Moses talked with God with unveiled face. When the others “stood afar off,” “Moses drew near.” It is only by the blood of Christ that any can draw nigh.
Only by the blood of Jesus we have boldness to enter even into the holiest, into the secret place of God.
Hebrews 10:19-20 Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh;
The fact that Moses did this shows his knowledge of the power of the precious blood and his confidence in it. But the blood that was able to give boldness and access to Moses, could have done the same to all the others, if they had believed as he did.
Some believe that people could not do this until AD 31 because his blood was not yet shed. What a terrible deception. We put Christ afar off, and make the same mistake as the Jews made by doing this. We live in the shadow only, rather than in the reality. And we also presume that God had a different way before AD 31 rather than by faith in the blood of Jesus.
The Shadow and Reality
A cloud in the sky casts a shadow. But the cloud in the sky testifies to the reality of a light needed to cast that shadow. The sun is the light, the cloud casts the shadow. Our Father wants us to not just live in the shadow, to not just live behind the veil, but to live in the glorious light of the gospel. And this is as true today as it was in the time of Moses.
Many today have come to believe that all that was had up until AD 31 was the shadow. But the fact that the shadow could be seen indicated the present presence of the substance and the reality. The reality of the blood of the everlasting covenant.
The Veil Over the Eyes of the People
A veil interposed between 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.
2 Corinthians 3:14-15 But their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same vail untaken away in the reading of the old testament; which vail is done away in Christ. But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the vail is upon their heart.
The same thing happens today when people read the law of Moses. The vail is upon the heart. They don’t behold a glorious Father. They don’t cry out like Moses “I beseech thee, shew me thy glory.”(Exo 33:18) and therefore they don’t see a gracious, merciful, long suffering God back there, and they don’t “with open face behold as in a glass the glory of the Lord” and therefore are not “changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.”(2 Cor 3:18)
Many when opening the books of Moses see only “Do this…Do that…Do this…Do that”. They see rules, but they don’t see Christ.
It is all the blood of Christ. Moses being a walking epistle, the law written on his heart, the glory of God shining in his face was reflecting the image of God, Christ Jesus. But many today, just as back then do not see. They are blind to seeing the gospel in those writings.
2 Corinthians 4:3-4 But if our gospel be hid(veiled), it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.
The God of this world didn’t just blind the minds of people back then from seeing the gospel. But even today, when Moses is read, the veil is upon their hearts. The gospel dispensation didn’t just start in AD 31. It was given to them.
Just because they did not behold the reality of the blood of Christ and the promise to Abraham from a God who cannot lie. Instead they doubted the word. Does not mean that they were not of the gospel dispensation. Nor did it mean that they were saved by giving the blood of bulls and goats. God forbid that we should ever believe such a thing.
Hebrews 4:2 For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it.
Many would say “Maybe God’s promise might come to pass” had they been in Abraham’s shoes. They have not the faith of Abraham.
Hebrews 6:13-19 For when God made promise to Abraham…it was impossible for God to lie…Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil;
Abraham entered within the veil. How did Abraham enter within the vail? By the blood of Christ. The blood of the New Testament. Abraham didn’t just see Melchisidec, but he saw the high priest in heaven. He saw a God who promised an inheritance, and therefore a resurrection, and therefore salvation by the blood of Jesus Christ. Christ Jesus, a priest FOREVER. Not just after AD 31. Not just a mediator after the cross. But a mediator and high priest forever, and ever present even to the Jews who would accept Him.
Heb 6:20 Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.
Did Abraham only see an earthly priesthood, an earthly sanctuary, an earthly sacrifice? No. He saw Jesus Christ a high priest forever. Moses beholding Christ Jesus became changed into the same image from glory to glory by beholding the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ, who is the image of God, shining unto him, in him and through him.
The blood that was able to give boldness to Moses and Abraham to enter in within the veil was the blood of the everlasting covenant of the everlasting gospel. But “the children of Israel could not stedfastly look to the end of that which is abolished.” (2 Cor 3:13)
That Which was Abolished
Because of unbelief, they got only the law as a ministration of death. Because they did not see what God wanted to show them. The new covenant writing the law on their heart. The vail was over their eyes and they were blinded to seeing beyond the veil.
2 Timothy 1:9-10 Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began, But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel:
They could not see the gospel, that which was abolished. That Christ by the cross abolished death. They were blinded. They were blinded to seeing that Christ was crucified from the foundation of the world. It wasn’t supposed to be put “afar off”, but rather it was to be a present reality. Christ crucified among them. That reality was to be had. To have only the shadow was not enough.
Moses needed the blood of Christ right there, in order to enter in beyond the vail.
That the covenant was made before a living soul, or even a living angel was ever created. Even “before the world began” God had to have a perfect plan made should sin ever enter. This plan had to be in place before an angel could be created in order that they might be able to provide for free beings to make a way to save them should they ever fall. The blood was shed at the foundation of the world. (Rev 13:8)
The Blood of the Everlasting Covenant
Moses could only enter into the presence of God by the blood of the covenant.
Mat 26:28 For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.
Moses had this blood shed for Him. Not a shadow of it, but the very substance. The reality. The shadows were never good enough. God has always had a heavenly sanctuary, a high priest forever after the order of melchisidec, and had called them to offer up spiritual sacrifices unto God, the realities of which the shadows were only a type, and were never enough.
Heb 10:4 For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.
These were done only until the manifestation of that which God had already promised. However, let us not put away the fact that the reality was already shining, which is indicated by the fact that the shadow was cast.
There is a common belief today that sometimes ignores the fact that the reality of all of these shadows was there back then. It is the same as baptism being a shadow of putting off the flesh. Or the Lord’s supper being a shadow of accepting the life of Christ into the soul. All of these are shadows of the reality.
If we only saw the ritual or rite, and didn’t understand the very reality and substance. And we put the reality of what the ceremonies of baptism and the Lord’s supper pointed to afar off, we would be doing the very thing that the Jews did. We need to understand the present reality of Christ in you. To put it afar off for the Jews is to truly misunderstand the character of God and how they had the assurance of salvation and the promise of the blood of theNew Covenant even back then.
Moses talked with God with unveiled face. Moses entered by the blood of the new testament. Moses was a minister of the new covenant. The covenant of grace.
The veil being ripped in half and exposing that the presence of God was not in the earthly sanctuary was only a symbol that pointed to the reality. The reality is “the most High dwelleth not in temples made with hands; as saith the prophet,”(Acts 7:48)
God dwells in buildings made without hands. Ye are God’s building, and that is the reality. Ye are the temple of God. But that was not just a reality in 31 AD. The prophet Isaiah said it was a reality 800 years before the cross. (Isaiah 66:1,2)
That the reality and substance of the new covenant, and it’s mediator was as real to them, and that they were not saved, nor did Moses enter in within the veil by the blood of bulls and goats, the blood of the old covenant, but rather that he entered in through the blood of the New Covenant and that the only way by which a man could ever be saved was by the blood of the New Covenant. This was not only a reality after 31AD, but also before. It was a reality to Abraham who believed God and recognized that blood was given for him, even to Moses.
The veil needs to be removed in order to see the reality. And the veil was removed to many before 31 AD. This is true not just of the Jewish people alone, but of all who cannot see the gospel in the writings of Moses “even today”. This is true not only today, but even 4000 years ago.
The law was not just to be written on dead stones, but rather on living stones, the building of God, in the heart of the temple. One is glorious, but yet a ministry of death, written on dead stones. Another is the reality, a ministry of life, written on living stones. And just as Moses face shone with more glory than the stones, so your face is to be lighted up with the glory of God, you being a walking epistle, seen and read by all men. (2 Cor 3)
The presence of a shadow indicated the presence of the reality which has to cast that shadow. The shadow may disappear, but the reality remains and when it remains it is that much more glorious because we see beyond the shadow. Beyond the veil. And therefore we reflect the Glory of God.
Rev 18:1 And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory.