Sanctuary Comes to Life in New Documentary

Visitors to Indiana Academy’s 2025 camp meeting in the United States walked through Messiah’s Mansion, a life-size replica of the biblical sanctuary, while learning how its furnishings and services pointed to God’s plan of salvation. 

Indiana pastor and filmmaker Christian Smith recognized an opportunity to preserve that experience and make it available to a wider audience. 

With support from the Indiana Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, Smith produced a documentary featuring Richard Davidson, an Andrews University scholar known for his study of the biblical sanctuary. The nearly hourlong film follows Davidson through the replica as he explains the sanctuary’s meaning in biblical times, its application to personal faith, and its connection to Christ’s ministry in heaven. 

“Having Messiah’s Mansion and Richard Davidson here at the same time [for camp meeting] was a great opportunity to do a walk-through film,” Smith said. “A recording like this had never been done before.” 

Davidson is a senior research professor of Old Testament interpretation at the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary at Andrews University and has written and taught extensively about the sanctuary. Messiah’s Mansion is a life-size replica of the Mosaic sanctuary that God gave instructions to Moses to build in the wilderness. Through guided tours, people can see the plan of salvation and bring it to life with the visual aid of the sanctuary furniture. 

Smith and his production team spent about six hours filming Davidson as he moved through the sanctuary explaining its furnishings, ceremonies, and compartments, and connecting them to God’s mercy and grace. He elaborated on what each part and furnishing meant at the time in the earthly sanctuary, what it means in our personal lives, and how it relates to what God is doing in the heavenly sanctuary. The footage was later edited into a documentary, running approximately 54 minutes. 

The completed film premiered during the 2026 Indiana camp meeting and conference leaders hope the documentary will become a teaching and evangelistic resource for churches, small groups, and individuals around the world. 

Indiana Conference president Vic Van Schaik said the film offers a practical introduction to the sanctuary. 

“The sanctuary truth is one of those vital truths that we need to understand,” Van Schaik said. “This film will help you to have a deeper knowledge and practical understanding of the sanctuary.” 

The video was slated for a wider release on August 7. More information is available at indysda.org. The original version of this story was posted on Lake Union Herald.