God has been steadily removing the things that were placeholders and pattern-makers until the Advents of Christ, the Messiah. I say Advents (plural) because His birth (first Advent), life, death, resurrection, and ascension ended all placeholding functions. I say Advents because when Christ returns and the Last Day to beat all last days occurs, there will be no turning back and whatever allegiances we had in life become ours forever. Until that point, there is the Interlude of the Veil.
What does the Veil signify? A glorious giving of the Law–that placeholder of protection that God gave to preserve our ability to approach a holy God while we were living in a pre-redemption world, a world before Christ.
But Messiah came at Christmas more than 2000 years ago. And our deliverance occurred on the Cross. Much as we might prefer babies to crucifixion, we cannot decouple the manger from the Cross. It’s why He came: to open for us a new and living way (Hebrews 10:20).
The Law was given to outline sin and point to death.
Jesus was born to forgive sin and give us life.
2 Corinthians 3: 6 He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant– not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.
7 Now if the ministry that brought death, which was engraved in letters on stone, came with glory, so that the Israelites could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of its glory, transitory though it was, 8 will not the ministry of the Spirit be even more glorious?
9 If the ministry that brought condemnation was glorious, how much more glorious is the ministry that brings righteousness!
10 For what was glorious has no glory now in comparison with the surpassing glory. 11 And if what was transitory came with glory, how much greater is the glory of that which lasts!
12 Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold. 13 We are not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face to prevent the Israelites from seeing the end of what was passing away. 14 But their minds were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. It has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away. 15 Even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts. 16 But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.
17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.
Questions for further thought:
Reread the passage above. How is the veil removed?
Do Christians already know eternal life in Christ, having been forgiven?
To be clear, the Chosen People have not been replaced by the Church. There will be an awakening among faithful Jews who presently have the veil covering their hearts (Romans 9-11). “We are not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face to prevent the Israelites from seeing the end of what was passing away” (2 Corinthians 3:13). The Sanctuary. Gone. The Royal Line. Gone. The Temple. Gone. The Priesthood. Gone. The Sacrificial System. Gone.
Someday soon, it is my prayer that the Interlude of the Veil will end, and they will see clear as day…that the old glory may be gone but only because it has been surpassed by the new covenant with God and the blood of Christ fulfills everything that has been taken away. He is our Sanctuary, our King, our Temple, our Great High Priest, and our perfect Lamb of God, our Perfect Sacrifice! Are you Jewish? Please feel free to reach out to me if you’d like to hear more. Do you know someone Jewish? Help them see the Interlude of the Veil and how it can be taken away in Christ and lead to eternal life!
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Advent 2021 began Sunday, November 28th and continues to Friday, December 24th as we explore the multi-faceted Interlude between the promise of a Deliverer and the birth of our Messiah and King. By signing up on the sidebar of my Home Page you can receive these daily “Interlude” devotionals. Or they will be reposted on SeminaryGal’s Facebook page as well.
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- Last year’s Advent Devotional Series Divine Intervention began on November 29, 2020 and explored God’s activity on behalf of a hurting world and nations in tumult– Intervention for you and for me when our status as sinners required nothing short of a miracle.
- God’s Christmas list explored what might be on God’s Christmas list, learning what He wants from us. It began December 1, 2019.
- Storyteller began December 2, 2018 and entered into the Christmas story through its telling.
- The 2017 series Still Christmas, began December 3, 2017 and was the Advent complement to the Lenten series, Be Still and Know that I AM God.
- The 2016 season devotionals were called “Timeless: The Message of Christmas for All Ages” and explored how the message of Christmas is timeless truth, for all ages of people, and for all ages at all times. Timeless hope, encouragement, grace, peace, and love as we looked into the Word, saw the face of our Lord Jesus, and experienced restoration in His presence. His goodness and His Gospel are truly Timeless. The 2016 devotionals began November 27, 2016.
- The 2015 season devotionals were titled Incarnation and involved digging deep–and yes, I mean deep– in this important mystery of Christian theology. They began November 29, 2015.
- Carol Me, Christmas! remains one of my most popular offerings and tells the Christmas story through our most beloved Christmas hymns and carols. You can access all of the numbered devotionals from 2014 via the archives. They began November 30, 2014.
- The 2013 series was Emmanuel: When LOVE Showed Up in Person and examined the Prologue to the Gospel of John. It began December 1, 2013.
- The 2012 series focused on Expecting the Unexpected…the unexpected, unlikely, and uniquely divine qualities of God’s perfect plan outlined in Luke’s account of the Christmas story. It began December 1, 2012.
