The tabernacle's design was significant because God gave Moses a pattern of a heavenly original to copy, and every element of that structure was a picture of Christ.
God instructed Moses to make the tabernacle a sanctuary where He could dwell among Israel, and to build it according to the pattern shown him in every detail (Exodus 25:8-9). Les Feldick explains that a pattern is an original, so the pattern had to be in heaven — making the earthly tabernacle a copy of a greater, more perfect tabernacle not made with hands. Within that design, materials such as acacia wood covered with gold pictured Christ's humanity and deity, and every detail spoke of His finished work on the cross.
Exodus 25:8-9 — This is the command God gave Moses to build a sanctuary for His dwelling and to make every part after the pattern shown him.
Hebrews 9:11 — This verse reveals the greater, more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, which is the heavenly original the earthly tabernacle copied.
The Bible records that after Israel came out of Egypt and gathered at Mount Sinai, God spoke to Moses and said, 'Speak unto the children of Israel, that they bring me an offering: of every man that giveth it willingly with his heart ye shall take my offering' (Exodus 25:2). The offering was to include gold, silver, brass, blue, purple, scarlet, fine linen, goat's hair, ram skins dyed red, badger skins, oil for the light, spices for anointing oil, and sweet incense (Exodus 25:3-7). Then God told Moses, 'And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them. According to all that I shew thee, after the pattern of the tabernacle, and the pattern of all the instruments thereof, even so shall ye make it' (Exodus 25:8-9). The design was not left to human creativity. Later, the writer of Hebrews describes Christ coming 'by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building' (Hebrews 9:11), and entering 'once into the holy place' 'by his own blood,' not by the blood of goats and calves (Hebrews 9:12).
Les Feldick teaches that the tabernacle built at Sinai was not an original construction. When God told Moses to make the tabernacle and all its instruments 'after the pattern' shown him (Exodus 25:8-9), Les explains that a pattern is always an original — and since the original was not on earth, it had to be in heaven. The blueprints God gave Moses were patterned after a heavenly tabernacle 'not made with hands' and 'not of this creation' (Hebrews 9:11). It is that heavenly tabernacle into which Christ entered once with His own blood (Hebrews 9:12), and it is the heavenly tabernacle that will be opened in the closing days of the tribulation in Revelation 11:19. Les also teaches that every detail of the tabernacle is a picture of Christ and His finished work on the cross. The wooden frame was made of acacia wood, the desert tree, which spoke of Christ's humanity in His flesh, and it was covered with gold, which spoke of His deity — He was man and He was God. Throughout the construction, wood covered with gold carried this meaning, with the exception of the brazen altar, which was covered with brass. The tabernacle had no windows because God Himself, or Christ, is the light of the world. From the Ark of the Covenant to the outer fence of white linen with its wood-and-gold posts, from the hides over the tent to the sacrifices, priesthood, and Day of Atonement — everything spoke of the finished work of Christ. Les also draws attention to the outer covering: the badger skins mentioned in Exodus 25 were, he says, not the North American badger but a seal, a seawater animal, and the hide of these seals was placed on the outside of the tabernacle tent. The materials themselves — gold, silver, brass, blue, purple, scarlet, fine linen, goat's hair, ram skins dyed red, oil, spices, and sweet incense — were brought as a willing offering, just as God commanded.
God's command was explicit: 'Let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them. According to all that I shew thee, after the pattern of the tabernacle, and the pattern of all the instruments thereof, even so shall ye make it' (Exodus 25:8-9). Les Feldick explains that a pattern is always an original. Since the original could not be on earth, it had to be in heaven. The earthly tabernacle was therefore a copy of a greater, more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, not of this creation (Hebrews 9:11), and it is that heavenly tabernacle that Christ entered with His own blood (Hebrews 9:12).
Les Feldick teaches that everything in the tabernacle is a picture of Christ. The acacia wood frame covered with gold spoke of His humanity and His deity — He was man and He was God. The Ark of the Covenant was a wooden box overlaid with gold, showing the same truth. The complex had no windows because God Himself, or Christ, is the light of the world. From the outer fence of pure white linen with its posts of wood covered with gold, to the hides covering the tent, the sacrifices, the priesthood, and the Day of Atonement — every detail pictured the finished work of Christ on the cross. The only exception was the brazen altar, which was covered with brass.
The materials Israel brought for the tabernacle were given willingly, as God commanded (Exodus 25:2). They included gold, silver, brass, blue, purple, scarlet, fine linen, goat's hair, ram skins dyed red, and badger skins, along with oil for the light, spices for anointing, and sweet incense. Les Feldick identifies the KJV 'badger' as a seawater animal — a seal — whose hide was placed on the outside of the tabernacle tent. These materials were not random: throughout the structure, wood covered with gold consistently pictured Christ's humanity and deity.
The Materials and the Badger Skins
Les lists the materials Israel was to bring willingly — gold, silver, brass, dyed skins, fine linen, goat's hair, oil, spices — and clarifies that the badger was a seal, a seawater animal, whose hide was put on the outside of the tabernacle tent.
Patterned After the Floor Plan in Heaven
Les teaches that the tabernacle built at Sinai was patterned after the very floor plan in glory, and points to Christ entering a greater, more perfect tabernacle not made with hands.
The Pattern Command in Exodus 25:8-9
Les reads God's command to make the tabernacle as a sanctuary for His dwelling, with all its instruments made according to the pattern shown to Moses.
The Original Pattern Is in Heaven
Les explains that a pattern is an original, so the original tabernacle must be in heaven; the blueprint given to Moses was patterned after that heavenly original.
Wood and Gold, and No Windows
Les shows that the acacia wood covered with gold spoke of Christ's humanity and deity, and that the tabernacle had no windows because God Himself or Christ is the light.
Everything in the Tabernacle Pictures Christ
Les teaches that every part of the tabernacle — the Ark, the wood and gold, the fence, the hides, the sacrifices, the priesthood, the Day of Atonement — speaks of the finished work of Christ on the cross.
The Heavenly Tabernacle Christ Entered
Les applies Hebrews 9 to the Exodus account: the tabernacle Moses built was patterned after the one in heaven, and Christ entered that heavenly tabernacle with His own blood.
Every Detail Pictures the Cross
Les emphasizes that every detail of the tabernacle pictures Christ and His cross work, describing the outer fence of pure white linen with posts of wood covered with gold.
Exodus 25:2: Speak unto the children of Israel, that they bring me an offering: of every man that giveth it willingly with his heart ye shall take my offering.
God commanded that the offering for the tabernacle be given willingly.
Exodus 25:3-7: And this is the offering which ye shall take of them; gold, and silver, and brass, And blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen, and goats' hair, And rams' skins dyed red, and badgers' skins, and shittim wood, Oil for the light, spices for anointing oil, and for sweet incense, Onyx stones, and stones to be set in the ephod, and in the breastplate.
The specific materials used in the tabernacle's design and construction.
Exodus 25:8-9: And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them. According to all that I shew thee, after the pattern of the tabernacle, and the pattern of all the instruments thereof, even so shall ye make it.
The central command that the tabernacle be built as God's dwelling place according to a revealed pattern.
Hebrews 9:11: But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building;
Reveals the greater, more perfect tabernacle in heaven after which the earthly one was patterned.
Hebrews 9:12: Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.
Christ entered the heavenly tabernacle with His own blood, unlike the high priest's animal blood.
No. God told Moses to build the tabernacle after the pattern shown him (Exodus 25:8-9). Les Feldick explains that a pattern is an original, so since the original was not on earth, it had to be in heaven — the earthly tabernacle was a copy of a greater, more perfect tabernacle not made with hands.
According to Les Feldick, the acacia wood spoke of Christ's humanity in His flesh, and the gold covering it spoke of His deity. Throughout the tabernacle, wood covered with gold pictured the truth that Jesus was man and God, with the brazen altar as the exception.
Les Feldick teaches that the tabernacle had no windows because who alone can be the light — God Himself or Christ, who is the light of the world.
Les Feldick explains that the 'badger' of the King James Version was not the North American animal but a seal, a seawater animal. The hide of these seals was put on the outside of the tabernacle tent.
Watch the Teaching: Why Israel Failed to Enter the Promised Land (Exodus 23 & Deut 1)