Topical Bible: Holy of Holies was Called The: Oracle

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The term "Oracle" is used in the Bible to refer to the innermost and most sacred area of the ancient Tabernacle and later the Temple in Jerusalem, known as the Holy of Holies. This sacred space was the dwelling place of the Ark of the Covenant and the manifest presence of God among His people, Israel. The Holy of Holies was a place of profound significance, representing the ultimate point of contact between God and man under the Old Covenant.

Biblical Description and Significance

The Holy of Holies, or the Oracle, was located at the westernmost end of the Tabernacle and later the Temple. It was separated from the Holy Place by a veil, symbolizing the separation between a holy God and sinful humanity. Only the High Priest could enter the Holy of Holies, and only once a year on the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur), to offer the blood of a sacrifice for the atonement of the people's sins (Leviticus 16:2-34).

The term "Oracle" is used in 1 Kings 6:19-22 to describe the inner sanctuary of Solomon's Temple: "Solomon also prepared the inner sanctuary within the temple to set the ark of the covenant of the LORD there. The inner sanctuary was twenty cubits long, twenty cubits wide, and twenty cubits high. He overlaid it with pure gold and also overlaid the cedar altar. So Solomon overlaid the inside of the temple with pure gold, and he extended gold chains across the front of the inner sanctuary, which was overlaid with gold. So he overlaid the whole interior with gold. He also overlaid with gold the altar that belonged to the inner sanctuary" .

Theological Implications

The Holy of Holies as the Oracle underscores the holiness and transcendence of God. It was a place where God's glory dwelt, and His voice was heard, signifying divine communication and revelation. The presence of the Ark of the Covenant within the Oracle symbolized God's covenantal promises and His faithfulness to Israel.

The veil of the Holy of Holies, which separated the sacred space from the rest of the Temple, was a constant reminder of the barrier between God and humanity due to sin. However, this barrier was ultimately torn down through the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ. At the moment of Christ's death, the veil of the Temple was torn in two from top to bottom (Matthew 27:51), signifying the new access to God made possible through Christ's atoning work.

Typology and Fulfillment in Christ

The Holy of Holies serves as a typological foreshadowing of the work of Christ. As the ultimate High Priest, Jesus entered the heavenly Holy of Holies once for all, not by the blood of goats and calves, but by His own blood, thus securing eternal redemption (Hebrews 9:11-12). The tearing of the veil at His crucifixion symbolizes the new and living way opened for believers to enter into the presence of God with confidence (Hebrews 10:19-22).

In the New Covenant, the concept of the Oracle is fulfilled in the person and work of Jesus Christ, who is the ultimate revelation of God. Believers now have direct access to God through Christ, and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit makes each believer a temple of the living God (1 Corinthians 6:19). The Holy of Holies, once a restricted and sacred space, is now accessible to all who are in Christ, reflecting the profound truth of God's desire to dwell among His people.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

1 Kings 6:5,16,20
And against the wall of the house he built chambers round about, against the walls of the house round about, both of the temple and of the oracle: and he made chambers round about:
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

The Mystic Meaning of the Tabernacle and Its Furniture.
... sees the goodness of the Father, God the Saviour works, being called the first ... good),
washes himself, and puts on the other tunic"a holy-of-holies one, so ...
/.../clement/the stromata or miscellanies/chapter vi the mystic meaning of.htm

Effectual Calling
... take liberty to sin, yet it is not fit for those who are called out of ... the temples
of the Holy Ghost, and your bodies must be a sacristy, or holy of holies. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/watson/a body of divinity/2 effectual calling.htm

Panegyric on the Splendor of Affairs.
... invisible to the multitude and are truly holy and a holy of holies"would venture ...
2853] and with other technical and scientific knowledge, and called to be ...
/.../pamphilius/church history/chapter iv panegyric on the splendor.htm

On the Theophany, or Birthday of Christ.
... origin of this Feast; that our luxury may be akin to and not far removed from Him
Who hath called us together. ... This then is the Holy of Holies, [3861] which ...
/.../cyril/lectures of s cyril of jerusalem/oration xxxviii on the theophany.htm

'Many Mansions'
... of the home and of the magnificent revelations of the Holy of holies. ... that never
found their entrance into any communities of so-called Christians here on ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture i/many mansions.htm

John and the Gospel of Love.
... to the beginning and suggests the best reason why Christ is called Logos. ... en hemin,
in allusion to the indwelling of Jehovah in the holy of holies of the ...
/.../history of the christian church volume i/section72 john and the gospel.htm

Of the Power of the Church in Articles of Faith. The Unbridled ...
... wrinkle" (Eph.5:26, 27), and that it is therefore called the "pillar ... end and entire
completion will be effected when Christ, the Holy of holies, shall truly ...
/.../calvin/the institutes of the christian religion/chapter 8 of the power.htm

The Second Oration on Easter.
... the first-born of her own reasonings and actions which are also called in the ... the
first veil; let us approach the second, and look into the Holy of Holies. ...
/.../cyril/lectures of s cyril of jerusalem/oration xlv the second oration.htm

Oration Concerning Simeon and Anna
... nativity, and saying, "Every male that openeth the womb, shall be called holy to
the ... which, in the time of the law, rested in the Holy of holies upon the ...
/.../the writings of methodius fragments/oration concerning simeon and anna.htm

The Letter of the Church of Rome
... to carry them all the way from Arabia to the Egyptian city called Heliopolis ... takes
the first fruits of his threshing floor; and the Holy of Holies shall come ...
/.../richardson/early christian fathers/the letter of the church.htm