(2.) Under the Mosaic economy, the people were not admitted to either sanctuary.  They could approach God only through the mediation of the priests.  The priests themselves entered the outer sanctuary daily to burn incense and perform the other prescribed services; but the high priest alone was permitted to enter the most holy place once every year with the blood of the sin-offering.  This represented that, under the old dispensation, the way of access to God on the part of sinners was not yet made manifest.  In respect to the holy of holies, we have the express statement of inspiration:  “But into the second went the high priest alone once every year, not without blood, which he offered for himself, and for the errors of the people:  the Holy Ghost this signifying, that the way into the holiest of all was not yet made manifest, while as the first tabernacle was yet standing.”  Heb. 9:7, 8.  By parity of reason, the principle holds good in respect to the exclusion of the people from the outer sanctuary.  We are informed, accordingly, that when Christ cried upon the cross with a loud voice, “It is finished,” and gave up the ghost, “the vail of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom.”  Matt. 27:50, 51; Mark 15:37, 38; Luke 23:45, 46.  By this was signified that now the way of access to God was opened through Christ’s blood to all believers; so that they constitute a spiritual priesthood, having access to God within the vail without the help of any earthly mediation, that they may there “offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.”  Heb. 7:25; 10:19, 20; 1 Pet. 2:5, 9; Rev. 1:6.

(3.) The typical character of the tabernacle appears very strikingly in the ceremonies of the great day of atonement.  Lev. chap. 16.  After the high-priest had first offered a sin-offering for himself, and sprinkled its blood in the inner sanctuary upon and before the mercy-seat seven times, he brought the two goats that had been appointed for the expiation of the people, one for a sin-offering, the other for a scape-goat, the office of each being determined by lot.  When he had slain the goat of the sin-offering, he carried its blood into the most holy place, and sprinkled it also seven times upon and before the mercy-seat, to “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 (ver. 16).”  Then it was directed that the live goat should be brought:  “And Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions in all their sins, putting them upon the head of the goat, and shall send him away by the hand of a fit man into the wilderness.  And the goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities into a land not inhabited; and he shall let go the goat in the wilderness.”  Ver. 21, 22.  By this double ceremonial was signified, first, that Christ should expiate our sins by