Day 11: The Veil

And the Lord said unto Moses, Speak unto Aaron thy brother, that he come not at all times into the holy place within the vail before the mercy seat, which is upon the ark; that he die not: for I will appear in the cloud upon the mercy seat. Leviticus 16:2

Separating the priests from the presence of God hangs the veil. Veil means to separate and that is it’s purpose. To separate us-sinful man-from a just, righteous and holy God. To keep us and ur defiling ways out. There were three such veils but the one we stand before now is the main one. Beautiful to behold, it isn’t there to be admired and the cherubim woven into the tapestry of the cloth reminds us of the cherubim set by God to keep man out of the Garden of Eden-a warning that to cross this barrier is to die.

It always comes back to that, doesn’t it? Death. Someone has to die. And God, not wanting to be separate from His creation for all time allowed the only sacrifice that could have been acceptable-pure and blameless-to die.

While we do not know all that much about the veil in the tabernacle, we know that the one in King Herod’s temple- the one that Jesus would have been dealing with-was said (by the Talmud) to have been about 60X30 feet, 4 inches thick, made up of 72 squares sewn together and was so heavy that it took 300 priests to hang it. 

That’s a lot of veil.

And in one split second the veil was torn apart-from top to bottom. Right at the moment that the sacrifice was completed-the final sacrifice once, for all mankind, so that we now had access directly to God.

Some have suggested that the earthquake did it, but scripture indicates that the veil tore first, then the earthquake. And this was not an occurrence the was hidden-anyone within the temple wold have been able to see this-and since it was nearing the time of the evening sacrifice there would have been hundreds of people in the area at the time to see a veil being torn-from top to bottom. Because man could not have completed this and rendered it useless, only God could because he sacrifice and been fulfilled. Someone innocent had died. A propitiation, as John will say-and now we have access to the Most Holy God. No longer was a high priest needed, no longer a sacrifice was demanded for entrance. It was finished.

Scripture reading for today:

Hebrews 10:19-22
Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh; And having an high priest over the house of God; Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.

I John 2:1-2
My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.