Making the Most of Your Priestly Privilege

When Jesus died on the cross, the Old Testament priesthood came to an end. This was signified by the fact that the heavy curtain which separated the Holy of Holies from the rest of the temple was rent from the top to the bottom at the very moment of His death. Matthew 27:50-51 says,

And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up His spirit. Then, behold, the veil of the temple was rent from top to bottom; and the earth quaked and the rocks were rent.

This veil was about 30 feet high and four inches thick. No one was allowed past this veil except the high priest who went in once a year before Almighty God to offer a blood sacrifice for the sins of the people of Israel. It was a fearful thing, even for the high priest, to venture into the presence of God hidden behind this veil.

This veil was so strong and thick that the Jewish historian, Josephus, stated that even two oxen could not tear it. However, when Jesus died, it was ripped from the top to the bottom.

This was an obvious act of God. It was God saying, “The way has been made. The ultimate sacrifice has been offered. The redemptive price has been paid. You are welcome to come into My presence.”

At that point, the Old Testament priesthood ended. There was no longer any need for a human priest to mediate between the people and God. The veil was rent, and all could not now enter freely into His presence.

Modern churches that maintain a priestly ministry to mediate between God and the people are completely out of sync with what Jesus accomplished for us at the Cross. Because of what Jesus has done, we have become a kingdom of priests, as John wrote in Revelation 1:5-6, To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father.

“The Priesthood of all Believers” was one of the platforms of the Reformation. It means we do not need a human mediator to go before God on our behalf. Neither do we need a departed “saint” to pray for us. We are completely accepted by God when we come to Him through faith in Jesus.

There are NOT many paths to God. There is only One. Jesus Himself said in John 14:6, I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. Paul echoed this truth some years later when he wrote, For there is one God and one Mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus (I Timothy 2:5).

What a wonderful privilege we have in this New Covenant of freely coming into the presence of Almighty God through Jesus and His atoning death. The writer of Hebrews spelled it out when he wrote in 4:16, Let us therefore come boldly to throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in the time of need.

Yes, the veil has been rent, and even now God Almighty welcomes you to come.

This article was derived from the book, Discovering the Real Jesus, by Dr. Eddie L. Hyatt. He is the author of around 30 books, which can be found on Amazon and his website at www.eddiehyatt.com.