Many Christians hold the mistaken concept that God wants to dwell in heaven. But the Bible reveals that God’s desire is to dwell on earth. He is not satisfied with His heavenly dwelling place; He desires to come down to earth. You may love heaven, but God loves the earth. You may want to go to heaven, but God wants to come down to earth. Which do you prefer—heaven or earth? Although most Christians love heaven much more than earth, God loves earth more than heaven. He has no problems in heaven, but He does have many problems with the earth. God is eager to recover the earth that He may establish His dwelling place here.
God created man for the specific purpose of recovering the earth that He may have a dwelling place on earth. The time of Abel, the time of Abraham, and even the time of Jacob were not the right time for God to set up His dwelling place on earth. He had to wait until the house of Israel had come into being, had been delivered out of Egypt, and had been brought to Mount Sinai. That was the time God told the house of Israel to build Him a dwelling place on earth.
The tabernacle built by the Israelites was not only a type of the church; it was also a type of Christ. Moreover, it was not just the individual Christ; it was the corporate Christ, the enlarged Christ. The tabernacle was Christ enlarged to be God’s dwelling place on earth.
When the tabernacle had been built and erected, it was filled with the glory of God. Exodus 40:34 says, “Then a cloud covered the tent of the congregation, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.” This means that the God of heaven had come into His dwelling place on earth. This matter has great significance.
God’s intention is to have a dwelling place on earth. This dwelling place is the enlargement of Christ, an enlargement that includes all of us. God’s dwelling place is not with one person individually; it is with all the believers corporately. In typology, all the children of Israel were one. The number of the Israelites must have been more than two million. Although they were so numerous, they were absolutely one; they were still one house. These more than two million people erected one tabernacle. It is difficult to believe that among this large number of people there was just one tabernacle. Most people, thinking that it would be awkward for so many to come together to one tabernacle, would suggest that there be several dozen tabernacles, and that a portion of the people be assigned to each of them. If there were twenty-four tabernacles, then the people would be divided into twenty-four sections, one section for each tabernacle. This would be the plan suggested by human wisdom. Christians today would probably propose that there should be more than a hundred tabernacles to accommodate this number of people.
God’s economy, however, is different from man’s wisdom. In His economy there is one tabernacle for more than two million people.
Furthermore, this unique tabernacle was not very large. Rather, it was just thirty cubits long and ten cubits wide. In other words, it was forty-five feet by fifteen feet. If we had been there, we probably would have proposed that the tabernacle be a great deal larger, perhaps five hundred feet by fifty feet. Nevertheless, in appearance the church should be one small tabernacle. All the people must come to this tabernacle. If you do not, you will not be able to meet God or to hear God’s speaking, because God’s presence and His oracle are both in the tabernacle. Outside the tabernacle, God does not speak.
In the book of Exodus we can see both Christ and the church, the kernel of this book. We see Christ as the Angel, as Moses, as the Lamb, as the manna, and as the rock with the living water. When we enjoy such a Christ, we eventually become the house of God, the dwelling place of God on earth. God’s earthly dwelling place is not large; rather it is quite small. The outstanding point related to the tabernacle is not its greatness—it is the fact that God’s presence and glory are there. In the tabernacle there was God’s glory, God’s speaking, God’s light, and God’s life supply. We must see the difference between the way God does things and the way man does things. Man desires to have a large outward appearance. Although the number of the people may be quite small, man likes to build a large hall for them. God’s way is different. Although the number of the people may be huge—more than two million—He has a small building.