The Jewish temple was an elaborate display of elegance and cost. It had courtyards, equipment for the sacrifice of animals, and the cleansing of the priests. In particular, there was a place called the Holy of Holies. Only the high priest was permitted to enter once a year. He first had to be purified before conducting his service to God in behalf of the people.
There was a veil that covered the entrance to the Holy of Holies. It was 60 feet tall and very thick. It was more of a cloth wall. It was considered the meeting place of man and God. The veil was composed of blue, purple, and scarlet material. Embroidered on it were the figures of cherubim representing angelic beings gathered around the throne of God. In that most holy room was the golden censer, the ark of the covenant containing the 10 Commandments, golden pot of manna, and the rod of Aaron that budded. The lid of the ark was called the mercy seat in which blood was spilt.
Repeatedly in the New Testament comments were made that the blood of animals was not sufficient for the salvation of man. The one perfect person who was the Son of God was only qualified to fulfill the requirements of God’s justice and wrath. He was after the order of Melchizedek (Hebrews 7) as the priest that had no beginning or end. He entered into the Holy of Holies with his own blood to gain eternal redemption for all who believe. Jesus is referred to in Scripture as the mediator of the New Testament. The offering of himself on the cross was once and final for our salvation. (Hebrews 9, 10)
It was remarkable that when Jesus dismissed his spirit from his body, this veil we have discussed was torn from top to bottom. It represented his torn body. It also demonstrates the end of the law as the Jews knew it at that time. The torn veil means that God made it possible for us to come into his very presence to seek his pleasure while bringing our needs to his attention. The Jewish leaders who were so eager to murder Jesus for fear they would lose their jobs actually brought an end to their careers through the crucifixion. When the veil was torn from top to bottom, their religious way of life came to an end.
Up until the death of Christ the Jewish religion relied on human priests led by a high priest. Now, with the veil having been torn, we do not need our human high priest to go behind a veil as our representative because Christ already did that for once in all. There is now the reality of the believer priests. With the demise of the Jewish priesthood that existed for hundreds of years, the New Testament that Jesus established made us all priests because each of us can approach God directly not based on the blood of, not an animal, but the blood of Jesus Christ. Whereas the high priest went into that sacred room annually, because that veil was torn, any of us can enter into the sacred presence of the Almighty God at any time for any reason bringing sacrifices of our own living bodies in service to him as recorded in Romans 12: 1,2. Truly Jesus made a way for us all.
Christian Writer 