A Brief Study of the Tabernacle

By Ellsworth A. Archer

Chapter 6

ENTERING THE TABERNACLE.

     And now we are about to enter the sanctuary itself. It has been my privilege to stand upon the brink of Niagara Falls and have the thrilling never-to-be-forgotten experience of seeing those thousands of tons of water crashing over the precipice, a distance 16,7 feet-a scene of almost overwhelming majesty. The spray, interwoven with rainbow colors, rising in the air, forms a most glorious sight. Again, in Yosemite Park, beneath the majestic mountains formed entirely of rock, towering for over half a mile up into the clouds, I stood with uncovered head, filled with reverence and awe. I have stood on the shore of the mighty Pacific and heard the waves come thundering and roaring in, and have seen the vast expanse of water, and my very soul was thrilled and awed by the magnitude and vastness of it. In all of these places, and many others of like character, my mind has turned to the great God who has so marvelously made all these.

     As I contemplate the hidden meaning and lessons within this sacred edifice, which is the symbol and representation of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, and his kingdom, my heart is filled with reverence and praise and I feel like treading softly, for this is holy ground. As we enter and study the different pieces of furniture, will you not enter prayerfully, that as you study you may receive a special lesson and blessing that will benefit you individually? My prayer is that you will become so interested that when you read and study about the tabernacle and its different parts you will have a greater interest than be fore and not feel, as some have expressed it, that it is dry and uninteresting.