THE
VEIL OF THE TEMPLE WAS TORN IN TWO
Texts: Exodus 26:31-37; Matthew 27:45-56 INTRODUCTION TO EXODUS
26:31-37
ü
The
Old Testament tabernacle and temple were the house of God. ü
Three
times a year, God would host feasts for His family/household (Exodus
23:14-18). ü
God’s
people couldn’t come before Him any way they wanted to because they were
sinners and God is holy. ü
Only
the priests could go into God’s House (Holy Place; Numbers 18:7). But even they were not allowed into another
room called the Most Holy Place (Exodus 30:10; Leviticus 16; Hebrews
9:7,25). ü
When
Jesus was crucified, the veil in the temple was torn from top to bottom.
http://koti.phnet.fi/petripaavola/Holy_Most_Holy I. REFERENCES TO THE TEARING OF THE VEIL IN
THE NEW TESTAMENT
A. “a great many of the priests were
becoming obedient to the faith” (Acts 6:7). B. “This hope we have as an anchor of the
soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil”
(Hebrews 6:19-20). C. “Therefore, brethren, since we have
confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living
way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh”
(Hebrews 10:19-20). D. In Mark’s Gospel, the earthly ministry
of Jesus began with a tearing open
on the heavens and it ended with the tearing
of the veil (Mark 1:10-11; 15:37-38). NOTE: Some commentators point out that there were two veils in the
Temple: one veil separating the Most Holy Place from the Holy Place (inner
veil) and another at the entrance to the Holy Place (outer veil). Some argue that it was the outer veil which
tore and not the inner. The Old Testament gives little detail about
the outer veil at the doorway to the tabernacle (Exodus 40:5,28; cf. Leviticus
4:6; Exodus 40:33) compared to the inner veil (Exodus 26:31–33; 27:21; 30:6;
36:35; 40:3; Numbers 18:7; 2 Chronicles 3:14 [Solomon’s Temple]; cf. Hebrews
9:2-3). To my knowledge, nothing is said in the Bible about the outer veil in
Solomon’s Temple. Even if
the outer veil was torn when Jesus was crucified, it would have signified the
same thing as the tearing of the inner veil.
Josephus, a 1st century historian of priestly descent, says
the outer veil was 80 feet high, embroidered with blue and scarlet and purple
and represented a “panorama of the entire heavens” (Jewish Wars 5.5.4 §§ 212-14). II. WITH SO
MANY DIFFERENT RELIGIONS IN THE WORLD, HOW CAN WE KNOW WHICH ONE IS
TRUE? WHICH ONE IS THE RIGHT PATHWAY
TO GOD?
A. How do we know that Christianity,
founded upon Old Testament Judaism, is the pathway to God? (John 14:6; Acts
4:12) What distinguishes Christianity from other religions? 1. The Mormons will tell you to pray about
their claims to receive a “burning in the bosom.” 2. Muslims claim that Muhammad was
illiterate and that he must therefore have received the literary masterpiece
of the Qur’an from heaven. B. Christianity is different from these
other religions and cults because earthly evidence is given for the
claims that are made. C. The tearing of the veil in the Temple
was an earthly sign of a heavenly reality.
It was a sign to the Jews that the very One Who had died on the cross
was Greater than the Temple. D. The signs of Jesus were done not only in
a first century context, but the context of dozens of centuries of prophecies
preceding His birth. Isaiah 25:7-8 III. IN THE OLD TESTAMENT THE
TABERNACLE/TEMPLE WAS THE PATHWAY TO GOD
A. The entire lives of God’s Old Covenant
people were focused on the Temple (Deuteronomy 26:5; Psalm 84:5;
120-134). The tabernacle/temple was
the Old Testament pathway to God. 1. When Israel camped in the wilderness,
the tabernacle was in their midst (Numbers 2:1-31). 2. God’s people turned to the direction of
the temple in prayer (1 Kings 8, 2 Chronicles 6; Daniel 6:10). 3. Three times every year they would make pilgrimages
to Jerusalem to worship at the Temple (Exodus 23:14-18; 34:23-24; Deuteronomy
16:16). B. Every time they went to the Temple there
were always barriers separating them from God. Ø If you were not Jewish, you had to stay in
the court of the Gentiles. Ø If you were not a priest, you were not
allowed in the Holy Place. Ø If you were not the High Priest, you were
not allowed in the Most Holy Place. Ø Even the High Priest could not go into the
Most Holy Place whenever he wanted, but only once every year. C. Jesus is “the way” (John 14:6; Acts 9:2;
18:25f; 19:9, 23; 22:4; 24:14, 22). 1. Jesus claimed to be One Greater than the
Temple (Matthew 12:6). 2. John the Baptist testified, “Behold, the
Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world.” 3. Jesus died and the veil of the temple
was torn at the time of the Passover Feast. a. The tearing of the veil at the time of
Jesus’ death was a sign that the Old Covenant system of altars and animals,
smells and bells was finished. b. The tearing of the veil was a sign that
all people can approach God the Father through faith in Jesus. c. The tearing of the veil was a sign that
we have immediate access to God that is no longer dependent upon earthly
priests. d. The tearing of the veil was a sign that
the only way we can go to heaven is through faith in Jesus Christ. QUESTIONS FOR
SABBATH DISCUSSION & MEDITATION Pray that God would enable you and give you the desire to be
conformed to His Word as read and preached today. Pray that God would grant you saving faith
and a faith that perseveres to the very end. What was the tabernacle? Who
lived there? What figures were sewn into the veil of the tabernacle? When was the first time these figures sewn into
the veil were mentioned in the Bible? Name one other reference to the Temple veil found in the New
Testament. Do you know any people who think there are
many “ways” to God and heaven? What makes the exclusive claims of
Christianity to be “the way” different from other world religions? What was the tearing of the veil a sign of? |
