Exodus 28:33
And beneath upon the hem of it thou shalt make pomegranates of blue, and of purple, and of scarlet, round about the hem thereof; and bells of gold between them round about: And beneath upon the hem of it thou shalt make pomegranates of blue, and of purple, and of scarlet, round about the hem thereof; and bells of gold between them round about:
The verse describes the hem of the high priest's blue robe, woven in one piece and worn over the common linen dress, made of costly material with beautiful workmanship for his exalted station and trimmed all around with golden bells and pomegranates of blue and purple and scarlet set alternately, bell and pomegranate. The bells sounded while he ministered alone in the inner apartment before the mercy seat, which he could enter only once a year after most careful and solemn preparation, while the people waited outside in solemn silence and earnest prayer, fearing him slain if he lingered and rejoicing when the tinkling was heard as he came out alive to bless them. The bell and pomegranate identify Jesus as the great High Priest, fulfilled in His entering the Most Holy Place in heaven when the Holy Place ministration ended in 1844 at the close of the 2300 days, whom believers follow by faith and prayer to receive the Holy Ghost with light and power and love and joy and peace. While He intercedes for Israel the alternating bell and pomegranate on His garment mean His priestly work is still going on and not finished, and He will not leave the Most Holy until every case is decided for salvation or destruction, only then laying aside His priestly attire for garments of vengeance and stepping out from between the Father and man. The tinkling heard as He moves out marks the finishing of His intercession, when restraint is removed and wrath is poured out in plagues upon the shelterless guilty while the saints live without an intercessor. The special specification of these garments shows God has a preference concerning the dress of those who minister for Him, requiring clean, orderly, reverent apparel in accordance with their sacred work that honors Him and represents Him to the people.
The Robe's Hem Described
The skirt described is the hem of the high priest's blue robe, woven in one piece and worn over the linen dress of the common priest. It was made of costly material with beautiful workmanship befitting his exalted station. Around its hem were golden bells and pomegranates of blue and purple and scarlet, placed alternately, a bell and a pomegranate, round about the bottom of the garment.
The chapter belongs to instruction given by Christ as the great I AM enshrouded in the pillar of cloud, as the greatest of all teachers educating His church in the wilderness. It gives the outline of God's expressed will and the higher education after the divine similitude, for the mental, physical, and moral improvement of the whole being, for the formation of right sentiments, and for the development of practical usefulness. It tells God's covenant with the people He is seeking to save, the terms of salvation, and the education of most value for present and eternal good as citizens of heaven, giving correct knowledge as its lessons are practically worked out, habituating the mind to dwell upon and observe God's teaching, strengthening the mental powers, and working upon the highest principles.
The bells sounded while the high priest ministered alone in the inner apartment, the dwelling-place of God's visible glory. That apartment he could enter only once a year, and only after the most careful and solemn preparation, to converse with God before the mercy-seat. While he went in with trembling, the people waited outside in solemn silence with hearts uplifted in earnest prayer for the divine blessing. If he remained an unusual time in the most holy they were terrified, fearing that because of their sins or some sin of the priest the glory of the Lord had slain him. When the tinkling of the bells upon his garments was heard as he came out from before God's presence they were greatly relieved that he lived, and he then came forth and returned to bless them.
Christ's Heavenly High Priesthood
The bell and pomegranate around the hem mark Jesus as the great High Priest, and the pattern is fulfilled in what He wears as He passes from the first apartment into the second in heaven. After the ministration in the holy place ends in 1844 at the close of the 2300 days, He leaves the throne and goes to the Father to receive the kingdom, entering the Most Holy Place in a robe with bell and pomegranate alternating around its bottom. Believers on earth follow Him there by faith and prayer, and receive from Him the Holy Ghost with light, power, love, joy, and peace.
While He intercedes for Israel in the heavenly most holy place, the alternating bell and pomegranate on the hem of His garment show that His priestly work is still going on and is not finished. He will not leave the Most Holy Place until every case is decided either for salvation or for destruction. Only when that work is finished does He lay aside His priestly attire and clothe Himself with the garments of vengeance and step out from between the Father and man. Then God no longer keeps silent but pours out His wrath, which cannot come while Jesus still wears the priestly robe.
The tinkling of the bells heard as He moves out of the most holy place marks the finishing of His work there and the closing of His intercession between guilty man and God, after every case is decided. Restraint is then removed, Satan gains entire control of the finally impenitent, and darkness covers the earth. The plagues break upon the shelterless guilty who rejected salvation, while the saints live in the sight of a holy God without an intercessor.
Ordered Ministry and Dress
The hem with its bells and pomegranates belongs to God's special, distinct specification of what the garments of those who ministered in His service should be. He required a particular style for doing service in the holy place and for ministering in the priest's office. Those garments were to be in accordance with their work.
Their apparel was part of an ordered, clean, and reverent ministry. What they wore could honor or dishonor God. Their orderly appearance and service helped the people recognize God's holiness and the sacredness of His work. The detailed, symbolic directions for Aaron's garments and the care given to them show that God has a preference concerning the dress of those who serve Him, and Christ's followers too should dress in a way that represents Him.