The Veil that Hides the Glory!
By Pastor Jim May
Exodus 26:31, "And thou shalt make a veil of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen of cunning work: with cherubims shall it be made:"
Exodus 26:33b, "...and the veil shall divide unto you between the holy place and the most holy."
The nation of Israel had to contend with the veil that stood between the people and the pure glory of God. They could not enter into that veil until they had fulfilled every instruction from God. That veil served the purpose of a separating flesh from God’s heavenly nature and beauty.
Definition of Veil:
(1.)Massekah means a covering, or something spread out and covering or concealing something else.
(2.)Paroheth & Masak are two words used to explicitly refer to the veil of the tabernacle and the temple, which hung between the holy place and the most holy place.
In the temple a partition wall separated these two places. In it were two folding doors, which are supposed to have been always open, the entrance being concealed by the veil that the high priest lifted when he entered into the sanctuary on the Day of Atonement. This veil was rent when Christ died on the cross.
The veil between man and God has been in place since the Fall of Man in the Garden of Eden. It was at that point, when Adam and Eve were driven from the Garden that man began to realize that he could no longer have the same relationship with God that he once enjoyed.
The veil that came between man and God was one of flesh, or natural desires. The Bible talks about the sins of the flesh as the Lust of the Flesh, the Lust of the eyes and the Pride of Life. (1 John 2:16)
From the Sin of Adam until this present day man has always and will always have to contend with the veil that separates Him from the glory of God.
The High Priest of Israel had a precise sequence of events to obey before He could enter into the Most Holy Place where the Glory of God shone upon the Mercy Seat. He had to pass by the sacrifice upon the altar, apply the blood of the sacrifice, wash in the laver, enter in through the side of curtain into the Holy Place, partake of the table of bread, trim the lamps of the candlestick, offer incense up to God, then if everything was perfect, he could enter into the presence of God’s Glory.
Israel was no stranger to the Great God Jehovah. They knew that He was the One True God. They dwelled in His presence as they followed the Cloud by Day and the Fire by Night. The Tabernacle was set up to invite the presence of God into their midst at every instance where they stopped for a rest.
They had experience his miracles of Deliverance at the Red Sea, they were fed by the Manna from Heaven, they were given the water of life from a rock in a dry and thirsty desert land, and they knew that they were God’s chosen people because of the Promise to Abraham that they would inherit a Promised Land.
ISRAEL KNEW OF GOD, ABOUT GOD, KNEW HIS POWER, HIS OMNIPRESENCE, HIS OMNIPOTENCE – BUT THEY STILL HAD TO CONTEND WITH THAT VEIL!
Time and time again, Israel would fail the tests that God sent their way. Time and again they would choose the way of flesh in worshipping of idol gods and relying upon their own strength and ability. Over and over we see that God must bring judgment and bring forces to bear upon the nation in an effort to turn their hearts and trust toward Him.
But this isn’t a message about Israel, this is a message to myself and to every man, woman and child who would really want to see the Glory of God!
It’s fine for us to look at Israel and to see the journey that they chose to walk and how God dealt with them and still deals with them, but, unless we can learn from them, we are destined to walk in defeat just as they have until this present day.
We must realize that for us there is a veil also. I know that the veil in the tabernacle was torn from top to bottom by the hand of God. I know that the way to God’s very presence, His mercy and grace and His glory has been forever opened for anyone who would enter in.
But very few people, even those who are saved, ever really enter into the Glory of God and, in fact, if the Glory of God were to come into the church right now, I don’t think that any of us could stand before God’s Awesome Power, Holiness, and Righteousness. Not one of us could look upon Him and live.
THE VEIL IS STILL THERE AND WE CANNOT SEE GOD’S GLORY!
Just as Israel’s sin kept them from entering the very presence of God, so does our own. Our fleshly natural man, with all of its earthly desires, selfish attitudes, self-sufficiency and self-determination stands as a veil to hide the Glory of God.
But Pastor, we know Jesus, we are saved, born again, living for Jesus, trusting in His promise of Heaven and eternal life. God ripped the veil and the way is open. Why is there still a veil between God’s glory and myself?
I’ll tell you why that veil is still there. It’s there because we still live in the flesh nearly all the time. There is no one here that can say that I live by the Spirit, in the Spirit and of the Spirit all of the time.
The only way to have that veil removed is to rip open the flesh, not a physical mutilation or cutting on your body, but destruction of those desires of the flesh that separate us from God’s best for our lives.
Jesus opened the way for us to enter in through His sacrifice upon the Cross of Calvary, but unless we allow Him to apply the pure cleansing blood of the Lamb to our heart, we cannot enter past the veil of flesh.
There isn’t one of us who has not been guilty of being self-reliant. How do I know?
1) Because there isn’t any prayer in these altars, there seems to be no real crying to out God to deliver our lost loved ones, there is a feeling of having arrived at a destination and that the only thing we need to do now is wait for the Rapture of the church.
2) There isn’t one of us who has not reached a place in our lives where we think that we know enough and that anything that the preacher says, or the Bible says, or the Evangelist says, is worth listening to because I’ve heard it before.
3) Who among us will seek earnestly after the Will of God BEFORE we make a move? We just move and trust that God will bless our decision. We would rather determine our own path than allow God to direct us.
4) There is not one here who can honestly say that we don’t walk after our own desires and get into a self-centered mode from time to time.
5) How much worldliness is still in us? How many bad habits do we have? How often does our bad attitude arise and words come out of our mouth that should never be spoken from anyone, much less a Child of God? How many times do we find ourselves indulging in movies, activities, and things that grieve the Holy Spirit within us?
UNLESS WE LEARN TO KILL THE FLESHLY NATURE WITHIN US THROUGH THE POWER OF THE CROSS WE WILL NEVER SEE THE GLORY OF GOD!
We must live a life of holiness, a life that is above reproach, and a life that is built upon the example and in the image of Jesus Christ.
You don’t hear much about Holiness anymore. No one wants to go to a church where holiness is preached. No one wants to be told that they are doing wrong. No one wants to change his ways and become a true disciple of holiness unto the Lord.
Hebrews 12:14, "Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:"
John 14:6, "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."
If we are to really see the Glory of God in our midst, there is a price that must be paid. We cannot earn our way into seeing His glory. We cannot sacrifice enough or be good enough for that to happen.
But, if we earnestly desire to see miracles, our loved ones saved, and God’s blessing upon us, we must put down our earthly nature and allow the Spiritual man to take pre-eminence.
Hebrews 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;
Jesus, by the offering of His own veil of flesh, has made the path for each of us to do the same.
Jesus died literally, giving his life, his body and his blood for our deliverance and salvation and for our healing. Can we do any less?
Certainly, we do not have to kill this body, but we must kill the old man of the flesh, giving our lives into God’s hands so that He can resurrect us into the born again, new man of the Spirit.
Then, as we look to the Cross of Calvary, crucifying our earthly nature on a constant, daily basis, and look to Jesus to bring us into the perfect state of a sanctified heavenly nature, then and only then, will we really see the Glory of God just as the High Priest did on that Day of Atonement.
1 John 3:2-3, "Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure."
There is the key to seeing Jesus just as He is. I know that none of us will be able to behold the pure face of God while on this earth, but we can experience more of the glory and presence of God if we just learn to purify ourselves.
Look at your own life today.
Have you had the attitude of self-reliance, self-righteousness, self-determination and self-will?
Have you looked to your own devices instead of seeking the face of God?
Have you taken the grace and mercy of God for granted?
Have you been guilty of doing thing, saying things, or going places that grieves the Spirit of God within you?
Have you come to church out of duty, or to have a time of social interaction, or have you come to see the glory of God and feel His presence?
Start tearing down the veil between yourself and the Glory of God right now!
Find and altar and ask God for forgiveness, for cleansing, and for the victory over the Lust of the Flesh, Lust of the eyes and the Pride of Life, those sins of the flesh.
Purify yourselves. You can’t wash away your own sin, but you can search your own heart and determine in your own mind to walk in the paths of Holiness so that you can enter into the Glory of God’s presence in a greater way.
