Passing Through the Curtain,response

Please note these excellent scriptural comments regarding the resurrected Jesus’ passage as illustrated by the High Priest:

The Inauguration of a ‘New and Living Way.’ While Jesus began his ascent in a physical form, thus being visible to his watching disciples, there is no basis for assuming that he continued to retain a material form after the cloud interposed itself. The apostle Peter states that Jesus died in the flesh but was resurrected “in the spirit.” () Paul declares the rule that “flesh and blood cannot inherit God’s kingdom.” (; compare also Jesus’ statement at , 24with .) Paul likens Jesus’ ascent to God’s presence in the heavens to the entry of the high priest into the Most Holy compartment of the tabernacle on the Day of Atonement and specifies that on such occasion the high priest carried only the blood (not the flesh) of the sacrificial victims. (, , , ) Paul then compares the curtain, which separated the first compartment from the Most Holy compartment, to Christ’s flesh. The high priest in passing into the Most Holy, into God’s typical presence, did not carry the curtain with him but passed through that barrier and beyond it, so that it was behind him. Thus, Paul states that “we have boldness for the way of entry into the holy place by the blood of Jesus, which he inaugurated for us as a new and living way through the curtain, that is, his flesh.”—, ; , , ; compare ; , .

Jesus’ ascension to heaven to present the ransoming value of his lifeblood to Jehovah inaugurated “a new and living way” of approach to God in prayer. That it also opened the way to heavenly life harmonizes with Jesus’ own statement to the effect that, prior thereto, “no man has ascended into heaven but he that descended from heaven, the Son of man.” () Thus, neither Enoch nor Elijah inaugurated this way, any more than David had. (; ; ) As Paul states: “The holy spirit makes it plain that the way into the holy place had not yet been made manifest while the first tent was standing.”—. (Insight on the Scriptures, “Ascension”)

Thus, as Jesus was acting as the High Priest, he could not use his sacrificed body.[2] So when he appeared as a man after his resurrection, he was a spirit being using a materialized body—something not unusual in the Bible. Therefore, even though he ascended with a unique materialized body which he disposed of as the cloud obscured him from the view of his disciples on the ground below (), he had actually presented the value of his sacrificed lifeblood to his Father in the spiritual Most Holy on the day of his resurrection. As one journal explained, after Jesus was resurrected back as a spirit being, only “then he could enter the Most Holy compartment of God’s spiritual temple—heaven itself.” confirms that “Christ did not enter into a holy place [or “sanctuary,” NET Bible, referring to the Most Holy] made with hands, which is a copy of the reality, but into heaven itself, so that he now appears before [or “before the face of”] God on our behalf.” The same journal continues:

In heaven, Jesus ‘spattered the blood’ of his sacrifice by presenting the ransoming value of his lifeblood to Jehovah. Yet, Jesus did more. Shortly before his death, he had told his followers: “I am going my way to prepare a place for you. Also, if I go my way and prepare a place for you, I am coming again and will receive you home to myself, that where I am you also may be.” (, ) So by gaining entrance into the Most Holy, or heaven, Jesus opened the way for others to follow. (, ) (The Watchtower. January 15, 2000 page 16, “Desirable Things” Are Filling Jehovah’s House)

As the NET Bible footnote for informs us, “just as the curtain was split, so Christ’s body was broken for us, to give us access into God’s presence.” Thus, just as the “Gates of the Grave” swung open for Jesus at the command of his Father (; ), so Jesus now has the authority to open the gates of death for his faithful (spirit-anointed) followers to join him in heavenly life, also leaving their human bodies behind as Jesus was obliged to do as their spiritual High Priest.—.

Lastly, as the curtain represents Christ’s flesh that he left behind entering heaven, it seems this correspondence would also work when Jesus agreed to be transferred into Mary’s womb as a fully physical being (), passing through the curtain from the Most Holy to the Holy.[3] He agreed to become a perfect human and then surrender his human life to furnish the corresponding ransom sacrifice () that he presented before God after passing though greater spiritual curtain from the Holy.

Connection to ? In this scripture a figure ascending on clouds identified prophetically as the resurrected Lord Jesus Christ ascends to God’s heavenly court and is allowed close, personal access to God. It seems to me that the imagery of the cloud obscuring the view of the ascending Jesus in is continued in . (Compare the cloud of :9with the cloud Jesus as “someone like a son of man” is seated on in , reinforcing this connection to .) This figure is “like a son of man” because he existed on earth as such, but is now a resurrected and exalted figure. Now, while the vision of this one “like a son of man” continues without pause to his coronation in the next verse (), the fulfillment may not necessarily have to occur literally right after his ascension. In the fulfillment an unspecified period of time may lie between these two events. This is seen in the fulfillment of another prophecy in , where in the fulfillment Jesus is sitting close to God at His right hand, waiting for the time to act as a coronated king and judge.—; ; , .

Significance of Rending the Curtain https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-f72XapaGv2I/VK2hCBLSAhI/AAAAAAAAA_E/jyjMJ82VI4I/s1600/curtain.jpgAfter Jesus died on Nisan 14, the Temple’s curtain was rent from top to bottom down the middle. (; ; ) The rending was doubtlessly a devastating, unmendable tearing. As the curtain signified Jesus’ flesh (), a symbolic barrier preventing Jesus’ entry into heaven, its rending was a dynamic demonstration that his flesh was no longer a barrier to his entry into the spirit realm or heaven. Therefore, on Nisan 16 Jesus was resurrected and passed through the spiritual curtain with his sacrificed body outside, with the torn physical curtain now having exhausted its purpose before God.

Another Pre-Christian Drama There is a significant account in Judges of an angel, called “Jehovah’s angel,” making a remarkable ascent to heaven: https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Aq_hoxDMLmo/VUOlzpiiWEI/AAAAAAAABPE/3dnGkFAj_tw/s1600/ascending-angel.jpgJudges 13:19-20 RNWT

“19 Then Manoah took the young goat and the grain offering and offered them on the rock to Jehovah.”

Two things are identified as being on the rock altar: a slain goat and grain. Apparently there was not any wood for starting the fire on the altar.

“And He was doing something amazing while Manoah and his wife were looking on.”

Apparently the angel miraculously started the fire similar to Gideon’s angel—also called “Jehovah’s angel”—in , who miraculously ignited meat and grains (in the form of unleavened bread) that was also on a bare rock altar. Similarly, Manoah’s sacrificial meat and grains are apparently consumed by fire emanating from the bare rocks.

“20 As the flame ascended from the altar heavenward, Jehovah’s angel ascended in the flame from the altar while Manoah and his wife were looking on. At once they fell with their faces to the ground.”

This angel mounts the burning altar and stands in the flames, then ascends to God’s court.

This may be viewed as a Christological drama, as noted by a number of commentaries.[4] Viewed this way, this “angel of Jehovah” represents Jesus who came to earth and was given a sacrificial body by a man and woman. The angel igniting the fire and mounting the burning altar represents Jesus’ willfully surrendering his life as a sacrifice. The angel standing on the altar represents Jesus offering his life as a ransom sacrifice. The meat and grains being consumed by the fire represents Jesus’s sacrificial body being sacrificed. The angel’s ascension to God represents Jesus as a resurrected person ascending back to God. That the angel did not pick up the goat’s remains and take that with him in his ascent represents that Jesus did not retain his sacrificed body.

Regarding how the angel did not take the burnt sacrificial remains with him but left them behind: I think this may be significant as this “angel of Jehovah” may easily be viewed as a prehuman visitation of Jesus. If so, then his actions become even more significant as a dramatization of what he would personally perform in his future role as the messiah. As the “angel of Jehovah” left the sacrificed body behind and did not take it with him to God in heaven, so as the messiah he would likewise leave his sacrificed body behind, just like the High Priest on Atonement Day who left the sacrificed body outside. Sacrificed bodies always remain outside, as and make clear, even equating the burned up animal sacrifice outside the Temple with Jesus’ sacrificed body.— (