Читать книгу Worship That Touches the Heart of God - Nina Gardner - Страница 14

In the Most Holy Place, on top of the Ark of God’s presence, the mercy seat sat. It was covered in gold and mounted with two gold angels with their wings spread across the Ark. On the Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur, the fire of God came down between the angels to consume the sacrifice for the sins of the nation (Exodus 25:17-22). It was forbidden that anyone should ever remove the mercy seat covering. By God’s instructions, when the high priest entered into the Most Holy Place, he was to put a vail over the Ark of the Testimony upon the mercy seat to meet with Him. “And thou shalt put it before the vail that is by the ark of the testimony, before the mercy seat that is over the testimony, where I will meet with thee” (Exodus 30:6, emphasis added). It was upon the mercy seat where God’s fire consumed the sin offering and the glory filled the house.

When Jesus died upon the cross, the veil of the temple was torn, exposing the mercy seat and the Ark (Mark 15:38), and He became our Mercy Seat. Hebrews 4:15-16 says, “For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need” (emphasis added.) The apostle Paul, in Hebrews 10:19-21, recognized the significance of the mercy seat, and that the veil torn was the flesh of Jesus; therefore, it is only by the blood of Jesus that are we able to enter into the Holy of Holies. This is because Jesus is now our High Priest in heaven that has atoned for our sins once and for all and His mercy covers us.