The earthy Tabernacle and its furnishings were designed to be “signs” and “shadows” of heavenly realities (Heb. 8:5).

The earthy Tabernacle and its furnishings were designed to be “signs” and “shadows” of heavenly realities (Heb. 8:5). Moses was repeatedly commanded to make the Sanctuary according to the "pattern" revealed at Sinai (Exod. 25:9,40). At the inmost center of the earthly Tabernacle, the place symbolizing utmost holiness, was the Ark of the Covenant (???????????????), a "three-in-one" box that held the tablets of the covenant. The Ark served as a symbol of kisei ha-kavod (??????? ?????????), God’s Throne of Glory, since it stood entirely apart as the only furnishing in the Holy of Holies (????? ????????????). Upon the crown or cover of the Ark (i.e., the kapporet) were fashioned two cherubim (i.e., angel-like figures) that faced one another (Exod. 25:17-18). According to the Talmud (Succah 5b), each cherub had the face of a child - one boy and one girl - and their wings spread heavenward as their eyes gazed upon the cover (Exod. 25:20; 1 Pet. 1:12). It was here - in the midst of sacred innocence, humility, purity, and hope - that the sacrificial blood was offered to make atonement for our sins, and it was here where God's Voice would be heard (Exod. 25:22; Num. 7:89). In the very heart of the Sanctuary, then, we see the Word of God and the sacrficial blood, foreshadowing the glory of the eternal redemption secured by Yeshua. As is written in our Scriptures: "For Messiah has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are representations (?ντ?τυπο?) of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf" (Heb. 9:24). [Hebrew for Christians]