The Holy of Holies and the Veil.
After 400+ years of slavery and captivity, God moved to deliver the Israelites from Egypt. This was a momentous event were the Glory of God’s presence is in the midst of His people. The (veil) in the tabernacle is another very important type and shadow to be fulfilled later in Christ.
God told Moses to build the tabernacle in the wilderness, according to the pattern which He showed him in the mount. (Exodus 25:8-9) "Then have them make a sanctuary for Me, and I will dwell among them. Make this tabernacle and all its furnishings exactly like the pattern I will show you." It was necessary, then, for the copies of the heavenly things. (Hebrews 9:23)
God had Moses build the Tabernacle EXACTLY like the pattern He showed him. The Tabernacle was designed by God Himself. God also told Moses what to do with each item, or how to worship Him with each item. Nothing of the Tabernacle was made by the instruction of man; it all came from God.
Pattern - (1) a repeated decorative design. (2) a regular or discernible form or order in which a series of things occur: working patterns. (3) a model, design, or set of instructions for making something. (4) an example for others to follow. (5) a model from which a mold is made for a casting.
Within the Holy Place of the tabernacle, there was an inner room called the Holy of Holies, or the Most Holy Place. Judging from its name, we can see that it was a most sacred room, a place no ordinary person could enter. It was God’s special dwelling place were the Shekinah Glory dwelt in the midst of His people.
During the Israelites’ wanderings in the wilderness, the Shekinah Glory went before them as a pillar of cloud or fire. It covered the tabernacle of meeting and also filled the tabernacle. (Exodus 40:34-38) In and above the Holy of Holies it was seen as a cloud either by day or a fire by night that dictated the movement of the people. The Holy of Holies was a perfect cube — its length, width and height were all equal to 15 feet. A thick curtain separated the Holy of Holies from the Holy Place.
This curtain, known as the “veil,” was made of fine linen of blue, purple and scarlet yarn. There were figures of cherubim (angels) embroidered onto it. Cherubim, spirits who serve God, were in the presence of God to demonstrate His almighty power and majesty. They also guarded the throne of God. These cherubim were also on the innermost layer of covering of the tent. If one looked upward, they would see the cherubim figures.
The word “veil” in Hebrew can be either the word “curtain” "yeri'ah" (יְרִיעָה H3407) or the word “Veil” itself being (Heb. פָּרֹכֶת H.6532 or Gr. καταπέτασμα G2665) means a screen, divider or separator that hides. What was this curtain hiding? Essentially, it was shielding a holy God from sinful man. Whoever entered into the Holy of Holies was entering the very presence of God. In fact, (anyone among the nation of Israel) except the high priest who entered the Holy of Holies would die. Even the high priest, God’s chosen mediator with His people, could only pass through the veil and enter this sacred dwelling once a year, on a prescribed day called the Day of Atonement.
The picture of the veil was that of a barrier between man and God, showing man that the holiness of God could not be trifled with. God’s eyes are too pure to look on evil and He can tolerate no sin (Habakkuk 1:13). The veil was a barrier to make sure that man could not carelessly and irreverently enter into God’s awesome presence. It was not the objective of the Veil to give access to God; for it was that which prevented it. It shut the door and said, "No further." It was that proverbial line in sand that you were not allowed to cross over!
Even as the high priest entered the Holy of Holies on the Day of Atonement, he had to make some meticulous preparations: He had to wash himself, put on special clothing, bring burning incense to let the smoke cover his eyes from a direct view of God, and bring blood with him to make atonement for sins. Hebrews 9:7 “But only the high priest entered the inner room, and that only once a year, and never without blood, which he offered for himself and for the sins the people had committed in ignorance.”
So the presence of God remained shielded from man behind a thick curtain during the history of Israel. However, Jesus’ sacrificial death on the cross changed that. When He died, the curtain in the Jerusalem temple was torn in half, from the top to the bottom. Matthew 27:51 says that the veil was ripped from top to bottom, not from bottom to top. Is there any significance in this? This is also suggested by the fact that the veil could only be ripped in two with great effort, because of its thickness and because of the way it was constructed, i.e., with several layers of matted veils. But that it was ripped without difficulty suggests that this was indeed God’s work. The Jewish historian Josephus said the veil was four inches thick, and that horses tied to each side could not pull the veil apart.
Only God could have carried out such an incredible feat because the veil was too high for human hands to have reached it, and too thick to have torn it. The ripping of this veil or curtain from top to bottom suggests that this is something that God has done. Had the veil been ripped from the bottom - within the reach of men - to the top, that would suggest that this ripping and tearing was something that man had done.
God was, and still is, fully satisfied with the propitiatory sacrifice that Jesus Christ has offered. God has accepted the death of Christ, and consequently, God, by His grace and mercy, has removed that veil.
So while the presence of God remained shielded from man, it was symbolic that the way into heaven itself was blocked and unattainable for man at that time! However, Jesus’ sacrificial death on the cross changed that. As the veil was torn, the Holy of Holies was exposed. This was now the starting point of the covenantal change where God’s presence was now accessible and open to all. Shocking as this may have been to the priests ministering in the temple that day, it is indeed good news to us as believers, because we know that Jesus’ death has atoned for our sins and made us right before God. The torn veil illustrated Jesus’ body broken for us, opening the way for us to come to God. The ultimate offering had been sacrificed.
Jesus Himself in His fleshly bodily existence was in fact the veil! He still separates those who are His and those who are not! It is through this veil that all need to pass (Jesus is the door! Jn.10:9) to be able to approach and be accepted of the Father. We can only enter behind or through the veil that separated by being in Christ our eternal High priest! It was the pushing aside of the veil of His flesh symbolic of that of the high priest pushing aside the veil in the Holy of holies which enables us to enter into the presence of God in our own day of Atonement. The crucifixion provided this setting aside of the veil which was life under the old way where man could not approach God. This dying to the old aeon and raising unto the new is provided by the setting aside of the body of Jesus. It is through and by means of Christ’s resurrection the apostle Paul states that “And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.” (Rom.8:10) Again we note that this dying and raising is spiritual! Likewise, Jesus is not in the business of saving us from physical death! (Ps. 116:15 “Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of His saints.”)
No it’s not physical, it’s spiritual – He is delivering all who will accept Him from a sin infested natural body to a spiritual body of life! (1 Cor.15:44)
Hebrews 10:19-20 (NKJV) 19 “Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, 20 by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh.”
In that first century wilderness journey the apostle Paul reminds his fellow sojourner’s that those who could not accept the sacrifice of Jesus due to unbelief were blinded by the reading of the old testament and a veil covered their minds! This veil is taken away in Christ only! Paul actually states the this veil was literally καταργεῖται “is being done away” (2 Cor.3:14) This blindness due to the veil that remained over them also equated to the power that Satan had as the god and accuser of that age! (2 Cor.4:4; Jude 9; Rev.12:10)
2 Cor. 3:14-17 (NKJV) 14 But their minds were blinded. For until this day the same veil remains unlifted in the reading of the Old Testament, because the veil is taken away in Christ. 15 But even to this day, when Moses is read, a veil lies on their heart. 16 Nevertheless when one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.”
In a covenantal sense Paul spoke of the liberty in view of coming out of the old covenant into the new by way of contrasting light and darkness. This was not a mistake for the same was written by the apostle John also inspired by the Holy Spirit of God.
2 Cor. 4:6 (NKJV) “For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”
John 1:5 (NKJV) “And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.”
1 John 2:8 (NKJV) “ Again, a new commandment I write to you, which thing is true in Him and in you, because the darkness is passing away, and the true light is already shining.”
This is all highly symbolic of the fact that the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ in the resurrection and the new life. This is why we read that in Him was life, and the life was the “light” of men. (Jn.1:4) He set up His Tent and Tabernacle (ἐσκήνωσεν to dwell, to tent, to tabernacle.) among us! The apostle Paul spoke extensively about this new covenant and the superiority of it. It was established by Jesus and His blood as the Mediator of it. (Heb.11:24) The kingdom had been initiated but was still in the process of coming and being received. (Heb.11:28; Lk.17:20-21; 2 Peter 1:11; Matt.6:10) Synonyms like a veil, blindness, darkness, were all utilized in describing the old covenant aeon. It is looked upon as terrifying which put men in fear and trembling. God being almost unapproachable under the old mode of existence! Certainly unseen, but now realized, explained, and declaired (Jn.1:18) in full relationship by Jesus thru the removal of the veil!
Moses could not enter the Holy of Holies due to the cloud. (Ex.40:34-38) Yet Jesus could enter because Jesus was greater than Moses (Heb.3:3). We are reminded that Moses was only a faithful servant of the house or body of the old covenantal system which only served as a testimony of what would come later! (Heb.3:5; Gal.3:23) Jesus on the other hand is the creator of His own house (Heb.3:6 New Covenantal people)
Interestingly enough the house of Moses which was the tabernacle in the wilderness which was portable (a tent) eventually became a set physical edifice in Jerusalem. Jesus is still by His own words greater than the temple! (Matt.12:6; Jn.2:19-22) The wilderness journey of the 40 years between the cross and parousia was also a temporary house / temple in the making till the coming of Christ where it housed or clothed the people of God forever! It was a building that would replace the physical house / temple. (2 Cor.5:1-5) Not only was the veil torn, but the actual building would come down and be replaced!
This body or Temple of Christ was both a corporate, as well as an individually membered body of Christ. God was building this new temple, a spiritual tabernacle to be the kingdom of God not made by hands! The veil was taken away at the cross, but the total replacement of the temple was not to be till the end of the wilderness journey.
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