Maturing in the Hope of Glory
God our Father is the Father of Glory by whom are all things. When the time comes, the Lord comes as a quickening Spirit, and we are being glorified in the Father’s name.
Eph 1:17 That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him:
The Promise gives us Wisdom, who is Christ, and Revelation, also called Understanding, who is the Father. The Spirit of the Living God enters our house and fills it with God’s glory. In the Lord’s Prayer, which we are commanded to pray daily, we ask for the Promise to come and bring the power and glory that is our obedience and the resulting Holiness.
Mat 6:13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever
Glory is the aftereffect or result of the power of the Living Word coming and giving one the ability to overcome their sin. It is overcoming sin that makes us holy, and Holiness is the glory of God.
1Pe 1:15 But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation;
1Pe 1:16 Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.
We are being made to adorn the glory of the Lord, which is holiness. Everything about the commandments concerns our holiness. That is the essence of God and who we become in due time as we are made into His sons. We are following the example of the Lord receiving glory and honor from the Father.
2Pe 1:17 For he received from God the Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
2Pe 1:18 And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with him in the holy mount.
Holiness and obedience, which is love, go hand in glove. The love of God, our obedience, comes from the power of the Holy Spirit, who lives in us once the Promise comes. Being holy is being perfect, the essence of the Father of Glory, who lives in our heaven now.
Mat 5:48 Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.
We are made into sons of glory when the captain of our salvation, the Living Spirit of Christ, perfects us through the many sufferings we are appointed.
Heb 2:10 For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.
We are learning obedience by the Spirit, who has brought judgment and righteousness into the house of God. We follow the Lord and are crucified with Him to be perfected and become holy angels that shine the glory of the Father, being the sons of God.
Heb 5:8 Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered;
Heb 5:9 And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him;
Those perfected in this age are the holy angels, the children of the resurrection who come with Christ to judge the nations in the lake of fire.
Mat 25:31 When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:
Christ chooses us to be His church and brings power and glory. All those in the church of the Lord are being worked on. Whether it is John’s baptism or Christ’s baptism, the commandments perform the work of sanctifying and cleansing. By the commandments of the Gospel, we are established as a people without blemish, reflecting His glory.
Eph 5:26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,
Eph 5:27 That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.
Our calling and election come with an exceedingly high standard of expected behaviour. The honour given is incomparable with anything offered in this world. We are the elect of God and have been given many spiritual blessings. The Israel of God is to be holy and abiding in love, always obeying His commandments. Anything else is not love, and is not Holiness.
Eph 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:
Eph 1:4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:
Jesus Christ, the firstborn of all creation, pure and without blame, is the epitome of Holiness and is the brightness of the Father’s glory. Jesus Christ, the Living Word, the Son, is Holy and is the glory of God. The glory comes to live in us.
Heb 1:1 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,
Heb 1:2 Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;
Heb 1:3 Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;
The Gospel, which is Christ, is glorious because the Holy Commandments, which are Spirit, are the image of God. We show others the knowledge of God’s glory when we share and live the Gospel with brethren.
2Co 4:4 In whom the God of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious Gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.
2Co 4:5 For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus’ sake.
2Co 4:6 For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
The Gospel is the light of God and the knowledge of the glory of God that is the image of Jesus Christ, who is the image of the Father. When the brightness of the living commandments comes to us, all things are being made new, and we begin to manifest Holiness, which is the glory of God. This spiritual light manifests outwardly and is seen by all given spiritual eyes.
Joh 1:14 And the Word [Christ in you] was made flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
When we receive Christ, the Promise, we are now Christ in the world, and as He was the light unto the world, so are we. Shining the light of God glorifies the Father who sits in our heavens with Christ [Joh 14:20].
Mat 5:16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
The Old Testament shadows the true things of Christ. Yet even the shadow of the living Christ, the commandments were glorious. When Moses went to speak with the Lord and came out with commandments to give them, his face shone brightly, being full of the Lord’s glory. Moses had to wear a veil.
2Co 3:7 But if the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not stedfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance; which glory was to be done away:
The glory of the Spirit of the Living God far exceeds the glory of the letter of the law, which is the glory we have with the baptism of John. The coming of the Living Christ by the Promise is the hope of glory coming, which exceeds the glory we once had in the letter before the Spirit comes.
2Co 3:8 How shall not the ministration of the spirit be rather glorious?
2Co 3:9 For if the ministration of condemnation be glory, much more doth the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory.
2Co 3:10 For even that which was made glorious had no glory in this respect, by reason of the glory that excelleth.
2Co 3:11 For if that which is done away was glorious, how much more that which remaineth is glorious.
Losing Our Life Brings His Glory
When the Spirit comes, we are no longer under the law of the carnal mind. The school master, the shadow of the truth, is gone. Our lives no longer belong to us; we have been redeemed and belong to the Lord. We have been made a living sacrifice the moment the Promise comes. We lay down our lives as the Lord did His. Laying down our lives is when the Father honors us, and we receive His glory as He glorifies us in His temple. Christ often speaks of His death and our death on the cross as it precedes the coming of great glory.
Joh 12:26 If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour.
Joh 12:27 Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour.
Joh 12:28 Father, glorify thy name. Then came there a voice from heaven, saying, I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again [Through the coming to us]
We hear the voice of God, either from heaven or from an angel of the Lord who has gone before us. Judgment is come; it begins in earnest when the Gospel is preached, and the Promise received. When the time is at hand to be glorified by the Father, there is only a short time left for Satan. The Lord faithfully reveals what we need to know in His perfect timing. The devil, the world’s prince, is soon to be cast out of our heavens. The Spirit of the Living God is not sharing His throne with the prince of this world.
Joh 12:31 Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out.
Joh 12:32 And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.
Like Christ, we draw all men to ourselves in due time. There are very few in this age, but all people come to the Lord and His Christ in the next age. When we finish the race we were given to run in these physical bodies, we have completed the work the Lord gave us to do. When we depart these clay vessels, having endured to the end, we are given the same glorified spiritual body as the Father and Christ.
Jhn 17:4 I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.
Jhn 17:5 And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.
God lays great honour and majesty upon us as we are His true sons. We are the apple of His eye and have become His glory.
Psa 21:5 His glory is great in thy salvation: honour and majesty hast thou laid upon him.
The resurrected Christ returns to us in the appointed time, ascending into our heaven as the Promised Comforter. The Spirit of Christ dwelling inside us now gives us the same glory the Father gave the Son, and we are forever with the Lord, beholding His glory. The Spirit of Christ performs it.
Jhn 17:22 And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one:
Jhn 17:23 I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.
Jhn 17:24 Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world.
With the indwelling Promise, we are taught of God by the chastening grace that brings forth righteousness. The glory of God and our Saviour is revealed increasingly as we mature.
Tit 2:12 Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;
Tit 2:13 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;
We never stop learning and growing and being strengthened as Christ increases in us daily by the working of the glorious power of the indwelling living commandments.
Col 1:10 That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;
Col 1:11 Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness;
Progressions of Glory:
There is a progression in receiving glory, just as there is in overcoming sin and becoming holy in all our behaviour. We see this progression in the shadows of the construction of the tabernacles and physical temples in Israel, which are lessons written for our admonition. God’s true temple [which we are] is not built by the hands of men [Acts 7:49] but by the power of the living and indwelling commandments.
Isa 66:1 Thus saith the LORD, The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool: where is the house that ye build unto me? and where is the place of my rest?
Each step toward maturity glorifies the Father, yet there are different levels of glory dependent upon which Baptism [John or Christ] we have completed, our role in the church, and where we stand on the road to maturity in our baptism.
1Co 15:40 There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another.
1Co 15:41 There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory.
The Lord gives everyone their measure of faith, and we are His workmanship, so some bear more fruit and thus more glory than others, but it is all of the Lord.
Mar 4:20 And these are they which are sown on good ground; such as hear the word, and receive it, and bring forth fruit, some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some an hundred.
The fullness of glory only comes when the Lord’s work is finished, and we are given our new spiritual bodies after finishing the earthly race. Being raised with Christ, our earnest deposit is glorious, but the fullness is yet to come.
1Co 15:43 It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power:
1Co 15:44 It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.
We groan and travail in this weak flesh, hoping for the complete deliverance and glory to be revealed.
Php 3:21 Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.
Progressions of the Building of Tabernacles and Temples
The Promise of Jesus Christ comes when the temple or tabernacle of God is dedicated to the Lord. Symbolically, this is the day the Ark of the living commandments is brought into us, who are now the temple of God. The progression of salvation takes time, with both John’s Baptism and Christ’s Baptism [the Promise]. The glory of God and our obedience come little by little. We see this witnessed multiple times in the stories of Israel’s sojourning and ultimately abiding in the Promised Land.
Deu 7:22 And the LORD thy God will put out those nations before thee by little and little: thou mayest not consume them at once, lest the beasts of the field increase upon thee
Our obedience, that is the glory of God for which we are created, appears little by little, and we are given the fullness when our race is finished.
The first tabernacle erected by Moses in the wilderness reveals its initial filling with God’s glory. These stories are parables, and we are this tabernacle as we receive our Baptism of John and later the physical temples built in Israel. The common theme of the glory coming, is that it always follows the bringing in of the commandments, the Ark, into the temple.
Exo 40:21 And he brought the Ark [the commandments] into the tabernacle, and set up the vail of the covering, and covered the Ark of the testimony; as the LORD commanded Moses.
Exo 40:34 Then a cloud covered the tent of the congregation, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.
Where the commandments of the Lord reside is where the Lord is, because He is the Holy Commandments of the Father. The glory of the Lord always manifests in the presence of the commandments. Eventually, Israel entered the Promised Land, and Solomon was led to construct a permanent physical temple. Here again, we see the commandments, the Ark brought into the temple of God as a parable to them coming into our temple. The Ark is brought in by the priests who preach and teach the Gospel.
2Ch 5:2 Now Solomon assembled the elders of Israel and all the heads of the tribes, the chief fathers of the children of Israel, in Jerusalem, that they might bring the Ark of the covenant of the LORD up from the City of David, which is Zion.
2Ch 5:5 Then they brought up the Ark, the tabernacle of meeting, and all the holy furnishings that were in the tabernacle. The priests and the Levites brought them up.
Solomon soon prayed for the Promise of the Spirit [the Spirit is our covering and is the garment of salvation] to fall upon Israel. The Lord answered the prayer, and fire from heaven came down, filling the entire house. This ancient event is a shadow of our day of Pentecost and how we pray the Lord to come and fill His house with the glory of the Father. Solomon’s prayer is an excellent one for us to pray today while we tarry.
2Ch 6:41 Now therefore arise, O LORD God, into thy resting place, thou, and the Ark of thy strength: let thy priests, O LORD God, be clothed with salvation, and let thy saints rejoice in goodness.
2Ch 7:1 Now when Solomon had made an end of praying, the fire came down from heaven, and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices; and the glory of the LORD filled the house.
2Ch 7:2 And the priests could not enter into the house of the LORD, because the glory of the LORD had filled the LORD’S house.
2Ch 7:3 And when all the children of Israel saw how the fire came down, and the glory of the LORD upon the house, they bowed themselves with their faces to the ground upon the pavement, and worshipped, and praised the LORD, saying, For he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever.
When the temple is filled with the Promise, the glory of the Lord, the thing we have hoped and prayed for has come. Now we enter into the true sabbath rest of the Lord and can no longer do our own works and ministry. We now belong to the Lord, having been redeemed from among men.
1Ki 8:10 And it came to pass, when the priests were come out of the holy place, that the cloud filled the house of the LORD,
1Ki 8:11 So that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud: for the glory of the LORD had filled the house of the LORD.
Once redeemed, we only do the Lord’s work henceforth, which is preaching and living the Gospel. God’s glory, the cloud, covers our sins, and they are no longer remembered. The Lord has glorified Himself in us, the Holy Temple where He now dwells with the Father.
Isa 44:21 Remember these, O Jacob and Israel; for thou art my servant: I have formed thee; thou art my servant: O Israel, thou shalt not be forgotten of me.
Isa 44:22 I have blotted out, as a thick cloud, thy transgressions, and, as a cloud, thy sins: return unto me; for I have redeemed thee.
Isa 44:23 Sing, O ye heavens; for the LORD hath done it: shout, ye lower parts of the earth: break forth into singing, ye mountains, O forest, and every tree therein: for the LORD hath redeemed Jacob, and glorified himself in Israel.
Isa 44:24 Thus saith the LORD, thy redeemer, and he that formed thee from the womb, I am the LORD that maketh all things; that stretcheth forth the heavens alone; that spreadeth abroad the earth by myself;
After Solomon’s temple was sacked, the physical [outward] Ark of the Commandments given to Moses was lost. Therefore, it could not be brought back into the second physical temple that Ezra and Zerubbabel were instrumental in constructing. We do not see the glory of the Lord filling that temple at its dedication, as described in Ezra 6.
The Glory of the Latter Temple is Greater
With the baptism of John, there is glory in our house, but nothing compared to the glory of the latter house when the Lord comes by way of the Promise. We have two physical temples built, Solomon’s, which we looked at earlier, and the second one after Israel [you and me] leave Spiritual Babylon. Both of these temples are shadows of the makings and remaking of the true temple, which is the temple we are.
1Co 3:16 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?
1Co 3:17 If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.
The Lord sends destroyers to both the “fleshly” temples, as we defile them both without the power of the Gospel helping us. This destruction is for good as it prepares us for the Promise to come, which establishes the true living temple of the Lord, built by His hands and power. Solomon’s and Ezra’s temples were destroyed at the appointed time so Christ could come with the Promise and establish the true everlasting temple.
Ezra’s temple, like Solomon’s, is a shadow of the true living temple that is to be filled with the Lord’s glory. However, Ezra’s temple, in type and shadow, exemplifies the final temple more than Solomon’s because it was established by the Spirit of grace and not by works.
Zec 4:6 Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the LORD unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts.
Zec 4:7 Who art thou, O great mountain? before Zerubbabel thou shalt become a plain: and he shall bring forth the headstone thereof with shoutings, crying, Grace, grace unto it.
Few who saw the first temple and were taken into Spiritual Babylon are brought back to see the second temple being built, as many are called, and only a few are chosen.
Hag 2:3 Who is left among you that saw this house in her first glory? and how do ye see it now? is it not in your eyes in comparison of it as nothing?
The temple we have in the Baptism of John is a shadow of the true temple. That is why we tarry or wait for the Promise to come that brings the power and glory of the true living Word. Only then can the final everlasting temple be established. When the Promise is given, the Spirit builds God’s temple. Haggai’s prophecy reflects this symbolism and the difference between the construction of this temple and that of Solomon’s. The temple of Solomon was built with a great deal of gold, silver, and other trappings that symbolized knowledge and spiritual riches. Ezra’s temple is much simpler, with less outward adornment of gold and other treasures [knowledge]. Coming out of Spiritual Babylon, we are learning that the power of God lies in the commandments, not in knowledge or appearances. Ezra’s temple is built as an example of how our temple is being built, namely by the Spirit of the Lord.
Hag 2:4 Yet now be strong, O Zerubbabel, saith the LORD; and be strong, O Joshua, son of Josedech, the high priest; and be strong, all ye people of the land, saith the LORD, and work: for I am with you, saith the LORD of hosts:
We just have to wait for the power, which is preceded by a spiritual shaking, an earthquake that gives the occasion for the Lord to come. When this earthquake is finished, then our house of the Lord is filled with His glory, the Promise.
Hag 2:6 For thus saith the LORD of hosts; Yet once, it is a little while, and I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land;
Hag 2:7 And I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come: and I will fill this house with glory, saith the LORD of hosts.
Hag 2:8 The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, saith the LORD of hosts.
There is no comparison between the former glory under John’s baptism and the house’s glory when the Promise, the Living Christ, is received.
Hag 2:9 The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former, saith the LORD of hosts: and in this place will I give peace, saith the LORD of hosts.
The Lord does not rest after the coming of the Promise. He works until His righteousness blossoms and the overcoming of sin bursts forth. All who overcome sin by the gift of faith are given a new name and wear a crown of glory. We become the harvesters, the holy angels in the hand of God.
Isa 62:1 For Zion’s sake will I not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest, until the righteousness thereof go forth as brightness, and the salvation thereof as a lamp that burneth.
Isa 62:2 And the Gentiles shall see thy righteousness, and all kings thy glory: and thou shalt be called by a new name, which the mouth of the LORD shall name.
Isa 62:3 Thou shalt also be a crown of glory in the hand of the LORD, and a royal diadem in the hand of thy God.
We do not receive the fullness of our crown until we depart these clay vessels made of sinful flesh. Thus, we are always glad when our time comes to depart these clay vessels, knowing of the fullness of the glory to come and to be with the Lord and all the saints.
The Vision of the Promise and The City of God
Ezekiel’s vision of the final temple of the Living Lord is a vision of the children of the resurrection, each now an angel, full of the Spirit of the living by the commandments, who by their presence manifest the glory of God. These cherubim, like those seen earlier [Eze 1 and Eze 10], enter the temple from the east gate, as we always follow the Son from east to the west. The glory of the Lord fills this Temple as each angel coming in, those with Christ resurrected in them, enter into the city. Their spiritual bodies, being the earth, shine with the glory of God.
Eze 43:2 And, behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east: and his voice was like a noise of many waters: and the earth shined with his glory.
Eze 43:3 And it was according to the appearance of the vision which I saw, even according to the vision that I saw when I came to destroy the city: and the visions were like the vision that I saw by the river Chebar; and I fell upon my face.
Eze 43:4 And the glory of the LORD came into the house by the way of the gate whose prospect is toward the east.
Eze 43:5 So the spirit took me up, and brought me into the inner court; and, behold, the glory of the LORD filled the house.
The law of the Lord’s final house is simple: it is Holiness. Holiness is God’s true glory, so we always strive to be holy.
Eze 43:12 This is the law of the house; Upon the top of the mountain the whole limit thereof round about shall be most holy. Behold, this is the law of the house.
John’s vision in Revelation confirms Ezekiel’s vision of the Lord’s final living temple. There is no temple per se; the Lord and the Father dwell in the hearts and minds of all the children of the resurrection, who are now the holy angels of the Lord. The glory of God and the Lamb that dwells in everyone is the light. Those having dominion over their flesh are the kings of the earth who bring the glory and honor given to them by the Father into the Holy city. Only the Holy can enter.
Rev 21:22 And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it.
Rev 21:23 And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.
Rev 21:24 And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it.
In closing, everyone must be reminded that even with the indwelling Spirit, we are told to be diligent and vigilant in our walk. When Christ is taken away [the living commandments], the glory of God departs from that house. When we leave our first love and wander into riotous living, the glory we had has departed, and we are again the prodigal son. Keep the commandments sacred, write them on the frontlets of your eyes. Let’s not be an Ichabod.
1Sa 4:21 And she named the child Ichabod, saying, The glory is departed from Israel: because the Ark of God was taken, and because of her Father in law and her husband.
1Sa 4:22 And she said, The glory is departed from Israel: for the Ark of God is taken.
We earnestly await the fullness of the glory of the Father to be revealed in us in due time. Our hope of the glory to come makes our sufferings much more bearable.
Rom 8:18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
Rom 8:19 For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.
Grace, peace, and mercy to the brethren.
Click here for a second study titled Created for God’s Glory