Good News for All Nations

Jesus is the Greater Tabernacle in which the presence and glory of God dwell and manifest for all men to behold – John 1:14. The  Gospel of John  presents Jesus as the ‘ Logos ’ (λογος), the “ Word made flesh ,” where the glory of God is manifested before all men. The Son of God is the Greater and True Tabernacle in which God’s presence dwells, not the portable tent carried by Israel in the Wilderness or the later Jerusalem Temple “ made with hands .”

Jesus is the true and only way of access to the Father, the Greater Tabernacle, and the House of God – John 1:47-50. The  Gospel of John  presents Jesus as the  True House of God . He is the way of access to the presence of God that is now open to all men. The man from Nazareth has become the True  Bethel , the “ House of God .” From now on, Heaven is open to all men, and angels are “ ascending and descending ” on the “ Son of Man .” What Jacob saw in a vision long ago has become reality in Jesus Christ.

The New Testament usage of the term “ assembly ” is based on the language and imagery of Israel when the nation was assembled before Yahweh for worship outside the Tabernacle. The Greek noun rendered “church” in many English translations is ’ ekklésia ’, which means “assembly, congregation, convocation.” In secular Greek, it could refer to an “assembly” of citizens gathered to conduct matters of state, but that is NOT how it is used in the Greek New Testament.

Jesus revealed the proper form and location for worshipping the Father to a woman in Samaria. With the advent of the Messiah, concepts and traditions about holy space and holy time have become irrelevant. The presence of the Messiah rendered the historical debate over the location of the Temple moot. From now on, the worship of God must be performed  in truth and spirit .