The Glory Once Veiled—Now Revealed
The glory of God was not always accessible. In the days of Moses, even the boldest prophet could not look upon God’s face and live. The Old Covenant was marked by veils and shadows, a system designed not to reveal, but to shield. The direct presence of God was a consuming fire—unbearable, unapproachable, and fatal to sinful flesh. This was not a minor inconvenience; it was a barrier that left humanity outside the fullness of God’s presence, unable to behold His glory without destruction. The veil was not a symbol of mystery, but of exclusion.
But in the fullness of time, God did not leave His glory hidden. The incarnation of the Word—Jesus Christ—was not a mere visitation, but the decisive unveiling of God’s glory. The Word became flesh and “tabernacled” among us. This is not poetic language; it is the fulfillment of everything the tabernacle and Holy of Holies foreshadowed. Christ Himself is the meeting place between God and man, the true Holy of Holies. In Him, the glory that once meant death is now revealed as life.
The True Meeting Place: Christ Our Access
The Old Testament system kept men at a distance. Only the high priest, and only once a year, could enter the Most Holy Place—and not without blood. But now, by the blood of Christ, every believer is summoned to draw near. This is not a tentative approach, but a bold entrance. The “new and living way” has been opened through the torn veil of Christ’s flesh (Hebrews 10:19-22). The promise is not partial access, but full assurance: “Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience.”
To accept any teaching that would reintroduce distance, fear, or uncertainty into our access to God is to deny the finished work of Christ. If you insist on veils, shadows, or self-cleansing before entering, you have not understood the blood. You forfeit the very inheritance purchased for you—the right of sons to stand in the unveiled presence of their Father. This is not a secondary issue; it is the heart of justification and sonship.
Beholding Christ: The Only Path of Transformation
In Christ, we see the express image of God’s person (Hebrews 1:3). He is not a mere symbol or distant reflection, but the radiance of God’s glory. To behold Christ is to behold God Himself. Jesus declared, “He that hath seen me hath seen the Father” (John 14:9). This beholding is not passive observation, nor is it a mystical escape. It is the Spirit-empowered gaze of faith, fixed on the One who has accomplished all.
Here is the great transition: as we behold the Son, we are transformed. The Spirit of the Lord does not merely improve us; He conforms us to the image of Christ, from glory to glory (2 Corinthians 3:18). This is not the result of striving, self-effort, or religious performance. It is the inevitable outcome of seeing Christ as He is, with unveiled face, through the Word and by the Spirit.
What Is Lost If We Return to the Veil
If you accept any system that keeps God’s glory at a distance—whether by legalism, ritual, or a theology that denies the sufficiency of Christ’s blood—you lose everything that matters. You lose the boldness to enter. You lose the transformation that comes only by beholding. You lose your inheritance as a son, and you trade the Spirit’s work for the exhaustion of self-effort. To return to the veil is to reject the very purpose of the incarnation and to stand outside the true Holy of Holies, where Christ Himself is the meeting place.
The Unveiled Glory: Our Present Possession
The glory that once destroyed now transforms. The presence that once excluded now welcomes. The Son has made the Father known, and the Spirit writes His image on our hearts as we behold Him. This is the covenantal promise, the finished work, the inheritance of every believer. Let no one rob you of it by reintroducing shadows where the light has fully come.
“But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.” (2 Corinthians 3:18)
“And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14)
“Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus… let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith.” (Hebrews 10:19-22)
The glory is no longer hidden. The Son is revealed. Behold Him, and be transformed.
