This room was strictly off limits. Only the High Priest was allowed to enter and only once a year. When he did enter, he had to take a blood sacrifice.
The Israelites knew it as the Holy of Holies, God’s earthly dwelling place. To enter into this room was a death sentence. What sinful man could survive in His holy presence?
A thick curtain blocked the entry. It stood for 1500 years as a warning sign to the people of Israel. “Do not enter” was the message. No one dared to go in. As long as the Mosaic Covenant stood, so did the curtain.
But that covenant came to an end. Christ’s death brought it to its completion and marked the beginning of the New Covenant. This was not an ordinary day. The earth shook, the dead came out of their graves, the curtain tore from top to bottom.
If you had been at the temple that day, you would have witnessed a supernatural event, an invisible power ripping through the thick veil. Think about standing there and seeing the inside of the most Holy place for the first time, that opening enticing you to go in. Would you have had the guts to enter?
Did anyone? The Bible doesn’t say. Some thirty years the later the Temple was destroyed, the Holy of Holies was gone. But, as the writer of Hebrews wrote, this temple was merely a copy of the heavenly throne. Christ’s blood grants us access to this throne of grace. We are encouraged to go boldly in.
“Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.” (Hebrews 10:19-22 NIV)
The blood of Jesus opened the way. He is our confidence to enter into the true Holy of Holies and experience the presence of God. We have nothing to fear, or any barriers to overcome. God is there welcoming us with open arms. In this holy place, we receive grace and mercy to help us in our time of need. Be courageous, draw near to Him in full assurance of faith.
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