Lesson Two • The Veil
Sierra Combs
The Bible is full of the miraculous. Whether blatantly obvious or as quiet as a whisper, you would be hard-pressed to find a page in Scripture that does not point to a miracle-working God. We see it in the very first words of Genesis chapter 1, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. And God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light.” At one point in time, there was nothing, and in a moment God spoke our entire universe into being. To God, the task was nothing, but to us, it is utterly miraculous! He went on to beautify our world, filling it with plants and trees, creatures of all kinds, and finally His ultimate masterpiece – mankind. God perfectly created Adam and Eve in His image, and together they walked in fellowship and communion in the midst of complete perfection. Adam and Eve had access to everything they could ever need and want, including the very presence of God, with only one prohibition. Instead of heeding God’s command, they chose to disobey Him. In an instant, everything changed. They had brought sin into the world. Their entire existence prior had only brought feelings of joy and pleasure, and now came the feeling of shame and fear. They tried to hide themselves from God to no avail. Because of their newly sin-stained soul, they were not fit to be in the presence of a perfect and holy God. While God still loved them, the complete access they once had to Him had to be removed and so it was and is for every man and woman who came after.
We are all born into a sin-stained world with sinful natures to match, separated from a perfect God. The gap between us and our Creator is far too deep and wide for us to cross on our own. Besides that, He is so incredibly perfect and holy, that even if we could come into His presence and look upon His face, we would surely die. Therefore, there must be a veil to separate us. This veil was and is both physical or literal as well as spiritual or figurative. In all senses, the veil represents the passage into the Holy of Holies and the presence of God. In ancient Israel, we first see this literal veil in the tabernacle (the word is translated from the Hebrew mishkan, which means dwelling place), and later the temple in Jerusalem. Made from thick purple, scarlet, and blue material thickly woven together, this curtain-like veil stood as a physical barrier to the earthly dwelling place of God’s presence. Hebrews 9:1-8 describes the scene, “Now even the first covenant had regulations for worship and an earthly place of holiness. For a tent was prepared, the first section, in which were the lampstand and the table and the bread of the Presence. It is called the Holy Place. Behind the second curtain was a second section called the Most Holy Place, having the golden altar of incense and the ark of the covenant covered on all sides with gold, in which was a golden urn holding the manna, and Aaron’s staff that budded, and the tablets of the covenant. Above it were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat. Of these things, we cannot now speak in detail. These preparations having thus been made, the priests go regularly into the first section, performing their ritual duties, but into the second only the high priest goes, and he but once a year, and not without taking blood, which he offers for himself and for the unintentional sins of the people. By this the Holy Spirit indicates that the way into the holy places is not yet opened as long as the first section is still standing.” To the Jews, the space behind the veil was the most sacred, and yet it was forbidden for them to enter. Their only access to God was through the high priest who would offer a blood sacrifice once a year to atone for sin.
While this system worked for the time, God had a much better, permanent solution. He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, who came to this earth as fully God and fully man. He lived a perfect life and when His time came, He died on the cross. At the moment of His death, not only was there a huge spiritual shift, there was a physical shift as well!
The Bible records a major event that happened as He took His last breath. Matthew 27:50-51 says, “Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit. And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom.” Within those two sentences hold one of the most miraculous and amazing things that has ever happened. The veil was torn, both literally and spiritually. Physically speaking, the veil was huge, likely around 60 feet tall, and traditionally said to be around four inches thick. No human hands would be able to rip apart this veil, let alone from top to bottom. This could only be done by the Lord. When Jesus died, the blood that He shed was a sufficient offering to the Father. No longer would the high priest need to enter the Holy of Holies once a year to atone for sin. Jesus, the ultimate High Priest, paid the price in full, once and for all. The veil that once stood between us and God was torn.
Only through Christ can we once again be reconciled to the Father and have full access to His presence. Hebrews 6:19-20 declares, “We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.” We now “have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh” (Hebrews 10:19-20). The earthly veil was torn and the heavenly veil was opened. There is no greater miracle in one’s life than the free gift of salvation. Outside of Christ, you stand separated from God, condemned and destined for eternity in Hell, but the work has been done, and the price has been paid. Through Christ, He invites you in. That is a miracle!