Journeying Through the Tabernacle

   The past 10 weeks I've been on an incredible journey together with about 70 other women. Some of these women have been to Israel with me and some will be coming to Israel with me. We've been going through a study called "A Women's Heart - God's Dwelling Place." It's a study by Beth Moore about the Old Testament Tabernacle and how it speaks to our own hearts being the Temple of the Holy Spirit today. We have all learned so much! It has been great preparation for me for this return trip to Israel. Each study we've done has had so many precious nuggets to glean from, hide in our hearts and apply to our own individual lives. This study has been no different and yet has seemed to be the most life-changing for many of the women.

 Exploring each piece of the treasured items in the Tabernacle to show how they related to Jesus Christ was monumental and absolutely life-changing! What made this study even more special to me was that I had an incredible opportunity to walk through a replica of the Tabernacle at the Crossroads Centre in Burlington, Ontario when we were only 3 weeks into the study. My son was leaving for Bible school in England and my hubby and I travelled to Ontario with him first to go through this with him before he left us for a time. How special that was! 

 Each piece speaks so much about our Lord Jesus Christ! The Door to the Tabernacle is Jesus as John 10:9 tells us. Jesus is the Bread of the Presence (John 6:35); he is the Altar of Incense (Hebrews 7:25); he is the Mercy Seat (Romans 3:25-26); Jesus is the Basin (John 13:8b) and the Lampstand (John 8:12); he is the Veil (Hebrews 10:20) and yes, Jesus is the Tabernacle (John 1:14). How GLORIOUS!

   As I walked through that Tabernacle with the 'High Priest' giving us the tour, it brought me back to Israel when we had a tour through the Temple Institute. Here we saw the High Priest's garments as well as the Temple Assistant's behind glass cabinets. Also displayed were the utensils that have been preserved and remade for the 3rd Temple that is yet to come. Seeing the paintings that were hanging on the walls in this place to show us what the Tabernacle must have looked like was so very moving. Seeing Aaron the High Priest offering incense to the Lord with the Lampstand behind him and the veil in front of him. 

    As I had walked through this Tabernacle in Ontario, the song Take Me into the Holy of Holies  kept singing over again and again in my spirit. I was so in awe!

    The most amazing point of this study was the ending. Beth explained how the Glory of the Lord had been in the Tabernacle and then transferred to the Solomon's Temple after it was built. God wanted the Tabernacle built so that He could dwell among His people. That was His greatest desire, to be among His people. His Glory filled the Tabernacle then it filled Solomon's Temple, but did not stay there. Israel kept following the pagan gods and defiling themselves and God's Glory left the Temple. The last time it was seen was over the mountain east of Jerusalem - the Mount of Olives.  

  The Glory of God did not enter Herod's Temple until Mary and Joseph took Jesus to be dedicated. Jesus came in man form to this earth but he was the Glory of God that entered the Temple each time he walked through the doorway. He would've walked up those southern steps that the public took to go up to the Temple Mount. After 3 years of ministry, Jesus was crucified on the cross, died and rose after 3 days. He was on the Mount of Olives with his disciples when he began rising to heaven and God hid Jesus from their view with a pillar of cloud. Fifty days after he went to heaven, on the day of Pentecost, everyone in the Upper Room was filled with the the Glory of God, the Holy Spirit. 

     God's Glory is now present in every believer through the Holy Spirit. The next time that the Glory of God will fully appear is when Jesus returns and his foot steps onto the Mount of Olives (Zechariah 14). It will split in two and Jesus will walk down through the valley and enter Jerusalem once again through the Eastern Gate to reign from the Temple.  Oh to imagine this all in my mind and awaiting that day when Jesus will return, I can't wait! But even more, standing in these places and picturing this all happening is so incredible! Doesn't it just make you want to journey to the Holy Land of Israel with us? Lord willing, in 3 months time we will be doing just that.