The heavenly temple, the abiding place of the King of kings, where "thousand thousands ministered unto Him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before Him" (Daniel 7:10), that temple filled with the glory of the eternal throne, where seraphim, its shining guardians, veil their faces in adoration--no earthly structure could represent its vastness and its glory. Yet important truths concerning the heavenly sanctuary and the great work there carried forward for man's redemption were to be taught by the earthly sanctuary and its services. After His ascension, our Saviour was to begin His work as our High Priest. Says Paul, "Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us." Hebrews 9:24. As Christ's ministration was to consist of two great divisions, each occupying a period of time and having a distinctive place in the heavenly sanctuary, so the typical ministration consisted of two divisions, the daily and the yearly service, and to each a department of the tabernacle was devoted.

Efter himmelfarten skulle vor frelser begynde sin gerning som vor ypperstepræst. Paulus siger: "Kristus gik ikke ind i en helligdom, som er gjort med hænder og kun er et billede af den sande, men ind i selve Himmelen for nu at træde frem for Guds åsyn til bedste for os." Heb. 9, 24. Ligesom Kristi tjeneste skulle bestå af to store dele, der hver optog en bestemt tid og foregik på hver sit sted i den himmelske helligdom, således bestod den forbilledlige tjeneste af to dele, den daglige og den årlige tjeneste, og til hver af dem var der bestemt en afdeling af tabernaklet.