585. And against His tabernacle, and those who dwell in heaven. This symbolizes scandalous assertions against the Lord's celestial church and against heaven.

The Tabernacle has almost the same symbolic meaning as the Temple, namely, in the highest sense, the Lord's Divine humanity, and in a relative sense, heaven and the church (nos. 191, 529). But in the latter sense the Tabernacle symbolizes the celestial church, which is impelled by the goodness of love toward the Lord received from the Lord; and the Temple symbolizes the spiritual church, which is impelled by truths of wisdom received from the Lord. Those who dwell in heaven symbolize heaven.

The Tabernacle symbolizes the celestial church because the Most Ancient Church, being impelled by love toward the Lord, was a celestial church and held sacred worship in tents. And the Ancient Church was a spiritual church and held sacred worship in temples.

Tents used wood in their construction, while temples used stone, and wood symbolizes goodness, and stone truth.

[2] That the Tabernacle symbolizes the Lord's Divine humanity in respect to Divine love, and a heaven and a church that is impelled by love toward the Lord, can be seen from the following passages:

Jehovah, who may abide in Your tabernacle? Who may dwell in Your holy mountain? He who walks uprightly, and practices righteousness, and speaks the truth... (Psalms 15:1-2)

(Jehovah) shall hide me in His tabernacle; in the secret place of His tabernacle He shall conceal me; He shall set me high... (Psalms 27:4-5)

I will abide in Your tabernacle forever. (Psalms 61:4)

Look upon Zion...; let your eyes behold Jerusalem, a quiet habitation, a tabernacle that will not be dispelled... (Isaiah 33:20)

(Jehovah) who... spreads (the heavens) out like a tent to dwell in. (Isaiah 40:22)

...you have made Jehovah..., the Most High, your dwelling place..., no plague shall come near your tent. (Psalms 91:9-10)

(Jehovah) set (His) tabernacle among (them).... (He) will walk among (them).... (Leviticus 26:11-12)

(Jehovah) forsook the tent of Shiloh, the tabernacle in which He dwelled among men. (Psalms 78:60)

I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them...." (Revelation 21:3)

...My tabernacle has been laid waste... (Jeremiah 4:20; 10:20)

He shall... pluck you out of your tent, and uproot you from the land of the living. (Psalms 52:5)

And so on elsewhere, as in Isaiah 16:5; 54:2, Jeremiah 30:18, Lamentations 2:4, Hosea 9:6; 12:9, Zechariah 12:7.

[3] Since the Most Ancient Church, which was a celestial church, being impelled by love toward the Lord and being thus in conjunction with Him, held sacred worship in tents, therefore by the Lord's command Moses erected a tent or tabernacle, in which everything relating to heaven and the church was represented. And it was so holy that no one was permitted to enter except Moses, Aaron, and Aaron's sons; and if any of the people were to do so, they would die (Numbers 17:12-13; 18:1, 22-23; 19:14-19).

Inmostly in that tabernacle, containing the two tables of the Decalogue, was the Ark, on which was the mercy seat and over it the cherubim. And outside the veil was the table holding the showbread, the altar of incense, and the lampstand having seven lamps. All of these things were representative objects relating to heaven and the church. The tabernacle itself is described in Exodus 26:7-16; 36:8-37.

We also read that the design of the Tabernacle was shown to Moses upon Mount Sinai (Exodus 25:9; 26:30); and whatever he was given to see from heaven is a representation relating to heaven and the church.

In memory of the most ancient people's sacred worship of the Lord in tents, and of their conjunction with Him through love, Israel was commanded to observe the Feast of Tabernacles, as recorded in Leviticus 23:39-44, Deuteronomy 16:13-14.

882. 21:3 And I heard a great voice from heaven saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men." This symbolizes the Lord speaking out of love and proclaiming that He will now be present with people in His Divine humanity.

This is the celestial meaning of these words. Celestial angels, or angels of the third heaven, interpret them in just this way, for to hear a great voice from heaven speaking means to them the Lord speaking and proclaiming something out of love, for it is only the Lord who speaks out of heaven. That is because heaven is not heaven owing to the angels' own qualities, but to the Lord's Divinity, of which they are recipients. A great voice means speech springing from love, for greatness is predicated of love (nos. 656, 663). "Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men" means that now the Lord will be present in His Divine humanity. The tabernacle of God means the celestial church, in a universal sense the Lord's celestial kingdom, and in the highest sense the Lord's Divine humanity, as may be seen in no. 585 above.

The tabernacle in the highest sense means the Lord's Divine humanity because that is what the Temple ¹ symbolizes, as can be seen from John 2:19, 21, Malachi 3:1, Revelation 21:22, and elsewhere. A tabernacle has a similar symbolism, with the difference that the Temple means the Lord's Divine humanity in respect to Divine truth or Divine wisdom, while a tabernacle means the Lord's Divine humanity in respect to Divine goodness or Divine love. It follows therefore that "behold, the tabernacle of God is with men" means that the Lord will now be present with people in His Divine humanity.

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