His glory for all to see!
God has never desired to have Himself veiled and invisible. When God created the universe as we know it He put within that universe the attributes that would testify of Him and His goodness. Creation declares the invisible attributes of God. When God created Adam He envisioned someone in His image. If you saw Adam you would see ho God is. Adam was to be the visible manifestation of God.
In exodus we have the story of Moses asking to see God’s glory. Moses never asked to see the face of God as we were taught. God in his response to Moses’ request answered with you cannot see my face and live. Lets look at that passage of scripture.
Ex. 33:16 For wherein shall it be known here that I and thy people have found grace in thy sight? is it not in that thou goest with us? so shall we be separated, I and thy people, from all the people that are upon the face of the earth.
Ex. 33:17 And the LORD said unto Moses, I will do this thing also that thou hast spoken: for thou hast found grace in my sight, and I know thee by name.
Ex. 33:18 And he said, I beseech thee, shew me thy glory.
Ex. 33:19 And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy.
Ex. 33:20 And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live.
So we see that Moses wanted to see the glory of God. Was the glory of God hidden from Moses and the people? Not really because God was visible by day as a cloud and a pillar of fire by night. They saw the thundering and lightning when God came down to speak to Moses on the mount. So why would Moses ask to see God’s glory? Prior to this request God promises that He will send His presence with them. The word presence is the Hebrew word for face. I believe that Moses wanted a greater revelation than what the rest of the people saw. God responds that He will make His goodness go before Moses and that He will be gracious and merciful to them. Then God makes the statement to Moses.
‘You shall not see My face and live.”
God equates His glory to His face. This is a key for us to understand in the light that God does not want His glory to be hidden. In the next few chapters Moses goes up to see God and when he comes down the mountain his face is shining from the glory of God’s presence.
Ex. 34:29 And it came to pass, when Moses came down from mount Sinai with the two tables of testimony in Moses’ hand, when he came down from the mount, that Moses wist not that the skin of his face shone while he talked with him.
Ex. 34:30 And when Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone; and they were afraid to come nigh him.
Ex. 34:31 And Moses called unto them; and Aaron and all the rulers of the congregation returned unto him: and Moses talked with them.
Ex. 34:32 And afterward all the children of Israel came nigh: and he gave them in commandment all that the LORD had spoken with him in mount Sinai.
Ex. 34:33 And till Moses had done speaking with them, he put a veil on his face.
Moses comes down and his face is shining. Then he speaks to the children of Israel and when he is done he covers his face. Have you ever wondered why? Moses did not cover his face while he was speaking to them. They saw him with his shining face. What happened that caused Moses to cover his face?
2Cor. 3:7 But if the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not stedfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance; which glory was to be done away:
2Cor. 3:8 How shall not the ministration of the spirit be rather glorious?
2Cor. 3:9 For if the ministration of condemnation be glory, much more doth the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory.
2Cor. 3:10 For even that which was made glorious had no glory in this respect, by reason of the glory that excelleth.
2Cor. 3:11 For if that which is done away was glorious, much more that which remaineth is glorious.
2Cor. 3:12 Seeing then that we have such hope, we use great plainness of speech:
2Cor. 3:13 And not as Moses, which put a vail over his face, that the children of Israel could not stedfastly look to the end of that which is abolished
The glory that Moses carried was under the Old covenant and that was a glory that faded away. As Moses would talk to them the glory on him would fade. When he stopped speaking to them he would cover his face so that they would not see the glory fading. The Old Covenant was not what God intended for us. The blood of sheep and goats and bulls could not do for us what the blood of Jesus did. Their blood covered our sins while the blood of Jesus removed our sins. In the New Covenant we can now have His glory without it fading away. We are encouraged to behold Him and to have Him change us from one decree of glory to the next decree of glory. In the New Testament it does not fade but it increases. The problem is that as long as they read the law the veil remains and the glory is hidden. So when Christ came he came to remove the veil so that the greater glory of the New Covenant can never be hidden.
2Cor. 3:14 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.
2Cor. 3:15 But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the vail is upon their heart.
2Cor. 3:16 Nevertheless when it shall turn to the Lord, the vail shall be taken away.
As long as we preach the Gospel as a law we are putting a veil over the minds of people. The New Covenant is a message of grace. The New Covenant is the message of Christ and when Jesus is preached the veil is removed and people can se the glory of God, which is Jesus. The enemy has blinded the hearts and minds of people and our job is to unveil Christ so that they can see.
2Cor. 4:3 But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:
2Cor. 4:4 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.
2Cor. 4:5 For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus’ sake.
2Cor. 4:6 For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
2Cor. 4:7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.
We have this treasure in earthen vessels. God has given us the ministry of revealing Him. As we reveal Christ and who He is the light of God who is Jesus will shine in their darkness and bring them to repentance. His glory will be seen on us and when they see what we have it removes the veil that the enemy has placed on them. The veil is removed in Christ. We are Christ containers and we carry His glory to the four corners of the world.
Is. 60:1 Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee.
Is. 60:2 For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee.
Is. 60:3 And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising.
Look at what the prophet tells us. He doesn’t say sit and wait. No he wants us to act. We need to arise because His light and glory is ready to be revealed on a people. We do not ignore the darkness but we have the solution to the darkness that is covering the earth. The gentiles will run to you when they see what is on you. Are you ready to be revealed?