Can I Access God For Myself?

One of the questions that seem to plague many Christians today is the question of access to God Himself. The answer is YES! I have myself at one time wondered why did God need a mediator between Himself and us? Of course I learned as time progressed that this only supposed to be in place until Jesus came to die for us on the cross and pay the heavy price of sin for us all. One thing that happened that signified the change from needing priest to represent us and going to God directly involved the curtain being torn in the temple at the moment of Christ's death on the cross.

During the lifetime of Jesus, the holy temple in Jerusalem was the center of Jewish religious life not unlike how our churches are for us today. The temple was the place where animal sacrifices were carried out and worship according to the Law of Moses was followed faithfully. Hebrews 9:1-9 tells us that in the temple a veil separated the Holy of Holies—the earthly dwelling place of God’s presence—from the rest of the temple where men dwelt. This signified that man was separated from God by sin (Isaiah 59:1-2). Only the high priest was permitted to pass beyond this veil once each year (Exodus 30:10; Hebrews 9:7) to enter into God's presence for all of Israel and make atonement for their sins (Leviticus 16).

Solomon's temple was 30 cubits high (1 Kings 6:2), but Herod had increased the height to 40 cubits, according to the writings of Josephus, a first century Jewish historian. There is uncertainty as to the exact measurement of a cubit, but it is safe to assume that this veil was somewhere near 60 feet high. Josephus also tells us that the veil was four inches thick and that horses tied to each side could not pull the veil apart. The book of Exodus teaches that this thick veil was fashioned from blue, purple and scarlet material and fine twisted linen.

With the veil being constructed so durable and ceremonial for it to be ripped in two by any force was a miraculous occurrence in itself. The scriptures say that “...when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit. At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom” (Matthew 27:50-51a).

So, what do we make of this? What significance does this torn veil have for us today? Above all, the tearing of the veil at the moment of Jesus' death dramatically symbolized that His sacrifice, the shedding of His own blood, was a sufficient atonement for sins. It signified that now the way into the Holy of Holies was open for all people, for all time, both Jew and Gentile.

When Jesus died, the veil was torn, and God moved out of that place never again to dwell in a temple made with hands (Acts 17:24). God was through with that temple and its religious system, and the temple and Jerusalem were left “desolate” (destroyed by the Romans) in A.D. 70, just as Jesus prophesied in Luke 13:35. As long as the temple stood, it signified the continuation of the Old Covenant. Hebrews 9:8-9 refers to the age that was passing away as the new covenant was being established (Hebrews 8:13).

In a sense, the veil was symbolic of Christ Himself as the only way to the Father (John 14:6). This is indicated by the fact that the high priest had to enter the Holy of Holies through the veil. Now Christ is our superior High Priest, and as believers in His finished work, we partake of His better priesthood. We can now enter the Holy of Holies through Him. Hebrews 10:19-20 says that the faithful enter into the sanctuary by the “blood of Jesus, by the new and living way which he opened for us through the veil, that is, through his flesh.” Here we see the image of Jesus’ flesh being torn for us just as He was tearing the veil for us.

The veil being torn from top to bottom is a fact of history. The profound significance of this event is explained in glorious detail in Hebrews. The things of the temple were shadows of things to come, and they all ultimately point us to Jesus Christ. He was the veil to the Holy of Holies, and through His death the faithful now have free access to God.

The veil in the temple was a constant reminder that sin renders humanity unfit for the presence of God. The fact that the sin offering was offered annually and countless other sacrifices repeated daily showed graphically that sin could not truly be atoned for or erased by mere animal sacrifices. Jesus Christ, through His death, has removed the barriers between God and man, and now we may approach Him with confidence and boldness (Hebrews 4:14-16).

So the question may come to mind... “Why do some religious groups still believe in a priest being needed to confess my sins and make communication with God?” Where is this in the scriptures that I need to speak with a mediator to speak with and commune with the God I know who is Jesus Christ? The answer is a surprise to many who anyone who are familiar with this sort of system. No where in scripture does Jesus or The Apostles ever make a declaration that we needed a mediator between God and us. Nope. You won't find it anywhere. In fact as I have stated before Jesus is our High Priest and we only need to go to Him. Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me. (John 14:6) and made no allusions to anything different. Not His mother, not a priest of any kind or through any pilgrimage or penance. Jesus said through HIM!

What a relief this is to the truth seeker! Matthew 7:7 confirms this in that if “Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you.” I truly believe in my whole heart that Jesus knew this. That's why He said that “For false messiahs and false prophets will rise up and perform great signs and wonders so as to deceive, if possible, even God's chosen ones.” (Matthew 24:24) So don't feel bad... if you were deceived you can solve that problem right now by opening your heart and soul to Jesus Christ and know that we can go to God for our needs without shame! “So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.” (Hebrews 4:16)

So I ask you today if you are in a religious system that compels you to:

• Confess sins to a priest
• Tell you that you cannot go to God without help from them
• Perform a ritual to be forgiven of sins
• Read their interpretation of what God is saying to you
• Not read the Bible at all unless its THEIR translation
• Take a long trip to make God happy
• Do things that are not in the Holy Bible (which contains 66 books AND NO MORE)

or telling you that:

• You can't go before God because you are too flawed
• God is always angry and wants to punish you and that you need to pray to someone else to help calm Jesus down since they have influence to get your petitions known to Him
• You can't understand the Bible so let us teach it to you for you
• Jesus can't forgive sin because he was a man
• If you follow me and what I say you will get to Heaven
• Questioning your faith is a sin
• You need an additional book besides the Bible to get the whole picture

I suggest that you run away from that system IMMEDIATELY and began to call on Jesus directly for yourself! He will hear you if you call from a sincere heart that wants to know Him and His ways! I promise you that! Jesus is a free gift that is open to all. Any system that denies Jesus is God or denies you access to Him is a phony and a trick of the DEVIL. Don't believe me... read it for yourself!

I am not here to make this stuff up or to bash another religion. I simply read the Bible as it is and I ask Jesus for understanding and He gives it to any that ask. It's that simple! You are the beloved of Jesus and He is waiting for you to scream out that you need Him. You are able to be saved by believing in Him and asking Him to come into your heart. Don't go asking your priest, “spiritual covering”, imam or anyone about your questions, but truly cry out to God and ask Him for help. You don't need a man or woman to be saved by Jesus... you just need the truth and to call out to Jesus with a sincere heart. Read His Word and digest it like a meal. If you can't understand the language I suggest the New Living Translation or the Bible in Basic English to get started. Translations sponsored by a denomination are a NO-NO! Most importantly pray and ask Jesus for wisdom! If you need some help you can always email me and I will do what I can over the email communication system to help you! Just get help TODAY!

I implore anyone who is not saved or sure of where you will spend eternity please ask Jesus to forgive you of your sins and that you wish Him to be the Lord of your life. No matter what you've done and no matter what you've been you are forgivable and Jesus will accept you back as His own. We all have to come to Jesus as broken and flawed as we are because He knows this and still loves us! No sinner's prayer and no pomp and circumstance. Just a one-to-one conversation with Jesus. Find a church that is focused on the Bible and not religion and then begin to read that same Bible like your life depended on it. Trust me, if you really want Jesus to live in and through you He will do just that.

God Bless You All!