"The Lord is Building Something!"

From the House Worship at Daniel/Sue-Ann Tai's House, Lord's Day evening, 12/8/07:

In the desert wilderness high atop Mt. Sinai God gave Moses instructions for the people. He gave them (1) the 10 Commandments, (2) judgments and ordinances or the law, and (3) the pattern for building the Tabernacle.

God gave birth to the Tabernacle as its spiritual Father. Israel was the willing parent (Ex. 25:1, 2, 8), married wife (Isaiah 54:1; Jer. 3:1, 14, 20), conceiving (Ex. 19:1) and giving birth (Ex. 40:17) to the Tabernacle in 9 months.

The biblical types (like a typewriter, reproducing the thoughts of the typist) or patterns issuing forth from the Tabernacle prefigured the body of Christ.

The Tabernacle sanctuary (later, Temple sanctuary) is a type of the heavenly sanctuary (Ex. 40:2, 24); Heb. 8:2, 5; 9:1-12). The Bride is a type of the body of Christ, the church (Rev. 21:2, 9; 22:17). Baptism is a type of the saving of Noah and his family, of the salvation through the gospel (I Pet. 3:20, 21).

Denominational churches often use the word "sanctuary" (a holy place) in a non-biblical fashion to apply to their meeting halls. The biblical sanctuaries were those at Shiloh, Samaria, and later moved/transferred to Jerusalem. These were the holy places referred to when the Psalmist wrote that they brought out musical instruments (in synagogue worship, instrumental music was never used until the late 19th century in America among some of the liberal synagogues). Church meeting halls are NOT holy places. There are no holy places where we must worship today (John 4:21-24).

Just as in the Tabernacle, the New Testament says there is ONLY one entrance or way to enter (Jn. 10:1); there must be washing before one may proceed (Jn 3:3, 5), there was the bread to be eaten one day each week (I Cor. 11L24-25).

There are no longer a dividing curtain (or "holy place" as in the Tabernacle) separating us from His presence or requiring the intervention of a priest since Christ did away with this separation by the act of His crucifixion (Mt. 27:50-51) and resurrection.

Our true place of worship is in the heart and in the homes.