When Moses was in the presence of God, some of the Glory of God “rubbed” off on him when He was in His presence. So much that when he came down from the mountain, Moses had to wear a veil over his face to keep the Israelites from being overcome by His Glory even though it was wearing off (2 Cor 3:7). That same veil which concealed Mose’s face from the Israelites now covers the hearts of those without Christ. When one comes to Christ and becomes a new creature (2 Cor. 5:17), a spiritual transformation into His likeness takes place and the veil that represents our darkened understanding is taken away (2 Cor 3:16). This heart change manifests itself as a reflection of God’s glory that illuminates our whole being and even reflects on our face (2 Cor 3:18)! We have a whole new lookout on life and this reflection gets brighter and brighter as we experience the power of the Holy Spirit through prayer and the reading of His word. As long as we are in our earthly tent (2 Cor. 5:1), this transformation will be a partial one until that day when we will see him face to face. Only then will our transformation be complete (1 John 3:2).
Tags: earthly tent, face, Glory of God, transformation, veil
June 14, 2009 at 7:41 pm |
Great insight Bill! Veils are hand-woven and symbolizes anything man-made or man-instituted. The unglorified flesh. Veils are still worn today, especially in “Christian” denominational and “independent” churches. In most cases, veils keep people from seeing that the glory is gradually fading until it is no more. Veils make it look like everything is right and “Christian” even though the glory is Ichabod.
Veils also stand for earthly achievements, successes, crowns, titles, degrees, positions, self-importance, careers, possessions, respectability, and “church planting.” among other things.
When taken off entirely (and thrown away), the veil reveals the glory of Jesus Christ. And the glory is His very own Presence. Christ in us the hope of glory! This is the only thing that matters–others, like denominations, local church attendance, and other man-made institutions, are zero.
Hope to be your friend, Bill!