Disciples Digital Library

In the prologue of John’s gospel, Jesus is identified as the Logos , the “ word made flesh ” in whom the “ glory of God ” now resides. He is the Greater Tabernacle foreshadowed by the Tent in the wilderness, the place where Yahweh’s glory is manifested. And this declaration anticipates John’s later passages that link the Nazarene to the Father.

The prologue of  John  introduces key themes of his gospel -  Life, Light, Witness, Truth , and  Grace . Jesus is the Light of the world, the source of Grace and Truth, the True Tabernacle, the only born Son of God, and the only one who has seen the Father. It concludes by declaring that he is the only one who is qualified to interpret the unseen God.

All God’s mysteries are revealed in Jesus, so, are we looking for revelation in the right places? - Romans 16:25.  In the contemporary church, there are discussions and even claims about discovering new “revelations” of God by accessing the “spirit realm” via visions, dreams, and the like, insights into things beyond what is recorded in the New Testament.

The letter to the Hebrews exhorts believers not to abandon Jesus when difficult times come. It does so by emphasizing the superiority of what God has done in His Son, especially by comparing the old Levitical system with its imperfect provisions to the perfect priesthood and sacrifice of Jesus, and the new covenant he inaugurated by his death and resurrection.

Jesus, the Word become flesh, is the interpretive key that opens the Hebrew scriptures and the book of Revelation .  Jesus is the one who unveils the plans and mysteries of God, and only he is qualified to reveal the nature of the “ unseen God .” In him, all the promises of God find their fulfillment. He is the  INTERPRETIVE KEY  that unlocks the Hebrew scriptures and provides the correct understanding of prophecy, and this is especially so in the book of  Revelation .

The gospel of  John  identifies Jesus as the  Logos , the “ word ” by which God made all things, a key theme that is explicated in the body of the book. In doing so, John does not engage in metaphysical speculation but builds on traditional ideas from the Hebrew Bible about how Yahweh created the universe and gave life through His spoken word.

The prologue of John’s Gospel presents key themes that are explained in the book. And most critically, Jesus is the “ word made flesh ” in whom life and light are found. He is the true “ tabernacle ” where God’s “ glory ” dwells. And John employs imagery from the history of Israel to illustrate what God did in His “ only born Son .”

According to the apostle John, “ life ” is in the “ word ,” and that life is the “ light of men .” At present, it is “ shining in the darkness ,” and the darkness “ cannot seize ” it. This same “ word ” has been “ made flesh ” and become the living word in Jesus of Nazareth. In him, the glory and life of God are manifested.

Jesus is the Greater and Final Temple foreshadowed by the ancient Tabernacle and the later Temple in Jerusalem .  Jesus is the true sanctuary that was foreshadowed in the ancient religious structures and worship rituals of Israel. He is the dwelling place of God’s presence and glory, and the true and final mediator between heaven and earth. Christ is the temple “ made without hands ” that was destroyed by evil men but restored when his Father raised him from among the dead.

The fullness, grace, and truth of God are found only in the Word made Flesh, namely, Jesus of Nazareth  – John 1:14-18.  The prologue to John’s gospel introduces several key themes -  Life ,  Light ,  Witness ,  Truth , and  Grace .  Jesus is the  Light of the world , the source of  Grace and Truth , the  True Tabernacle , the  only born Son of God , and the only one who has  seen the Father .  It concludes by declaring that he is the only one who is qualified to  interpret  the unseen God.

Jesus is the True and Greater Tabernacle in whom the presence and glory of God reside and manifest for all men to behold  – John 1:14.  The gospel of  John  presents Jesus as the dwelling place of God, the  Greater Tabernacle  where his glory is seen. Moreover, the worship desired of men by the Father takes place “ in the spirit and truth .” Access to His presence is no longer limited to the Temple in Jerusalem or the Tabernacle in the wilderness.