There was a curtain that separated the Most Holy Place from the Holy Place. Only the High Priest could enter through the curtain. Only the High Priest could approach the ark, which symbolized the presence of the Holy God. To everyone else, access was denied. And then Christ came. If we have grown up hearing about “being saved” or “making Jesus your special friend,” we can miss a whole chunk of understanding about what Jesus Christ has done for us.

I’ve lost count of how many films I’ve seen in which the tension has been ratcheted up to “climax point extreme,” and the lawyer/spy/police officer has to get into the filing room, secured by some kind of fingerprint/retina scanner/triple vault swirly dial thing, to gain access to the crucial evidence that will save the day/hero/world. Cue percussive music, beads of sweat, unconscious lip biting, and then…access denied. And again…access denied. And once more…

Access Denied. When we see it on the big screen, it’s very entertaining, but when we are faced with such messages in real life, it’s very frustrating. Forgotten your password to get onto a shopping site you used months ago? Access denied. You’re going to have to type those personal details and fill in all those address lines all over again. Left your library card on the kitchen table? Access denied. Forgot to bring your football season ticket? Nothing is getting you through those security turnstiles. Access Denied.

I wonder what Adam and Eve felt when they were driven out of the Garden of Eden, the garden where they had disobeyed their Creator. When they turned and saw the cherubim with the flaming sword turning in all directions to guard the way to the Tree of Life, there could hardly have been a more dramatic image. Access Denied. From flaming sword to flaming bush, Moses was in the wilderness when God spoke to Him through the bush that was aflame—God said “Do not come near” (Exodus 3:5).

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