I have been a little uncomfortable for some time concerning the glory of God that we have heard so much about in the last five years. The Kabod, or weightiness of God. It seems in the New Testament glory is shekinah, with a different meaning.
In the Old Testament we read about the Spirit of God, Presence of God, Glory of God, and the Cloud by day and the fire by night. In our minds we have so fragmented God that we do not realize what he has given to us, provided for us, and invested in us. Such as this thought, in Exodus 13 the cloud and the fire were one in the same not two separate manifestations of God. In Exodus 14:19-20 the angel of God or Christophany. Christ himself was in the cloudy fire or fiery cloud that at the same time appeared as a cloud to the Egyptians, and as fire to the Israelites.
When God descended on Sinai to meet with Moses we see again God’s presence manifested as Fire and cloud at the same time and God was there with it. Once it says, Exodus 19:9 God came in the cloud, then it says in Exodus 19:18 God came in the fire, they were one in the same. When the cloud covered the temple and the glory filled the temple these were not two separate manifestations. NO! It was all one. Scripture bears this out in two ways. First, read other descriptions of God’s presence and you will find wind, cloud, lightening, fire, and smoke. All different descriptions of the same manifestation. Isaiah 19:1; 25:5, or Ezekiel 1:4;10:3-5. Even in Matthew 17:5 on the Mount of Transfiguration a “bright cloud” overshadowed them. The word bright in the Greek means FIRE!
The conclusion is that where God’s presence is His glory dwells, His fire resides, and His spirit abides.
Second, whenever this visible manifestation is present we cannot find the Spirit of God coming upon people. Yet when we read where the Spirit of God came upon them we cannot find the visible presence of God. Now at the day of Pentecost we read in Acts 2:2 there came a sound from heaven: the Greek word heaven means observable sky, that which we determine the weather by. The same word is found in Acts 14:17 where Paul says God has given us rain from heaven or rain from the clouds.
There in Acts 2 the cloud came with fire in it. This was understandable by the Jews. They understood the presence of God. God does not dwell in a temple made by hands, ‘know ye not that ye are the temple of the Holy Ghost’. What, don’t ye know your body is the dwelling place of God’s glory, presence, spirit, and fire. God’s glory is not found in a building in Florida, Canada, or Missouri. It is found where His people appropriate by faith the reality of the resident glory of God in us. This mystery is Christ in you, the hope of glory! We will never walk in the New Testament glory of God as long as we settle for the Old Testament glory. We will never, as the body of Christ, manifest the glory of God as long as we look for that which was. Remember the glory of this latter house shall be greater than the former.
I would like to continue but watch for next month, we are on journey. Let’s clear out the tradition and dig out the truth. The glory is here and the world is dying without it. Until next month God bless you! Keep walking in the light and let the glory shine in you.
Greeting minister of God. Today I am going to stir a little discussion and I am hoping to spawn an in depth study by many. Some may even say it is controversial especially if you do not adhere to the belief that the Baptism of the Holy Spirit is a second different work of grace.