The Great Unveiling
And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit. Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split. Matthew 27:50-51 (NKJV)
Unlike Moses, who put a veil over his face so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the end of what was passing away. But their minds were blinded. For until this day the same veil remains unlifted in the reading of the Old Testament, because the veil is taken away in Christ. But even to this day, when Moses is read, a veil lies on their heart. Nevertheless when one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 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 glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord. II Corinthians 3:13-18 (NKJV)
I was reading II Corinthians 3 the other day and the Lord illuminated the word veil to me. He showed me that there is a connection between the veil of Moses and the veil of the temple that was torn at the crucifixion of Christ. If you have already received this revelation, bear with me, but I found it very enlightening.
Most Christians understand that the tearing of the veil of the temple from top to bottom means that God opened it Himself to allow man to fellowship directly with God through Jesus Christ. It was a huge, very thick curtain and if man had done it, then it would have had to be torn from bottom to top. No more would mankind be divided from God but could come boldly to the throne of grace.
The purpose of the veil of Moses was to shield the children of Israel from the glory of God. They were afraid of God and did not want to come near Him. Moses was able to live in the glory and he radiated the Lord’s glory after spending time with God. The children of Israel had chosen not to approach God and when Moses came down, glowing from his time with God, the children of Israel erected a barrier between themselves and the glory. The glory on Moses was not harmful, or it would have harmed Moses, but the Israelites did not want to have anything to do with it. They rejected the Lord’s desire to fellowship among them. And according to II Corinthians, the veil remains on their hearts and minds even now. The Israeli people for the most part have been blinded to the glory of God that’s available through Jesus. And of course, some non-Jews also fall in this category, choosing to reject a relationship with the Lord.
God sent a clear message that He wanted the veil removed when He tore the temple veil the day that Jesus died on the cross. I don‘t know this for sure, but I would bet that the Israelites hurried and scurried to repair and replace the torn veil in the temple as quickly as possible, not understanding the significance of its tearing, but seeking to reinstate the barrier between themselves and God.
The veil on Moses face hid the glory of God, as did the veil of the temple. Once the veil has been removed, the glory of God can be seen. And that same glory has the ability to change us more and more into the likeness of Jesus Christ. If you have received Jesus, the veil is removed. You can experience the glory of God. And when you spend time with Him and in His Word, the glory transforms you. As we carry the glory to others, they too can see the glory and be changed.
Two veils, but the same glory. As we read the Old Testament, born-again believers can see prophetic types and shadows of Jesus revealed and the glory of God is evident. The veil has been removed for us- the veil of the temple and the veil of Moses. We can see clearly now. We are immersed in the glory of God and we’ll never be the same!
