The Veil That Hides The Glory

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.