I think we underestimate the glory of God. God’s glory isn’t just a reflection of what He has achieved or how much we should praise Him. God’s glory is a supernatural force, a spiritual power that predates any other force we know. His glory is not based on what He does. It is based on who He is.
God’s glory is part of His nature. It’s the splendor and majesty that radiates out from His nature and presence. His word is a force that creates and changes reality. His glory is a force that illuminates and testifies to His nature.
There is a radiance to God’s glory and presence that comes from the perfection and holiness of His nature. It is powerful, just as His word is.
This glory isn’t just a really good reputation. It is a tangible thing and has a very real physical presence. Look at how Ezekiel talks about the glory of the Lord:
Ezekiel 43:1-5 He led me to the gate, the one that faces east, and I saw the glory of the God of Israel coming from the east. His voice sounded like the roar of mighty waters, and the earth shone with His glory. The vision I saw was like the one I had seen when He came to destroy the city, and like the ones I had seen by the Chebar Canal. I fell facedown. The glory of the LORD entered the temple by way of the gate that faced east. Then the Spirit lifted me up and brought me to the inner court, and the glory of the LORD filled the temple.
There is a physical presence to the glory of the Lord. It fills a space. We see this elsewhere in the Bible. In Exodus the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. Later, after Solomon builds the temple, the people praise God and the glory of the Lord filled the temple. This was an actual tangible manifestation of the goodness, holiness and presence of God. It is the power and perfection of the Lord emanating from His presence.
In the Old Testament, the Hebrew word for glory comes from the word for weight. God’s glory is heavy. It has weight.
Let’s look at what happened when Moses asked to see the glory of God:
Exodus 33:18-23 Then Moses said, “Please, let me see Your glory.”
He said, “I will cause all My goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim the name Yahweh before you. I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.”
But He answered, “You cannot see My face, for no one can see Me and live.” The LORD said, “Here is a place near Me. You are to stand on the rock, and when My glory passes by, I will put you in the crevice of the rock and cover you with My hand until I have passed by. Then I will take My hand away, and you will see My back, but My face will not be seen.”
Moses was changed by his exposure to the glory of God. When he got back to the people of Israel, his face was shining. He was reflecting some of the glory of God because he had been in His presence.
And this is God’s desire. We are created for His glory.
Isaiah 43:6-7 Bring my sons from far away, and my daughters from the ends of the earth— everyone who is called by my name, and whom I have created for my glory, whom I have formed, yes, whom I have made.’”
And in Revelation, we are told that the glory of God illuminates Heaven. It is the only source of light in Heaven.
Revelation 21:22-23 I did not see a sanctuary in it, because the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb are its sanctuary. The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, because God’s glory illuminates it, and its lamp is the Lamb.
We’re all familiar with the popular depictions of Heaven. Angels floating on clouds, playing harps. People will tell you that the streets are paved with gold and that it’s beautiful. But none of that is the distinguishing characteristic of Heaven. The thing that makes Heaven paradise is the presence of God.
When we get to Heaven, we will be in the full and immediate presence of God. The Bible tells us that there is no sunlight or moonlight or artificial light in Heaven. Heaven is lit up by the glory of God. That’s what will overwhelm us when we get there. We will be basking in the full, intense glory of God. At that moment and forever after, nothing else will matter to us. We will be so thrilled and so completely overwhelmed by His presence and glory that all we will want to do is stay there and praise Him. At that moment, we will realize what we were created for, what we were designed for, what we have really wanted all our lives. We will be completely fulfilled exulting in the glory of God.
With that in mind, let’s go back to the passage in Exodus, when Moses asked to see God’s glory. The Lord told him that he could only see His back, that no man could see His face and live. Why do you suppose that is? Is the full glory of God toxic to people, but in Heaven, we will be able to bear it? No, the fact is that the full presence and glory of God brings our true nature and purpose clear to us. When see Him, we will know that nothing else matters but being there with Him. If we couldn’t stay there in Heaven with Him, we wouldn’t be able to bear it. That’s why the Lord tells Moses that no man can see His face and live, because no man can experience that glory and then be able to live without it.
And that’s what makes Hell a place of torture and extreme regret. It isn’t the flames, the sulfur or the brimstone. It isn’t the presence of Satan. It is the absence of God and His glory. The very worst thing that can happen to any human being is to enter the presence of God, to see and experience His full glory, and then to be banished outside of that presence and glory for eternity. To realize your purpose, the one fulfillment of everything you’ve been designed and created for, to have that one moment of complete fulfillment when You see and experience the glory of God and then to be cast out of that presence. That’s what makes Hell unbearable, to have seen the full glory of God and then to be deprived of it. That’s why there is weeping and gnashing of teeth in Hell.
We will spend eternity either loving and celebrating the glory of God or unendingly hopelessly yearning for it.
Despite our rebellion against Him, God has given us one way of reaching His glory, and that is through Jesus. Sinful, rebellious people cannot be allowed into His perfect, holy presence to bask in His glory. But through, Christ, we can be cleansed and forgiven. Jesus Himself gives us His righteousness, His holiness, so that we can dwell in God’s glory for eternity.
If you want to bask in the full glory of God for eternity, you have only to come to Christ, to ask for His forgiveness, to submit your life to Him.