Blinded Minds - 2 Corinthians 3 Part 4 - Supernatural Truth in Christ

Due to the fact that it’s been awhile (too long in my opinion), let’s take a moment to recap where we’re at in this chapter.

The last post covered verses 7-9. In these, Paul gives us a quick run down of the differences between the Old Covenant versus the New. To describe these, he called the old the “Ministration of Death,” or the “Ministration of Condemnation.”

The New, he referred to as the “Ministration of the Spirit,” or the “Ministration of Righteousness.” Our last post discussed the differences between all of these, including how and why the newer ministration is far greater than the former.

In the verses that follow (below), Paul explains to us how the glory of the new excels and outshines the former.

10 For even that which was made glorious had no glory in this respect, by reason of the glory that excelleth.
11 For if that which is done away was glorious, much more that which remaineth is glorious.
12 Seeing then that we have such hope, we use great plainness of speech:
13 And not as Moses, which put a veil over his face, that the children of Israel could not steadfastly look to the end of that which is abolished:
14 But their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same vail untaken away in the reading of the old testament; which vail is done away in Christ.
2 Corinthians 3:10-14

Behind the Veil

The Face of Moses

It’s interesting that the Apostle Paul continues to use the glorified and shining face of Moses to further his point, as he states his case to the Church of Corinth of the greatness of the New Covenant.

As the face of Moses was placed behind a veil, so was all of the indicators of Christ placed behind a veil throughout the New Testament. The puns, examples, likenesses, foretellings, symbolisms, and practices, all point directly to the coming of the King of Kings, and also of his second coming in many circumstances.

And these are what’s easy for us to find, nevermind the intricacies that the Spirit of the Lord placed within the text itself! The late Chuck Missler produced a video quite a while ago discussing some of these incredible affirmations called “Hidden Treasures of the Bible.” Click the link to check out the video if you haven’t already seen it.

John 5:
37 And the Father himself, which hath sent me, hath borne witness of me. Ye have neither heard his voice at any time, nor seen his shape. 38 And ye have not his word abiding in you: for whom he hath sent, him ye believe not.

39 Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me. 40 And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life.

Couldn’t see past the Veil

But the knowledge of the glory to come was placed behind a veil, just as the glory on the face of Moses was placed behind a veil. The evidence of this veil is exposed as Jesus walked and talked amongst the people of Israel all those years ago.

In those days, the veil was removed from the minds and hearts of those who the Father allowed. These were the true believers, and those who abandoned all to follow Christ. For example, when Peter confessed Jesus as the Messiah, Jesus said that it was by the Father that he was able to determine such a thing.

Matthew 16:
15 He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?

16 And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.

17 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.

Not the others, who followed him around to see what they could get from him, like in the circumstance of the loaves and fishes. Or to see a show, as if he was a magician. Also, not those who made it a point to attempt to catch him up in legalities (spiritually as well as physically). The veil remained over the minds of these folks, and Jesus made that perfectly clear over several occasions.

In verse 14, Paul points his comment toward the Jews who read the Old Testament under the tradition that began with Moses; wearing a veil while reading aloud. He likens this to their understanding concerning what the text is saying, and about whom.

This veil hung over minds of people during Paul’s time, and still remains to this day. It may differ from people to people, or person to person, in regard to what that veil is called (different religions, beliefs, doubts), but they are veils draping over the hearts and minds of folks nonetheless.

Not to keep glory being seen from within as with Moses, but to keep people from bearing witness to the glory of God through Christ Jesus.

Giving Sight to Blinded Minds

Paul continues in verse 14, telling us that in Christ, this veil is done away with. However, without Christ (or outside of Christ) the veil remains. This is why (or so I believe), so many people wind up butchering the Word of God. They are interpreting the Word without the veil being lifted by its Author.

Being Blind is a Condition

Paul says that their minds are “blinded.” I don’t know about you, but I’ve never met anyone who wished that they could be blind. As far as I can tell, there are three different ways someone can be blinded.

They were born without the ability to see.
Something traumatic happens in the span of one’s life to remove that person’s ability to see- accident, injury, etc..
Vision deteriorates more rapidly throughout the course of one’s life than it would with other people- A condition, malnutrition, or disease.

No matter the reason, nobody wakes up one day and makes the conscious decision to be blinded for the rest of their lives, do they? I’d venture to guess not, and I’d also venture to guess that nobody would deliberately be willing to be spiritually blind (or spiritually dead) as well.

It’s a condition rather than a choice. Spiritually speaking, we all have several opportunities to receive our spiritual sight, or to have that veil done away with in Christ Jesus. But all of us born into this world are in need of a savior; that’s our condition, our blindness, our veil.

Only the Father through the Lord Jesus Christ can remove the veil and heal blinded minds. The veil is abolished in Christ. Yet the world gives us so many counterfeit alternatives- and this becomes our struggle as well as our mission field.

As many of us know, unfortunately, people make the choice to stay spiritually veiled or blinded when they reject their opportunity to receive Christ, and be made whole. Most of the time, the spiritually blind are convinced that they are actively seeing, due to the pitfalls and deceptions out there.

Jesus – Life’s Main Ingredient

Having the veil lifted off of our minds and hearts through and in Christ Jesus causes for us to see things more clearly. We can see far beyond that obstacle we call death, into an eternity that greatly outweighs any goodness or glory we’re experiencing in the present.

We can read the Word of God prayerfully, and have the words of the Lord made plain to our eyes, revealing through the Spirit things that we’d never comprehend in and of ourselves. These are monumental things that shape our attitude toward our future, and allow us to boldly run the race that leads us directly to the throneroom of God.

All made possible through the love and our relationship with God the Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ. That veil is lifted, and light has entered our eyes, touching the soul, and empowering our spirit. The light of the glory of the Lord!

Conclusion

There’s one last thought that I’d like to point out to conclude this message.

When Jesus hung upon the cross, and gave up the ghost, many different things happened physically around Jerusalem. We can read accounts of these things toward the end of every gospel, all rendering different accounts of the aftermath.

But there’s something that relates to the topic at hand.

When Jesus died upon the cross at Calvary, the veil of the temple of the Lord rent in two!

Matthew 27:
50 Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost. 51 And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent;

52 And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, 53 And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many.

Just as we’ve been talking about all along, the veil was torn and rendered useless; exposing the once hidden and forbidden dwelling place of the Lord to all. With the veil removed, the Holy of Holies was made visible, accessable, and plain for all to see.

Thanks for Making it to the End!

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Blinded Minds – 2 Corinthians 3 Part 4