The Veil

by L. Burrows, Kingston upon Thames, U.K. | Category: Topics Of Elderhood Discussion | Sept 1983

(Please read Hebrews chapter 8, 9 and 10: Leviticus Chapter 16.)

"Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter' into the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by the way which He dedicated for us, a new and living way, through the veil, that is to say, His flesh; and having a Great Priest over the house of God; let us draw near with a true heart in fulness of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our body washed with pure water (10:19-22)

The main theme of the letter to the Hebrews is the worship and service of the people of God in this dispensation. The writer first describes in some detail the excellencies of "Jesus the Son of God." He speaks of His deity and eternity, His incarnation and suffering, followed by His exaltation to the right hand of God to be a Priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek, ministering to the needs of God's people as a merciful and faithful High Priest. Indeed He has become "the Mediator of a better covenant ... enacted upon better promises."

As the argument develops the reader is taken back in thought to the Tabernacle in the wilderness and its services, particularly the ritual of the Day of Atonement. Chapter 9 begins with a brief description of that Tabernacle, alluding to the entry of the high priest into the most holy place on the Day of Atonement and calling it "a parable for the time now present." Such a statement will surely alert us to the necessity for examining carefully what the Holy Spirit is teaching in the Hebrews epistle about our own access to the presence of a holy God. The Tabernacle of old was a material one; it was but "a copy and shadow of the heavenly things." But it affords valuable lessons for today, when the people of God worship "in spirit and truth."

The carefully prescribed duties of the high priest on the Day of Atonement are set out in detail in Leviticus 16. It was the one day in the year when the high priest was allowed to enter the holy of holies. Clothed in holy linen garments he entered the awesome divine Presence to represent the nation of Israel in worship, having first obtained remission of their sins for another year. There was placed upon him the onerous task of carrying out meticulously the divine instructions for the cleansing of himself, his household, the Tabernacle and the people, "that he die not." Since the contamination of sin was upon everything this careful ceremonial cleansing was necessary before the high priest, no doubt with much trepidation, could venture into the most holy place.

On the tenth day of the seventh month (see Leviticus 23:27) and on no other day, that privileged high priest would draw aside the beautiful veil of the most holy place and stand before the ark of the covenant, covered by its mercy seat with the cherubim of glory above it, of solid gold. The veil was made of "blue, and purple, and scarlet and fine twined linen" by "cunning workmen," a truly magnificent sight. Highly skilled craftsmen also made the mercy seat and the cherubim, all beaten out of one ingot of solid gold.

But these lovely objects were there to illustrate a future better order of things when the Lord Jesus Himself would be the High Priest. And this also was the reason for the elaborate ritual which the high priest of old had to undertake. After burning incense so that the cloud covered the mercy seat he had to take some of the blood of the bullock of the sin offering and sprinkle it before and on the mercy seat and then do the same with the goat of the sin offering. All this and much else was done to sanctify the people to enable them to serve God for another year. But animal sacrifices could not "as touching the conscience make the worshipper perfect, being only... imposed until a time of reformation. "This time has now come, and so with thankful hearts we are encouraged to trace the meaning of the "parable."

Chapters 9 and 10 of the epistle focus attention on this highly significant ceremonial of the Day of Atonement. For us it illustrates, magnifies and at the same time throws into sharp relief, the better things of this dispensation. In contrast to Aaron and his sons, made priests "after the law of a carnal commandment," we have a Priest who, "because He abideth for ever, hath His priesthood unchangeable" (7:24). In His priest1y service He does not need to sprinkle the Tabernacle with the blood of goats and calves, for He has, "through His own blood entered in once for all into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption." The high priest of old went into the most holy place and then withdrew, not to enter again for another year; "but He, when He had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God." His one offering has "perfected for ever them that are sanctified." Thus the people of God are made fit for divine service without the necessity for repeated ceremonials.

That superb veil made of blue, purple, scarlet and fine twined linen speaks to us of the beauty and perfection of the Person and work of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is the Way by which the people of God may enter into the presence of a holy God. We enter that awesome place not with fear but with boldness because our access is "by the blood of Jesus" His atoning death - and "through the veil, that is to say, His flesh, signifying His ineffable divine human personality. These avail for us in the sight of God when our Great High Priest presents our inadequate praises in the perfections of His own Person.

Our Great High Priest before us

Has opened up the way,

And clothed in His perfections

We would our homage pay.

The central argument of the epistle here reaches its climax and we believe accordingly that the entrance of the people of God into the holy place in heaven marks the highest point in their service to God. But when and how do these things take place? Can it be any other occasion than the Remembrance of our

Lord Jesus Christ each Lord's Day morning? The late Mr. T.M. Hyland once

put it like this:

"There can surely be no question that when God's people are gathered together for the Remembrance on the first day of the week, then, as at no other time, do they conform to the conditions laid down in Hebrews 10:19-22. Those precious symbols speak to the heart of God's people of one adorable Person. The Holy Spirit unfolds through the medium of the loaf and the cup the excellencies of the Incarnate Redeemer and His great Atoning Sacrifice; and by our very participation in the Remembrance we "proclaim the Lord's death" (1 Cor. 11:26). All this produces a unity of heart and purpose which nothing else can effect: there is no substitute for it. It is then a holy priesthood is emboldened to draw near through the Great Priest into the heavenly sanctuary to worship the Father inspirit and truth"

(Bible Studies 1943, page 2).

Retracing our steps to the beginning of chapter 9 where the arrangement and furniture of the Tabernacle are described, the writer recalls that the priests entered continually into the holy place, but the holy of holies, beyond the veil, was entered only once in the year, by the high priest alone. Then follows the important, but to us slightly enigmatic, comment: "the Holy Spirit this signifying, that the way into the holy place hath not yet been made manifest, while as the first tabernacle is yet standing" (verse 8). The question now presents itself: What is the relationship, if any, between verse 8 and the rending of the veil of the Temple in Jerusalem at the time of the crucifixion?

The traditional view is exemplified in such hymns as, "The veil is rent! Lo, Jesus sits upon a throne of grace" and, "The sacrifice is o'er, the veil is rent in twain. The mercy seat is red with blood of victim slain." The rending of the veil of the Temple is thus associated with the opening of the holy place in heaven to the approach of God's people in this dispensation. Now we have already seen that the veil in heaven is none other than the incarnate Son of God, so in suggesting that our approach to God is through a rent veil, this view seems to imply that the crucifixion is in some way represented by the rent veil. Alternatively, since there is no mention in Hebrews of a rent veil, some consider that the rending of the veil of the Temple was merely to show that Jehovah had forsaken His earthly dwelling place. According to this view the meaning of verse 8 is that the ritual of the Day of Atonement served to show that the way to God's presence was before virtually closed, but now it is "manifest" or open, for the "first tabernacle" (probably meaning the outer holy place) is no longer standing. Thus the veil in heaven previously referred to is intact.

Whatever may be the precise meaning of verse 8, it is beyond dispute that the people of God today have the tremendous privilege of access collectively in worship into the presence of a holy God. If we give this valuable teaching its true weight it will help us not to neglect the exhortations which follow (10:23-25). We will "hold fast the confession of our hope that it waver not." We will "consider one another to provoke unto love and good works," "not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the custom of some is.

L. Burrows, Kingston upon Thames, U.K. | Sept 1983
Topics Of Elderhood Discussion