The Jewish temple was divided into several parts, and each had a particular purpose in the worshipping of God. The innermost room was called the “Holy of Holies” and was the room where God’s presence was in the temple.
The Temple
Only the High Priest could enter the “Holy of Holies”, and then only once a year on the “Day Of Atonement”, to atone for the sins of Israel. To enter this part of the temple at any other time of the year, or by any other person, was a sure death sentence.
This room, the holy of holies, was separated from the rest of the temple by a massive curtain or veil. The exact sized of the curtain is not known, but according to Jewish tradition, the curtain was about 60 feet high. It was very thick, with a thickness of about 4 inches.
So it was a massive curtain. The book of Exodus informs us how it was made. They made it from blue, purple and scarlet materials along with twisted linen.
Curtain was Torn
The veil represents the separation of a Holy God from sinful humanity because our sins have separated us from God as we see in Isa 59 verses 1 and 2.
Isa 59:1 Behold, Yahweh’s hand is not shortened, that it can’t save; nor his ear dull, that it can’t hear.
Isa 59:2 But your iniquities have separated you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear.
As we can see from verse two, our sins have separated us from God. He designed the temple in a way to keep us separated from him. This was the purpose of the curtain or veil. But do you know that this massive curtain was torn from the top to the bottom at the very moment Jesus died on the cross? And what is the significance of the thief who was crucified alongside Jesus?
It is well worth reading the rest of Isaiah 59 to see why the curtain was in place to make a dividing line between God (holiness) and humanity (sinfulness).
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