Comprehending the distinct roles of these two Offices, their relationship to each other, and their ability to have face to face meetings with God in the Tabernacle, is essential to Christology.
Biblical Theology·Oct 8, 2024·Updated Sep 3, 2026
The Mediator, the High Priest, the Holy of Holies, & the Unapproachable Light!
Amazingly, the ministry of the Mediator would become even more visible once the Tabernacle was in operation. Do you remember the “face to face” communion that Moses experienced in the makeshift Tabernacle of This was a sign of good things to come when a legally sanctioned and consecrated Tabernacle was finally constructed This will prove to be true for the Mediator and the High Priest. Consequentially, it will soon be necessary for the congregation of Israel to come face to face with the High Priest, in one “holy convocation” in particular similar to how the people were required to have relations with their Mediator at Sinai.
Comprehending the distinct roles of these two Offices, their relationship to each other, and their ability to have face to face meetings with God in the Tabernacle, is essential to Christology. God was setting a stage for a theater of typology so believers could look back and learn about Jesus Christ! However, at the time in history, Israel had no idea what was going on, because none of them had ever built a Tabernacle before. Nor did the people ever have a relationship with God that was dependent upon a Priesthood and their ministry at the Tabernacle. This realization would come in spectacular fashion. The completion of the Tabernacle, and its consecration, was accompanied with signs and wonders to prove to the people that a successful transition of glory from Sinai to theTabernacle had been accomplished. Let us carefully observe how this happened and what lessons are to be learned in the process.
A Successful Transition of Glory from Sinai to the Tabernacle
Ultimately, fire came out from before the LORD and consumed the sacrifice of the altar at the door of the Tabernacle This symbolized the satisfaction of the wrath of God (“…when all the people saw, they shouted, and fell on their faces.” – ).
Ultimately, a cloud covered the tent of the congregation, and “the glory of the LORD”filledthe Tabernacle, insomuch that not even Moses was able to enter the Tabernacle until the presence of the glory was diminished This symbolized the sanctification of the Tabernacle
Ultimately, face to face encounters began and continued to happen in the Holy of Holies of the Tabernacle
Moses received instructions on how he and the Priesthood should offer all the necessary sacrifices as each occasion would require (-7:38). These instructions were necessary to successfully offer the needed sacrifices on this glorious day, namely, when the operation of redemption would begin at the Tabernacle Upon executing the careful instructions given for the consecration of the Priesthood, so that Aaron and his sons could officially begin their ministry the Priests then began to minister in the Sanctuary of the Tabernacle alongside Moses
A Tour of the Tabernacle
If everything was accomplished successfully, then the LORD promised to “dwell among” the congregation of Israel by inhabiting the Tabernacle This would allow everyone in Israel to meet with God respectively in three different places: (1) in the Courts of the LORDat the door of the Tabernacle of the Congregation, (2) in the Sanctuary of the Tabernacle before the Vail, and (3) in the Holy of Holies behind the Vail at the Mercy Seat. Let us begin out tour of these places at the door of the Tabernacle of the Congregation.
The Courts of the LORD at the Door of the Tabernacle of the Congregation
“This shall be a continual burnt offering throughout your generations at the door of the Tabernacle of the Congregation before the LORD: where I will meet you, to speak there unto thee.And there I will meet with the children of Israel, and the Tabernacle shall be sanctified by my glory.”
— Ex. 29:42-43
Common Israelites were welcome to meet with God in a special way by coming to pray in the Courts of the LORD. Also, whenever necessary, they would come “before the LORD” unto the altar for the offering of sacrifices “at the door of the Tabernacle of the Congregation” This is a place of presentation for forgiveness and cleansing This is also a place where God would speak to the Israelites who were coming before the LORD with their matters, usually by the Priesthood preaching and teaching from the Word of God, but also by prophetic utterance Furthermore, in extraordinary circumstances, the LORD would appear“at door of the Tabernacle of the Congregation” in a visible manifestation of glory to speak and perform miraculous exploits of divine judgement
The Sanctuary of the Tabernacle
Even the Kings of Israel would resort to the Priesthood to hear from God as the need required, because the Priests wore the Ephod and only they could enter into the Sanctuary, and everyone knew that the Word of the LORD would come to the Priesthood from the Oracle Obviously, permission to draw near to God by entering the door of the Tabernacle was a great honor bestowed upon the Priesthood. Aaron and his sons were called of God to come near as ministers of the Sanctuary, to keep and order all things, and to apply the blood However, even these duties were peripheral compared to how Moses and Aaron had meetings with God in the Tabernacle. Consequentially, as the Mediator and the High Priest, these two men became very important typological figures of Christ.
The Holy of Holies
In the beginning, no clear restrictions were given to prevent Aaron, the High Priest, from going into the Holy of Holies alongside theMediator, or as often as the need required. Prior to the commencement of Aaron’s ministry intheTabernacle, all we read from the Law aboutthe Holy ofHoliesis that it was constructed with the following divine promise from God toMosesandAaron.
“And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the Mercy Seat, from between the two Cherubims which are upon the Ark of the testimony, of all things which I will give thee in commandment unto the children of Israel.”
— Exo 25:22
A sanctioned invitation was given in the Law! Therefore, Moses knew exactly where to go to meet with God when the Tabernacle was finally constructed. Remember, the LORD audibly called to Moses from the peak of mount Sinai, and the Mediator went up Sinai to meet with God Similarly, the LORD audibly called to Moses from between the Cherubims above the MercySeat in the Holy of Holies of the Tabernacle, and then the Mediator “went in”the Holy of Holies to meet with God
“And when Moses was gone into the Tabernacle of the Congregation to speak with Him, then he heard the voice of One speaking unto him from off the Mercy Seat that was upon the Ark of testimony, from between the two Cherubims: and he spake unto him.”
— Num. 7:89
“And till Moses had done speaking with them, he put a vail on his face. But when Moses went inbeforethe LORD to speak with Him, he took the vail off, until he came out. And he came out, and spake unto the children of Israel that which he was commanded. And the children of Israel saw the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses' face shone: and Moses put the vail upon his face again, until he went in to speak with Him.”
— Ex. 34:33-35
Seeing that the High Priest was ordained to be a minister of the Holy of Holies, it stands to reason that Aaron had a holy obligation to respond to this call alongside Moses. One could argue that was speaking to Moses, but nobody can argue that this word of promise was spoken exclusively to Moses, because the LORD repeatedly stated that He would meet with Aaron in the Holy of Holies according to and Legally, only Aaron could dress and light the lamps of the Sanctuary Only Aaron could burn incense on the golden altar before the vail so that the smoke of it filled the Holy ofHoliesAaron’s presence there was not a coincidence! The purpose for burning incense at the golden altar directly pertained to the High Priest and the Mediator safely entering the Holy of Holies to encounter the glory of God in a face to face meeting with the LORD.
Further clarity will eventually be given about these things in the Law, but for now let the reader be satisfied with this observation: in reading the Law from Exodus 19-40 and Leviticus 1-9, we have not encountered any restrictions given to the High Priest preventing him from entering the Holy of Holies. Therefore, seeing that there were no restrictions for Aaron leading up to but rather an invitation when Moses“went in” to the Holy of Holiesbefore the LORD as needed and required it is to be expected that Aaron went with him. After all, Moses and Aaron were together in Egypt prophesying and performing miracles. Moses and Aaron were together on the mount of intercession in the battle against the Amalekites Moses and Aaron were together on the slopes of Sinai for the consecration of Moses Ultimately, a similar scene is presented to the reader regarding the Tabernacle in
“And Moses and Aaronwent into the Tabernacle of the Congregation, and came out, and blessed the people: and the glory of the LORDappeared unto all the people. And there came a fire out from before the LORD, and consumed upon the altar the burnt offering and the fat: which when all the people saw, they shouted, and fell on their faces.”
— Lev. 9:23-24
Historically, provides a record of the day when the ministry of the Priesthood began to function at the Tabernacle. The Mediator was directing the High Priest every step of the way. Every costly sacrifice revealed in the Law was put into action for the solemn occasion: “for to day the LORD will appear unto you” This included sin-offerings, burnt-offerings, and meat-offerings of calves, goats, rams, lambs, and bullocks. Finally, after everything was accomplished, it was written, “And Moses and Aaron went into the Tabernacle of the Congregation, and came out, and blessed the people” How can we be sure that they went into the Holyof Holies? What did they see and hear? When they came out and proclaimed a blessing upon the people, what did they say?
and will shed some light on the situation. Whatever happened, somehow, Nadab and Abihu thought it was a good idea for them, as Priests, to offer incense before the LORD in the Holyof Holies, even though only the High Priest was directed to minister incense to the Holy of Holies. This resulted in their death in a shocking public execution! directly follows for a reason. Remember, there were no chapter breaks when this was written.
Subsequently, the death of Nadab and Abihu occasioned the legislation of restrictions to prevent Aaron, theHigh Priest, from enteringthe Holy of Holieswhenever he felt the need tomeetwith God, implying that Aaron was doing this before the death ofNadabandAbihu, which means that Aaron’s sons recklessly desired to experience the same thing in the offering of strange fire. In restrictingAaronfromthe Holy of Holies, the LORD then proceeded to legalize only one entrance ofthe HighPriestintothe Holy of Holiesannually, and this would be onthe Day of Atonement.
“And the LORD spake unto Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron, when they offered before the LORD, and died; And the LORD said unto Moses, Speak unto Aaron thy brother, that he come not at all times into the Holy Place within the vail before the Mercy Seat, which is upon the Ark; that he die not: for I will appear in the cloud upon the mercy seat.”
— Lev. 16:1-2
There is an equality to the “days” presented to the reader in and Do you see it? The commencement of the ministry of the Priesthood at the Tabernacle was “a Day of Atonement” in its own right. It was essentially no different than the annual Day of Atonement that was legislated. Considering the fact that Israel was void of a Tabernacle for a long time, we can understand that the people were in dire need of an atonement. was the day appointed to get this business done! Evidently, this is why both of these appointed days were accompanied with special manifestations of the glory of God in which the LORD would “appear” to the people However, in we are granted further insight into what Aaron and Moses would have seen when they went into the Tabernacle in
Remember, reveals how the LORD “appeared” to the people at the door of the Tabernacle, likely in a pillar ofcloud and then “there came a fire out from before the LORD” to consume the sacrifice of the altar However, just before this, Moses and Aaron“went into” the Tabernacle to see and hear something from the LORD in the Holy of Holies Then, afterwards, Nadab and Abihu recklessly copied Aaron in the offering of incense in the Holy of Holies, but with strange fire, and “there went out fire from the LORD” to consume them Similarly, and without coincidence, Aaron was specifically directed to offer incense on the Day of Atonement before he entered into the Holy of Holies, and the reason for the incense was then clarified by Law in
“And he shall take a censer full of burning coals of fire from off the altarbefore the LORD, and his hands full of sweet incense beaten small, and bring it within the vail: And he shall put the incense upon the firebefore the LORD, that the cloud of the incense may cover the mercy seat that is upon the testimony, that he die not: And he shall take of the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it with his finger upon the mercy seat eastward; and before the mercy seat shall he sprinkle of the blood with his finger seven times. Then shall he kill the goat of the sin offering, that is for the people, and bring his bloodwithin the vail, and do with that blood as he did with the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it upon the mercy seat, and before the mercyseat: And he shall make an atonement for the holy place, because of the uncleanness of the children of Israel, and because of their transgressions in all their sins: and so shall he do for the tabernacle of the congregation, that remaineth among them in the midst of their uncleanness. And there shall be no man in the tabernacle of the congregation when he goeth into make an atonement in the holy place, until he come out, and have made an atonement for himself, and for his household, and for all the congregation of Israel.”
— Lev. 16:12-17
It was too dangerous to enter the Holy of Holies without a thick cloud of smoke engulfing the Throne ofGod! It would have been deadly for Moses or Aaron to behold the Living God appearing in between the Cherubims above the Mercy Seat! Similarly, the Light at the Red Sea needed to be covered by thick clouds of darkness When Moses encountered the Face of God at the peak of Sinai, the Mediator needed to be hidden from the unapproachable Light, and completely covered (which God did miraculously by his own hand!), otherwise Moses would have died in the mountaintop experience There was the hiding of His power! Now, with a successful transfer of glory from Sinai to theTabernacle, the same precautions needed to be taken for the protection and survival of those who would come near to have face to face meetings with God.
The Mediator and the High Priest were safe to look upon God as long as a cloud of incense filled the Holy of Holies, insomuch that its thickness was able to “coverthe MercySeat”, otherwise these men would have certainly diedThere was the hiding of His power! Obviously, this is because there was Sinaic power to the Light that was manifesting above the Mercy Seat from in between the Cherubims. Godly men of forthcoming generations coveted after this blessed experience.
Asaph the Psalmist
“…Thou that dwellest between the Cherubims, shine forth.”— Ps. 80:1
Jewish readers correctly interpreted what was going on in the Holy of Holies when the Mediator and High Priest had face to face meetings with God in the Tabernacle. Asaph joined his voice with a chorus of Prophets who all desired the same thing, praying fervently to God, saying, “Thou that dwellest between the Cherubims, shine forth.” By interpretation, this meant, “Turn us again, O God of hosts, and cause Thy face to shine; and we shall be saved.” Every godly man throughout all ages wanted to see the Face of God Of course, this is certainly why Moses removed the vail from his face when he “went in” to the Holy of Holies before the LORD The Mediator wanted to see God! And upon passing through the vail of the Holy of Holies, Moses and Aaron beheld a “bright cloud” of glory shining with heavenly brilliance in front of them
Clearly, and are presenting to readers an appearance of the glory of God in the Holy of Holies. This confirms the fact that this glory was visibly manifesting in the Holy of Holies before and after the legislated restriction, and that Aaron proceeded to encounter this glory annually from this point forward, because without coming face to face with the LORD, the atonement could not be accomplished. All the components of a face to face meeting with God were present in the Holy of Holies: (1) a closeness of communion, (2) a visible manifestation of glory, (3) an audible voice.
“Let Thy work appear unto thy servants, and Thy glory unto their children. And let the beauty of the LORD our God be upon us: and establish thou the work of our hands upon us; yea, the work of our hands establish thou it.”
— Psalm 90:16-17
Naturally, everyone was awestruck with amazement at the ministry of the Mediator and the High Priest in the Tabernacle. Israel was even more thrilled at the divine blessings which were bestowed upon them through these holy ministers Receiving a blessing from a man who came fresh from the Holy ofHolies was an exhilarating experience!
“And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto Aaron and unto his sons, saying, On this wise ye shall bless the children of Israel, saying unto them, The LORD bless thee, and keep thee: The LORD make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace. And they shall put myname upon the children of Israel; and I will bless them.”
— Num. 6:22-27
Moses and Aaron must have said something similar to Israel in when they entered into the HolyofHolies and then came out and blessed the people. Hereafter, generations to come looked back with wonder at the intercessions of Moses and Aaron Together, the Mediator and the High Priest were beholden to the King of Kings in the Throne room of God on earth! "The LORD reigneth; let the people tremble: He sitteth between the Cherubims; let the earth be moved."
King David
Centuries later, when the movable Tabernacle would be converted into a fixed and stationary Temple, David emerged as a Mosaic figure who prophetically received the details of this plan Therefore, like a Mediator, David was beholden to spectacular revelations of the glory of God He was even seen wearing “a linen Ephod” when the Mercy Seat was transported into Jerusalem No explanation was provided in Scripture on the legality of this event. It is a mystery of typology pointing to the coming of Jesus Christ Evidently, David had seen God! Where? In the Sanctuary.
“O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is; To see Thy power and Thy glory, so as I have seen Thee in the Sanctuary.”
— Ps. 63:1-2
No explanation is provided in Scripture about how David was enabled to see the LORD in the Sanctuary. Normally, only Priests were legally permitted to enter the Sanctuary. That being said, whatever happened to David, he was very bold to confess that he would rather be a Priest than a King.
“One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the House of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in His Temple.”
— Psalm 27:4
“Behold, O God our shield, and look upon the face of thine anointed. For a day in Thy Courts is better than a thousand. I had rather be a doorkeeper in the House of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness. For the LORD God is a Sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.”
— Psalm 84:9-11
David desired to be as close to the Holy of Holies as possible! Why? To bask in the light of the “Sun” as it was shining from above the Mercy Seat Therefore, understandably, his soul longed and fainted for “the Courts of the LORD” But the outercourt wasn’t enough for David! He wanted to come closer to the LORD, even by coming to “the altar of God” which was situated at the door of the Tabernacle But the door of the Tabernacle wasn’t enough for David! Confessedly, he wanted to see the Faceof God.
“When Thou saidst, Seek ye My face; my heart said unto Thee, Thy face, LORD, will I seek.”— Psalm 27:8
Apparently, the voice of the LORD was calling David to come nearer and nearer Speaking of this, David said to God, “When Thou saidst, Seek ye My face; my heart said unto Thee, Thy face, LORD, will I seek.” As one beholden to the Face of God, even though it was concealed in a bright cloud of Light, David said, “The LORD is my Light and my salvation…” Similarly, David declared, “For the LORD God is a Sun and shield…” Meanwhile, all the psalmists were made to sing about the shining Face of God even as all of Israel was made to know the blessedness of the Light of HisCountenance
There can be no doubt about the origin of these doctrines pertaining to the Face of God. It can be traced back to the Holy Place at the peak of Sinai, and subsequently, the Holy of Holies in the Tabernacle Increasing clarity was given from generation to generation. Isaiah the Prophet had a face to face encounter with the LORD where he saw into the Holy of Holies of the Temple, and what he described was a major contribution to this doctrine
Isaiah the Prophet
“Woe is me! For I am undone…for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.”— Isa. 6:5
Isaiah the Prophet went into “the Temple” and “saw” the LORD “sitting upon a Throne” in the Holy of Holies This was a face to face meeting with God where Isaiah “saw His glory” No explanation was given about how Isaiah got into the Temple. He even saw theLiving Creatures that were symbolically represented by the statues of the Holy of Holies that Bazaleel made, calling them “the Seraphims” The role of these angels is essentially indistinguishable from the Cherubims. They are the highest ranking angels in heaven, and their sole duty was to transport, guard, and coverthe Throne ofGod Isaiah heard the angels crying loudly one to another, “Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts…” and the audible voices of these creatures were so loud that “the posts of the door” of the Temple were shaking
Isaiah was terrified! Not because of the angels. The visible presence of the King enthroned above the angels had stricken Isaiah with holy terror Especially, because he was beholding a likeness or similitude of something divine on the Person of God, even if it was just the “train” of His robe Isaiah knew that he was dangerously close to the LORD. He remembered how Moses hardly survived a “pass by” encounter of the Face of God at the peak of Sinai. Therefore, Isaiah was sure that he was going to die! Speaking of this, he cried out, “Woe is me! For I am undone…for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.” Nevertheless, Isaiah survived the divine encounter, only because there was vailingpresence of smoke filling the Temple.
“…and the House was filled with smoke.”
— Isa. 6:4
This part of the vision is not to be disregarded as an insignificant detail. Remember, without a thick cloud of “smoke”, not even Aaron the High Priest would have survived encountering the glory of God in the Holy ofHolies Similarly, when Isaiah saw the LORD, it was through a vailing presence of smoke There is the hiding of His power! Perhaps Isaiah was uncertain about all that he saw (as one looking into the midst of smoke), explicitly describing only those things which he could make out clearly and confidently affirm.
Ezekiel the Prophet
“…and the cloud filled the inner court.”— Ezek. 10:3
Ezekiel the Prophet spiritually went into the Temple and saw into the Holy of Holies. In a face to face meeting with God, Ezekiel saw “the Cherubims”, and above them he beheld “the appearance of the likeness of a Throne”, and seated upon the Throne, Ezekiel saw “the glory of the LORD” It does not appear that Ezekiel saw anything else of God in this vision except “the glory”. Otherwise, the Prophet would have spoken about it, as he did with the likenesses of the Cherubims in However, in speaking of “the brightness of the LORD’Sglory”, Ezekiel did go on the clarify what was dangerouslyglorious about “the glory of the LORD” The brightness of the glory is the unapproachableLight The same which shined from the Face of God. Therefore, Ezekiel would have died without something vailing the glory. This is why the text explicitly states that “the cloud filled the innercourt” in There is the hiding of His power!
“Then the glory of the LORD went up from the Cherub, and stood over the threshold of the House; and the House was filled with the cloud, and the court was full of the brightness of the LORD'Sglory.”
— Ezek. 10:4
Amazingly, Ezekiel watched as “the glory of the LORD” moved from the Holy of Holies to “the threshold of the House”, which is a place equivalent to the door of the Tabernacle in the former days. Once again, the text states, “the House was filled with the cloud” The glorious Light was changing locations, but a thick cloud was still there to vail its deadly power. Nevertheless, the Light could still be seen shining in and through the cloud, making it a “bright cloud” even as “the court was full of the brightness of the LORD’Sglory”There is the hiding of His power!
“And I looked, and, behold, a whirlwind came out of the north, a great cloud, and a fire infolding itself, and a brightness was about it, and out of the midst thereof as the colour of amber, out of the midst of the fire.”
— Ezek. 1:4
In the Temple, the unapproachable Light was only vailed by a cloud, but in an earlier vision at the river Chebar, as described in there were several manifestations of glory that were vailing the Light. This included a whirlwind, a great cloud, and a fire, making this revelation Sinaic in its appearance Let the reader understand, the focal point of the vision is always the shining Light coming from the Face of God! Even though it was vailed, it could be seen through the presence of a covering. Behind the whirlwind was a cloud, and behind the cloud was a fire, and behind the fire was the unapproachable Light! Therefore, speaking of the fire, Ezekiel said “a brightness was about it” The cloud in the Temple became a bright cloud, insomuch that the brightness filled the outer court. Similarly, at the river Chebar, the fire became a bright fire, and as the Light passed through the vailing presence of fire it was creating “the colour of amber”
Job the Patriarch
“I have heard of Thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth Thee. Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes.”— Job 42:5-6
Job the Patriarch encountered the LORD face to face in a pillar of cloud, in the form of a “whirlwind”, and he heard an audible voice proceeding out of the whirlwindThere is the hiding of His power! In response to seeing God, Job fell to the earth in prostration and abhorred himself in dust and ashes Of course, this is the be expected! Literally, God looked on Job out of the whirlwind and brought him low, to where he was hiding his face in the dust, exactly as described in Yes! God can look through clouds and fire God permitting, He also can be seen in the midst of them. Apparently, this isn’t the first time something like this happened in Biblical History. According to the glory of God visibly appeared during the destruction of the old world through the flood. Moreover, during the stormy tempest of rainclouds, a remnant of believers alongside Noah knew that the clouds were acting as a vail to cover the presence of Deity.
“He bindeth up the waters in His thick clouds; and the cloud is not rent under them. He holdeth back the face of his Throne, and spreadeth his cloud upon it.”
— Job 26:8-9
The Early Church of the first 2,000 years knew a lot about how God decks Himself with majesty and excellency and arrays Himself in glory and beauty These ancient believers even knew that clouds and whirlwinds acted as a vail to hide the face of the Throne of God, and the unapproachable Light of Deity sitting upon it. There is the hiding of His power! They also knew that no earthly creature could survive even a single glimpse of the Face of God. Not even the Leviathan! Speaking of the Leviathan, God said, “…shall not one be cast down even at the sight of him?” The point of argument was rhetorically punctuated, when the LORD said, “Who then is able to stand before Me?” Theoretically, if the vail was lifted and theclouds were removed, even the Leviathan would be instantly annihilated
The duty of the Mediator was to stand in between the LORD and the congregation of Israel, to receive the Word of God on their behalf and deliver it them, because it was too dangerous for the people to receive it for themselves.
