Tuesday: The Need of a Veil
Veils have a double function. The term Hebrews uses for veil (katepetasma) could refer to the screen of the court (Exodus 38:18), the screen at the entrance of the outer apartment of the sanctuary (Exodus 36:37), or the inner veil that separated the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies (Exodus 26:31-35). These three veils were both entrances and boundaries that only some people could cross.
Read Leviticus 16:1-2, and Leviticus 10:1-3. What warning do we have in these passages?
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The veil was a protection for the priests as they ministered before a holy God. After the sin of the golden calf, God said to Moses that He would not accompany them in the way to the Promised Land lest He consumed them because they were a “stiff-necked people” (Exodus 33:3, NKJV). Thus, Moses moved the tent of meeting and pitched it far off, outside the camp (Exodus 33:7). After Moses interceded, however, God agreed to go with them in their midst (Exodus 33:12-20), but He established several measures to protect the people as He dwelled among them.
For instance, Israel camped in a strict order that created a hollow square in the middle where the tabernacle was pitched. In addition, the Levites camped around the tabernacle in order to protect the sanctuary and its furniture from encroachment by strangers (Numbers 1:51, Numbers 3:10). They were, in fact, a kind of human veil that protected the people of Israel: “But the Levites shall camp around the tabernacle of the testimony, so that there may be no wrath on the congregation of the people of Israel. And the Levites shall keep guard over the tabernacle of the testimony” (Numbers 1:53, ESV).
Jesus, as our Priest, has also been our veil. Through His incarnation, God pitched His tent in our midst and made it possible for us to contemplate His glory (John 1:14-18). He made it possible for a holy God to live in the midst of an imperfect people.
| Think about what it meant that the Creator God, the one who made the universe, would dwell among His people, who at that time were a nation of escaped slaves. What does that teach us about how close God can be to us? |
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Perhaps I am shifting the discussion a bit sideways today, but in an effort to bring a lesson out of today's study, I would like to consider this.
In the sanctuary system, what happened behind the veil was hidden from the people. They only had the high priest's word for how he carried out his ministry behind the veil. The importance of what he did had to be reflected in his interaction with the people.
When we transfer this notion to the idea of the heavenly sanctuary, we need to recognise that we are not witnessing what Jesus is doing for us now. We have the evidence of Jesus' earthly ministry to support our understanding of his heavenly work.
In a sense, there is a veil over the heavenly work and those of us who understand the importance of this heavenly work have a responsibility, not to lift the veil, but rather to show the effect of Christ's work in our interaction with others.
I have grown old listening to arguments about Christ's heavenly ministry. I have seen people leave the faith because of it. I have seen good friends become bitter enemies. Church members call other church members, "Liberals", "Conservatives", "Jesuit moles", "heretics", and so on. My question is this: where is our Christianity in all of this? If our understanding, or lack thereof, of Christ's heavenly ministry leads to unchristian behaviour, what is our witness?
I know I quote this frequently, but I have seen enough of Church theological politics to quote it seriously:
I think of this when I interact with my atheist friends who won't even have a bar of any "Jesus talk". They may not understand Christ's heavenly ministry, but we are still interacting in love. That can be our part in "lifting the veil".
Christ's ministry is now a law, the law of the Spirit of Sonship !
(Gravity is a law) Amen
You will probably need to expand that statement a bit, Larry. I am not entirely sure what you mean.
Gravity is a law, but there are a couple of descriptions of it, neither of them really explain it, they just describe how it behaves. Do you want me to follow the Newtonian or Einstein model? Does that say something about our relationship to God?
The law in hearts and minds ...
A seed of the second Adam and its potential in damaged claypots to etetnal Glory aka image of God !
The study so far, is far removed from a personal experience in the micro temple (aka hearts and minds) (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)
The macro temple is some place exterior to unity in the one Spirit, which only leads to speculation and beyond God in us.
1 Corinthians 15:28; Revelation 21:3; 22-23.
Shalom in Christ
The need for the veil as protection/separation of God’s people and priests is understood.
The most significant point of it for me, though, is that it was torn, and that it was torn at the moment of Jesus’ death on the Cross. This was a pivotal moment in man’s history – his salvation was secured (Jesus’ death) and the way was now opened to the Father’s presence (the tearing of the Veil).
That Satan and his agencies tried their darndest to keep Jesus in the grave, revealed their true nature to the Heavenly hosts watching.
That Jesus DID rise again, at the call of His Father, suggests to me that the whole of Heaven desired to see Jesus.
And then (not sure if I’m theologically correct on this?) my mind is drawn to that momentous scene in Revelation 4 and 5 describing Heaven’s throne room with God on His throne, and many other thrones, thousands times ten thousands, waiting, and wondering who is worthy to open the scroll? The tension is palpable, and John weeps because it seems no one is worthy. But, there comes the Lamb, looking like it had been slain. He doesn’t come as a High Priest, but as a bruised, dead-looking sacrifice, and HE IS WORTHY! And all of Heaven breaks into glorious praise and worship. (This scene brings me to tears every time I read it…)
"It would be well for us to spend a thoughtful hour each day in contemplation of the life of Christ. We should take it point by point, and let the imagination grasp each scene, especially the closing ones. As we thus dwell upon His great sacrifice for us, our confidence in Him will be more constant, our love will be quickened, and we shall be more deeply imbued with His spirit."--Desire of Ages, p. 83.
Desire of Ages 83
The veils are nothing more that separation from unity with God in Christ !
Jesus's appearing behind the most holy place, is his reconciliation to the divine nature in the Godhead, to administer love, mercy, long suffering and the firey judgment without comproming in any way that divine nature!
2 Corinthians 5:18-19, Colossians 1:19-20
Shalom in him !
The way we are, far off from God, dirty with our own pride, we can never enter the Most Holy! But because of Jesus and His sacrifice for us, by accepting Him completely in our hearts, with all our strenght, eventhough we can be pretty unquiet, Jesus takes our nature and gives us back His! Our mission is to trade our selves for His! The more we do that, the closest we get to the veil! Until the day He calls us by name, so then completely transformed, we will be able to enter where He is at!
The Veil was ripped away through Christ's death and resurrection. Jesus is the Way the door to unity in Spirit.
There is a new Temple a new Jerusalem 1 Peter 2:5
Shalom
Only the high priest entered the most Holy place, nobody else !
Matthew 6:13 and I Corinthians 10:13 are both laws that have to do with prayer. The first one is words from Jesus Himself in His Model Prayer for us to call upon His father to lead us not into temptation but also to deliver us from its evil for He has "all power and glory to do this for us." The second one is from the Apostle Paul assuring us that even with the temptation God gives us a way to escape the temptation and this is via Hebrews 10:19,20 (Jesus own flesh for us by faith)----Amen!, and Amen!
Heb.10:19-20 - ”Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh.”
I understand these verses to say:
The Son of God, by taking on the form of flesh, the body of man, has so commenced the new and living way; this 'Way' He consecrated as He partook Himself of the body which man has - a body of flesh. His coming in the flesh has torn the veil of separation between man and His Creator. Now we, who are bound to our flesh, have been given the 'Way' to come into the presence of God as we live by faith.
As I see it, “by the ‘blood’ of Jesus”, represents the living body – His Life. By the Life(blood) of Christ Jesus, our Lord and Savior, we who are still bound to our body can now come into the presence of God.
His Son took up a body of flesh and blood to live among us, demonstrating the life we ought to live and explaine it by His Teachings so we can know how to have life through Him by faith; in Him and by His spirit to be one with the Father.
His Spirit, our Comforter, is given to everyone as the Teacher to lead the believer into all Truth. Even now, as we are in the body, we are able to be one with the Father; the veil of separation between flesh and spirit has been brought down! Praise be to God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit!
In response to the comment and question at the end of Tuesday's lesson, I want to restate the Scriptural concept (Zech 6:12-13; Act 15:14-17) that the OT tabernacle was a parable outlining God's plan for restoring fallen, flawed humans.
Central to His plan was a structure for the stated purpose of Him residing among fallen humans (Ex 25:8). The tabernacle/sanctuary therefore was a visual representation of His work on behalf of fallen humanity by His residence within "a nation of ESCAPED slaves" (1 Pt 2:9-10; Heb 9:14,23; Rm 9:25-26). That "nation of ESCAPED slaves" is the NT tabernacle of God's presence among fallen humans (Lev 26:11-13; 2 Cor 6:16; 1 Pt 2:5,9; Act 15:14-17).
According to Heb 10:19-20, the "veil" between the daily ministry of the first apartment, which could not eliminate human sin (Heb 9:9-10), and the one-time ministry of the second apartment ministry, is a symbol of the ministry of Christ's "flesh". The rending of the "veil" therefore denoted the breaking of Christ's "body" (Lk 22:19-20) and the inauguration of a new, effective ministry (Heb 9:11,14)! Since the rending of the "veil" introduced something better (Heb 10:19-24), it therefore simultaneously denoted the cessation of the temporary, ineffective Aaronic priesthood among the "nation of ESCAPED slaves" (Heb 7:11-19).
So, what does all this theological speech say OF or TO us, as professed "people of God", living INSIDE and AMONG flawed existences? (Isa 6:5-8; 60:1-3; 43:10-12; 1 Pt 2:9)