In Defense of the Faith

Within The Veil

Someone may say, Did not Christ go immediately within the veil? Certainly He did. This is clearly stated in Hebrews 6:19, 20: “Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters into that within the veil; whither the Forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made a High Priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.” DOF 280.2

But does this prove that He went immediately into the most holy place? If there were only one veil in the sanctuary, then it might seem to indicate that He did, but there were two veils. In Hebrews 9:3, Paul says distinctly that there is a second veil. “After the second veil, the tabernacle which is called the holiest of all.” DOF 280.3

The fact that there were two veils is also clearly set forth in Exodus 26:31-36: DOF 281.1

“Thou shall make a vail of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen of cunning work: with cherubim shall it be made: and thou shall hang it upon four pillars of shittim wood overlaid with gold: their hooks shall be of gold, upon the four sockets of silver. And thou shall hang up the vail under the taches, that thou may bring in thither within the vail the ark of the testimony: and the vail shall divide unto you between the holy place and the most holy. And thou shall put the mercy seat upon the ark of the testimony in the most holy place. And thou shall set the table without the vail, and the candlestick over against the table on the side of the tabernacle toward the south: and thou shall put the table on the north side. And thou shall make a hanging for the door of the tent, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen, wrought with needlework,“ DOF 281.2

One of these cloth hangings was at the entrance to the first apartment, and the other served as a dividing veil between the two rooms. When Paul refers to the dividing veil, he calls it “the second veil”; but when he refers to the first veil, he just says “the veil.” Therefore, when he declared that Christ had gone within the veil, he of course meant into the first apartment, beyond the first veil. He did not say He had gone through two veils, nor did he say He had gone within the second veil. Therefore, when Christ went to heaven and passed within the veil, it was to begin His ministry in the first apartment of the heavenly sanctuary. DOF 281.3

John tells us very definitely in Revelation 1:12, 13 that he saw Christ ministering in the place where the golden candlesticks are: “I turned to see the voice that spoke with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks; and in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle.” The candlesticks were in the first apartment and it is here that John declares that Christ was serving at the time he saw Him in vision. DOF 281.4