cleansing the
Temple
A Tale of Two
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A Heavenly Model
Never
before had the Lord manifested such mighty signs and wonders as when He
delivered the children of Israel from slavery in Egypt. Plague after
plague fell upon the Pharaoh's kingdom until he was forced to release
his captives. Then the Lord parted the Red Sea and led the young nation
to freedom, while drowning their pursuing enemies behind them.
After entering the wilderness, God surprised many of His people by
leading them south--in the opposite direction of the Promised Land. The
Lord knew that before they would be prepared to receive their
inheritance, they must be organized and taught to trust Him. As they
journeyed to Mount Sinai, God supplied their every need. When they
became hungry, God fed them with bread from heaven. When they became
thirsty, the Lord brought water cascading from a boulder. When suddenly
attacked from behind by an enemy, they were given a miraculous victory.
Finally, the Israelites camped at the base of the holy mountain. There
God did something He has not done before or since. He spoke, in the
hearing of a whole nation, His covenant, the Ten Commandments. After the
Lord audibly spoke His law, He called Moses up Mount Sinai to receive a
transcript written in stone. But God also gave him something else. While
on the mountain with the Lord for 40 days and 40 nights, Moses received
detailed instructions to build a beautiful, portable temple for God. It
would be a small model of His actual dwelling place in heaven. This
unique structure was to serve as a three-dimensional object lesson to
the whole world of God's plan to save us from sin. |
 1. What
did God ask Moses to build, and why?
Exodus 25:8
. And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may ____ among
them.
Answer:
___________________________
 2. What
did God expect His people to learn from the sanctuary and its
services?
Psalms
77:13 . Thy ____, O God, is in the sanctuary.
Answer:
___________________________
Note: God's
way, or plan, of salvation was revealed in the earthly sanctuary.
Everything in the sanctuary, or connected with its services, was a
symbol of something Jesus would do in saving us. We cannot fully
comprehend the plan of salvation until we understand the sanctuary and
its services. It was a huge, 3-D object lesson explaining the process
of salvation.
 3. Where
did Moses obtain the blueprints for the sanctuary?
Exodus
25:40 . And look that thou make them after their ________, which was
shewed thee in the mount.
Answer:
___________________________
Note: The
sanctuary blueprints, with full specifications for its construction,
were given to Moses by God on Mount Sinai (Hebrews 8:5). This was to
be a microcosm of God's genuine sanctuary in heaven.
The first sanctuary, or tabernacle, was an elegant, tent-type
structure (15 feet by 45 feet, based on an 18-inch cubit). There the
supernatural presence of God dwelt and special services were
conducted. The walls were made of upright acacia wood boards set in
silver sockets and overlaid with gold (Exodus 26:15-19, 29). The roof
was made of four layers of coverings--linen, goats' hair, rams' skins
dyed red, and badgers' skins (verses 1, 7, 14). It had two rooms: the
holy place (15 feet by 30 feet), and the most holy place (15 feet by
15 feet.). Refer often to the above diagram as you review this lesson.
 4. What
furniture was in the courtyard?
Exodus
29:18 . And thou shalt burn the whole ram upon the ______: it is a
burnt offering unto the Lord.
Exodus 30:18 Thou shalt also make a laver of brass, ...
and thou shalt put water therein.
Answer:
___________________________
Note: :
The altar of burnt offerings (Exodus 27:1-8) is where animals were
sacrificed. It was located in the courtyard just outside the entrance
of the sanctuary. This altar represented the cross of Christ. The
sacrificial animal represented Jesus, the ultimate sacrifice (John
1:29). The laver (Exodus 30:17-21; 38:8) was a large wash basin of
brass located between the entrance of the sanctuary and the altar of
burnt offerings. There priests washed their hands and feet before
entering the sanctuary or offering a sacrifice. The water represented
baptism, cleansing from sin, and the new birth.
 5. What
three items of furniture were in the holy place?
Numbers 4:7
. And upon the table of __________ they shall spread a cloth
of blue, ... and the continual bread shall be thereon.
Numbers 8:2 When thou lightest the lamps, the seven lamps shall
give light over against the candlestick.
Exodus 30:1 And thou shalt make an altar to burn
incense upon: of shittim wood shalt thou make it.
Answer:
___________________________
Note: The
table of shewbread (Exodus 25:23-30) represented Jesus, the living
bread (John 6:51). The seven-branch candlestick (Exodus 25:31-40)
represented Jesus, the light of the world (John 9:5; 1:9). The lamps
of oil symbolized the Holy Spirit (Zechariah 4:1-6; Revelation 4:5).
The altar of incense (Exodus 30:1-8) represented the prayers of God's
people (Hebrews 5:7).
 6. What
special article was in the most holy place?
Exodus
26:34 . And thou shalt put the mercy seat upon the _____ of the
testimony in the most holy place.
Answer:
___________________________
Note: The
only object in the most holy place (Exodus 25:10-22) was the ark of
the testimony, a chest of acacia wood overlaid with gold. Atop the
chest were two angels made of solid gold. The cover of the ark was
called the mercy seat (Exodus 25:17-22), where God's presence dwelt.
This spot symbolized God's throne in heaven, which is likewise located
between two angels (Psalms 80:1, Isaiah 6:1, 2).
 7. What
was inside the ark?
Exodus
25:21 . And thou shalt put the mercy seat above the ark; and in the
ark thou shalt put the _______ that I shall give thee.
Deuteronomy 10:4, 5 And he [God] wrote on the tables, according
to the first writing, the ten commandments. ... And I turned
myself and came down from the mount, and put the tables in the
ark which I had made; and there they be, as the Lord commanded me.
Answer:
___________________________
Note: God
wrote His covenant with His own finger on two tables of stone, and
they were placed inside the ark. The mercy seat was above them, which
signified that as long as God's people confessed and forsook their
sins (Proverbs 28:13), mercy would be extended to them through the
blood that was sprinkled on the mercy seat by the priest (Leviticus
16:15, 16). That blood represented the blood shed by Jesus to bring
all people forgiveness and cleansing (Matthew 26:28; Hebrews 9:22).
 8. Why
did animals need to be sacrificed in the Old Testament sanctuary
services?
Hebrews
9:22 . Without shedding of _____ is no remission [forgiveness].
Matthew 26:28 For this is my blood of the new testament, which
is shed for many for the remission of sins.
Answer:
___________________________
Note: Sacrificing
animals was necessary to help people understand that without the blood
of Jesus shed on the cross, there could be no forgiveness of sin. The
shocking truth is that the punishment for sin is death. Since all of
us have sinned, we should all die--and we would have died, except that
Jesus gave His perfect life by dying in our behalf to pay for our
sins. The sinner brought his own sacrificial animal and slew it with
his own hand (Leviticus 1:4, 5). It was bloody and shocking,
impressing people with the solemn truth that sin caused Jesus' death.
Thus, they looked forward to the cross for salvation, while we look
back to the cross for salvation. There is no other source of
salvation.
 9. When
animals were sacrificed for sin, what happened to the sin?
Leviticus
1:4, 5 . And he shall put his hand upon the head of the burnt
offering; and it shall be accepted for him to make __________ for him.
And he shall kill the bullock before the Lord.
Answer:
___________________________
Note: When
the sinner placed his hands on the head of the animal and confessed
his sins, the sins were symbolically transferred from the sinner to
it. Thus, the animal became guilty and had to pay the death penalty.
This represented Jesus bearing our sins.
 10. When
a sacrificial animal was offered for the entire congregation, what
happened to the sin?
Leviticus
4:17 . The priest shall dip his finger in some of the blood, and
______ it seven times before the Lord, even before the vail.
Answer:
___________________________
Note: The
priest sprinkled some of the blood before the veil inside the
sanctuary, thus symbolically transferring the sin from the people to
the sanctuary. When Jesus ascended to heaven after His death, He
offered His blood (as did the high priest of old) to show that our
sins are forgiven when confessed in Jesus' name (1 John 1:9).
 11. What
two sanctuary symbols does Jesus fulfill for us?
1
Corinthians 5:7 . Christ our ________ is sacrificed for us.
Hebrews 4:14 We have a great high priest, that is passed
into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God.
Answer:
___________________________
Note: Jesus
serves as the sacrifice for our sins and as our heavenly high priest,
thus accomplishing two miraculous things for us. The first is a
complete life change called the new birth, with all the sins of the
past forgiven (John 3:3-6; Romans 3:25). The second is power to live
right in the present and future (Titus 2:14; Philippians 2:13). These
two things make a person righteous, which means a right relationship
exists between that person and God. There is no way for a person to
become righteous by works (his own efforts), because righteousness
comes from grace that only Jesus can supply (Acts 4:12). This is
righteousness by faith, which is the only true form of righteousness.
 12. What
six wonderful promises does the Bible give us about the righteousness
offered us by Jesus?
1 John 1:9
. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our
sins, and to ______ us from all unrighteousness.
A. He will cover our past sins and count us guiltless (Isaiah 44:22; 1
John 1:9).
B. Jesus promises to restore us to God's image (Romans 8:29).
C. Jesus gives us the desire and power to do God's will. (Philippians
2:13).
D. Jesus will help us to do only the things that please God (Hebrews
13:20, 21; 1 John 3:22).
E. He removes our death sentence by giving us credit for His sinless
life and atoning death (2 Corinthians 5:21).
F. Jesus assumes responsibility for helping to keep us faithful until
He returns (Philippians 1:6; Jude 24).
Answer:
___________________________
Note: Jesus
is ready to fulfill all of these glorious promises in your life. Are
you ready? Kneel down now and ask Him to take control of your life. He
will not fail you.
 13. Does
a person have any role to play in becoming righteous?
Matthew
7:21 . Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter
into the kingdom of heaven; but he that ____ the will of my
Father which is in heaven.
Answer:
___________________________
Note: Yes,
our role is to turn our hearts and will over to Jesus and permit Him
to rule. We must trust Him with full control of our lives. Many
believe that Jesus will take all who merely profess His name to
heaven, regardless of their conduct. But this deadly belief is not
true (Matthew 7:14).
 14. What
happened on the day of atonement?
Leviticus
16:30 . For on that day shall the priest make an atonement for you,
to _______ you, that ye may be clean from all your sins before
the Lord.
Answer:
___________________________
Note: The
day of atonement was a solemn day of judgment that took place in
Israel once each year (Leviticus 23:27). Every sin had to be confessed
and forsaken. Those who refused were on that very day cut off forever
from the camp of Israel (verse 29). On that day, two goats were
selected. One was the Lord's goat and the other was the scapegoat,
which represented Satan (Leviticus 16:7, 8). The Lord's goat was slain
and offered for the sins of the people (verse 9). Its blood was taken
into the most holy place and sprinkled upon and before the mercy seat
(verse 14).
Only on this special judgment day did the high priest enter the most
holy place. The sprinkled blood (representing Jesus' sacrifice) was
accepted by God, and the confessed sins of the people were transferred
from the sanctuary to the high priest.
He then transferred these confessed sins to the scapegoat, which was
led into the wilderness and abandoned (verses 16, 20, 22). In this
manner, the sanctuary was symbolically cleansed from the sins of the
people, which had been transferred there by the sprinkled blood all
throughout the previous year.
 15. Did
the old day of atonement foreshadow a cleansing of the heavenly
sanctuary?
Hebrews
9:23 . It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the
heavens should be purified with these; but the ________ things
themselves with better sacrifices than these.
Answer:
___________________________
Note: Yes!
That day's services pointed to the blotting out of sin by Jesus, our
high priest in the heavenly sanctuary. He is there to mediate for His
people and stands ready to blot out the sins of all who will exercise
faith in His shed blood. The ancient day of atonement, like modern
Israel's Yom Kippur, foreshadowed the final atonement to be made for
planet Earth. The final atonement leads to the final judgment, which
will forever settle the sin question in the life of every individual.
Our next lesson shows how God set the date for the heavenly judgment
to begin. Exciting!
 16. Are
you willing to place your life fully in Jesus' hands so He can work
the miracles needed to make you righteous?
.
Answer:
___________________________
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