The Inner Veil

"The Veil shall be a divider between the holy place and the Holy of Holies" (Exodus 26:33). The Veil was made using the four colors blue, purple, scarlet and white (of the fine linen) that correspond with the four gospels. We have seen these four colors previously at the Door of the Outer Court, the Door to the Sanctuary, the Cherubim Embroidered Covering that forms the ceiling of the Tabernacle and on the Ephod the high priest wore.

The Veil is the final door to pass through, to enter into the presence of God in the Holy of Holies. Entry was forbidden to all except one, the high priest, and his access was not free: he was permitted entry once only per year, on the Day of Atonement, when he brought the blood of the sacrificed goat to sprinkle on the lid (called the Mercy Seat) of the Ark of the Covenant.

The Veil reminds us that we are excluded because "we all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). However, just as the Passover lamb was slain for the redemption of the children of Israel in Egypt, and the goat was slain so that its blood could obtain God's forgiveness for the Israelites on the Day of Atonement, so Jesus "bore our sins in His own body on the tree" (I Peter 2:24). As Jesus was hanging there on the cross, God "laid on Him the iniquities (the wrongdoings) of us all" (Isaiah 53:6). The final pangs of death came as Jesus cried out "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (Matthew 27:46). Seconds later "He cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up His spirit" (Matthew 26:50). He cried "It is finished!" (John 19:30). He died.

The effect of the death of Jesus was dramatic: the earth quaked, rocks were split "and the Veil in the Temple was torn in two, from top to bottom" (Matthew 27:51). "From top to bottom" indicates that God tore it, because the Veil in the Temple was 25 meters high. (Here in the Tabernacle the Veil was just 4.6 meters high.)

Matthew 27:54 and Luke 23:47 both record that the Centurion at the crucifixion site saw the Veil tearing in two. This means that this Gentile sinner could also see straight into the Holy of Holies. This is a picture to show us that it is now possible, on the basis of faith in Jesus' death for our sins, to stand in the presence of God as justified and forgiven people (Romans 5:1-2).

As Hebrews 10:19-22 shows, the way to the Holy of Holies has been opened up for us through the Veil of Jesus' flesh being torn on the cross. There is a 'new' (literally 'freshly slain') and 'living' way for us to enter. The Lord Jesus Christ is not just our freshly slain, dead offering; He is also the Living One (Luke 24:5 Revelation 1:18), risen from the dead and ascended, our great High Priest, with our names on His heart (the Breastplate) and shoulders (the shoulder stones), going into the Holy of Holies, where God's presence is over the Ark of the Covenant! What encouragement! Let us draw near to God in the Holy of Holies, with a purified heart and in full assurance of faith! Let's tell other people about it! (Hebrews 10:23) Let us incite one another to love the Lord much more! (Hebrews 10:24) Let's get together with hearts full of praise and joy (Hebrews 10:25), as He leads us in songs of praise to God the Father (Hebrews 2:12), His Father and our Father! (John 20:17).