The Inner Veil of the Sanctuary:
That is Christ, His Body
26:30-35, 36:35-36 and 40:21
The inner veil of the sanctuary: that is Christ, His body DIG: What about the arrangement and purpose of the furnishings draws your attention to God? Why, for example, were the Holy Place and Most Holy Place separated? Why was the Ark of the Covenant placed behind the inner veil, out of view to everyone except the high priest once a year?
REFLECT: When Jesus died, the inner veil in the Temple tore from top to bottom (Mark 15:38; Hebrews 10:19-22). Why was this good news to His followers? What bad news do you see in the fact that God still separates himself from humanity, in that a veil covers their hearts (Second Corinthians 3:14-15)? What does that say about the kind of relationship He wants, that only He can establish?
The inner veil that separated the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place was to be opened only by the high priest (Leviticus 16:11-12), and even then only once a year (Leviticus 16:2 and 34) on the Day of Atonement (Leviticus 16:29-30, 23:26-32).598 Since it was a veil and not a wall of stone or metal, there was more of a hint given of its temporary nature.599
The Sanctuary was to be set up according to the plan that God had shown to Moses on Mount Sinai. The principle of using the finest metals, the finest materials, and the finest workmanship when drawing near to God is seen in the striking approach to the inner veil. It was made out of the same material as the ten twisted white linen curtains covering the Sanctuary, the curtains in the courtyard and the gate. All of which pointed to the sinless purity of Christ. Woven into the curtains were cherubim, the highest order of celestial beings, made of blue, purple and scarlet yarn (26:30-31, 36:35).
The inner veil hung on gold hooks, which spoke of the deity of Christ. They were attached to four posts of acacia wood, which pointed to His humanity. The posts were overlaid with gold and stood on four sliver bases, which foreshadowed His redemption. The inner veil divided the Sanctuary into two sections. The mercy seat and the Ark of the Covenant were located in the Most Holy Place. While the table of bread of the Presence, the lampstand, and the altar of incense were located in the Holy Place. The Most Holy Place was assembled in such a way that it was impossible for anyone to pick up the ark of the covenant and walk away with it without first dismantling the inner veil (26:32-35, 36:36).
The significance of the veil has to do with one’s access to ADONAI. There were several separations in the Tabernacle. The veil separated the high priest from all other priests, because only the high priest could enter into the Most Holy Place once a year. It was the veil that split at the time of Yeshua’s death. At that moment, the veil of the temple, which was eighteen inches thick, was torn in two from top to bottom (Matthew 27:51a). It was something that God did. Man had nothing to do with it, because it was torn from top to bottom, it was too high and too thick for him to tear. Up to that point, only the high priest had access to God’s presence, which was seen in the Sh’khinah glory over the mercy seat and the Ark of the Covenant. But with the tearing of the veil, all men and women had access to the very presence of God on the basis of the blood of Yeshua Messiah (Hebrews 9:12).
The significance of the veil is pictured in the body of Christ. He had to die before access to ADONAI was given to all. He opened a new and living way for us through the veil, that is, His body (Hebrews 10:20). By His sacrifice, Messiah has removed the veil of separation that existed between God and man. We, as believers, do not need a priesthood, a system of sacrifice, or a Tabernacle. All of those things were fulfilled in the coming of the Lord. It is through Yeshua, and only Yeshua, that we have access to ADONAI.600
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