Saturday, January 13, 2007

Exodus 16 - Glory

kabowd or kabad {kaw-bode'}


Per Net Bible:

Kabowd is translated in the King James version as "glory" 156 times, "honor" 32 times, "glorious" 10 times, "gloriously" once and "honorable" once for a total of 200 times.

Definition: glory, honor, glorious, abundance, honor, reputation, reverence.

From: kabad , meaning weight, but only figuratively in a good sense, splendor or
copiousness:-glorious(-ly), glory, hon our(-able).



Shekhinah or Shechinah means the dwelling or settling, and is used to denote the dwelling or settling presence of God, especially in the Temple in Jerusalem. Shechinah is derived from the Hebrew verb 'sakan' or 'shachan' or simply "skn". In Biblical Hebrew, the word means literally to settle, inhabit, or dwell, and is used frequently in the Hebrew Bible. (See Genesis 9:27, 14:13, Psalms 37:3, Jeremiah 33:16), as well as the weekly Shabbat blessing recited in the Temple in Jerusalem ("May He who causes His name to dwell [shochan] in this House, cause to dwell among you love and brotherliness, peace and friendship"). The word for Tabernacle, mishcan, is a derivative of the same root and is also used in the sense of dwelling-place in the Bible, e.g. Psalm 132:5 ("Before I find a place for God, mishcanot (dwelling-places) for the Strong One of Israel.") Accordingly, in classic Jewish thought, the Shekhinah refers to a dwelling or settling of divine presence. According to Professor Kern, Shekinah means "the presence of God".
Ezekiel spoke of "the glory of the God of Israel was there [in the Sanctuary], according to the vision that I saw in the plain." It is probable that after the entrance into Canaan this glory-cloud settled in the tabernacle upon the ark of the covenant in the most holy place. We have, however, no special reference to it till the consecration of the temple by Solomon, when it filled the whole house with its glory, so that the priests could not stand to minister (1 Kings 8:10-13; 2 Chronicles 5:13, 14; 7:1-3). Probably it remained in the first temple in the holy of holies as the symbol of Jehovah's presence so long as that temple stood. Ezekiel 8-11 describes the departure of God's glory from the first Temple as a prelude to the final destruction of the Temple and the city of Jerusalem in 586BC. Where references are made to the Shekhinah as manifestations of the glory of the Lord associated with his presence, Christians find numerous occurrences in the New Testament in both literal (as in Luke 2:9 which refers to the "glory of the Lord" shining on the shepherds at Jesus' birth) as well as spiritual forms (as in John 17:22, where Jesus speaks to God of giving the "glory" that God gave to him to the people). A contrast can be found in Ichabod, so named as a result of the Ark of the Covenant being captured by the Philistines - "The glory is departed from Israel" (1 Samuel 4:22 KJV). -- Answers.com: Shekhinah: www.answers.com/topic/shekhinah


The Septuagint translates kabod with the Greek word doxa, which in simple terms means that which gives a proper opinion of some one or some thing. And so God's glory gives us a proper opinion of Who He is.
David writes that "the heavens are telling of the glory (Hebrew = kabod, Greek = doxa) of God..." (Psalm 19:1). Thus all of creation resounds with testimony to the Creator, giving a proper opinion of Him.


In Exodus 25:8-9, we see that it was God Who first expressed His desire to dwell among men, instructing Moses to tell the people to construct a sanctuary for Me, that I may dwell (shakan) among them. According to all that I am going to show you, as the pattern of the tabernacle (mishkan from shakan) and the pattern of all its furniture, just so you shall construct it. Shekinah originally was used in the Jewish Targums (Aramaic translation of Hebrew Bible) and rabbinic literature whenever the Hebrew text would mention the presence of God in a way that implied certain human limitations. In summary, the term Shekinah as commonly used describes the visible manifestation of God's presence and glory usually in the form of a cloud.


The picture of the Shekinah cloud of glory dwelling on the Temple has a parallel "fulfillment" in the New Testament (obviously written by Jews familiar with the Shekinah in the Old Testament) where John writes that The Word became flesh, and dwelt (tabernacled) among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the Only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:14) Christ is the Shekinah of God, "the radiance of His glory" (Hebrews 1:3, Verse Note). Paul adds that it was the Father's good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Christ (Colossians 1:19, Verse Note) and that in Christ all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form (Colossians 2:9, Verse Note). Paul writes that Christ is "the Lord of glory" (1 Corinthians 2:8). This same "Shekinah glory" now rests (dwells) upon all those who are in Christ. Thus, Paul records that God made known the riches of His glory upon vessels of mercy, which He prepared beforehand for glory (Romans 9:23) He prays for the Ephesian saints that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints (Ephesians 1:18, Note by W. Barber). He reminds the Colossian saints that God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ ("dwelling") in you, the hope of glory. (Colossians 1:27, Verse Note) The presence of the Holy Spirit is also a representation of the Shekinah as when the Spirit descended and remained on Jesus (John 1:33) and at Pentecost the Spirit came down and rested on the 120 disciples appearing to them tongues as of fire distributing themselves, and they rested on each one of them (Acts 2:3). - The Glory of the LORD: >www.preceptaustin.org/overview_glory_of_the_lord.htm



Jesus Christ, the Shekinah Glory of Israel, lived in the Holy of Holies, Exodus 25:21-22; Leviticus 26:11-12; Psalm 91:1; Hebrews 9:5. His presence was manifest by a cloud above the tabernacle by day and a pillar of fire by night, so that the Jews could always tell when Jesus Christ was present in the tabernacle.


Since Jesus Christ as the God of Israel was invisible to the Jews, He was understood through the
various categories of doctrinal teaching presented in the O.T.:

a. articles of sacred furniture

b. feast days and holy days

c. rituals of the priests

d. the priests' uniforms


There are two categories of theophanies as
appearances of Jesus Christ in the Old Testament. The examples are not exhaustive.

(1) Animate.

(a) As the angel of the Lord, Jehovah.

(b) As a man in human form, He visited Abraham and wrestled with Jacob.

(2) Inanimate.

(a) The cloud and glory of the Lord, Exodus 40:34-38.

(b) A pillar of cloud at the entrance to the Tabernacle, a different kind of cloud, Exodus 33:9.

(c) A pillar of fire.

(d) The burning bush.



The title, Shekinah, refers to the invisible presence of our Lord Jesus Christ in the Holy of Holies, enthroned on the mercy seat between the cherubs, Exodus 25:21-22, and the cloud over the tabernacle and sometimes in the tabernacle.

Psalm 99:1 The Lord is king!
Let the nations tremble!
He sits on his throne between the cherubim.
Let the whole earth quake!

Isaiah 37:16 “O Lord of Heaven’s Armies, God of Israel, you are enthroned between the mighty cherubim! You alone are God of all the kingdoms of the earth. You alone created the heavens and the earth.


John 1:14, So the Word became human and made his home (tabernacled) among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.



-- Doctrine of Shekinah: www.countrybiblechurch.us/studies/Doctrines/doctrine_Shekinah.html



This is also the idea behind the name "Immanuel" in Matthew 1:23 - “Look! The virgin will conceive a child!
She will give birth to a son,
and they will call him Immanuel,
which means ‘God is with us.’”, Isaiah 7:14 - All right then, the Lord himself will give you the sign. Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel (which means ‘God is with us’).


Where do we first run into the idea of God residing on earth? In Genesis where He walked and talked with Adam and Eve in the garden. We find that the high priest met with God in the tabernacle and in the temple at the ark where He was between the two Cherubim. Where do we first find these two Cherubim - at the entrance to the garden where the Cherubim guarded the entrance. There, Cain and Abel brought their sacrifices. Where else do we find a pair of Cherubim or Angels - in the tomb on each side of Jesus' burial cloths!



Some examples of "glory" in the Torah:


Exodus 13:20-21: The Lord went ahead of them. He guided them during the day with a pillar of cloud, and he provided light at night with a pillar of fire. This allowed them to travel by day or by night.


Exodus 14:4, 17-18: And once again I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and he will chase after you. I have planned this in order to display my glory through Pharaoh and his whole army. After this the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord!” So the Israelites camped there as they were told. And I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they will charge in after the Israelites. My great glory will be displayed through Pharaoh and his troops, his chariots, and his charioteers. When my glory is displayed through them, all Egypt will see my glory and know that I am the Lord!”


Exodus 16:7, 10: In the morning you will see the glory of the Lord, because he has heard your complaints, which are against him, not against us. What have we done that you should complain about us?” And as Aaron spoke to the whole community of Israel, they looked out toward the wilderness. There they could see the awesome glory of the Lord in the cloud.


Exodus 24:16-17, 29:43: And the glory of the Lord settled down on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it for six days. On the seventh day the Lord called to Moses from inside the cloud. To the Israelites at the foot of the mountain, the glory of the Lord appeared at the summit like a consuming fire. I will meet the people of Israel there, in the place made holy by my glorious presence.


Exodus 33:18-23: Moses responded, “Then show me your glorious presence (glory).” The Lord replied, “I will make all my goodness pass before you, and I will call out my name, Yahweh, before you. For I will show mercy to anyone I choose, and I will show compassion to anyone I choose. But you may not look directly at my face, for no one may see me and live.” The Lord continued, “Look, stand near me on this rock. As my glorious presence (glory) passes by, I will hide you in the crevice of the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. Then I will remove my hand and let you see me from behind. But my face will not be seen.”


Exodus 40:34-35: Then the cloud covered the Tabernacle, and the glory of the Lord filled the Tabernacle. Moses could no longer enter the Tabernacle because the cloud had settled down over it, and the glory of the Lord filled the Tabernacle.


Leviticus 9:6, 23; 10:3: And Moses said, “This is what the Lord has commanded you to do so that the glory of the Lord may appear to you.”
Then Moses and Aaron went into the Tabernacle, and when they came back out, they blessed the people again, and the glory of the Lord appeared to the whole community. Then Moses said to Aaron, “This is what the Lord meant when he said,‘I will display my holiness through those who come near me. I will display my glory before all the people.’”And Aaron was silent.


Numbers 14:10, 14:20-22: But the whole community began to talk about stoning Joshua and Caleb. Then the glorious presence of the Lord appeared to all the Israelites at the Tabernacle. Then the Lord said, “I will pardon them as you have requested. But as surely as I live, and as surely as the earth is filled with the Lord’s glory, not one of these people will ever enter that land. They have all seen my glorious presence and the miraculous signs I performed both in Egypt and in the wilderness, but again and again they have tested me by refusing to listen to my voice.


Numbers 16:19, 42: Meanwhile, Korah had stirred up the entire community against Moses and Aaron, and they all gathered at the Tabernacle entrance. Then the glorious presence of the Lord appeared to the whole community, As the community gathered to protest against Moses and Aaron, they turned toward the Tabernacle and saw that the cloud had covered it, and the glorious presence of the Lord appeared.


Numbers 20:6: Moses and Aaron turned away from the people and went to the entrance of the Tabernacle, where they fell face down on the ground. Then the glorious presence of the Lord appeared to them,


Deuteronomy 5:24: They said, ‘Look, the Lord our God has shown us his glory and greatness, and we have heard his voice from the heart of the fire. Today we have seen that God can speak to us humans, and yet we live!


Examples of "glory" in the New Testament:


Luke 2:9: Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified,


John 1:14, So the Word became human and made his home (tabernacled) among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.


John 17:22: “I have given them the glory you gave me, so they may be one as we are one.


Related to these: Isaiah 40:3-5: Listen! It’s the voice of someone shouting, “Clear the way through the wilderness for the Lord! Make a straight highway through the wasteland for our God! Fill in the valleys, and level the mountains and hills. Straighten the curves, and smooth out the rough places. Then the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all people will see it together. The Lord has spoken!”



THE PROGRESSIVE DEPARTURE
OF THE GLORY OF THE LORD
FROM "SOLOMON'S" TEMPLE
(Ezekiel 8:1-11:25)


STEP 1: In Ezekiel 8:3-4 the prophet records that the Spirit transported me to Jerusalem in a vision from God. I was taken to the north gate of the inner courtyard of the Temple, where there is a large idol that has made the Lord very jealous. Suddenly, the glory of the God of Israel was there, just as I had seen it before in the valley. Ezekiel 8 describes a series of four "abominations" involving God's Holy Temple, but as described in verse 4 the Glory of the LORD is still present, presumably in the Holy of holies although that is not specifically stated.


STEP 2: Ezekiel 9:3 records that Then the glory of the God of Israel rose up from between the cherubim, where it had rested, and moved to the entrance of the Temple. And the Lord called to the man dressed in linen who was carrying the writer’s case. There is an almost identical description in Ezekiel 10:4 which records Then the glory of the Lord rose up from above the cherubim and went over to the door of the Temple. The Temple was filled with this cloud of glory, and the courtyard glowed brightly with the glory of the Lord.


STEP 3: Ezekiel 10:18-19 records that Then the glory of the Lord moved out from the door of the Temple and hovered above the cherubim. And as I watched, the cherubim flew with their wheels to the east gate of the Lord’s Temple. And the glory of the God of Israel hovered above them.


STEP 4: After addressing Ezekiel's fear's that all the remnant would be brought to a complete end with the prophetic promises of future restoration physically and spiritually Ezekiel 11:22-23 records that Then the cherubim lifted their wings and rose into the air with their wheels beside them, and the glory of the God of Israel hovered above them. Then the glory of the Lord went up from the city and stopped above the mountain to the east. The Scripture then falls silent but the clear implication is that the glory of the LORD has departed from His dwelling place among man.




THE SHEKINAH GLORY CLOUD OF THE LORD
ENTHRONED ABOVE THE CHERUBIM



2 Samuel 6:2 He led them to Baalah of Judah to bring back the Ark of God, which bears the name of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, who is enthroned between the cherubim.


2 Kings 19:15 And Hezekiah prayed this prayer before the Lord: “O Lord, God of Israel, you are enthroned between the mighty cherubim! You alone are God of all the kingdoms of the earth. You alone created the heavens and the earth.


Psalm 80:1 Please listen, O Shepherd of Israel,
you who lead Joseph’s descendants like a flock.
O God, enthroned above the cherubim,
display your radiant glory


Psalm 99:1 The Lord is king!
Let the nations tremble!
He sits on his throne between the cherubim.
Let the whole earth quake!


Isaiah 37:16 “O Lord of Heaven’s Armies, God of Israel, you are enthroned between the mighty cherubim! You alone are God of all the kingdoms of the earth. You alone created the heavens and the earth.



GLORY IN THE GARDEN OF EDEN


Genesis 3:8 And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden.


John MacArthur commenting on Genesis 3:8 writes that "God appeared, as before, in tones of goodness and kindness, walking in some visible form (perhaps Shekinah light as He later appeared in Exodus 33:18; 40:34).


GLORY BEFORE MOSES AT THE BURNING BUSH


Exodus 3:2-3 And the angel of the LORD appeared to him (Moses) in a blazing fire from the midst of a bush; and he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, yet the bush was not consumed. So Moses said, "I must turn aside now, and see this marvelous sight, why the bush is not burned up."


Although the Shekinah glory is not stated in this verse, it is notable that the Hebrew word for “bush” occurs in only one other passage, Deuteronomy 33;16, where we find the phrase “Him who dwelt in the bush” where the word for “dwelt” is “shakan“, the root word of Shekinah. Thus while one cannot be absolutely dogmatic, this parallel description of the Moses' bush experience would support that the Shekinah glory was displayed to the wondering eyes of Moses. So, just as the “the angel of God" manifested in the Shekinah-glory in guiding and guarding Israel in their wilderness wanderings, here we see Moses' initial encounter with the Shekinah glory of the “Angel of the Lord” who is none other than the Lord Jesus in visible manifestation. Today we see His glory most completely in His holy word (e.g., we see some of the fringes of God's glory in His Names and His Attributes). Paul writes 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 from the Lord, the Spirit. (2 Corinthians 3:18)


GLORY AFTER ISRAEL'S EXODUS FROM EGYPT



1 Corinthians 10:1 For I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea (KJV)


Exodus 13:20-22 Then (the children of Israel) set out from Succoth and camped in Etham on the edge of the wilderness. And the LORD was going before them in a pillar of cloud by day to lead them on the way, and in a pillar of fire by night to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night. He did not take away the pillar of cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people. (KJV)


Jehovah symbolized by the Shekinah glory-cloud guided Israel: "Cloud" is the Hebrew word 'anan, the same noun was used in First Kings where we read that when Solomon's Temple was finished and the priests had brought the ark of the covenant of Jehovah into the inner sanctuary, the most holy place, under the wings of the cherubim, that it came about when the priests came from the holy place, that the cloud filled the house of the LORD, so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the LORD filled the house of the LORD. Then Solomon said, The LORD has said that He would dwell (shakan meaning to settle down = root word from which "Shekinah" is derived) in the thick cloud. ('anan) (1 Kings 8:10-12). In this context, "cloud" ('anan) is clearly a reference to the Shekinah cloud, symbolic of the glory of Jehovah dwelling in the most holy place in the midst of His people Israel.


GLORY ON MT. SINAI


Exodus 24:16 And the glory of the LORD rested (Hebrew = shakan, root of "Shekinah") on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it for six days; and on the seventh day He called to Moses from the midst of the cloud. And to the eyes of the sons of Israel the appearance of the glory of the LORD was like a consuming fire on the mountain top. And Moses entered the midst of the cloud as he went up to the mountain; and Moses was on the mountain forty days and forty nights.


GLORY IN THE WILDERNESS TABERNACLE


Exodus 25 And let them construct a sanctuary for Me, that I may dwell (shakan) among them. According to all that I am going to show you, as the pattern of the tabernacle and the pattern of all its furniture, just so you shall construct it. ...And the cherubim shall have their wings spread upward, covering the mercy seat with their wings and facing one another; the faces of the cherubim are to be turned toward the mercy seat. And you shall put the mercy seat on top of the ark, and in the ark you shall put the testimony which I shall give to you. And there I will meet with you; and from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim which are upon the ark of the testimony, I will speak to you about all that I will give you in commandment for the sons of Israel.


Moses uses five synonymous terms/phrases for the wilderness tabernacle:

(1) Sanctuary (miqdas) which means "place of holiness", a place set apart as sacred and holy as opposed to the secular, common and profane;

(2) Tent,” (ohel) denotes a temporary or collapsible dwelling.

(3) Tabernacle (miskan) means "dwelling place" and is derived from the verb shakan, which means to settle down, to dwell or to pitch a tent. God is “pitching His tent” among men. The Shekinah glory cloud between the cherubim symbolized God's abiding presence with His people.

(4) Tabernacle of meeting (moed) where “meeting” means a deliberate prearranged rendezvous or appointment and not a casual accidental meeting, reflecting God's design and desire to meet with man.

(5) Tabernacle of the testimony (edut) emphasizes that the structure was the repository of God's Law especially the testimony of the Ten Words on the tables as a solemn divine charge.



Exodus 33:9 And it came about, whenever Moses entered the tent, the pillar of cloud would descend and stand at the entrance of the tent; and the LORD would speak with Moses.


Exodus 33:18 Moses responded, “Then show me your glorious presence.”


Exodus 40:34-38 Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle (miskan from shakan = settle down). And Moses was not able to enter the tent (describes a mobile structure) of meeting (of "appointment" - designates a determined time and place) because the cloud ('anan) had settled (shakan = root of Shekinah) on it, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. And throughout all their journeys whenever the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the sons of Israel would set out; but if the cloud was not taken up, then they did not set out until the day when it was taken up. For throughout all their journeys, the cloud of the LORD was on the tabernacle by day, and there was fire in it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel.


Leviticus 9:23 And Moses and Aaron went into the tent of meeting. When they came out and blessed the people, the glory of the LORD appeared to all the people.


Numbers 12:5 Then the Lord came down in a pillar of cloud and stood at the doorway of the tent, and He called Aaron and Miriam. When they had both come forward,


Exodus 33:9 And it came about, whenever Moses entered the tent, the pillar of cloud would descend and stand at the entrance of the tent; and the Lord would speak with Moses.


Psalm 99:6-7: Moses and Aaron were among His priests, and Samuel was among those who called on His name. They called upon the Lord, and He answered them. He spoke to them in the pillar of cloud. They kept His testimonies, and the statute that He gave them.


Numbers 14:10 But all the congregation said to stone them with stones. Then the glory of the LORD appeared in the tent of meeting to all the sons of Israel.


Numbers 16:19 Thus Korah assembled all the congregation against them at the doorway of the tent of meeting. And the glory of the LORD appeared to all the congregation.


Numbers 16:42 It came about, however, when the congregation had assembled against Moses and Aaron, that they turned toward the tent of meeting, and behold, the cloud covered it and the glory of the LORD appeared.


Numbers 20:6 Then Moses and Aaron came in from the presence of the assembly to the doorway of the tent of meeting, and fell on their faces. Then the glory of the LORD appeared to them;


1 Samuel 4:21 And she called the boy Ichabod, saying, “The glory has departed from Israel,” because the ark of God was taken and because of her father-in-law and her husband


The Temple that was rebuilt after Judah's seventy years of exile in Babylon did not possess the Shekinah glory of the LORD.


For a brief moment in Israel's history, the glory did return to the Temple and the land of Israel in the incarnation of Jesus Christ (John 1:14), but His glory "departed" when the nation nailed the glorious One to a Cross.


As Warren Wiersbe has commented "Solomon’s temple was a place of glory. However, despite its extraordinary beauty, it was just another building until God moved in and consecrated it (cf Exodus 40:34). So it is with our lives (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). The presence of God is the important thing.


2 Chronicles 7:1-3: Now when Solomon had finished praying, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices; and the glory of the LORD filled the house. And the priests could not enter into the house of the LORD, because the glory of the LORD filled the LORD'S house. And all the sons of Israel, seeing the fire come down and the glory of the LORD upon the house, bowed down on the pavement with their faces to the ground, and they worshiped and gave praise to the LORD, saying, "Truly He is good, truly His lovingkindness is everlasting."


Isaiah 6:1-3: In the year of King Uzziah's death, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple. Seraphim stood above Him, each having six wings; with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called out to another and said, "Holy, Holy, Holy, is the LORD of hosts, The whole earth is full of His glory."


John 12:41 These things Isaiah said, because he saw His glory, and he spoke of Him."


In Isaiah 6 the prophet was described as seeing the glory of God. John explains that Isaiah saw and spoke of Christ and His glory. Thus John's commentary is an important link in the Scriptural evidence that the Man Jesus Christ was God in the flesh. In this verse John repeats what he had declared in the prologue, that Christ is the glory of the Father unveiled for human eyes (John 1:14).



THE GLORY OF THE LORD IN EZEKIEL


Ezekiel 1:28: All around him was a glowing halo, like a rainbow shining in the clouds on a rainy day. This is what the glory of the Lord looked like to me. When I saw it, I fell face down on the ground, and I heard someone’s voice speaking to me.


Ezekiel 3:12: Then the Spirit lifted me up, and I heard a loud rumbling sound behind me. (May the glory of the Lord be praised in his place!)


Ezekiel 3:23: So I got up and went, and there I saw the glory of the Lord, just as I had seen in my first vision by the Kebar River. And I fell face down on the ground.


Ezekiel 10:4: Then the glory of the Lord rose up from above the cherubim and went over to the door of the Temple. The Temple was filled with this cloud of glory, and the courtyard glowed brightly with the glory of the Lord.


Ezekiel 10:18: Then the glory of the Lord moved out from the door of the Temple and hovered above the cherubim.


Ezekiel 11:23: Then the glory of the Lord went up from the city and stopped above the mountain to the east.


Ezekiel 43:2-5: Suddenly, the glory of the God of Israel appeared from the east. The sound of his coming was like the roar of rushing waters, and the whole landscape shone with his glory. This vision was just like the others I had seen, first by the Kebar River and then when he came to destroy Jerusalem. I fell face down on the ground. And the glory of the Lord came into the Temple through the east gateway. Then the Spirit took me up and brought me into the inner courtyard, and the glory of the Lord filled the Temple.


Ezekiel 44:4: Then the man brought me through the north gateway to the front of the Temple. I looked and saw that the glory of the Lord filled the Temple of the Lord, and I fell face down on the ground.


PRESENT GLORY


Luke 2:9: Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified,


John 1:14: So the Word became human and made his home (dwelt - Young's Literal = "tabernacled") among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.


The Messiah, the eternal "Logos" ("the Word") became flesh and lived in a tent among us, the tent being His physical body. Dwelt (made his home) is the Greek word skene which is used in the Septuagint (Greek translation of the Hebrew OT) to translate the Hebrew word miskan or "tabernacle". So, just as the Angel of God manifests Himself to Israel as the Shekinah glory-cloud which tabernacled with them in the wilderness, in the tent of meeting and then in Solomon's Temple, so here we see the long awaited Messiah "tabernacle" among men.


Paul (using a derivative of skene) speaks of our present physical body as a tent or temporary residence in (2 Corinthians 5:1).


The Jewish NT translates this verse The Word became a human being and lived with us and we saw his Shekhinah, the Shekhinah of the Father’s only Son, full of grace and truth.


John 2:11: This miraculous sign at Cana in Galilee was the first time Jesus revealed his glory. And his disciples believed in him.


John 2:19: Jesus answered and said to them, “All right,” Jesus replied. “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”


Instead of the Shekinah glory dwelling in the Temple, it dwells in Jesus who is the true "Temple" as John amplifies with his comment that Jesus "was speaking of the temple of His body." (John 2:21)


Acts 1:9: After saying this, he was taken up into a cloud while they were watching, and they could no longer see him. As they strained to see him rising into heaven, two white-robed men suddenly stood among them. “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why are you standing here staring into heaven? Jesus has been taken from you into heaven, but someday he will return from heaven in the same way you saw him go!”


The Second Coming of Christ and the establishment of His kingdom will occur the same way Jesus ascended: physically, visibly, and in the Shekinah cloud of glory.


Luke 9:29-36: And as he was praying, the appearance of his face was transformed, and his clothes became dazzling white. Suddenly, two men, Moses and Elijah, appeared and began talking with Jesus. They were glorious to see. And they were speaking about his exodus from this world, which was about to be fulfilled in Jerusalem. Peter and the others had fallen asleep. When they woke up, they saw Jesus’ glory and the two men standing with him. As Moses and Elijah were starting to leave, Peter, not even knowing what he was saying, blurted out, “Master, it’s wonderful for us to be here! Let’s make three shelters as memorials—one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” But even as he was saying this, a cloud overshadowed them, and terror gripped them as the cloud covered them. Then a voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son, my Chosen One. Listen to him.” When the voice finished, Jesus was there alone. They didn’t tell anyone at that time what they had seen.


This disclosure of Jesus' glory was accompanied by a cloud, the combination clearly paralleling the Shekinah glory-cloud.


Hebrews 1:3: The Son radiates God’s own glory and expresses the very character of God, and he sustains everything by the mighty power of his command. When he had cleansed us from our sins, he sat down in the place of honor at the right hand of the majestic God in heaven.


FUTURE GLORY


THE GLORY OF THE LORD RETURNS
AT END OF GREAT TRIBULATION
AT BEGINNING OF THE MILLENNIUM


Zechariah 2:10: The Lord says, “Shout and rejoice, O beautiful Jerusalem, for I am coming to live among you.


The verb "live" is shakan, from which Shekinah is derived. It is not inconceivable that Zechariah's prophecy in part alluded to Messiah's first coming but the complete fulfillment can only be when He returns a second time and returns to Jerusalem and dwells in His glory in the Temple in the midst of His people.


Romans 8:18: Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later.


Matthew 16:27: For the Son of Man will come with his angels in the glory of his Father and will judge all people according to their deeds.


Acts 1:9-11: After saying this, he was taken up into a cloud while they were watching, and they could no longer see him. As they strained to see him rising into heaven, two white-robed men suddenly stood among them. “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why are you standing here staring into heaven? Jesus has been taken from you into heaven, but someday he will return from heaven in the same way you saw him go!”


Jesus will physically return in glory (see Matthew 24:29) on a cloud to Mt of Olives.


Daniel 7:13: As my vision continued that night, I saw someone like a son of man coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient One and was led into his presence.


Revelation 1:7: Look! He comes with the clouds of heaven.
And everyone will see him—
even those who pierced him.
And all the nations of the world
will mourn for him.
Yes! Amen!


Isaiah 40:5: Then the glory of the Lord will be revealed,
and all people will see it together.
The Lord has spoken!


Matthew 24:29 Immediately after the anguish (tribulation) of those days, (the "great tribulation", the last 3.5 years of Daniel's 70th week, the 7 year period marked by Antichrist making a "firm covenant" with Israel and breaking it in the middle of the seven years, marking the inception of the "great tribulation", the time of Jacob's distress or trouble) the sun will be darkened,
the moon will give no light,
the stars will fall from the sky,
and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. And then at last, the sign that the Son of Man is coming will appear in the heavens, and there will be deep mourning among all the peoples of the earth. And they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.


The glory of the millennial temple is Christ Himself.


As beautiful as it was externally, the only time Herod's Temple had true "glory" was when the Son of God and of Glory (John 1:14), entered the Temple Mount area.


Life Application Bible notes that God had promised that one day, “I will live among you, and I will not despise you. I will walk among you; I will be your God, and you will be my people (Leviticus 26:11–12 nlt). What has been foreshadowed in God’s presence in the Tabernacle (Exodus 40:34–35), in the Temple (1 Kings 8:10–11), and in the bodily presence of God himself in Jesus (John 1:14) will become a reality in the new Jerusalem. As God had walked with Adam and Eve in the Garden (Genesis 3:8), so he will live with his people. God’s people will live within the Shekinah glory of God. The presence of God among his people fulfills all the longing of the entire Bible. The Old Testament prophets had foreseen this great day:


- The Glory of the LORD: >www.preceptaustin.org/overview_glory_of_the_lord.htm



On-Line Sources:



Off-Line Sources:


Posted by at

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)