The True Tabernacle

Jesus is the Greater Tabernacle in whom the presence and glory of God reside and manifest for all men to see – John 1:14.

The Gospel of John presents Jesus as the place where the glory of God is revealed, the Greater and Final Tabernacle in which His presence dwells permanently. With the advent of Jesus Christ, the worship of men desired by the Father is no longer limited to man-made structures, geographic locations, or the annual calendar and seasons – (Genesis 1:14-18, Galatians 4:8-10).

Because of the Death and Resurrection of Jesus and the outpouring of the Gift of the Spirit on the Church, worship now takes place “in the spirit and truth” regardless of where we are located. Men and women experience the majesty of God and behold His nature in the Son of God:

• “For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake, seeing it is God who said, Light will shine out of darkness, who shined in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” – (2 Corinthians 4:5-6).

[Tent - Photo by Valery Sysoev (Turkey) on Unsplash]

The declaration of John that the ‘Logos’ or Word by which God created all things became flesh echoes the incident at Mount Sinai when God inscribed His ten “words” on the stone tablets that were housed later in the Tabernacle or “Tent of Witness.” This ‘Logos’ now dwells forevermore with His people through Jesus Christ:

• “And the Word became flesh and tabernacled among us. We beheld his glory, the glory as of an only-born from a father” – (John 1:14).

The Greek verb translated as “tabernacled” in John 1:14 is ‘skénoō’ (Strong’s Concordance - #G4637), meaning “to tabernacle; to pitch or erect a tent.” It is related to the noun ‘skéné’ or “tent,” the same Greek noun used for the Tabernacle erected by Moses in the Greek Septuagint version of the Book of Exodus.

And so, God dwells or “tabernacles” among His people in and because of His Son. Yahweh commanded the nation of Israel to “construct a Sanctuary for me that I may dwell among them.” What the Ancient Tabernacle foreshadowed became reality in Christ, “the Word made flesh” - (Exodus 25:8-9, 33:7-11).

God’s presence was manifested outside the Tabernacle in the pillar of cloud by day, and in the pillar of fire by night. Just as Yahweh revealed His presence among the people of Israel, so He now makes His habitation among His New Covenant people - (Exodus 40:34-35, Numbers 9:15-23).

GRACE AND TRUTH

This same Jesus is “full of grace and truth.” This statement continues the imagery from Exodus. Moses asked Yahweh to show him his “glory.” However, no man could “see His face and live.”

Because of this, God placed Moses in the “cleft of a rock” as He passed by, permitting him only to glimpse His “back” as He descended in the cloud and passed before the Lawgiver, proclaiming:

• “Yahweh, Yahweh, a God of compassion and grace, slow to anger and abundant in loving-kindness and faithfulness” - (Exodus 33:17-23, 34:1-6).

• “We beheld his glory, <…> full of grace and truth” – (John 1:14).

Today, the glory and nature of God are revealed in Jesus rather than glimpsed momentarily from a distance or in passing clouds and flashes of fire. Christ’s disciples behold the true and lasting glory of God face-to-face in Christ, and not just God’s “backside.” The God of Israel and Moses manifests His unfiltered glory, grace, and truth through His Son.

• “These are they who are coming out of the great tribulation, and they washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore, they are before the throne of God, and they serve him day and night in his sanctuary. And He who is sitting on the throne will spread his tabernacle over them. They will hunger no more, neither thirst any longer; neither will the sun strike upon them, nor any heat. For the Lamb that is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them, and he will guide them to fountains of living waters. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes” – (Revelation 7:14-17).

No longer is the Divine Presence restricted to man-made or temporary structures. Jesus is the fulfillment of everything that the original Tabernacle and the later Temple foreshadowed, and much more. The glory of God reflected in the Nazarene is full, visible, and available for all men to behold, both now and forevermore.

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SEE ALSO:

• Seeing the Unseen God - (Only Jesus has seen the unseen God; therefore, Christ alone is fully qualified to reveal and interpret his Father)

• The Fullness of God - (The fullness, grace, and truth of God are found only in the Word made Flesh, namely, Jesus of Nazareth – John 1:14-18)

• The Divine Glory - (Since the Word became flesh, the Divine Glory has been manifested in Jesus of Nazareth, and all who follow him behold it – John 1:14)

• The Word Became Flesh - (Jesus is the Word made flesh, the Greater Tabernacle where the glory of God is manifested and resides forevermore – John 1:14)