Glossary
Glory
Understanding what is meant by the glory of God is central to understanding the purpose of God for his purpose is to fill the earth with his glory. God's glory is the appearance, or the radiance, of God's likeness in all his brilliance. We could not literally see God and live but it has always been God's purpose that he dwell on the earth among men and so he has minifested his glory amomg men in various ways. We see this in part when his glory came down to fill the tabernacle in the wilderness or the Temple. There are no human words or anything in our experience that could truly describe this glory but often a cloud was used to express what it was like. The word itself conveys the brilliant light of his likeness and the weight of his Presence. This glory appeared in human form in the person of Christ. God's desire is that now this glory be seen in the church as it was in Christ. When people come among the church they should see what God is like and feel a sense of his Presence - God is all his majesty, holiness, beauty, love and joy; not as a mystical cloud but in the lives and relationships of the community of God's people. Ultimately the purpose of God is to fill the earth with a knowledge of his glory.