“…For you are the temple of the living God…” II Corinthians 6:16
Stand in a dark empty room, flip on a light switch, and see how instantaneously the darkness disappears. In a similar way, sin cannot exist in the presence of a holy God. God said to Moses in Exodus 33:20, “You cannot see My face; for no man shall see Me, and live.” As much as God longed to be near His people, He couldn’t – because His Holy presence would cause death to the people He loved.
Before Jesus paid the price to remove sin, God knew in order to get close to His people, He had to protect them from His glory and His holiness. Therefore, throughout the Old Testament, whenever we see that God’s glory was manifested, the glory was covered by either a veil or a cloud.
In Exodus we read about God’s plan to get near the Israelites, Christ’s ancestors. God instructed Moses to build a tabernacle, a place where God could live. Inside the tabernacle there was a chamber called the Holy of Holies, the place were God’s presence would dwell. A veil covered the Holy of Holies to protect people from the glory. When the time was right, God sent Jesus to remove the penalty of sin that kept God at a distance from us. The very moment Jesus died the veil in the temple was torn, consecrating us so that we could have a close relationship with god and experience His glory.
Our bodies have now become the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit and His glory resides within us (II Corinthians 4:7). His glory is for us to draw from, but also for us to minister to others. II Corinthians 3:18 tells us that there are levels of God’s glory and we can increase or decrease in our experience of His Presence and His anointing. One way we increase in the glory is to walk according to the new righteous nature that we have been given by living a holy, consecrated life. The nearer we draw to God, the nearer He draws to us (James 4:8).
Application: Get alone with God and pursue an encounter with Him today. Is there something that is keeping you from knowing His glory in a greater measure? Does it feel like there is a veil keeping you from experiencing His presence? If so, surrender it to Him, and remove the veil that is keeping you from knowing Him more intimately and fully.