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As seen in part 1 of the Overview,
the tabernacle’s symbolism has shown a clear and logical progression thus far ---

And this left Israel with a problem...

As the tabernacle's symbolism (and the last couple thousand years of history) has shown, Israel cannot attain "everlasting possession" of the promised land's two 'rooms' using only the Law and its accompanying priesthood and sacrifices.

So then... if the Law and the accompanying priesthood and sacrifices aren't enough, what is?
What is it going to take for Israel to be established in an "everlasting" relationship with God,
and thus be granted "everlasting" possession of the promised land?

Well... as you will see...
Since no one is able (through the Law and its sacrifices) to enter in & take "everlasting possession"
of the Most Holy Place and its 'promise' of everlasting 'relationship with God'...
God is going to bring "everlasting" spiritual relationship out to Israel.

The tabernacle's symbolism even depicts this process in amazing detail...
It begins with a 'prediction' that was made early in the bible's story ---

This prediction can be found in the story of Isaac,and has to do with his rather 'miraculous birth'...
Put simply, as the progenitor of those who would someday descend from him and be granted
"everlasting possession" of the promised land, his 'miraculous birth' essentially predicted
that those people would likewise be descended from a 'miraculous birth' somehow.

And sure enough... just as Isaac's 'miraculous birth' predicted,
we do indeed find that a 'miraculous birth' is involved.
Thus we come to the miraculous birth of a man named (in Hebrew) "Y'shua" (or in Greek, "Jesus").

Now... please note how well this man's life fits the tabernacle's symbolism ---

Due to his 'miraculous birth' this man is said to be directly descended from God.
Thus, (in terms of the tabernacle's symbolism) he essentially ---

Or, to put it a bit more precisely ---

As you can see, the tabernacle's symbolism seems to illustrate this quite well.
Now... consider the continuing evidence ---

Biblically, the 'boundary' between the 'promised land' and the world 'outside'
has always been considered to be the Jordan river...

So then ---

And sure enough, this is exactly what the bible describes...
Jesus does indeed 'cross the Jordan' in the sense of being 'baptized' in the Jordan river by John.

As you can see in the next diagram, this fulfilled the 'water' that the "bronze basin" (or "laver") represented, and as detailed in the main text of this site, it was symbolic of Jesus’ willingness to leave the 'promised land' of 'relationship with God', in order to be identified with mankind’s sin.

So... thus far, we have seen that ---

And if the tabernacle's symbolism continues to prove accurate,
there is yet another step ahead for this man ---

Now, remember...
As the tabernacle's symbolism has long demonstrated,
Israel has thus far been unable to enter and take "everlasting possession"
of the 'promised land' within the tabernacle, because of ---

That barrier ('death') is the result (or 'curse' as the bible puts it) of sin.

And as the both the tabernacle's symbolism and Israel's history has shown,
the Law and its accompanying priesthood and sacrifices
have not been enough to permanently overcome that barrier.

Thus, whenever Israel's long-awaited 'Deliverer' were to come,
clearly, Israel's Deliverer would somehow have to experience & overcome this obstacle,
if Israel is to be freed from sin's 'curse' and gain "everlasting possession" of the 'promised land'.

This brings us back to Jesus...
A man who has expressed his willingness (through water baptism)
to be identified with man (and thus man's sin)...

Just as predicted by the tabernacle's symbolism,
this man does indeed experience the 'altar'...
in the sense of willingly giving his life as the 'substitutionary sacrifice' for all mankind.

So... what has this accomplished?

The answer lies in the following ---

On a physical level, Jesus was fully human... He became part of mankind’s bloodline through his mother.

But on a spiritual level, Jesus had a unique bloodline... He did not inherit mankind's 'spiritual bloodline' of sin... This is because sin is considered to have been passed down only 'by blood' on the male side of the family, and Jesus was not related by blood to any earthly father. Thus he did not inherit the sinful spirit of mankind. According to the bible's story, on a spiritual level, he thus retained the sinless bloodline of his heavenly Father.

Now... here's the real point ---

Although Jesus was personally sinless (and thus did not deserve death),
he willingly took on the 'curse' of sin, which is 'death' (or 'separation from God').

As detailed in the main text of this site, he essentially took this on through 'adoption' and then experienced the 'curse' at the cross, on behalf of all mankind. And unlike the animal sacrifices of old, which could not fully atone for man's sin (animals being lesser creatures), Jesus was then able to fully 'pay the price' for man's sin (since he was a fully human ‘blood relative' of mankind).

But the story doesn't end there...
Because of his other... 'sinless bloodline',
(the sinless 'spiritual bloodline' of his heavenly Father) ---
"...death could not hold him".

Remember now...
The bible states that 'death' (or 'separation from God') is the 'curse' (or 'result') of sin...
Point being that 'death' (or 'separation from God') would not apply if there is no sin.

And although through one bloodline, Jesus had willingly 'taken on' the curse of man's sin,
at the same time,
he also retained the 'sinless bloodline' of his Father...
.
The end result of this being that Jesus was 'raised to life' again.
He is thus described in the bible as having now reentered the 'promised land',
in the sense of having returned to 'heaven' ---

So... to recap quickly before we move on ---

This brings really good news for us...
The good news stems from the fact that our bloodline has been mixed with that of Jesus ---

Just as Jesus willingly took on the 'bloodline' of mankind
and through 'adoption', the 'curse' of man's sin (which is 'death')...
Now... because our bloodline was mixed with his, we can likewise
(through 'adoption') be restored to full (and everlasting) relationship with God.

As detailed in the main text of this site, this is because his bloodline brings 'life' by
providing us with the opportunity to experience 'death' & 'resurrection' through him.

Again then, we see that the symbolism in the story of Isaac has proven true ---

On Mt. Moriah, Isaac experienced a type of 'death & resurrection' in the sense that his life was first 'forfeit' (the 'death'), and then 'restored' to him (the 'resurrection'). As the progenitor of those who were to eventually take "everlasting possession" of the 'promised land', that event had great symbolic meaning... Basically, Isaac's experience 'predicted' that those who would eventually descend from him and be granted "everlasting possession" of the land, would likewise experience some type of 'death & resurrection', just as he had.

And now, we see that this is in fact the case ---

Anyone who chooses to, can now experience 'death & resurrection' through Jesus...
All one has to do, is recognize and accept the bloodline that he has gone to such great lengths to share.

Those who choose to do so, are then granted "everlasting possession"
of the 'promised land' within the tabernacle.

This is because the 'curse' of sin (which is 'death') has now been overcome by Jesus' resurrection...
And thus, for those who choose to join in his death & resurrection, there is no longer anything standing between them and the 'promised land' of "everlasting" relationship with God'.

In other words, 'faith in Jesus' fulfills the two requirements
represented by the altar and bronze basin ---

Many years ago, Joshua led Israel across the Jordan and into the (physical) promised land...

And now... we find another 'Joshua' (i.e. Jesus)...
(the name "Jesus" is actually a Greek rendering of the Hebrew name "Y'shua" or "Joshua").

Just as Deuteronomy 3:28 said long ago,
it is indeed 'Joshua' (Y'shua / Jesus) who will ---
"...cause them to inherit the land..."

Thus, Y'shua / Jesus leads the way across the Jordan and into both the spiritual and the physical 'promised land'!

Through him, "everlasting possession" of the 'promised land' has finally become possible.
This is because Jesus has ushered in the 'first kingdom'...
the long awaited 'kingdom of peace' ---

In other words, by overcoming man's 'curse of death' (or 'separation from God'),
Jesus has established 'everlasting peace with God'...
And just as the tabernacle's symbolism has always shown, that had to come first.

It is only after the 'spiritual kingdom' of 'peace with God' has come, that ---

In other words ---

Jesus comes first as the 'Passover lamb'...
in order to provide a means of 'separation' from sin...
By providing the means through which we can experience 'death' & resurrection,
he has established the 'first kingdom'... the kingdom of 'spiritual peace with God'.

Then... having established the 'spiritual kingdom' of "everlasting" peace with God',
the establishment of God's physical kingdom here on earth is begun...
For a period of time, the world is allowed to hear the bible's message
and people are given the opportunity to choose.

Jesus then returns at a later appointed time, as the "Lion of Judah",
in order to finalize and enforce the 'separation'.

As you can see, the tabernacle’s symbolism is continuing to depict a clear and logical story.
And there is still much, much more to be seen...

For instance... consider the following diagram ---

That 'fence' (or 'wall' in the case of the Temple) around the outer court, represented the 'separation' of Israel from the rest of the Gentile (or 'non-Jewish') world... Originally, only Jewish people were allowed into the area within the outer court... Anyone else caught within the outer court was subject to the death penalty.

It is important to note however, that this didn't mean God was unconcerned about the Gentile world...
On the contrary, although God chose to first establish a relationship with the Jewish people,
it has always been His plan to rescue the entire world from sin...
Thus, as stated in Ephesians 2:14, we eventually find that ---

In other words, ---

So... what does this mean?
Where does this leave the Jewish people?

Well... it simply means that as God's 'chosen people', the Jews were the first to be given the opportunity to return to relationship with Him... As you will see, God offered to make them a "kingdom of priests", and as such, they were to be the first to move forward into the 'holy place', where they were then to act as God's emissaries to the rest of the world 'outside'... There, they would have served to demonstrate God's grace to the 'world outside'.

Unfortunately though, the vast majority of Jewish people have failed to see Y'shua (Jesus) as the fulfillment of God's plan... Thus, (on a spiritual level) they can neither move forward into the 'holy place', nor fulfill their calling as 'priests'...

The end result being that (spiritually) the majority of Jewish people remain out in the 'outer court', where they have now been joined by the rest of the world, as depicted below ---

Please note that although the Jewish nation may have missed their first calling,
they absolutely and forever remain God's 'chosen people'...
God's 'covenant' with them remains very much in effect.

Now... the entire world ... both Jew and Gentile alike... stand together before the altar.
There, everyone is given the opportunity to return to "everlasting relationship" with God, by experiencing death & resurrection in Jesus.

This brings us to another interesting parallel ---

When Israel was delivered from Egypt long ago, you will note that as a result of the Passover lamb's sacrifice, they were collectively 'set free' (as a nation)... But you will also note that after having been 'collectively set free' from the world of 'slavery to sin', an individual commitment was later required on the way to the 'promised land' (Exodus 32:26).

Now, we see that same principle of 'collective deliverance' and then 'individual choice' once again ---

Now, the entire world has been collectively 'set free' through the 'Passover sacrifice' of Y'shua / Jesus...By experiencing the curse of 'death', he has 'paid the price' for the sin of all mankind. But just as before, although the entire world has now been collectively 'set free' in sense that the 'price' of sin has been paid, once again, we find that an individual commitment is required... Every individual must now choose whether or not to believe in what Jesus has accomplished.

Because of the bloodline that man shares with Y'shua / Jesus,
those who choose to believe, are able to experience 'death & resurrection' through him.
They are then free to enter the 'promised land' of relationship with God
(as represented by the area within the tabernacle).

Hopefully, at this point you have come to appreciate the logic and clarity of the tabernacle's symbolism.
There is still more to its story however. It goes on to illustrate the process of 'death & resurrection' in amazing detail...

In order to understand this part of the tabernacle's symbolism,
one must first understand that the bible says man is composed of three elements:
(spirit, soul, & body).

As a result of sin, all three of these elements must experience 'death'
(which, as we should all know by now, literally means 'separation from God')...
Thus, the process of 'death & resurrection' occurs in several stages...

We'll begin with the spirit ---

When one believes in Jesus, one's spirit experiences immediate 'death', and thankfully (through 'adoption' into Jesus' spiritual bloodline), it experiences 'resurrection' as well. In other words, the believer's spirit first experiences the required 'separation from God', and then, is resurrected and restored to immediate and "everlasting" 'relationship with Him.

From the perspective of the tabernacle's symbolism,
this means the believer's spirit is now allowed to enter and remain in the Most Holy Place
(which represents the place of "everlasting" relationship with God), as seen below ---

So... where does this leave the soul and the body ?

And now we come to something very interesting ---

Not surprisingly, this 'warfare' was predicted by Israel’s early experience ---

When Israel first left the wilderness and followed Joshua across the Jordan river into the (physical) 'promised land', they immediately (and repeatedly) experienced warfare.

And now, we find that those who follow Y'shua (Jesus) 'across the Jordan river' and into the (spiritual) 'promised land', can likewise expect the same thing...

For the believer, the warfare stems from the fact that
the spirit has now been made perfect
(through 'death & resurrection' in Jesus)...
but the soul
(or mind, will & emotions)
has not.

As we've seen, the tabernacle's symbolism depicts the perfection of the believer's spirit by showing that it has been granted access to the place of perfect and "everlasting" relationship with God (represented by the Most Holy Place).

But the tabernacle also shows that the believer’s soul
(which in biblical terms is further defined as comprising 'mind, will & emotions')
has not yet entered the place of 'perfection' ---

The believer’s soul (or 'mind, will & emotions') remains out in the 'holy place' with the body, and still remembers the 'pleasures' of various sins. Thus, there is a now a great battle raging between the believer’s spirit (which has been perfected in Jesus) and the soul (or 'mind, will & emotions'), which still contemplates sin.

To put this as the bible does, the warfare stems from the fact that on a daily basis, the believer's perfected spirit is now attempting to "put to death" the sinful inclinations that still exist within his/her 'mind, will & emotions'...

In other words ---

Although to us, the battle between the spirit and soul often seems endless,
the most important thing to realize about this warfare is that ---

the believer’s victory is already assured!

Remember... the believer's spirit has already been granted access to the Most Holy Place...
(which represents the place of "everlasting" relationship with God).

And the spirit's "everlasting" relationship with God guarantees that the soul and body of the believer will likewise eventually follow... You have God's word that the renewing power of Jesus’ spirit within will eventually do its work. Thus, as a believer, you truly have been granted "everlasting possession" of the 'promised land'. Every believer needs to remember this as they experience the 'warfare' that is a normal part of the refining process here on earth.

Thankfully, the warfare won't last forever,
and the tabernacle's symbolism even shows when it will end ---

Just as Jesus took on a physical body on his way out through this doorway...
in reverse fashion, we are to shed our body on the way in.

At this doorway, one's physical body simply 'returns to the dust' from which it came.
The individual later receives a new body at resurrection.
Thus, the body experiences its required 'death & resurrection'.

The death of the body also frees the believer’s soul, which has been refined through its daily 'death & resurrection' in the 'holy place' here on earth. Thus, the soul of the believer is allowed to enter the 'Most Holy Place', where ---

...all three components of the believer
(spirit, soul & body)
are finally reunited in the place of
everlasting
relationship with God.

This fulfills the process described in 2 Corinthians 1:10, which says ---

So ---

While here on earth, we are essentially being offered the chance to avoid
the "second death" (or "lake of fire")
spoken of in the bible...

The bible says that by default, the "lake of fire" is where everyone is headed...
This is because originally, all of us chose sin.
(Sorry... but if you're one who says, "Wait a minute... I didn't choose sin... etc"
you'll have to read the individual chapters in order to see why all of us are considered to be sinners)
Because of sin, all three elements of man (spirit, soul & body)
are destined to experience total and eternal 'separation from God' in the "lake of fire."

But...
because God loves you,
you are given a choice.

Sure... you can reject Jesus' sacrifice, and live here on earth as an 'unbeliever' until your body "returns to the dust". But... if the bible proves correct and everyone (believer and nonbeliever alike) will eventually awaken to a new body, you will then be faced with a problem... The problem being that your soul & spirit will not yet have experienced the required 'death' (or 'separation from God') that sin requires... Thus your soul & spirit (along with your resurrected body) will find themselves shipped off to the "lake of fire".

But remember...
No one need suffer this fate...

You can experience the death (and more importantly, the 'resurrection') of all three components now,
by simply accepting Jesus' sacrifice.

Thus, having already experienced the required 'deaths', believers need not fear the "second death" (or "lake of fire").

Just as Revelation 20:6 says,
"...over such, the second death has no power."

Make no mistake though, the bible asserts that one way or another,
everyone
will
experience 'death'
as a result of sin.

But because God loves you,
He has made a way of escape for you...
And He allows you to choose the way the deaths will be experienced...

It is entirely your choice.

Please choose wisely.

"delivered"	(past tense)
"does deliver"	(present tense)
"will still deliver"	(future tense)