Good News--The Curtain Is Gone!
2/27/05
I want to share some good news--I’m talking REAL
GOOD NEWS!
Would it be good news if starting January 1, 2008 all taxes would be done away
with? No Federal tax, no state tax and no sales tax. That’s not good news! I
have better news than that!
The words “Good News” is used 27 times in the New Testament.
Mk. 1:14 After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming
the good news of God. 15 “The time has come,” he said. “The
kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!”
The people never understood the Good News until Jesus was crucified and then
raised from the dead--then they began to understand the significance of the
Good News!
The Good News begins with the removal of the
curtain!
Mat. 27:45 From the sixth hour until the ninth hour darkness came over all
the land. 46 About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice,
“Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?”—which means, “My God, my God, why have you
forsaken me?” 47 When some of those standing there heard this, they
said, “He’s calling Elijah.” 48 Immediately one of them ran and got
a sponge. He filled it with wine vinegar, put it on a stick, and offered it to
Jesus to drink. 49 The rest said, “Now leave him alone. Let’s see if
Elijah comes to save him.” 50 And when Jesus had cried out again in
a loud voice, he gave up his spirit. 51 At that moment the
curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook
and the rocks split. 52 The tombs broke open and the bodies of many
holy people who had died were raised to life. 53 They came out of
the tombs, and after Jesus’ resurrection they went into the holy city and
appeared to many people. 54 When the centurion and those with him
who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were
terrified, and exclaimed, “Surely he was the Son of God!”
At that moment the
curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.
Only God could tear this curtain from top to
bottom, if man did it, it would have been from the bottom up!
The temple had three main parts—the courts, the Holy Place (where only the
priests could enter), and the Most Holy Place (where only the high priest could
enter, and only once a year, to atone for the sins of the nation.
Aaron had to spend hours preparing himself to
meet God.
Read Lev. 16. The LORD spoke to Moses after the death of the two sons of
Aaron who died when they approached the LORD. 2 The LORD said to
Moses: “Tell your brother Aaron not to come whenever he chooses into the
Most Holy Place behind the curtain in front of the atonement
cover on the ark, or else he will die, because I appear in the cloud over the
atonement cover...
Read the following verses...
Heb. 4:14-16; 7:11-8:13; 9:7-10; 9:19-10:18.