Inside the Holy was the golden lampstand, the table for showbread and the altar of incense. When in his public ministry Jesus walked on earth for three and a half years, he was also in the condition represented by the antitypical “Holy” of God’s great spiritual temple. He was enlightened with spiritual light as by a lampstand, he received supplies of spiritual food as from the table of showbread, and he offered up prayers and praise to his Father, as if they were incense.​—Luke 4:1; 6:12, 13; John 4:32; 5:19, 20; Heb. 5:7.

BRINGING INCENSE INTO THE MOST HOLY

The high priest of Israel went into the tabernacle several times during the Atonement Day proceedings, as shown at Leviticus chapter 16. The first entry was with a censer of hot coals upon which incense was put. (Lev. 16:12, 13) How was this fulfilled by Jesus Christ? Of course, this did not mean that Christ went into heaven before his sacrifice was finished. Rather, the entry with incense being the first one showed that it pictured something prerequisite to, and more important than, Jesus’ offering the value of his sacrifice in heaven for the purchase of mankind. What was this?

Here was foreshadowed Christ’s maintaining of integrity under test, thus proving that a man can maintain perfect faith and obedience to God. Jesus thereby exposed the Devil as a liar in his charge that God was not ruling righteously toward all his intelligent creatures, that these were serving him either from selfishness or under coercion, not out of love and true loyalty.​—Job 1:9-11; 2:4, 5; Gen. 3:1-5.

Jesus stated his primary purpose in coming to earth when he said: “For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth.” (John 18:37) He maintained integrity, proving Satan a liar. (John 12:31; 14:30) Had Jesus failed in this he himself would have lost his life and could not have ransomed mankind. Just as the high priest brought incense into the Most Holy, so Jesus zealously offered up prayers, service and unblemished devotion to God throughout his whole ministry.