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Glory belongs to God. As Jude put it, "To God our Savior, Who alone is wise, Be glory and majesty, Dominion and power, Both now and forever. Amen." (Jude 1.25). We concluded our previous installment with these words: "The Glory of God is not a glory to be compared with the glory of man. Don’t make the mistake of creating God in your image but see yourself as a creature made in His image!"

Even of the realm in which God exists Paul wrote, "All flesh is not the same flesh, but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of animals, another of fish, and another of birds. There are also celestial bodies and terrestrial bodies; but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another. There is one glory of the sun, another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for one star differs from another star in glory. So also is the resurrection of the dead. The body is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption. It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power. It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body." (1 Corinthians 15.39-44). God lives in a realm of Glory that is completely different and distinct from the glory to which humans are accustomed or to which we may attain.

Perhaps these facts had something to do with what Paul penned in another text. He wrote: "I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago——whether in the body I do not know, or whether out of the body I do not know, God knows——such a one was caught up to the third heaven. And I know such a man——whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows—— how he was caught up into Paradise and heard inexpressible words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter." (2Corinthian 12.2-4). The "third heaven" is alluded to as well as Paradise and they both seem to mean what Matthew Poole interpreted in his commentary when he wrote, "…by which he [Paul] means the highest heavens, where God most manifesteth his glory, where the blessed angels see his face, and where are the just souls made perfect."

This interpretation is consistent with Paul’s comments to Timothy when he wrote, "And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory." (1 Timothy 3.16). True glory is in God’s presence and it is only there that true glory can be know or experienced. No wonder the biblical characters who were permitted to catch a glimpse of God on His throne were so fearful and awestruck! They had never experienced anything like that in their human experiences and their words were totally inadequate to describe the sight!

We are but frail human beings affected by sin and limited by time. God, on the other hand, is untouched by sin and the Being who spoke time into existence! In His presence, all human monuments and achievements melt into insignificance. To God be Glory!

Questions:

1. What illustrations did Paul use in 1 Corinthians 15 to show the differing "degrees" of glory?

2. In 2 Corinthians 12, what words did Paul use to describe the place where God dwells?

3. When Christ ascended, into what was he received? What did He know of that place?

4. In God’s presence, why do all human monuments and achievements melt into insignificance?

Focus Text: Jude 1.25

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