The sanctuary as outlined in the Book of John

John 1 The Altar of Sacrifice

Here we have a distinct showing of Christ as the creator and Lord.
John then proceeds to show that he came closer to us and the very reason he came.
John 1:29 The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of
God, which taketh away the sin of the world.
John 1:36 And looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, Behold the Lamb of God!

Which lamb? Revelation 13:8 the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

In John 1 we observe the movement of Christ from the throne room (most Holy Place)
and being presented as the lamb of sacrifice (the altar of sacrifice).

John 2
It is interesting that this is the chapter that starts out with a wedding feast. Why because
Ephesians 5:31 For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be
joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. This is a great mystery: but I speak
concerning Christ and the church.

At this wedding feast a most interesting thing happened John 2:6-10 And there were set
there six waterpots of stone, after the manner of the purifying of the Jews, containing two
or three firkins apiece. Jesus saith unto them, Fill the waterpots with water. And they
filled them up to the brim. And he saith unto them, Draw out now, and bear unto the
governor of the feast. And they bare it. When the ruler of the feast had tasted the water
that was made wine, and knew not whence it was: (but the servants which drew the water
knew;) the governor of the feast called the bridegroom, And saith unto him, Every man at
the beginning doth set forth good wine; and when men have well drunk, then that which
is worse: but thou hast kept the good wine until now.

Hear we have a representation of the waterpot which was filled with stones of
PURIFICATION. Water was poured in and then wine (red liquid) was drawn out. The
laver was such and article. The laver was used to purify the priest before he was capable
of entering the sanctuary. The water in the laver very often became bloody as the priests
often have the blood of sacrifices on their hands.
The gift of Christ to the marriage feast was a symbol. The water represented baptism into
His death; the wine, the shedding of His blood for the sins of the world. The water to fill
the jars was brought by human hands, but the word of Christ alone could impart to it life-
giving virtue. So with the rites which point to the Saviours death. It is only by the power
of Christ, working through faith, that they have efficacy to nourish the soul. {DA 148.4}
Further down in the chapter Christ reveals that the tabernacle revealed the basic
principles of Christ life. Hence Jesus makes reference to the temple. The Jews blinded by
bigotry forgot that God said Exodus 25:8 And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may
dwell among them. Matthew 1:23 Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring
forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with
us.

John 2:19-21 Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days
I will raise it up. Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and
wilt thou rear it up in three days? But he spake of the temple of his body.

John 3

The secret meeting with Nicodemus is really revealing the means by which we can
become the children of God. John 3:3-5 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily,
verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the
second time into his mother's womb, and be born? Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say
unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the
kingdom of God.

This of course perfectly aligns itself with the laver once more being born again is relevant
to the process of entering into covenant Christ reveals that the rebirth is likened to the
spiritual cleansing to be demonstrated at the laver. John, ensuring we dont miss the
theme brings us into contact with the argument over the baptism that Christ is now
conducting.

The water emphasized in John 3 and the first two verses of Chapter 4 are all about
external cleansing.

John 4

We are now given a more carefully crafted introduction to water. Not flowing water does
John bring us to but to a well. John interestingly shows a meeting between a woman, who
is living adulterously by Christs standard, and Jesus at the well. This now has very
interesting principles when applied to the church in apostasy.

Jesus here introduces the fact that he can supply this lady with living water. The way of
life was found in the sanctuary, the place of holiness, and that was the place that living
water was store on the table of shewbred.

The water was stored in earthen were vessels. The prophet reveals thou art the potter I
am the clay. We are the earthen vessels and we need to internalize the living water in
order for the Christian experience to reach its true level.

Here John leads us into the sanctuary and he now brings us to the first furniture inside the
tabernacle, namely the table of showbread. Placed on this table of Shewbread is a pitcher
of water.

Note here that the woman comes to the well with an empty container, this represented
her, an empty vessel searching for fulfillment in life. She is offered living water by Christ
and satisfies her many questions related to worship.

John 5

The healing of the paralytic at the pool of Bethesda reveals a deep lesson for those
seeking miracles. An angel troubled the water but only one person could be healed.
Jeremiah 2:13 For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the
fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no
water.
Proverbs 5:15 Drink waters out of thine own cistern, and running waters out of thine
own well.

The cleansing of the water of life was available to all but they would rather sit where the
most ill would not be allowed to reach the water for healing. Christ here seeks to reveal
that taking ancient philosophies into the ordained services of God would only poison and
corrupt the truth revealed to Israel.

The instruction given to Israel was: Deuteronomy 12:28 Observe and hear all these
words which I command thee, that it may go well with thee, and with thy children after
thee for ever, when thou doest that which is good and right in the sight of the LORD thy
God.
29 When the LORD thy God shall cut off the nations from before thee, whither thou
goest to possess them, and thou succeedest them, and dwellest in their land;
30 Take heed to thyself that thou be not snared by following them, after that they be
destroyed from before thee; and that thou enquire not after their gods, saying, How did
these nations serve their gods? even so will I do likewise.
31 Thou shalt not do so unto the LORD thy God: for every abomination to the LORD,
which he hateth, have they done unto their gods; for even their sons and their daughters
they have burnt in the fire to their gods.
32 What thing soever I command you, observe to do it: thou shalt not add thereto, nor
diminish from it.

The priest were angered by Christs work on the Sabbath but this Sabbath miracle finds
an interesting tie with other Sabbath occurrences mentioned in the gospel. Jesus words
on such occasions are vital to understanding the principles that Jesus wanted to reveal.
John 5:17 But Jesus answered them, My Father worketh hitherto, and I work.
Matthew 12:1 At that time Jesus went on the sabbath day through the corn; and his
disciples were an hungred, and began to pluck the ears of corn, and to eat.
2 But when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto him, Behold, thy disciples do that which
is not lawful to do upon the sabbath day.
3 But he said unto them, Have ye not read what David did, when he was an hungred, and
they that were with him;
4 How he entered into the house of God, and did eat the shewbread, which was not
lawful for him to eat, neither for them which were with him, but only for the priests?
5 Or have ye not read in the law, how that on the sabbath days the priests in the temple
profane the sabbath, and are blameless?
Psalms 78:24 And had rained down manna upon them to eat, and had given them of the
corn of heaven.
One may ask how did the priest profane the Sabbath in the temple? 1 Chronicles 9:32
And other of their brethren, of the sons of the Kohathites, were over the shewbread, to
prepare it every sabbath.

The only task allowed on the Sabbath was the preparation of the bread of presence what
deep lessons are thus revealed when we assess the miracle performed. It was by a word
that Christ healed this man. It is this same word, fresh from the lips of the Saviour, that
the preparation of the shewbread pointed to these many years. Yet when its fulfillment
was accomplished the very ones who had performed the type for so many years missed it.

John 6

Hear John opens our appetite for what is about to happen by relating the incident where
Jesus miraculously provided for the five thousand. In the very next chapter John gives the
most contentious sermon ever preached. This sermon caused a separation amongst the
Disciples of Christ and has been the bulwark of the Catholic principle of the Eucharist.
Yet the lessons reveal such depth of thought that we can but look back at the last section
of John 5 and recognize the deep lesson that Christ desired us to learn.

John 5:39 Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are
they which testify of me.
John 6:12 When they were filled, he said unto his disciples, Gather up the fragments that
remain, that nothing be lost.
Deuteronomy 8:3 And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with
manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee
know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the
mouth of the LORD doth man live.

Deep lesson for the child of God is revealed in this little principle not a single word, not a
gem should be wasted. Every single particle of truth is to be gathered and the message
spread to the corners of the earth.

The Bread of life is to be given to a world Hungering and thirsting for Righteousness.
Matthew 5:6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they
shall be filled.
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.

It is of significant import that Jesus thus ties the bread of life with thirsting. The two
articles present on the Table of in the sanctuary were the shewbread and the picture of
water. Hence Christ reveals that He is in fact the bread of presence in verity.