Topical Bible: Tabernacle: The Most Holy Place

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The Most Holy Place, also known as the Holy of Holies, is the innermost and most sacred area of the Tabernacle, and later the Temple, as described in the Old Testament. It is the place where the presence of God dwelt among the Israelites, and it held profound significance in the religious life of ancient Israel.

Biblical Description and Structure

The Most Holy Place was a perfect cube, measuring ten cubits by ten cubits by ten cubits in the Tabernacle (Exodus 26:33-34). It was separated from the Holy Place by a veil, a curtain of blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and finely twisted linen with cherubim woven into it (Exodus 26:31-33). This veil symbolized the separation between God and humanity due to sin.

Within the Most Holy Place stood the Ark of the Covenant, a sacred chest that contained the stone tablets of the Ten Commandments, Aaron's rod that budded, and a golden jar of manna (Hebrews 9:4). The Ark was covered by the Mercy Seat, a gold lid with two cherubim facing each other, where God's presence was said to dwell (Exodus 25:17-22).

Significance in Worship and Theology

The Most Holy Place was the focal point of Israelite worship, representing the ultimate presence of God. Only the high priest could enter this sacred space, and only once a year on the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur). On this day, the high priest would offer sacrifices for his own sins and the sins of the people, sprinkling the blood of the sacrifice on the Mercy Seat to atone for the sins of Israel (Leviticus 16:2-34).

The restricted access to the Most Holy Place underscored the holiness of God and the seriousness of sin. It highlighted the need for mediation and atonement, pointing forward to the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus Christ, who, according to Christian theology, entered the heavenly Most Holy Place once for all by His own blood, thus securing eternal redemption (Hebrews 9:11-12).

Symbolism and Fulfillment in the New Testament

In the New Testament, the Most Holy Place is seen as a foreshadowing of the heavenly sanctuary. The tearing of the veil in the Temple at the moment of Jesus' death (Matthew 27:51) symbolizes the removal of the barrier between God and humanity, granting believers direct access to God through Christ. This event signifies the fulfillment of the Old Covenant and the establishment of the New Covenant, where Jesus serves as the high priest and mediator (Hebrews 10:19-22).

The Most Holy Place, therefore, holds a dual significance: it is a historical reality in the worship practices of ancient Israel and a theological symbol pointing to the redemptive work of Christ. Through His sacrifice, believers are invited into the presence of God, no longer separated by the veil, but welcomed as children of God.

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Exodus 26:33-35
And you shall hang up the veil under the clasps, that you may bring in thither within the veil the ark of the testimony: and the veil shall divide to you between the holy place and the most holy.
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Exodus 40:20,21
And he took and put the testimony into the ark, and set the staves on the ark, and put the mercy seat above on the ark:
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Hebrews 9:3-5,7,8
And after the second veil, the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of all;
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Library

Concerning the Tabernacle which Moses Built in the Wilderness for ...
... Now the room within those pillars was the most holy place; but the rest of
the room was the tabernacle, which was open for the priests. ...
/.../josephus/the antiquities of the jews/chapter 6 concerning the tabernacle.htm

The Tabernacle of the Most High
... the mercy-seat; and in the tabernacle while Israel ... of song for him that was "Holy,
holy, holy." He might ... he did sing; and that is the most extraordinary passage ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 5 1859/the tabernacle of the most.htm

The Day of Atonement
... the sins of Aaron and the priesthood, and his entrance into the most holy place. ...
and two hands full of incense, and, thus laden, passed into the Tabernacle. ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture k/the day of atonement.htm

Eighth Day. Holiness and Indwelling.
... the holiness of the court of the tabernacle was greater ... Then the holy place was still
holier, because still nearer ... seat, was the Holiest of All, was most holy. ...
/.../murray/holy in christ/eighth day holiness and indwelling.htm

The Copies of Things in the Heavens
... Thus these three divisions of the Tabernacle and its court set ... its completeness only
when we pass from the holy place on earth to the most holy in the ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture k/the copies of things in.htm

The True Tabernacle, and Its Glory of Grace and Peace
... God was never one with the tabernacle, but in Christ Jesus He is ... we have in Jesus
more than Israel had in the holy place of the tabernacles of the most High ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 31 1885/the true tabernacle and its.htm

The Crucifixion.
... By shutting out from the most holy place all persons except the high priest, who ...
heaven"was not yet made manifest while the first tabernacle was standing ...
/.../mcgarvey/the four-fold gospel/cxxxiii the crucifixion 3.htm

The Building of the Golden House.
... temple in two parts, as the Tabernacle had been, with a rich curtain of blue and
purple and crimson. The innermost room was called the most holy place, and was ...
/.../lathbury/childs story of the bible/chapter xxvi the building of.htm

What is the Sanctuary?
... court, which contained the altar of burnt-offering, the tabernacle itself consisted
of two apartments called the holy and the most holy place, separated by a ...
/.../the great controversy between christ and satan /23 what is the sanctuary.htm

A Way by which one May Enter into Internal Recollection, through ...
... and reflecting on the same as the Tabernacle of the ... the highest and most elevated,
the most abstracted and ... for attaining to repose, and the Holy Tranquility of ...
/.../the spiritual guide which disentangles the soul/chap xvi a way by.htm