Acts 7:45-50

Our ancestors had the tent of God's presence. [Tabernacle is an old word for tent.] This tent was a "portable temple," and served to focus the worship of God and act as a witness to the Covenant. Compare Hebrews 9:1-10. Stephen contrasts God's tent with the "tent of Moloch" (Acts 7:43) which must have been a small "model" which they carried with them. When they went in with Joshua. [Joshua and Jesus are the same name in Hebrew.] They took God's tent with them into Canaan. To provide a house for the God of Jacob. David wanted to build a temple to replace the tent, but God would not allow him to do it See 2 Samuel 7:1-17; 1 Chronicles 22:7-8; 2 Chronicles 6:1-11. But the Most high God. The tent was superseded by the temple, as God commanded. But God does not confine himself to any human construction (2 Chronicles 6:18); therefore the temple itself would be superseded. [This would make them insane with anger!] But Jesus had predicted this (John 4:21-24; Matthew 23:38-39); and the Christians preached it (compare Acts 17:24-25). Acts 7:49-50 quote Isaiah 66:1-2 from the Septuagint.