"And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, 
Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, 
and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, 
and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.  
And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; 
and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, 
neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away."
Revelation 21:3-4

I was hiking alone in the coastal mountains just east of Santa Cruz, California. Surrounded by the beauty of giant Redwoods and California Oaks, I encountered two problems: the denseness of the trees prohibited me from getting the big picture of the lay of the land, and no one had marked the trails. I could have gotten lost quite easily. 

You have a neighbor who expresses interest in the Bible, but who can't see the beauty of the forest of the trees and fears getting lost without any trail markers. So your neighbor asks you to provide some direction by summarizing the message of the Bible in a word or two. Can you? 

Covenant may come to mind as a good summary, especially if you recall the August 1995 issue of Tabletalk. Actually, there are numerous themes you could use to help your neighbor get the big picture of the Bible. Some would serve better than others. One that would serve remarkably well, like covenant, is "the dwelling of God." 

The Apostle John saw a vision of the end of history (Rev. 21:3). Why did John describe the consummation of history in terms of the dwelling of God? Let's follow this trail marker and see where it leads. 

The Tabernacle and Temple 

The Greek word John used for "dwelling" is skene (pronounced skay-nay). Following this word back into the Greek translation of the Old Testament, we find that skene is used for the Tabernacle (see Ex. 26:1). Because a skene can be a tent and because the Tabernacle was itself a large tent, the Tabernacle must be understood as the tent in which God lived among His people (see Ex. 25:8). From the time of the wilderness wanderings, through the periods of the conquests and the judges, God dwelled in the Tabernacle, a movable residence. 

After the Lord had given King David rest from all his enemies, David wanted to build a permanent residence for God (2 Sam. 7:1-3). God responded by saying that He had been living in a tent since the exodus, and that He had never requested a permanent dwelling (2 Sam. 7:5-7). Yet, God said He would honor David's desire by having one of David's sons build a temple (2 Sam. 7:12-13). Solomon eventually built the Temple (1 Kings 6). Then God, in all His glory, took up residence there (1 Kings 8:10-11). 

Neither the Tabernacle nor the Temple, however, was the real dwelling of God. Each was only a shadow of a greater reality (Heb. 10:1). They were replicas that conformed to the pattern of the real dwelling of God (Ex. 25:9, 40; Num. 8:4; Heb. 8:5). Yet, they were not the only replicas God had provided. 

The Garden of Eden and the Promised Land 

The Garden of Eden and the Promised Land were also replicas of the real dwelling of God. Numerous correspondences between the Tabernacle/Temple and the Garden and the Promised Land make this clear. 

The Tabernacle and Temple were both oriented toward the east, as the entrances to both were on the eastern side (Ex. 38:13-19; 1 Kings 7:20; Ezek. 40:5-16). Levitical doorkeepers were armed with swords to keep all who were not consecrated from entering the Temple (2 Chron. 23:1-7). Cherubim, trees, and flowers covered the doors of the Temple (1 Kings 6:31-35), and the art work in the interior of the Temple consisted of abundant plant and animal life (1 Kings 7:18-29). 

The Garden had quite similar characteristics. The entrance was on the east side. Cherubim armed with swords guarded the sanctity of the Garden at the entrance (Gen. 3:24). Abundant plant and animal life filled the Garden (Gen. 2:8, 19-20). Before the Fall Adam and Eve dwelled with God in the Garden, but because of sin, God banished them from His dwelling (Gen. 3:23). 

Joshua 5:13-15 makes clear that the Promised Land was a replica of the Garden/ Tabernacle/Temple. Israel entered moving from east to west, from Moab to Gilgal, showing that the entrance was on the east side. When Joshua first entered the land, the "commander of the army of the Lord" armed with a drawn sword confronted Joshua, as Joshua had just entered "holy" ground. The Bible consistently describes the Promised Land in garden-like terms as a land "flowing with milk and honey" (Deut. 11:9) and a land of "grain, new wine, and oil," where Israel will enjoy abundant life (Deut. 11:14-15). In addition, the twin truths that Israel was to eradicate all the unclean nations from the land but was permitted to enter into covenant with nations living outside the land (see Josh. 9) confirm that the Promised Land was a sanctuary, the dwelling of God. 

The question at hand is: Where do these trail markers lead us on our journey through the Scriptures? 

Jesus Christ and the Church 

The Apostle John introduced us to Jesus with this statement, "The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us" (John 1:14). To describe Jesus' presence among us John chose the verb skenoo, related to the noun skene. Jesus Christ is the dwelling of God! 

In the very next chapter of his Gospel, John recorded Jesus' cleansing of the Temple (John 2:12-21). As the real guardian of the sanctity of God's dwelling, Jesus rebuked the Temple's desecrators saying, "How dare you turn My Father's house into a market!" John immediately underscored Jesus' zeal for the dwelling of God by citing Psalm 69:9. When challenged as to His authority to dictate what activities may or may not take place in the Temple, Jesus responded with the words, "Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days." The confused audience thought Jesus was referring to the replica of God's dwelling, the Temple made of wood and stone. "But the temple He had spoken of was His body" (v. 21). "For God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in Him (Col. 1:19). 

Since Christ is the dwelling of God and since the church is united to Christ, the church is also the dwelling of God (Eph. 2:21-22). Here is the end of the journey to which the trail markers of the Garden, Tabernacle, Promised Land, and Temple lead: Jesus Christ and His church indwelt by the Spirit of God. 

Did you notice, however, that the church in Christ is not yet the completed dwelling of God? Paul said the church "is being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by His Spirit." The Apostle Peter made this same point (1 Peter 2:5). While the church in Christ is already the Temple of God, the church is not yet the completed dwelling. 

So, where do we go from here? 

The Consummation 

At the consummation of world history the church in Christ will be completed as the dwelling of God (Rev. 21:3-4). 

In light of such a future, we now labor day by day, trial by trial, opportunity by opportunity, to build the dwelling of God. We make every effort to be holy, to enhance the holiness of those around us, and to add living stones to the rising structure, worshiping the true and living God as we work. 

You can summarize the message of the Bible for your neighbor with the phrase the dwelling of God. And by grace through faith in Christ your neighbor becomes part of this glorious dwelling. This is what is ultimately real -- Jesus Christ: the Dwelling of God.