Messianic Perspectives

Liz Aiello: There are many contrasts between the old and new covenants. One concept that is unique to the new covenant is that of the indwelling Holy Spirit. Join us as Dr. Gary Hedrick discusses the subject Christ in Us today right here on Messianic Perspectives.

Shalom and welcome to Messianic Perspectives, a daily program where we look into the scriptures from a distinctively first-century Jewish point of view. This is Liz Aiello. Our Bible teacher is Dr. Gary Hedrick, and his subject today is Christ in Us.

I'll be back a little later with information about a special offer, so have your pencil and paper ready. Now with today's study, here is Dr. Gary Hedrick.

Dr. Gary Hedrick: Thank you. And welcome, listening friend, to our studios here in San Antonio, Texas. It's good to have you with us today as we continue our series of studies on the subject Christ in Us. And today we're turning to the New Testament where we find something quite different from anything we've seen up until now, and that is God in man, God actually dwelling within His people.

If you've been following along in your Bible, turn with me to Matthew chapter 27. Now you remember in the Jerusalem temple, God's Shekinah presence dwelt over the mercy seat in the Holy of Holies. The mercy seat was the covering over the Ark of the Covenant. The Holy of Holies was the inner sanctuary of the temple. It was separated from the outer chamber by the parochet, which was a large, multicolored curtain woven from the materials prescribed in Exodus 26:31.

The parochet was a massive piece of material—30 feet wide, 60 feet high, over a foot thick, and weighing more than two tons. It was huge. As you approached the Holy of Holies, you could see two cherubim, two angels, embroidered on the face of that curtain. Now why was this huge curtain necessary to separate the Holy of Holies from the rest of the temple? Because it symbolized the huge chasm that existed between holy God and sinful man.

The only person who was allowed to go beyond the curtain into the Holy of Holies was the high priest, or in Hebrew, Cohen HaGadol. Once a year on Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, the high priest entered the Holy of Holies to offer a sacrifice on behalf of the people. So that's the background. Now let's read this passage in Matthew chapter 27 here in the New Testament, beginning in verse 50. This is at the crucifixion in Jerusalem around AD 31 or 32, and here's what it says.

Jesus, when He had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost. And behold—now watch this—and behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain; it was torn in half from the top to the bottom. And the earth did quake, and the rocks rent. Verse 52: And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose. Verse 53: And came out of the graves after His resurrection, and went into the holy city Jerusalem and appeared unto many.

Now why was the veil torn from top to bottom? To signify that it was God's work, not man's. The breaking down of the sin barrier between God and man was God's work. He's the one who did it. So the veil was torn from top to bottom. It's interesting that the Book of Acts records that many of the Kohanim, many of the priests in Jerusalem, became believers in Yeshua after the resurrection. Acts chapter 6, verse 7 says, "And the word of God increased; and the number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly; and a great company of the priests"—a great company of the Kohanim—"were obedient to the faith."

Now why would that be? Why would there have been a great company of the Kohanim who came to faith in Jesus? Maybe the answer has to do with what they saw in the temple that day when that huge curtain was ripped in half from top to bottom. Now it's interesting that the ancient Jewish records say nothing about this incident in the temple. There's nothing in the Talmud about it. But you can understand why the Jewish leadership would have a vested interest in not letting that information get out.

It's the same reason you don't find anything in the ancient Egyptian records about the Exodus and the crossing of the Red Sea. Now you'd think something that momentous would be mentioned. I mean, the firstborn male child of every family in Egypt died, and yet there's no mention of it in Egyptian history. You see, they downplayed or even ignored any historic event that could prove embarrassing. And in the judgment of the Sanhedrin, no doubt, this was information that they felt would play right into the hands of the Christians.

However, the Talmud, which is a compilation of some of the most ancient sources in Jewish history, the Talmud does make mention of the fact that about 40 years before the destruction of the temple in AD 70, the doors of the Jerusalem temple on Mount Moriah miraculously opened of their own accord. That's recorded in Tractate Yoma 39b. That would have started at about the time of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.

Now did this miraculous opening of the doors occur at the same time the curtain was torn in half? Very possibly. But here's the point: the veil was torn in half to signify the fact that Christ's atoning sacrifice had cleared the way for us to come directly into God's presence. In fact, more than that, under the new covenant, His presence actually dwells within us. He's called the Ruach HaKodesh in Hebrew, the Holy Spirit. He dwells inside of each one of us.

Under the old covenant, the high priest entered the Holy of Holies with fear and trepidation. But under the new covenant, we come boldly into His presence. Hebrews 4:16 says, "Let us therefore come boldly"—not trembling with fear that we might be struck dead—"but let us therefore come boldly," he says, "unto the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need." He lives in us.

Romans 8:11 says, "But if the Spirit of Him that raised Jesus from the dead dwell in you, He that raised Christ from the dead shall also give life to your mortal bodies by His spirit that dwelleth in you." And in 1 Corinthians 3:16, Paul says, "Know ye not that ye are the temple of God and the spirit of God dwelleth in you?" Or what about 1 Corinthians 6:19? "What? Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which you have from God, and ye are not your own?"

Then Colossians 1:27: "To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is"—what?—"which is Christ in you, the hope of glory." And 1 John chapter 4, verse 4 says, "Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them because greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world."

Now let me close out this study with one more confirmation from the Talmud that a remarkable transition took place when Jesus died. In a discussion of the Yom Kippur sacrifice, the Talmud talks about the practice of attaching a scarlet cloth to the horns of the sacrificial bull. If the cloth turned white, it was considered a sign that God had accepted the sacrifice and forgiven Israel's sins.

But here's what the Talmud says, quote: "Our rabbis taught that throughout the 40 years that Shimon the Tzadik served, the scarlet cloth would become white. From then on, it would sometimes become white and sometimes not. Throughout the last 40 years before the temple was destroyed, the scarlet cloth never turned white." That's taken from Tractate Yoma 39a to 39b.

Now you don't need a calculator to figure out that 40 years before the destruction of the temple in AD 70 takes you back to the early 30s, which is precisely the time when Jesus was crucified in AD 31 or 32. So if the Talmud is accurate here, that means after the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the scarlet cloth never again turned white. Why? Because forgiveness had already been provided through the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.

There were no more barriers. A way had been made not only for us to come boldly into God's presence but also for His presence to dwell within us. How remarkable to think, my friend, that in the grace and providence of God, the ecclesia, the Messianic community or the church—the ecclesia—is first to enjoy the blessings and benefits of the new covenant, including the indwelling Holy Spirit.

You say, "Gary, I thought the new covenant was for Israel." Well, it is. But the ecclesia experiences it first. That's why in Romans 11:12, the Apostle Paul said that Israel's temporary fall was what? Riches for the Gentiles. Their loss is our gain. Nevertheless, in the very same passage, Paul envisions a future day when all Israel shall be saved and enter into the blessings of the new covenant.

In the millennial temple, by the way, there will be no parochet, no curtain to bar the entrance to the Holy of Holies. Ezekiel 44:4 says the glory of the Lord, the Shekinah, will fill the whole temple. Remember where we began this study? We started with God breathing life into Adam in the Garden of Eden. Now we close with God breathing life into His people Israel and planting them in their land.

The prophet Ezekiel in chapter 37, verse 14 quotes the word of the Lord. He says, "And I shall put my Spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I shall place you in your own land; then shall ye know that I the Lord have spoken it and performed it, saith the Lord." That's Christ in us, the indwelling Holy Spirit experienced first by the church and then, someday, by Israel. May that day come soon. Well, that's all of our time. Thanks for joining us, my friend. It's been a joy to have you along. I hope you've enjoyed this series of studies. This is Gary Hedrick saying, "God bless you. Take care. Bye-bye."

Liz Aiello: Thank you, Gary. And thank you, listening friend, for tuning in today. Well, it's true. In the Old Testament, God is portrayed as being around man, over man, with man, by man, upon man, and through man. But it's only in the New Testament that God is said to be in man. Under the new covenant, the Shekinah presence of God dwells in us. That's a wonderful privilege that should never be taken for granted.

If you enjoyed today's study, you'll be glad to know that our special offer this week is the CD of this current series of studies on Christ in Us by our Bible teacher, Dr. Gary Hedrick. It's available for a suggested contribution of just $16 or more. Just visit our secure online store at MessianicSpecialties.com to place your order.

If you would prefer to order by mail, just address your request to Messianic Perspectives, PO Box 345, San Antonio, Texas, 78292. To order by phone, use our toll-free order line. The number is 1-800-926-5397. Have you enjoyed this edition of Messianic Perspectives? Why not continue to learn about the Jewish roots of your Christian faith by inviting a speaker from CJF Ministries?

Call our toll-free number, 1-800-926-5397, and we'll be happy to handle all of the details. And as always, when you're in touch, please mention the call letters of this station. If you're listening to our webcast or podcast, we need to know that too. I'm Liz Aiello. Join us next time, won't you, as Dr. Gary Hedrick begins his series on Israel's Coming Restoration, right here on Messianic Perspectives.