The Holy of Holies and the Veil

Within the Holy Place of the tabernacle, there was an inner room called the Holy of Holies, or the Most
Holy Place. Judging from its name, we can see that it was a most sacred room, a place no ordinary
person could enter. It was Gods special dwelling place in the midst of His people. During the
Israelites wanderings in the wilderness, God appeared as a pillar of cloud or fire in and above the Holy
of Holies. The Holy of Holies was a perfect cube its length, width and height were all equal to 15
feet.

A thick curtain separated the Holy of Holies from the Holy Place. This curtain, known as the veil, was
made of fine linen and blue, purple and scarlet yarn. There were figures of cherubim (angels)
embroidered onto it. Cherubim, spirits who serve God, were in the presence of God to demonstrate
His almighty power and majesty. They also guarded the throne of God. These cherubim were also on
the innermost layer of covering of the tent. If one looked upward, they would see the cherubim
figures.

The word veil in Hebrew means a screen, divider or separator that hides. What was this curtain
hiding? Essentially, it was shielding a holy God from sinful man. Whoever entered into the Holy of
Holies was entering the very presence of God. In fact, anyone except the high priest who entered the
Holy of Holies would die. Even the high priest, Gods chosen mediator with His people, could only pass
through the veil and enter this sacred dwelling once a year, on a prescribed day called the Day of
Atonement.

The picture of the veil was that of a barrier between man and God, showing man that the holiness of
God could not be trifled with. Gods eyes are too pure to look on evil and He can tolerate no sin
(Habakkuk 1:13). The veil was a barrier to make sure that man could not carelessly and irreverently
enter into Gods awesome presence. Even as the high priest entered the Holy of Holies on the Day of
Atonement, he had to make some meticulous preparations: He had to wash himself, put on special
clothing, bring burning incense to let the smoke cover his eyes from a direct view of God, and bring
blood with him to make atonement for sins.

But only the high priest entered the inner room, and that only once a year, and never without blood,
which he offered for himself and for the sins the people had committed in ignorance. (Hebrews 9:7)

So the presence of God remained shielded from man behind a thick curtain during the history of
Israel. However, Jesus sacrificial death on the cross changed that. When He died, the curtain in the
Jerusalem temple was torn in half, from the top to the bottom. Only God could have carried out such
an incredible feat because the veil was too high for human hands to have reached it, and too thick to
have torn it. (The Jerusalem temple, a replica of the wilderness tabernacle, had a curtain that was
about 60 feet in height, 30 feet in width and four inches thick.) Furthermore, it was torn from top
down, meaning this act must have come from above.

As the veil was torn, the Holy of Holies was exposed. Gods presence was now accessible to all.
Shocking as this may have been to the priests ministering in the temple that day, it is indeed good
news to us as believers, because we know that Jesus death has atoned for our sins and made us right
before God. The torn veil illustrated Jesus body broken for us, opening the way for us to come to God.
As Jesus cried out It is finished! on the cross, He was indeed proclaiming that Gods redemptive plan
was now complete. The age of animal offerings was over. The ultimate offering had been sacrificed.

We can now boldly enter into Gods presence, the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where Jesus,
who went before us, has entered on our behalf. (Hebrews 6:19-20)

Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by
a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body let us draw near to God
with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith. (Hebrews 10:19-22)

The Holy of Holies is a representation of heaven itself, Gods dwelling place, which we have access
now through Christ. In Revelations, Johns vision of heaven the New Jerusalem also was a
perfect square, just as the Holy of Holies was (Revelation 21:16).

For Christ did not enter a man-made sanctuary that was only a copy of the true one; he entered
heaven itself, now to appear for us in Gods presence. Nor did he enter heaven to offer himself again
and again, the way the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood that is not his
own. But now he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the
sacrifice of himself. (Hebrews 9:24-26)

1. Since Jesus is our great high priest who has passed through the heavens, we must persevere (4:14).

The author tells us who Jesus is and how we should respond.

A. JESUS IS OUR GREAT HIGH PRIEST WHO HAS PASSED THROUGH THE HEAVENS.
We see Jesus greatness in two ways here:

1). JESUS IS GREAT IN HIS OFFICE AS HIGH PRIEST AT THE RIGHT HAND OF GOD.

We have difficulty relating to the concept of a high priest, but to the Jews, it was an important office. Moses brother Aaron was
the first high priest. He was the mediator between the people and God. He and his fellow priests offered the sacrifices on behalf
of the people. They had to follow a detailed procedure spelled out by God. Any variance or innovation meant instant death, as
Aarons two sons, Nadab and Abihu discovered when they offered strange fire on the altar (Lev. 10:1-3).

Once a year, on the Day of Atonement, the high priest alone would go into the Holy of Holies to make atonement for all the sins
of the nation. If he entered there improperly or at any other time, he would die (Leviticus 16). He would sprinkle the blood on
the mercy seat in the very presence of God. When he came out alive, the people heaved a sigh of relief, because it meant that
God had accepted the sacrifice for their sins for another year.

Jesus is not just another high priest in the line of Aaron. Rather, He is our great high priest according to the order of Melchizedek
(5:6). Rather than entering the Holy of Holies in the temple, He has passed through the heavens (in His ascension) into the very
presence of God. The Jews thought of the sky as the first heaven. The stars are the second heaven. The presence of God is the
third heaven (2 Cor. 12:2). Whether the author has this in mind, or is just using heavens in the plural because the Hebrew
word is always plural, we cannot say for certain.

But his point is that Jesus, our great high priest, is unlike any merely human high priest. He has entered the very presence of
God. The Father has said to Him, Sit at My right hand until I make Your enemies a footstool for your feet (Ps. 110:1). No
earthly priest would dare to sit in the Holy of Holies! They always stood. But Jesus sits at the right hand of Gods throne because
once for all He made atonement for our sins (Heb. 10:12). So Jesus is a great high priest, in a class by Himself, because of His
office as a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek (which the author will explain more in the following chapters).

2). JESUS IS GREAT IN HIS PERSON AS GOD IN HUMAN FLESH.

Jesus is His human name, calling attention to the full humanity of the Savior (see 2:17). If He had not been fully human, He
could not have atoned for our sins. But He is also the Son of God, which refers to His deity (John 5:18). As Bishop Moule said,
A Savior not quite God is a bridge broken at the farther end. Our author has shown in chapter 1 that Jesus is fully God. Thus
Jesus is uniquely great in His office as high priest and He is uniquely great in His person as God in human flesh. Therefore

B. WE MUST PERSEVERE.

The words, hold fast our confession, imply danger and effort on our part (B. F. Westcott, The Epistle to the Hebrews
[Eerdmans], p. 106). Picture someone hanging on for dear life as their raft goes down the raging rapids in the Grand Canyon.
Hold fast! Confession implies not only our private belief in the essential doctrines of the faith (especially with regard to
Jesus deity and humanity), but also our public declaration of this truth in the face of persecution. We make such a public
profession of faith in baptism, but that profession is put to the test when persecution arises. Are we only fair-weather believers
who deny the Lord when it becomes costly to believe, or will we stand firm even to death because we know whom we have
believed?

J. C. Ryle reports, When John Rogers, the first martyr in Queen Marys time, was being led to Smithfield to be burned, the
French Ambassador reported that he looked as bright and cheerful as if he were going to his wedding (Home Truths [Triangle
Press], 1:64). While God must give special grace at such a time, we would not do well in persecution if we grumble and walk
away from God when we face lesser trials. Paul says that were not only to persevere in trials, but to do so with great joy (Rom.
5:3)! So hold fast your confession of faith in Christ when He takes you through difficult trials. He is none other than your great
high priest, God in human flesh, who now sits at the right hand of the Majesty on high (Heb. 1:3).

2. Since Jesus is our sympathetic and sinless high priest, we must pray in times of need (4:15-16).

A. JESUS IS OUR SYMPATHETIC HIGH PRIEST.

The author uses a double negative, We do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses. Probably he
was anticipating an objection: Youve just said that Jesus is a great high priest who has passed through the heavens. How can
someone beyond the heavens relate to me and my problems? The author responds, No, Jesus is not unsympathetic. He
understands your deepest feelings.

We all need someone to sympathize with our problems and weaknesses without condemning us. Sometimes that is enough to
get us through, just to know that someone else understands what were going through. I read about a boy who noticed a sign,
Puppies for sale. He asked, How much do you want for the pups, mister?

Twenty-five dollars, son. The boys face dropped. Well, sir, could I see them anyway?

The man whistled and the mother dog came around the corner, followed by four cute puppies, wagging their tails and yipping
happily. Then lagging behind, another puppy came around the corner, dragging one hind leg.

Whats the matter with that one, sir? the boy asked.

Well, son, that puppy is crippled. The vet took an X-ray and found that it doesnt have a hip socket. It will never be right.
The man was surprised when the boy said, Thats the one I want. Could I pay you a little each week?

The owner replied, But, son, you dont seem to understand. That pup will never be able to run or even walk right. Hes going to
be a cripple forever. Why would you want a pup like that?

The boy reached down and pulled up his pant leg, revealing a brace. I dont walk too good, either. Looking down at the puppy,
the boy continued, That puppy is going to need a lot of love and understanding. Its not easy being crippled! The man said,
You can have the puppy for free. I know youll take good care of him.

That is a limited illustration of our Saviors sympathy for our condition. Since He became a man and suffered all that we
experience, He sympathizes with our weaknesses. He demonstrated His compassion many times during His earthly ministry. But
His humanity was not diminished in any way when He ascended into heaven. We have a completely sympathetic high priest at
the right hand of God!

B. JESUS IS OUR SINLESS HIGH PRIEST.

He was tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. At first, we may wrongly think that being sinless would make Jesus
unsympathetic and distant from us, since we all have sinned many times. Perhaps a fellow sinner could relate more to my
failures. But that is not so. Charles Spurgeon pointed out (The Tenderness of Jesus [Ages Software], sermon 2148, p. 407,
italics his),

[D]o not imagine that if the Lord Jesus had sinned he would have been any more tender toward you; for sin is always of a
hardening nature. If the Christ of God could have sinned, he would have lost the perfection of his sympathetic nature. It needs
perfectness of heart to lay self all aside, and to be touched with a feeling of the infirmities of others.

Others object that if Jesus never sinned, He must not have been tempted to the degree that we are tempted. But as many have
pointed out, that is not so. The one who resists to the very end knows the power of temptation in a greater way than the one
who yields to sin sooner.

When it says that Jesus was tempted in all things as we are, it doesnt mean every conceivable temptation, which would be
impossible. Nor was Jesus ever tempted by indwelling sin, as we are. In this, He was like Adam and Eve before the fall.
Temptation had to come to Jesus from without, not from within.

But Jesus knew every type of temptation. He knew what it is like to be hungry, thirsty, and tired. He knew the horrible agony of
physical torture, which He endured in His trial and crucifixion. He knew what it is like to be mocked, distrusted, maligned, and
betrayed by friends. From the start of Jesus ministry to the very end, Satan leveled all of his evil power and strategies to try to
get Jesus to sin. But he never succeeded. Jesus always obeyed the Father.

Verse 15 raises the question, Was it possible for Jesus to have sinned? We need to answer this carefully (I am following Wayne
Grudem, Systematic Theology [Zondervan], pp. 537-539). Scripture clearly affirms that Jesus never committed sin (Heb. 7:26; 1
Pet. 1:19; 2:22). It also affirms that His temptations were real, not just playacting. The Bible also affirms, God cannot be
tempted by evil (James 1:13). Since Jesus was fully God, how then could He really be tempted, much less commit a sin? Here
we plunge into the mystery of how one man can be both fully God and fully human, as Scripture plainly affirms of Jesus.

Since Jesus is one person with two natures, and since sin involves the whole person, in this sense, Jesus could not have sinned
or He would have ceased to be God. But the question remains, How then could Jesus temptations be real? The answer seems
to be that Jesus met every temptation to sin, not by His divine power, but by His human nature relying on the power of the
Father and Holy Spirit. As Wayne Grudem explains, The moral strength of his divine nature was there as a sort of backstop
that would have prevented him from sinning, but he did not rely on the strength of his divine nature to make it easier for him
to face temptations (p. 539).

As you know, Scripture sometimes affirms something of Jesus that could only be true of one of His natures, but not both (Matt.
24:36). Jesus divine nature could not be tempted or sin, but His human nature could. Dont stumble over the fact that you
cannot fully comprehend this. Rather, accept the testimony of Scripture: Jesus truly was tempted and He never sinned. These
facts mean that He understands what we are going through and He is able to come to our aid when we are tempted (2:18).

Because Jesus is a sympathetic and sinless high priest

C. WE SHOULD DRAW NEAR IN PRAYER.

Draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
Throne of grace is an oxymoron. To the ancient world, a throne was a forbidding place of sovereign authority and judgment. If
you approached a throne and the king did not hold out his scepter, you were history! You definitely would not draw near to the
throne for sympathy, especially with a trivial problem. But the author calls it the throne of grace. He makes it clear that we are
welcome at this throne. He answers four questions: (1) Why draw near? (2) When should we draw near? (3) How should we
draw near? And, (4) What can we expect when we draw near?

1). WHY DRAW NEAR? WE SHOULD DRAW NEAR TO THE THRONE OF GRACE BECAUSE WE ARE WEAK AND WE HAVE THERE A
SYMPATHETIC HIGH PRIEST.

We dont come because weve got it pretty much together and we just need a little advice. We come because we are weak
(4:15). Jesus didnt say, Without Me, you can get along pretty well most of the time. Call Me if you need Me. He said, Without
Me, you can do nothing (John 15:5). And when we come to the throne of grace, He doesnt ridicule us or belittle us for our
weaknesses. He welcomes us as a father welcomes his children to his side to protect them from some danger.

2). WHEN SHOULD WE DRAW NEAR? WE SHOULD DRAW NEAR TO THE THRONE OF GRACE WHENEVER WE NEED HELP.

We should come in a time of need, which is at all times! A main reason we do not pray is that we dont realize how needy we
are. We think we can handle things on our own. Just call in the Lord when things get really intense. But the fact is, we depend
on Him for every breath we take and for every meal we eat, even if weve got a months supply of food in the freezer. Praying
without ceasing (1 Thess. 5:17) is necessary because we are constantly in over our heads. Prayer is the acknowledgement that
our need is not partial; it is total!

3). HOW SHOULD WE DRAW NEAR? WE SHOULD DRAW NEAR TO THE THRONE OF GRACE DIRECTLY, WITH CONFIDENCE IN OUR
HIGH PRIEST.

The author does not say, Draw near through your local priest. He says, Let us draw near. Us means every believer. Dr. Dwight
Pentecost, one of my professors in seminary, told how he was in Mexico City during a feast for the Immaculate Conception of
Mary. There was a long line of thousands waiting for confession, but only one confession booth. As the noon bells rang, an old,
stooped over priest came out of the booth, walking with two canes. A woman with several small children fell on her knees
before him and grabbed him by the knees. She cried out to him, begging him to relieve her burdens. But he struck her on the
side of the head with one of his canes and went off through the crowd. He was an unsympathetic, weak human priest.

Thankfully, we do not have to go through any human priest to draw near to the very throne of God. We could not dare come in
our own merit or righteousness. But we can come with confidence because the blood of Jesus, our high priest, has gained us
access (Eph. 3:12). Our confidence is not in how good weve been or in how well we can pray. Spurgeon pointed out that God
will overlook our shortcomings and poor prayers just as a loving parent will overlook the mistakes in the sentences of his
toddler. Even when we have sinned badly, if we draw near to confess our sins, He will cleanse our wounds and begin the healing
process, just as a parent would carefully clean and bandage the wounds of his child. Finally,

4). WHAT CAN WE EXPECT WHEN WE DRAW NEAR? WE WILL RECEIVE MERCY AND FIND GRACE TO HELP IN OUR TIME OF NEED.

What a wonderful promise! We wont be scolded for having a need. We wont be told that our need is too trivial for such an
important high priest to be troubled with. We will receive mercy and find grace to help. Help is a technical nautical term that
is used elsewhere only in Acts 27:17 to describe the cables that the sailors wrapped around the hull of Pauls ship during the
storm so that it would not break apart. We encountered the verb in Hebrews 2:18, where it has the nuance of running to the aid
of someone crying for help. When your life seems to be coming apart at the seams because of the storm, cry out to our
sympathetic high priest at the throne of grace. You will receive mercy and find grace to help.

What is the difference between mercy and grace? They somewhat overlap, but mercy has special reference to Gods tenderness
toward us because of the misery caused by our sins, whereas grace refers to His undeserved favor in freely forgiving our sins,
which actually deserve His judgment (see R. C. Trench, Synonyms of the New Testament [Eerdmans], pp. 169-170). Together,
both words reflect the good news that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against
them (2 Cor. 5:18). All that trust in Christ and His shed blood as the payment for their sins have free access at the throne of
grace to Gods boundless mercy and undeserved favor!

Conclusion

I like John Pipers analogy that prayer is our walkie-talkie to get the supplies we need in the spiritual war that we are engaged in.
Its not an intercom to call the maid to bring extra beverages to the den. In other words, prayer isnt to make us comfortable and
cozy, oblivious to the advancement of Gods kingdom purposes. Prayer is our walkie-talkie to bring in the needed supplies as we
seek first His kingdom and righteousness. If youre under fire in the battle, perseverehold fast your confession, because Jesus
is our great high priest. If you have needs, praydraw near to the throne of grace to receive mercy and find grace to help in the
battle.

Discussion Questions

How does our understanding of the person and work of Christ relate to persevering in trials?
Does Jesus sympathy for our weaknesses mean that He tolerates our sins? Explain.
Some Christians argue that if Jesus could not have sinned, His temptations were not real. Is this so? Why/why not?
The term throne of grace reflects a fine balance between the reverent fear of God and being accepted by Him. Discuss the
implications of this balance.