The Consecration of the Tabernacle

By Pastor Chad

The universe was created to be a tabernacle of worship. The very purpose of the heavens and earth was to be a domain in which God was consistently and perpetually worshiped. You—a creature created in His image—were created to worship God. This truth is evident throughout all of Scripture, and is woven into the very fabric of our existence. Let me explain. 

In the ancient Jewish faith, the tabernacle or temple was the center of the Jewish worship. The tabernacle (and after that the temple) was regarded as the most sacred place on earth–and, indeed, it was. 

The tabernacle was modeled after a template from heaven. The author of Hebrews explains, “Thus it was necessary for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified…” (9:23a). That is, the earthly tabernacle is a sketch or shadow of the heavenly tabernacle. Now, that doesn’t mean that the earthly tabernacle or temple was exactly like the heavenly one, but the earthly tabernacle–given to Moses by God–was a representation of a tabernacle or temple in heaven. The tabernacle was a holy space consecrated for worship. It was a place in which the Hebrew people could encounter God. Yet, there was a problem. 

The fall of mankind has tainted or stained the creative purpose of the world. As a consequence, the tabernacle exemplifies that severance. Every day, the priest would offer sacrifices on behalf of the people. And every year, on the Day of Atonement, the high priest would enter into the Holy of Holies to offer a sacrifice to consecrate the earthly tabernacle/temple. On that day, the high priest would pour the blood of the sacrifice on the ark of the covenant, which represented the manifest presence of God to all the people. The high priest was the go-between. Not just anyone could enter into the Holy of Holies. Only the high priest could. This epitomizes the separation sin has caused between God and humanity, showing how sin hinders humanity from fulfilling our ultimate creative purpose. 

But Christ has solved this problem. Hebrews tells us, “[H]e has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many…” (9:26b-28a). Jesus, however, did not enter into the earthly tabernacle to offer a sacrifice on the Ark of the Covenant; rather, He entered into the original in heaven, into the very presence of God, and displayed His blood and scars as a propitiation for our sins. He does not have to sacrifice Himself repeatedly as the earthly high priest did. His sacrifice is of eternal significance. Again, as we have discussed quite a bit, the earthly sacrifice of animals could never pay for the sins of mankind. The creature cannot atone for the created. Only He who is eternal and uncreated can atone for the sins of the creation. Christ died once just as man dies once, but Jesus’ death has eternal significance because He is the Lamb of God. Now, the blood of Christ atones for their sins of all who repent and believe. As a consequence, all those atoned by the blood of Christ are able to worship and know God. 

The Apostle Paul writes, “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). Christians are not expecting or looking for a rebuilding of an earthly temple in Jerusalem. The wailing wall has historic significance, but it has no real spiritual importance. Why? Because God does not reside in temples made by human hands. No, Scripture tells us that our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit. And all who call upon the name of the Lord are consecrated by the blood of Christ. As holy tabernacles, we are now able to fulfill our purpose–we are able to worship God as we were created to do.