Seeing The KingdomSample

From Glory to Glory In Scripture, the glory of God is frequently expressed as the presence of God, manifested in a dramatic, brilliant, and surprising manner, which seems to “weigh” with a fearful, yet somehow, wondrous, presence in the eyes of men. Think of God’s glory on Mt. Sinai, or filling the Tabernacle and Temple, or catching up our Lord Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration. When people in Scripture observed the glory of God, they were bent down by it and, at the same time, piqued with wonder, curiosity, and even joy. Glimpsing God’s glory made them want, like Moses before the burning bush, to find out more about this strange and wondrous sight. Any true Christian will tell you that he’s experienced this in worship at one time or another, so that he comes away with a feeling of awe or wonder, trembling with fear and joy, and knowing that he’s actually been in the presence of God. Paul says that those who have been transferred, by grace through faith, into the Kingdom of God’s dear Son stand squarely in the “hope of glory” (Rom. 5:1, 2). That is, whatever they hoped for before coming to faith in Christ, now their hope is infinitely more glorious, awesome, fearful, holy, and sure. They hope to know God in His glory. And they hope to show His glory to the world. The effect of this is transforming. We gain – in His Word, through prayer, in meditation, refracted through the creation – a clear and compelling sense of the beauty of God and Jesus Christ, and we are caught up in the thrall of it, so that we know what Moses felt, what the people of Israel felt, and what Peter and James and John knew in the presence of the transformed Christ on that glory-filled mount. We know the glory of God! God intends to make His glory known to the people of this world (Hab. 2:14), and He has planned to do that through us, through all our daily routines, activities, conversations, and work. Next steps: Talk with some Christian friends about ways you might refract the glory of God through your everyday life in the world.