Why the Temple Veil Tore During the Crucifixion

The multitude was able to see into the Most Holy Place because the inner veil was torn apart by an unseen hand at the exact moment of Christ's death, which physically threw open the apartment that had been hidden for centuriesHLv 505.2+1. This supernatural event occurred during the evening sacrifice when the temple was filled with people watching the priest prepare to slay the sacrificial lamb1BC 1107.7+1.

The Rending of the Veil

• A Divine Act: As Christ uttered His last cry, "It is finished," the earth trembled and quaked because the Lord Himself drew near Matthew 27:51DA 756.5. The heavy veil, which was forty cubits long and so thick it supposedly required 3,000 priests to manipulate, was rent in two from the top to the bottom by the hand of God Mark 15:381BC 1107.7+1.

• Exposure of the Secret Place: This rending made a loud noise and exposed the Most Holy Place to the gaze of the multitudeHLv 505.2+1. This was the place where the Shekinah once dwelt and where God manifested His glory above the mercy seat—a room no one but the High Priest was ever permitted to enter, and then only once a yearDA 756.5+1.

• Visibility from the First Apartment: Because the inner veil did not extend all the way to the top of the building, the divine glory from the Most Holy Place was already partially visible to the officiating priest in the first apartment; however, the tearing of the curtain removed the barrier entirely for everyone to seePP 353.1.

The Significance of the Event

• The End of Type: The tearing of the veil showed that the sacredness and significance of the earthly sacrificial service had departed because the true Sacrifice, Jesus Christ, had been offeredHLv 103.3+2.

• A New and Living Way: The open Most Holy Place signified that the religious system of external sacrifices and human priesthood was finishedTDOC 59.1+1. It demonstrated that a new and living way was opened, allowing every believer to approach God directly through the merits of Christ rather than through a human mediator Hebrews 10:19-207BC 932.4+1.

• Confirmation of Prophecy: This event took place in the spring of A.D. 31, exactly in the "midst of the week" as predicted by the prophet Daniel, causing the typical sacrifice and oblation to cease Daniel 9:27DA 233.2.

The physical destruction of this barrier was a solemn demonstration that the earthly sanctuary was no longer sacred and that its services were forever finishedDA 756.5+1. 🌟

The multitude was able to see into the Most Holy Place because the rending of the veil occurred during the highly attended evening sacrifice, and the force of the event was so powerful that it threw open the inner sanctuary to the gaze of the people present in the temple courtsDA 756.5. While it is true that only priests normally entered the Holy Place, the supernatural circumstances of Christ's death created a unique moment of total exposureLTJMB5 292.2.

The Moment of Exposure

• The Hour of Sacrifice: At the ninth hour, when Jesus died, the priests were actively officiating at the evening sacrifice Matthew 27:45-50DA 756.5.

• A Public Event: The temple was filled with people watching the service with intense interest as the priest stood with a lifted knife to slay the lambDA 756.5.

• The Earthquake: When the earth quaked and the rocks rent, the Lord Himself drew near, and the inner veil was torn by an unseen hand Matthew 27:51DA 756.5.

• Visibility to the Multitude: This rending did not just tear the cloth; it threw open the Most Holy Place to the gaze of the multitude who were gathered in the courts, revealing the area where the Shekinah had once dweltDA 756.5.

The Significance of the Open Door

• End of Secrecy: For centuries, the veil had separated the people from the immediate presence of God, but its destruction signified that the earthly sanctuary was no longer sacred7BC 932.4+1.

• Direct Access: The opening of the sanctuary to the eyes of the people showed that they no longer needed to depend on a human priest or a ceremonial sacrifice7BC 932.4.

• A New Way: This act by the hand of God signaled that a new and living way was now open for all to approach Him through the merits of Jesus Christ7BC 932.4+1.

Traditional and Historical Evidence

• The Broken Lintel: Historical traditions from the Gospel according to the Hebrews and the writings of Jerome suggest that the huge lintel of the temple broke and fell, which would have significantly contributed to making the interior visibleLTJMB5 292.2.

• A Terrible Portent: The officiating priesthood, who were entering the Holy Place to burn incense at that moment, would have been the first to see the veil hanging in two parts, but the "terrible portent" soon became generally known to allLTJMB5 292.2.

• Desolation Declared: This exposure served as a physical fulfillment of Christ's earlier words that the house of Israel was left unto them "desolate" Matthew 23:383SP 69.3.

Though the people were not inside the building, the combination of the earthquake, the falling of temple structures, and the massive scale of the veil being torn from top to bottom effectively removed the barrier that had hidden the Most Holy Place from human eyesLTJMB5 292.2+1. 🕊️