A BETTER COVENANT

 "But their minds were blinded; for until this day remaineth the same  veil untaken away in the reading of the old testament; which veil is done away with in Christ. But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the veil
is upon their hearts. Nevertheless when it shall turn to the Lord, the veil shall be taken away."
2 Cor. 3: 13-16.

Part I.

     The New Testament tells of those who rested in the    letter and did not open their eyes to the light and liberty  of the Lord. They became blind to the fact that the old covenant was done away with and there was a new and better way. Today, there are still many who are also blinded. 

We are told in Scripture, when these shall turn to the Lord, the veil shall be taken away.  The old covenant was for a certain time, place, and people, but the new covenant of grace is for all time, places, and for all people. It is a better covenant and is sealed with the blood of Jesus, 
the only perfect sacrifice as the Lamb of God.

A veil is something that covers or separates. The vail was also called a "separatrix" in the Old Testament as to the Hebrew meaning or a sacred screen that protected the "holy place." In Greek meaning it is referred to as a "cover" or as something which "hides." 

We have been given access to come boldly into the holy place and mercy seat of the Lord to receive help. 
The veil of the temple was rent in two pieces from top to bottom, not from the bottom to the top.  It was a work of God from above who tore the veil and not of man. The flesh of Jesus was also torn to bring us a new and better way through His New Covenant as He shed his precious blood for our sins. 

This shows us the way to the Holy of  Holies in heaven was made possible to all men through the blood of Jesus. 
His covenant was "written in red" by his blood and has been signed, sealed, and delivered through His death, burial and resurrection.  We accept the terms of the new covenant of grace when we repent and surrender our lives to God in submission to His will. 

The veil or darkness which remains over hearts is not of God, but instead is because of the powers of darkness. The Bible speaks of God's judgment on his enemies in the day of the Lord.   The darkness that has been spread as a covering or veil upon all nations by Satan will be destroyed in that day when the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces; and the rebuke of his people  shall he take away from off all the earth; for the Lord hath spoken it.  (Isa. 25: 8). Death is swallowed up in victory by the Lord. The covering or veil represents "grief, sorrow and misery because of satanic darkness and power which covers now the whole of the nations and those whose eyes are blinded. Men will be free from the powers of satanic darkness and influence in the Day of the Lord and the ravages of death will cease just as promised.

One can break through the earthly veils of darkness today and be free if they keep Christ as the light of their life.
He will guide souls into all truths. He has set us free in Him and has given us access to come unto Him.  We should not let darkness be in our lives or prevent us from freely coming into the Lord's presence.  Just as the light in the temple was always to burn or shine, we are always to keep our lights shining for the Lord and not walk in darkness. Our zeal is given through the purifying fire of His Holy Spirit and only His light can reveal unto us the things which keep us victorious in Him. If we abide in Him each day and walk in His ways, we can call upon Him and He will be there. 

Christians have been given victory in Jesus as we keep His commands and follow Him.  It is a wonderful promise to see God's people will one day have opened eyes and say, 
"Lo, this is our God; we have waited for Him, and he will save us; this is the Lord; we have
waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in our salvation." The hand of the Lord shall rest
in the Holy mountain of the Lord, Mount Zion, with power, deliverance, and protection over 
His people. A song of triumph will be sung in that day by Judah, and Jerusalem will be rebuilt 
completely as foretold in Ezekiel 48. Once again it will be made strong by God being the Protector 
and Defender through the means of His salvation. Israel will be the "righteous nation" and there
will be true peace on earth.

We have so much for which to give thanks and praise unto our Lord who is the Mediator of
a better covenant. All men can now find God and have access to Him without priests
having to go through a covering or separatrix as those in days of old. We have freely been
given access to God but must be willing to remove the things from our lives which would
hinder us from recognizing His presence and power in our lives. Our focus must be on Him in
all we do and our walk must be in the spirit of the Lord as He leads and guides us each day.
The gospel message has been made simple for all to understand who will open their hearts to the Lord.

We now see through a glass darkly and only have partial knowledge, but know the ways
of salvation and have Holy Spirit to lead us. It is hard to imagine just how wonderful
it will be without having experienced the glory which shall be in the soon coming Day of the Lord. 
We have wonderful promises and a blessed hope to claim and give thanks for a better covenant.

Part II

  The law in "type and shadow" was veiled as to the good things to come. (Heb. 10:1).   The sacrifices offered were a type and shadow of the perfect Lamb of  God who  would bring a better way by a better sacrifice which would not only cover sin, but take sin and it's guilt away. Never again would there be a need for an earthly HighPriest to offer sacrifices each new year, as the sacrifice of Jesus was perfect. He became our Great High Priest who lives to make intercession for the saints according to the will of God.

The new covenant and gospel have practically no ceremonies or rituals in comparison to
the old with it's many rituals, rules, and commandments which they were to do and obey.   There were not just the ten which Christians seek to obey, but many rituals which they sought to obey to keep the letter of the law.

There are only two outward rituals that most Christians observe and these are baptism and the Lord's Supper. We see the Gospel is simple to understand without man  made rules or rituals  so there is to be no confusion as to it's terms and blessings. We are blessed for obedience 
to the Lord and are to keep the terms of the Lord's new covenant to have assurance of it's provisions and promises. The will of God is not written on tablets of stone or just on paper, but it has been engraved within our hearts. Everything begins with our love for
God and for our fellow man. If we love as God commands, we will have no problem obeying Him.

When our minds are stayed upon the Lord, we will find He is always nigh unto the cries of his children. 
When we call unto Him, He will answer and will show us great and mighty things which we know not. 
We do not have to search for our Lord, we only have to seek our Lord. We are told when we seek  Him with our whole heart, we will find Him. With the Holy Spirit living within, we have the blessed assurance of His presence always being there and of having fullness of joy in our lives as we let Him be Lord of all.  In the Old Testament His presence was above the mercy seat over
the Ark of the covenant where He communed with His people. The testimony was inside the ark of the covenant. Today, the laws of the Lord are within our hearts and His Spirit lives within. There should be nothing allowed in our lives to separate us from the Lord
and his presence because of a better covenant given by Christ. He is our passover feast and the living bread of life which sustains us. He is the better and living way.

There is an old song called, "Nothing Between My Soul and My Savior" by Charles  Albert Tindley, arranged by F.A. Clark. It is up to us to keep the way clear by recognizing who we are in Christ and living according to His new covenant of grace.  Sins must be repented
of as we let Jesus truly be Lord of our lives each day that we live. The words to a verse of the song tells of our privilege of coming to the throne of grace. 

"Nothing between my soul and my Savior, 
So that his blessed face may be seen; 
Nothing preventing the least of his favor; 
Keep the way clear! let nothing between."

It is a joy to know we have a new and better covenant of grace and can come boldly to the Lord at any time with confidence He will be there and we have His favor.
Getting alone with God is a joy and pleasure as we meet with the King of Kings and Lord of Lords who holds us in the palm of His hand as we walk through this land. 
Because we abide in Him and let nothing between, we have the life of Christ flowing through us. His blessings are abundant and His love keeps on giving. 
May He be glorified today and always.

Blessings In Christ,
Jo Ann Kelly (c) 2004
J. P.'s Inspirations