The Sanctuary teaching is simpler than we usually make it. In the book of Revelation, the sanctuary (temple) is often referred to. There is the golden candlestick with its seven lamps, the alter of incense and the Ark of the Covenant. That leaves out the table of showbread with its twelve loaves. There were only four pieces of furniture in the temple: three in the holy place and one in the most holy place. Voluminous books have been written about what each aspect, article, material and color used in the temple represented. Usually, they conclude that everything reveals and points to Christ, His ministry, His attributes and His role in salvation history. Christ is the bread of life, the light of the world, He is the presence hovering over the mercy seat, He is the veil, He is the sacrificial Lamb, His is the blood, purple represents His royalty, red represents His sacrifice, brown skins represent His humility, and so on. While all of these are true, sometimes our intricate analysis of things causes us to miss out on the big picture or the simple lessons God is trying to convey to everyone, not just scholars and theologians.
The sanctuary is a model of salvation history. God designed that as people saw it and its services they would learn what God is doing for their salvation. There is an old saying, You can miss the forest for the trees. In other words, if you are looking too closely for the detail, you cannot see the overall picture. While Christ’s love, attributes, sacrifice and ministry can be found in all parts of the sanctuary, one can learn much by stepping back and getting a simpler view. It will also answer the question as to why the table of bread is not mentioned in Revelation.
The temple is a very simple structure, not cluttered like our homes and churches tend to be. There are two rooms separated by a curtain. Only four pieces of furniture are inside. The two rooms are the holy place which is 40 cubits long, and the most holy place which is 20 cubits long. Their measurement is important because after the disappointment of 1844 (Revelation 10-11:2), Christ’s followers were admonished to‚ ”rise and measure the temple.‚” The length of the first compartment represents the 4000 years before the cross, and the length of the second compartment represents the 2000 years of the Christian era after the cross. The veil separating the two compartments, or eras, was the cross. When Jesus died on the cross, the veil was torn in two, opening to view the next era. The book of Revelation is Christ’s revealing what would take place after the cross.
Now back to why the table of bread is not in the book of Revelation. The lamp stands clearly represent the seven churches that cover the entire Christian era (Revelation 1:20). The alter of incense represents the prayers of God’s people (Revelation 8:2-4). The Ark of the Covenant represents God’s throne (His presence hovered over the mercy seat containing His ten commandments). Revelation 11:19 pictures the Ark of the Covenant. If the lamp stands represent the church after the cross, what might the twelve loaves on the table of bread represent? (Hint: there are twelve tribes of Israel). You guessed it, Israel, or the Church before the cross. The veil represented the sacrifice of Christ. Hebrews 10:19-20 says it is His flesh. In Old Testament times, the blood was often taken into the temple and sprinkled on the veil. When the veil was torn at the death of Christ, it signified that we were at that pivotal point in salvation history and ready to enter a new era.
So, picture the sanctuary this way: The two rooms and their length signify the two eras of salvation history‚ the years before the cross and the years after. Of the three pieces of furniture in the holy place, the table with the twelve loaves was God’s people before the cross and the candlesticks were God’s people who would live after the cross. The alter of incense sent the smoke of their prayers up and over the veil and into the presence of God on His throne. After the cross, the curtain was torn open and easier access was given to God, as the incense did not have to go up and over. In fact, it is interesting that in the book of Hebrews, written after the cross, Paul places the alter of incense in the most holy place! To put it simpler yet, God’s people access the throne of mercy through their prayers and the blood of Christ. Once Christ’s death on the cross was accomplished, our access was made ten times easier!
The Jews had only the Old Testament to study. The prophecies of the coming Messiah did not distinguish between His first coming as a suffering Servant and His second coming as a conquering King. The prophecies were mixed together because the prophets could not clearly see the era beyond the veil. Jesus tried to counter this misconception by saying several times that suffering comes before glory; that one must be humbled before exalted; and that the cross comes before the crown, but they missed His point. So, the political correctness of the day caused the Jews to latch on to the prophecies of a conquering King Messiah and overlook the suffering Servant, and you know the rest of the story.
Actually, God was not trying to deceive them. “Plan A” was that the messiah would come, be accepted by His people, die a substitutionary death in the temple, rise again and reign as their King. The whole world would stream to Israel to learn from their prosperity, peace and joy. All nations would be converted, and eventually those who held out against truth would be destroyed and Christ would reign forever. That did not happen because the Jews rejected their Savior. So God adopted “Plan B.” God, in His foreknowledge, knew that He would be going to plan B, so He had the extension of time outlined in the book of Daniel. That is why Daniel was a sealed book‚-it would not have been unsealed if plan A had worked. So, the veil was thrown open to the last compartment, Revelation was composed and given to us so that as time goes on in the Christian era we can unpack the symbols and discover what to look for next.
The book Revelation Decoded is now available. Just go to the official Revelation Decoded website to order it. It contains a chart showing Biblical chronology to the cross, taking the Bible at face value, as being exactly 4000 years.
Enjoy your study of Revelation!
Dennis
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