The Final Events.
The Veil and the Shadow.
Part Fifty-two in a Series.
https://secondcoming.org/blog/
“And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” 2 Corinthians 4: 3,4
Let us reflect back to the experience of Moses and the children of Israel.
“And it came to pass when Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tables of stone in Moses hand, Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone while he talked with them. “ Exodus 34: 29
Because Moses talked with God, his face shone even after he left God’s immediate presence.
“And when Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses, behold the skin of his face shone; And they were afraid to come nigh unto him. And Moses called unto them; And Aaron and all the rulers of the congregation returned unto him; And Moses talked with him. And afterward all the children of Israel came nigh; And he gave them all that the Lord has spoken with him in Mount Sinai.
Until Moses had done speaking with them, he put a veil on his face. But when Moses went in before the Lord to speak with him, he took the veil off until he came out. And he came out and spoke to the children of Israel that which he was commanded. And the children of Israel saw the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses face shone; And Moses put the veil upon his face again until he went in to speak with Him.” Exodus 34: 30-35
Unbelief blinds the mind.
Unbelief acts as a veil to shut out the light.
It is only by faith that we understand.
The Final Events will end with the splendor of the Second Coming of Jesus Christ also known as the Parousia. The Signs of Parousia are detailed in the Final Events Blog series and emphasize the Imminent Return and Second Coming of Jesus Christ, and the Love of the Father for all mankind.
Moses had a deep and abiding faith, therefore he endured as seeing Him who is invisible. He needed no veil over his face even when he was in the immediate presence of the glory of God. The veil which he put on his face when he came down to talk with the children of Israel, was solely on children of Israel’s account, because his face shone so that they could not look upon him. But when he went back to talk with the Lord, he took the veil off.
The veil over the face of Moses was a concession to the weakness of the people. If he had not put it on, then each of them would have been obliged to put a veil over his own face, to come near to listen to Moses. They were not able to look upon the glory of the Lord with unveiled face. Practically, each one of them had a veil over his own face. The face of Moses was unveiled.
The veil over the face of the children of Israel represented unbelief that was in their hearts. So, the veil was really over their hearts. Their minds were blinded; And even until this day when Moses is read, the veil is upon their heart. This is true not of the Jewish people alone, but of all who do not seek Christ as set forth in all the writings of Moses. Jesus Christ is in the Word from Genesis to Revelation, and clearly represented in the books of Moses and most beautifully in the sanctuary service.
The veil interposed between the people and the light leaves them in the shadow. So, when the children of Israel spread out the veil of unbelief between themselves and the Light of the Gospel of the Glory of Christ they naturally got only the shadow of it. They received only the shadow of the good things promised them, instead of the very substance of the Light and Glory of God.
But see the kindness and mercy of God even in this. He offered them the bright shining of His Glorious Gospel, and they interposed a veil of unbelief, so that they could receive only a shadow. Yet that very shadow was an ever-present reminder of the Substance. When a thick, passing cloud casts a shadow on the earth, we know, that it could not cost cast a shadow if it were not for the sun; so that even the cloud proclaims the presence of the sun.
If professed Christians were not as blind as the children of Israel , they would be always rejoicing in the light of God’s countenance, since even a cloud always proves the light to be present, and faith always causes the cloud to disappear or else sees in the cloud, the bow of promise.
Do not forget that the presence of a shadow proves the presence of the shining of the sun. If the glory of God’s righteousness had not been present in its fullness, the people of Israel could not have had even the shadow. And since it was unbelief that caused the shadow, faith would have brought them at once into the full sunlight, the glory of His grace. Moses saw the glory with unveiled face and was transformed by it.
“If we believe, we all with unveiled face, reflecting as a mirror the glory of the Lord, are transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as from the Lord.” 2 Corinthians 3:18
Even so it might have been with the children of Israel today, if we believed, for the Lord was never partial.
“Face to face with Christ, my Savior,
Face to face- what will it be
When with rapture I behold him,
Jesus Christ who died for me?
Face to face I shall behold him,
Far beyond the starry sky;
Face to face in all his glory,
I shall see him by and by.
Only faintly now I see him
With the darkened veil between,
But a blessed day is coming
When his glory shall be seen.
What rejoicing in his presence,
When are banished grief and pain;
When the crooked ways are straightened
And the dark things shall be plain.
Face to face- oh, blissful moment!
Face to face- to see and know;
Face to face with my Redeemer,
Jesus Christ who loves me so. ”
The Final Events will end with the splendor of the Second Coming of Jesus Christ also known as the Parousia. The Signs of Parousia are detailed in the Final Events Blog series and emphasize the Imminent Return and Second Coming of Jesus Christ, and the Love of the Father for all mankind.
The Final Events.
The Veil and the Shadow.
Part Fifty-two in a Series.