Furniture of the Holy Place and Seeing Jesus in the Sanctuary

The earthly sanctuary contained a table for showbread, a golden candlestick, and an altar of incense, through which we can see Jesus by following Him by faith into the heavenly sanctuary where He now ministers as our Great High Priest Hebrews 9:1-5BP2 102.2+1.

Furniture of the Holy Place

In the first apartment of the sanctuary, known as the holy place, God directed Moses to place specific articles of furniture made according to the heavenly pattern shown to him in the mount Exodus 25:9+1PP 343.2+1:

• The Golden Candlestick: This was a work of pure, beaten gold with seven lamps designed to give light always Exodus 25:31-37SITI November 9, 1891, page 5.2. In vision, the Son of man is seen walking in the middle of seven golden candlesticks, representing His presence and care for the churches Revelation 1:12-13+1.

• The Table of Showbread: Made of shittim wood and overlaid with pure gold, this table held the showbread before the Lord continually Exodus 25:23-30LIFIN 208.2+1.

• The Altar of Incense: Also referred to as the golden censer in some contexts, it was used for the burning of sweet incense before the veil Hebrews 9:4+1SBD Censer.2.

Seeing Jesus in the Sanctuary

We see Jesus in the sanctuary by recognizing that the earthly building was a "figure of the true" and a miniature representation of the heavenly temple Hebrews 9:24PP 343.2.

• Our Great High Priest: After offering His life as a sacrifice, Jesus entered the heavenly sanctuary to minister on the sinner's behalf Hebrews 8:1PP 343.2. He is our Great High Priest who has passed into the heavens and can be touched with the feeling of our infirmities Hebrews 4:14-15.

• Entering by Faith: Those who wait upon the Lord are invited to enter the heavenly sanctuary by faithLIFIN 208.2. There they see Jesus, clad in priestly garments, fulfilling the types foreshadowed by the earthly priesthoodBP2 102.2+1.

• The Mediator of a Better Covenant: Christ performs the work of the antitypical High Priest, ministering in the true tabernacle which the Lord pitched and not man Hebrews 8:2BP2 102.2. He provides a new and living way for us to draw near to God through His own blood Hebrews 10:19-22.

• The Intercessor: While the high priest in the earthly type made atonement with the blood of beasts, Jesus ministers with His own blood, making real to us what His death on the cross made possibleBP2 102.2+1. He stands before the mercy seat and the law of God, interceding for His people Hebrews 7:25LIFIN 208.2.