What does the Bible mean when it calls the body a tabernacle or a tent?
The body is called a tabernacle or tent because it is a temporary dwelling place, not a permanent home. It houses the real person—mind, will, and emotions—along with the spirit capable of fellowship with the Creator. The body functions through the five senses and is only a temporary tent for the real you.
Les explains that the body is called a tabernacle because it is a temporary dwelling place. The other word for tabernacle is tent, and a tent is not very permanent; it is something used temporarily. The body is the tent in which God has placed the person—the invisible personality of the mind, the will, and emotion—and alongside it a spirit entity capable of communication and fellowship with its Creator. The body functions only through the five senses. Take away the five senses, and all that remains is a vegetable; if you cannot smell, hear, taste, or touch, you are nothing. So the body is merely the exercise of the five senses, a tent and dwelling place for the real you and the real me. Les also notes that because this inner part is the direct creation of God and comes from the very heart of God, it is eternal and will never die, even as God is eternal. This is introduced right away in Genesis, where man is created with a will for the purpose of making a choice.