the veil was torn meaning

The purpose of the veil being torn is so that we can enter into His presence without shame and then return leaving it at the foot of the cross. It is imperative to remember that the holiness of God remains unchanged from all eternity — even after the veil is torn. But herein lies a secondary, little-considered function of the tearing of the veil that is hinted at both by the historical depiction of the veil by Josephus and by the Gospel of Mark. Only a high priest who was ritually pure and without defect could approach Yahweh without being put to death. The Veil was torn on the cross, not three days later when He rose from the dead. The Gospel accounts seem to disagree as to when the temple veil was torn in two in relation to Christ’s death. The fact that it was torn apart from the top down indicated that the tearing was an irrevocable act of God in Heaven that gave people access to Him. There is a pool there that children are not allowed and I wanted to show it because it represents the veil. They were carved on walls around Solomon’s temple and Ezekiel’s visionary temples (e.g., Ezekiel 10:1–20; 11:22; 41:18–25). And the erthe schoke, and stoonus weren cloue; and birielis weren openyd, - Wycliffe Bible Embroidered into the veil was “a panorama of the heavens,”7 meaning it resembled the heavens, likely the heavenly firmaments (Genesis 1:6) or the sky.8. He is cajoled to save himself and come down off the cross, “if you are the Son of God” (Matthew 27:40) — the precise language used by the devil in the temptation (Matthew 4:1–11) — and yet his saving activity is achieved for others, not himself, by remaining on the cross (cf. Above all, the tearing of the veil at the moment of Jesus’ death dramatically symbolized that His sacrifice, the shedding of His own blood, was a sufficient atonement for sins. . The veil was one of the most ornate objects in the tabernacle, woven from fine linen and blue, purple, and scarlet yarn. The Torn Veil book. The deliverance here, though, is of a different kind: the events anticipated in the future have occurred at the death of Jesus. The author of Hebrews expounds on this very clearly: “we have confidence to enter the holy places” (Hebrews 10:19), and this is accomplished by the blood of Jesus. It may be that Matthew is simply telescoping. Inside the temple were two main rooms, the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place (sometimes called the Holy of Holies). Matt 27:51 – Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split. Ezekiel 22:26; 44:23). Because Jesus has died on the cross, the gates to God’s presence are open, and the age of the new covenant has dawned. Again, it can’t be proved that this did not happen, but let’s just look carefully here… All the synoptics say essentially the same thing here: “the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom” – Matthew 27:51 Not carrying it with us. But how does the Bible express the significance of Jesus’s death in narratives, like the Gospels? Sin offerings were made against the veil (Leviticus 4:6, 17), and entry behind it was permitted only for a ritually pure priest, Aaron or a descendent, who would enter behind the curtain on the Day of Atonement (Leviticus 16:2, 12, 15). Looking upon the holy things, even by a high priest and even for a moment, incurred death (Leviticus 16:13; cf. Sin had separated us, and only a blood sacrifice by the right person could fix it. ABSTRACT: The Gospel writers tell us that, directly after the death of Jesus, the veil of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. Jesus said on the cross “It Is Finished” meaning the debt has been paid. Matthew 27:33) to the temple veil in Jerusalem (Matthew 27:51a), then (presumably) to the Mount of Olives (Matthew 27:51b–53a), then into “the holy city” (Jerusalem) on Sunday (note “after his resurrection,” Matthew 27:53), and only then back to the scene at the cross (Matthew 27:54). We’re on a mission to change that. Elsewhere, the cherubim are present at man’s meeting with God (e.g., Exodus 25:22; Numbers 7:89), and they are the winged throne upon which God sits or mounts to fly (2 Samuel 22:11; Psalm 18:10). It was torn from top to bottom…the hardest way possible. But Matthew insists that it is only the “pure in heart” who will see God (Matthew 5:8; cf. But Matthew adds a statement about timing, “after his resurrection” (Matthew 27:53b), presumably in recognition that Jesus was the first to be raised from the dead (cf. Christ said that He is the only way to the Father, and the temple being torn in two is proof of it. The splitting of the heavens introduces the heavenly voice revealing the identity of Jesus as God’s Son (Mark 1:11), and the tearing of the veil is in part symbolic of the tearing of the heavens, and serves to reveal to the centurion the identity of Jesus as the Son of God (Mark 15:39). And all this occurs on Good Friday, where we see the goodness of God in Christ on display in anticipation of Easter Sunday. Professor, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. It grants us peace with God (Romans 5:1), redemption and the forgiveness of sins (Colossians 1:14). This color, which required twelve thousand murex snails to yield only 1.4 grams of pure dye, was known for its association with both divinity and royalty in the ancient Near East, which lends itself to the notion that Yahweh was both the sacred deity and the King enthroned in the midst of Israel within the tabernacle. But the syntax of Matthew’s statement “veil of the temple” (Matthew 27:51 NASB) suggests only one hanging can be in view: the inner veil before the holy of holies. Matthew is explicit that Jesus’s death is for the purpose of the forgiveness of sins (Matthew 26:28). Despite objections, Jesus truly was the Son of God, as claimed by God himself (Matthew 3:17; 17:5), affirmed by Jesus (Matthew 26:63–64), and even acknowledged by the disciples (Matthew 14:33; 16:16). Matthew provides additional explanations to his readers than Mark does in his simple statement about the torn veil and the centurion’s statement (Mark 15:38–39), all of which teach something about the significance of Jesus’s death. It literally means that the barrier between us and him has been removed, and actually made ineffective as a barrier. Yet the man entering must be the high priest and may not enter “whenever he chooses,” says the Lord, “for I will appear in the cloud over the atonement cover” (Leviticus 16:2 NIV; Numbers 7:89). Jesus removed that obstacle and cleared the way, so that we could come into the presence of God at any time, anywhere, and without going through a priest or any other intermediary. Jesus suffered to the point of death so that we might have access. As we approach Easter, we recall and celebrate what Christ has done for us on the cross, and heed the exhortation to meet habitually in church for corporate worship and exhortation to hold fast to “the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 3). It literally means that the barrier between us and him has been removed, and actually made ineffective as a barrier. In the temple, there was a veil. To Matthew, Jesus’s death is both necessary (Matthew 16:21) and expected (cf. Heb 10:19-22 – Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, and having a High Priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. ↩, Targum of Pseudo Jonathan, Genesis 37:17; Pirqe de-Rabbi Eliezer, §7; cf. Surprisingly, few interpreters look explicitly to the Old Testament to address this issue. The “marvelous skill” with which it was made was rich in symbolism that depicted the elements of the universe. Matthew 14:27, 30; 17:6; 28:5, 10). Yet Matthew’s presentation of these events is done as commentary — historical commentary, of course — on the significance of the death of Jesus. The curtains were violet — or, as some suggest, blue-purple or a darker purple compared to the lighter purple. Achsah’s name means anklet or adorned, but according to Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary it also means bursting the veil. Man has no power to tear the veil. Even while in transit, the veil was used to conceal the ark from sight, as it was the most sacred object of the tabernacle (Exodus 25:10–22), where the Lord spoke to Moses. Everything about the Jewish temple reminded people to stay away. Zechariah 14:4–5; Daniel 12:2), though Matthew seems less concerned with identifying these people than he is with depicting their resurrection triggered by the death of Jesus. The word for veil used by Matthew (katapetasma) is a technical term that, in the Greek version of the Old Testament (Septuagint), is used for three different hangings in the tabernacle and temple. The severity of this punishment primarily concerned the holiness of God himself and the sanctity of objects directly related to worshiping him (cf. the veil of the temple was to-rent in twey parties, fro the hiest to the lowest. For example, white was typically a symbol of purity. When Matthew says, “they went into the holy city” (Matthew 27:53c), he indicates Jerusalem (cf. Praise God; 1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. What has prompted Matthew to take his readers on such a whirlwind, and what are we to make of it? The veil in the Temple was symbolic of the flesh of Christ Himself, which according to Hebrews, was torn and opened up to us a new and living way. Contempt for our brother and “us” and “them” thinking also violates the new covenant. The picture on this post is from one of my favourite places on the planet Cabo Mexico. Matthew’s many uses of “and behold” (Matthew 27:51) typically introduce something surprising in the narrative (e.g., Matthew 2:13; 3:16–17; 17:5; 28:20). (niv). Blue representing heaven and red representing blood indicates the nature of the priesthood being chosen by God to represent himself here in the earth. But what are we to make of it? The Temple Veil was destroyed by God, yet Mormonism puts it back. Only her feet covered … In this way, the veil was a barrier between heaven and earth, behind which divine secrets were kept, known only to God.4 The Jerusalem temple during the days of Jesus had been significantly renovated by Herod the Great (rule 37–4 BC).5 The historian Josephus, himself a priest, describes the structure, including the veil, in some detail.6 He says it was made of “Babylonian tapestry,” scarlet and purple, clearly depicting royalty. The crucial element here is this: all this is accomplished by the death of Jesus, a ransom for many (Matthew 20:28), whose blood accomplishes the forgiveness of sins and establishes the new covenant (Matthew 26:28). The implementation of what it all meant would take thousands of years, even to today. As with the other hangings in the tabernacle, the veil was made of “finely twisted linen” (Exodus 26:31 NIV), a fine grade of linen. Being alive to Christ is a real experience, just like being dead to God is a real experience. Summary: At the very instant Jesus died, the massive veil before the Holy of Holies was suddenly torn in half from top to bottom.The sound of the veil tearing must have been deafening. The tearing of the temple veil is important because the veil was a symbol of separation between God and man. This response resembles that of the disciples when Jesus is transfigured (Matthew 17:6) and suggests a supernatural display (cf. - World English Bible And lo! The shame of the cross was absolute. There were a few legends about the veil of the temple in the days of Jesus. Matthew 4:5–6), where they “appeared to many” (Matthew 27:53d), seemingly to indicate eyewitnesses to the event. Here is how each of the evangelists recorded the moment: And Jesus cried again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit. Purple was for royalty, a mixing of heavenly God and earthly man. The ripping of the veil is recorded in all three Synoptic Gospels—Matthew, Mark, and Luke. “And the earth shook” (Matthew 27:51b). 1 Corinthians 15:20–23; Colossians 1:18; Revelation 1:5). Matthew’s statement that “the tombs were opened” (Matthew 27:52a NASB) recalls Ezekiel 37:12–13, where the Lord says through the prophet, “Behold, I will open your graves and raise you from your graves, O my people. One from the Dead Sea Scrolls describes angelic worship in the heavenly sanctuary, where animated cherubim, embroidered in the curtain, sing praises to God.3 Some rabbis, writing long after the temple was destroyed by Rome in AD 70, depict the veil as symbolic of the heavenly firmaments (cf. Matthew then explains that they “saw the earthquake and what took place.” Though this may include the tearing of the veil, the more natural reading of this verse would be that they saw the earthquake and all the other events thereafter. The veil’s primary function was to separate the holy place from the holy of holies (Exodus 26:33). The veil’s being torn, by God Himself, symbolized the fact that mankind’s separation from God had been removed by Jesus’ supreme sacrifice at Calvary. ↩, Daniel M. Gurtner , PhD, serves as the Ernest and Mildred Hogan Professor of New Testament Interpretation at the. Here the likely allusion is to Zechariah 14:4–5, where the Lord himself will come and split the Mount of Olives. A quick look at the relevant passages will highlight this supposed contradiction. This means that the breaking of Jesus’s body at the crucifixion is the unprecedented means by which believers have access to the presence of God. This means that there is no longer a physical barrier to God, suggesting that the theological necessity of it is thereby removed. Only the priests could enter the Holy Place and only in a certain way at certain ti… The events — including the tearing of the veil and all the other occurrences in Matthew 27:51–53 — are just as historical as the death and resurrection of Jesus itself. Exodus 33:19–23). It is imperative to remember that the holiness of God remains unchanged from all eternity — even after the veil is torn. The veil was a large curtain in the temple that kept us from being able to enter into the presence of God. The tearing of the veil also revealed the effect of Jesus' death in terms of our relationship with God. What could it mean? Author’s rendering of what many translations refer to as mercy seat or atonement cover. It signified that now the way into the Holy of Holies was open for all people, for all time, both Jew and Gentile. 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