What is the difference between temple and tabernacle

Mic But in the last days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall flow unto it. And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, and to the house of the God of Jacob ; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion , and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.

And he shall judge among many people, and rebuke strong nations afar off; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. As many of us know, the above verse talks of the Reign of Messiah, in which the House of God and Jerusalem are both mentioned to be active and very much in existence.

It was His palace on earth from where He ruled as King over His people. Even though the Temple in Jerusalem was known to be a place of high importance in the scriptures, there are many who believe that the Temple was purposeless after the Resurrection of Messiah.

The fact that the early church spent most of their time in the temple Acts and that Apostle Paul offered sacrifices of purification at the temple Acts ,27, should be enough to show that the importance of the Temple never dwindled in their eyes. Act Howbeit the most High dwelleth not in temples made with hands; as saith the prophet, Heaven is my throne, and earth is my footstool: what house will ye build me?

Hath not my hand made all these things? Act God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands;. The fact is that the thoughts conveyed above by Stephen and Paul are nothing new, but originate from the Old Testament Scriptures. The Temple was not a place made for God to live in, as even the Heavens cannot contain Him.

These thoughts are not new ideas revealed after Christ, but what was always apparent to everyone before Christ. Isa Thus saith the LORD, The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool: where is the house that ye build unto me? Also read Paul and his use of Greek Philosophy on Acts Another reason many do not see a reason for a physical Temple in Jerusalem, is because of the thought that Christ replaced it.

It is true that He equaled Himself to the Temple John Joh Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father.

Mar ,38 And Jesus cried with a loud voice, and gave up the ghost. And the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom. While John could be most likely speaking of the destruction about to fall of Jerusalem as He spoke of many a time in His ministry Luk , , the idea of the Veil being torn has become one, if not the main reason that many believe in the futility of a Temple.

Many interpret this as a sign that the separation between God and Man was removed through this act, and that we can now freely go into the holiest of holies.

It is important to point out that there were 2 veils in the Temple. One which separated the Courts from the Holy place and one which separated the Holy place from the Holiest of Holies. So it is very likely that what was torn was the outer veil. We see similar practices in the Scriptures in Gen , 2Sam , Jos The temple of our Bodies Some believe that our bodies have wholly replaced the Temple in Jerusalem. There are many verses in the New Testament writings that compare our bodies to the Temple of God, such as:.

Eph In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: 1Pe Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.

So what are we to make of this? Have our bodies replaced any remnant of a physical Temple in Jerusalem? So it is not a new thought to think of ones body as a dwelling place for God. And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.

Isa ,7 Also the sons of the stranger, that join themselves to the LORD, to serve him, and to love the name of the LORD, to be his servants, every one that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and taketh hold of my covenant; Even them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer: their burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted upon mine altar; for mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people.

Conclusion As we saw God instituted the tabernacle, and later the temple in Jerusalem, while the synagogue and the church both stood for bodies of people and not physical structures. While God is not contained in a man-made house, it was His choice to create such a place for His glory to reside and for the people to come to Him with the designated Sacrifices. In fact the interaction between the Temple and the 1st century believers was a close one, as we even see with Paul. Dear Homer, I believe the earthly Temple was a replica Although the original is far superior of the Heavenly.

From start to finish, it is a work conceived, designed, and superintended by God. The contrast is startling. God is not involved. He does not initiate the construction of the temple, give any design input, or superintend the construction.

Indeed, instead of being dominated by God and his verbal directives, the temple construction story is dominated by King Solomon and two Canaanites from Tyre. Rather, the weight of Scripture turns to Christ as the ultimate fulfillment of the many promises that God will dwell with man. This can only happen because Jesus Christ has made us holy. Because of what Jesus has done, the multiple layers of separation courtyard, holy place, most holy place have all been removed, and we are now allowed right into the presence of God.

This is an incredible privilege, but it brings responsibility with it as well. While its focus is on ancient construction projects, ancient buildings, ancient rites, there is application for each of us today. You cannot read it without being impressed by the unity of Scripture. You cannot read it without being struck by the holiness, patience, and mercy of God.

You cannot read it without seeing the insufficiency of the temple and the all-sufficiency of Christ, the one who would be the ultimate temple. Exodus , This unique tent served as a blueprint for how the children of Israel were to approach God: in holiness, in purity, and in reverence.

Moses was given very detailed instructions on how this structure was to be built, what furniture was to be placed in it, and who was permitted access. It was in the tabernacle that the high priest would offer sacrifice once a year to atone for the sins of the people.

Wherever the people of Israel moved through the desert, the tabernacle would move with them. He was with them through struggles and triumphs, and every day on their journey to the promised land.

He was moved to set up a permanent dwelling place to host the presence of the Lord. David was no longer content to let God dwell in a tent while he lived in a beautiful palace. There, the high priest would sacrifice lambs on Yom Kippur Day of Atonement. Scripture also commanded the Jewish people to appear before the Lord three times a year, the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Weeks and the Feast of Tabernacles Deuteronomy Invading armies later destroyed the Temple.

And the Jewish people rebuilt it after returning from exile, only to be destroyed again by the Romans. Looking at the Gospel accounts, before the Roman destruction, we find Jesus visiting the temple on a regular basis. Even from a young age He was found listening and asking questions among the teachers Luke We read that He was at the temple with His family to observe the Passover Luke He overturned the tables of the moneychangers in the temple Mark , and He was found teaching there John He even healed in the temple: And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple, and he healed them.