Glory (Ephesians 1:9; Exodus 33:18-19; Titus 2:13; Acts 9:3; 22:11; 26:13; Revelation 1:14-15; Matthew 17:2; Mark 9:3; Luke 9:29; Isaiah 60:1-3)

EPHESIANS 1:9 speaks of the "...praise of the glory of His grace..."

LATIN

In keeping with a lot of words in scripture, the English word "glory" is not a transliteration of the Greek, (doxa), 1391, but is a transliteration from the Latin word (gloria).

GLORY

In Rabbinic and traditional rendering, originally "glory " was a reference to 'light; brightness; splendor'; and progressively, the meaning diminished, to encompass anything that caught the eye, whether bright clothing; something awe inspiring; radiant; and from this digression, came to mean, the fame; renown; reputation held by another; and eventually, someone's opinion; estimate; view; or judgment, of something or someone.

ESSENCE

The scriptural rendition, is 'that which radiates from God's person', and is in fact, as someone's reputation, 'the essence of who He is'. Moses asked to see God's glory, and He answered, "I will make all my goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before you, and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy" (Exodus 33:18-19).

HIS GOODNESS

Our Father declares, that within His brightness; splendor; manifest presence, is His goodness; graciousness; and mercy.

CLOTHED with LIGHT

According to Rabbinic theology, Adam and Eve were clothed with light, and this covering was lost, when they ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. They were created in the Father's image; in His likeness (Gen.1:26), but lost that covering, and became "naked", or unclothed (Gen.3:7,10), when sin and separation became part of their lives.

CLOTHED with GLORY

Rabbinic tradition records that Eve rebuked the serpent saying, "Why did you do this? You have robbed me of the glory in which I was clothed" [Theological Lexicon of the NT, Spicq, p.370].

FATHER'S SIGNATURE

Light is the Father's signature, as it is the essence of His manifest presence, to the extent, that our physical bodies cannot withstand an encounter of His glory. In the encounter of Paul, with the risen Christ, "suddenly there shone round about him a light from heaven" (Acts 9:3) and he "...could not see for the glory of that light..." (Acts 22:11). He "... saw in the way a light from heaven, above the brightness of the sun, shining round about..." (Acts 26:13).

WHITE like WOOL

John describes his vision of Jesus saying, "His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were like a flame of fire; and his feet like fine bronze, as if they burned in a furnace..." (Rev. 1:14-15).

WHITE as the LIGHT

Even in His earthly ministry, Jesus manifested this signature characteristic to Peter; James; and John, on the mountain, "...and was transfigured before them; and His face did shine like the sun, and His raiment was as white as the light" (Matt. 17:2) "...His raiment became shining, exceedingly white like snow, as no fuller on earth can whiten them" (Mk.9:3). "...the appearance of His countenance was altered, and His raiment was white and glistening" (Lk.9:29).

FULL MANIFESTATION

In the last days a full manifestation of this glory is expected, to bring salvation to Israel, and to convert the nations to the LORD.

LIGHT is COME

"Arise, shine; for your light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon you. For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the peoples, but the LORD shall arise upon you, and His glory shall be seen upon you. And the nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising" (Is.60:1-3).

SHINE BRIGHT

Prophetically, the scripture speaks of a manifestation of those "...who love Him as the sun when he goes forth in his might" (Jud.5:31) and "...they that be wise shall shine like the brightness of the firmament: and they that turn many to righteousness, as the stars forever and ever" (Dan.12:3).

ROMANS 8:18-19 "...I reckon that the sufferings of this present time, are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creation waits for the manifestation of the sons of God".

COLOSSIANS 1:27 "...God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory".

TITUS 2:13 says, in the KJV, that we are "...looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and Savior, Christ Jesus" However, the Greek is (epiphaneia tes doxes), stressing that we are looking for that blessed hope, and "the appearance of the glory" of the great God and Savior Christ Jesus. The emphasis is slightly different, expressing not just His appearing, but 'the hope of glory', of which we all shall be partakers.

1 JOHN 3:2-3 "Beloved, now are we the children of God, and it does not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone that has this hope in Him, purifies themselves, even as He is pure".

CLOTHED in LIGHT

Even as Adam and Eve were clothed in light, and were partakers of His glory, so there shall be a restoration of all things, and a return to a full manifestation of His original intention, that we, who are His children, shall also be like Him.

Some of these thing are hard for our natural minds to grasp, since "...the natural man receives not the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned" (1Cor.2:14). "But as it is written, 'Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God has prepared for them that love Him'. But God has revealed them to us by His Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God" (1Cor.2:9-10).

MORE to COME

The bottom line is that there is an expectation of more to come, and this world is not our home, and we do not live according to the principles of this world, but like the prophets of old, "...the Spirit of Christ, who was in them did signify, when He testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow" (1Pet.1:11). There is more, so much more, and for this we labor, striving according to His working, which works in us mightily (Col.1:29) that we may present everyone complete in Christ (Col.1:28).

You are God's Best and God's Best is Yours