The exhibition of God’s glory
and the deepest joy of human souls
are one thing.
–Jonathan Edwards
(1703-1758, preacher, theologian, author)
Wooh—that’s a mouthful! I have to break that down into smaller bites.
God’s glory includes his splendor and majesty, infinite power and wisdom, creative genius and perfect engineering, absolute holiness and righteousness, and much more. God’s glory is, in part, the sum of his glorious attributes.
The exhibition of God’s glory is all around us in creation, and visible to all people (Isaiah 6:3, Psalm 97:6).
But more profound: God’s glory is made known to us in our hearts—to those who have asked Jesus to save us from the ultimate consequence of our sin, and to become Master of our destinies (2 Corinthians 4:6).
How incredible that we can experience God’s glory here and now, although in a limited way. And how wonderful that the deepest joy of humans souls is a result of knowing him now—not just when we get to heaven.
Someday, though, we will witness the full revelation of his splendor, and that of his Son, Jesus. It’s beyond our wildest imaginings (1 Corinthians 2:9).
Scripture does include a few glimpses, however. We see his:
- Golden splendor and awesome majesty (Job 37:22)
- Garment of light, wrapped around himself (Psalm 104:2a)
- Clouds surrounding the throne (Daniel 7:13)
- Belt of gold and gleaming, flaming eyes (Daniel 10:5-6)
- Long robe with a golden sash across his chest, white hair, and blazing eyes (Revelation 1:13-16)
Charles Spurgeon eloquently expressed the glory of Jesus in a sermon, over 150 years ago. He proclaimed Christ…
“…Radiant with splendor,
effulgent with light,
clothed with rainbows,
girded with clouds,
wrapped in lightning,
crowned with stars,
the sun beneath his feet.”
Doesn’t that give you holy goosebumps?
Yet there is more.
When he appears, we shall be like him (2 Thessalonians 2:14; 1 John 3:2).
Can you imagine? We will share in the radiant splendor of our Savior. As if that wasn’t enough, we’ll finally be transformed into the holy and perfect beings we have always wanted to be.
And as we share in the glory of Jesus, we will enjoy incredible blessings that God has prepared. The following scriptures offer us tantalizing samples—to whet our appetites for what is to come:
- There will be no need for sunlight; God will be our everlasting light. There will also be no more sorrow (Isaiah 60:19-20).
- We will see Jesus face to face and finally have full understanding of all things (1 Corinthians 13:12-13).
- We will bear the likeness of Jesus (1 Corinthians 15:49).
- We will reign with Jesus forever (Revelation 3:21; 22:5).
- There will be no night and no impurity (Revelation 21:23-27).
Now, there are those who worry that heaven will involve a lot of cloud-sitting and harp-playing. Well, yes, there are clouds and harps. (I, for one, am very glad for the harps–it’s my favorite instrument. And, I have to admit, there are some days when a bit of cloud-sitting and harp-playing sounds rather appealing!)
However, I agree with theologian, Albert Barnes. “To reign with Jesus” means we will share in Christ’s dominion of the universe, administering the affairs of all the worlds.” That sounds exciting and fulfilling (but mind-boggling) to me!
Such glimpses of our glorious future really are too much for my mind to absorb. But, oh how thankful I am that God has tucked them into his Word, to fill our hearts with expectation and hope.
Also worth contemplating is the eternal expanse of time we’ll enjoy God’s majesty and splendor. According to John Piper, heaven’s joys will actually increase as we discover more and more of God’s glory. “The end of increased pleasure in God will never come” (God’s Passion for His Glory, p. 37).
Then “the exhibition of God’s glory and the deepest joy of human souls” will indeed be one perfect, sublime, eternal thing.
* * * * * * * * * *
Lord God of heaven and earth, my heart shouts praise in honor of your glory! I praise you for being a holy God, completely separate from all else in the universe. No one is your equal in power, wisdom, creativity, splendor, or love. No one else is perfect in all he does. Thank you for your Word, where we can glimpse your glory and your plans–for our glorious and joyous future with you.
(Photo & art credits: www.beforethebeginning.net; http://www.pinterest.com; http://www.honestytalk.wordpress.com; http://www.verseaday.com.)
From the Inside Out 