¹¹ But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things to come, He entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation; ¹² and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.

Type and anti-type. That is how theologians term the symbol and the thing symbolized. In this case, the symbol (type) is the OT system where a high priest enters the tabernacle (elaborate tent) to offer up sacrifice for the people once a year, that is, on the Day of Atonement. The Anti-type is Christ entering a “greater and more perfect tabernacle.” He is the real thing, of which the high priest at the Jewish tabernacle worship is a picture.

It is similar to a flat, black shadow of a man being cast on the ground during a sunny day—you can make out the silhouette and approximate likeness of the man in rudimentary form by observing the shadow. The glory of God in Christ has cast a shadow back in time, the outline of which is the multi-dimensional, colorful, but time and earth-bound image of the tabernacle and priestly service.

Scholars and students of the Word have spent considerable energy studying the “shadow” of the tabernacle. One might think, “Why spend time on the shadow, when we now have the real thing?” After all, we have already seen in Hebrews that, “He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature …” (Heb 1:3). However, the nature of the type and anti-type concept is that there is much to be learned by studying the type. Albeit the insights learned are subtle and are tuned to the soul that has moved beyond the milk of the Word and is ready for solid food (see Heb 5:13-14). It is like studying a recording of a classic symphony, and listening over and over, to discover new and fresh lines from different instruments. To be sure the symphony was meant to be enjoyed as a whole, but there is exquisite enjoyment in the details of the music. The same is true of the study of Christ.

When early in one’s faith walk, a believer discovers the large things about Christ, like His walking on water, raising the dead and healing the blind. His revolutionary teachings are riveting to the new believer, like turning the other cheek, not criticizing others before you first examine yourself and putting others first before yourself. But, there is so much more to learn of Christ and His glory. In the OT we see His glory depicted in the worship system.

Lord, open my eyes to see Christ in a “greater and more perfect” way. Like the disciples of old, “We wish to see Jesus” (John 12:21).