The Glory of God

“Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the Lord will arise upon you, and his glory will be seen upon you” (vv. 1–2).

- Isaiah 60:1–3

Any study of God’s glory would be incomplete without a look at what the term glory actually means. Setting forth a precise definition of the word glory, however, is no easy task. Like many other theological concepts, God’s glory is a concept that we have an awareness of without necessarily being able to describe it in all its fullness.

When we think of the glory of the Lord, the image of brilliant light often comes to our minds. That is certainly appropriate, as Scripture often describes the glory of God in terms of a light that shines brighter than anything that we experience on earth. For example, today’s passage speaks of the glory of our Creator and not the sun being the light that shines forth in this dark world, revealing itself through God’s people that they might point the pagan nations unto the Lord of all (Isa. 60:1–3). Revelation 21:22–25 tells us that in the new heaven and earth, creation will have no need for the sun by day or the moon by night because the glory of the Lord shall illumine all of creation.

Other biblical passages connect God’s glory with his holiness and weightiness, that is, His significance. We see this with particular clarity in Leviticus 10:1–3 and the account of Nadab and Abihu, who offered strange fire before the Lord. Moses does not tell us precisely what “strange fire” means, but it is clear enough that Nadab and Abihu acted irreverently in their actions. In other words, they did not approach God with proper reverence and awareness of His divine dignity. They did not glorify the Lord, and so they were consumed by fire from on high.

Besides helping us see that glorifying God requires us to understand His significance, holiness, and weightiness, Leviticus 10:1–3 also informs us of the seriousness with which the Lord takes His worship. Coming together with God’s people to praise His name is a distinct privilege and not something we should take lightly. Worship is a matter of life and death, and not just under the old covenant. The Apostle Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 11:29–30 that partaking of the Lord’s Supper without giving due attention to its significance can kill us. We do not worship a God who can be regarded in a flippant or otherwise careless manner.

 "What is the glory of God?"

Answer: The glory of God is the beauty of His spirit. It is not an aesthetic beauty or a material beauty, but it is the beauty that emanates from His character, from all that He is. James 1:10 calls on a rich man to “glory in his humiliation,” indicating a glory that does not mean riches or power or material beauty. This glory can crown man or fill the earth. It is seen within man and in the earth, but it is not of them; it is of God. The glory of man is the beauty of man’s spirit, which is fallible and eventually passes away, and is therefore humiliating—as the verse tells us. But the glory of God, which is manifested in all His attributes together, never passes away. It is eternal.
Isaiah 43:7 says that God created us for His glory. In context with the other verses, it can be said that man “glorifies” God because through man, God’s glory can be seen in things such as love, music, heroism and so forth—things belonging to God that we are carrying “in jars of clay” (2 Corinthians 4:7). We are the vessels which “contain” His glory. All the things we are able to do and to be find their source in Him. God interacts with nature in the same way. Nature exhibits His glory. His glory is revealed to man’s mind through the material world in many ways, and often in different ways to different people. One person may be thrilled by the sight of the mountains, and another person may love the beauty of the sea. But that which is behind them both (God’s glory) speaks to both people and connects them to God. In this way, God is able to reveal Himself to all men, no matter their race, heritage or location. As Psalm 19:1-4 says, “The heavens are telling of the glory of God and their expanse is declaring the work of His hands; day to day pours forth speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. There is no speech, nor are there words; their voice is not heard. Their line has gone out through all the earth, and their utterances to the end of the world.” Psalm 73:24 calls heaven itself “glory.” It used to be common to hear Christians talk of death as being “received unto glory,” which is a phrase borrowed from this Psalm. When the Christian dies, he will be taken into God’s presence, and in His presence will be naturally surrounded by God’s glory. We will be taken to the place where God’s beauty literally resides—the beauty of His Spirit will be there, because He will be there. Again, the beauty of His Spirit (or the essence of Who He Is) is His “glory.” In that place, His glory will not need to come through man or nature, rather it will be seen clearly, just as 1 Corinthians 13:12 says, “For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I shall know fully just as I also have been fully known.” In the human/earthly sense, glory is a beauty or vibrancy that rests upon the material of the earth (Psalm 37:20, Psalm 49:17), and in that sense, it fades. But the reason it fades is that material things do not last. They die and wither, but the glory that is in them belongs to God, and returns to Him when death or decay takes the material. Think of the rich man mentioned earlier. The verse says, “The rich man is to glory in his humiliation, because like flowering grass he will pass away.” What does this mean? The verse is admonishing the rich man to realize that his wealth and power and beauty come from God, and to be humbled by the realization that it is God who makes him what he is, and gives him all he has. And the knowledge that he will pass away like the grass is what will bring him to the realization that God is the one from whom glory comes. God’s glory is the source, the wellspring from which all smaller glories run.

Since God is the one from whom glory comes, He will not let stand the assertion that glory comes from man or from the idols of man or from nature. In Isaiah 42:8, we see an example of God’s jealousy over His glory. This jealousy for His own glory is what Paul is talking about in Romans 1:21-25 when he speaks of the ways people worship the creature rather than the Creator. In other words, they looked at the object through which God’s glory was coming, and, instead of giving God the credit for it, they worshiped that animal or tree or man as if the beauty it possessed originated from within itself. This is the very heart of idolatry and is a very common occurrence. Everyone who has ever lived has committed this error at one time or another. We have all “exchanged” the glory of God in favor of the “glory of man.

This is the mistake many people continue to make: trusting in earthly things, earthly relationships, their own powers or talents or beauty, or the goodness they see in others. But when these things fade and fail as they will inevitably do (being only temporary carriers of the greater glory), these people despair. What we all need to realize is that God’s glory is constant, and as we journey through life we will see it manifest here and there, in this person or that forest, or in a story of love or heroism, fiction or non-fiction, or our own personal lives. But it all goes back to God in the end. And the only way to God is through His Son, Jesus Christ. We will find the very source of all beauty in Him, in heaven, if we are in Christ. Nothing will be lost to us. All those things that faded in life we will find again in Him.

the glory of God isn’t just a feeling, an event or an Old Testament experience—it’s a spiritual tsunami of everything contained in the character of God. The word glory is literally translated “heavy weight,” meaning the heaviest, biggest, grandest thing about someone.

It has been called the manifested presence of God, but more than just a presence, it’s power. The kind of power that resurrects, delivers, overcomes and transforms. It is greater and stronger than any other power in existence. And it belongs to us.

Yet, maybe you feel like the glory of God is untouchable, unreachable. Maybe you think of the manifestation of the glory of God as something reserved for special church services or an extraordinary circumstance. All the while, though, you long to see the power of God manifest in your life, your church and your country.

But did you know that the glory of God is available to you 24/7? It’s built-in. That’s how God designed it—it’s how He designed you. Because you were born of God (John 1:13), that glory is inside you right now! All things that the Father has—including His glory—belong to you. This means His glory isn’t too far out of reach. It’s right within your grasp!

Below are four ways you can tap into the glory of God by faith.

1.      Look for the Glory

“But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God.” –Acts 7:55, NKJV

If we aren’t expecting to see the glory of God, we probably won’t. Just like anything in the kingdom of God, it takes faith to see a manifestation. The glory of God is a visible power. In the Old Testament, the glory appeared as a cloud, smoke or fire. This visible power is also known as Shekinah glory, which is the Hebrew name given to the presence of God dwelling on the earth.
The nation of Israel saw the glory when God came down to meet them on Mount Sinai. Exodus 24:17 (KJV) says, “The sight of the glory of the Lord was like devouring fire on the top of the mount.”

The prophet Habakkuk got a glimpse of that fiery glory, too. He described it as like the sun, blazing in the sky: “His brightness was as the light; he had horns [or shafts] coming out of his hand: and there was the hiding of his power” (Habakkuk 3:4, KJV).

The same glory that raised Jesus from the dead was manifested as fire by night and a cloud by day in the wilderness (Exodus 13:21). This same glory separated Israel and the land of Goshen from the rest of Egypt when there was light in the land of Goshen, but not in Egypt (Exodus 10:23). What was that light? The glory. The glory of God’s presence.

Can we see those same physical manifestations of God’s glory today? Yes!

There are countless testimonies of individuals and groups of believers having seen visible evidence of God’s glory. During his preaching days, Brother Kenneth E. Hagin compiled a list of every scripture in the Bible about the glory. When he would read them aloud in a service, the glory would appear like a cloud or a wave, and people would fall on the floor under that power, or rush to the altar to get saved. It is tangible and it is powerful! So, start expecting to see the glory of the Lord!

 Pray for the Glory

“For I consider the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.” –Romans 8:18, NKJV

How do you pray for the glory of God? First, pray that the glory will be revealed to you and in you. You can see and experience the glory of God, but you must diligently ask and seek for it to be revealed. When we pray the glory into the earth, miracles, signs and wonders will occur in the Church and in our own personal lives.

When Moses saw the glory of God, he asked, saying, “Please, show me Your glory” (Exodus 33:18, NKJV). When believers gathered together in a spirit of unity, seeking the Lord, the glory appeared in the upper room on the Day of Pentecost, and sat on the head of each person there (Acts 2:1-4).

Each born-again believer has the ability to manifest God’s glory here on earth, but we must believe when we pray. That’s why Jesus told Martha that if she would believe, she would see the glory of God (John 11:40).

Finally, pray Ephesians 1:17-18—that you would know the hope of His calling, which is the hope of His glory. Pray that you will understand the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints. When we inherited Him, glory was deposited in us, but we have to receive revelation of what it means to walk in that glory.

Prepare for the Glory

“…the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” –Romans 5:5, NKJV

Did you know there are degrees of the glory? If you want to experience the fullness of God’s glory, you must prepare your spirit.

How? By walking in love. It takes faith to receive and operate in the glory—and faith works by love (Galatians 5:6). That means the glory of God will increase in you in direct proportion to how you walk in love.

So, to increase the amount of the glory in your life, you must walk in love. Put simply—more love, more glory. The spirit of strife and division is always there, lurking and looking for an opening and a way into your life. Never, ever let your love guard down! Then you are on your way to being filled with the glory!

Walk in the Glory

“But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.” –2 Corinthians 3:18, NKJV

The glory of God looks for a dwelling place. The original house for the glory of God was the tabernacle. But under the New Covenant, the Holy Spirit builds a temple in every believer. First Corinthians 3:16 says, “Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?” (NKJV).  We are God’s house—His temple. Only, this temple is no longer in a fixed location. This house can walk and talk and preach the gospel!

Now, it’s one thing to have the glory, but it’s another to know how to walk in it. The good news? You have everything you need inside you to do so.

When the believers experienced the glory of God at Pentecost, they didn’t just go back to living normal lives. They emerged from that place as separate from the rest of the world and as light in the midst of darkness. They went out and started turning the world upside down for Jesus. They preached the gospel; and worked miracles, signs and wonders; and the Lord added to the Church daily those who were being saved (Acts 2:47). That’s the glory we need to be operating in!

The early Christians were no different than Christians today. But here’s the key: Those first believers received the same Spirit you did when you got saved and baptized with the Holy Ghost. Christians today are carriers of God’s glory just as surely as they were!