Recently there was an earthquake in central Italy of the magnitude of about 6.5 on the Richter scale. That is not a massive earthquake, but it did crumble many stone buildings and damaged many more. About 300 people died from the falling masonry and the survivors continued to endure aftershocks that were numbered in the hundreds. Earthquakes do vary in intensity and in the effects on the surface of the land. Mountainous regions differ from ocean bottoms or deserts in what is observed. Often there is a grinding shaking that occurs and rarely does the ground literally split open. A split usually occurs along a fault line where some ground moves in one direction and some moves in the opposite direction or simply stays where it is. In the earthquake in Anchorage, Alaska some years ago, the shaking seemed to settle loose soil in a way that caused the ground to sink in places. Regardless of what we see and note, earthquakes of this magnitude are terrifying.
Three verses of the Bible agree that at the moment of the death of Jesus Christ, the veil in the temple was ripped in two "from top to bottom" (Matt. 27:51), "right down the middle" (Luke 23:45) and "split in two, from the top to the bottom" (Mark 15:38). We read those words and rarely pause to consider what happened. Matthew adds that the earth shook and that rocks were split. It seems the precise moment of the earthquake was Jesus' death. We don't give a lot of thought as to what could have happened. And what it meant. The temple and temple mount were largely constructed of rock. The temple was built on a mountain top and most of its walls were solid stone. The tearing of the veil was no small feat - no little occurance. Tearing it in two from top to bottom would indicate such tremendous movement of the structure holding the veil in place, that the whole structure would have collapsed.
Study notes about the curtain tell us that the Holy of Holies was a cube shape - about 15 feet on all sides. The curtain was to divide the tabernacle into two rooms, the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place. The Holy Place was about twice as large as the Holy of Holies and people could come into that portion as a "royal guest chamber." This curtain was to be blue, purple and scarlet yarn and finely twisted linen with cherubim worked into the yarn and was called the "shielding curtain" (Exod. 39:34). There was another curtain at the entrance to the Holy Place, but it did not have cherubim woven into it.
This special curtain shielded the ark and the mercy seat from everyone. Only the high priest was allowed to go inside of the Holy of Holies - once a year on the Day of Atonement and only after ceremonial cleansing took place (Heb. 9:7,25,28). He would go in to make atonement for the people. Exod. 27:14 indicates that other curtains in the temple were 15 cubits long at the entrances. That would be something like 6.9 meters or 22.5 feet long. The descriptions are from the original plan God gave to Moses for the tabernacle. The portable, original tabernacle was made of wooden poles and curtains so that it could readily be dismantled and transported. The temple Solomon built and the later temple of Ezra and Nehemiah that was added to by King Herod - may have had some other differences, besides being of stone and immovable.
Curtains are not simply pieces of cloth hanging in place, they include seams, parts that are strengthened and weighted in order for the curtain to hang down correctly. This curtain was hung by clasps and the ark of the Testimony was placed behind it. That ark contained the Ten Commandments, Aaron's rod that budded and a pot of manna. By the time of Jesus Christ, it is not certain what was behind the veil, since Israel had been conquered more than once and held captive for decades. The ark, mercy seat and cherubim were to be covered with gold (Exod. 25:10-22) and were the items that were to remain in the Holy of Holies. By Jesus' day, it is not clear exactly what was left of the original (if anything). It has been speculated that Jeremiah buried the true ark somewhere at the fall of Jerusalem and it has been lost. If that is the case, the Holy of Holies in Jesus' day may not have held anything - or a replica of what priests thought should be there. Josephus records that there was nothing in the Holy of Holies except a stone on which the High Priest would place the blood offering each year. The ark of the covenant and its contents, the sacred fire to consume the initial burnt offerings, the Shekinah glory, and the Urim and Thummim all seem to have disappeared. What is vital to understand is that there was a curtain and that curtain represented the inability of people to come into the presence of God. Only the High Priest could come on their behalf on the day of Atonement. In Jesus day, the temple was still under construction and was not really completed until 64 AD. It was completely destroyed only six years later at the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD. This reconstructed temple was known as Herod's temple, but Jesus and the disciples treated it with great respect.
Jesus Christ rose to become our High Priest and Intercessor before the true throne of God. With His death, the veil of separation between man and God has been torn asunder. That was symbolically done when this special temple curtain was torn. Access to God was offered through Jesus Christ (Heb. 6:19,20). Jesus Christ entered the Presence behind the veil. All who believe in Christ and follow the steps of redemption have permission to enter into the Holiest by His blood (Heb. 10:19-21).
Now back to the curtain. Within stone structures that were apparently not damaged themselves by the earthquake, it would have been impossible for a curtain of that length and strength to have been torn in two from top to bottom from the effect of the earthquake. Any earthquake of that magnitude would have virtually destroyed the whole city of Jerusalem - let alone the temple. One simply has to take a bed-sheet and try to tear it in half from top to bottom. If you first cut through the seams (tearing it would be most difficult) and were then able to tear the cloth, you would have to extend your arms almost 12 feet in width in order for the sheet to be torn from top to bottom. A bed sheet is only about seven feet long. It becomes obvious that in order for a much longer curtain of sturdy material to be completely torn in half, the ground movement would have been such that no building would be left standing. That is not what God had in mind. He wanted the Jewish leaders to see that things had now changed through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Now the Melchisedec priesthood would replace the Levitical and people could have open access to the throne of God through Jesus Christ. Jesus had said that those who were sitting on Moses' seat still had authority as long as He was in the flesh (Matt. 23:2,3). This dramatic tearing asunder of the curtain completely exposing the Holy of Holies was the message God was giving that He had removed the authority from the Priests. He had also opened the door directly to Him for all who would come.
The Pharisees were already in quite a state after the death of Jesus Christ. No doubt the Jewish leaders who witnessed the frightening sight of the torn veil were quick to deny it and had it repaired in short order. The veil was torn from top to bottom - in two pieces, but the temple itself was not damaged. There were other earthquakes that did occur, but in all three accounts, it seems the curtain was torn at the death of Jesus Christ. The torn curtain was a miracle! Even the Centurion and all those who stood at Jesus' feet admitted: "Truly this was the Son of God" (Matt. 27:54). The Bible records that later "many" of the priests were obedient to the faith (Acts 6:7). Today we are asked to believe though we did not "see" (John 20:29). That is us! Among great miracles, the conversion of the human mind must rank as the greatest. That is the work God has called Jesus' followers to serve.