But even to this day, when Moses is read, a veil lies on their heart. Nevertheless when one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.

  - 2 Corinthians 3.15, 16

For the Lord knew when he made the world that man would transgress the commandment which was uttered to him. That is why the veil of heaven has been placed before the faces and eyes of men, so that they cannot behold the blessedness of heaven and the throne of God.

  - Anonymous, In Tengua Bithnua, Old Irish, 9th century[1]

We live in an increasingly secular age. As Charles Taylor explained, thinkers for the past 150 years have worked mightily to “disenchant” the world, to rid us of any notions of there being anything beyond what we can see, feel, hear, taste, or smell (A Secular Age).

In many ways, it’s clear, they have succeeded. For many people today, when it comes to spiritual realities, there’s just no there there. Or, if there is, it’s not something about which to give much thought. The unseen realm is veiled from them, and that by their own choice.

It’s not surprising that unbelievers have trouble with the idea of an unseen world. They’re just being consistent in their beliefs. If you start by insisting that nothing exists except whatever is accessible to the senses, then that’s where you’ll end up. So don’t despise the unbelieving secularist; rather, pity him, and have compassion on him. He’s seeing as far as he can see, given the veil that covers his eyes.

But what’s our excuse?

We who claim to believe in Jesus Christ and call upon Him for forgiveness and renewal, what’s our excuse for not seeing clearly into the unseen realm? We know Jesus is exalted to the right hand of God, and we read that we have been seated there with Him (Eph. 2.6). We are given glimpses of Him, exalted in glory, and are commanded to set our minds there (Col. 3.1-3). Generations of our forebears have left glowing testimonies in art, song, and literature concerning the radiant beauty of our exalted Lord and the mysteries that reside with Him beyond the veil.

What’s our excuse for not looking through the veil of this secular age to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and meditate in His presence (Ps. 27.4)?

Paul says that for all those who turn to the Lord, the veil that separates this world from that one where Jesus reigns at the right hand of God is removed. Now, with the eyes of faith, we can see much farther and much more clearly than we could before we came to faith (Eph. 1.15-23). We can see wonders and beautiful landscapes where Christ is enthroned in glory, surrounded by saints and angels, prosecuting His agenda in an economy of grace and truth that advances across the face of the earth and the pages of history.

We can see clear through to the end of history and beyond, to the new heaven and new earth, where righteousness dwells, and where we will one day live forever with the Lord in glory.

But don’t you think, if we really saw, really and truly gazed upon those unseen wonders in convincing ways, that we would be more excited about living as citizens and ambassadors of that realm? More outspoken about the world beyond the veil, and the possibilities of entering it?

Many Christians are simply practicing secularists for the greater part of their lives. They sing about the wonders of Christ and heaven, but they live as though this is an experience for the then and there, and has little or nothing to do with the here and now.

They who are able to gaze upon the unseen beauty of Christ, but will not, may as well have the veil across their faces yet.

Why should we live this way, when that veil has been removed?

The veil is removed in Jesus. The beauty of God and exalted vistas of spiritual glory await us in the Word of the Lord. The secularist may confidently declare his belief in the non-existence of such realities. But should we allow his boasting to keep us from living beyond the veil?

Psalm 99.1, 2, 9; 4, 5, 9 (Sine Nomine: “For All the Saints”)
The Lord is King! Let all the peoples quake!
He rules above the angels; let earth shake!
Amid His people Jesus Christ is great! Exalt the Savior! Exalt the Savior!

You have established strength and equity:
Before Your throne, O Lord, we bend the knee.
To You, O Savior, praise and honor be – Exalt the Savior! Exalt the Savior!

Heavenly Father, grant me comradeship with the angels in their thousands, to praise you and serve you day by day. Adapted from Colum Cille, Altus Prosator

The Landscape of Unseen Things
We are citizens of a heavenly Kingdom. Should we learn a bit more about this wondrous domain, and how to make our way around in it?

To help you in this, we’ve prepared a series of studies of Jesus exalted in glory, saints and angels serving Him, and how to access this realm beyond the veil. Order your copy of The Landscape of Unseen Things by clicking here, and begin living the full extent of your Kingdom citizenship beyond the veil in the presence of our exalted Lord and King.

Let’s bring a little “enchantment” back to the world, shall we?

T. M. Moore, Principal
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

All Psalms for singing from The Ailbe Psalter. Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.