Why was the beauty of the tabernacle only seen from inside?
The beauty was seen only from inside because it pictured a spiritual reality: when believers come into the body of Christ and are in Christ, they see a beauty and loveliness the world knows nothing of. The sanctuary's inward glory thus illustrated Christ and the believer's relationship to Him.
Les explains that when a person entered the sanctuary, the beauty was visible from the inside, not the outside. He likens this to believers coming into the body of Christ: when we are in Christ, we see a beauty and loveliness that the world knows nothing of. He says the whole arrangement is intricately a picture of Christ. The inward beauty included light from the seven-candle candlestick reflecting off the gold, the pure white linen with other colors, and the cherubim, which he calls beautiful beyond description. Yet the spiritual point is that this loveliness is perceived only by those inside, those in Christ.