On the Day of Atonement, blood went on the veil and beyond. The blood of the sin sacrifice was sprinkled on it with a motion that imitated whipping a man.[1] When Jesus gave up the ghost, the veil of the temple was rent from top to bottom.[2] Can you imagine the reaction of the priests? There they are in the holy place going about their daily functions when suddenly—“RIIIIP!!”—this very tall, double-thick veil tears down the middle from top to bottom. And as if that weren’t bad enough, then comes an earthquake to knock them off their feet! There’s not much in life that teaches humility quite like getting knocked down. The veil tore from the top. Grace comes from God to man; only the humble receive it.

Hebrews 10:19-20
¹⁹ Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus,
²⁰ By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh…

The writer of Hebrews tells us that the veil was representative of Christ’s flesh, the same flesh that was whipped, beaten, and pierced, that you and I might venture into the holy of holies. His flesh was torn to expose the divinity that was housed in the temple of His body. This He proved in resurrection.

John 2:19
Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.

This entrance, which we attain to by the blood of Jesus, is called “a new and living way.” The word translated “new” in Hebrews 10:20 is prosphatos. It literally means “recently slaughtered.” The way into the holiest is a recently slaughtered and living way! The Word of God is astounding in its accuracy. Its intricate beauty is enough to take your breath away! In verse 20, we have in Jesus Christ the full antitype of both goats, the slaughtered one and the living one. He is a recently slaughtered and living way.

Revelation 5:6
And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain [perfect tense, literally—stood a butchered Lamb], having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.

Revelation 1:18
I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.

This is why it took two goats to represent One Messiah! Only He is the Resurrected One. His blood has been shed in death and yet it leads into the very Life that men dare not approach lest they end up on the point of a fiery sword! He was dead but now lives for evermore! Hallelujah! Our Lord has conquered death and the devil and provided for us the way into an eternal life spent in the presence of the Father! Praise be to His Holy Name!

The Blood and the Throne
The mercy seat on the Ark of the Covenant was the throne of YHWH. The tables of Law sat underneath it demanding righteousness with every inscribed word, but the sins of the people and the priesthood defiled the room and its throne and demanded retribution. Only blood with the life thereof could atone for such an affront and satisfy the righteous plea of the Law. Thus, on the Day of Atonement the cleansing of the temple and atonement of the people began with the sprinkling of the blood, not on the altar but on the mercy seat.

Hebrews 9:23-24
²³ It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.
²⁴ For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us…

The tabernacle and temple were only patterns of the heavenly reality. It was sufficient for them to be cleansed by the blood of animals. But the true temple in heaven required a much more lively detergent. That it was in need of purification tells us that it had been defiled. The temple in Jerusalem sat among a people who sinned, and their sins defiled the holiness of the Place. The temple in heaven was inhabited by, amongst others, a cherub named Helel. By his sin and trafficking, he defiled the sanctuary.[3] When Jesus carried His blood all the way into the holy of holies in heaven, He purified it from the stain of satan’s sin. He completely cleansed it from the influence and effect of the accuser of the brethren. Don’t you know that the angels rejoiced on that day!

Suffering outside the Camp
The remains of the sin offering for the priests and the people were burned outside the camp on a special fire. Hebrews 13:12 tells us that Jesus suffered outside the gate. We are not to be conformed to this world; its camp isn’t to be our home. As sojourners here, we are to meet Him without the gate, bearing His reproach as we look for the city not made with hands.

[1] See Chapter 5, endnote 7.
[2] Matt 27:51
[3] Ezek 28:14-18