Messiah's Mansion

Last week we got to take a homeschool field trip through a full scale model of the sanctuary God told Moses to make out in the desert. Someone read the Biblical descriptions and made this full walk through model. Now it travels around the country to different places, and college students give tours through it, so you can see what it was probably like in the time of the Children of Israel. The walk through model is called Messiah's Mansion.

The purpose of the Sanctuary in the desert was to point the people to Jesus Christ as the one who separates sin from the sinner. Even though Jesus had not come to earth to die for our sins, every part of the sanctuary service beautifully points to Him, and God's plan of salvation. Walking through the model was a wonderful way to make history and the Bible and God's love for sinners come alive. The people before Jesus died on the cross were not without a Savior.




Each lamb sacrificed in the courtyard represented "The Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world." The blood of Christ paid for the sins of all those believers also. It is so exciting to me to find God's love in all parts of the Bible, including the Old Testament. Some feel the Old Testament is only about the law of God and punishment for law breakers, but in the Sanctuary service you can also find God's grace and love in beautiful proportions. A sinner wasn't the one who was killed when they sinned, even though they deserved to die. They placed their hands on the perfect lamb and confessed their sins. The sins were transfered to the lamb. The sinner was forgiven and walked away forgiven. The lamb took the punishment. So also, when we sin, we confess our sins to God, our sins are transfered to the Lamb of God, Jesus. He takes the punishment, death, for our sins, and we walk away forgiven. Praise God.


In the Holy Place was the seven branched candlestick which represents God's Spirit ever burning with us. The bread represents Jesus the Bread of Life.

The alter of incense, represents our prayers ever going up before the Father.


In the Most Holy Place was a special box called The Ark of the Covenant. On top were two figures of angels, with one wing pointing up and one wing pointing down. Inside the box was the copy of the ten commandments written by the finger of God.

Aaron's budding almond branch, and some of the manna God gave the people to eat in the desert. Above The Ark of the Covenant was God's presence in the form of a cloud or fire.



There was a High Priest, the first one was Aaron, Moses' brother, who performed special parts of the service in the temple. He went into the Most Holy Place once a year, interceding for the people before the Heavenly Father. Now Jesus is our High Priest in the Heavenly Sanctuary, as it is written in the book of Hebrews. He is ministering in the true sanctuary of which the sanctuary in the desert was only a copy. A sanctuary on earth is no longer needed, because the services were fullfilled when Jesus died on the cross, and yet their meanings are still so very rich to believers today, because they all point to Jesus and what He did and is doing for us. When Jesus died the curtain to the Most Holy Place was ripped from top to bottom by an unseen hand, symbolizing that we can now come boldly before God ourself and be separated from our sins. 1 Corinthians says our bodies are also a temple of God, a special place for God to dwell. Isn't it true that God asks us to give Him our hearts? He wants to live in us. Isn't that wonderful!