Continuing our study of the types and of the tabernacle in particular,
that is that tabernacle in the wilderness, I want us to consider
the veil within the tabernacle. When you went in the door of
the tabernacle, There was a little bit more space in that part that
called the sanctuary or the holy place. There was a little bit
more room in it than there was past the veil. But the veil marked
the spot where the common priest could go no further. The high
priest alone was permitted to go beyond that point and within
that veil, there was the Ark of the Testimony, which had the
mercy seat over top of it, and then the cherubims facing each
other over top of that Ark. And the high priest alone was
allowed to go beyond that veil, nobody else, period. And I'm
taking this from Exodus chapter 26 all the way through the end
of that chapter, so if you wanna Look at these things, you can
find them there and you can find information about the veil in
Leviticus chapters 4 and 16 and 21 and 24. Each one of these
gives us a little bit more light on that veil and what it was
for. And then also in Numbers chapter 4 and chapter 18. I took the title of our study
from Numbers chapter 4 where it's called the Veil of Covering.
And that's what I want to talk to you about this morning. Compiling
all that I've read in the references, which I gave to you, let me give
you six things that I know about the veil of the tabernacle. And you can read through these
things and prove what I'm saying to you. First of all, I want you to notice
that it was a glorious work. You can't help but read about
this veil and not see how glorious a work it was. This is not at
all like the outside of the tabernacle, which when you approached it
was all badger skins. That's all you could see was
badger skin. But this was a glorious work.
It says that it was a work of fine twine linen. Now every writer without question,
every writer that I read who wrote about this veil, all portrayed
this veil as a thick, heavy veil. Every one of them. I couldn't find anything in any
scripture anywhere, I looked up every reference to the word
veil, Old Testament and New Testament, and I couldn't find anywhere
in there where it says that the veil was thick and heavy. I think
a lot of times, and I'm guilty of it as much as anybody else,
you're reading and studying these men and you're not You know these
are learned men. You know that because of the
content of their message, you know that these were godly men.
And so you just take everything they say at face value and go
on. Don't do that. Go to the scriptures. Now here's what the scripture
said about the veil. It was made of fine twined linen. That's the veil. Fine twined
linen. I'm not an expert here, but I
am aware of the cost of such things. And when you go to buy
linen for your bed, you go to buy sheets and pillowcases and
things like that, on the tag, when you go to buy it, it'll
give you what's called a thread count. The higher that thread
count, the more expensive that piece of linen is and the heavier
it is. This piece of linen was fine
twine. That means that thread was so
small. And as it was woven together,
the finished product was a lot heavier than something that had
the thicker thread in it. Fine twine linen. And this veil was costly. Costly to make. You couldn't
just whip out something like that. You didn't just go over
on the loom. Everything had to be adjusted to do this. This
was fine twine linen. And then secondly, in Exodus
26, 31, he tells us that it was blue and purple and scarlet. That is, these colors representing
Christ's faithfulness, his royalty, he's king. He's the blessed and
only potentate king of kings and Lord of lords. So purple
spoke of his royalty, and then scarlet spoke of his blood-bought
redemption. And then thirdly, this veil had
a cunning, a very cunning embroidery of cherubims. on it. The cherubims are very significant
on the veil. Actually, the cherubims appear
three times in the tabernacle. And unless that door, some reference
that I didn't read about it, talks about cherubims on the
front door, but I don't believe there was. But the cherubims
appeared on that final covering, the one that you saw from inside
the ark when you looked up, there was cherubims up there. And then
when you look forward, where the altar of perfume was, there
hung a veil, and there was cherubims on it. And then, of course, over top
of the ark, over top of the mercy seat, there was two cherubims
facing one another. And you know, I said something
about this years ago when we were studying the book of Exodus,
and I just didn't recall it until after I started looking at this.
But I just kept thinking, well, why cherubims? What's the deal
with the cherubim? There are cherubims up here,
and there are cherubims there, and there are cherubims when
you go under the... What's the deal with the cherubim? Well,
what is significant about these cherubims is stated immediately
after the fall of man back in Genesis chapter three and verse
24. It says, so he drove out the
man and he placed at the east end of the Garden of Eden cherubims
and a flaming sword which turned every way to keep the way of
the tree of life. That is, to preserve it, to guard against imposters who
would come in, abuse the way, to warn strange intruders, and
to comfort those who'd been exiled from the garden. These cherubims
mark the way of salvation and life, eternal life. was a glorious work, linen to
denote of his priestly work, blue and purple and scarlet to
tell of his faithfulness, royalty, and blood-bought redemption,
and then cherubims denoting the way, the way into fellowship
with God, God's presence, and God's blessings, and God's communion,
and God's instruction. So what does this veil represent?
It represents God manifest in the flesh. That's what it represents. That's what this veil is saying. Man and God joined in one glorious
person. One mediator, he said, between
God and me and the man, Christ Jesus. And then secondly, I want
you to see this. The veil was a hanging. It was
hung. within the tabernacle. It wasn't
draped over. It was hung. Not laid as a rug
to be trampled under feet or folded and set on a shelf to
be used if somebody decided they needed it. It was hung. It was a hanging. And as Moses, the scripture said,
lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the
son of man be lifted up. Paul said he was made a curse.
He hath redeemed us from the curse of the law being made a
curse for us. As it is written, cursed is everyone
that hangeth on a tree. And then Paul said this as he
come to the Corinthians. He said, I purpose to know nothing
among you save Jesus Christ and him crucified. The veil was lifted up and it
was hung between the sanctuary and the Holy of Holies. So what this thing represents
is Christ crucified. And when you walk into the tabernacle,
Christ crucified is what overshadows the sanctuary. That's what you
see as you're serving God. You see that law satisfied. You
see justice satisfied. You see a perfect righteousness. And that's over you as you serve,
as the common priesthood served the Lord. And Christ crucified
was not only on the ceiling of the sanctuary, but it was upon
this veil hanging before the ark and right behind that altar
of perfume. So these cherubims denote the
crucifixion of Christ, and this is where the glory of God is
revealed. Is He not? His love? In this was manifested the love
of God toward us, because God sent His only begotten Son into
the world that we might live through Him. You want to see
the glory of God's love? You'll see it in the death of
Christ. Freely given. given to you. What about the glory of His righteousness
and justice? It declares His righteousness
for the remission of sins that He might be just and justified.
It reveals the glory of God's righteousness and justice. And
it reveals also His grace, being justified freely by His grace
through the redemption that's in Christ Jesus. The glory of
God is revealed in Christ crucified, Christ hanging between heaven
and earth. And then thirdly, the veil was
a suspended work. What held the Son of God on that
cross? You remember, they were all chiding
Christ as he hung there. what an awful revelation of the
nature of man as the son of God dying on a cross and they're
laughing at him and chiding things at him and they said if you be
the son of God, come down. What held him up there? The nails?
I don't think so. I don't think a nail could hold
God on a cross. What held him up there? Deity. Deity. In the Ark, the veil was suspended
on four golden pillars, it says. And these pillars speak of God's
deity. And these pillars rested in sockets
of silver. And there were sockets made for
it. I'm assuming these sockets went into the ground. And then
these golden pillars fit down inside that socket and stood
upright and suspended that veil that hung behind the altar of
perfume. So that what suspended Christ was God resting in his
accomplished redemption. So that's what this is speaking
of, Christ's accomplished redemption. These sockets went into the earth
testifying of his death and burial. Christ died on the cross. He
died on the cross. And thereby he accomplished a
perfect redemption. In John chapter 10, our Lord
tells those who believe not concerning this life that the good shepherd
would give for his sheep. And here's what he said to them.
He said, no man taketh it from me. You remember what he told, Pilate
came out and he said, don't you know I have power to release
you or power to crucify you? He said, you don't have any power
at all except if it were given you of God. You don't have any
power over me. except what was given to you
of God. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down on myself.
I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it up
again. This commandment have I received from my Father. This
is the God-man. What suspended him is the purpose
of God to save a people for his glory. So here he is. He's suspended between heaven
and earth by the power, will, and purpose of God. And then
fourthly, the veil was a solitary work. One veil in the temple. Just one veil. Now, beginning
with the ceiling, there's four layers, worked their way all
the way up through badger skins, and then ram skins dyed red,
and then goat's hair, and then the fine twine linen covering
that hung on the ceiling on the inside. But when you come to
the veil, there's just one veil. This one veil. And if you would
go into the presence of God, you must pass through this veil. There's no other way in. No other
way in. In Hebrews chapter 10 and verse
19, it says, having brethren boldness to enter into the holiest
by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which he hath
consecrated, that is, which he hath made holy for us through
the veil, that is to say, his flesh. His flesh. Scripture said you hath he reconciled
in the body of his flesh through death to present you holy, unblameable,
and unreprovable in his sight. The veil of the tabernacle typified
Christ, who is the propitiation for our sins. It was the only
way for the high priest to come to the mercy seat. Christ said, I am the way, I
am the truth, I am the life. And there is no other way. No
man cometh unto the Father but by me. None other name, Paul said, under
heaven given among men, or Peter said, whereby we must be saved. And our hope, Paul said in Hebrews,
is the anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, in which,
now listen to me, entereth in within the veil. This veil was
a solitary work. It stood alone. And when it comes
to appeasing God, which is what was being typified on the other
side of it, where the blood is sprinkled on the mercy seat,
Christ stands alone. He stands alone. None other name under heaven
given among men whereby we must be saved. The veil was a solitary
work. And then fifthly, the veil yielded
a twofold reaction as the priest approached it. Even the common
priest who did service within that tabernacle, they had to
look at that veil. And there was a reaction when
they looked to that veil because they were taught what it meant.
And the first reaction, I believe, must have been fear. Must have
been fierce. Several tried to go beyond that
veil who were not permitted to go there. God smote them with
leprosy, sent fire down from heaven and consumed them on the
spot. Nobody went beyond that veil
except that man that God recognized as his high priest. And then
that just one time a year and that not without blood which
he had to offer for himself as well as for the people. I know what kind of reaction
it would have had with me if I'd have stood looking at that
thing and knowing I had to go under it and knowing what happens
if I don't go under it exactly as God said to do it. God gonna
kill me. And I believe the first reaction
of those who served in that tabernacle was fear. Fear. And I tell you, I think every
common priest who entered that tabernacle was glad he wasn't
a high priest. He was glad he wasn't a high
priest. Ain't you glad you're not a high
priest? Huh? Ain't you glad it's not in your
hands to offer that atonement before god well i tell you i'm
happy about having a high priest over the house of god for me and my friend when the gospels
preach to men as directed by god and accompanied by the power
and revelation of the spirit of god a fear is instilled into
the heart of men and women concerning the uh... their past religious
ways, of their own temperament, of what they're doing, of their old ideas and concepts,
and do they have the right concept now? A carefulness concerning playing
games with God. carefulness and sobriety concerning
worship and prayer and service. And false religion downplays
all these things. It downplays all of these things.
They got people running up and down aisles popping gum and just
as unconcerned with these things as a man could be. False religion downplays all
of these things, and tries to convince themselves and others
that there's many ways to gain God's favor, and many men who
can do it. But not when the truth is pressed
upon the heart and mind of a man. Paul speaks in 2 Corinthians
7 about a godly sorrow, that is, the gift of repentance. When
God gives you the gift of repentance, you never quit repenting. Now, there are lots of people
call that a one-time work. Yeah, I remember. Oh, no. If
you're not repenting right now, you've never repented. Repentance
is a continual work. If you can listen to the gospel,
I saw an article in one of the bulletins this week. I really
liked it. And it was an article, I think, that Henry Mahan wrote.
And he talked about this. He said, if you can listen to
the gospel being preached, and not go back and think about yourself
and what you are and your sinful self and so on. I question where
you've been born of God. Repentance is a continual work.
And that's what Paul's talking about here, a godly sorrow that
worketh repentance to salvation. And here's what he said about
it. He said, for behold, This is 2 Corinthians 7-11. For behold,
this selfsame thing, that ye sorrowed after a godly sort,
what carefulness it wrought in you. Huh? What carefulness it wrought.
When you discovered what you are, then you didn't trust anything
else that you ever thought. What carefulness, this godly
sorrow. What carefulness. Oh, he said,
what clearing of yourselves. Trying to get yourself out of
the way. You was always the main piston
rod. You was always the main thing
in your religion and then all of a sudden now you just want
to clear it out. Clear it all out. Paul said he
took his out and throwed it on the dung heap. That's what you
do when you discover what you are. Oh, he said, what carefulness
it wrought in you, yea, what clearing in yourself, yea, what
indignation, what fear. And I can only imagine what the
high priest must have felt in his heart as he stood before
that veil. And this was just a figure. But there's also a positive reaction
to the veil. As they looked up and saw those
cherubims of promise etched upon the veil. God didn't seal the
way when he took man out of the garden. He preserved the way. He kept the way. And I think when a priest with
a true heart, by faith, understanding what these things represented,
I think when he looked at that veil, He said, this truly is
the way. This is the way. God designed
this veil and commanded it to be hung here and instructed me
to go beyond it with the blood. He tells us in Romans 3 that
God has set forth his son as a propitiation for our sins through
faith in his blood. When did he do that in the tabernacle? in the tabernacle. And though
it were typical blood, yet it was received by faith, and God
was seen as just and justifier. And having stated all this clearing
and sobriety and carefulness and fear wrought in the heart
as the gospel was heard, he tells us this also. Paul said, oh,
he said, what vehement desire. When does a man truly desire
Christ. When he discovers what he is.
When God shuts him up to Christ. When he takes away all his hope. Takes it all away. There's no
hope for me. No hope for me. Then he shows
him Christ. And oh, he said what desire and
what zeal. A man who truly sees Christ will
enter in. He'll go without fear into the
presence of God. Let us therefore come boldly,
Paul said, into that holy place with the blood of Jesus. Boldness, confidence, and assurance,
being convinced that his blood and righteousness is sufficient
to give you the privilege to come into his presence. And then
lastly, the veil was a concealing work. It hid all the mysteries
of God. And when you think on Christ,
what does the scripture say about him? In him are hid all the treasures
of wisdom and knowledge. That's what it says. It's all
concealed in him. All you could see from the outside
was badger skin. You just seen a common man. Just a common man. But all the
glory on the inside. On the inside. It hid all the
mysteries of God. In Numbers chapter 4 verse 5,
he called this veil a concealing veil, a covering. And when Israel
prepared to move their camp to a new location, Aaron and his
sons would take down the veil. The high priest and his sons
would go in and take down the veil. Well, what'd they do with
it? They covered the ark with it. Did you know that? Yeah. When they moved to camp, they
took that veil down, carefully folded it. There were slots in
it for the rings on the ark. And they laid that thing over
the ark of the testimony. And then he commanded them to
take a solid blue cloth and lay that on top of the veil. Showing
Christ's faithfulness. And then on the outside, he covered
it with badger skins so nobody would know. All hidden, all concealed. All those things preserved in
the Ark. The Apostle Paul, being taught
of God and inspired by the Holy Ghost, tells us that in him are
hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. And he said, Christ
said this, he said, no man knoweth the father save the son and he
to whom the son will reveal him. I want you to think about this.
Because that veil hung there, because that veil concealed,
nobody could tell you what took place beyond the veil but the
high priest alone. That's all we want. All these people out here
had conjecture and theories and they, you know, heard this and
heard that. Nobody really knew what took
place inside that Holy of Holies except the high priest. He's
the only one who went in there and come back to tell about it. Paul's gospel, he said, was a
hidden mystery which God ordained before the world under our glory. But by the grace of God, it's
all made known by the priest who went beyond the veil and
came back to declare the outcome. Christ not only died and was
buried, but he rose from the dead, and he came back to speak,
and God speaks through him. John the Baptist said this about
Christ. He said, what he has seen and
heard, that he testified. We talk a lot about things we
don't know anything about, don't we? Well, I'm going to tell you
this. The only thing you're ever going
to know, truly know, about what took place beyond that veil is
from Christ. From Christ. God has spoken unto
us in these last days by his son. That, if you literally translate
the original, here's what that says. God hath in these last
days spoken in son. That's how he speaks. In the
language of his son. And we have the testimony of
his son, our great high priest. He that believeth on the son
hath everlasting life. He that believeth not the son. Shall not see life, but the wrath
of God abideth on him. I hope that'll be some help to
you if you're studying these types and how these things typified
and figured our Lord Jesus Christ.