Yes — the tabernacle is relevant for Christians today because every detail of it pictures Christ and His finished work on the cross, and it mirrors the heavenly tabernacle Christ entered as high priest.
Les Feldick teaches that all the materials, furniture, and rituals of the tabernacle are pictures of Christ — His humanity and deity, His work as sacrifice and high priest, and His finished work of the cross. Hebrews 9:11 shows that the earthly tabernacle was a pattern of a greater, more perfect tabernacle in heaven itself, into the very throne room of God. So when Christians study the tabernacle, they see salvation and the person of Christ displayed in vivid Old Testament pictures.
Hebrews 9:11 — This verse shows Christ as high priest of a greater, more perfect tabernacle not made with hands — the heavenly reality the earthly tabernacle pictured.
Exodus 25:8-9 — God commanded Israel to build the tabernacle according to a pattern, showing the earthly sanctuary was modeled on a divine original.
In Exodus 25:8-9, God told Moses to make a sanctuary after the pattern He showed him, so that He might dwell among Israel: '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.' Hebrews 9:11 draws a contrast between the earthly sanctuary and the work of Christ: '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.' The tabernacle built by men was made with hands, but this greater tabernacle is not of this creation. The Old Testament also records that the high priest entered behind the veil only once a year to make atonement (Leviticus 16:34). In the Gospels, Jesus identifies Himself as 'the bread of life' (John 6:35) and 'the light of the world' (John 8:12).
Les Feldick teaches that the tabernacle is not just an old religious structure; it is a divinely given picture of Christ. He says the word propitiation in Romans 3 is lived out in every jot and tittle of the tabernacle back in Exodus, and that everything in it — the Ark of the Covenant, the fence, the curtains, the sacrifices, the priesthood, and the Day of Atonement — speaks of the finished work of Christ on the cross. Les also teaches that the earthly tabernacle corresponds to something God has in heaven. He points to Hebrews 9:11, where Paul writes that Christ came by a greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands. The word 'building' in that verse, Les explains, would be better translated 'creation' — so this tabernacle is not on earth; it is in heaven itself, into the very throne room. And in Exodus 25, God gave Moses the pattern of the tabernacle, because a pattern always points to an original He had already set up in heaven. For the Christian today, then, the details matter. The wood covered with gold throughout the tabernacle pictures Christ's humanity and His deity. The table of showbread pictures Christ as the bread of life; the golden candlestick pictures Him as the light of the world; the Ark of the Covenant — wood overlaid with gold — pictures the One who is both man and God. As Les puts it, Christ is the high priest, the sacrificial animal, the place of sacrifice, the laver of cleansing, the table of showbread, the altar of incense, the candlestick, and the Ark of the Covenant. He is everything in the tabernacle.
Les teaches that all the materials and all the aspects of the tabernacle picture Christ in some aspect of His finished work of the cross. The Ark of the Covenant was a box of wood — which spoke of Christ's earthly side — covered with gold, which spoke of His deity. The table of showbread held twelve loaves of unleavened bread and, Les says, is indicative of Christ, the bread of life. The golden candlestick, likewise, answers to Christ's claim in John's Gospel to be the light of the world. There were no windows in the whole complex, because God Himself or Christ alone is the light. And throughout the tabernacle's construction, acacia wood covered with gold speaks of Christ's humanity and His deity — except for the brazen altar, which was covered with brass.
Les points to Hebrews 9:11, where Paul says Christ came as a high priest of good things to come by a greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands. Les is careful to explain this was not something made like the Sinai tabernacle or Solomon's temple — a tabernacle made by men. The word 'building,' he notes, would be better translated 'creation,' so it is not on this earth; it is in heaven itself, into the very throne room. God had evidently set this up in heaven so that even though Israel practiced it on earth, the pattern was a picture of that heavenly reality. In Exodus 25:8-9, God told Moses to build the sanctuary according to the pattern He showed him — and a pattern always points to an original.
For Les, the details of the tabernacle are not incidental. He says every detail — every detail — of the whole tabernacle is a picture of Christ and His work of the cross. He explains propitiation this way: Christ was the high priest, the sacrificial animal, the place of sacrifice, the laver of cleansing, the table of showbread, the altar of incense, the candlestick, and the Ark of the Covenant. And the study has a direction: in Scripture, everything from God's point of view moves from Him out to mankind, beginning with the Ark of the Covenant. That is why the tabernacle contains so much that applies to Christians — it is God's way of showing how He deals with salvation.
The Greater Tabernacle in Heaven
Les explains that the 'greater and more perfect tabernacle' of Hebrews 9:11 is not made with men's hands and not of this creation — it is in heaven itself, into the very throne room of God.
Propitiation Lived Out in the Tabernacle
Les shows that Romans 3's propitiation is lived out in every jot and tittle of the tabernacle, because everything in it — from the Ark's wood and gold to the sacrifices and priesthood — is a picture of Christ's finished work.
All Materials Picture the Cross
Les reminds listeners that all the materials and aspects of the tabernacle picture Christ in some aspect of His finished work, and notes that the tabernacle's numbers are divisible by 5, the number of grace.
The Veil, Showbread, and Candlestick
Les points to the high priest entering behind the veil once a year, the showbread as a picture of Christ the bread of life, and the golden candlestick as a picture of Christ the light of the world.
Every Detail Is Christ
Les emphasizes that every detail of the whole tabernacle is a picture of Christ and His work of the cross, and that in Scripture the tabernacle is presented from God's point of view, moving from the Ark outward to mankind.
Christ Is Everything in the Tabernacle
Les explains propitiation by showing that Christ is the high priest, the sacrificial animal, the place of sacrifice, the laver of cleansing, the table of showbread, the altar of incense, the candlestick, and the Ark of the Covenant — He is everything in the tabernacle.
The Tabernacle Pattern
Les reads Exodus 25:8-9, where God gives Moses the pattern of the tabernacle, showing that the earthly structure was built according to a pattern that points to a heavenly original.
Humanity and Deity in Wood and Gold
Les teaches that the acacia wood covered with gold throughout the tabernacle speaks of Christ's humanity and deity, and that there were no windows because God or Christ alone is the light of the world.
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.
God's instruction to build the sanctuary 'after the pattern' shows the tabernacle was a copy of a heavenly design.
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;
Les uses this verse to show the tabernacle's relevance: Christ entered a greater tabernacle in heaven not made with hands.
Leviticus 16:34: And this shall be an everlasting statute unto you, to make an atonement for the children of Israel for all their sins once a year. And he did as the LORD commanded Moses.
Records the high priest's entrance behind the veil once a year, the picture Les connects to Christ's high priestly work.
Romans 3:25: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;
The propitiation Paul describes is, Les says, lived out in every jot and tittle of the tabernacle.
John 6:35: And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.
The table of showbread pictures Christ, who said, 'I am the bread of life.'
John 8:12: Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.
The golden candlestick pictures Christ, who said, 'I am the light of the world.'
The tabernacle is relevant because every detail of it is a picture of Christ and His finished work on the cross. It also corresponds to the greater, more perfect tabernacle in heaven that Christ entered as high priest (Hebrews 9:11). Studying the tabernacle helps Christians see the person and work of Christ in vivid Old Testament pictures.
Yes. Les Feldick teaches that everything in the tabernacle — the Ark of the Covenant, the fence, the curtains, the sacrifices, the priesthood, and the Day of Atonement — speaks of the finished work of Christ. He even says Christ is the high priest, the sacrifice, the laver, the showbread, the candlestick, and the Ark of the Covenant.
Les teaches that the wood, typically acacia wood, speaks of Christ's humanity and His flesh, while the gold speaks of His deity. Throughout the tabernacle's construction, wood covered with gold pictures that Christ was both man and God — except for the brazen altar, which was covered with brass.
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