Kingdom Foreshadowed Part 10

At Keys Vineyard Church, we are presenting a series called ‘Kingdom Foreshadowed,’ which we post here on Online Bible Institute.

So far, in our Kingdom Foreshadowed series, we have talked about the ten plagues and the ten words. This week, we will begin our discussion on the Tabernacle by looking at John 1:14:

John 1:14 (NIV)
14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

In verse 14, ‘made his dwelling’ would be better translated as ‘pitched his tent’ or ‘tabernacled.’ Jesus tabernacled! When it says, “the Word became flesh,” it means that Jesus Christ, who is the eternal Word of God, became human. This moment, when God became human, is the high point of God’s plan for humanity, a plan that started in Genesis and runs through every book of the Bible. In Genesis 1, God creates the world through His Word, speaking life into existence. This same Word, which created everything, is now shown in John 1 to have taken on human form. So, the Bible can be seen as a single story of God’s Word interacting with creation, leading up to the moment when the Word became human.

John 1:14 also shows us how God wants to have a close relationship with people. Throughout the Old Testament, God is shown as a being who wants to be with His people. He walks with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, makes promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and sets up His presence in the Tabernacle and later in the Temple. But these were all just partial ways God showed Himself. In Jesus, God’s presence with His people is fully realized. Jesus is the true Tabernacle, the place where God lives with humanity in a close and personal way. Understanding this helps us connect the Old Testament to the New Testament, showing that the whole Bible is a gradual revelation of God’s desire to be with His people.

The verse also highlights that Jesus is “full of grace and truth.” The Bible’s story is filled with examples of God’s grace and truth, from the giving of the Law through Moses to the prophets’ calls for people to turn back to God. But in Jesus, grace and truth are perfectly embodied. He completes the Law and the Prophets, showing that God’s justice and mercy are not in conflict but are perfectly united in Christ.

John 1:14, therefore, helps us see the Bible’s central message—God’s plan to save humanity through Jesus Christ. It shows that the Bible is not just a collection of old writings but a unified story centered on God’s love for humanity, ultimately revealed in Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh. This understanding changes the way we read and interpret the entire Bible.

We will discuss all this and more this weekend at Keys Vineyard Church, so be sure to join us in person or online.

Steve Lawes is a Church Consultant and also provides coaching for pastors, churches, ministries and church planters.