A MULTI-DIMENSIONAL WORLD VIEW

13. WHERE DO HUMANS FIT
IN A MULTI-DIMENSIONAL UNIVERSE







A Holy Land Experience
I would love one day to be able to visit the land and city where the Christian faith came from, but New Zealand is a very long way from Israel. My only taste of what that experience would be like was a memorable visit to a Holy Land theme park at Orlando, Florida.

My wife and I saw a reenactment of the crucifixion of Christ, acted out in front of us, making us feel like we were the crowd at the time. I stepped out onto the path to get a good photo of Jesus being led by the soldiers to the cross. I was able to get my photo, but was ordered away harshly by the soldiers.  Then immediately after the crucifixion, a dark cloud came overhead, and there was a huge downpour that forced us to run for shelter. It seemed that the events we had just been a part of affected the climate also. It reminded us of how at the original crucifixion the sky was darkened as Jesus died.

One of the live displays was of Moses' tabernacle along with an acted out performance of the sacrifice and worship of the time. My eyes were opened to the significance of the tabernacle not just for the Jews, but also for Christians. I could see the threefold structure of the tabernacle as a picture of my Christian spiritual journey from salvation, being filled with the Holy Spirit, and my fulfillment in the glory of God. God had provided a pattern way back then. That continues to be my journey because I haven't received all of my fulfillment yet.

The Tabernacle
The Tabernacle of Moses provided the pattern for the temple to follow also, so what I write of the tabernacle applies equally for the temple.

The Tabernacle was constructed in the desert shortly after the Israelites were freed from Egypt.  It shows that the need of God's people was not only for physical freedom but also freedom from spiritual bondage. The Tabernacle literally means the dwelling place of God, a place where God would meet with his people. From the experience of Moses on Mount Sinai where God revealed himself in fire and revelation, the people had a strong sense of the reality of the spiritual dimension. And each time Moses worshipped in the precursor tent and then the Tabernacle, God showed the presence of his glory. The glory of God was shown as God led his people by fire at night, and by a cloud in daytime.

But also the tabernacle showed how people could meet with God, and how inadequate humans could come to and live with the presence of a holy God. It was a place for people to offer themselves to God, and to come into his presence.

The Tabernacle consisted of three parts. We need to understand their structure and the meaning that it held, including the meaning that the New Testament added to it.

Fig 15. The Basic Tabernacle or Temple Structure

1. The Outer Court which surrounds the other two parts of the tabernacle was enclosed by a curtain fence and did not have any roof. Placed in the court were its two major items, the altar of burnt offering, and a laver  for washing. All people could come into this court in order to bring their sacrifices, although it was the priests who offered the sacrifices on the altar for them.

This is the part of the tabernacle or temple that is seen by the world, and it is open to the world. In the New Testament our body is regarded as the temple of the Holy Spirit [1 Corinthians 6:19] This court could then be seen to represent our physical body, that part that is visible to and interacts with the world.

2. The Holy Place came next, the larger of the adjoining sections in the sanctuary. Inside the Holy Place was the Table of Shewbread with 12 loaves of bread placed on it, the seven branched candlestick that provided the light for the room, and the Table of Incense symbolising the prayers of God's people rising into the presence of God.

The bread represents the food that God gives for our life and growth. Primarily it is our minds that are fed by the revelation knowledge of God.  This is the inner life or knowledge of God that he provides. The candlestick also represents the light of understanding that is given by the Holy Spirit. Then this is the place to bring the prayers of the people to God. It is the place of communication. This room represents that inner part of our body which is our mind.

3. The Most Holy Place was separated off from the Holy Place by a curtain veil. It was the place where God was primarily present among his people. In this last room, was the Ark of the Covenant,  a box which represented the throne of God and his presence among his people.

This is the innermost place of the spirit, where people and God finally meet. This is the goal of the whole temple journey. From this place God's presence flowed to the whole temple and to the world. In contrast to pagan temples, this temple was not a place where idols could be worshipped. Nor was the temple itself the image or body of God. God is greater than this world. But the tabernacle and temple portrayed the radical idea that God wanted to dwell in and with his people.

So in summary:


The Tabernacle is not a static picture of our human body or of life. It is a moving picture that goes two ways.

Human Nature
One of the strongest pictures of human nature given in the Bible is our threefold nature as spirit, mind and body. "May the God who gives us peace make you holy in every way and keep your whole being -spirit, soul, and body - free from every fault at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ [1 Thessalonians 5:23] I understand here that 'body' refers to our physical nature, which must therefore include all the physical dimensions. In the 'Bible' the word 'soul' refers most commonly to ourselves as a living being, or to the whole inner life of a person. It is a very broad concept which often seems to mean the same as 'spirit', but in other cases when it is used in distinction from 'spirit' as it is here, it would refer to mind or consciousness.

Likewise we have the commandment. "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind…" [Luke 10:27] 'Heart' and 'soul' here, in a variation from the previous reference to 'soul', seem to be referring to our spirit. 'Strength' refers to our body. 'Mind' is specifically referred to. Love is a total commitment of ourselves. Although the terminology is different, our human spirit, mind and body are being included. The Bible is insistent on the widest understanding of human nature.

Now, the aim here is not to prove that there are only three parts to our human nature as described in the Bible, because we could easily discern more than three parts. It is simply to show that these three parts of our human nature as described in the Bible are a comprehensive view of our humanity.

These three categories of our human nature match with the dimensions:


The same pattern is represented in our human nature as is in the divinely inspired structure of the tabernacle and temple. Paul says that, "Don't you know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and who was given to you by God?" [1 Corinthians 6:19] Even before the Temple was destroyed we have a new application of the Tabernacle revealed.

Why were we made the way we are?. The Bible says, "So God created human beings, making them to be like himself." [Genesis 1:27] We were created as the end point of creation. God put into us more of himself than he did for any other part of his creation. We have been created, not just out of the physical stuff of the universe, but out of the mind and spirit of God as well. He has unfolded his dimensions in us more than elsewhere in creation.

The Tabernacle Reveals a Multi-dimensional World
The Tabernacle was not just about itself. It gave a picture of something greater - that God wanted to dwell in his world. In reality the whole universe is the Tabernacle of God. We may think that the world is on its own, or that nature is all that there is. The Tabernacle in contrast says that there is no barrier between God and people, because God has decided to meet with us.

Here we have all the dimensions of the universe!

Can we really treat the Tabernacle this way? The writer of Hebrews  says that "The work they do as priests is really only a copy and a shadow of what is in heaven." [Hebrews 8:5] Jesus himself is the High Priest. His sacrifice in order to deal with our sin, has taken the place of the Tabernacle and Temple sacrifices. Jesus has made a sacrifice for the benefit of the whole world. The principles of the Tabernacle still apply, but they are now transferred onto a larger canvas. The Tabernacle was meant to be a shadow. A shadow of what? Is it a shadow of the creator's plan for the universe?

Did John have the picture of the Tabernacle in mind when he said, "The Word became a human being and, full of grace and truth, lived among us. We saw his glory, the glory which he received as the Father's only Son." [John 1:14]?

In the pattern of the tabernacle has God all along been showing us about mutli-dimensions? At its heart, because worship is the heart of the Bible, the Bible gives us a beautiful picture of the dimensional nature of the universe.

As with the Tabernacle I see there is a double flow through the dimensions:

1. Development or Unfolding
The dimensions unfold and develop. This may look like a natural process, but that is because it is from the perspective of the world. This fits in with a process of evolution. But is also fits in with the Biblical account of creation. We could understand Genesis ch 1&2 describing the dimensions unfolding like this:

Time begins. "In the beginning…" [vs 1:1a]
Space begins. "...when God created the universe…" [vs1:1b]
Energy-mass begins. "Let there be light - and light appeared" [vs 1:3]
Knowledge appears. "And he named the light 'Day', and the darkness 'Night'" [vs 1:5] (As soon as there is any divergence there is information that can be distinguished. God applies the knowledge to creation by naming the parts of the day.)
Spirit appears. "He breathed life giving breath into his nostrils." [vs 2:7]

The highest purposes of God are to be worked out through human life. We were put on earth to bring the earth under control. Through the power of God working through the image of God in us, the purpose of God could also be worked out in the universe.

2. Creation and Revelation From the dimension of the spirit, there comes into our worldly dimensions the creative power of the spirit, and a revelation of grace and truth, spirit and knowledge, to change the world. It is this flow that causes the dimensions to unfold, yet only when the development of the world is ready for it to happen. The flow is also necessary for the dimensions to develop as they do. The knowledge dimension for example is dependent on revelation knowledge to allow the design of the universe. It is this flow from the spirit dimension which gives the development and unfolding its purpose. That purpose was always to be through humanity. The glory of God meets with humanity, in order to lift us up from our bondage and impart a new purpose into our lives.

Humans are the meat in the sandwich in these opposing dimensional flows. We are ourselves the product of dimensional unfolding, and are developing. Also we are spiritual beings, able to discern and cooperate with the spiritual forces that are shaping us. This puts humans in a very special position of being participators and sharers in the dimensional unfolding of our universe.

The glory of God flowing through mankind, will bring glory to the earth.

Rev Brian Brandon, Revised October 2004

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