When the holy prophet Moses first encountered the Lord God at the burning bush, the Bible tells us that, “…Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God” (Exodus 3:6). However, as Moses continued to serve the Lord and further advance in his personal relationship with his creator, did Moses boldly ask the Almighty to show him the glory God (Exodus 33:18). The Lord would partially fulfill His servant’s request by showing Moses His back, but not His face. For as the Lord spoke unto Moses saying, “you cannot see My face; for no man shall see Me, and live” (Exodus 33:20). Now even though Moses did not see God’s face, the portion of the glory of God which was revealed unto Moses did indeed make his face shine. So bright in fact, that when Moses came down from the mountain he had to place a veil over his face. For the skin of Moses’ face shone so brightly that the children of Israel were afraid to come near him (Exodus 34:30). Also, though Moses put a veil on his face while speaking to the people, Moses would take the veil off whenever he went in before the Lord to speak with Him. So, now that we have broken ground in this presentation concerning the veil of Moses, let us begin to dig a little deeper as we uncover God’s divine use of veils as revealed in other parts of the holy scriptures.
In addition to the veil that Moses put over his face in order to shield the congregation from the glory of God, the tabernacle in the wilderness which housed the ark of the covenant also had within it a veil which separated the most holy place from the rest of the tent. Later when king Solomon built the temple to house the ark, a large veil was erected in front of the golden room known as the Holy of Holies where the ark was kept. For above the ark, between the two golden cherubs, was the earthly dwelling place and the earthly throne of the LORD God of Israel, the one true God. And this holy presence of God on earth in ancient times, was known as the “shekinah glory.” In the era of the New Testament we see how the skekinah glory was made flesh and dwelt (or tabernacled) among us in the person of Jesus Christ (John 1:14). For included in God’s plan of salvation for all of mankind, was the incarnation of the Son and Word of God. But in order for humanity to not be consumed by the awesome holiness of God, the Lord took flesh from the Virgin Mary and was made man while still possessing the fullness of His divinity. For the human flesh that the Lord took from His earthly mother served as His veil (Hebrews 10:20).
As we continue to compare and contrast the veil of the temple in the Old Testament with the flesh of Jesus in the New Testament, do we come to the tearing of the veil in the temple at the time of Christ’s crucifixion. All three of the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) mention how the veil of the temple was torn in two from the top to the bottom at the moment when Christ died on the cross. For the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ would usher in a new covenant between God and mankind. And the tearing of the veil of the Holy of Holies would symbolize that now all people who accept Christ have access to the presence of God. For through the acceptance of Christ, the Holy Spirit can now enter into the hearts of all believers making our bodies the temple of God and our heart the Holy of Holies where the LORD God dwells and rests therein. For as believers in Jesus do we not only have access to the anointing of God, but also the indwelling of the Holy Spirit: Holy Communion (Revelation 3:20).
Now apart from His veil (that being the flesh which Jesus took from the ever Virgin Mary) Christ also masked His deep spiritual teachings by speaking to the crowds in parables. When the disciples asked Jesus why He spoke to others in parables the Lord answered by saying, “Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given…therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand (Matthew 13:11,13). This spiritual blindness of the Jews in Jesus’s day is also reminiscent of the stubbornness of the children of Israel during the days of their wanderings in the wilderness. For the Lord spoke unto Moses concerning the Israelites saying, “I have seen this people, and, behold, it is a stiff-necked people (Exodus 32:9). So from these verses it is evident that rebellious souls (those who are devoid of the grace of God) cannot penetrate spiritual mysteries, nor are individuals with hardened hearts able to receive spiritual understanding. For unbelievers possess a darkened or veiled conscience within, making them utterly incapable of grasping teachings which require faith, thereby separating them from the Holy Spirit. For as it is written, without faith it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6). So here we see that the Lord not only uses a veil to protect mankind from being consumed by the intense fire which is holy God, but also to inversely darken the understanding of nonbelievers.
In closing I would like to suggest that Christians also see Christ through a veil. Not through the veil of Moses, and neither the veil which is Christ’s flesh, but through the veil which is the mystery of the Holy Spirit. Just as Moses was granted to see the back of God but not His face, so too do Christians in this age know Christ in part (1 Corinthians 13:9). This era of grace of which we now live in, as we expectantly await the Lord’s return, is but a shadow of the things to come. For when Jesus returns in all of His glory will the fullness of the Kingdom of God be established along with a new heaven, a new earth, and even a new Jerusalem. Though Christ has ascended to His Father, Jesus has not left us orphans, as He sends the Holy Spirit to comfort us in His absence. For in this present age do we see Christ through a dark glass, but at His second and glorious advent the veil will be lifted and we shall see God face to face (1 Corinthians 13:12).
References:
Nelson. The Holy Bible, New King James Version. (Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson, Inc., 1984).
Readers Digest. ABC’s Of The Bible. (Pleasantville, NY: The Readers Digest Association Inc., 1991).
Zondervan. The Holy Bible, King James Version. (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2009).