The First Veil allowed us to enter the Outer Court of the Tabernacle. Here we found the Brazen Altar of Sacrifice and the Brazen Laver of Water. The Israelites brought their sacrifice to the priest, who inspected it, listened to their sins, laid his hands on the head of the sacrifice, slit its throat, caught the blood in a basin, sprinkled it upon the altar, then washed his hands at the Laver of Water. All of this was required for the forgiveness of sin and to allow the priest to be able to enter into the second veil of the Holy Place.
Christ became our perfect Lamb of God and all who call upon Him and obey His teachings have their sins forgiven and washed away. He fulfills the Brazen Altar, and the Brazen Laver of the Outer Court as we confess our sins to Him as our Great High Priest, and proceed to the waters of baptism where we are buried with Him in his death. Christ is available to us 24/7 always ready to forgive and to cleanse. No earthly priest needed.
The Second Veil
The second veil separated the Holy Place from the Outer Court. Inside the Holy Place it was totally dark except for the light from the Golden Candlestick and the fire from the Altar of Incense. The Table of Shewbread was only illuminated by these two lights, and these lights had to be kept burning continually. The fire from the Brazen Altar of Sacrifice was used to light the candlestick, and the Altar of Incense. No sacrifice, equaled no light, and no incense, which left the bread in darkness.
Many Christians seem to be stuck in the Outer Court, while standing in the Holy Place.
They have acknowledged their sins, and have been baptized, but as they enter into the Holy Place, they find the Word of God difficult to read on a daily basis, and more difficult to understand. They find they have more carnal thoughts than spiritual ones. Their behavior is more like the world than like their Lord.
I believe this is due to lack of daily repentance.
Somewhere, we have convinced ourselves that once we have repented, and have been baptized, and have experienced the Holy Spirit Power, that we have no more need to repent of anything but the biggest sins.
Yet Scripture teaches us that no man is without sin, and if we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves. (Proverbs 20:9, I John 1:8) Even Jesus gave us the Lord’s Prayer which includes; “Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.” There is a ‘cloud of death’ spread over the nations of this world per Isaiah 25:7-9.
In order to counteract this death, we have to come before the Lord with clean hands. Our bodies are to be holy as temples of God’s Holy Spirit. Sin hinders God answering our prayers, so we must make sure we examine ourselves before we partake of the Bread in the Holy Place. (Psalm 66:18, II Corinthians 13:5) Otherwise we may find ourselves weak and even approaching an early death.
Instead of priding ourselves on obeying correct doctrine, we need to humble ourselves in total honesty before God who sees and knows all about us; saying, “I am still a sinner, only a forgiven one as I confess those sins before you.”
The three pieces of furniture in the Holy Place signify our walk with God on a daily basis. The Priest was in the Outer Court daily to offer sacrifices for the Israelites and for himself. The Priest could not enter into the Holy Place until he had offered sacrifice, and cleansed himself. The blood from the Brazen Altar had to accompany him into the Holy Place daily.
As we confess our sins daily, Jesus Christ is faithful and just and will forgive our sins daily. With our sins forgiven afresh each day, we are then able to enter into the Holy Place where He dwells in mystery until the light from His Holy Spirit (Candlestick) and the light from worship (Incense) falls upon our hearts and minds as we partake of His Shewbread (daily reading of Scripture).
The Holy Place was completely dark without the light from the candlestick and the altar of incense. The shewbread could not be seen without the light from these two sources.
If unconfessed sin keeps the cloud of gloom and death over us and hinders our prayers to God, then reading the Bible, or even praising God, becomes a self-righteous act. Church becomes a place of entertainment, sermons become speeches, prayers become noise, and we miss what God wants to reveal to us as the light only throws shadows without revealing any personal needs for spiritual growth with Christ.
Inside the Holy Place
Inside the Holy Place, we have to be convinced that our sins are forgiven, that our hands our clean, that our conscience is clear, and that our thoughts and affections can now be focused solely on Christ and His Word as we offer Him the sacrifices of Praise and Thanksgiving.
Then we become very quiet knowing that there is mysterious beauty above us, around us, and that just beyond the third veil is the very Presence of Almighty God.
We focus on the Light shining upon His Word. We notice the shadows from the Candlestick as its light hits the shewbread. Then we notice the shadows from the Altar of Incense as it light hits the shewbread.
We are aware that we are alone inside this tent of coverings embroidered with all manner of heavenly beauty. The veil between the Holy Place and the Outer Court is closed. Nothing from the outside world is able to enter into this sacred place. The veil to the Holy of Holies is closed, yet we are aware of the danger of death itself if we violate the sanctuary by failing to confess all our sins, and failing to honor the holiness of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God, as we sincerely watch what we say and how we say it in our prayers and worship at the Altar of Incense.
We are not here because of our righteousness, but because of His Mercy and Grace. We are not here to boast of how spiritual we are compared to others, but to humbly seek a closer relationship with our Lord.
We approach with slow steps and great reverence each piece of furniture making sure that we have covered our souls properly with the Blood of Christ, and seeking intensely the visitation of His Holy Spirit speaking to us through the illumination of His Holy Word.
There are mysterious shadows inside the Holy Place, signifying that no man will ever have all the revelation of God. No one will ever reach that perfect place where we can explain all of life’s deepest questions from the Word of God. But every now and then, if we are watching closely, if we are paying attention, we will experience the supernatural as the light from the Golden Candlestick shifts upon the Shewbread, and as we lift our hearts in praise and thanksgiving at the Altar of Incense; out of nowhere we see a hidden truth of His Word as He lays bare our hearts before Him.
We feel our spirit-man bowing in humility, our self-righteousness stripped away, as our very being reaches out and longs for the fellowship with the God who created us and who dwells behind the third veil!
Acknowledging of daily sin, daily cleansing by the washing of water by the Word of God, true understanding of His Grace and Mercy upon our sinfulness, reverence of His Word, and His Presence in spiritual light as we worship Him, and making sure we exalt Him instead of our self allows us to experience whatever He has for us inside the first and second Veil.
“So we can say, reverently, that God never gave us the Law to keep: he gave us the Law to break! He well knew that we could not keep it.” Watchman Nee