AE 799 - A Tabernacle

 AE 799 [1-2]

"A tabernacle" signifies the church
in respect to doctrine and worship,
because those who were of the church
in most ancient times
dwelt in tabernacles and tents,
and also journeyed with them,
for they were then mostly shepherds of sheep;
and the father of the family taught those
who were born of his house
the precepts of charity and thus the life of love,
in tabernacles, as was done afterwards in temples;
and this is why a "tabernacle"
has a similar signification as "the house of God,"
namely, the worship of God according to doctrine,
consequently also the church,
since the church is a church
from a life according to doctrine,
and a life according to doctrine is worship.

Since these most ancient people with whom
the church was worshiped God under a human form,
and since God under a human form is the Lord,
they worshiped the Lord;
and therefore their church was the celestial church,
which is distinguished from the spiritual church in this,
that the celestial church
is in love to the Lord
and in worship from that love,
while the spiritual church
is in love towards the neighbor
and in worship from that love.
And as the church with the most ancient people was such,
and the doctrine of love to the Lord
was then taught in tabernacles,
and thence tabernacles
were more loved by the Lord than temples,
therefore by command of the Lord on Mount Sinai
a tabernacle was built
in which the Israelitish nation might have holy worship;
and afterwards,
in commemoration of the most holy worship in tabernacles,
the feast of tabernacles was instituted.