Read What the Word Says about The Tabernacle of the Lord

The Old Testament

"And they shall make an ark of acacia wood…and you shall overlay it with pure gold, inside and out you shall overlay it…and you shall put into the ark the Testimony which I will give you. You shall make a mercy seat of pure gold…. And you shall make two cherubim of gold…you shall make them at the two ends of the mercy seat…. And the cherubim shall stretch out their wings above, covering the mercy seat with their wings, and they shall face one another…. You shall put the mercy seat on top of the ark and in the ark you shall put the Testimony that I will give you. And there will I meet with you, and I will speak with you…from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim which are on the ark of the Testimony, of all things which I will give you in commandment to the children of Israel…. You shall also make a lampstand of pure gold…. You shall make seven lamps for it…. And see to it that you make them according to the pattern which was shown you on the mountain."

And Moses spoke to the all the congregation of the children of Israel, saying, "This is the thing which the Lord commanded, saying: 'Take from among you an offering to the Lord. Whoever is of a willing heart, let him bring it as an offering to the Lord….'" Then everyone came whose heart was stirred, and everyone whose spirit was willing, and they brought the Lord's offering for the work of the tabernacle of meeting, for all its service, and for the holy garments.

How lovely is Your tabernacle, O Lord of hosts! My soul longs, yes, even faints for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God…

The New Testament

The Heavenly Doctrines

BUILD A TABERNACLE

The Lord commanded Moses to erect a tabernacle, in which all things of heaven and the church were represented….

[3] [A] "tabernacle" signifies the church consisting of those who are in the good of love to the Lord; and the "tent" signifies the church consisting of those who are in truths from that good.

[T]he tent or tabernacle represented the form of heaven, and that, together with the court, it represented the three heavens, and that the Holy of Holies, which was the inmost, where the ark was, within which were the tables of the law, represented the third or inmost heaven, and that the law or testimony represented the Lord Himself….

[T]he tabernacle was called the dwelling place of Jehovah God, as heaven itself is also called. The very holiness of the whole tabernacle was from the testimony, that is, from the two tables of stone on which the law was inscribed, because the law signified the Lord as to Divine Truth, and thus as to the Word, for this is Divine Truth….

By celestial good is meant the good of love from the Lord to the Lord, and by spiritual good is meant the good of charity toward the neighbor from the Lord. The very good of love to the Lord from the Lord is "holy of holies," because through it the Lord conjoins Himself immediately; but the good of charity toward the neighbor is "holy," because through it the Lord conjoins Himself mediately, and He conjoins Himself insofar as it has in it the good of love from the Lord.

MOSES

Moses…represents that external of the Word, of the church, and of worship, which receives Divine truth….

A SANCTUARY OR DWELLING PLACE FOR THE LORD

The reason why heaven is a sanctuary is that heaven is heaven by virtue of what is Divine there…. For the Lord dwells with angels, and so in heaven, in what is His own, thus in what is Divine.

[2] The fact that 'a sanctuary' in the highest sense means the Lord, because He alone is holy and that alone is holy which emanates from Him, and also the fact that 'a sanctuary' means heaven, and the Church as well, and that sanctuaries are those realities of which the Lord is the source in heaven and the Church….

Arcana Coelestia 8427:2

The presence of Jehovah, that is, of the Lord, appearing like a cloud and like fire upon the mount, is here called "the glory of Jehovah."

HOLY OF HOLIES-THE ARK WITH CHERUBIM

'And you shall put into the ark the Testimony' means Divine Truth, which is the Lord in heaven. This is clear from the meaning of 'the ark' as heaven, dealt with above; and from the meaning of 'the Testimony' as Divine Truth, thus the Lord in heaven.

The very holiness of the whole tabernacle was from the testimony, that is, from the two tables of stone on which the law was inscribed, because the law signified the Lord as to Divine Truth, and thus as to the Word, for this is Divine Truth…. The Lord spoke to Moses from there, because the law was there, and the law, in a broad sense, signifies the Lord as to the Word; and from the Word the Lord speaks with people. It was from above the mercy seat between the two cherubim, because the mercy seat signifies the removal of falsities that are from evil loves, and at the same time reception and hearing, while the cherubim signify protection, lest He should be approached except through the good of love.

On account of this holiness of the tabernacle from the Law in the ark, the whole people of Israel, by command, encamped around it in the order of their tribes, and marched in order after it, and there was then a cloud over it by day, and a fire by night.

'And you shall make two cherubs' means that there is no admission or access to the Lord except through the good of love. This is clear from the meaning of 'cherubs' as watchfulness and providence, guarding against access to the Lord except through the good of love. Since this was meant by the cherubs, they were placed over the mercy-seat that was over the ark…For 'the ark' means heaven where the Lord is, and 'gold' means the good of love. The reason why there is no access to the Lord except through the good of love is that love is spiritual togetherness, and all good belongs to love. Those therefore who are governed by the good of love to the Lord are brought to Him in heaven, because they have been joined together with Him. So too are those who are governed by the good of love towards the neighbour; for the neighbour is the good of a fellow-citizen, the good of one's country, the good of the Church, the good of the whole of the Lord's kingdom, and in the highest sense the Lord Himself since He is the source of that good present with a person.… [3]It is clear from places in the Word where 'cherubs' are mentioned that they mean watchfulness and providence, guarding against access to the Lord or to heaven except through the good of love, that is, except by those governed by the good of love, and also guarding against any harm being done to the good from the Lord which is present in heaven and with a person.

Heaven and the Church, or the angels of heaven and members of the Church, receive protection from the Lord by having their interiors raised toward Him; and when they are raised they are suffused with the good of love to Him and the good of love toward the neighbor. This is what being raised toward the Lord is; and in this way, as has been stated, angels in heaven and members of the Church receive protection. Those who are raised by the Lord turn their face constantly toward the Lord, because the Lord keeps them joined to Himself through the good of love, whereas those who are not raised turn their face away from the Lord. All this shows what is meant by the requirement that the faces of the cherubs should be 'toward the mercy-seat.'

HOLY PLACE-THE LAMP STAND

That celestial love is signified by fire in the Word, is clear, first from the signification of the fire of the altar, which denotes celestial love, or love to the Lord…. So also the Lord was seen by Moses and all the Israelitish people when He descended upon Mount Sinai in fire…. Since fire in the highest sense signifies the Divine Love, therefore a lampstand was placed in the tent of assembly, on which were seven lamps, which were kept burning continually…. [T]he fire of the altar signified celestial Divine Love, and the fire of the lampstand, which was flame, signified spiritual Divine Love; and therefore the oil, from which the fire of the flame arose in the lamps of the lampstand, signifies the Divine Love….

The lampstand is the Divine Spiritual on account of the light it sheds; for Divine Truth which emanates from the Lord's Divine Good is what shines in heaven. There is no other source from which angels receive light. This is why in the Word the Lord is called the Light, and why 'light' means faith, also an intelligent understanding of truth and a wise discernment of good, which come from the Lord alone.

[2] 'A lampstand' means the spiritual heaven by virtue of Divine Truth which is present there from the Lord, and therefore also means the Church; and 'a lamp' means faith, also an intelligent understanding of truth and a wise discernment of good, which come from the Lord alone.

Arcana Coelestia 9569

Consecrations were carried out with the use of oil, as at the consecration of the tent and everything there, of the altar, Aaron and his sons, also their garments, and later on of kings, on account of which they were called the anointed. For 'oil' means the good of love.

Arcana Coelestia 9473

'Oil for the light' means internal good present within mutual love and charity. This is clear from the meaning of 'oil' as the good of love and from the meaning of 'the light' as mutual love and charity. 'The light' is mutual love by virtue of the flame by which that love is meant, and it is charity by virtue of the heat and light from the flame. For spiritual heat is the good of charity, and spiritual light is the truth of faith.

COURT-THE LAVER

[B]y "washing" is signified purification; by "waters" are signified the truths of faith; and by the "laver" containing the water is signified the natural, because all spiritual purification is effected in the natural. A person has an external and an internal; the external is called the natural…and the internal is called the spiritual…. Both the internal and the external of a person are purified, the internal in heaven, and the external while the person lives in the world

The reason why the laver was set between the Tent of meeting and the altar, and Aaron and his sons there washed their hands and their feet, was that there might be represented the purification of the heart, and regeneration, which in its essence is the conjunction of truth and good; for the conjunction of truth and good is heaven itself with a person…. This conjunction is effected by means of the truths of faith, because these teach how a person ought to live; and when he lives according to the truths of faith, the conjunction of truth and good is effected….

Baptism is called the laver of regeneration and of faith.

THE CHURCH DEPENDS ON THE WORD

The church depends on the Word, and what the church is like in the case of each person depends on how he understands the Word.

The church exists specifically where the Word is, and where the Lord is thereby known, and thus where Divine truths are revealed. Still they who are born where the Word is, and where the Lord is thereby known, are not of the church, but they who are regenerated by the Lord by the truths of the Word, that is, they who live the life of charity. They who are of the church, or in whom the church is, are in the affection of truth for the sake of truth, that is, they love truth because it is truth….

THE CHURCH WITH PEOPLE

The communion called the church consists of all people in whom the church is, and the church enters into a person when he is becoming regenerate, and everyone becomes regenerate by abstaining from the evils of sin…

The Lord's Church is with all in the whole world who live in good according to their religious system. All who live in good-wherever they are-and acknowledge one God, are accepted by the Lord and come into heaven; for all who are in good acknowledge the Lord, because good is from the Lord, and the Lord is in good.

That the Church of the Lord is spread over all the globe, and is thus universal; and that all those are in it who have lived in the good of charity in accordance with their religious belief; and that the Church, where the Word is and by means of it the Lord is known, is in relation to those who are outside the Church like the heart and lungs in a person.

The church and religion make one like truth and good…. The church is a church from its doctrine; and religion is religion from life according to doctrine. And the doctrine must be of truths, and the life must be of goods.

CHURCH AND HEAVEN

The Church is the foundation of heaven….

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