Curtain torn in two

"You shall hang up the veil under the clasps, and shall bring in the ark of the testimony there within the veil; and the veil shall serve for you as a partition between the holy place and the holy of holies"-Exodus 26:33

In the Old Testament, God chose to live among his people on a box called the ark of the testimony, more commonly known as the ark of the covenant. A priest would enter the holy of holies only once a year to offer an atonement for the people there. (Exodus 30:10)  This was a place so holy and sacred that God would strike anyone dead who did not follow His commands regarding it. For this reason, the priest who entered this place would wear bells on his clothing and a rope around his waist so that he could be pulled out if he died.  This is a picture of God's holiness, and the consequences of approaching Him as a sinful creature. By his grace did he allow only one a year to come into His presence to offer a sacrifice to forgive the sins of the people, because "without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness." (Hebrews 9:22)

Ultimately this veil is what separated God and mankind. We were doomed to remain in this state of separation unless God intervened. And guess what? He did.

Three gospels record the same thing happening as Jesus breathed His last breath on the cross. The veil of the temple, the symbol of separation between God and man, was completely torn in two.

God has no longer chosen to live on a box behind a veil in the temple. Through Jesus' shed blood, we can enter the "holy of holies" and come into His presence. This is why He shed His blood for us. Sinful man no longer needs to fear, because Jesus made us holy in His sight.