How strong was the veil in Solomon's temple?
The veil in Solomon's temple was so thick and heavy that, according to Josephus, a team of oxen could not have ripped it apart. Despite its strength, it was torn in two from top to bottom, a miracle demonstrating God's act.
Les explains that the veil in the tabernacle, and later in Solomon's temple, separated the sanctuary where priests ministered daily from the Holy of Holies, which contained the Ark of the Covenant, the presence of God, and the Shekinah Glory. Only Aaron the High Priest went behind the veil once a year on the Day of Atonement. After the temple was built in Solomon's temple, that veil was so thick and so heavy that Josephus gives an indication a team of oxen couldn't have ripped it apart. Yet the account says it was ripped in two from the top to the bottom. Les teaches that Scripture makes it from the top to the bottom to prove this was something men had nothing to do with—totally an act of a miracle-working God. It indicated that the way into the presence of God had been made possible by His death, because the veil in symbolism spoke of His Body of Flesh.