CHAPTER 2
Hear this: But as truly as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord (Numbers 14:21). Praise the Lord! Here is a promise made by God, made on the very authority of His own existence, As truly as I live. He has made a promise that is yet to take place, but shall. All the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord. Oh, that day! No wonder at the end of the Bible are these words, Even so come, Lord Jesus. (Revelation 22:20)
Another promise: For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea. (Habakkuk 2:14).
The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain: And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see ft together: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it. (Isaiah 40:3-5)…. Lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God! Behold, the Lord God will come. (Isaiah 40:9, 10).
Two points:
God is glorious! and He wants us to be glorious! — a reflection of Himself.
God is glorious! What is this glory? How do we conceive of this glory? The glory of God has surely been revealed In the Bible with brightness, light, fire, and shining.
The glory of God in essence is “all that God is!” Everything about God is glorious!
His love is glorious! —it’s glorious to be loved by God.
His forgiveness is glorious — to be washed clean from our sins by the blood of Jesus.
His grace is glorious – – While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8)
His righteousness is glorious.
His truth is glorious.
His purity is glorious.
His kindness is glorious.
His universe is glorious.
His Heaven is glorious.
His way is glorious.
His creation is glorious.
His Word is glorious.
Glory, glory, glory – – – every quality that is desirable is God. His glory is all that God — His fullness. From Genesis to Revelation the unfolding of God’s glory is revealed. God is seeking to reveal Himself, to make Himself known to all mankind.
The glory begins at the first verse in the Bible: In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. (Genesis 1:1) How profound, powerful, creative, and … glorious! In the beginning … God … created … the Heaven and the earth! How wonderful!
Another glimpse of God is when he revealed Himself to Abraham in a vision: And when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram… and it was dark, behold a smoking furnace, and a burning lamp that passed between those pieces. (Genesis 15:12, 17)
The Bible is so full of revelation of the glory of the Lord, but let us just take a few of these and let God’s revealed word in the Scripture speak for itself:
And Moses went up into the mount, and a cloud covered the mount. And the glory of the Lord abode upon Mount Sinai… and the sight of the glory of the Lord was like a devouring fire on the top of the mount in the eyes of the children of Israel. And Moses went into the midst of the cloud… (Exodus 24:15-18).
Later these words were recorded: And it came to pass, as Moses entered into the tabernacle, the cloudy pillar descended, and stood at the door of the tabernacle and the Lord talked with Moses. And the Lord spake unto Moses face to face as a man speaketh unto his friend. (Exodus 33:9-11). In this glorious encounter with God, Moses makes a request. He said, Show me now thy way, that I may know thee, that I might find grace in thy sight. (Exodus 33:13).
You see, in the revelation of the glory of God, it is not to be a spectacle to be viewed in wonder; it is for our need and fullness. Hear God say, My presence shall go with thee. (Exodus 33:14). God wants us to know Him. He is not hiding from us, but is in every way seeking to reveal Himself to us! Hallelujah!
Then Moses said, show me thy Glory! (Exodus 33:18). A man In the flesh standing in the very presence of God, said, “Lord, show me thy glory; I want to know all about You …” Then God said, Thou cannot see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live. 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 cleft of the rock, and will cover thee with my hand while I pass by: and thou shalt see my back parts: but my face shall not be seen. (Exodus 33:20-23). God said, “Moses, I’ll have My glory pass by you.” Oh, that God might reveal His glory right now to you. I don’t mean as a demonstration, or a gimmick but God will reveal His glory to those who seek to know Him.
God’s glory descended upon the tabernacle, and there the cloud of the Lord was upon the tabernacle by day, and fire was on it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel, throughout all their journeys. . . and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. (Exodus 40:38, 35).
God revealed His glory to Isaiah in the temple: I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of Hosts: the whole earth is full of His glory. (Isaiah 6:1, 3). In the midst of the glory of God, Isaiah cried out; Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips. But God took his iniquity away and purged him from his sins. (Isaiah 6:5, 7).
The glory of God is revealed not to be a spectacle for our eyes, but for inspiration for our souls!
The Heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament showeth his handiwork. (Psalm 19:1).
Who is this King of Glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, O ye gates; even lift them up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in. (Psalm 24: 11-9).
Be thou exalted, O God, above the Heavens; let thy glory be above all the earth. (Psalm 46:10).
Daniel (Chapter 7) describes what he saw like this:
I kept looking until thrones were set up,
And the Ancient of Days took His seat;
His vesture was like white snow,
And the hair of His head like pure wool.
His throne was ablaze with flames,
Its wheels were as burning fire.
A river of fire was flowing and coming out from before Him;
Thousands upon thousands were attending Him… (Verses 9-10)
And behold, with the clouds of heaven
One like a Son of Man was coming,
And He came up to the Ancient of Days
And was presented before Him.
And to Him was given dominion, glory and a kingdom,
That all the peoples, nations, and men of every language
Might serve Him.
His dominion is an everlasting dominion
Which will not pass away;
And His kingdom is one which will not be destroyed.
(Verses 13-14).
The Lord is great, and greatly to be praised. (Psalms 104:31).
To make know to the sons of men His mighty acts, and the glorious majesty of His Kingdom. (Psalms 145:12).
The Lord shall cause His glorious voice to be heard. (Isaiah 30:30).
Everyone that is called by my name; for I have created him for my glory. I have formed him; yea I have made him. This people have I formed for myself; they shall show forth my praise. (Isaiah 43:7, 21).
As the Heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. (Isaiah 55:9).
Arise, shine, for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee . . . and His glory shall be seen upon thee . . . and the Lord shall be unto thee an everlasting light, and thy God thy glory. (Isaiah 60:1, 2, 19).
His glory covered the Heavens and the earth was full of His praise. (Habakkuk 3:3).
Above the firmament that was over their heads was the likeness of a throne, as the appearance of a sapphire stone; and upon the likeness of the throne was the likeness as the appearance of a man above it. And I saw as the color of amber, as the appearance of fire around about within it; from the appearance of His loins even upward and from the appearance of His loins downward, I saw as it were the appearance of fire, and it had brightness round about; as the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud in the day of rain, so was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. (Ezekiel 1:26-28).
Now, In the New Testament… from the angels as they welcomed the birth of Jesus: Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. (Luke 2:14).
And from the lips of Jesus, as He taught us how to pray: Our Father, which art in Heaven, hallowed be thy name… Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. (Matthew 6:9, 13).
My God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:19).
Every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God thy Father. (Philippians 2:11).
To the only wise God our Savior, be glory and honor and power; for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created. (Jude 25; Revelation 4:11).
Oh is that enough! Not yet; there is more; from the beginning of the Bible to the end there is this thrilling revelation of that which is to come: And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, having the glory of God. The city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it; for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof. (Revelation 21:10, 11, 23).
God is glorious — of this there is no doubt or question! Glory, glory, glory!
God is glorious. But how does the glory of God relate to us, to the world? Hang on; listen to this:
Now the Lord is that Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord. (II Corinthians 3:17-18).
Now get this picture: We stand like before a mirror looking into the glass and as we look, we see the glory of the Lord reflected in the mirror. There before us is revealed the glory of God. We are thrilled and almost overcome with awe in the presence of such glory. Then, as we are looking at the glory, “we are changed into the same image.” I almost burst with joy at this thrilling — how awesome! … to see in the mirror the glory of God and then “to be changed into the same image!” How can we stand it! Praise the Lord!
How awesome, how wonderful to look into a mirror and see the glory of God. God is glorious, but what is so staggering is that He wants His glory in us! As we look we are changed into the “same image”; we start looking like Him!! We become mirrors of Him: reflecting in our lives, work, deeds, and spirit the likeness of Jesus!
If your business fails – the glory is there.
Even if friends forsake you – the glory is there.
When you are all alone,
and feel you are in a vacuum
you are not alone –
you are not in a vacuum –
The glory is there.
When the crisis of life
Almost overwhelms you –
When the unexpected disappointments
seem beyond explanation — The glory is there.
Beyond reason, circumstances,
Fear or pain — the glory is there.
in abundance — the glory is there.
Oh Praise Him.
We are changed into the same image, from “glory to glory by the Spirit of the Lord” — that is what it means to be filled with the Spirit! Changed by the Spirit to look like God — to live like Jesus! So when people meet you, they meet Christ living in you!
Note Matthew 5:14-16. You are the light of the world, a city that is set on a hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick, and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in Heaven. You then become a reflection of the glory of God. You are the Light of the World. The glory of God revealed in you means that you become a light that people may see your good works, and glorify the Father.
Those filled with God’s glory don’t just sit down and praise the Lord — they do the works of God. They preach the good news of Jesus! They witness to the world of salvation. They do good! Feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, a bed to the stranger, clothes to the naked, care for the sick, visit the imprisoned, for Jesus said, As ye have done it unto the least of these, ye have done it unto me. (Matthew 25:40). You see, those filled with the glory of God are not sitting down singing, “Glory, glory, glory,” singing, “I’ll fly away.” No . . . those filled with the glory of God are saying, “I’ll work till Jesus comes.” They are involved in doing good things, living a glorious life. As you live in the way of Jesus, the world sees your good works and glorifies God, the Father in Heaven!
Have you ever been around a beautiful child or teenager, full of love, dedication, kindness, and strength? They are a reflection of their parents — you say they must have a beautiful father or mother. When we live in the way of Christ, we reflect His glory! We have a wonderful Father!!
We are changed from glory to glory by the Spirit. This means that you can’t become glorious by your power, but by the Spirit. Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith the Lord. (Zechariah 4:6). For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works… (Ephesians 2:10). Only the Spirit can make us in the image of God! Some people say to me, “Arthur, I try to live right, try to do good things, but the more I try, the more I fail; I want to be victorious.” I say, “That is the very problem! You keep saying, ‘I try.'”
It’s when you give up and say, “I can’t live right, I can’t have the right desires, every thought that is of me is vain; but Jesus Christ has saved me; His Spirit is in me. So, Holy Spirit of God, you give me new desires — the desires of Jesus. You transform me so that I want to live the way you want me to live!”
Note what is meant In Philippians 2:13: For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do his good pleasure. It is God giving you the strength, the power and grace. You are free — there is liberty; your nature is that of holiness, not of corruption. To serve the Lord and obey Him is your true, deep and real desire, for where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. (II Corinthians 3:17).
Now look at this truth: “For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” As I look at this verse, my heart is staggered by the awesomeness of it. How can we see the glory of God? In the face of Jesus Christ!
In a world of darkness and doom — of no hope — the light broke through the darkness! — to give light, life, and glory to us. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16). Oh, praise the Lord! “The light shineth out of darkness into our hearts!” Hallelujah!
The light of God in Jesus can shine in you! All the darkness of the world cannot put out the light from one small light. Psalm 4:6 says, Lord, lift up the fight of thy countenance upon us. The countenance of a person is what we see, what we feel, the total being. Now get this: God wants us to have His glorious countenance upon us and in us!!! The light is us — the light upon us — shining to the world like a city on a hill. Those who know Jesus let their light shine! Maybe that’s why I love that song, “this little light of mine, I’m going to let it shine, let it shine, let it shine, let it shine!”