Last year, around May, I was an officiating
minister of an engagement with two other ordained ministers. Such a glorious
occasion that was. Everyone was glad. The part that fascinated me so much was
after the exchange of the rings. The man of God stood between the bride and
groom and said, “I’m the only one standing in between these couple for which
reason they cannot marry.” Then he move backward, joined the hands of the
couple and pulled them together, and said’ “From now, I, being middle wall of
separation have forever stepped aside, and by the power vested in me…I
pronounce you husband and wife”.
God put a veil between mankind and
Him, in Eden, when man sinned. The punishment was nothing less than death
(physical, spiritual and eternal death altogether). For this reason man had no
access to God because of the veil. The veil was a spiritual one. When the
separation occurred man had to give something to appease God, to temporarily
turn away His wrath. Man therefore began to offer sacrifices unto God. But God
was not pleased with every sacrifice.
We know the rejection of Cain’s
sacrifice and the acceptance of Abel’s. Cain was not rejected because he gave
rotten things to God. He could not have given rotten things to God. He gave his
best, I believe. But offering a sacrifice is not about giving your best alone,
but having a revelation of the sacrifice. Abel had a revelation of the
sacrifice. He knew that his life was supposed to be taken, so he gave another
life unto God by offering an animal. This is right “For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you
upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes
atonement for the soul.” (Lev. 17:11)
From thence man resolved to give
animals to appease God. Even with that a priest was supposed to perform some
rituals before he goes into the presence of God – the Most Holy Place (or The
Holiest). The Most Holy Place had a veil separating it from the Holy Place
where ordinary people could go. “And you
shall hang the veil from the clasps. Then you shall bring the ark of the
Testimony in there, behind the veil. The veil shall be a divider for you
between the holy place and the Most Holy. You shall put the mercy seat upon the ark of the Testimony in the Most
Holy” (Exod. 26:33, 34)
The Most Holy Place was a place
where God dwelt because that was where the Ark of Covenant was kept. It was a
place where only the priest could go. This is an allegorical representation of
the actual thing in the realm of the supernatural. As far as the veil remained,
no man had access to God except the priest. The veil, like my friend the
officiating minister, was that which disallowed fellowship between the bride
and groom.
Until the veil is no more an
intimate communion with God cannot be achieved no matter how great a progress
is made. Though the bride and groom had gone through all the necessary
procedures, my friend was the only hindrance to the whole process. Jesus Christ
was clothed not only with humanness but his flesh was conjoined with the veil
that separated man from God. Our only hope of getting to the Father was through
the death of Jesus. The veil, which was His flesh (not His body, because His
body was the temple, John 2:19) was supposed to be destroyed. The writer of
Hebrews says “Therefore, brethren, having
boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way
which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh” (Heb. 10:19,
20). The veil which was set after the fall of man had been
spiritually woven with the suffering flesh of Jesus Christ.
The death of Jesus Christ was the
only way out. And very surely when Jesus died (that is, His flesh was torn into
pieces and finally ceased to survive) the veil which separated the Holiest from
the Holy place was rend into two “Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two
from top to bottom…” (Matt. 27:51). The tearing of the veil
symbolized a perpetual access to God given to all who believe. “For through Him (Christ) we both have
access by one Spirit to the Father.” (Eph. 2:18) So Christ,
through the rending of His flesh (veil) has granted us access to God.
Jesus did not just die for us. He
was our appeasement offering. Just as Abel offered blood (life) we also had to
offer a sacrifice with life (blood). But this sacrifice ought to grant us
eternal access, so we needed an eternal blood in order to gain eternal life.
The Bible is explicit when it says Jesus “whom God set forth as a
propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness,
because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously
committed” (Rom. 3:25). The word
propitiation means appeasement. So Jesus was our appeasement offering to settle
the wrath of God forever. Because of this eternal sacrifice, we who believe are
not eternally condemned.
For this reason we have inherited a
new and living way. We have being brought into a new covenant which does not
require bulls and goats or a priest to annually intercede for us. By the living
way we have been made priests and kings “and
has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and
dominion forever and ever. Amen.” (Rev. 1:6) and also “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation,
His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you
out of darkness into His marvelous light” (1 Pet. 2:9) As priests we have a
forever access into the Most Holy Place. What an excellent way this is? To
forever be before the awesome presence of God. By this consecrated new and
living way, we are children of God, holy, righteous, blameless, anointed,
favoured, blessed, partakers with Christ and etc.
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By S. E. Entsua-Mensah. ©2014 Christ for Humanity Outreach
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It is true that Yahovah only accepted a sacrifice for sin from the hand of the ordained High Priest, and it had to be perfect to be accepted. Jesus Christ was both the offering Priest and the perfect sacrifice, but the "new and living way" you speak of was not completely comprehendible until the generation that had access to the written Word. It still is not known what the true and full power of the written Word is, because it is preached from, but few make known that as John 6.63 says, "the Words Jesus spoke are "Spirit, and they are life"; The Words he brought and gave to chosen men is the fulfilling of Ps.104.30. Jesus brought the promised Spirit from Yahovah in the form of Words that we are to "engraft with meekness to the saving of our souls"(Jas.1.21). A living soul is what the first Adam was before he sinned. Jesus was the second Adam that did not sin. He had the power of endless life before he was crucified(Jn.10.18), and that is the life we prepare ourselves for by engrafting the quickening Words of life that he sent forth to this generation. That is how" the same words that Jesus spoke will judge us in the last day"(Jn.12.48). When he returns in the invisible glory of the Father(Matt.16.27, 1 Tim.6.16, Heb.9.28.12.14), he will quicken his Words by his presence, and those who have engrafted them sufficiently, over riding the "winds of doctrine" will be quickened to his likeness. That fulfills Matt.24.35 and Rev.20.11-12.
ReplyDeleteHeb.2.9 says Jesus died once for every man, so the once appointed unto man to die referred to in Heb.9.28 was already accomplished by Jesus, the Judgment that was to follow is the written Word, and it is the prince of this world that the judgment casts out(Jn.12.31, Jer.51.39, Jude 12-13). Realistically, if Jesus died our death, and we die a physical or spiritual death, that is two deaths for each person, and it is the second death that the overcomers will not be touched by(Rev.2.11, 11.15). It is notable that the spots on our feasts of charity, are listed as "twice dead" (Jude 12, Jer.51.39 wt Eph.5.14, Col.3.3. That is the mystery of 1 Cor.15.51.
Please feel free to email me privately at memelampert@aol.com
In Messiah's love and service
Gloria
Thanks Gloria, for your contribution. It's very informative and insightful. Jesus Christ did a great work for our salvation and we must be committed to propagating what He has done to the world. For by this, we glorify Him and He is also glorified in us. Blessing.
DeleteIs speaking in tongues, communing with the Holy Spirit, a lifting of the veil?
ReplyDeleteSpeaking in tongues is communing with the Holy Spirit but it's not a lifting of the veil. The work of tearing the veil was done by our Lord Jesus Christ. His death dealt with the veil and law, for which reason we aren't under the law anymore. Tongues, however, is a gift of the Holy Spirit. This gift was given by the Holy Spirit after the death of Jesus. (Acts 2)
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