Matthew 27:51 NIRV

At that moment the temple curtain was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook. The rocks split.

Yesterday we started to examine the Torn Curtain, which tore when Jesus died. God is speaking to me about this because He desires to do a work in us. He desires to free us, open our eyes, and protect us.

Yesterday we looked at the factor of exposure in the act of the tearing, shaking and splitting that occurred.

Today we look at the factor of extension. You may wonder what I mean.

God has caused me to meditate on this aspect from a historical and prophetic view!

The extension which God does in the tearing of the curtain has to do with the extending of mercy and the extending of grace.

It has to do historically about what happened in the moments after the curtain tore and what historically happened.  I believe God wants to show us the meaning of His extending mercy and what this means, and the difference between when God extends Grace to us.

We must study this learning from history attempting to interpret God’s ways in how He operated in history. We see Jesus approaching Jerusalem in Luke 19. We see Jesus weep over the city. We see an affirmation there;
Luke 19:42 NIRV

He said, “I wish you had known today what would bring you peace! But now it is hidden from your eyes.

Or rather that they had not nor would recognize the day of their visitation. Their visitation was Jesus Himself. But they were so blinded that not only would the leadership miss it, but it would be this leadership down 40 years that would experience an extension of mercy. This extension is the propagation of signs and men of God who would challenge the leadership to change their vision, their attitude. 

So we must go back to the temple when the curtain tore. We see that from what Paul says in Romans 10:3 that they erected the curtain again even though all knew that the place was without glory.

Romans 10:3 KJV

For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.

The Torn curtain in this light was a change brought about. It was time to embrace God’s righteousness in Christ. But instead what we see is a prevailing attitude of establishing a form of righteousness which was pleasing to them, and does not challenge them to seek that change. Rather like Eli the priest in 1 Samuel who did not repent even though the Lord had decreed judgment. They preferred to hang onto the physical forms rather than seek celestial forms even though that would have presented them with dangerous precedents in a dangerous time. They preferred a empty house rather than partake of a new spiritual house which descended upon all on the Day of Pentecost. Not descended in the Temple but a small Upper Room.

How sad!

And how familiar that sounds today! The seeds of revolution are in the air, the same occupation and invasion upon our liberty is all around us. It is in this dangerous time when powerful groups control governments and opinions that a radical visitation is about to take place. But as history shows, it is often the leadership of the day who remain ignorant of the righteousness of God and erect again what has been torn down.

When we look at history even when the Church was born in power all down those 40 years the sanhedrin, leadership of the Temple, oppose the work of the Spirit. Even Stephen exhorted them in Acts 7 that they would always resist the Spirit. God extends a special mercy so that these leaders could hear and recognise and maybe turn. Like the departing Glory of Ezekiel 11, never fully going but pausing as it departs, in case the leaders repent.

The day came however that that same mercy runs out. God allowed Titus to destroy the Temple and spread the people around the earth for 2000 years.

This is a warning today. God is extending a special mercy upon leaders in case they recognise the thing which He has raised up. And not persecute those so flowing in the things of God.

We come to the contrasting extension of grace. Here God raises up a new “temple” not made with hands. And this is sealed with a special presence and power of the Spirit. So powerful that even a shadow would heal. We see even though their own brethren persecuted them and betrayed them that God takes them to many nations. This extension of grace starts the programme of God of preparing the earth for Christ. Putting His enemies under His feet.

We see a parallel in the transition between Saul and David. The Spirit departs from Saul and alights upon David preparing him for kingship. We see however Saul who is now in torment whilst David is in triumph. How much more today. God is raising up a new leadership but the old will not step aside and can account for the many stories of abuse, persecution. 

The Torn Curtain is a demarcation between the extension of mercy which waits for repentance,  and the extension  of grace which brings restoration and a dispensation  where His Glory comes and dwells with man.

Today if you hear His Voice harden not your heart…

Shalom!!!