Picture walking into a pawn shop, clutching a replica of a renowned sculpture, convinced it holds value because it mirrors the original so well. You present it proudly, only for the shop owner to inspect it and say, “This is just a copy. The original? That’s priceless.” The replica, though finely crafted, is a mere shadow compared to the authentic masterpiece. Similarly, the Old Testament offers copies—tabernacle and priesthood—that point to a greater reality. When Jesus, the true heavenly temple and priest, is revealed, these shadows are eclipsed by His eternal substance. Clinging to the copies or passing off copies as the real deal is an act of ignorance or worse an act of fraud. The NT church ought to not be involved in purveying either ignorance or fraud.
The Old Testament: A History of Redemption Through Copies
The Old Testament unfolds God’s redemptive plan through symbols that prepare the way for the Messiah. The tabernacle (and later the temple) and the Levitical priesthood stand as central “copies,” divinely instituted but temporary, pointing to a greater reality.
The tabernacle, described in Exodus 25, was God’s dwelling place among Israel. God commanded Moses, “Let them construct a sanctuary for Me, that I may dwell among them. According to all that I am going to show you, as the pattern of the tabernacle and the pattern of all its furniture, just so you shall construct it” (Exodus 25:8-9, NASB). This structure was no arbitrary design; it was “a copy and shadow of the heavenly things,” as Hebrews 8:5 explains, reflecting the true heavenly sanctuary. It provided a limited, earthly way for Israel to experience God’s presence.
Likewise, the Levitical priesthood, established in Exodus 28-29, mediated between God and His people through sacrifices and atonement. Yet, its role was inherently imperfect. Hebrews 7:11 highlights this: “Now if perfection was through the Levitical priesthood (for on the basis of it the people received the Law), what further need was there for another priest to arise according to the order of Melchizedek, and not be designated according to the order of Aaron?” The priesthood, like the tabernacle, was a shadow—functional but incomplete, awaiting fulfillment.
Jesus: The True Heavenly Temple
When Jesus enters history, He fulfills and surpasses the tabernacle’s purpose as the meeting place of God and humanity. John 1:14 declares, “And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory.” The term “dwelt” here means “tabernacled,” signaling that Jesus embodies God’s presence in a way the physical tabernacle never could. Unlike the earthly structure, confined to one place and accessible only through rituals, Jesus makes God’s presence universal and eternal.
Hebrews 8:1-2 reinforces this: “The main point is this: we have such a high priest, who has taken His seat at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens, a minister in the sanctuary and in the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, not man.” The earthly tabernacle was a copy, but Jesus ministers in the original heavenly sanctuary. Revelation 21:22 confirms this ultimate reality: “I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.” Jesus is not merely in the temple; He is the temple, the eternal dwelling place of God.
Jesus: The Priest in the Order of Melchizedek
The Levitical priesthood, with its repetitive sacrifices and mortal priests, could never achieve lasting atonement. Hebrews 7 introduces Jesus as a priest “according to the order of Melchizedek,” referencing the enigmatic figure from Genesis 14:18-20 who prefigures Christ. Unlike the Levites, Melchizedek’s priesthood is eternal, “having neither beginning of days nor end of life” (Hebrews 7:3). Jesus, as a priest in this order, brings “a better hope, through which we draw near to God” (Hebrews 7:19).
Hebrews 9:11-12 elaborates: “But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things to come, He entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation; and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.” Jesus’ singular sacrifice surpasses the endless offerings of the Levites, securing eternal access to God.
The Danger of Clinging to Shadows:
Despite the clear revelation of Jesus as the true temple and priest, some theological perspectives advocate for a future rebuilding of the temple and reinstitution of animal sacrifices by ethnic Israel. This view, at best, elevates the shadows over the substance, and at worst, risks denying the sufficiency of Christ’s work. Hebrews 10:1-4 warns against such a regression: “For the Law, since it has only a shadow of the good things to come and not the very form of things, can never, by the same sacrifices which they offer continually year by year, make perfect those who draw near. … For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.” To reinstitute sacrifices is to return to a system that was always incomplete, implicitly suggesting that Christ’s “once for all” sacrifice (Hebrews 10:10) lacks finality.
This perspective, while rooted in a desire to affirm God’s promises to Israel, ironically inflicts a wound on faith by prioritizing the temporary over the eternal. The New Testament consistently presents Jesus as the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets (Matthew 5:17). To rebuild the temple and resume sacrifices is to cling to the replica in the pawn shop, mistaking it for the priceless original. Jesus’ priesthood and sacrifice are eternal, rendering the old system obsolete (Hebrews 8:13). Insisting on the shadows undermines the glory of the substance—Christ Himself.
Embracing the Priceless Original
Like the pawn shop owner who reveals the vast difference between a copy and the original, the New Testament unveils Jesus as the true temple and priest, surpassing the Old Testament’s shadows. The tabernacle and Levitical priesthood were vital in their time, teaching God’s holiness and the need for atonement. But when Jesus appears, the copies fade before His eternal substance. He is the temple where we meet God and the priest who secures our redemption forever. To cling to the shadows, as some propose, is to miss the radiance of the original. Let us draw near to Jesus, the priceless reality, who invites us into God’s presence for eternity.
Shame on any church that would encourage any unbeliever or nation, including Israel, to embrace the shadows over the substance in Christ.
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