The Offspring of God

It is very apparent that Paul was given a tremendous revelation of Christ in the Church. But it is noteworthy to mention that in his message of salvation through Jesus Christ, he referenced the Tabernacle in the Wilderness, allowing the Old Covenant to be our schoolmaster. I love the study of the Tabernacle in the Wilderness. As far as I can see, it is the greatest illustration of Christ and His Church. Paul said to the Colossians; Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ (Colossians 2:16-17)

The words “shadow of things to come, “makes us to know that the tabernacle, and all the offerings and ordinances were merely types and shadows of spiritual things that would be revealed in the New Covenant. A “type” or “shadow,” is a person, an object, or an event, that foreshadows, or resembles, an event, person or object to come. For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect (Hebrews 10:1)

I think it is also interesting that the scripture here describes the Law of the Old Covenant as; having a shadow of good things to come. When we seek out the original meaning of the word shadow, it refers to the Greek word, ‘skia,’ which means, or implies, a darkness of error. In other words, the sacrifices were offered under a cloud and influence of the darkness of this world. Even the animals offered were affected by the powers of darkness. Therefore, it was impossible to find anything that was 100% pure or perfect in this world. It is not possible for an imperfect sacrifice to make the comers to the altar perfect. Thus, the true atonement had to come from Heaven itself. In this lesson, I want us to be able to see the shadows and types the scriptures offer regarding the Tabernacle and the Body of Christ.