Beyond The Veil
One of the most significant symbols in the Old Testament was the Temple. What started off as a portable Tabernacle (or tent) has a much deeper meaning then what it was initially built for. Taking a look at just two components of the temple allows us to begin to unravel what it was pointing towards…
The Veil.
Perhaps the most anomalous feature within the Tabernacle was the veil. When constructing the temple, the veil was made to be 30 feet high and hung across the middle of the temple to separate the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies (Exo 26:33, 1 Kings 6:2 ). Beyond the veil, the Holy of Holies was believed to be the dwelling place of God, his throne room. Only one individual – the high priest would be able to enter into the Holy of Holies once a year to offer up sin sacrifices for himself as well as the nation of Israel. The veil symbolised our sin – the only thing that has ever separated us from God.
On the Cross, Jesus became the veil.
“God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Cor 5:21).
When Jesus gave up his last breath the veil in the temple instantly tore from “top to bottom” (Mark 15:37-39). The fact that the bible draws our attention to the height of the veil shows how no man had a reach that great, nor the strength to be able to tear it this way. It had to be someone greater and higher than man to rip it in two. While taking on our sin, just as Jesus’s body was torn on the cross, so was the veil. At the moment of his last breath, our separation from God was completely severed and God’s redemptive work was put to rest.
Hebrews 10:19-22
The Holy of Holies
“..Since he is Lord of heaven and earth, he doesn’t live in man-made temples” – Acts 17:24
The word “tabernacle” in Hebrew means dwelling, or to dwell. When “The Word became flesh” he decided to “dwell among us” (John 1:24). The word “dwell” or “skēnoō” in Greek here means to encamp or pitch a tent. The reason why God didn’t send another prophet to rebuild the second temple after its destruction is that it was never God’s will to be confined behind a curtain. Desiring personal intimacy, God planned to “pour out his spirit upon all people” (Joel 2:28) and “pitch his tent” within the body of his believers.
“Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God In your body.” - 1 Cor 6:19-20
Just as the Tabernacle was carried by the Levites into the promised land, those who have received The Holy Spirit are carriers of God’s throne room and carry it towards our promised inheritance. In Christ we are collectively “being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.” (Eph 2:22). Though we may feel broken or undeserving, we serve a God who “rebuilds the ruined places” (Ezekiel 36:36) . A God who gave his life for the worst version of us. A God who was so repulsed by the sight of the veil that he became on flesh so that it could be torn.
Entering into the Holy of Holies isn’t the same fearful, spatially limited thing as it used to be. It’s also not a matter of us “ushering” the presence of God into our space. It’s an increased state of awareness and sensitivity to the Spirit of God who dwells within the body of his believers. It’s a journey through and with Christ, beyond the veil.
