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The Rending of the Veil Represents the Establishing of the New Covenant

An enlightening truth regarding the rending of the veil and the simultaneous death of Jesus Christ is that it established a new covenant between God and man. This new covenant that opened the door to free access to God the Father is called the administration of grace (Ephesians 3:2) or the administration of the mystery (Ephesians 3:9). David Bergey’s book, Jesus Christ Our Approach Offering, on pages 84 and 85 unfolds this truth:

Hebrews 10:19 and 20:
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 veil, that is to say, his flesh;

“Consider the picture presented here in light of Matthew 27:51. In Hebrews, it portrays the saints as entering in through the veil. Then a most unusual statement is made— “. . .the veil, that is to say, his flesh.” The veil, rent in two from the top to bottom, is equated to Christ’s flesh.

This imagery suggests that Christ’s flesh was rent, and we have passed through it to the holy of holies. Remember, the veil of the temple was not partially torn, pierced or merely damaged. It was completely torn from top to bottom, completely separated. So the picture presented here is that we pass in between the two rent parts of the veil into God’s presence. To equate the flesh of Christ with the veil, as this verse does, suggests that symbolically we pass through Christ’s rent flesh in the same manner. The way to God is through the rent veil, the flesh of Christ.

Although this imagery is extremely unusual and perplexing to the modern mind, it has been used before in the Scriptures as a form of covenant making. In Bible times to rend a newly slain sacrifice and pass between the two parts was a means of making a covenant.

Jeremiah 34: 18:
And I will give the men that have transgressed my covenant, which have not performed the words of the covenant which they had made before me, when they cut the calf in twain [two], and passed between the parts thereof.

Here, a covenant is made by cutting a sacrifice in two and walking between the parts. In Genesis 15 God made a covenant with Abram in which this was done.

Genesis 15:17, 18a:
And it came to pass, that, when the sun went down, and it was dark, behold a smoking furnace, and a burning lamp that passed between those pieces.
In the same day the Lord made a covenant with Abram . . .

Here the burning lamp represents the presence of God. In this particular instance God passed between the two pieces of the sacrifice. Passing between two pieces of a sacrifice signified a most solemn and binding covenant. [Chris Geer, “The Friend of God: An Introductory Study of Abraham; An Introductory Consideration of Biblical Covenants,” Future Considerations, Issue 52 (January 1994): 6 and 7.]”

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Hebrews 10:19 and 20 declares a new covenant arrangement whereby we now have the boldness or freedom to enter into the Father’s presence. This “new and living way” was established for us as a result of the torn veil represented by Christ’s death in “his flesh.” What an electrifying truth that should motivate us more than ever to fellowship with our Heavenly Father.

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