1. THE THRONE OF GOD AND THE TABERNACLE
God With Us
THE THRONE OF GOD AND THE TABERNACLE

2. Eden to New Jerusalem
Revelation 21: 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “See, the home of God is among men. He will dwell with them; they will be His peoples, and God Himself will be with them;

3. Eden to New Jerusalem
God’s desire to dwell with people is evident from Genesis to Revelation Eden has the properties of a temple:- 1. Place where God resides 2. The seat of God's throne from where He rules as king 3. Place for worshippers to interact with God 4. Holy ground

4. Prof. J Daniel Hays Ouachita Baptist University The Temple and the Tabernacle: A Study of God’s Dwelling Places from Genesis to Revelation

5. Paradise Lost – Paradise Regained?
Adam and Eve expelled to the east from Eden – state of dwelling alongside God lost Rebellion – Flood – Rebellion God calls Abraham and promises to bless all nations through him

6. Bethel - the Meeting of Heaven and Earth
Jacob’s Dream of a Ladder Genesis 28:12-13a,15-17 And he dreamed that there was a ladder set up on the earth, the top of it reaching to heaven; and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. And the LORD stood beside him and said, “I am the LORD…” “Know that I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.” Then Jacob woke from his sleep and said, “Surely the LORD is in this place - and I did not know it!” And he was afraid, and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.”

7. Bethel – the Gate of Heaven
Eden is lost but God can still interact with people in holy places This meeting of heaven and earth is reflected in the Tabernacle and Temple They were not simply places of worship but heaven on earth

8. The Throne of God

9. The Throne of God
Psalm 11:4 The LORD is in His holy temple; the LORD’s throne is in heaven Isaiah 63:15 Look down from heaven and see, from Your holy and glorious habitation.

10. Solomon’s Prayer of Dedication
1 Kings 8:27-30 But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Even heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain you, much less this house that I have built! Regard your servant’s prayer and his plea, O LORD my God, heeding the cry and the prayer that your servant prays to you today; that your eyes may be open night and day toward this house, the place of which you said, ‘My name shall be there,’ that you may heed the prayer that your servant prays toward this place. Hear the plea of your servant and of your people Israel when they pray toward this place; O hear in heaven your dwelling place;

11. The Throne of God
Isaiah 66:1 Thus says the LORD: Heaven is my throne and the earth is my footstool; what is the house that you would build for me, and what is my resting place?

12. ‘the earth is my footstool’

13. God’s Footstool
The Earth Jerusalem The Temple The Ark of the Covenant

14. The Ark is God’s Footstool
Psalm 99:1,5 The LORD is king; let the peoples tremble! He sits enthroned upon the cherubim; let the earth quake! Extol the LORD our God; worship at His footstool. Holy is He! 1 Chronicles 28:2 I had planned to build a house of rest for the ark of the covenant of the LORD, for the footstool of our God

16. Cherubim

18. Cherubim
Ezekiel’s vision of God’s awesome holiness depicts cherubim around God’s throne Ezekiel 10:15 The cherubim rose up. These were the living creatures that I saw by the river Chebar Pagans depict cherubim guarding temples and palaces Cherubim guard the way to the Tree of Life – Genesis 3:24

19. Ark of the Covenant
The golden cherubim on the ark are copies of the cherubim around God’s throne

21. Hebrews 8:1,5 Now the main point in what we are saying is this: we have such a high priest, one who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens… They offer worship in a sanctuary that is a sketch and shadow of the heavenly one Hebrews 9:24 For Christ did not enter a sanctuary made by human hands, a mere copy of the true one, but He entered into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf.

22. The Presence of God

23. The Presence of God
New Testament: Jesus Holy Spirit Old Testament: Shekinah - Glory Cloud Angel of the LORD

24. The Presence of God – Glory Cloud
Mishkan – Tabernacle or dwelling place Shekinah – Glorious Presence of God Cloud or smoke Fire or lightning Wind or water Thunder Ezekiel 1:4 As I looked, a stormy wind came out of the north: a great cloud with brightness around it and fire flashing forth continually, and in the middle of the fire, something like gleaming amber.

25. The Angel of the LORD
Hosea 12:4,5 He strove with the angel and prevailed, he wept and sought his favour; he met him at Bethel, and there he spoke with him. The LORD the God of hosts, the LORD is His name! Genesis 31:11-13 Then the angel of God said to me in the dream, ‘Jacob,’ and I said, ‘Here I am!’ And he said, ‘…I am the God of Bethel,

26. The Angel of the LORD
Exodus 3:2-4 There the angel of the LORD appeared to him in a flame of fire out of a bush… God called to him out of the bush Exodus 14:19 The angel of God who was going before the Israelite army moved and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud moved from in front of them and took its place behind them. Exodus 23:20 I am going to send an angel in front of you, to guard you on the way and to bring you to the place that I have prepared. Be attentive to him and listen to his voice; do not rebel against him, for he will not pardon your transgression; for my name is in him.

27. The Presence of God in Eden
Genesis 3:8 They heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden at the time of the evening breeze 2 Samuel 7:6 I have not lived in a house since the day I brought up the people of Israel from Egypt to this day, but I have been moving about in a tent and a tabernacle. Mit-hal-lek - ‘walking to and fro’ God’s presence in Eden similar to Exodus?

28. God’s Presence in the Exodus
Jacob’s vision related to the Promised Land The story of the Exodus connects deliverance with the presence of God God Present in : Burning Bush Mount Sinai Tabernacle

29. Burning Bush/Mt Sinai/Tabernacle
Holy ground – restricted access Theophany: Manifestation of God - Fire, glory, power Call to worship and serve i.e. They function like temples – meeting of heaven and earth

30. Temple of Eden Restored
Eden is the archetype (model) for the Tabernacle/Temple The Tabernacle therefore represents a (partial) re-admittance into Eden and the relationship with God that existed there

31. Sinai/Horeb as a new Eden/Temple
Exodus 3:1 Moses … led his flock beyond the wilderness, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. Exodus 3:12 He said, “I will be with you; and this shall be the sign for you that it is I who sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall worship God on this mountain.”

33. Eastern Entrance
Entrance to Eden on the east Adam, Eve and Cain expelled eastward Burning bush encountered westward

34. East Facing
Single eastern entrance:
Eden
Tabernacle

35. Persian Walled Garden - Paradaida
Ancient Persia viewed itself as a walled garden providing every plant and protection for its people ‘Iran is like a lush Spring garden Where roses ever bloom The army and weapons are the garden’s walls’ Khusro I Where does this imagery come from? Eden located in or close to Iran/Armenia – (Rohl - Zagros mountains?)

38. The Mountain of God
Single eastern entrance: Solomon’s Temple Ezekiel’s New Temple (Ez 40:2,6)

39. Ezekiel 28:12, 14-15, You were the signet of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God; With an anointed cherub as guardian I placed you; you were on the holy mountain of God; you walked among the stones of fire. You were blameless in your ways from the day that you were created, until iniquity was found in you. I cast you as a profane thing from the mountain of God, and the guardian cherub drove you out from among the stones of fire. Your heart was proud because of your beauty;

40. Jesus - the Second Adam and Morning Star?
Isaiah 14:12 (NIVUK) How you are fallen from heaven, O Morning Star, son of Dawn! 2 Peter 1:18,19 We ourselves heard this voice come from heaven, while we were with him on the holy mountain. So we have the prophetic message more fully confirmed. You will do well to be attentive to this as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. 1 Cor 15:45 Thus it is written, “The first man, Adam, became a living being”; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit.

42. Eden and the Tabernacle
Genesis 2:8,10 And the LORD God planted a garden in Eden, in the east;… A river flows out of Eden to water the garden, and from there it divides and becomes four branches. Eden – the Holy Mountain Garden of Eden East of Eden

43. Eden and the Tabernacle
Eden Eden – the Holy Mountain Garden of Eden East of Eden
Tabernacle Holy of Holies Holy Place Courtyard

45. The Golden Lampstand – Menorah (Hays)

47. Jeremiah 7:3,4
Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Amend your ways and your doings, and let me dwell with you in this place. Do not trust in these deceptive words: “This is the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD.” The Tabernacle/Temple is only a pointer toward a fuller manifestation of God’s presence

48. Limitations of the Tabernacle
No dwelling can contain God – the Tabernacle points towards something bigger
Despite God’s presence His holiness and human sin restrict the closeness between them
The Tabernacle though demonstrates God’s desire to dwell among His people
The Tabernacle represents only a limited restoration of Eden

49. The Meeting of Heaven and Earth
God’s promise to Abraham was not just about the Promised Land but the whole earth
Genesis 12:3
“... and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
Habakkuk 2:14
But the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD,
Restoring Eden still leaves the commission unfulfilled

50. The Meeting of Heaven and Earth
Revelation 21:1-3, 16
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “See, the home of God is among mortals. He will dwell with them; they will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them;
16The city lies foursquare… its length and width and height are equal.