Let me at this point call our attention to something that should be noted about spiritual blindness: 

Being blind spiritually is not equivalent to ones inability to see vision.This teaching is not on how your eyes can be opened to see vision for people.In fact,your ability to see visions does not mean you can’t be spiritually blind.There are many prophets that are spiritually blind which means if you follow them,it might be the case of a blind leading the blind:”And if the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit.”- Matt 15:1

What was the nature of spiritual blindness that was ravaging the land of Israel before Christ came? It was simply: Lack of understanding of God’s words.They were not able to grasp the progressive revelation of God to men.

Many of them could read the words but it is a pity,they were blind,so they read rubbish.Others could read the letters,but they lacked understanding of the words!

Do you want to know the genesis of the spiritual blindness that pervaded the land of Israel? This is it:

When Israelites went into prostitution,God  punished them by sealing up His words! The implication is this:The learned among them couldn’t understand His words because they were sealed and  the  illiterate couldn’t read His words because they lacked understanding . Please pay attention to the scripture I want to quote now:

“For the Lord has poured out on you the spirit of  deep sleep,
And has closed your eyes, namely, the prophets;
And He has covered your heads, namely the seers.

The whole vision has become to you like the words of a book that is sealed, which men deliver to one who is literate, saying, “Read this, please.”

And he says, “I cannot, for it is sealed.”

Then the book is delivered to one who is illiterate, saying, “Read this, please.”

And he says, “I am not literate.”-Isaiah 29:10-12.

Such was the level of spiritual blindness when Christ began his ministry.God actually caused the prophets and seers to be in deep sleep because of their disobedience.

Is our generation better off? No! The level of spiritual blindness today is overwhelming.Many go to church and come back without being blessed either by the message or the ‘messenger’! While some preachers inaccurately divide the truth due to their lack of understanding themselves,many of the listeners become more confused due to their own spiritual blindness.In order not to miss out completely,some use all their energy to dance in the name of “worshipping” God like David did and when it is time to hear God’s word,they doze off. If you ask them what they learnt from the program they went for: “The instrumentalists and the song leader were awesome”,they respond.

Whenever reading the Bible is boring or dry,just know that the Bible you are holding is sealed! You are spiritually blind!Don’t feel insulted please,I said that based on what the scripture says. Okay?

Let’s read the  book of Acts of Apostle 8:26-40. Philip was asked to join the chariot of an Africa man(from Ethiopia) who coincidentally was coming from Jerusalem on pilgrimage.He went there to worship God but was spiritually blind before and after coming from Jerusalem.

This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship, and on his way home was sitting in his chariot reading the Book of Isaiah the prophet.The Spirit told Philip, “Go to that chariot and stay near it.” Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. “Do you understand what you are reading?” Philip asked.

“How can I,” he said, “unless someone explains it to me?” So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.

The Ethiopian Eunuch was reading a ‘sealed’ book! Many people woke up this morning just to read a ‘sealed’ Bible:Boring morning devotion just to fulfil all righteousness. When what you read in your morning devotion does not make ‘sense’ or too abstract then you are probably reading a sealed portion of the Bible.

There are many Jerusalem pilgrims today that are spiritually blind!Likewise,many go to church every Sunday to read about the historical Jesus,they lack understanding about what Jesus can do NOW.

More importantly,many preachers  need to work on their spiritual eyes,so that people like the Ethiopian eunuch in their congregation can get the revelational knowledge of Christ.

Jesus emphasised this here:

“The disciples came to him and asked, “Why do you speak to the people in parables?”

He replied, “Because the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them…”

Jesus said this knowledge has been unsealed for the disciples but to others it is hidden.

Apostle Paul further nailed it when he said:

But the people’s minds were hardened, and to this day whenever the old covenant is being read, the same veil covers their minds so they cannot understand the truth. And this veil can be removed only by believing in Christ

Yes, even today when they read Moses’ writings, their hearts are covered with that veil, and they do not understand.-2Cor 3:14-15.

Apostle Paul said till now if you teach or read Moses’ writings without taking Christ’s finished work on the cross into perspective,you are still veiled! The veil is still on the old covenant! Apply caution when you read it or else you will be misled. Little wonder,there are many conflicts today about so many scriptures among believers.I am perplexed when some people will just pick a verse in isolation from the old testament without looking at it from the angle of Christ’s mission on earth.

In summary,spiritual blindness is characterized by inability to comprehend God’s words symbolically,prophetically or personally.