His Glory Fills His Temple- And His Temple Is You
There are unlimited facets to the glory of Almighty God. I believe we will spend all of eternity discovering more and more about His glory.
One facet, or definition if you will, is that His glory is the tangible revelation of His presence, a revelation of Himself. We see throughout scripture tangible revelation of the presence of God in supernatural display. The Hebrew word used most often in the Old Testament for glory can be translated as “The Glory”, which acknowledges His splendor or majesty. Or it can be translated “My Glory”, which is where God is revealing Himself.
In Exodus, many times we see where the glory of the Lord was actually a tangible revelation of God Himself. In Exodus 33:18, Moses calls out to God, “Now show me your glory…”. He is asking to see a tangible revelation of God. Exodus chapter 40 tells us that the glory of the Lord “filled the temple”. It was God Himself who filled the temple as a cloud.
In 1 Samuel 4:21, Phineas’ wife upon her deathbed, named her son Ichabod saying that ‘the glory of the Lord had departed. The tangible revelation of His presence had departed with the loss of the tabernacle. It is interesting to note that the temple was the place of the tabernacle and was believed to house the Glory of God.
In the New Testament, however, we see that glory almost always refers to either the qualities of God or the honor and praise ascribed to Him. It is no longer referring to the tangible revelation of His presence. For the revelation of His presence throughout the Old Testament was always about God appearing and revealing Himself in supernatural ways to inspire and encourage faith. But after the resurrection and ascension of Jesus, we have been given the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the revelation of His presence. And just as in the Old Testament where the glory dwelled within the temple, the glory of God- His presence- now dwells within us, the living temple of God.
In John chapter 17 Jesus is praying to the Father and declares that He has given to ‘the Church’ the glory that God had given Jesus. Jesus was the physical revelation of God Himself, and here He was announcing an amazing transition. Jesus was declaring that, from now on, the church will be the physical revelation of the presence of God! We, as believers, carry within us the glory of God. Now this does not mean that God no longer displays His glory in supernatural ways throughout the earth. We still see tangible revelations of His presence throughout the heavens and within creation. More than any other time in history, His glory is evident in ways previously impervious to man. We have the ability to peer into the smallest of all molecules, and we see His glory. We traverse and explore galaxies, and we see His glory. And yes, tangible revelation of His presence can be experienced supernaturally through signs that make us wonder.
But the important takeaway here is that by design, and by the decree of Jesus, we are carriers of His glory. Through our rebirth we now are unique in that God reveals Himself, in tangible ways, to the world around us. As revivalists and reformers, we must understand and embrace the truth that we carry within us the glory of God Almighty. I have come to the realization that this is precisely what Jesus meant when He told His followers that whoever believes in Him,
“...even greater things will you do, because I am going to the Father”. Jesus was the tangible revelation of God Himself. And He was one man. Now there are countless numbers of those who have been transformed into living revelations of God.
I am excited for this revelation of glory carriers. I am excited to see our region impacted and transformed as the lost encounter the glory of God as they encounter the bo
dy of Christ. You are the living, breathing revelation of the glory of God, and the world awaits you.
David Fenwick
Associate Pastor-Outreach & Pastoral Care
David Fenwick is an Associate Pastor at True Life, overseeing outreach and pastoral care. A father of six amazing young people and a grandfather of (soon to be 3), David joined True Life with a mandate to make disciples, equip and develop leaders, and impact this region.
