Exodus 40

Everything necessary had been built and gathered together. The time had finally come for the completion of this great project. The Lord spoke, commanding Moses to take this last step of construction. He included a note of timing, that it should be done “on the first day of the first month.” Having an actual date showed that the time was very near.

The entire structure of worship would be built up around the ark of the testimony, where God would be present with Israel in between the cherubim on top of the golden mercy seat that would be placed above the ark. That holy ark of God's presence would be shielded from the view of mankind by the veil, the curtain separating the Most Holy Place from the Holy Place. In the Holy Place, on the other side of the veil from the ark, the table for the showbread and the golden lampstand would be arranged according to God's direction, as well as the altar for burning incense to the Lord.

Next, would be the screen at the entrance to the Tabernacle that would be the way to the courtyard outside. In that courtyard would be the altar for burning the sacrificial offerings to the Lord, and the basin for ceremonial washing in between the bronze altar and the entrance to the Tabernacle. Finally the curtains of the court would mark inside from outside this place of worship.

All these places would now be set up, but they would need to be anointed with the special oil made for that purpose. Most importantly, Aaron and his sons, washed and dressed in their special garments, would also be anointed and consecrated to be priests to God. They would be a part of the holy worship space, with the symbol of something precious from above poured upon them.

Moses did all that God commanded. “In the first month in the second year, on the first day of the month, the tabernacle was erected.” The structure of this holy place was put in order, with its bases, frames, poles, and pillars. And over all the gilded wood that gave the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place their form, Moses spread out the tent, with its multiple layers.

The testimony, the two tablets, were in the ark. The poles that would allow the ark to be moved according to God's commands were ready for the hands approved for that task. The golden mercy seat was above the ark, and the ark was in its hidden room behind the veil.

Moses did all of this. The table for the bread on the north side with the bread on the table, the lampstand on the south side with the lamps set up, the golden altar with the incense burning, all was in place behind the screen that was the door to the Tabernacle. Everything was ready in the court, the bronze altar and the basin, Aaron and his sons in their special garments, all within the border that the court formed between the inside and the outside.

But something most essential was missing.

Then God came. The glory cloud of His presence filled the Tabernacle. God's presence was not like an empty spiritual idea without any form. When God filled the Tabernacle, no one else could come in. There was no more room. Even Moses, the mediator of the covenant, could not come in.

This was the Old Testament traveling worship house of the Lord Most High. By His presence in and above the Tabernacle, He directed the movements of His people through the wilderness. That was the way that the Lord's worship space was constructed in the era of preparation, prior to the coming of the true Anointed One of Israel, the Christ.

We live in a different time now. With the coming of Jesus, God is present with us in person. The Lord established a new Tabernacle that Moses could never have assembled. Those who are united to Him have been made priests to God through faith in His Name. We have the special anointing of the Holy Spirit upon us, and the Lord God Almighty lives within us, and dwells among us as we worship and serve Him.

All the necessary pieces are in place for the fullness of God's plans. At the time of His choosing, He will make visible to our eyes the greatest glory of His Tabernacle dwelling. All that is old and fading away will be removed, and everything that is new and alive in the resurrection of Jesus Christ will be firmly established in a renewed environment suitable for the Lord to be with His people, and for His people to serve Him forever.

This new Tabernacle in Christ was very costly. It did not require special linen, gold, incense, or acacia wood. The Stone that the builders rejected had to come in person. He gave His life so that God could be with His resurrection church throughout the vast expanse of a new heaven and earth.

The Old Testament Tabernacle was a marvelous picture. But now the Messiah has come, and we are His people. Our God is with us forever.