Spiritual Significance of the Tabernacle

The deep thought of the Gospel of John is that Christ, the incarnate God, came as the embodiment of God, as illustrated by the tabernacle (John 1:14) and the temple (2:21), so that man could contact Him and enter into Him to enjoy the riches contained in God.  Both the  tabernacle and the temple had an outer court, a Holy Place, and a Holy of Holies.

Therefore, John points out first that Christ was the Lamb (who took away sin 1:29) offered on the altar, which signifies the cross, in the outer court of the tabernacle, and then that He was like the bronze serpent (which caused man to have life) lifted up on the pole (3:14), which signifies the cross. This shows how Christ in His redemption was received by His believers that they might be delivered from sin and obtain life and might enter into Him as the embodiment of God, typified by the tabernacle, to enjoy all the riches that are in God. The foot-washing in John 13 may be considered the washing in the laver in the outer court of the tabernacle, which washed away the earthly defilement of those who drew near to God, so that their fellowship with God and with one another could be maintained.

In John 14 those who receive Christ are brought by Him into the Holy Place to experience Him as the bread of life (6:35), signified by the shewbread, and as the light of life (8:12; 9:5), signified by the lampstand.

Eventually, in John 17, through the highest and most mysterious prayer, which is typified by the burning incense on the golden incense altar, those who enjoy Christ as life and as light are brought by Him into the Holy of Holies to enter with Him into the deepest enjoyment of God and to enjoy the glory that God has given Him (17:22-24).

And the Word became flesh and tabernacled among us (John 1:14)

The Word, by being incarnated, not only brought God into humanity but also became a tabernacle to God as God's habitation on earth among men.

[The New Testament Recovery Version, John 1:14, Footnotes 2-3, The Living Stream Ministry]

And I heard a loud voice out of the throne, saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will tabernacle with them, and they will be His peoples, and God Himself will be with them and be their God.  (Revelation 21:3)

As God's habitation, the New Jerusalem will be the tabernacle of God with men for eternity.  The tabernacle made by Moses was a type of this tabernacle (Exo. 25:8-9; Lev. 26:11).  That type was first fulfilled in Christ as God's tabernacle among men (John 1:14) and will eventually be fulfilled in the fullest way in the New Jerusalem, which will be the enlargement of Christ as God's dwelling place.  This tabernacle will also be the eternal dwelling place of God's redeemed people.  God will overshadow us with Christ.  Hence, the New Jerusalem will be a mutual habitation for both God and us.

Christ is the tabernacle of God (John 1:14), and the New Jerusalem, as the ultimate enlargement of Christ, will be God's eternal tabernacle (21:2-3), in which all God's redeemed ones will dwell with Him forever.  God will overshadow them with Himself as

the One who is embodied in Christ. Christ, as the embodiment of God, will be their tabernacle.  

[The New Testament Recovery Version, Revelation 21:3 Footnote 1 and Revelation 7:15 Footnote 3, The Living Stream Ministry]

And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them.  9  According to all that I show you, [after] the pattern of the tabernacle, and the pattern of all the instruments thereof, even so shall you make [it]. (Exodus 25.8-9)