“This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil, where the forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus …”

Hebrews 6:19, 20

Father Matta El-Meskeen (Matthew the Poor)

IT IS TRUE that we are now a renewed creation and that we definitely received our heavenly inheritance, which Christ Jesus inaugurated when He ascended to heaven and entered to the Father recuperating His Glory for us to become partners in His reign and glory, but we are yet strangers in the world waiting for the day of becoming unbound by death. The author of the Book of Hebrews assures us that the ship of salvation on which we sail through the baptismal faith of renewal is still traversing this world’s terrible waves. The mystery the author says he discovered for us is that the ship of our salvation is not yet anchored to the earth but the ship’s mariners in charge of sailing it threw away the ship’s mystery, that is the anchor,1 behind the veil that separates those of heaven from those of earth, i.e. between Christ’s Kingdom in glory in the highest, and the earth with its misery and share of the rest of the tribulations of the enemy and disturbances on earth. When the ship of salvation set anchor behind the veil it became fixed and forbidden to advance one inch in the darkness of this world. We now are on the opposite side of the world having to accept it and go along with it till the entire ship of salvation enters within the veil, or consequently rends it. We will thus become the saved ones on the shore of safety where the saints who preceded us will greet us with the joyful acclamation of the angels leading us into Christ’s presence before God.

As for this anchor that entered the veil previously for our sake, it is Christ, glory be His name, as He crossed over into the veil and prepared a place for us among the hosts of the faithful, each with his name and place, those who were previously written in His palm.

The veil Christ passed through is the veil of death. The death of the eternal curse Adam acquired and handed down as an inheritance to his fellow kind. Christ opened up in that veil an official door leading to the world of heavenly glory. But the ship of salvation still remains standing in its place, in its critical situation, till the number of faithful is fulfilled. It will depart according to order to behind the veil, altogether, carrying all the faithful who have gained the seal of Christ and of His cross. As for those who did not acquire the seal of Christ and of His cross they will not be allowed the crossing, nay it is they who do not desire because the world’s pleasures block them where they are satisfied by them.

Those written in the palm of the anchor owner are on the contrary confident waiting and impatiently looking forward to the hour of crossing. Because of the voices of joy and acclamation heard from behind the veil of the saints who have crossed over makes their desire boil and their tears flow throughout the time of estrangement. The wonderful crossing happens when from Heaven man is called by name, and thus crosses in a second, and is received by all his faithful loved ones and the angels appointed to them on earth.

Those saved join each other and collectively form a unique image of Christ increasing the acclamations of the angels and all the heavenly hosts, because Christ for the angels is the Word of God served by them all.

The Bible describing Christ as a sure anchor gives the reader the foundation on which to build his faith: that Christ is worthy to lead His brother on a way that is impossible for humankind. The anchor being able to pierce and cross the wall of life that separates God from man and between life and death, is a unique leadership in its kind that no prophet or saint could accomplish not even an angel nor the head of angels. The anchor is God’s unique power which He placed in Christ to represent God Himself. He who leads us from death to life is the Owner of life and Conqueror of death, while the owner of death is the devil.

Knowing that God did not trust Moses nor any other prophet to lead mankind from death to life therefore our faith in Christ is incomparable in man’s life. It has been irrefutably proven that it is God, He (the same) who crossed with us from the lost first creation full of shortcomings sins and deficiencies, over to His life itself for us to enjoy the rest of our lives as a loved and glorified creation. The Book describes the anchor as sure and steadfast. This steadfastness alone makes us face a Divine truth because continual steadfastness is the nature of Divine truth. Because if the ship of our salvation through Christ pierced the barrier of death and threw its anchor behind the veil with steadfastness then our faith must inevitably be safe and steadfast while we are on the ship of salvation. Because the consistency of true faith in Christ is a complete partnership fulfilled with Christ in God.

God’s children must be joyful and happy that the action of entering into life was accomplished safely and steadfastly. We are thus reckoned as living above and not on earth. As the Bible says: “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples. As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in His love.”2

The two characteristics that join man to Christ are faith and steadfastness, on condition that faith begins by following the commandments, and then is reinforced by tribulations. Man will then gain the trial of salvation that will lead him to all knowledge of the way, as the way itself is the presence of Christ: “I am the way, the truth, and the life.”3 So that if we place our hearts and spirits in the way of Christ we will have gained Christ Himself, and he who has gained Christ has gained the truth and life.

The rent in the veil of the temple of Jerusalem at the moment of Christ’s crucifixion expressed the ceasing of the covenant of the law and the entry of generations into God’s new covenant.

The rip in the veil that separates those glorified in heaven from those suffering on earth waiting for the fulfillment of salvation depended on the Head of salvation and Christ who fulfilled it. Because crossing this veil means being visible right in front of God’s Face. It is a unique crossing from death to resurrection, from despised humanity to elevated divinity, the fullness of the Son overflowing from the fullness of the Father. Redeemed man entered into the fullness of Christ as one in the fullness of all in all.

22 June, 2005

1 The anchor is the weight attached on one side to the ship, and is thrown into the water to hold it steadfast preventing it from moving.

2 John 15:7-10.

3 John 14:6.