With the arrival of Jesus Christ came the New Covenant. He told His disciples during the Last Supper, “This cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant in My blood” (Lk. 22:20). And the Lord made the arrival of the New Covenant dramatically clear when the veil in the Temple was torn from top to bottom after Jesus died on the cross (Mt. 27:51). This event signified the fact that the whole old system had ended and a new covenant had dawned. The Holy Place was now exposed, and redeemed sinners by the blood of Christ (not the blood of animals) were given open and direct access to the throne of God (Heb. 4:16). And to make it unmistakably clear, God permitted the Temple to be destroyed in AD 70 to put an end to all animal sacrifices now that the shadows of animal sacrifices have given way to the substance; the one-and-for-all blood sacrifice of Jesus Christ (Heb. 9:12).