Spiritual Preparation Through Sacred Sites (Part 1)

Since the Fall of man the Lord's efforts have been to prepare man to return to his presence. He gave his Son (Christ) to be a model for man to follow. Christ and his atonement are God's gift to us to close the gap between God and man created by the Fall. Therefore, when God gives a revelation to man it is designed to point us to Christ. Nephi put it this way:

2 Ne 11:4
4 Behold, my soul delighteth in proving unto my people the truth of the coming of Christ; for, for this end hath the law of Moses been given; and all things which have been given of God from the beginning of the world, unto man, are the typifying of him.

This verse gives us the major key to interpreting "all things" which God gives to man. Using this key we can better understand the Tabernacle that Moses built in the wilderness. A major function for all parts of the Tabernacle is to point us to Christ and to prepare us for God's presence.

Alma taught:

Alma 34:14
14 And behold, this is the whole meaning of the law, every whit pointing to that great and last sacrifice; and that great and last sacrifice will be the Son of God, yea, infinite and eternal.

In the next few online sessions as we walk through the Tabernacle step by step you may want to refer to the Institute Student Manual for the Old Testament (Genesis - Second Samuel) chapter 13, pages 147-156. If you do not have the manual you can access it from this site by using the link labeled (All Institute Student Manuals). In part 2 we will examine the anointing of the Tabernacle and the law of sacrifice as it was taught to Adam. We will use the model below or the one on page 156 of the Institute Student Manual to help us to understand each element of the Tabernacle.