The Splendor of the Lord

In His final instruction to His disciples concerning all believers to come, Jesus said, "Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me..." (John 17:24) The word "behold" in this verse means more than to perceive with the eyes, but moreover, to enjoy the presence. Jesus would not have said this if it were not possible for believers to encounter. It is important that we understand that Jesus was not simply talking of His glory as the risen Lord now seated in heaven, but also His glory manifesting on earth. This should be a desire of all believers, that is, to have and enjoy the glory of the Lord manifesting in the here and now on earth. Why?

The glory of God releases and produces something in the hearts of people that cannot be received directly through hearing teachings, reading books, or receiving an anointing through the laying on of hands, even though these are good things to do and can point us to the glory. However, if we sincerely want to be changed and transformed, we must have an insatiable desire to enter into His glory, into His presence. The Psalmist David said, "Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,and into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name." (Psalm 100:4) and "You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy..." (Psalm 16:11) It is in His presence where believers will experience things that are, "...exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think..."
(Ephesians 3:20) It is the place where 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 by the Spirit of the Lord." (2 Corinthians 3:18)

However, to experience continuous transformation, we also need to know how to respond when the glory of God manifests. There is no formula, method, or manual regarding how to do this, but we must be prepared for His presence to come. Sometimes, His presence comes to heal or deliver, and people are aware of it, but they do nothing about it; they don't respond in faith. Even though God acts according to His sovereign will concerning this, our part is to worship Him, or to say, "Lord,I receive my healing. I receive my deliverance." We have to respond to Him when His presence comes. If we have wrong attitudes towards His presence, we may find ourselves missing His coming. This very thing happened to Jacob, "Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.” (Genesis 28:16) Even worse, we may find ourselves grieving the Holy Spirit.

As we see, it is possible for us to be in the same place where the glory of God is present and not realize it. His presence is a gift so, let us not ignore or reject Him. God does not manifest His presence where He is simply tolerated, He comes where He is celebrated. We need to remain sensitive to how the Spirit of God is moving. The next time we recognize His presence, we can respond in faith and worship. When Jacob did realize that God was with him, he set up a pillar, marking the place, and anointed it with oil. (Genesis 28:17-18)

I believe God is raising up a new generation of men and women of all ages who will know how to respond to His presence. This generation will thirst for His glory to manifest on earth. The darkness in the world will become denser each day, and wickedness will multiply, but the manifestation of God on earth will also become more powerful with each passing moment, "Your Kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven...For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen." (Matthew 6:10, 13) It will be this generation of believers, of every age, every nation and tongue, that will impact the world and gather the greatest harvest of souls ever seen.

I believe that entire cities and nations will be shaken by His glory and we will see some of the greatest miracles, signs, and wonders taking place where they will recognize Jesus as Lord and Savior. My question to you is this; are you willing to be transformed and be a part of the new generation? If your answer is yes, God will take care of everything because He does not want His people to waste their time following religious norms. He wants us to enjoy the highest dimension of His glory. So, let us move on to perfection in and through His glory. 

"Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, to God our Savior, Who alone is wise, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and forever. Amen." Jude 24-25)