The term "Tabernacle of Christ" is not explicitly found in the Bible, but it is a concept that can be understood through the study of biblical typology and the fulfillment of Old Testament symbols in the New Testament. The Tabernacle, as described in the Old Testament, was a portable sanctuary used by the Israelites as a place of worship and the dwelling place of God's presence among His people. This concept finds its ultimate fulfillment in the person and work of Jesus Christ.

Old Testament Background

The Tabernacle, also known as the Tent of Meeting, was constructed according to the divine instructions given to Moses on Mount Sinai (Exodus 25-31). It served as the central place of worship for the Israelites during their wilderness journey and until the construction of Solomon's Temple. The Tabernacle was a sacred space where sacrifices were offered, and it housed the Ark of the Covenant, which represented God's covenant with His people.

The structure of the Tabernacle included the Outer Court, the Holy Place, and the Most Holy Place (Holy of Holies), where the presence of God dwelt above the mercy seat on the Ark of the Covenant. The Tabernacle was a foreshadowing of the coming Messiah, who would embody the presence of God among His people in a more profound way.

Fulfillment in Christ

The New Testament reveals that Jesus Christ is the ultimate fulfillment of the Tabernacle. In the Gospel of John, it is written, "The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us" (John 1:14). The Greek word translated as "dwelling" is "σκηνόω" (skenoo), which literally means "to tabernacle" or "to pitch a tent." This indicates that Jesus, in His incarnation, became the living Tabernacle, the dwelling place of God among humanity.

Jesus Himself referred to His body as a temple, further emphasizing this connection. In John 2:19-21, He said, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up." The Jews misunderstood Him, thinking He was speaking of the physical temple in Jerusalem, but He was referring to His body. This statement highlights that Jesus is the true Temple, the ultimate meeting place between God and man.

Theological Significance

The Tabernacle of Christ signifies the presence of God with His people in a new and living way. Through His life, death, and resurrection, Jesus provided a way for humanity to enter into the presence of God. The veil of the temple was torn at the moment of His death (Matthew 27:51), symbolizing the removal of the barrier between God and man and granting believers direct access to God through Christ.

The Apostle Paul further elaborates on this concept by describing believers as the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19). Through faith in Christ, believers become part of the spiritual house where God dwells, reflecting the communal and individual aspects of the Tabernacle's fulfillment.

Eschatological Hope

The Tabernacle of Christ also points to the eschatological hope of God's ultimate dwelling with His people. In the book of Revelation, John envisions a new heaven and a new earth, where "the dwelling place of God is with man" (Revelation 21:3). This future reality will be the consummation of God's redemptive plan, where He will dwell with His people eternally, and there will be no need for a temple, "for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple" (Revelation 21:22).

In summary, the Tabernacle of Christ encapsulates the profound truth of God's presence with His people through Jesus Christ, fulfilling the Old Testament typology and pointing towards the ultimate realization of God's eternal dwelling with humanity.Isaiah 4:6
And there shall be a tabernacle for a shadow in the day time from the heat, and for a place of refuge, and for a covert from storm and from rain.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

John 1:14
And the Word was made flesh, and dwelled among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Hebrews 9:8,9,11
The Holy Ghost this signifying, that the way into the holiest of all was not yet made manifest, while as the first tabernacle was yet standing:
Torrey's Topical Textbook

4637. skenoo -- to have one's tent, dwell
... a tent, encamp Definition: I dwell as in a tent, encamp, have my tabernacle. ... Christian,
4637 () is in intimate communion with the resurrected Christ -- even as ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/4637.htm - 7k

1981. episkenoo -- to tent upon, fig. abide
... tent over, dwell Definition: I raise a tent (over), dwell, spread a tabernacle over ...
to pitch (live in) a tent; (figuratively) power radiating from Christ as He ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/1981.htm - 7k

The Tabernacle of God with Men.
... the saints, before the resurrection of "the rest of the dead," "reign with Christ
1000 years," (20:4); it follows that during that period the tabernacle of God ...
/.../bliss/a brief commentary on the apocalypse/the tabernacle of god with.htm

The Mystic Meaning of the Tabernacle and Its Furniture.
... Chapter VI."The Mystic Meaning of the Tabernacle and Its Furniture. ... The golden lamp
conveys another enigma as a symbol of Christ, not in respect of form alone ...
/.../clement/the stromata or miscellanies/chapter vi the mystic meaning of.htm

"And if Christ be in You, the Body is Dead Because of Sin: but the ...
... of sin, rather than the punishment of the sinner, who is forgiven in Christ. ... Because
sin hath taken such possession in this earthly tabernacle, and is so ...
/.../binning/the works of the rev hugh binning/sermon xxviii and if christ.htm

Fifth Sunday in Lent
... The new order is a spiritual priesthood, with spiritual adornments, spiritual
tabernacle and sacrifices"spiritual in all that pertains to it. Christ, in the ...
//christianbookshelf.org/luther/epistle sermons vol ii/fifth sunday in lent.htm

Were Christ and the Apostles Mistaken?
... He wrote of Christ in the Levitical ritual, when under God's instruction he set
up the system of types, for the tabernacle and the temple service, which taught ...
/.../concerning the assumptions of destructive criticism/iv were christ and the.htm

Christ the End of the Law
... on the altar, on the hangings, and on the floor of the tabernacle: no one ... men's selves
and the coming Saviour, intending by every one of them to preach Christ. ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 22 1876/christ the end of the.htm

Christ among the Common Things of Life
... The Christ without a tabernacle, the free, familiar Christ of the lake or the wayside
was everybody's Christ; but the moment Christ is shut up in a church or a ...
/.../various/the worlds great sermons volume 10/dawson christ among the.htm

The Restoration of Israel is Only Made Possible by the Second ...
... that God would "send Jesus Christ unto them" and that following Christ's Return
there ... After this, I will return and will build again the tabernacle of David ...
/.../pink/the redeemers return/3 the restoration of israel.htm

Cannot be Proved from Scripture, that Believers under the Old ...
... Hebrews 9:24. It was shut as long as the former tabernacle stood, and until
Christ entered into it by his own blood. (Hebrews 9:8 ...
/.../arminius/the works of james arminius vol 1/article x it cannot be.htm

Seven "I Wills" of Christ.
... He picks up some poor, lost tramp, and makes him an instrument to turn hundreds
and thousands to Christ. George Whitefield, standing in his tabernacle in London ...
//christianbookshelf.org/moody/the overcoming life/seven i wills of christ.htm

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