Prayer Within the Veil

David W Palmer

(Hebrews 10:19–22 NLT) And so, dear brothers and sisters, we can boldly enter heaven’s Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus. {20} By his death, Jesus opened a new and life-giving way through the curtain (veil) into the Most Holy Place. {21} And since we have a great High Priest who rules over God’s house, {22} let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting him. For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with Christ’s blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water. {Parenthesis added}

This passage describes a profound privilege that is ours in Christ; God has given us access to him in his most holy place for communion, conversation, revelation, empowerment, and answered prayer. This privilege is not a general invitation for everyone; it is only available to God’s born again children in Jesus. It is built on Father’s initiative, love, and action; and it is founded upon the indescribable suffering of our Lord Jesus on our behalf.

We can enter God’s most holy place only because of “the blood of Jesus”—which speaks of the shedding of his perfectly innocent blood in a wrongful execution at the hands of the demonically inspired world. But, in the ultimate twist, his death was for us—not for him, as he had committed no sin.

“By his death, Jesus opened a new and life-giving way through the curtain (veil) into the Most Holy Place.” What was this “veil” that blocked our way prior to this? To understand this, let’s go back to the Old Testament where the earthly “type” of heaven’s holy place was built at God’s command and according to his design:

(Exodus 26:31, 33 NLT) “For the inside of the Tabernacle, make a special curtain (veil) of finely woven linen. Decorate it with blue, purple, and scarlet thread and with skillfully embroidered cherubim. ... {33} Hang the inner curtain from clasps, and put the Ark of the Covenant in the room behind it. This curtain will separate the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place.” {Parenthesis added}

God told Moses to build a tabernacle (tent), and he gave him the exact dimensions and full building instructions, including materials and furnishings. It had an outer—open-air—courtyard, and a structure with two rooms: the first was called the holy place, and the second was an inner room called the holy of holies or the holiest place. God instructed Moses to make and hang a veil between the two rooms. Here is the instruction again from a different Bible translation:

(Exodus 26:31, 33 NKJV) “You shall make a veil woven of blue, purple, and scarlet thread, and fine woven linen. It shall be woven with an artistic design of cherubim. ... {33} And you shall hang the veil from the clasps. Then you shall bring the ark of the Testimony in there, behind the veil. The veil shall be a divider for you between the holy place and the Most Holy.”

In this instruction, God said the veil was to be “woven with an artistic design of cherubim.” Without doubt, this speaks of heaven; the tabernacle with its holy place and holy of holies represents heaven’s inner sanctum.

God further said that the inner holy of holies was to contain the ark of the testimony—the arc of the covenant. It contained three very important items:

Aaron’s rod that budded—speaking of God’s sovereign calling and of life-giving authority when used properly

The tablets upon which God wrote the 10 commandments—speaking of the immutable written word of God

The golden container full of manner—speaking of the Living Word of God encased in God’s glory

Together, they formed the inner foundation of the golden box upon which God’s cherubim were located. God spoke to Moses face-to-face from between the cherubim. This speaks of us having a relationship with Father in which he speaks to us face-to-face in our holy place with him. We can only do this because of the written word of God, the Living Word of God—revelation from heaven confirmed in the written word—and using authority as directed from God in a life-giving way.

Sadly, in the earthly tabernacle, the privileged access to God’s face was locked away from everyone except Moses. This veil remained in the tabernacle for generations, reminding everyone that the way to God’s holy of holies was not open at that stage. (Only Moses or the High Priest could enter the holiest, sprinkling blood as he went, which reminded God of the shed blood of Jesus to come.) Then, in Solomon’s temple and later in Herod’s redesign, the veil remained, locking us out of the way to the holy of holies. But, this stopped when Jesus was crucified and rose from the dead; a hugely significant and momentous event took place at that time:

(Matthew 27:51 NKJV) Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split.

(Luke 23:45 NKJV) Then the sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was torn in two.

Once Jesus died, God’s tearing apart of this veil—from top to bottom—is recorded in three Gospels. Thus showing that opening the veil is a very significant happening in God’s mind; the way for man to go into the holy of holies was opening in the new covenant.

The New Testament book of Hebrews has a lot to say about this, and it explains that the opening of the veil was through Jesus’s shed blood; and that it means we now, in Jesus, have unlimited access to the holy place for fellowship and communion with our holy God:

(Hebrews 6:19–20 NKJV) This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil, {20} where the forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus, having become High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.

Father gave Jesus an eternal role as our High Priest—who “ever lives to make intercession” for us (Heb. 7:25 AKJV). This means that our Lord Jesus is eternally guaranteeing that what he achieved for us on the cross will always be in existence; it will never change, because he is watching over it to ensure that it remains in place. What’s more, he pleads our case, and his blood has cleansed us from unrighteousness—especially our conscience.

So now, we can approach our Father within the veil with full confidence and the boldness to confess his words to him. These are the written words of the covenant—the covenant he established between himself and Jesus (and us in him). It is already established, written, and fully ratified by the precious blood of Jesus; it cannot ever change, and we are included in it. So let us approach him through this new way of access that Jesus has guaranteed for us and enjoy that indescribably amazing privilege that he has given us in him:

(Hebrews 10:19–23 NKJV) Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, {20} by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, {21} and having a High Priest over the house of God, {22} let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.

In truth, now that Jesus has made us the righteousness of God in him, we have as much right to be at God’s throne as he does; righteousness means right standing. In other words, we have God’s own righteousness imputed to us, so we have his right standing with him. This is definitely not our own doing; we have no right to feel proud about this, just absolute gratitude for the one who did so much for us—our Lord Jesus.

Now that we have this privileged access to our Father, what do we do when we get there?

(Hebrews 10:23 NKJV) Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.

As well as enjoying God, worshipping him in the beauty of holiness, drinking in his Living Word, soaking in his glory, and taking on his attributes and vision; this is a place where prayer can be presented. We do this according to the prayer promises in the new covenant, and we present them to Father without shame, inferiority, or fear of ridicule. We precede and follow our petitions with: much praise, thanks, the bold confession of his own written promises, and gratitude for the fact that he has committed to answering our prayers made in Jesus’s name:

(Hebrews 4:16 NKJV) Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

(2 Corinthians 3:12 NKJV) Therefore, since we have such hope, we use great boldness of speech.

The boldness with which we speak in Father’s secret, holy place is not brash, arrogant, demanding, or insolent; it is the joyful assurance that God keeps his promises, and that Jesus has achieved and guaranteed the success of prayers in his name.

Today, I encourage you to digest this great news. As a forgiven, born-again believer in Jesus, you are the righteousness of God in him (2 Cor. 5:21). You have access inside the veil through this new and living way—a blossoming relationship of trust and ongoing love and forgiveness. You can go into the very centre of Father’s loving heart and the place where covenant prayers are answered. Plus, in his presence are fullness of joy, and at his right-hand are pleasures for ever more (Psalm 16:11). His ears are open to the righteous, and his pre-decided answer to prayers that are genuinely prayed in Jesus’s name is, “Yes.” I encourage you to visit with Father in his secret place right now.