Apocalypse Revealed #585
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.
Exodus 37
1
Bezalel made the ark of acacia wood. Its length was two and a half cubits, and its breadth a cubit and a half, and a cubit and a half its height.
2
He overlaid it with pure gold inside and outside, and made a molding of gold for it around it.
3
He cast four rings of gold for it, in its four feet; even two rings on its one side, and two rings on its other side.
4
He made poles of acacia wood, and overlaid them with gold.
5
He put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark, to bear the ark.
6
He made a mercy seat of pure gold. Its length was two and a half cubits, and a cubit and a half its breadth.
7
He made two cherubim of gold. He made them of beaten work, at the two ends of the mercy seat;
8
one cherub at the one end, and one cherub at the other end. He made the cherubim of one piece with the mercy seat at its two ends.
9
The cherubim spread out their wings on high, covering the mercy seat with their wings, with their faces toward one another. The faces of the cherubim were toward the mercy seat.
10
He made the table of acacia wood. Its length was two cubits, and its breadth was a cubit, and its height was a cubit and a half.
11
He overlaid it with pure gold, and made a gold molding around it.
12
He made a border of a handbreadth around it, and made a golden molding on its border around it.
13
He cast four rings of gold for it, and put the rings in the four corners that were on its four feet.
14
The rings were close by the border, the places for the poles to carry the table.
15
He made the poles of acacia wood, and overlaid them with gold, to carry the table.
16
He made the vessels which were on the table, its dishes, its spoons, its bowls, and its pitchers with which to pour out, of pure gold.
17
He made the lampstand of pure gold. He made the lampstand of beaten work. Its base, its shaft, its cups, its buds, and its flowers were of one piece with it.
18
There were six branches going out of its sides: three branches of the lampstand out of its one side, and three branches of the lampstand out of its other side:
19
three cups made like almond blossoms in one branch, a bud and a flower, and three cups made like almond blossoms in the other branch, a bud and a flower: so for the six branches going out of the lampstand.
20
In the lampstand were four cups made like almond blossoms, its buds and its flowers;
21
and a bud under two branches of one piece with it, and a bud under two branches of one piece with it, and a bud under two branches of one piece with it, for the six branches going out of it.
22
Their buds and their branches were of one piece with it. The whole thing was one beaten work of pure gold.
23
He made its seven lamps, and its snuffers, and its snuff dishes, of pure gold.
24
He made it of a talent of pure gold, with all its vessels.
25
He made the altar of incense of acacia wood. It was square: its length was a cubit, and its breadth a cubit. Its height was two cubits. Its horns were of one piece with it.
26
He overlaid it with pure gold, its top, its sides around it, and its horns. He made a gold molding around it.
27
He made two golden rings for it under its molding crown, on its two ribs, on its two sides, for places for poles with which to carry it.
28
He made the poles of acacia wood, and overlaid them with gold.
29
He made the holy anointing oil and the pure incense of sweet spices, after the art of the perfumer.
