Mixtures of Colors

In previous sections we have studied the correlation between various colors and various bible subjects. Sometimes we see colors mixed together in the scriptures to give us a portrait of various things. The most common mixtures are of gold, blue, purple, scarlet and white. Some things that contain these mixtures are the garments of the high priest, the covering of the tabernacle, the veil of the tabernacle and temple, the door of the tabernacle, and the gate of the court yard to the tabernacle. We will examine these things in the next few essays to see how the colors portray the character of these things.

While many people are aware of the veil between the holy place and the most holy place in the tabernacle and in the temple, yet there is a hanging in the entrance into the holy place. This is described in Ex. 26:36, 27 "And thou shalt make an hanging for the door of the tent, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen, wrought with needlework. And thou shalt make for the hanging five pillars of shittim wood, and overlay them with gold, and their hooks shall be of gold: and thou shalt cast five sockets of brass for them."

While the way into the holiest of all was restricted to allow for entrance of the High Priest only, yet the door into the holy place allowed for both the High Priest and the priests to enter and worship and serve in the holy place.

In the tabernacle and in the temple there are many sign pictures of both the Lord and the church. The above description of the door to the tent gives us a sign picture of a particular aspect of the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ. It gives us a picture of certain aspects of entrance into the church for worship.

The Lord told the woman at the well: John 4:24 "God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth." True worship is not designed to give any praise, honor, or glory unto man. It is designed to give all praise, honor, and glory unto God. As we have seen previously the blue, purple, scarlet, fine twined linen, and gold speaks to us of the Lord Jesus Christ and his work in redeeming his people from their sins. We summarize the significance of these colors concerning the work of Jesus Christ in redeeming his people from their sins:

1. blue – associated with the law or commandment of God. The Lord said: Mat. 5:18 "For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled." The Lord came to fulfill all the law and thus make himself the perfect sacrifice for the sins of his people.

2. purple – associated with royalty. Jesus came as the King of kings and came as the Great and Royal King to redeem his people (royalty) from their sins.
3. scarlet – associated with war and sacrifice. Jesus alone fought the war to deliver his covenant people from their great enemies: sin, death, devil, hell, and the grave. He did this when he shed his blood (scarlet) on the cross of Calvary and then arose the third day a victor over death, hell, grave, sin and Satan.

4. fine linen – associated with the righteousness of the saints. Rev. 19:8 "And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints." This righteousness of the saints is an imputed righteousness given unto them by the sacrificial atonement of Christ: 2 Cor. 5:21 "For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him."

5. gold – associated with the subject of kings and kingdoms. Jesus came into this world as a king and he established his kingdom here on earth. He now lives and reigns as a king over his kingdom (the church).

From the above, we can see the hangings speak to us of the reason that we come to worship Christ for what he has done for us. Further, there are five pillars of shittim wood on which the hangings hang. Five is the bible number associated with death. Jesus died for us to redeem us from our sins. Further, the overlaid gold and the hooks speak to us of the fact that we have a dual nature (shittim wood representing the flesh nature; gold representing the kingly or godly nature we receive in the new birth). The gold speaks to the fact that we are the born again children of God and are made kings and priests unto God: Rev. 1:5, 6 "And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen."

Moreover, there is a cost we pay for entering into God's kingdom for worship of the true God and Christ which is illustrated to us in the use of the brass (sufferings): Acts 14:22 "Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God."