Tabernacle pictures and information

I bought through the internet from America a plastic model of the tabernacle, which I painted and built with my wife. It took three days for us to get it ready. We photographed the tabernacle on a sandpit, and  in  that way we got a background that looks like the wilderness of the land of Israel.

God gave a command to the nation of Israel to build a tabernacle (hebrew. Mishkan, Ohel ). God spoke to Moses:

And I will meet you there, and will speak with you, above the mercyseat, from between the two cherubs which are on the ark of testimony, all which I shall command you concerning the sons of Israel, And I will meet you there, and will speak with you, above the mercyseat, from between the two cherubs which are on the ark of testimony, all which I shall command you concerning the sons of Israel, Ex 25:22

And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them,
Ex 25: 8

The tabernacle was called also with following names; the tabernacle of the congregation, the tabernacle of testimony, the tabernacle of witness and the tent of the testimony, because the law of the Lord was put to the ark of covenant.

But thou shalt appoint the Levites over the tabernacle of testimony, and over all the vessels thereof, and over all things that belong to it: they shall bear the tabernacle, and all the vessels thereof; and they shall minister unto it, and shall encamp round about the tabernacle,
Num 1:50

And it came to pass, that on the morrow Moses went into the tabernacle of witness; and, behold, the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded, and brought forth buds, and bloomed blossoms, and yielded almonds, Num 17:8

The Nation of Israel wandered in the wilderness following by day  a pillar of  cloud and by night  a pillar of fire. During the whole time of wandering they carried the tabernacle with them. The task of the Levites was to carry the tabernacle and all its instruments.

And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night: He took not away the pillar of the cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people. Exodus 13:21, 22

It was remarkable that those divine appearances, which were given to Moses on the mountain, ended immediately when the tabernacle was erected, even though there were yet  given many orders concerning this tabernacle. Leviticus also starts like this: " and the LORD called unto Moses, and spake unto him out of the tabernacle of the congregation, saying :

" Lev 1:1. God informed His will through Moses and through all prophets of Israel, so that through their agency the nation could get information about God, because nobody had been able to meet God, nor associate with Him anywhere else other than in the tabernacle. That is the reason why this tent was called " the tabernacle of the congregation " in other words tent of "association". Here people associated with God; It was a bond between God and His nation. If someone from Israel wanted to approach God, he went to the tabernacle; there was no other way. And if someone now wants to approach God, he has to go to Yeshua, who is  patterned after the given tabernacle.

The italic text above is a citation from the book of Ivan Kargell: Esikuvat puhuvat. Text is translated from the Finnish.

When we speak generally about the tabernacle we want yet to finally touch this point, that the Israelites saw the cloud of the Lord all the time, while they wandered in the wilderness.  This is spoken of in Exodus in the last chapter of the book, and this chapter ends with these words: "For the cloud of the LORD was upon the tabernacle by day, and fire was on it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel, throughout all their journeys. " EX 40:38. The camp of the Israelites was very large, because at least two and a half million Israelites' tents were there. Balaam had to rise to seven different hills of the mountain that he could watch the whole camp with its all tents. How could the Israelite therefore find the tabernacle, especially, if his residence was in the rear of camp? The pillar of cloud was seen everywhere around the whole camp; and it could be seen in the daytime and at night. Not even one of the Israelites needed to be uncertain about where the tabernacle of the Lord was, where he could get connection with God. Oh, what a miraculous and comforting point this was to the child of Israel!

The italic text above is a citation from the book of Ivan Kargell: Esikuvat puhuvat. Text is translated from the Finnish.

On the altar of burnt offerings were burnt offerings to the Lord. In the picture on the altar of burnt offering can be seen flames of the fire. The Lord appeared in a pillar of cloud to the nation of Israel.

Yet thou in thy manifold mercies forsookest them not in the wilderness: the pillar of the cloud departed not from them by day, to lead them in the way; neither the pillar of fire by night, to shew them light, and the way wherein they should go. Thou gavest also thy good spirit to instruct them, and withheldest not thy manna from their mouth, and gavest them water for their thirst. Neh 9:19, 20.

Hebrews 9:11-26 11But 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; 12Neither 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. 13For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh: 14How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? 15And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance. 16For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. 17For a testament is of force after men are dead: otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth. 18Whereupon neither the first testament was dedicated without blood. 19For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and of goats, with water, and scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book, and all the people, 20Saying, This is the blood of the testament which God hath enjoined unto you. 21Moreover he sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle, and all the vessels of the ministry. 22And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission. 23It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. 24For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us: 25Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others; 26For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.