The Glory

God's desire is to reveal His glory to the world.

"But as truly as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord" Numbers 14:21 (KJV).

"For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea" Habakkuk 2:14 (see also Isaiah 40:5).

But there is a serious problem that needs to be overcome before God can reveal His glory to mankind. Man, because of sin, cannot bear the glory of God.

"Then Moses said, 'Now show me your glory'...'But,' (God) said, 'you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live'" Exodus 33:18-20 (see also Revelation 6:14-17).

How, then, can God's desire be fulfilled?

The Train of His Glory

"In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on the throne, high and exalted, and the train of His robe filled the temple. Above him were seraphs, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling to one another: 'Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory'" Isaiah 6:1-3.

The 'train' of a garment literally means its 'hem' or 'skirt'. To reveal His glory to Moses, God hid him in the niche of a rock, and covered him with His hand until He had passed by. Then God took away His hand and Moses saw the 'back parts' of God's glory - he saw the trailing 'hem' or 'train' of the glory of God (Exodus 33:22-23).

The container of the train - the Temple

"Heaven is my throne and earth is my footstool..." Isaiah 66:1.

"...and I will glorify the place of my feet" Isaiah 60:13 (see also 1 Chronicles 28:2).

The purpose of the Temple was to be the vessel to contain the glory and veil it so that it could be revealed to the people (see 1 Kings 6:11; 2 Chronicles 5:14; Psalm 29:9).

Jesus - the Temple

Under the Old Covenant, God revealed His glory to natural Israel through the Temple, but the New Testament declares:

"However, the Most High does not live in houses made by men..." Acts 7:48.

When Jesus Christ, the Son of God walked the dusty streets of the earth, He was the Temple containing the glory of God and revealing it to mankind. That glory, which would have destroyed all sinners who beheld it, was now veiled by the human flesh of Jesus.

"Jesus answered them, 'Destroy this temple, and I will raise it up again in three days'. The Jews replied, 'It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?' But the temple he had spoken of was his body" John 2:19-21 .

"For God, who said, 'Let light shine out of darkness,' made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ" 2 Corinthians 4:6 (see also John 1:14; Hebrews 1:1-3; 1 John 1:1-2).

The Church - the Temple

"Firmly beneath you is the foundation, God's messengers and prophets, the actual foundation-stone being Christ Jesus himself. In him each separate piece of building, properly fitting into its neighbour, grows together into a temple consecrated to the Lord. You are all part of this building in which God himself lives by his Spirit" Ephesians 2:20-22 (Phillips) (see also 1 Corinthians 3:16; 6:19; 2 Corinthians 3:18; 1 Peter 2:5).

The world-wide Church of the Lord Jesus Christ is now the Temple of God. Just as the physical body of Jesus was the container of God's glory, so His spiritual body is a vessel whose purpose is to manifest God's glory throughout the earth.

Three Aspects of the Glory of God

His power

"The heavens declare the glory of God..." Psalm 19:1 .

"The Lord our God has shown us his glory and majesty..." Deuteronomy 5:24 (see also Exodus 19:16-20).

"Then Jesus said, 'Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?'...When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, 'Lazarus, come out!' The dead man came out..." John 11:40-44.

His character

"And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, 'The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation...Moses bowed to the ground at once and worshipped..." Exodus 34:6-8 (see also John 1:14).

His manifested presence

"As he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning. Two men, Moses and Elijah, appeared in glorious splendour, talking with Jesus...Peter and his companions were very sleepy, but when they were fully awake, they saw his glory..." Luke 9:28-35 (see also Exodus 24:15-18; 40:34-35; 2 Chronicles 7:1-3; Acts 7:55-56).

The Hem of His Garment

Read Matthew 9:20; 14:36. The little woman, in dire need and without hope, touches the hem of His robe and is healed, giving us a beautiful picture of the ministry of the Church (His Temple, filled with the train of His glory) to a lost world (see Isaiah 60:1-3).

"For the Lord will rebuild Zion and appear in his glory" Psalm 102:16 (see also Ezekiel 16:8; Hebrews 12:22. See also the picture provided by Ruth 3:7-9).

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