The tabernacle was the place of God's revelation. It is Christ who reveals the Father to us. Jesus said, "If you've seen me you've seen the Father (Jn. 14:9)." Further, "I and the Father are one (Jn. 10:30)."

The tabernacle was the place where sacrifices were made. It goes without saying that Christ is the true sacrifice. "For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins...we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all (Heb. 10:4; 10)."

The tabernacle was the place where the people worshipped. While the form of worship has changed from the primeval period to the patriarchal period to the Old Covenant to the New Covenant, the essence of worship has not. The essence of worship is the glorification of God though the person and work of Jesus Christ. He is the center of Christian worship. He is the place where we worship God by virtue of who He is in fact as God and by way of title as declared by God: He is both Lord and Christ. These things are ultimate; intellectual; and, of course, heart gripping.

Third, on that beautiful Christmas night two-thousand years ago, the Son revealed God's glory. John declares to us that He is the "only begotten of the Father." This dynamic speaks to Christ's uniqueness above all things. He is unique in terms of sonship. That is, He is the unique, one of a kind, Son of God. We might be called sons of God but not in the same sense that Christ is the Son of God. Christ, from eternity past, enjoyed face to face fellowship with the Father. He is God and the Son.

Moreover, this unique relationship and the uniqueness of His person is highlighted in His birth. He is the only begotten of the Father. In His incarnation, He was not born of an earthly Father but conceived of the Holy Spirit. He is the only theanthropic being; He is the God-man.

And yet, the issue goes a bit deeper. He is begotten not made. This great reality is emphasized in the Nicene Creed: "We believe in one God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible. And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all worlds, God of God, Light of Light, Very God of Very God, begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father by whom all things were made; who for us men, and for our salvation, came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the Virgin Mary, and was made man, and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate. He suffered and was buried, and the third day he rose again according to the Scriptures, and ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of the Father. And he shall come again with glory to judge both the quick and the dead, whose kingdom shall have no end." Intellectual? Yes! Ultimate? Yes! Inspiring of worship? Yes!