What is a…
sanctuary

In the Bible, this word is used to refer to…

  1. the Holy Land (Exodus 15:17; compare Psalm 114:2)

  2. the temple (1 Chronicles 22:19; 2 Chronicles 29:21)

  3. the tabernacle (Exodus 25:8; Leviticus 12:4; 21:12)

  4. the holy place, the place of the Presence (Greek: hieron, the temple-house; not the naos, which is the temple area, with its courts and porches), Leviticus 4:6; Ephesians 2:21, Revised King James Version, marginal note

  5. God’s holy habitation in heaven (Psalm 102:19).

In the final state, there is properly “no sanctuary” (Rev. 21:22), for God and the Lamb “are the sanctuary” (Revised King James Version, “temple”). All is there hallowed by the Divine Presence; all is sancturary.