CHRIST BEHIND THE VEIL

When the High Priest of Israel stepped behind the veil, all of heaven seemed to hold its breath. Once a year, on the Day of Atonement, he entered that most sacred place, carrying the blood of a spotless sacrifice. It was a fearful and holy act. He came trembling, not in pride but in obedience, for within that veil dwelt the glory of God. The people waited in silence, knowing their hope rested on that priest’s acceptance before the Lord.

All of it was a shadow of something greater. Every drop of blood that stained the mercy seat in the tabernacle pointed to a day when the true High Priest would come. Hebrews 9:11 says that Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come. He did not enter an earthly tabernacle built with hands, but a heavenly one. The veil in Jerusalem was only a picture of the real veil, that barrier between a holy God and sinful man.

When Jesus died, that veil was torn from top to bottom (Matthew 27:51). The hands of man could not have done it. God Himself was declaring that the way into His presence was now open. Yet though the veil was torn on earth, the great work continued in heaven. The cross was the altar, but heaven was the sanctuary. Christ had to enter in, not with the blood of goats or calves, but with His own blood, having obtained eternal redemption (Hebrews 9:12).

The moment came when the risen Christ ascended to the Father. It was not a public scene. No earthly eye witnessed that holy meeting. Mary saw Him in the garden and would have clung to Him, but He said, “Do not hold Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father” (John 20:17). There was still something He must do. The sacrifice was finished, but the presentation was yet to be made.

In that sacred moment, beyond the sight of men or angels, the Son stood before the Father. The marks of the nails were upon His hands. The thorns had pierced His brow. The wounds spoke more than words could ever say. He stood there as the Lamb once slain, alive forevermore. The glory that filled the temple of old now shone in fullness around Him. The Father beheld the face of His beloved Son and saw the beauty of holiness fulfilled.

Hebrews 9:24 tells us that Christ did not enter a holy place made with hands, but into heaven itself, to appear in the presence of God for us. Those two words, “for us,” hold the weight of eternity. He stood there not for Himself, but for His people. Every sinner who would ever believe in His name was represented in that presentation. The justice of God, satisfied at Calvary, was now displayed before the throne. The mercy of God, opened to all, was sealed forever in the presence of His Son.

In that holy meeting, the remission of sins was declared complete. The blood that was shed on the cross now spoke in heaven’s court. Hebrews 12:24 says that the blood of Jesus speaks better things than that of Abel. Abel’s blood cried for vengeance, but the blood of Christ cries for mercy. It does not accuse. It pleads. It satisfies. It cleanses. The Father beheld that blood and was pleased. Sin’s debt was paid in full.

No High Priest of Israel ever stayed behind the veil. He went in quickly, made atonement, and came out again. But Jesus sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high (Hebrews 1:3). He sat because the work was finished. The priests of old never sat down. Their work was never done. But Christ’s offering was once for all. There is nothing more to add, nothing more to bring.

When we read of the veil and the High Priest, we must see the gospel hidden in those shadows. The incense that rose like a cloud was a picture of Christ’s intercession. The mercy seat sprinkled with blood was a picture of the throne of grace. The priest’s garments, white and pure, were a picture of the righteousness of Christ. And when that priest emerged from the Most Holy Place, the people rejoiced, for it meant that God had accepted the sacrifice.

So it was when Jesus rose from the dead. It was the Father’s declaration to all creation that the offering was accepted. Romans 4:25 says that He was delivered up because of our offenses and raised because of our justification. The resurrection was heaven’s answer to the cross. It was the echo of the Father’s approval, the sound of mercy triumphant.

Now the veil is gone. The way into the holiest place stands open. Every believer, washed in His blood, may draw near. We come not with trembling, but with thanksgiving. We come not with the blood of another, but by the blood of the Lamb. Hebrews 10:19 says that we have boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus. What once belonged only to the High Priest belongs now to every child of God.

Think of what that means. The glory that once consumed the temple now dwells within the hearts of believers. The presence that the priest approached with fear now abides with comfort. We are no longer shut out. We are brought in. The veil of separation has become the door of communion.

And yet, even now, Jesus continues His priestly work. He ever lives to make intercession for us (Hebrews 7:25). The same hands that offered His blood still uphold His people. The same voice that spoke peace on earth now speaks our names in heaven. He is not only the Priest who offered the sacrifice, He is the sacrifice itself. He is both the Offerer and the Offering, both the Mercy Seat and the Mediator.

The Old Testament priest went in with blood that was not his own. But Jesus entered with His own life poured out. He did not bring a lamb. He was the Lamb. He did not sprinkle blood upon a golden ark. He presented His own wounds before the throne of God. There, in that eternal temple, He met the Father face to face and offered the finished work of redemption.

That moment was the turning point of all creation. Sin was forever removed from the record of the redeemed. The law’s demand was met, the curse broken, the wrath satisfied, the door opened. Heaven rejoiced. The angels who had guarded Eden’s gate now watched that gate swing wide for all who believe.

And now, every time a sinner comes to Christ in faith, the blood still speaks. The mercy shown that day still flows. The grace that opened heaven’s door still calls out, “Come.”

Behind the veil the Savior stood, and when He did, He changed eternity. The shadow met the substance. The copy gave way to the true. The High Priest of old went in trembling, but our Great High Priest went in triumphant. And because He entered in, we may now enter too.

The way is open. The price is paid. The blood still speaks. And the Father still receives all who come through the Son.

Bryan Dewayne Dunaway