Page 213 - Through New Eyes

The World of the Tabernacle 211
was forbidden on pain of death to approach the holy mountain
of the altar.
The area outside the courtyard was the camp of Israel, and
later the Holy Land. This corresponds to the land of Eden, the
homeland of the priests. Canaan also had very carefully set
boundaries, and these boundaries were also guarded (Joshua
13-21). In this case, the guards were the Israelites themselves, a
nation of priests. The land of Israel could never be owned per-
manently by anyone except Israelites, for it reverted to its Israel-
ite owners every fifty years (Leviticus 25). Thus, except for the
cities, no one but an Israelite was allowed to dwell in the land.
Finally, outside the land was the world – the world of the Gen-
tiles, converted and unconverted. The converted Gentile did not
need to be circumcised and become an Israelite, but could re-
main a Noahic believer. Such Gentiles were welcome at the
Feast of Tabernacles, but they could not live in the holy land.
Thus, we have five environments: highest heavens, firrnament-
heavens, garden-sanctuary, holy land, and world (see Diagram
15. 4). A full study of this would reveal the following degrees of
holiness: 17

Highest Heaven/the Most Holy Place:
God
Cherubim and angels

Firmament-Heavens/the Holy Place:
High Priest
Priests
Garden of Eden/Sanctuary Courtyard:
Tabernacle Courtyard/War Camp/Nazirites
Levitical Cities/Wilderness War Camp

Eden/Homeland:
Cities/Wilderness Camp
The Land of Israel
World:
Converted Nations
Apostate Nations
The Holy Place, or firmament-heavens, is of particular inter-
est. The seven lamps of the lampstand can readily be associated