Why was the temple veil torn from top to bottom instead of bottom to top?
At the moment of His crucifixion, the temple veil was rent from top to bottom, not from bottom to top, to signify that no man had anything to do with it—it was an act of God. The direction testified to divine initiative, not human effort.
Les explains that the veil in Jesus’ day was rent from the top to the bottom, not from the bottom to the top, signifying that no man had anything to do with it; it was an act of God. The veil separated the Holy of Holies from the sanctuary, and it pictured the very body of Christ. It kept the presence of God from the view of the priests as they practiced their daily ministrations, and only the high priest, once a year, would come in behind the veil.