S.R. Revelation 21:1-4

Introduction

  1. Personal Questions:
    1. How do you feel when you parents offer to move into your bedroom?
    2. Guys, how do you feel when your wife suggests your mother-in-law move in with you?
    3. Would you like for God to move in and live with you? Would anything change?
    4. Would you like God to dwell in you?
    5. Certain risks and rewards revolve around God’s dwelling place.
  2. The tabernacle throughout history has pictured for us God’s desire to live among us.
    1. The book of Hebrews is built around the themes of the tabernacle, the priesthood, sacrifices and covenants.
    2. These themes recur throughout the Bible.
      1. They are known as “types” and their use throughout Scripture is called “typology.”
      2. Typology presumes that God is in control of history and that he uses types and shadows in one age to bring us to a greater reality in a later age.
        1. Hebrews 10:1 “The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming--not the realities themselves. For this reason it can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship.” (NIV)
    3. Types and Shadows are not limited to the Old and New Covenant but rather are:
      1. Earthly types and Heavenly realities.
      2. Many types reach back before the Mosaic covenant
    4. The narrative of the Tabernacle goes back to Eden.
  3. The books of Hebrews and Romans force us to look at the whole story of our spiritual heritage.
  4. Let us narrate the story of redemption by telling the story of the Tabernacle.

 

Outline

  1. In the Beginning
    1. Beginning at the end
      1. Revelation 21:1-4 “1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea.
      2. 2 And I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband.
      3. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them,
      4. 4 and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away."
      5. “So what’s the tabernacle doing there in heaven?”
    2. Tabernacle means – a dwelling place, a tent – type dwelling.
      1. Not necessarily always a sacred dwelling place.
      2. We think of camping in a tent. A tent of meeting.
    3. Tabernacle in Eden?
      1. No actual tabernacle was in the garden, but God and humans were dwelling together in fellowship.
      2. Adam and Eve had direct access to God before they sinned.
      3. Interestingly, cherubim were stationed at the entrance into the garden after they sinned.
      4. Cherubim were:
        1. woven into the curtains of the tabernacle (Exodus 36:35)
        2. Cherubim were over the Ark of the Covenant in the Most Holy Place.
        3. Four living creatures surrounded the throne of God (Revelation 4:6-9)
      5. Garden of Eden and heaven (the ultimate temple of God) comparisons:
        1. Described as Paradise (2:7)
        2. Tree of life (22:1)
        3. River of life (22:2)
    4. God among His children. Paradise of Eden – the garden of God where humans enjoyed perfect fellowship with God prior to choosing sin and Satan.
      1. “If it were not for Genesis 3 the Bible would have ended at Genesis 2.”
      2. God’s response to sin in chapter 3 is the plan of redemption for all who would choose fellowship with God on His terms.
      3. The casting out of the garden of Adam and Eve was real and symbolic punishment.
        1. Humans were being separated from the presence of God
        2. Fear and shame for their sins were already causing a rupture in their friendship with God before removal (Genesis 3:7-11). [fear, hiding]
        3. Priests in the Aaronic order bore fear and shame for sin as they served before God’s presence in the Mosaic tabernacle.
    5. Sinfulness grows and leads to destruction (Genesis 6-11)
  2. Tabernacle and Promise (Genesis 12, 15, 17, 22)
    1. The curse that accompanied the sin of Adam brought separation.
    2. The blessing through the seed of Abraham would bring about a re-uniting­ of God and man.
      1. The separation caused by our sins would be resolved by the sacrifice of the Seed.
      2. The story of the tabernacle is that of fulfilling the Seed Promise to Abraham.
  3. Tabernacle and Covenant
    1. The descendants of Abraham eventually find themselves enslaved in Egypt.
      1. God had not forgotten his promise (cf. Genesis 15:13-14)
      2. God was preparing His people to follow His lead by providing at Sinai a Covenant, A Law and a Tent of Meeting (Tabernacle).
      3. Just as soon as the covenant was ratified God instructed His people to:
        1. Construct a sanctuary for Me, that I may dwell among them” (Exodus 25:8).
        2. Exodus 29:45-4645 Then I will dwell among the Israelites and be their God. 46 They will know that I am the LORD their God, who brought them out of Egypt so that I might dwell among them. I am the LORD their God.”
        3. The reason God brought His people out of Egypt was that He might dwell among them.
        4. The next 16 chapters are about following the pattern of how to construct the dwelling place of God.
        5. Exodus 40:33-3533 Then Moses set up the courtyard around the tabernacle and altar and put up the curtain at the entrance to the courtyard. And so Moses finished the work. 34 Then the cloud covered the Tent of Meeting, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. 35 Moses could not enter the Tent of Meeting because the cloud had settled upon it, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.”
    2. God dwelling with Israel was risky business.
      1. Exodus 33:5 “For the LORD had said to Moses, "Say to the sons of Israel, 'You are an obstinate people; should I go up in your midst for one moment, I would destroy you. Now therefore, put off your ornaments from you, that I may know what I shall do with you.”
        1. If God were in their midst during rebellion He would destroy them.
      2. Breaking Covenant with God (Exodus 32) would not go unpunished
        1. Cf. Exodus 32:28,33
        2. Archeological discoveries have indicated that during the times of Moses (1445 BC) ruling nations would make two copies of a treaty (covenant) with a vassal nation. The Lord (suzerain) nation would keep one and the vassal (servant) nation would keep one.
        3. Note two tablets of stone (Numbers 31:18) written by the Lord.
        4. Two copies of the commandments. Perhaps one was God’s copy and one was Israel’s copy.
        5. Both were kept in the ark, (2 Chronicles 5:10).
          1. God’s copy in the place of His dwelling was in the same place as a copy for the children. He intended to dwell among them.
      3. Prior to the completion of the tabernacle, a “tent of meeting” was erected outside the camp in which God spoke to Moses. (Exodus 33:7-11)
      4. It is not necessarily SAFE for God to dwell among His people. But He is absolutely good.
      5. From The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. C.S. Lewis
        1. "Aslan is a lion- the Lion, the great Lion." "Ooh" said Susan. "I'd thought he was a man. Is he-quite safe? I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion"..."Safe?" said Mr. Beaver ..."Who said anything about safe? 'Course he isn't safe. But he's good. He's the King, I tell you."
      6. God’s dwelling with us requires holiness and obedience.
        1. Exodus 39: “just as” (8 times) “So the sons of Israel did all the work according to all that the LORD had commanded Moses.” (39:42)
        2. Leviticus 10: 2-32 And fire came out from the presence of the LORD and consumed them, and they died before the LORD. 3 Then Moses said to Aaron, "It is what the LORD spoke, saying, 'By those who come near Me I will be treated as holy, And before all the people I will be honored.'" So Aaron, therefore, kept silent.”
        3. We dare not trifle with any of God’s details. It is to disregard His holiness.
    3. By the end of the month (Exodus 40:17 and Numbers 1:1) the children of Israel and especially the Levites have received extensive information, commands and directives regarding how to dwell among a holy God.
      1. The theme of Leviticus is “you shall be holy for I am holy.” (11:44; etc.)
      2. By the book of Numbers 10:17 the tabernacle is disassembled and the people are marching at the direction of God.
      3. It would be reassembled and pitched wherever God directed as they journeyed to a land he had promised to their forefathers and to them.
    4. God has placed himself symbolically in the very center of the camp of Israel.
      1. His tent is surrounded by the tribes on the north , south, east and west.
      2. A high degree of planning and communication was critical to moving forward.
      3. Underlying Principles to Consider:
    5. God came down to His people to begin the process of reconciliation.
      1. They could not climb up to gain God’s fellowship (Deuteronomy 30:10-14)
        1. 10 if you obey the LORD your God and keep his commands and decrees that are written in this Book of the Law and turn to the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul. 11 Now what I am commanding you today is not too difficult for you or beyond your reach. 12 It is not up in heaven, so that you have to ask, "Who will ascend into heaven to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?" …14 No, the word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart so you may obey it.”
        2. (cf. Romans 10:6-8)
      2. God was not far from the children of Israel, but others were still far off.
    6. This restoration of fellowship with God was only partial and provisional
      1. Even though God desired to dwell among his people the large majority of Israelites were forbidden from coming into his presence.
      2. Only the priest could enter the front part of this holy tent.
      3. Only the high priest could enter the Most Holy Place and that, “once a year” and only after extensive sacrifices were made.
      4. This limited dwelling and presence of God was enjoyed by a very small group, when in fact it was all mankind that needed restoration.
      5. It was a start, a beginning in God’s purpose to restore fellowship between Himself and all people.
    7. The Covenant given by God through Moses was a temporary solution.
      1. The law was holy and good (Romans 7:12), but the sacrifices were only temporary and at best could only provide provisional forgiveness.
        1. Hebrews 10:4 “because it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.”
      2. Thus the restoration of fellowship was also limited, temporary and provisional.
    8. It was not, however, just a provisional solution. It was a prototype of the real solution that God would provide through the sacrifice of His son, Jesus.
      1. So the fellowship provided by God dwelling in the tabernacle was a shadow of the greater restoration that would come in Christ.
      2. God intended to dwell in His people, the church.
      3. It was also the prototype of the true sanctuary of God in heaven.
        1. Hebrews 8:1-2 “1 Now the main point in what has been said is this: we have such a high priest, who has taken His seat at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens, 2 a minister in the sanctuary and in the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, not man.
        2. Hebrews 8:5 “Make all things according to the pattern.”
          1. It was imperative that the blueprint of the reality in heaven be carefully followed in constructing a dwelling place for God on earth.
          2. The tabernacle served as an earthly temporary model of God’s true throne and sanctuary in heaven.
          3. Hebrews 9:23-2523 Therefore it was necessary for the copies of the things in the heavens to be cleansed with these, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. 24 For Christ did not enter a holy place made with hands, a mere copy of the true one, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us; 25 nor was it that He would offer Himself often, as the high priest enters the holy place year by year with blood that is not his own.”
    9. The Mosaic Covenant was not only limited, it was a fragile solution.
      1. It was based upon the obedience of the Israelites to the covenant.
      2. It was conditional.
        1. If they did not continue to obey, God would destroy their cities and sanctuaries and reject their sacrifices.
        2. Leviticus 26:31 “I will turn your cities into ruins and lay waste your sanctuaries, and I will take no delight in the pleasing aroma of your offerings.”
      3. This would include not only the illegitimate (unlawful) sanctuaries, but also the true sanctuary where God had dwelt.
      4. Simple principle: God is holy and cannot dwell in the presence of sin.
      5. God would be compelled to leave, to move out of his sanctuary regardless of how many sacrifices were offered.
  4. Conclusion:
    1. From Tabernacle to Temple (Next Time)
    2. Would you like for God to move in and live with you?
    3. Did God once live in you, but, because of your persistent devotion to idols, has moved out of your life?
    4. God’s desire throughout time:
      1. 2 Cor. 6:16-1816 What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: "I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people." 17 "Therefore come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you." 18 "I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty."
      2. For God to come and live with us each of us must come to him through faith in Jesus Christ.
      3. Galatians 3:26-2926 You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, 27 for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.”