585. And His tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven, signifies scandals against the Lord's celestial church and against heaven. By "a tabernacle" nearly the same is signified as by "a temple," namely, in the supreme sense, the Lord's Divine Human, and, in a relative sense, heaven and the church (n. 191, 529). But by "a tabernacle," in this latter sense, is signified the celestial church, which is in the good of love from the Lord to the Lord; and by "a temple," the spiritual church, which is in the truths of wisdom from the Lord; by "them that dwell in heaven" is signified heaven. "The tabernacle" signifies the celestial church, because the Most Ancient Church, which was celestial, because in love to the Lord, held holy worship in tabernacles; and the Ancient Church, which was a spiritual church, held holy worship in temples. Tabernacles were of wood, and temples of stone, and "wood" signifies good, and "stone" truth. [2] That by "a tabernacle" is signified the Lord's Divine Human as to the Divine Love, likewise heaven and the church, which are in love to the Lord, may appear from the following passages:
Jehovah, who shall abide in Thy tabernacle; who shall dwell in the mountain of Thy holiness? He that walketh uprightly and doeth justice, and speaketh the truth (Ps. 15:1-2). Jehovah shall hide me in His tent, in the secret of His tabernacle shall He hide me, He shall exalt me (Ps. 27:5). I will abide in Thy tabernacle forever (Ps. 61:4). Look upon Zion; thine eyes shall see Jerusalem, a quiet habitation, a tabernacle that shall not be dissipated (Isa. 33:20). Jehovah that spreadeth out the heavens as a tabernacle to dwell in (Isa. 40:22). Thou hast made Jehovah the Most High thy habitation, neither shall any plague come nigh thy tabernacle (Ps. 91:9-10). Jehovah hath set His tabernacle in their midst, and will walk in their midst (Lev. 26:11-12). Jehovah forsook the tent of Shiloh, the tabernacle in which He dwelt among men (Ps. 78:60). I heard a great voice out of heaven, saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them (Rev. 21:3). My tabernacle is devastated (Jer. 4:20; 10:20). He shall pluck thee out of the tabernacle, and root thee out of the land of the living (Ps. 52:5; besides other places, as Isa. 16:5; 54:2; Jer. 30:18; Lam. 2:4; Hos. 9:6; 12:9; Zech. 12:7). [3] Since the Most Ancient Church, which was a celestial church, because in love to the Lord, and thence in conjunction with Him, held holy worship in tabernacles, therefore:
The Lord commanded Moses to erect a tabernacle, in which all things of heaven and the church were represented; which was so holy, that it was not lawful for anyone to go into it, except Moses, Aaron, and his sons; and if anyone of the people entered he would die (Num. 17:12-13; 18:1, 22-23; 19:14-19). In the inmost part of it was the ark, in which were the two tables of the Decalogue, over which was the mercy-seat and the cherubim; and outside the veil was the table on which was the bread of faces, the altar of incense, and the lampstand with seven lamps; all which were representatives of heaven and the church. It is described (Exod. 26:7-16; 36:8-37); and we read that:
The pattern thereof was shown to Moses on Mount Sinai (Exod. 25:9; 26:30). And whatsoever is given to be seen from heaven, the same is representative of heaven, and thence of the church. In memory of the holy worship of the Lord in tabernacles by the most ancient people, and of their conjunction with Him by love, "the feast of tabernacles" was instituted, as mentioned in Lev. 23:39-44; Deut. 16:13, 14; Zech. 14:16, 18, 19.
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