Jesus in the Old Testament

 "But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the vail is upon their heart. Nevertheless when it shall turn to the Lord, the vail shall be taken away." (2Cor. 3:15,16).

These days looking unto Jesus is getting harder to do. Does looking unto Jesus mean imagining His face? Do I need a strong imagination to be a strong Christian? Is Christianity the practice of using the face of Jesus for an imaginary icon? Is His face the power of God unto salvation? Righteousness by imagination?

But Paul continues his thought to the Corinthian believers. "For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." (2Cor. 4:6).

Yes, the face of Jesus is central to the gospel. But not by our best efforts to imagine His face. That has been the mistake of Dark Ages' votives for endless wormwood torment.

The biblical method of righteousness came by knowledge--biblical knowledge--"the light of the knowledge of the glory of God". Letting the words, stories, parables, the big picture depicted in both New and Old Testaments paint a picture of Jesus in the conscience. There, in our subconscious mind is where the brush of the Lord paints the image of Himself. Then, along with the picture of Himself developing, righteousness develops mysteriously in the Christian's character.

By beholding, we become changed. "But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord." (2Cor. 3:18).

But, doesn't the Spirit do the painting of the Lord? Yes, it is the Spirit's work to paint and to affect the mysterious work of changing our character after the divine character. But the Spirit is the Lord Jesus Himself. "Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty." (Vs. 17).

Notice the wording of Paul. Not only is Jesus the Spirit, but also Jesus has the Spirit ("the Spirit of the Lord"). He is a Spirit ("a quickening  Spirit"), and He has a Spirit. As Jesus had the word of God, the knowledge of God so much filled His every thought that He was the Word of God. He was the epistle of God, therefore was filled to the brim with the thoughts of God. His testimony is the word of God, and thus constitutes all the inspired Word of God. The Spirit of Christ is the Spirit of prophecy. The testimony of Jesus is the Spirit of Jesus. It's all about Jesus. The whole Bible and Spirit of Prophecy is from Jesus, and it's about God through His only begotten Son.

But, why cannot Adventists today accept this wonderful truth? Why have they not been able to read into the veiled words of Ellen White in the Desire of Ages the same non-trinitarian truth that Jesus gave His Advent Movement at its beginning? I must blame our own Babylonian captivity after Ellen White died.

"Their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same vail untaken away in the reading of the [Spirit of Prophecy]; which vail is done away in Christ. But even unto this day, when [Ellen White] is read, the vail is upon their heart." (Vs. 14,15).