The roof of the tabernacle consisted of four layers of material.  The first covering placed over the tabernacle, and the only one which would be visible from the inside, was made of fine twined linen, embroidered with blue and purple and scarlet.  It covered the entire top of the tabernacle and hung over the sides almost to the ground.  Embroidered in the pattern of this linen sheet were the figures of cherubim overshadowing both the holy place and the holy of holies.  This beautiful curtain formed the ceiling of the tabernacle, visible only and exclusively from the inside.  Visible only to the worshiper who had by way of the altar and the laver been admitted into the sanctuary itself.  The outsider, on the outside of the tabernacle, saw nothing of its beauty.

The linen curtain which formed the ceiling represents Jesus in all the glory of His perfect righteousness and redemptive work.  The outside badger skins were Jesus in His humiliation, His humanity and His suffering on the cross of Calvary.  To see Jesus as the Son of God, the glorious Redeemer, we must see Him from within.  We must be IN CHRIST to His beauty, and the only way to be IN CHRIST is to come through the door, by way of the blood.

The curtain which formed the ceiling of the tabernacle was in four colors, blue, scarlet, purple and white.  Blue stands for Jesus' heavenly origin, scarlet for His sacrificial death, purple for His royal character and His regal nature, and white for His sinless righteousness and perfection.

In addition there were cherubim with outstretched wings hovering over the priest in the sanctuary as though watching every move he made.  Cherubim in the Bible are guardians of the holiness of God.  They are holy ones who are the attendants of the throne of God, and their song is given to us as "Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty."  Ezekiel tells us the cherubim were living creatures, which had four faces, the face of a man, a lion, an ox, and an eagle.

In this we have a picture of the four-fold character of the person of Jesus who is set forth by the shadow of the entire tabernacle in all of its detailed structure.

The face of a man speaks of His perfect humanity, the lion speaks of His Kingship and power, the ox is the symbol of sacrifice and service, and the eagle of the ability to see great distances and therefore speaks of omniscience.  All of this the believer sees in Jesus once he has entered by faith into Christ, and into the more perfect tabernacle by way of the altar and by way of the blood.  To the outsider all of this glory is completely hidden, and he cannot comprehend how we can be so in love with the beauty of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.