The tabernacle had two veils, one being the outer veil, the screen at the entrance of the tabernacle, and the other being the inner veil, the veil separating the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies (Exo. 26:31-37). Both of these veils are related to our entering into the tabernacle, God’s dwelling place, and they both typify Christ.
The outer screen was an embroidery work of blue, purple, scarlet, and fine twined linen, with five pillars of wood overlaid with gold and five sockets of bronze. This screen typifies Christ as the fine, pure, heavenly, royal, divine, and glorious One who suffered God’s righteous judgment for our sins and became the entrance to God’s Holy Place that we, the redeemed sinners, might enter into it to enjoy Christ’s life supply and enlightening and to be accepted by God.
The inner veil was exactly the same as the screen in material and in workmanship. Unlike the screen, the inner veil was embroidered with cherubim and put on four pillars of wood overlaid with gold upon four sockets of silver. This veil typifies the flesh of Christ (Heb. 10:20b). When Christ’s flesh was crucified, this veil was rent from the top to the bottom (Matt. 27:51), thus opening a new and living way (Heb. 10:20a) for us who were alienated from God, who is signified by the tree of life (Gen. 3:22-24), to enter into the Holy of Holies to contact God.
As the screen, Christ died for our sins (1 Cor. 15:3) so that our sins may be forgiven by God. This is the objective aspect of Christ’s death. Through this we may enter into the Holy Place and be brought back into God. As the veil, Christ died for us so that we may be terminated. This is the subjective aspect of Christ’s death. Through this we are brought to God in the Holy of Holies to live to God. Thus, we are fully reconciled to God and in harmony with God (2 Cor. 5:19-20).
Besides the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies, the tabernacle has the court as its outermost sphere, which was one hundred cubits long and fifty cubits wide. On the four sides there were hangings made of fine, white twined linen, pillars of bronze with their sockets, and the hooks of the pillars with their rods, of silver (Exo. 27:9-19). The hangings of the outer court signify Christ as God’s righteousness to be the expression and boundary of God’s building. This expression was bright, clean, and without mixture. Furthermore, within this sphere everything was righteous toward God and men. The pillars and sockets of bronze signify the Christ who was judged by God and became the supporting ground, the separating ground, and the solid base of God’s building. The hooks and rods of silver signify Christ’s redemption, issuing out of God’s righteous judgment, as our holding power and joining strength.
The materials of the hangings of the outer court consisted of bronze, silver, and linen. This shows us that Christ suffered God’s judgment (bronze) on our behalf to accomplish redemption (silver), and now He has become God’s righteousness (linen), which we bear upon us, as God’s expression and testimony.
According to the revelation of the entire Bible, the tabernacle portrayed in Exodus 25 through 40 typifies not only the individual Christ but also the corporate Christ, the church. Christ was incarnated and became the real tabernacle of God on the earth, destroyed by men through His crucifixion but built up again in His resurrection (John 2:19-22). Thus, He as the tabernacle has been enlarged to be the church (1 Tim. 3:15-16) and eventually will consummate in the New Jerusalem as the eternal dwelling place of God and man (Rev. 21:3).
Under the covering of the tabernacle there were the walls composed of standing boards. According to the record of Exodus 26:15-25, there was a total of forty-eight standing boards in the tabernacle. The number forty-eight is formed by six times eight. The number six refers to the created man, and the number eight refers to resurrection. Therefore, the forty-eight standing boards signify the created, fallen, and redeemed believers as the materials for the building of God’s dwelling place.
The standing boards of the tabernacle were made of acacia wood overlaid with gold (Exo. 26:29a). When we were saved and regenerated, not only were we delivered from God’s condemnation and judgment, but we also had a change in life and nature. Within us we have the divine nature, signified by gold, and the uplifted humanity of Jesus, signified by acacia wood. We have become a people in Christ who have both divinity and humanity. Christ’s divine nature is joined with our human nature as one and is expressed through our human nature.