Thus says the LORD, “And they will make a Sanctuary for me, and I shall dwell in their midst.” Ex.25:8″. This was the heartbeat of God for His redeemed people in the wilderness as they matched in victory to the promise land. Our Creator and Redeemer earnestly desire intimacy with us; just as He had intimacy with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden before they fell from grace to grass. Since no principality or power can frustrate His eternal purpose, He reintroduced His fellowship with his redeemed people while leading them to the land flowing with milk and honey. Our heritage has always been to talk face to face with our Everlasting Father. Ex 33:11a says, “And the LORD spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend”. No wonder Isaiah the prophet declares, For the LORD shall comfort Zion: he will comfort all her waste places; and he will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the LORD; joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving, and the voice of melody.”Isaiah 51:3″.
Absolutely, in the Presence of God is fullness of joy and at His Right Hand there are pleasures for evermore. Hallelujah! The Garden of Eden is heaven on earth because God’s presence is tangible and real there. There the Most High speaks face to face with His creature. Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ by His death and resurrection has restored the glorious experience of Eden to His redeemed people. In the glossary of the One New Man Bible, Sanctuary is said to be the name of that part of the Temple and also of the Tabernacle that was set apart for the Lord. The Temple or the Tabernacle had a court where sin was welcome and an altar where sin was dealt with. Only the High Priest could enter the Sanctuary, after he had dealt with sin or else he would be picked up dead. Without mixing words, the Sanctuary of God is full of His Glory, and there is zero tolerance for sin there. When the Sanctuary was dedicated, God’s Glory filled it. The Sanctuary in the Old Testament time is a shadow of the body of Jesus Christ in the New Testament time.
For instance, in John 2:19, Jesus said, “You must destroy this Sanctuary and in three days I shall raise it. Therefore the Jewish Leaders said, “This Sanctuary was built in forty-six years, and you will raise it in three days? But He was talking about the Sanctuary of His body. However, when He was raised from the dead, His disciples remembered that He said this and they believed in the Scripture and in the message, which Y’shua[Jesus] spoke.” V20-22. We see the scriptures fulfilled in the Life of Christ, for what was said about Him in Psalm 40:6 came to pass in Hebrew 10:5. It is written, when Christ came to the world He said, “You did not want sacrifices and offerings, but you did make ready a body for me”, without an iota of doubt, Jesus Christ is the Sanctuary of God. Imagine if the Old Testament Sanctuary which was a shadow was glorious, how much more glorious is the real Sanctuary which Jesus Christ is! His glory is beyond description as revealed on the Mount of Transfiguration. The Scripture says, “Then after six days Y’shua[Jesus] took Peter and Jacob and John and led them to a high mountain privately. And He was transformed before them, and His garments became shining very white, such as no bleach upon the Earth is able to whiten in this way. —-And it happened a cloud overshadowed them and there was a voice from the cloud, “This is my beloved Son, you must habitually listen to Him”. Mark 9:2-7. The Bible revealed that the will of God is to fill the whole earth with His glory as the water covers the sea. In the revelation which Isaiah had, the seraphims cried out one to another and said “Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.” Isa 6:3. This can only happen as the Lord reproduces Himself in His people. Amazingly, before Christ left for the THRONE,He reproduced Himself in His sons and He is still doing it now. For instance, Paul in I Corinth.3:16-17, asked, “Do you not know that you are a Sanctuary of God and the Spirit of God dwells in you? If someone corrupts the Sanctuary of God, God corrupts this one: for the Sanctuary of God is holy, which you are.” I am also in love with this scripture that says, “And what agreement can anyone have with idols in a Sanctuary of God? For we are a sanctuary of the Living God; just as God said that “I shall dwell and I shall walk among them, and I shall be their God and they will be my people.” 2 Corinth 6:16. Above all there is a standing instruction from the Lord for us to be holy for He is Holy. 1Peter 1:15-16. When this truth got done on us, we sing often, “LORD prepare me to be your Sanctuary pure and holy tried and true. With thanksgiving, I will be a living Sanctuary for you”. You may ask, is it possible to be a holy Sanctuary? My answer is simply this, there is nothing God wants us to be that He has not made provision for. The same grace by which we were saved is the same power of God to keep us holy. What is grace after all? It is not a license to sin. Grace is the power of God endowed on us to remember the son of whom we are and resist the tempter and bluntly say no to sin and overcome temptations and trials. If Nehemiah in his days, before Christ came, was able to stand his ground and refused to compromise; how much more of us who are now bought, washed and sealed with the blood of Jesus. Nehemiah 6:11. You should be able to manifest the fruits of the finished work of Jesus on the cross of Calvary in this world. As a son of God, I know and believe that I am a new creation, Christ has given me a new heart and a new mind. Above all, as Christ is so am I in this world. Since He overcame Satan and sin, I can also be victorious in this world by His abundant grace. 2 Corinth.5:17, Ezekiel 36:25-27, 1Corinth. 2:16.
It is encouraging to know that one climbs higher the ladder of spiritual maturity as one overcomes every temptation. Consequently, God will have confidence in you and entrust you with His power and manifest His glory in you and through you. His grace and abundant grace is available for us, 24/7 to be his holy Sanctuary. All we need to do is to obey God’s instruction that says, “But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfill the lusts thereof.” Romans 13:13. Do you know what it means to be God’s Sanctuary? It means that you are under the open heaven and you are a gate of Heaven and that the glory of God can be released where ever you go. The good news is that where the glory of God is, the rule of Heaven is in operation. The Kingdom of God is there to destroy the kingdom of darkness. The King of Glory is there with you to destroy the works of the prince of the air [Lucifer]. Remember that the Lord Jesus Christ was manifested to destroy the works of the devil.1John 3:8.