HOW DID THE OLD TESTAMENT JEWISH TEMPLE SYMBOLIZE JESUS? With God's temple, the Israelites were not allowed to come and go as they pleased. There was a gate that symbolized having to go through Jesus Christ to get to heaven, along with the bronze laver (basin) full of water for cleansing their hands, as Jesus cleanses us from sin. They had an alter for sacrifice, which pointed to Jesus' sacrifice on the cross. Only the high priest could get into the the most holy place, which symbolized the high priest for all Christians: Jesus. Also, inside the holy place was the showbread that symbolized the bread of life, which is Jesus. And they had the light because Jesus is the light of the world. The parallels go on and on with God saying there is only one way to come to Him because God is clean (holy) and we are unclean (unholy). So, God was again using His Jewish people to make a point for everyone to understand.