THE VEIL

(The body of Jesus)

Exodus 26:31 (NASB) "And you shall make a veil of blue and purple and scarlet material and fine twisted linen; it shall be made with cherubim, the work of a skillful workman.

32 "And you shall hang it on four pillars of acacia overlaid with gold, their hooks also being of gold, on four sockets of silver.

33 "And you shall hang up the veil under the clasps, and shall bring in the ark of the testimony there within the veil; and the veil shall serve for you as a partition between the holy place and the holy of holies.

34 "And you shall put the mercy seat on the ark of the testimony in the holy of holies.

Before entering the Holy of Holies, we are confronted by a serious problem, for the way is barred completely by a heavy veil, or curtain, which forbids anyone to enter except the high priest once a year on the day of atonement with the precious shed blood taken from the Altar of Burnt Offering. For him to enter at any other time meant immediate death, or to enter without blood meant death.

The Veil was a barrier or separation. In the tabernacle, there were three veils or barriers. The first veil was the entrance to the couryard. It was opened to all, and separated those who came from the outer world. The second veil which was supported on five pillars kept those who were not priests from seeing into the Holy Place. The third Veil separated the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies. Only the High Priest could go in there and only once a year and only with the blood of a sacrifice. In the Holy of Holies was the manifest Presence of God lived among His people.

The word veil in Hebrew is puroketh, form a root meaning "to separate."

6532. poreketh, po-reh'-keth; fem. act. part. of the same as H6531; a separatrix, i.e. (the sacred) screen:--vail.

All of the rituals of the Jewish people were a reminder that God was "other" and separate. He could not be approached except in the way He specified. He could only be approached by someone from the tribe of Levi and only by a descendant of one family in the tribe of Levi and then by only one man from that family.

There are five other veils mentioned in the bible.

The first is that of the Tabernacle and that is the one we will study today.

The second is the veil of the Temple ( 2 Chronicles 3:14). It is not the same veil because it had to be much larger.

The third is the veil Moses used to hide the glowing of his face when he came down from meeting with God. When people see a person who has been in the presence of God, some of the glory can be seen on that persons face and other people who have not seen God resent that. Moses had to wear the veil because the glory was fading. You and I can come into the presence of God in Jesus Christ and the glory will be seen in our lives. This will attract some people and repulse others.

The fourth was the Veil of Christ's flesh

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Hebrews 10:19 (NASB) Since therefore, brethren, we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus,

20 by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh,

The Veil which we are going to study is a picture of the flesh of Christ.

The fifth veil was the veil of unbelief.

2 Corinthians 3:13 (NASB) and are not as Moses, who used to put a veil over his face that the sons of Israel might not look intently at the end of what was fading away.

14 But their minds were hardened; for until this very day at the reading of the old covenant the same veil remains unlifted, because it is removed in Christ.

15 But to this day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their heart;

16 but whenever a man turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.

Israel cannot see because they refuse to see and to this day, without Christ, the meaning of the scripture cannot be seen. They have chosen not to see.

It was the veil of national blindness.

Isaiah 25:6 (NASB) And the LORD of hosts will prepare a lavish banquet for all peoples on this mountain; A banquet of aged wine, choice pieces with marrow, And refined, aged wine.

7 And on this mountain He will swallow up the covering which is over all peoples, Even the veil which is stretched over all nations.

Isaiah was prophesying that Jesus would destroy the veil covering Mount Zion, His church and that all nations would have the opportunity to see the Kingdom of God.

Revelation 20:1 (NASB) And I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand.

2 And he laid hold of the dragon, the serpent of old, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years,

3 and threw him into the abyss, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he should not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were completed; after these things he must be released for a short time.

One thousand years is symbolic - like He owns the cattle on a thousand hills. Who owns the rest? Satan was bound by the finished work of Christ.

2 Corinthians 4:3 (NASB) And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing,

4 in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving, that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

5 For we do not preach ourselves but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your bond-servants for Jesus' sake.

6 For God, who said, "Light shall shine out of darkness," is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.

Jesus removed the Veil which was hiding the kingdom of God through His death, burial, resurrection and ascension for those who submit to Him. In Him the veil is removed.

John 3:3 (NASB) Jesus answered and said to him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."

When you go out and teach the Word, you can be sure that the devil cannot blind the people. Some will receive it - you may not know who. You may be watering, not harvesting, so even though you don't see instant results, you don't have to worry. The results are in God's hands. Most altar calls are for the benefit of the Preacher.

The Veil was made of fine linen which speaks of the Holiness of Christ.

Revelation 19:8 (NASB) And it was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.

Ephesians 4:10 (NASB) He who descended is Himself also He who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.)

Philippians 2:5 (NASB) Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus,

6 who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped,

7 but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.

8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

9 Therefore also God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name,

10 that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE SHOULD BOW, of those who are in heaven, and on earth, and under the earth,

11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

John 10:17 (NASB) "For this reason the Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again.

18 "No one has taken it away from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This commandment I received from My Father."

The Veil was a picture of the earthly body of Jesus. It was embroidered with Cheribum. It was blue ( a picture of the heavenly, from above, His origin), purple (a picture of royalty, He is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords), and scarlet ( speaks of His blood that was shed, His earthiness, He was a man.). You always see the blue first, then the purple and then the red. If you join the blue with red , you get purple, the God - Man. It was done with cunning work which God prepared people to do. Without the anointing of God, they could not have done this.

The model of the Tabernacle cannot be made perfectly, because much of the information needed to build the tabernacle is not in the Bible, but was given in the Spirit only to the people who needed it. The Tabernacle is a model of the place where God lived among His people. The present day fulfillment of this is the Church. The Bible is the written Word of God, but there are times when God communicates with people through the Spirit to give them instructions for accomplishing His will at some point in time. Only certain people and only at certain times.

Jewish historians have said that the Veil was about a hand breath or 4" thick and two yoke of oxen could not have torn it.

The Ark of the Covenant was always covered with the Veil during transit and was never seen by the people.

Numbers 4:5 (NASB) "When the camp sets out, Aaron and his sons shall go in and they shall take down the veil of the screen and cover the ark of the testimony with it;

6 and they shall lay a covering of porpoise skin on it, and shall spread over it a cloth of pure blue, and shall insert its poles.

The Veil was embroidered with Cheribum. Cheribum may be called the tenders of the Holiness of God. They were stationed at the entrance to the Garden of Eden after Adam and Eve were driven out, and you see them again in Revelations.

The purpose of the Veil is to separate. The Veil hung between heaven and earth. It separated the religious activity of the priests from the presence of God. Many people are very active in churches doing religious acts, but are separated from the presence of God by a veil.

1 Corinthians 3:16 (NASB) Do you not know that you are a temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?

1 Corinthians 6:19 (NASB) Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?

The Holy of Holies was 20 cubits x 20 cubits x 20 cubits - a cube. The only other cube in the bible was the New Jerusalem.

Revelation 21:9 (NASB) And one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues, came and spoke with me, saying, "Come here, I shall show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb."

10 And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God,

Revelation 21:16 (NASB) And the city is laid out as a square, and its length is as great as the width; and he measured the city with the rod, fifteen hundred miles; its length and width and height are equal.

The angel told John that he would show him the wife, the bride of the lamb and when he did this, he showed him the New Jerusalem coming down from heaven.

The Veil was hung on four pillars. This may speak to the four Gospels.

Ezekiel 1:5 (NASB) And within it there were figures resembling four living beings. And this was their appearance: they had human form.

6 Each of them had four faces and four wings.

7 And their legs were straight and their feet were like a calf's hoof, and they gleamed like burnished bronze.

8 Under their wings on their four sides were human hands. As for the faces and wings of the four of them,

9 their wings touched one another; their faces did not turn when they moved, each went straight forward.

10 As for the form of their faces, each had the face of a man, all four had the face of a lion on the right and the face of a bull on the left, and all four had the face of an eagle.

11 Such were their faces. Their wings were spread out above; each had two touching another being, and two covering their bodies.

The Gospel of Matthew presents Jesus as the King, the Lion. You have the genealogy of Joseph, showing that He was of the kingly blood line. Mark pictures Jesus as the servant, or the ox. Luke presents Jesus, the man. Here the genealogy of Mary is given, since He became man (flesh) through her. John presents Jesus as divine, the eagle.

Tradition says that there were standards for the four major tribes. On each side of the tabernacle, three tribes camped under one of the banners of the major tribe. Judah had the banner of the lion, Reuben - the figure of a man, Ephraim - the figure of an ox, and Dan - the figure of an eagle. (page 191 NIV study bible around Number 2)

The untorn Veil did us no good. Jesus, the Son of The Living God was of no use to us. He had to become man and then as man die for the sins of man before we could benefit from Him. No one is brought to God by Jesus's perfect life - it was His death, the tearing of the Veil which made a way for to reach God.

Ephesians 2:13 (NASB) But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

Matthew 27:50 (NASB) And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit.

51 And behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom, and the earth shook; and the rocks were split,

52 and the tombs were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised;

53 and coming out of the tombs after His resurrection they entered the holy city and appeared to many.

The people coming back to life is a picture of the spiritually dead being born again.

Ephesians 2:1 (NASB) And you were dead in your trespasses and sins,

Since it was the hour of the evening worship, the hour of incense, the ministering priest must have witnessed this event in astonishment and horror.

The Veil was torn from the top to the bottom, indicating that is was torn by Someone from above. That Someone must be God Himself.

Isaiah 53:10 (NASB) But the LORD was pleased To crush Him, putting Him to grief; If He would render Himself as a guilt offering, He will see His offspring, He will prolong His days, And the good pleasure of the LORD will prosper in His hand.

Psalms 88:6 (NASB) Thou hast put me in the lowest pit, In dark places, in the depths.

7 Thy wrath has rested upon me, And Thou hast afflicted me with all Thy waves. Selah.

It was the Father who tore the Veil. It was the Father who commanded Jesus to lay down His life for us. Refer to John 10:18. What had been a barrier was now revealing the throne of the Father. The Holy of Holies is open through Jesus.

Tradition says that the priests tried to repair the torn Veil, but that no repair job would hold.

Hebrews 9:6 (NASB) Now when these things have been thus prepared, the priests are continually entering the outer tabernacle, performing the divine worship,

7 but into the second only the high priest enters, once a year, not without taking blood, which he offers for himself and for the sins of the people committed in ignorance.

8 The Holy Spirit is signifying this, that the way into the holy place has not yet been disclosed, while the outer tabernacle is still standing,

Hebrews 9:11 (NASB) But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things to come, He entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation;

12 and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.

Christ entered the real Holy of Holies with His own blood as the offering as atonement for our sins.

Romans 6:10 (NASB) For the death that He died, He died to sin, once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God.

Hebrews 7:27 (NASB) who does not need daily, like those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins, and then for the sins of the people, because this He did once for all when He offered up Himself.

Hebrews 10:19 (NASB) Since therefore, brethren, we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus,

20 by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh,

21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God,

22 let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.

Hebrews 9:1 (NASB) Now even the first covenant had regulations of divine worship and the earthly sanctuary.

Hebrews 7:18 (NASB) For, on the one hand, there is a setting aside of a former commandment because of its weakness and uselessness

John 14:6 (NASB) Jesus said^ to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me.

This corresponds to the three gates to the Holy of Holies.

The rending of the Veil was to the removal of the barrier between God and man. We could not come to God as long as the Veil was in tact. Read Hebrews 10:18 again. The Veil had to be rent to do what the Law could not do. The Law, though beautiful and perfect could only make us see how lacking we are. It could not save us of itself. The Law was like a mirror which showed us how much in need we were. A man looks into a mirror and sees that he needs a shave. The mirror shows him his need, but he does not shave with the mirror. So it is with the Law, it shows us how ugly we are, but it does not correct the problem. Only through the blood of Jesus is our soul cleansed. The death, burial and resurrection of Jesus - His taking the punishment that I deserve is the only way I can come into the presence of the Father. Now I live my life with the ever-present ability to come into the presence of the Father.

1 Peter 3:18 (NASB) For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, in order that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit;

Amen.