The Torn Curtain of the Temple
Guest post by Stephanie Pavlantos
We have all known and read the Bible’s account of the crucifixion of Yeshua/Jesus. At the time of His death, the ninth hour, there was darkness over the land, along with an earthquake. The temple’s curtain tore in two as well. We have long been told the torn curtain stood between the holy place and the Holy of Holies, opening the throne room of God to us who know and follow Him.
In the Order of Melchizedek
The book of Hebrews explains the priesthood of the Messiah as being in the order of Melchizedek, not the Levites. Because of Yeshua, the Levitical priesthood ended, and Yeshua became our High Priest even though He was from the tribe of Judah.
Who are the priests serving the High Priest? We are! But we are priests in the order of Melchizedek.
You, yourselves, like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 2:5 ESV
God expected His priests to be holy, or set apart, and righteous. However, one thing they could not do, no matter how holy they were, was to enter the Holy of Holies. Only the high priest could enter. Everyone else stopped at the curtain.
Which One is the Torn Curtain?
Four curtains hung in the temple during Jesus’ days. The first one separated the holy place from the courtyard. It was nearly forty feet tall and about four inches thick. God instructed His people to make it with blue, purple, and scarlet yarn on white linen. They embroidered stars onto the curtain in the pattern of certain constellations.
This is Josephus’s description of this curtain:
Before these doors, there was a veil of equal largeness with the doors. It was a Babylonian curtain, embroidered with blue and fine linen, and scarlet, and purple, and of a contexture that was truly wonderful. Nor was this mixture of colors without its mystical interpretation, but was a kind of image of the universe; for by the scarlet there seemed to be enigmatically signified fire, by the fine flax the earth, by the blue the air, and by the purple the sea; two of them having their colors the foundation of this resemblance; but the fine flax and the purple have their own origin for that foundation, the earth producing the one, and the sea the other. This curtain had also embroidered upon it all that was mystical in the heavens, excepting that of the [twelve] signs representing living creatures.
https://www.ccel.org/ccel/josephus/works/files/war-5.htm
Inside the holy place stood the menorah, the only light in this part of the temple. Other furniture included the altar of incense and the table of showbread (or matzah). The priests replaced the bread every Shabbat. Apparently, it never became stale. They ate the old matzah claiming it was as warm as if it had just been baked.
The Two-Curtained Veil
The altar of incense sat before the throne (the ark of the covenant) and just outside the veil to the Holy of Holies. In Revelation 8:3-4, this altar is in heaven and Scripture describes the smoke of the incense rising with the prayers of the saints.
And another angel came and stood at the altar with a golden censer, and he was given much incense to offer with the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar before the throne, and the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, rose before God from the hand of the angel. Revelation 8:3-4 ESV
The veil leading to the Holy of Holies was not a single curtain, but two that overlapped, with a space to walk between them to enter the Most Holy Place. It was said these curtains were so heavy it took 300 men to hang them. The high priest would follow the first curtain around to the opening of the second, then follow that curtain (maze-like) to the entrance of God’s earthly throne. With cherubim embroidered on the curtains and palm trees painted on the walls, the holy rooms looked something like the Garden of Eden.
The fourth and final curtain hung above the Holy of Holies. It acted like a barrier between the attic and the inner chamber. It allowed priests to lower things into the Holy of Holies without seeing into it.
Drawing Near the Throne
Hebrews 4:16 says, “Let us then, with confidence, draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (Emphasis mine)
I realize other translations say, “come boldly,” or “approach the throne” instead of “draw near.” But, the phrase, “come before the throne” carried the Hebraic understanding of stopping at the curtain. (Lost in Translation, John Klein and Adam Spears; pg. 111, 2016.)
This means we, like the priests of the Old Testament, cannot go past the curtains into the Holy of Holies. We stop at the curtains where the altar of incense is. Our prayers rise with the smoke of the incense and our High Priest stands before the throne on our behalf.
The Bible does not specify which curtain was torn in two. However, since the veil going into the Holy of Holies was already two separate curtains, it would not have had to be torn into two pieces.
However, the curtain going into the holy place was a single curtain. So, it makes more sense that this was the torn curtain of the temple–severed to invite all who know and love God to enter. Remember, we are priests when we follow our Savior.
Approaching the Torn Curtain
If we could approach God on our own merit, we would not need a High Priest. His job is to approach the throne of God on our behalf just as the high priest of the Old Testament went into the Holy of Holies once a year to atone for all of Israel.
Hebrews 6:19-20 ESV says, “We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters the inner place behind the curtain, where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.” (Emphasis mine)
When we pray in Yeshua’s name, we acknowledge we must come to God through Him.
“Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.” John 14:13-14, ESV
“In that day you will ask nothing of me. Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you. Until now, you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.” John 16:23-24, ESV
Our only hope is Yeshua. Like the priests, God wants us to be holy and righteous to enter through the torn curtain into His holy place.
Stephanie Pavlantos is passionate about getting people into God’s Word. She has taught Bible studies for twenty years and has spoken at ladies’ retreats. She released her first Bible study, The Few, the Humble, the Church, in 2008. In 2020, Mt. Zion Ridge Press published her second Bible study, Jewels of Hebrews. Her third book, Room at the Table: Encouraging Stories from Special Needs Families, was released on November 1, 2022.
She hosts Grafted: Jewish Roots of Christianity and Living Waters: Falling Deeper in Love with God’s Word on Messianic LAMB Network TV. Stephanie is ordained with Messenger Fellowship in Nashville, TN, and works for Besorah Institute.
Married for thirty years, she and Mike have three children, Matthew, Alexandria, Michael, and two German shepherds, Sophie, and Mia. Mike and Stephanie have a small homestead where they grow fruits and vegetables and raise sheep, chickens, and ducks.
Don’t forget to subscribe if you haven’t done so already, then check that you received an email confirmation.
Terry is a writer and speaker who loves gathering clues about God from His Word and creation. She wants to help God’s people grow in wonder, appreciation and understanding of Him. She loves finding fresh ways to approach Scripture so we all expand our ability to both apply and share what we’ve learned.
Any thoughts on this? Please comment.