This was a talk I gave in Stake Conference a week ago. A sister asked if she could have a copy, so I said I would put on my blog. It actually goes very much in tandem with my last post about knowing God.
Nearly 2000 years ago our Lord and Savior was crucified for
the sins of the world. The events preceding
His crucifixion were both troubling and telling to both believers and non
believers in Jerusalem. There were many
prophetic signs given, including thick darkness, earthquakes, the dead rising
from their graves and appearing to others.
Among these signs we also read that the “veil of the temple was rent and
twain from the top to the bottom”
Why was the veil “rent and twain” after the crucifixion of
our Savior?
There are many ways to interpret this symbol. But before I answer that question, I’d like
to look back a few thousand more years to why the veil was put up in the temple
in the first place--Back to the time when Moses led the people out of the land
of Egypt.
Shortly after Moses led the Israelites across the red sea
and out of the grasp of the Egyptians, they came to the wilderness of Mount Sinai
and pitched their tents. There, the Lord
spoke to Moses and told him to prepare his people for the Lord to come down and
dwell with them.
Exodus 19:10-11 reads:
“And
the Lord said unto Moses, Go unto the people, and sanctify them today and
tomorrow, and let them wash their clothes,
“And be ready against the third day:
for the third day the Lord will come down in the sight of all the people upon
mount Sinai.”
So, Moses went up to Mount Sinai for the first time and during
this visit received the 10 commandments as well as other important instruction
for his people. As Moses came down from
the mount, I’m sure he was predicting the people to be waiting with eager haste
for the Lord to come and dwell with them.
Contrastingly, Moses was more than just surprised at the reaction he got
from his people. Exodus reads:
“And all the people saw the thundering, and the lightenings,
and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw
it, they removed, and stood afar off.” (Exodus 20:18)
Then, Moses had a very different from expected conversation with
his people. It was as if the people
said, “Um, Moses, we really appreciate the invite. But we’d rather not see God right now. We don’t think we’re ready for such a
commitment. We’d rather have God tell
you and you can tell us what to do.” (Exodus 20:19-20)
So, Moses, after teaching the people what he learned from
the first time visiting Mount Sinai, went a second time to speak with God. There, Moses was instructed to build a
tabernacle (Exodus 25-26). The
tabernacle was formatted so that the Israelites could be in the common area,
the priests could come into what was called “the Holy place.” But, between the “Holy place” and the “Holy
of Holies” the place where God could dwell), were seven veils. These
seven separated man from God’s dwelling place, a place where only one priest
could pass through, once a year, on the Day of Atonement.
After Moses’ instruction, Moses went down from the mount a
second time. Startling, he found the
very people who had the opportunity to dwell with God and worship him, chose
instead to create their own idols of worship.
I’d like to note that so often in
the scriptures we can see the pattern that people usually succumb to temptation
only after their refusing an invitation to come unto, love, and know God. So it was with the people of Israel, so it is
with us. Especially in these last days,
when we choose not to stand in Holy places, by default we end up standing in
Babylon.
So, let’s go back to my original question, “Why was the veil
rent and twain after the crucifixion?”
When Christ came to earth in his mortal body, he did
everything He could to show us how much he loved us and wanted to dwell with
us, even the point of bruising his body, tearing his own flesh, and bleeding
from every pore. It is no wonder that
one of the first things that Christ did after his crucifixion and atonement was
to rent the veil separating him from his people. God wanted to dwell with his people. His gospel was never meant to reach out to a
select elitists on special occasions.
He wanted his people to understand his desire to do away with the lesser
law therefore, He rent the veil symbolizing the separation from his people.
So, here we are now, in the fullness of times. Never has there been a greater outpouring of
the spirit as we know now. We have access
to all the revelations, covenants, and keys that we need to overcome Satan and
enter into the presence of god. Temples
are dotting the earth to prove that God can dwell with man today, and all are
invited to prepare themselves to come and dwell in His holy house.
But we, like the Israelites, have a choice. God is beckoning to us. He wants to dwell with us. He wants to be with us. There is no question about it. The question is do we want to dwell with him? Or, do we choose to be more like the children
of Israel, who would rather waste away our time with the modern gods and the
vain imaginations put in front of us through social media and worldly pleasures
and pursuits? The choice is up to
us.
Nephi describes God’s desire for us to come unto him so
eloquently:
“Hath he commanded any that they
should not partake of his salvation?
Behold I say unto you Nay; but he hath given it free for all men; and he
hath commanded his people that they should persuade all men to come to
repentance.
“Behold
hath the Lord commanded any that they should not partake of his goodness? Behold I say unto you, Nay; but all men are
privileged the one like unto the other, and none are forbidden.”
I’d like to end with promise made during the construction of
the Kirtland temple given to all those who seek the Lord. It reads,
D&C 93:1 “Verily thus saith the Lord: It shall come to pass that every soul who
forsaketh his sins and cometh unto me, and calleth on my name, and obeyeth my
voice, and keepeth my commandments, shall see my face and know that I am”
God loves us, knows us, and wants us to dwell with him. Let us accept his invitation that he gives to
come unto him by attending the temple often.
Those blessings to see his face and to know him personally
are for us now. It was not meant for
just prophets and apostles or other elitists.
We don’t need to worship God from afar off. If we prepare and go to the temple and make
sacred covenants we can dwell with God now.
