Glory and Light

Back to: Heaven: Alcorn

And this brings me to the other sense of glory—glory as brightness, splendour, luminosity.
We are to shine as the sun, we are to be given the Morning Star.

CS Lewis, ‘Weight of Glory”

Throughout scripture, OT and NT alike, there is a correlation between light and God’s glory, both physically and metaphorically. Let’s take a look at how this is laid out in scripture.

Visibly: The Shining One

For instance, we see the glory of God manifested or expressed visibly when Moses comes down from the mountain after being with God in Exodus. It says his face shone to the point of needing a veil to cover it. Both Ezekiel and Daniel also described their visions of God in Heaven as a brilliant white light or lightning.

Exodus 33:29-35
[29] When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the covenant law in his hands, he was not aware that his face was radiant because he had spoken with the LORD. [30] When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, his face was radiant, and they were afraid to come near him. [31] But Moses called to them; so Aaron and all the leaders of the community came back to him, and he spoke to them. [32] Afterward all the Israelites came near him, and he gave them all the commands the LORD had given him on Mount Sinai. [33] When Moses finished speaking to them, he put a veil over his face. [34] But whenever he entered the LORD's presence to speak with him, he removed the veil until he came out. And when he came out and told the Israelites what he had been commanded, [35] they saw that his face was radiant. Then Moses would put the veil back over his face until he went in to speak with the LORD.

And in the New Testament, Moses shows up once again with Elijah to talk with Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration. Jesus is described as shining like the sun with bright white clothes. And of course, we see similar imagery from John in Revelation, as described in Ezekiel and Daniel.

And finally, Saul, soon to be Paul, on his way to Damascus met Jesus in the form of a bright light…

Acts 9:3-5 ESV
Now as he went on his way, he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven shone around him. [4] And falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?" [5] And he said, "Who are you, Lord?" And he said, "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.

So clearly there is a visible emanation of light that is associated with the glory and person of God.

Fear or Fear Not?

One thing I found interesting is how in most cases, particularly in the Old Testament, a healthy fear of meeting God in His Glory was encouraged and commanded. Isaiah goes so far as to describe himself as ‘ruined‘ or ‘undone‘ when encountering God. But with Jesus, there seems to be a bit of a shift. Where God tells Moses no one can see Him and live, Jesus now prays to the Father to reveal His Glory…

John 17:24 NIV
"Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world.

And after the terrifying experience on the mount of Transfiguration, Jesus comforts His disciples…

Matthew 17:1-3,5-8 NIV
After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. [2] There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light. [3] Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus. [5] While he was still speaking, a bright cloud covered them, and a voice from the cloud said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!" [6] When the disciples heard this, they fell facedown to the ground, terrified. [7] But Jesus came and touched them. "Get up," he said. "Don't be afraid." [8] When they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus.

Perhaps this is a precursor of how we will live with God in eternity.

Metaphorically: The Light of the world.

In the Book of John, Jesus bridges the Old & New Testament by declaring himself to be the light of the world…

John 8:12 ESV
Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."

In fact, John’s Gospel is saturated with the parallels of God being Light.

Believers: Reflecting His Glory.

In Matthew, Jesus starts off the New Testament with the same concept of correlating His glory as light, but now including His disciples and followers to reflect the same spirit. Most of us are familiar with the passage in where Believers are told that we are light, so we should let our lights shine to glorify our Father in Heaven…

Matthew 5:14-16 ESV
"You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. [15] Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. [16] In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

Paul also reiterates this truth in Ephesians and elsewhere…

Ephesians 5:8 NIV
For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light

Heavenly Lights.

Lastly, it’s worth taking a closer look at how the source of light is a critical component of living on the New Earth. We know that the sun will no longer be the source of light, but rather God Himself.

Revelation 21:22-24 NASBS
I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. [23] And the city has no need of the sun or of the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God has illumined it, and its lamp is the Lamb. [24] The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it.

Revelation 22:5 NASBS
And there will no longer be any night; and they will not have need of the light of a lamp nor the light of the sun, because the Lord God will illumine them; and they will reign forever and ever.

The phrase ‘God will illumine (or give) them light‘ seems to indicate that to some degree, we ourselves will be emanating light as He gives us. This would be in line with how we’re told to live in this world – as light, since we ARE light. Wayne Grudem says,

In the life to come, such brightness will be intensified, so that as we reign with Christ, it seems that we also will receive an outward appearance that is appropriate to that reign and to our status as image bearers of God and servants of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Wayne Grudem

Does the Bible Really Speak of Us Having “Glory” Someday?

https://www.epm.org/blog/2023/Jan/30/us-having-glory

To dig into this topic further, I would encourage a study on angels.

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Additional reading

2 Corinthians 3:7-18 NIV
Now if the ministry that brought death, which was engraved in letters on stone, came with glory, so that the Israelites could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of its glory, transitory though it was, [8] will not the ministry of the Spirit be even more glorious? [9] If the ministry that brought condemnation was glorious, how much more glorious is the ministry that brings righteousness! [10] For what was glorious has no glory now in comparison with the surpassing glory. [11] And if what was transitory came with glory, how much greater is the glory of that which lasts! [12] Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold. [13] We are not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face to prevent the Israelites from seeing the end of what was passing away. [14] But their minds were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. It has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away. [15] Even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts.[16] But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. [17] Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. [18] And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

2 Corinthians 4:4-6 NIV
The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. [5] For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake. [6] For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God's glory displayed in the face of Christ.bb

2 Timothy 1:9-10 NASBS
who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity, [10] but now has been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel,