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Subject 8 : The Holy Spirit
[8-19] The Beautiful Gospel That Tore the Veil of the Temple (Matthew 27:45-54)
(Matthew 27:45-54)
“Now from the sixth hour until the ninth hour there was darkness over all the land. And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, ‘Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?’ that is, ‘My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?’ Some of those who stood there, when they heard that, said, ‘This Man is calling for Elijah!’ Immediately one of them ran and took a sponge, filled it with sour wine and put it on a reed, and offered it to Him to drink. The rest said, ‘Let Him alone; let us see if Elijah will come to save Him.’ And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit. Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split, and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many. So when the centurion and those with him, who were guarding Jesus, saw the earthquake and the things that had happened, they feared greatly, saying, ‘Truly this was the Son of God!’”
Why was the veil of the Temple of God torn when Jesus gave up His spirit on the Cross?
Because the Kingdom of God came to be opened to those who believe in His baptism and crucifixion.
Because the Kingdom of God came to be opened to those who believe in His baptism and crucifixion.
In order to understand the truth of this beautiful gospel, one must first know and understand the sacrificial system performed to forgive people’s sins before God in the Old Testament. You must know and believe the following truth.
According to the ancient sacrifice of atonement, as recorded in Leviticus chapter 16 in the Old Testament, the high priest laid his hands on a live goat and transferred to it all the sins accumulated by the people over the course of a year. Then on behalf of the Israelites, the sacrifice was killed, and the high priest sprinkled its blood on the mercy seat. This atoned for all the sins of the Israelites. Likewise, only those who believed in the laying on of hands, the blood and the words of God could enter the Holy sanctuary.
The priests always went into the first part of the tabernacle, performing the services. But into the second part, the Most Holy Place, the high priest could enter alone once a year, not without blood, which he offered for himself and for the people’s sins committed in ignorance (Hebrews 9:6-7). Likewise, even the high priest couldn’t enter the Most Holy Place without the blood of the sacrifice prepared through the laying hands on by faith.
As told in the New Testament, Jesus Christ was sacrificed for us
In the New Testament, we are told that one could enter the Kingdom of God through his belief in Jesus’ baptism and His blood on the Cross. When was the veil of the Temple of God torn in two from top to bottom? It was when Jesus was crucified after He came into this world and was baptized by John.
What was the reason given for this? Jesus came to this world as a sacrifice, namely as the Lamb of God, took away the sins of the world by being baptized by John, and so cleansed mankind of all their sins when He was crucified. The tearing of the veil is a symbol that all the sins of mankind that separated us from God were purged through His baptism and blood on the Cross.
Jesus Himself broke down this barrier by paying the wages of sin, which is death. Jesus was baptized and crucified to take away the sins of the world. This was the reason that the veil of the Temple of God was torn in two. Just as priests could enter the tabernacle with the belief in the laying on of hands, now we can enter the Kingdom of Heaven thanks to our belief in Jesus’ baptism and blood.
When Jesus was crucified, He cried out in a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” that is, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” (Matthew 27:46) When He finally gave up His spirit, He said, “It is finished!” (John 19:30) Jesus was forsaken by His Father at the Cross for a moment because He bore all the sins of the world since His baptism by John in the Jordan River.
He died for the salvation of all mankind. As a result of Jesus’ baptism and His death on the Cross, all who had faith in Him were saved. Because we are born sinners and are destined for condemnation, Jesus was baptized to take away all our sins.
The gate to the Kingdom of Heaven was firmly closed until Jesus purged us of all our sins. When Jesus was baptized by John and died on the Cross, the veil of the Temple of God was torn in two from top to bottom so that anyone who believes in the beautiful gospel could enter the heavenly Temple of God.
I am thankful to the Lord that I have faith in the gospel of the water and the Spirit. I can now enter the Kingdom of Heaven through my belief in the beautiful gospel that Jesus accomplished through His baptism and blood. I could not have achieved salvation through my own powers, achievements and efforts.
The blessing that leads us into the Kingdom of Heaven is not attained through mere prayers, donations and devotions. One can be saved from sin only by believing in Jesus’ baptism and His blood on the Cross. One can enter the Kingdom of Heaven only by having faith in this beautiful gospel. Jesus is the gate to Heaven. No other beliefs are necessary to those who believe in Jesus. Entrance to Heaven is not granted as compensation for one’s devoted donations, worldly efforts or other good deeds. The one truly necessary thing for believers to enter the Kingdom is faith in the gospel of Jesus’ baptism in the Jordan River and His blood on the Cross.
Believing in the water (Jesus’ baptism in the Jordan River) and His blood (the Cross) will lead you to the Kingdom of Heaven. The person who still has sin in his heart, even though he believes in Jesus, needs to believe in one thing: the gospel of the water and the Spirit. “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32).
We never know the exact times of our deaths but Jesus knows all. Since He knew our sinful nature so well, He washed away all our sins through His baptism and the blood on the Cross about two thousand years ago.
We must believe in this beautiful gospel that tore the veil of the Temple of God
The Savior was born to a virgin to save mankind from their sins. It was through His baptism at the age of 30 in the Jordan River, that Jesus took away all the sins of the world. All the sins of mankind resulting from their weaknesses and shortcomings were forgiven thanks to Jesus. His baptism and blood are the eternal keys to the salvation of all mankind. Jesus was baptized and bled on the Cross and now all those who have faith in this gospel can enter the Kingdom of Heaven.
The veil of the Temple of God was torn when Jesus gave up His spirit on the Cross. How could the veil of the Temple of God be torn in two when Jesus died on the Cross? The reason is that the salvation of mankind was achieved by Him in the beautiful gospel.
In the Old Testament, we learn about the tabernacle of Israel. There lay the altar of the burnt offering and the laver. Past this laver, was the tabernacle and inside the tabernacle behind the veil lay the ark, where God’s presence and glory resided. The veil was so firmly woven that four horses pulling from the four directions could not tear its fabric. Even though King Solomon replaced the tabernacle with the Temple, the basic form was not changed, and the veil was still there blocking the way to the Most Holy Place. However, it was torn in two from top to bottom when Jesus died bleeding on the Cross. This testifies to the fact that how beautiful and perfect the gospel that was completed with Jesus’ baptism and His blood is.
God blessed all mankind with the forgiveness of sin and everlasting life, embracing them in the beautiful gospel. Jesus, as the sacrifice, paid off the wages of sin when He was baptized by John and died on the Cross. The Bible says, “The wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). Just as in the time of the Old Testament, one could enter the Temple of God with the blood of the sacrifice and receive atonement for sin, so we could come to God with our sacrifice, which was Jesus, and be forgiven for our transgressions. This is the truth. And the words, “The wages of sin is death” shows us how perfect the beautiful gospel is.
The way to Heaven is to believe in the beautiful gospel. The tearing of the veil in two represents the opening of the Kingdom of God. When we come to know and believe in this gospel, saying, “Oh, Jesus took away all my sins. Oh, Jesus paid all the wages of sin on the Cross!” the gate to Heaven will open up before us. Heaven is now open to those who have achieved redemption through their faith in Jesus’ baptism and His blood. The blood of Jesus saved sinners from death and His baptism was a means to take on the sins of all mankind.
The earth shook and rocks split open when the Lord gave up His spirit on the Cross. Just then, His blood dripped to the earth and began flowing toward the lower grounds. When Jesus died on the Cross, all the sins of mankind were purged, the beautiful gospel was completed, and all believers became eligible to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. This is the very truth of being born again.
There are many scholars who have conducted research seeking to deny the existence of Jesus Christ as a real person. But they could not persist in their hypothesis against the numerous historical evidences of His existence. Among them, many have given in and have come to believe in the gospel of Jesus’ baptism and blood. They came to realize that the evidence of Jesus was too substantial to deny His existence. They accepted Jesus as their Savior when they came to know and believe in this beautiful gospel, namely, His birth, baptism, death, resurrection, ascension and the Second Advent.
We did not witness Jesus’ baptism. Our eyes did not see what took place about 2,000 years ago. However, through what is written, anyone can come in contact with this beautiful gospel. Jesus broke down the barrier of sin between God and man through His baptism and blood, and thus the veil of the Kingdom of God was torn in two from top to bottom.
Now anyone who believes in this beautiful gospel, which was completed by Jesus’ baptism and His blood, can enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Do you have faith in the fact that Jesus’ baptism and His blood, namely this beautiful gospel, is the key to the Kingdom of Heaven?
I once was a sinner myself, who trusted Jesus to be my Savior but wasn’t aware of the beautiful gospel. However, one day I came to read about His unconditional love for me in the Bible. I came to know that He was baptized for me, died on the Cross for me and was resurrected for me. Jesus saved us by being baptized in the Jordan River and crucified to pay the wages of sin because of His love for us. We are able to enter the Kingdom of Heaven by believing in this beautiful gospel.
This is God’s greatest righteousness for mankind and the epoch-making event of history. All His ministry – His birth, baptism in the Jordan River, death on the Cross, and resurrection – was to save us from all our sins. We were destined for hell after our deaths, but Jesus spared our souls from eternity in hell and granted us the beautiful gospel as the way to enter the Kingdom of Heaven.
Dear brethren, when Jesus was dead on the Cross, a soldier pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out. This is as it is written in the Bible. This testifies to the truth of the beautiful gospel of Jesus’ baptism and His blood.
Do you consider that your faith in Jesus’ blood on the Cross is sufficient to free you from all your sins? Is Jesus’ baptism less significant or only incidental to your salvation? If you believe so, please repent. We now have to believe in the gospel of Jesus’ baptism and blood and recognize it as God’s truth.
Do you want to be cleansed of all your sins?
Just as we need to pay to get out of debt, we must have faith in the beautiful gospel of Jesus’ baptism and blood in order to be cleansed of all our sins. We should not commit the sin of disbelief in the gospel of Jesus’ baptism and blood. Although we did not directly pass on our sins to Jesus, a mediator called John the Baptist did the task for us.
When Jesus died on the Cross, some tombs of the saints in Jerusalem opened and three days later He was resurrected and went into Galilee. This wonderful event really did take place, but there were many people who did not believe it.
Our Lord granted the Kingdom of Heaven to us, the righteous, who received the remission of sin. We were saved and born again, not through our own physical power or religious efforts, but through our faith in the beautiful gospel. This gospel is not a fictional story. All the sins of the world were passed on to Jesus when He was baptized. There was no sin in Him, but He had to die on the Cross to atone the very sins He took on at His baptism.
When Jesus gave up His spirit, the earth quaked and the rocks split open. When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus’ body felt the earthquake and the things that had happened, they felt tremendous fear, testifying, “Truly this was the Son of God” (Matthew 27:54).
Joseph a rich man from Arimathea took the body of Jesus, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth and laid it in his own tomb. The high priest and the Pharisees gave orders for the grave to be made secure until the third day.
However, Jesus was resurrected to give new life to those who believe in the beautiful gospel. He went into Galilee, where He had promised to meet His disciples before He was crucified. All these things – His birth, baptism, crucifixion, resurrection, ascension and the Second Advent – were aimed at those who believe in the beautiful gospel. I have also become a testifier who testifies that Jesus is the Son of the living God and my Savior.
By whom is the true gospel preached?
The believers in Jesus’ baptism and blood testify to the beautiful gospel of the truth. The beautiful gospel is spread through the testimony of these people saved from all their sins. When a person is freed from his sins by believing in the gospel, the Spirit of God begins to govern him, and He changes him regardless of his own will. The soul winning words of God continuously transforms a righteous man and gives him even stronger faith. In turn, he comes to praise the Lord. The word of God abides in him, and as a result he experiences the renewal of his inner being day by day. Seeing him thus transformed, people testify, “He is really a delivered man. He became a genuine Christian and a child of God.”
Even the devil accepts and succumbs to this beautiful gospel. “I’m mortified!” he says. “But it’s true that there is no sin in the world. No one has sin in his heart.” Therefore, the devil works in the thoughts of people, interfering with their faithful lives. The work of the devil is to prevent them from receiving the spiritual blessings of the gospel.
Satan lost the battle with Jesus absolutely. Satan succeeded in having Jesus crucified by controlling people’s minds. However, Jesus had already taken away the sins of the world when He was baptized, and when He died on the Cross to pay off the wages of the sin. For this reason, He completely saved all the believers in the gospel.
The devil was unable to obstruct God’s plan to save mankind from their sins. Jesus paid for the sins of mankind through His baptism and blood to complete the beautiful gospel. Now there is no sin in this world. Jesus took away all sin through His baptism and put an end to all sin through His death on the Cross, saying, “It is finished!” (John 19:30) Satan was deprived of the power to accuse those who have faith in the beautiful gospel. Jesus defeated the devil through His birth, baptism, crucifixion and resurrection.
Do you still have sin in your hearts? No. Christians can confidently say, “I have no sin in my heart” on the basis of their faith in the beautiful gospel of truth. The person who believes in the beautiful gospel of Jesus’ baptism and blood doesn’t have even an ounce of sin in his heart.
Now the beautiful gospel has been engraved in our hearts. We now stand free of any compunction in the presence of God. Do all of you believe that Jesus took away all your sins through His baptism in the Jordan River? If so, your gratefulness to God and joy will be made full. By having faith in the beautiful gospel, we have been sanctified and freed from our sins in this world. We thank God.
“He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His Love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins” (Colossians 1:13-14). Hallelujah, praise the Lord.
Jesus opened up the gate to salvation through the beautiful gospel. You also must break down the barrier in your heart all at once with the power of the beautiful gospel, just as the veil of the Temple was torn in two. The beautiful gospel was made for you and me. We can enter the Kingdom of Heaven by believing in this gospel, and it is the ultimate truth that allows us to achieve the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
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