And Lo! The curtain of the temple is rent in two from above to the bottom, and the earth quaked, and the rocks are rent
Matthews Account 27: 51, Concordant New Testament
Up until the time of the death of Jesus, those who believed seemed to believe with certainty where God was. The Jews of Jesus' day believed that God dwelled in the temple. Not only that, but that He was to be approached only by the priests, the spiritual leaders of the people. For inside the temple, in a place referred to as the "Holy of holies," there was a large curtain which separated the rest of the temple from the ark of the covenant of the Lord. To venture beyond this curtain was prohibited, save for the chief priests on certain times of the year. God separated from His children. But the death of Jesus on the cross changed all of that. For at the moment He took His final breath, that curtain in the temple was torn from top to bottom. Not by human hands, but by the Lord Himself. I believe that this is Gods way of introducing Himself as Who He truly is to His creation. This was not God tucked away in a box. This is His creation living in His presence, no longer inhibited by the barriers created by man. Yet listen to the words of far too many pastors today and you'd think that God is still living behind that veil in the temple. They speak of mankind being separated from God as a result of their sin nature. But what of the sacrifice of Jesus? Upon His death, that veil in the temple was torn. God was no longer hidden from His children. Yet far too many people today seek the Lord in the wrong places.
The words of Jesus tell us that God does not live behind a curtain, but that His children reside IN Him {Johns Account 14:20}. This is the truth of our life in the Father. The apostle Paul understood this relationship when he described himself as having died in Christ. He was gone, only Jesus remains {Paul to the Galatians 2:20}. But what of that sin issue? What indeed. Many who look for God are hit by the roadblock thrown up by those in the church that their sin separates us from God. Noting could be further from the truth. For if we are truly seeking God, we need only to look within. Our understanding of who and where God is can often be tainted by the teachings of those within the mainstream church. I have often referred to the separation theology spoken by the church as one of the great lies spoken by them. For it has never been the Lords desire that we would be separated from His presence. Indeed, how is it even possible that we who have been created in his likeness can ever be separated from him {Genesis 1:27}? Are we to ignore the words of Jesus Who speaks to our union with the Father? I think not. Yet, whenever I speak of this truth of our life within the Father, many believers accuse me of cherry picking the scriptures to suit my narrative. This coming from those who have built an entire religion upon the narrative that we remain sinners separated from God. Who do you think is ignoring the truth of God? For those who are earnestly seeking the Lord, my advice is always the same, look within. For it is not in temples or monuments built up by man that God will make His home, but within those whom He has created.
The God Who makes the world and all that is in it, He, the Lord of heaven and earth, is not dwelling in temples made by hands, neither is He attended by human hands, as if requiring anything, since He Himself gives to all life and breath and all.
Acts of the Apostles 17: 24-25, Concordant New Testament
~Scott~
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