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The Significance Of The Torn Veil

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Categories: Church of Christ Bulletin Articles

A querist asks, “From Matthew 27:51, what is the significance of the veil of the temple being torn into from top to bottom?”

Matthew 27:51 states:

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

When Adam and Eve sinned in Genesis 3, they lost their intimate relationship with God (or access into His presence). In driving them from the beautiful Garden of Eden, cherubim were sent by God to guard the way back to the tree of life (Genesis 3:22-24).

In the Exodus record, God instructed Israel to build a temple and to weave “an artistic design of cherubim” into the veil [curtain] that separated the holy place from the holy of holies where the presence of God resided. (Exodus 26:31-35; cf. Hebrews 9:3).

When an Israelite entered the temple and saw the veil with the cherubim, he was graphically reminded that sin separated him from God’s presence (cf. Isaiah 59:1-2).

When Jesus died and shed His blood, the veil of the temple was ripped apart from top to bottom. God’s act of ripping the veil signified that access into His presence would then be granted to both Jew and Gentile, because as our sinless High Priest (Hebrews 4:14-16; Hebrews 9:11-14), forgiveness of sins could now be attained for those obedient to the saving gospel of Christ (Hebrews 9:15; Hebrews 10:16-22; cf. Acts 2:38; Acts 22:16; Gal. 3:26-28; 1 Peter 3:21).

Paul wrote of this access into God’s presence when he stated:

“Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God” (Romans 5:1-2; cf. Ephesians 2:13-18).

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