The Tabernacle

In the Beginning

I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.—Revelation 21:3

Bible Students have long been fascinated by ancient Israel’s Tabernacle with its rites and ceremonies. And well they might be. The Tabernacle’s detailed plans came from God himself.

Christians today see lessons for themselves in even the minutiae of the description given to us in the Scriptures. Yet serious students differ on some aspects of that ancient arrangement because many details are missing. In a few instances in this issue, one author’s idea about a detail may not agree with that advanced by another. Our readers should consider the evidence and decide for themselves what constitutes the correct viewpoint.

In spite of the need to guess about such things as the actual size of the laver, say, or whether hangings are to be suspended on the front or back side of pillars, full-sized Tabernacle models can be seen in Arkansas, Pennsylvania, Israel, and a number of other places.

The first article covers the time of the Israelites’ exodus from Egypt and the need to cleanse the nation so God could dwell among them. Subsequent articles treat the design of the Court, the Holy and the Most Holy in the Tabernacle proper, the priesthood, and the Levites who were devoted to the nation’s religious service. We conclude with a verse-by-verse study of Hebrews chapter 9. Of the New Testament books Hebrews has the most to say about the Tabernacle.

All things recorded in the biblical history of ancient Israel are for our admonition (1 Corinthians 10:11). A careful student can learn much about living a Christian life today as he examines these “types and shadows.” We all look forward with anticipation to the future time described by John the Revelator when “the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them . . . and be their God!”