HF147 - Seeing Past the Veil
To: Hebraic-Foundations@yahoogroups.com
From: "Pastor Buddy Martin" <Bro.Buddy@ChristianChallenge.org>
Date: Tue Aug 23, 2005
Subject: Bible Study HF147 - Seeing Past the Veil
Hebraics,
This study is a follow-up on 'HF146 -
Prophecy in the New Covenant.' In the former study I
called attention to the fact that many believers today are
trying to live in the new covenant on an old covenant level.
In this study we will find out why this is the case, and what
the real answer is.
This is Bible Study HF147 - Seeing Past the Veil.
There are two lines of thought concerning 'the veil' that I
will follow in the study. I'll explain them after a bit. First
let me again draw attention to a problem that many Christians
are living in and don't even realize it. It has to do with
'who' can hear from God.
Under the old covenant only the high priest was allowed to
enter into the holiest of holies. He did that once a year to
acquire atonement for the people. What has this to do with
misguided Christians today? Much indeed. Whether anyone wishes
to admit it or not, this very thing is being played out in
certain apostle-prophet groups. [Keep in mind that where this
is a false, there is a true - as one brother carefully brought
out.]
This may sting a bit, but it needs to be said. Those who
continually seek out a prophet to give them a 'word from the
Lord' are doing the very thing that the old covenant people
did with regard to the priesthood. They are looking at these
modern 'so-called' prophets as being the only ones who can go
behind the veil and bring forth a word form the Lord.
The churches that come under the category of spiritually
abusive churches are usually churches of which the pastor has
set himself up as 'the' prophet and 'the' high priest of the
congregation. The people are under a control spirit. Their
walk with the Lord is being manipulated by the use of
so-called 'personal prophecies'.
This in itself is not my only concern. My greater concern
is with those believers who 'love it that way.' As an example
of this I had a recent discussion with an old friend who is
caught up in the apostle-prophet movement. She told me of her
recent experience of attending an apostle-prophet meeting.
The prophets made four or five lines so all the people
could get their personal word from the Lord. This dear lady
made it her business to go through all five lines. My heart
broke as I listened to her. I thought, 'Dear sister, when are
you going to grow up?' (Of course the prophecies are always
generic. They only become personal when the receiver reads his
own thoughts into them.)
By the way, none of this is intended to take away from
there being true apostles, prophets, evangelists, and
pastor-teachers. The apostle-missionary will always be with
us. And there will be those who fulfill prophetic workings.
But the point is that these true servants of God will not be
calling attention to themselves by the love of titles. (Think
about it. Jesus warned against title worshippers.)
Ok, enough on that. Let's move on to the two lines of
thought I want to share concerning 'seeing through the veil.'
One line has to do with the gatherings of God's people. The
other involves the meditations of the heart with a special
view to the Word of God, whether it is being preached or
simply meditated upon. These two lines often intersect.
Again consider the Old Testament tabernacle. The tabernacle
stood in representation to the times at hand, but it also
pointed to the eternal covenant of Christ. The veil spoke
clearly to the sin that separated man from God. No one could
pass the veil except under the cloud of incense and with blood
to be sprinkled on the mercy seat. I believe everyone sees the
picture of how the old covenant was a temporary covenant until
the time of Christ.
When Jesus said, "My God, My God, why have You
forsaken Me?" in just a bit something happened in the
temple. It says, "And behold, the veil of the temple was
torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth shook and the
rocks were split." (Cf. Matt27:51)
What did that signify? It meant that any human on this planet,
by appealing to Jesus Christ as Lord, has the right and the
privilege to enter into the holiest of holies. It would relate
to the sprinkled blood of Jesus.
This brings us to the first line of consideration, which
speaks to the gatherings of God's people. Keep in mind that in
the holiest of holies was what the ancients called 'ha kovod.'
(The glory.) Over the mercy seat was a bright light. In the
light was a form. The form was spoken of in varied
expressions, two of which were Shekinah and the other Messiah.
There is much to say about the Light and how the ancients saw
it. Just keep in mind that Jesus said, "I am the Light of
the world. He who follows Me will not walk in the darkness,
but will have the light of life." (John
8:12)
Note: With regard to the veil being torn, I encourage
members to review Bible Study HF041 -The
Day the Temple Shuttered.
How does the assembling of God's people speak to our
entering into the veil? It is in this sense that the church
itself has become the holiest of holies. Jacob prophesied,
saying, "The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the
ruler's staff from between his feet, until Shiloh comes, AND
TO HIM SHALL BE THE OBEDIENCE OF THE PEOPLES." (Gen49:10
- Caps for emphasis only.)
The Hebrew is very expressive. To the ancient people the
term 'Shiloh' spoke of Messiah. The word 'obedience' is also a
key term here. Yiqqahab carries the thoughts of gathering, of
obedience, as in Lordship, but it also speaks of an inner
submission of the heart. (KJV has 'gathering of the people.')
Now let's go a step further. The ancients believed that the
highest form of worship was in the sharing of Torah (God's
Word.). What they said was that when men gathered for the
reading of God's Word, they are never to be disturbed. The
reason was because the Shekinah passed through them. Now think
about something that Jesus said concerning our assembling:
"For where two or three have gathered together in My
name, I am there in their midst." (Mt18:20
- The glory of the mercy seat is now in the church.)
Compare this to a prophecy the Lord gave to Moses;
"... in every place where I cause My name to be
remembered, I will come to you and bless you." (Ex20:24)
The point is that there is a spiritual connection made in
the assembling of God's people, even if it is only two or
three. In the assembling, the Lord speaks to us in special
ways. God has always flocked His people.
Then we have a flocking prophecy given through Ezekiel;
"Thus says the Lord God, 'This also I will let the house
of Israel ask Me to do for them: I will increase their men
like a flock. Like the flock for sacrifices, like the flock at
Jerusalem during her appointed feasts, so will the waste
cities be filled with flocks of men. Then they will know that
I am the Lord." (Ez36:37,38
- This prophecy stretches across the church age and beyond.)
Now to the second line of consideration which has to do
with the meditations of the heart with a special view to the
Word of God, whether it is being preached or simply studied
with the help of the Holy Spirit. It is in this sense that the
Scriptures themselves can become the holy of holies. The
reason is because we meet the Lord Himself there.
Paul explains this in his second letter to the Corinthians.
Comparing the Jewish synagogue to the gatherings of new
covenant believers, Paul says both groups can be reading the
same Scriptures, but a veil of separation lies over the heart
of the unbelieving people of the synagogue, whereas the veil
of separation is removed for the one who has come to Jesus
Christ as Lord and Savior. (This speaks both to the personal
reading and to the public exhortation of the Scriptures.)
Listen --- "But their hearts were hardened [rejecters
of Jesus]; for until this very day at the reading of the old
covenant the same veil remains unlifted, because it is removed
in Christ. But to this day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies
over their heart; but whenever a person turns to the Lord
[Jesus], the veil [of separation] is taken away."
Paul goes on to say, "Now the Lord is the Spirit, and
where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. BUT WE ALL
with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror [the Scriptures]
the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same
image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the
Spirit." (Cf. 2Co3:14-18)
Notice Paul says, 'But we all.' This is so important to
grasp. Seeing past the veil and entering into the divine
presence is not something that belongs to a special privileged
priesthood, such as is set forth in the apostle-prophet clubs.
It is the divine right and privilege of every believer.
This is also why Paul writes further, "For we do not
preach ourselves but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as
your bond servants for Christ's sake." He had prior
called attention to those who walk in craftiness by
adulterating the word of God. The apostle is always careful to
speak of 'all' believers as being given the wonders of knowing
Jesus in a very special and personal way.
Now a point must be made --- Does any of this do away with
offices of ministry? Not in the least. The offices of ministry
are placed by God, and serve a unique purpose for God's
people. The primary duty of a God-called minister is to help
equip the saints for the work of service in God's kingdom.
Paul says, 'Until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and
of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the
measure of the stature that belongs to the fullness of
Christ." (Cf. Eph4:11-13)
Coming to the unity of the faith and to the knowledge of
the Son of God involves all believers realizing their own
uniqueness in the family of God. It speaks to every believer
coming to the place of being able to allow the life-flow of
Jesus, to flow through them to others. The goal is for each
believer to become a conduit of heaven. Jesus addressed this
in saying, "He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said,
'From his innermost being will flow rivers of living
water.'" (Jn8:38
- The reference is to the spiritual life of new covenant
believers.)
Before closing my part of the study, there is one more
issue to be settled. Even when a believer feels he or she has
reached a high level of spiritual maturity, a truth remains
that no believer is to take to himself the feeling of being
superior to other believers. Even when Paul was forced to
defend his apostleship, he carefully spoke to this; "For
if I wish to boast I will not be foolish, for I will be
speaking the truth; but I refrain from this, so that no one
will credit me with more than he sees in me or hears from
me." (2Co12:6)
Did you catch it? Paul knew that the Lord's purpose for all
believers was for their growth in spirituality, and that every
believer was uniquely a child of God. And while he indeed had
the calling and the authority of an apostle, Paul also knew
that his role was not to call attention to himself, but to
call attention to the Lord Jesus. It is in this sense that
Paul wanted the people to see the gospel in him, but not to
see him as someone special above themselves.
The apostle said, "Not that we are adequate in
ourselves as to consider anything as coming from ourselves,
but our adequacy is from God, who also made us adequate as
servants of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the
Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life."
(2Co3:5,6)
So, dear believer, we are all to become God's love letters
to a dying world. We are not simply to preach the gospel. We
are to become the gospel.
The study is open. Feel free to share your thoughts and
questions.
Blessings,
Buddy
Lawrence E. (Buddy) Martin, HF Host
email: Bro.Buddy@ChristianChallenge.org
Web:
http://www.christianchallenge.org/
"See to it that no one comes short of the grace
of God; that no root of bitterness springing up
causes trouble, and by it many be defiled." (Heb12:15)
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