TERUMAH – “Heave Offering”
(*Don HRM)
The Temple structure and the Messiah
Today’s Torah portion from Exodus 27:1 – 27:23 can be closely related to our Messiah Yeshua and His death and resurrection. I have used the ‘Torah Club’s’ teachings in the book the ‘Shadows of the Messiah’ to summarise this wonderful relationship. I hope it adds even more clarification to our understanding of the Father’s awesome plan for mankind.
Please do your own research in the Father’s Word to accept or reject or modify this sharing on the majesty of the Father’s design.
RAISE MY CONTRIBUTION
The items of contribution all allude to aspects of the future redemption.
Oil for lighting (Exodus 25:6) - the Messiah Himself (Psalm 123:17)
Spices or the anointing oil (Exodus 25:6) – allude to the future anointing of the High Priest through the Messiah.
The fragrant incense (Exodus 25:6) - alludes to the ingathering of exiles (Ezekiel 20:41).
Onyx Stones ((Exodus 25:7) – allude to the ruby stones of the New Jerusalem (Isaiah 54:12)
Setting stones for the ephod (Exodus 25:7) – allude to the crystals and gems of the New Jerusalem (Isaiah 54:12).
Let them construct a sanctuary for Me (Exodus 25:8) – refers to the Temple.
In Exodus 25 Our Heavenly Father prepares to restore His relationship with humanity, which was removed from the earth when Adam sinned. The whole purpose of the exodus was so YHVH could dwell amongst them. (Exodus 29:46).
SANCTUARY AND TABERNACLE.
The Lord said to Moses, “let them construct a mikdash for me” Mikdash means “sanctuary” or “Holy Place”. For example, when the LORD appeared in the burning bush, Mount Sinai became holy ground.
In a similar mystical; manner Yeshua of Nazareth became a holy place, the mikdash of God, because the Almighty God appeared within Him, inhabited Him, and is reverenced within Him (Hebrews 7:26). The Divine Presence of God is referred to as the Shekinah. Just as the Tabernacle was to be the dwelling place of the Shekinah, so too the human body of Yeshua provided the Almighty One with a dwelling place (John 1:14).
YESHUA AS A TABERNACLE
Exodus 25:8 could also be translated “Let them construct a sanctuary for me that I may dwell within them”. Had Israel been worthy, no Tabernacle would have been necessary. The same Divine Presence which came to rest in the Tabernacle would have rested within each individual. The Messiah fulfils this passage literally. While He was among us in the flesh, the physical body of Yeshua created a perfect sanctuary for God to dwell among His people. This is why Yeshua spoke of Himself as the Temple of God. (John 2:21). Yeshua’s suffering corresponded to the destruction of the Temple. His resurrection corresponds to the rebuilding of the Temple in the Messianic Era. In this regard, the Holy Temple and the person of Yeshua share a mystical connection. That which befalls one befalls the other.
Paul repeatedly symbolized the congregation of believers as the “Temple of God” with the Holy Spirit dwelling within us. (2 Corinthians 6:16) and (1 Corinthians 6:19). The presence of the indwelling of the Spirit of God within us is no less real than the presence of the Shekinah in the actual Temple. This is perhaps what the Master alludes to in John 4:21 – 23. The Messiah Himself will be the Temple of the New Jerusalem. (Revelation 21:22).
THE MIRROR
Exodus 25:9. Moses was told to build the Tabernacle “according to all that I am going to show mareh) you”. The Hebrew word mareh appears in the noun form as marah which means “vision” or “mirror”. Moses was instructed to replicate the vision of the heavenly eternal Temple in an earthly vision. The Father speaks to Moses through the poles of the ark. In the incarnation of the logos Yeshua reflects the glory of YHVH as if He was a mirror. He is the living sanctuary through which the Father took up dwelling on earth.
He is the mishkan (dwelling place of God) and the mikdash (the holy place of God.
A COPY AND A SHADOW
Exodus 25:40 and Hebrews 8:4, 5 explains that all things were to be made according to the pattern shown on the mountain which was a copy of the supernatural heavenly Temple. Jeremiah 17:12 describes the pre-existing Temple of God in Heaven as a “glorious throne on high from the beginning is the place of our sanctuary. The Talmud uses Jeremiah 17:12 as proof that YHVH created the heavenly throne and the temple prior to creation. Hebrews 9:11 adds to it.
TEMPLE IN THE NEW TESTAMENT
The Torah, the Prophets and the Writings all revere the Temple as holy and precious and they elevate it as a central concern of both Isra’el and the LORD (Leviticus 26:2). The LORD has tied the fate of the nation to the Temple. When the Temple falls, the people go into exile. When the LORD redeems His people the Temple is rebuilt. In the Messianic Era, the Temple will be rebuilt, and the nations will stream to it. It will be called a house of prayer for all the nations.
Second- century Christianity took the destruction of the Temple as an omen of God’s displeasure with the Jewish people and Judaism – a divine punishment for the rejection of Jesus. They took the fall of Jerusalem and the exile of the Jewish people as indications that the church had replaced Israel. To them the Temple symbolized the Old Covenant and Judaism.
On the contrary Yeshua revered the Temple as His Father’s house. After the ascension of Yeshua the apostles remained in the Temple and utilized it as a central place of worship. The early believers so cherished the Temple that they assembled in it every day. D Thomas Lancaster (What about Sacrifices - The First Fruits of Zion 2011 P 36-39) says that they even continued to offer sacrifices and participated in the worship services.
From a Messianic Jewish perspective, the Temple can only be seen as God’s holy house, a copy and a shadow of His eternal dwelling place in heaven. In Messianic Judaism we anticipate the day when the nations will say, “Come let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob (Isaiah 2:3).
MESSIAH AND THE TEMPLE
Ezekiel 40 – 46 describes the details of the Messianic-Era Temple and the ceremonies and worship services that will take place in it. This is recounted in Ezekiel 37:28. The purpose of the Temple in the Messianic Era will be exactly as stated in the Torah (Exodus 25:8). Ezekiel 43:7 explains that the Temple of the Messianic Era will be a permanent dwelling place for God among His people.
THE ARK OF THE COVENANT
The holy of holies became the throne room of God on earth. Angels surround the throne of God in heaven and likewise two golden cherubim flanked the top of the ark where God is enthroned (Isaiah 37:16).
Yeshua may be likened to the throne of God on earth. The gold symbolises royalty and divinity. The resinous acacia symbolizes incorruptibility and immortality (Psalm 16:10).
The tabernacle is compared to a human body by analogy: the holy ark corresponds to the heart because it contains the tablets of the Torah. According to the spirit of the New Covenant God will ultimately write His Torah, not on tablets of stone, but on human hearts.
THE MERCY SEAT
A golden lid ornamented with two cherubim covered the ark. The Hebrew word for ark’s lid, kapporet, is related to the word atonement. à The high priest sprinkled the kapporet with the blood of the sin offerings on the Day of Atonement. Yeshua is our atonement cover.
THE TABLE OF BREAD
The Torah refers to the area inside the sanctuary as the “face of the LORD” or the “presence of the LORD” (Exodus25:30).
The table of showbread of the Presence invokes the Messiah as the bread of life, the bread continually in the presence of God. The twelve loaves represent the twelve tribes of Israel. In the same way, the Messiah, the quintessential Israelite represents all Israel before God. In Matthew 14 and 15 Yeshua broke five loaves, then later He broke seven loaves 5 + 7 = 12 loaves. The disciples collected twelve full baskets left over represents Israel before God.
THE MENORA AND THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD
The light of the menorah corresponds to the Messiah. The menorah radiated light in the presence of God. The Messiah is the light which radiates from the presence of God (Daniel 2:22). The menorah is “the light of the world” (Isaiah 2:2). Jerusalem is also the “light of the world” (Isaiah 60:3). The Torah is called the light of the world (Proverbs 6:23). The Messiah applies the same word to Himself (John 9:5).
When the Messiah returns, He will reignite the light of the world by rekindling the holy menorah, restoring the Temple, rebuilding Jerusalem, and revealing the Torah of the Messiah. In the New Jerusalem, He Himself is the menorah of the city (Revelation 21:23).
THE VEIL
God commanded that the veil should be made to separate the holy of holies from the holy place. When Yeshua died the veil tore into two pieces (Mark 15:38). The veil symbolizes the Messiah’s body. He is the veil. As the life was rent from His body, the curtain was rent with the result that we might gain access to the throne of glory in the supernal (relating to the sky or heavens) Temple (Hebrews 10:19 – 20). Two cherubim were embroidered upon the veil. The cherubim invoke an image of the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:24). As the curtain was rent into two pieces, the tear created a path between the two cherubim, symbolizing the way back to Eden. Some manuscripts of Mark 15:38 make an illusion of Kings 2:12 explicit.
The Temple curtain can be likened to a garment of God. Sages explain the rending of the Temple veil as the Father rending His own garments over the death of His son.
HOLY OF HOLIES
The holy of holies represent the tree of life (immortality) and Eden (paradise). It teaches about God’s sanctity and accessibility. Though God dwelt in the midst of His people, He still remained holy, separate, and unapproachable except by means of the blood of atonement. Yeshua is the living “image of the invisible God (Colossians 1:15). The way into the holy of holies led into the presence of God (John 14:6).
THE ALTAR
The alter of the burnt offering stood within the Tabernacle courts, outside the Sanctuary. The outer courtyard offered common ground between Israel and the Father. The alter symbolized a touching point between heaven and earth. Once more this teaches about the Messiah Yeshua, the living intersection between heaven and earth. The alter is spoken about as “the table of God” and of the sacrifices placed on it as “food”. Paul describes the priesthood (1 Corinthians 9:13) and the Jewish people (1 Corinthians 10:18) eating the sacrifices of the altar. The altar is the Messiah and the food offered on it represent His body (John 6:55 – 56). By His merit we receive a place at the table of God.
It is good for us to recall Paul’s word in Romans 11:11 – 31. WE ARE GRAFTED INTO THE VINE OF ISRAEL!
