02.13. THE RENT VAIL
THE RENT VAIL WHEN our Lord Jesus Christ died the vail of the temple was rent in twain. The record of this event is given in three of the Gospels.
“Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost.
And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom.” (Matthew 27:50-51.) “And Jesus cried with a loud voice, and gave up the ghost, And the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom.” (Mark 15:37-38.) “And the sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was rent in the midst.” (Luke 23:45.) The Vail was rent while hanging between Heaven and earth.
Like that vail the Son of God was hung up between Heaven and earth on a Roman cross.
It was to the cross He referred when He said:
“And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me. This he said, signifying ,what death he should die.” (John 12:32-33.) The Vail was rent from top to bottom. The Vail was so woven together that two pairs of oxen attached to either edge and driven in opposite directions could not tear it asunder. It was not stretched, drawn tight and fixed. It hung in a loose fold.
It could not be cut nor torn by a direct stroke, it was too soft and yielding for that.
It was rent not from the bottom to the top, but from the top downward to the bottom.
Such rending could not come from a man.
Since it came from above and not by man, it was the act of God. In this you have the immense truth concerning the death of the cross.
It did not come from below.
It did not come from the hand of man. Our Lord openly affirmed no man could take His life from Him:
“No man taketh it from me.” (John 10:18.) The death of Christ was the act of God. His death was as much the act of God as His incarnation.
It was God and not man who smote Him.
Speaking anticipatively in the Spirit through the mouth of David, He Himself says:
“Thou (the Almighty) hast brought me into the dust of death.” (Psalms 22:15.) “Thine arrows stick fast in me, and thy hand presseth me sore.” (Psalms 38:2.) “I was dumb, I opened not my mouth; because thou didst it.” (Psalms 39:9.) “All thy waves and thy billows are gone over me.” (Psalms 42:7.) “Thy wrath lieth hard upon me, and thou hast afflicted me with all thy waves.
Thy fierce wrath goeth over me; thy terrors have cut me off.” (Psalms 88:7; Psalms 88:16.) This is His own delineation and definition. How terrific.
Just as the billows of the sea lifted up by wind and storm ascend up and up like as to mountain heights, then fall with their crashing, crushing weight upon the quivering, trembling ship, overwhelm it, burying it in the blackening depths, so the wrath of God fell upon Him-the hand of the Almighty cut Him off.
“He weakened my strength in the way; he shortened my days.” (Psalms 102:23.)
“It pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin.” (Isaiah 53:10.)
“Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, and against the man that is my fellow, saith the LORD of hosts: smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered.” (Zechariah 13:7) Our Lord applied this prophecy to Himself; as it is written:
“Then saith Jesus unto them (the disciples) All ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad.” (Matthew 26:31.) Read again that immense and terrible Scripture in Lamentations 1:12-14. The Vail was rent in twain at the hour of the evening sacrifice. That hour was three o’clock in the afternoon. (Matthew 27:46.) At that hour the evening lamb was on the altar in the temple. At the same hour the lamb of the Passover was being sacrificed in the court of the temple. In that hour our Lord became the antitypical and true Passover; as it is written: “Christ our passover is sacrificed for us.” (1 Corinthians 5:7) The Vail was rent in twain at the moment when He cried:
“It is finished.”
“Jesus when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost.” (Matthew 27:50.) The word, “yielded” is, literally, “commanded.” He commanded His Spirit to go.
“When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.” (John 19:30.) “Literally, handed over his spirit.” In Luke 23:46, He expresses the same thought about His spirit:
“Father, into thy hands I commend (entrust) my spirit.” As He hung on the cross He could see the smoke from the altar, and He knew He was Himself the true passover of God; He knew all things foretold of Him upon the cross were now fulfilled, and then it was, lifting up His voice with the accent of triumph, knowing He had met every condition agreed upon in the everlasting covenant, He cried as a conqueror cries, His voice ringing up to the very throne of God on high:
“It is finished.” So triumphant was that cry, so full of authority, so full of command, it appealed to the centurion in command of the soldiers, and instantly his soldier sense of authority and command responded; as it is written:
“When the centurion which stood over against him, saw that he so cried out, and gave up the ghost he said:
“Truly, this man was the Son of God.” (Mark 15:39.) When the Vail was rent in twain, it was changed at once from a barrier to an open way into the Holy of Holies. When on earth His perfect life, as I have said, was itself a barrier between God and man. His holiness was a witness of the sinfulness of the natural man, a demonstration of his unholiness and unfitness for God. His union with God, the enthronement of God in Him, all this was (a demonstration of man’s essential and hopeless separation from God.
Previous to His arrest He said to those about Him: “The hour is come that the Son of man should be glorified.
Verily, verily, I say unto you, except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone; but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.” (John 12:24.) If the grain of corn do not die it abideth alone.
It must die in the earth, then it will germinate, rise, come forth, multiply, reduplicate itself, bring forth many grains in its own likeness. And this teaches that life comes out of death; as it is written:
“That which thou sowest is not quickened (made alive) except it die.” (1 Corinthians 15:36.) As our Lord walked the earth there was none like unto Him.
There has never been one since.
If He had not died, if He had gone back to Heaven He would have been the one and only man of His kind.
He would, like the grain of corn, have abided-but alone.
There never could be another like Him. Primarily, because the nature of man never could evolve a humanity like His; but, ultimately, because the sentence of death is against him here and hereafter. Not until that penalty was paid could there be any hope of a new life for sin begotten men. But the natural man never could get beyond that penalty. Our Lord Jesus Christ came into the world to meet this l1esperate issue between a holy God and sinful man.
He came to put aside the penalty.
He came to abolish death on behalf of all whom the Father had given Him.
He put it away, abolished it by His sacrificial and substitutionary death; as it is written:
“Once in the end of the age hath he appeared to put away sin (that is, the penalty of sin) by the sacrifice of himself.” (Hebrews 9:26.)
“He hath abolished death.” (2 Timothy 1:10.) (That is for those who offer Him by faith as sacrifice and substitute-the death of such is no longer penal, punitive, it is-providential.) When He arose from the dead and ascended to Heaven He took His place as the Second Man, the Last Adam, as the Eternal Life Giver; and on the basis of the complete satisfaction rendered by His death, obtained the right to impart His life and nature to all who should own that sacrifice. By virtue of His death and therefore-out of His death-He gives life, multiplies this life and character of it in men, brings many sons to God.
Thus it is true that life-eternal life-is out of death, out of His death, and is being wrought in those who accept His sacrificial death and who at last like Himself shall be made immortal. Because He died and rose again we have this age of grace in which it is possible for all who believe to say:
“Christ liveth in me.” And of whom it may be said:
“Christ in you the hope of glory.”
Today the way into Heaven is open for all who, like the high priest, will come with the blood of the divine atonement. Of old time the priest who entered within the vail on the Day of Atonement could not sit down, he must stand and then remain but a moment within the vail.
All this was witness that the sacrifice must be repeated, it was not complete.
It could never make the comers thereunto perfect. But when our Lord Jesus Christ as the true high priest entered Heaven with His own sacrificial blood— He sat down, even at the right hand of God.
It was a witness that His sacrifice had been accepted, was perfect, finished and would never be repeated it was once for all and all sufficient.
“He died unto sin once.” (Romans 6:10.) “Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more.” (Romans 6:9.) I
“We are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.” (Hebrews 10:10.) “This man (our Lord) after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for: ever, sat down on the right hand of God.” (Hebrews 10:12.) “By one offering he hath perfected forever them that are sanctified.” (Hebrews 10:14.) His session in Heaven at the right hand of God proclaims a finished sacrifice.
Any system that attempts to offer Him afresh (as the Roman Catholic Church does in the Mass) denies the perfection and efficacy of His death on the cross and throws it back to the level of the oft-repeated and insufficient sacrifices in Israel. When He entered Heaven into the Holiest of all He did so not for Himself, but as the representative of every believer. That is the standing and character of every believer today” In God’s sight we too have risen and ascended into Heaven and are seated there before Him at His right hand in Christ. As it is written:
“But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he hath loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace are ye saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” (Ephesians 2:4-6.) What a marvellous “together” relationship it is. What a co-partnership.
Co-crucified with Him.
Co-quickened.
Co-raised from the dead.
Co-ascended with Him.
Co-seated with Him. And all because, like the Vail of the temple, He was smitten, slain and rent for us, instead of us.
Read again that splendid Scripture:
“Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest—by the blood of Jesus, By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the vail, that is to say his flesh, And having an high priest over the house of God; Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith.” (Hebrews 10:19-22.) And listen to this Scripture:
“Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that has passed through the heavens (as Aaron passed through the vail) Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.
Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” (Hebrews 4:15-16.) Such is the grace and glory of the Rent Vail.