#351 Kingdom: Behind The Veil
The three Veils in the Tabernacle of Moses have been a mystery for the many years that I have studied the Tabernacle. Of course we have related these three Veils to Jesus as the Way, the Truth and the Life showing a progressive revelation of Christ. Three main areas of the Tabernacle [ the Outer Court, the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place ] are the three main and progressive revelations of Jesus Christ. In addition to the three main areas of revelation there is the progressive revelation within each area. In other words there are multiple revelations of Christ Jesus in the furniture and various parts and elements within the Tabernacle. Within the three Veils, themselves, are more understanding about Christ, the Eternal Word of God.
Not a lot is written concerning these Veils but what is written is a shadow of the reality of Christ. One of the things that is clear is that these Veils obscure what is behind them. In other words the Glory and Presence of God are shown as BEHIND the third Veil. The mystery of the Lampstand, the Showbread and the Altar of Incense are obscured behind the Second Veil or the Doorway to the Sanctuary. In the same way all the Outer Court details are obscured behind the First Veil or the Gate.
These veils are both “objective” and “subjective” within each of us who have the indwelling Presence of God within us. Therefore, we first want to see the
“Veil” that obscured the Revelation of Christ, the Living and abiding Word of God on earth.
John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things came into being by Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. 4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.
John 1:12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, 13 who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
John 1:14 And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.
John 1:15 John bore witness of Him, and cried out, saying, “This was He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me has a higher rank than I, for He existed before me.’” 16 For of His fulness we have all received, and grace upon grace. 17 For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ.
The Living and Abiding Word of God, the Logos, the Creator God, The Eternal God, The Spirit of Christ, was made flesh and dwelt among the sons of men on this earth. However, he was living behind the veil of flesh and only those who could see into that realm could recognize Him. The very Glory of God, the manifest Presence of God, visited the earth but multitudes never saw Him of recognized Him. Why? He was behind the veil of flesh.
How do we know that He was behind the veil. Because when the “Veil” was torn He was exposed to full view to those who could see into that realm. Also those of the spirit realm could see Him and recognize Him from the very beginning.
Mat 4:3 And the tempter came and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.”
Mat 8:29 And behold, they cried out, saying, “What do we have to do with You, Son of God? Have You come here to torment us before the time?”
Luke 4:41 And demons also were coming out of many, crying out and saying, “You are the Son of God!” And rebuking them, He would not allow them to speak, because they knew Him to be the Christ.
The Word of God, the Son of God, who is the Christ is the Person behind the Veil. Those who were in the spirit realm had no difficulty seeing Him and recognizing Him. At the same time He was invisible to others until the Veil was pulled back. All they could recognize was the Veil of the outer man.
Mat 17:2 And He was transfigured before them; and His face shone like the sun, and His garments became as white as light.
On the Mount of Transfiguration the veil was pulled back and Peter, James and John could see what was behind the Veil. This was not a matter of going to another place but just that the Veil was pulled back and another realm of eternal reality was exposed.
It is interesting that the veil didn’t need to be pulled back for the demons to see Him or recognize him because they were already in that realm.
Rev 1:10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like the sound of a trumpet,
Rev 1:14 And His head and His hair were white like white wool, like snow; and His eyes were like a flame of fire; 15 and His feet were like burnished bronze, when it has been caused to glow in a furnace, and His voice was like the sound of many waters.
John was in the Spirit and suddenly the Veil was removed and John saw into that realm. The realm was always there but John was unaware until the veil was pulled back and then that realm was as real to him as the natural realm.
What John, the revelator, saw when the Veil in that other realm of Spirit was opened is what he wrote down in the Book of Revelation. This is still a great frustration for theologians today who are only in this natural realm on the wrong side of the Veil but trying to figure out what John saw in that other realm. It is little wonder that every one interpreting from this natural realm will get a different understanding of what John saw in that eternal realm of the Spirit. It is interesting listening to natural explanations of these spiritual things that can ONLY be seen on the other side of the Veil. John was told that this revelation was of Jesus Christ but from our side of the Veil we see beasts with many heads and horns and eyes and disasters and suffering. We fight and argue and split the church over our natural understanding of spiritual things simply because we are looking at the Veil rather than what is behind the Veil. This problem is exactly the same today over the words that John relayed in the Book of revelation. The natural man is stumbling around in the darkness trying to tell us what John saw and heard when he was in that other realm within a completely different kind of light.
2Co 12:2 I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago--whether in the body I do not know, or out of the body I do not know, God knows--such a man was caught up to the third heaven. 3 And I know how such a man--whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, God knows-- 4 was caught up into Paradise, and heard inexpressible words, which a man is not permitted to speak.
One day Paul was shown into that realm behind the Veil and saw eternal things. In that realm there were inexpressible words spoken that cannot be heard in this realm. Paul didn’t need to go someplace, just that the Veil could be pulled back for a short while. Then he could both see and hear what was eternally real in that realm.
If Paul had been permitted to repeat the inexpressible words that he heard in that other realm, beyond this natural realm, the theologians today would spend all their time speculating on what was said. Of course they would ALL be wrong. Therefore, God saved us a lot of grief when Paul was forbidden to relay those words to this natural realm. There would have been many church splits caused by arguing and disagreeing over those spiritual words which the natural man could never understand.
The Old Testament prophets spoke often about this One that would come. Isaiah was a prophet of God and prophesied accurately for 5 chapters. He understood many things about God and His feelings toward Israel. However, Isaiah had not been given a glimpse beyond the Veil. However, Isaiah did see the Veil. Isaiah’s ministry really began in another dimension when he saw BEYOND the Veil.
Isa 6:1 In the year of King Uzziah’s death, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple. 2 Seraphim stood above Him, each having six wings; with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. Isa 6:3 And one called out to another and said, “Holy, Holy, Holy, is the LORD of hosts, The whole earth is full of His glory.” 4 And the foundations of the thresholds trembled at the voice of him who called out, while the temple was filling with smoke.
Isa 6:5 Then I said, “Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I live among a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.”
One of the things that is common today in the church is worshiping the Veil [ or Jesus after the flesh]. Many are worshiping the “Veil” simply because they cannot see Him who is behind the Veil of flesh [ the Living and abiding Word of God] . Technically we could say that Christ was in the Veil [ His flesh] and until the Veil is removed the Christ, the Living and Abiding Word of God, the Son of God, the Creator is obscured. Until that happens in our experience, we may not be satisfied to just worship the “Veil.”
Mat 27:51 And behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom, and the earth shook; and the rocks were split,
2Co 3:14 But their minds were hardened; for until this very day at the reading of the old covenant the same veil remains unlifted, because it is removed in Christ. 15 But to this day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their heart; 16 but whenever a man turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.
Heb 6:19 This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil 20 where Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us, having become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.
If we can see that this priesthood after the order of Melchizedek functions behind the Veil, we will understand WHY this “Veil” is so important to the ones today who are seeking to make the transition to the next realm through the second veil. The questions we are presenting are these; Is entering behind the “VEIL” also entering into Christ and into the Eternal Priesthood? Is the Body of our High Priest also the sons of the High Priest, who are of that corporate Priesthood after the order of Melchizedek?
IDENTIFYING HIM WHO IS BEHIND THE VEIL!
Eph 3:16 that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man; 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fulness of God.
This is a totally incredible statement to those of us who are in the Outer Court realm! “That you may be filled up to all the fulness of God” is just too much to comprehend in the natural realm. However, Paul had no difficulty expressing the reality of a small portion of what he saw and heard.
The theologians today will explain this by outlining the area of earth that Paul was in at the time and the weather conditions and the difference of dialect in the language. They may assume that Paul was speaking to a people who were recently just out of heathenism and idol worship and was trying to impress upon them something astounding.
It is always amazing to hear the natural man explaining spiritual things. It is always entertaining to hear the natural man explaining tongues and interpretations and the gifts of the Spirit. When the natural man explains the gifts of the Spirit by analyzing the “personality profiles” of believers it is hilarious.
If we could just understand that the gifts of the Spirit are only understood on the other side of the Veil it will save us a lot of confusion. A tearing of the veil of flesh of the ministry will do wonders for the church.
Col 1:15 And He is the image of the invisible God, the first-born of all creation. 16 For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities--all things have been created by Him and for Him. 17 And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. 18 He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the first-born from the dead; so that He Himself might come to have first place in everything. 19 For it was the Father’s good pleasure for all the fulness to dwell in Him, 20 and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven. 15 And He is the image of the invisible God, the first-born of all creation. 16 For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities--all things have been created by Him and for Him. 17 And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. 18 He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the first-born from the dead; so that He Himself might come to have first place in everything. 19 For it was the Father’s good pleasure for all the fulness to dwell in Him, 20 and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven.
All this understanding of Christ Jesus is from behind the Veil. This is a revelation of Him who is only exposed on the other side of the Veil.
When we stand on the natural side of the Veil, all this “explanation” has difficulty fitting into our brain, which is only compatible with logic. Then the preacher who just uses logic to prepare his messages will be speaking silly and obtuse things from these verses. Not because he is stupid, but because he is just looking at the Veil and trying to explain something on the other side of the Veil which he has never seen.
I am not being critical of preachers but I am speaking about myself and my testimony. The problem is compounded when one preacher is just preaching what he heard another preacher say, that got his understanding from another preacher, who read it in a book, that someone wrote from something he read in a commentary.
Heb 1:3 And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high; 4 having become as much better than the angels, as He has inherited a more excellent name than they.
Who knows if a natural understanding and a logical explanation of these verses is even close to eternal truth concerning Him of whom this speaks. Still, we fight, argue and churches split over someone’s dogmatic understanding that came from the wrong side of the Veil.
2Pe 1:16 For we did not follow cleverly devised tales when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty. 17 For when He received honor and glory from God the Father, such an utterance as this was made to Him by the Majestic Glory, “This is My beloved Son with whom I am well-pleased”-- 18 and we ourselves heard this utterance made from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain.
Peter doesn’t have to hype this explanation because those who were on the Mt. were given a glimpse into the spiritual realm, being eyewitnesses of things behind the Veil, and heard the Majestic Glory speak and confirm that this Christ is His beloved Son.
All this glory of Christ was dwelling within the Veil of flesh, a body like ours, but was not visible to everyone but just to those that God chose for that moment.
Act 10:40 “God raised Him up on the third day, and granted that He should become visible, 41 not to all the people, but to witnesses who were chosen beforehand by God, that is, to us, who ate and drank with Him after He arose from the dead.
Act 10:42 “And He ordered us to preach to the people, and solemnly to testify that this is the One who has been appointed by God as Judge of the living and the dead.
It seems that His normal state after the resurrection was “INVISIBLE” but that God granted that He become visible to certain people. The rest of us must continue to walk by faith or have an inner revelation as the day dawns and the Day Star arises in our hearts.
2Pe 1:19 And so we have the prophetic word made more sure, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts.
Heb 10:19 Since therefore, brethren, we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, 20 by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh,
For years I assumed that to enter into the Holy Place meant into some ethereal place on another galaxy that is the New Jerusalem. Of course there may certainly be that dimension but Paul is not speaking about “someday” but confidence today to enter. Why?
Heb 10:21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.
It doesn’t seem that Paul is speaking of entering sometime after we die! What IS the Holy Place to which we have access today? Christ! What is the Veil through which we enter? His Flesh! Then what can we expect on the other side? The Unveiled Christ!
I am wondering if being in this Holy Place is what is referred to as “BEING IN CHRIST.” If it is then there must be a difference between being “in Christ” and “Christ being in us.”
More of us than not have probably formed our evangelism from the “letter of Scripture” rather than from the “Spirit of Scripture.” We have sought to lead people to the veiled Christ by the letter of Scripture. When people “accept the veiled Christ” we say they are “saved.” This may not be wrong but it seems rather shallow if that is all we ever preach.
We know that the letter of scripture leads to dead churches while the Spirit of the scriptures leads to Living Churches. Nevertheless, the letter of scripture is the most popular.
2Co 3:5 Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God, 6 who also made us adequate as servants of a new covenant, not of the letter, but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.
Why anyone would want to revert back to the letter that kills is a great mystery but the “letter” is a very popular message today! The fact is that the natural man can ONLY preach letter simply because he has no access to Spirit. We may take pride in being servants to the people but fail to ever become “servants to the New Covenant.” Since there are only two covenants that confront us, we will either preach one or the other.
Gal 4:22 For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the bondwoman and one by the free woman. 23 But the son by the bondwoman was born according to the flesh, and the son by the free woman through the promise.
Gal 4:24 This is allegorically speaking: for these women are two covenants, one proceeding from Mount Sinai bearing children who are to be slaves; she is Hagar. 25 Now this Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia, and corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children. 26 But the Jerusalem above is free; she is our mother.
All of us tell the story about Abraham and his wives and children and about his old age and not having an heir. We call this preaching the gospel. Every natural man (saved or unsaved) can read the story and repeat the facts and call it preaching. However, this is still just “letter” that delivers no life. People in the pews may not drop over dead but receive no life. I have sat though church conferences listening to stories being told from scriptures like these but there was no revelation or Spirit. Other “ministers” didn’t seem to notice.
From verse 24 onward Paul is giving us the spirit of the message. The natural “preacher man” is going to have problems with these two women being two covenants. One covenant that is seen in the natural Jerusalem and the other covenant [ the New Covenant] is the Jerusalem above which is our mother. The natural preacher (like we see on the history channel) will think Paul was hallucinating.
Well, did Paul just make this up to impress the Galatians? How can Paul possibly know these things? He saw something behind the Veil! The natural preacher can give us all kinds of verses and explain scripture with scripture and think he is preaching something. When he is done we know nothing about the women, the covenants, Mt. Sinai, the earthly Jerusalem, the Heavenly Jerusalem or who our mother is. We don’t even know WHY we are in bondage! Who will remove the Veil between these two covenants? Certainly NOT the natural preacher!
It seems obvious to me that this whole failing system of having natural church with natural preachers and man made pews will have to be shaken apart so that only what is of God can remain. The natural preacher will not likely jeopardize his position or his pension to rock the current system and move the visible church into the next dimension.
The natural man can read the scriptures and declare that the scriptures say this; But we just don’t get to the place where Jesus says, “But I say this.” It is true that the Law said certain things but they were still “letter” and not yet the reality. The reality of the “letter” is only revealed by the “Spirit” and this is the source of the life.
The letter says “a woman shall not wear men’s clothes” but I say unto you this is not even about men’s natural clothes.” The natural man will bring a woman under bondage to the letter of scripture simply because he is ignorant of the Spirit. The “letter” of scripture can crush the life out of the church and the “natural minister” thinks he is holding to the inspiration of the scripture and serving God in truth.
This “truth” about the “letter” and the “Spirit” removes another Veil that moves us closer to the reality of scripture. Of course until we move out of the natural realm, the “Spirit of the Scripture” will remain a mystery. The fundamentalist that holds to the “letter of the scripture” will cry foul , heresy, false doctrine , there are wolves among the sheep! Why? Because the “spirit of the scripture” is a strange concept and a mystery to him. This also applies to the Evangelical as well as the Pentecostal.
There is another Veil between the “letter” and the Spirit” that obscures the Spirit and makes it appear too weird or radical. Matthew 5-6 &7 is pulling back the Veil on the Kingdom and giving us a glimpse of reality. The fact that the natural man can’t do any of these things just gives us more understanding of the natural man and why God has no plans for the natural man, except death and burial.
Even though Paul knew Christ after the flesh, he wasn’t seeking that kind of knowledge any longer. Why? Because now we must move to the next dimension to know Christ by the Spirit. Nearly every church will preach Christ after the flesh or dwell upon Jesus Christ and His earthly life. That is knowing Christ historically from outward information. Therefore, we identify with that Christ and His earthly life. This is focusing upon the Veil or upon His outward being as Jesus in the flesh. However, that is NOT His Life now. Resurrection and ascension has changed this whole picture so that the outward Jesus that men preach is just a caricature of the risen Christ who is at the right hand of God.
I am guessing that seeing the Veil that is over the Kingdom now is quite different from seeing the Kingdom that is behind the Veil. Several preachers are seeing the veil over the Kingdom now so it is my opinion that very soon we will see something of the Kingdom from behind the Veil. It will probably also be true that when something real about the Kingdom is revealed from behind the Veil that a lot of natural preachers will preach a natural kingdom and confuse the whole issue. They will erect their little thrones and begin to rule over the church and preach their little cliches but then include mentioning the Kingdom. They will soon label their churches “The Kingdom Church” because they mention the word “Kingdom.”
Preaching Jesus after the flesh does not help us grow any more than preaching the Kingdom after the flesh. After 2000 years it is still popular to preach Jesus after the flesh so we can expect to witness the Kingdom also being preached after the flesh.
In Ephesians chapter 1 Paul began to pray for them that they would leave the realm of just knowing the historic Jesus and that God would give them the Spirit of Wisdom and Revelation in the knowledge of Him who was raised from the dead and is now seated at the right hand of God. Paul was praying that they would see the Christ that is behind the Veil on the Throne of God. This is quite different than hearing about a baby in the manger or a 12 year old boy in the temple.
Luk 24:13 And behold, two of them were going that very day to a village named Emmaus which was about seven miles from Jerusalem.
Luk 24:14 And they were conversing with each other about all these things which had taken place. 15 And it came about that while they were conversing and discussing, Jesus Himself approached, and began traveling with them. 16 But their eyes were prevented from recognizing Him. 17 And He said to them, “What are these words that you are exchanging with one another as you are walking?” And they stood still, looking sad. 18 And one of them, named Cleopas, answered and said to Him, “Are You the only one visiting Jerusalem and unaware of the things which have happened here in these days?”
Luk 24:19 And He said to them, “What things?” And they said to Him, “The things about Jesus the Nazarene, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word in the sight of God and all the people, 20 and how the chief priests and our rulers delivered Him up to the sentence of death, and crucified Him. 21 “But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed, besides all this, it is the third day since these things happened. :22 “But also some women among us amazed us. When they were at the tomb early in the morning, 23 and did not find His body, they came, saying that they had also seen a vision of angels, who said that He was alive. 24 “And some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just exactly as the women also had said; but Him they did not see.”
Luk 24:25 And He said to them, “O foolish men and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! 26 “Was it not necessary for the Christ to suffer these things and to enter into His glory?” 27 And beginning with Moses and with all the prophets, He explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures. 28 And they approached the village where they were going, and He acted as though He would go farther. 29 And they urged Him, saying, “Stay with us, for it is getting toward evening, and the day is now nearly over.” And He went in to stay with them. 30 And it came about that when He had reclined at the table with them, He took the bread and blessed it, and breaking it, He began giving it to them.
Luk 24:31 And their eyes were opened and they recognized Him; and He vanished from their sight. 32 And they said to one another, “Were not our hearts burning within us while He was speaking to us on the road, while He was explaining the Scriptures to us?”
This is an amazing thing that His own disciples could not recognize Him after the flesh. He was teaching right in their midst and explaining the scriptures to them but they recognized neither his body NOR His voice. After several months with Jesus, nothing in the flesh identified Him to those who knew Him only after the flesh. So when did they finally recognize Him? Only after God opened their spiritual eyes and they saw beyond the Veil of flesh into another realm of eternal reality.
They could testify that at one time they knew Him after the flesh but after that experience they knew Him no longer after the flesh. In fact they couldn’t even recognize Him after the flesh by natural sight.
This could be a real problem for those of us who only know and preach Christ after the flesh or by just seeing the Veil that hid Christ from natural eyes. He could appear and we would not even know it was Christ.
Make sure you blow the trumpet, Lord, so we will know were to look or make sure you wear the crown to identify yourself to our natural eyes!