“And the LORD said, Behold, there is a place by Me, and thou shalt stand upon a rock: And it shall come to pass, while My glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a clift of the rock, and will cover thee with My hand while I pass by: And I will take away Mine hand, and thou shalt see My back parts: but My face shall not be seen.” Exodus 33:21–23
“The unveiled glory of God no man could look upon and live; but Moses is assured that he shall behold as much of the divine glory as he can bear in his present, mortal state. That Hand that made the world, that holds the mountains in their places, takes this man of dust–this man of mighty faith– and mercifully covers him in a cleft of the rock, while the glory of God and all His goodness pass before him. Can we marvel that ‘the excellent glory’ reflected from Omnipotence shone in Moses’ face with such brightness that the people could not look upon it? The impress of God was upon him, making him appear as one of the shining angels from the throne.” –Testimonies for the Church, vol. 4, p. 533
“It was when Moses was hidden in the cleft of the rock that he beheld the glory of God. It is when we hide in the riven Rock that Christ will cover us with His own pierced hand, and we shall hear what the Lord saith unto His servants. To us as to Moses, God will reveal Himself as ‘merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin.’ Exodus 34:6, 7.” –Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 162
“If men will walk with God, He will hide them in the cleft of the Rock. Thus hidden, they can see God, even as Moses saw Him. By the power and light that He imparts they can comprehend more and accomplish more than their finite judgment had deemed possible.” –The Acts of the Apostles, p. 362
“Now the question is, Are you gaining in the knowledge of the truth? Have you a living connection with Jesus Christ? You see Abraham had, and he talked with angels, and he could ask a favor of them. You see that Moses had a living connection with God, and his earnest petition was that he might see the glory of God. ‘Show me Thy glory,’ was his petition. Well now, the Lord did not rebuke him for making that request; he was not presumptuous in trying to know more of God and His glory. But we see that that mighty man of faith was hid in a cleft of the rock, and the hand of God was placed over the rock, and then He revealed to him His glory.” –This Day With God, p. 95
“To hearts that have become purified through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, all is changed. These can know God. Moses was hid in the cleft of the rock when the glory of the Lord was revealed to him; and it is when we are hid in Christ that we behold the love of God.” –Maranatha, p. 88
“The Lord has been waiting long to impart the greatest, truest joys to the heart. All those who look to Him with undivided hearts, He will greatly bless. Those who have thus looked to Him have caught more distinct views of Jesus as their sin bearer, their all-sufficient sacrifice, and have been hid in the cleft of the Rock, to behold the Lamb of God who taketh away the sins of the world. When we have a sense of Christ’s sacrifice in our behalf, our lips are tuned to the highest, loftiest themes of praise.”–Counsels to Parents, Teachers and Students, p. 369–370
“The night of trial is nearly spent. Satan is bringing in his masterly power because he knoweth that his time is short. The chastisement of God is upon the world, to call all who know the truth to hide in the cleft of the Rock, and view the glory of God. The truth must not be muffled now. Plain statements must be made. Unvarnished truth must be spoken, in leaflets and pamphlets, and these must be scattered like the leaves of autumn.” –Testimonies for the Church, vol. 9, p. 231
“Present truth to the people. Work as if in full view of the whole universe of heaven. We have not time to lose–not a moment. Important issues must soon be met, and we need to be hidden in the cleft of the rock, that we may see Jesus, and be quickened by His Holy Spirit.” –Testimonies for the Church, vol. 7, p. 154
Ellen G. White