The Door. Exodus 26:36-37 When a person came to the Tabernacle from the camp with his offering, he would first approach the gate, which was seven and a half feet high and thirty feet wide. This gate symbolizes Christ as the One Way for everyone to receive atonement for sin. The brazen altar was where sacrifices for sin were made. Then there was the laver for cleansing before entering the Tabernacle. When a priest entered the Holy Place, he would go through a door fifteen feet high and wide. It was made of blue, purple, scarlet, and fine twined linen, hanging on five pillars set on brass sockets and secured by gold hooks to hold it in place.
This type of Christ teaches us that He is the only way for us to have fellowship with God. There was also the veil made of fine, white linen with blue, purple, and scarlet embroidery. The veil and the ceiling were similar, with white linen being the main color. On both the inner veil and the ceiling, cherubim were woven in, symbolizing the holiness of God being protected in our worship. This represents Christ as the only way into heaven.
Sin prevented us from approaching God. We cannot be in God's presence in our sins and survive His righteous, legal wrath. The perfect life of Christ, as wonderful as it was to observe by those who lived when He was on earth and by us who consider it now, does not open the way to God. He had to endure the agony of suffering on the cross and die before the way to God could be opened. When the veil was torn from top to bottom at the time of Jesus' death, those in the temple would have seen that the Holy of Holies was empty. There was no ark there and no mercy seat. They were not returned from Babylon. The Jewish system would have been shown as an empty system built on tradition, not truth. We now enter into God's presence through a "new and living way."
We can now "come boldly to the throne of grace." This does not mean we can approach in a casual or arrogant manner. God remains unchanged in every way. He is still the Most Holy God. Our approach to Him is that we can come confidently. We are "accepted in the Beloved," free to approach the Holy God with assurance because that right has been purchased by "His own blood." The perfections of Christ can never be added to or taken away from Him. He was always impeccable in His nature as the Son of Man. The way to God was "peace through the blood of His cross" and had to be accomplished through His death.
The four pillars supporting the veil inside the Tabernacle were set on silver sockets. The humanity and deity of Christ hold the veil in place just as shown in the boards of the walls. Concerning redemption (silver sockets), everything depends on the Person of our Lord Jesus Christ. God desires "all men to be saved." He seeks fellowship with us. We are now able to enter because the One who is our High Priest forever is "Jesus," the Perfect Man. We have access today to the throne of grace through faith. A time will come when we will follow our Lord Jesus right to that throne where His glory will be observed and enjoyed forever. The sacrifice of Christ has satisfied every demand the Holy God makes. His sacrifice has enabled us to approach God with a clear conscience, knowing our sins have been forgiven. The sacrifice of Christ has legally opened the way to God on the righteous basis that sin has been properly dealt with.
Those four pillars are like the four Gospels as they introduce us to our Lord Jesus Christ. In Matthew, we read, "Behold your King." In Mark, "Behold My Servant." In Luke, we, "Behold the Man." In John, we, "Behold your God." The four great truths of our Lord and our Christian faith are like four pillars: the Deity of Christ, the Incarnation of Christ, the Atoning Death of Christ, and the Resurrection and Ascension of Christ.
The placement of the furniture in the Holy Place was not left to individual choice. As God revealed Himself to the people, He established a specific order to be followed. The table was on the north side, the lampstand on the south side, and the golden altar of incense was on the west, in front of the veil. The front entrance of the Tabernacle featured the three main colors on the fine twisted linen. No cherubim were woven into the material of the gate or the door separating the Holy Place from the courtyard. This did not mean that worshippers who entered were free to do as they pleased.
The closer a person gets to the presence of God, the more aware they are of His holiness. When someone enters the Holy Place, their attitude and demeanor differ from when they walk through the courtyard gate. The same applies when, once a year, the high priest moves the veil aside to enter the Holy of Holies. A door serves both as an invitation and a barrier. The door to the Holy Place was meant to let worshippers, as priests, approach God. For those who cannot worship "in spirit and in truth," the door keeps them out. Holy people, as a holy priesthood, come before God, recognizing that we are on holy ground.
Five pillars supported the hanging exterior door. We are assured that our Lord Jesus Christ fulfilled all that God required in the law and all the demands of obedience and holiness that would make us acceptable to Him. All that needed to be done, the Lord Jesus accomplished perfectly. From the judgment symbolized by the brass sockets, the gold-covered pillars, and the silver tops hidden beneath the eaves of coverings that draped over the top of the door and were folded back, there was prophetic testimony to the perfection of the Lord. We are redeemed. Judgment has been executed. True worshippers can approach God, and God has come out to us. We have been reconciled.