: by David Orton
"for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you".
1 Pet 4:14
In unprecedented measures and in unusual ways God is about to pour out his glory on the earth. But before he does, let us consider what the glory is.
The Hebrew word for glory, kabod, carries the meaning of heaviness or weight. And throughout Scripture it usually signifies the revelation of Gods nature, being, and presence, often with physical phenomena.
In response to Moses cry to know the Lord and his ways (Ex 33:13) the Lord promised, My Presence will go with you" (v 14), triggering an even deeper cry, Now show me your glory." (v 18). Moses had already been immersed in the physical manifestation of the cloud, but now received in response to this the deeper revelation of his nature as " the Lord God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth" (Ex 34:6-7).
And so, we see the glory as the manifest presence, revealed not only in physical phenomena, but also in the divine attributes.
Neither of these are optional extras. They are joined at the hip and are integral to an intimate walk with God. The more we hunger for his presence the more we will be immersed not only in the tangible sense of the anointing, but also in the reality of who he is, of his nature and attributes. We will come to know him and his ways.
Right now God is increasing again the sense of his presence. He wants to bring into our gatherings and celebrations the weight of his glory. This is a palpable sense of the awe and presence of God as he comes to his temple. It is the seven-fold Spirit of God "the Spirit of the LORD the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD" (Isa 11:2). These are the seven spirits that appear before the throne and are the seven eyes of the Lamb (Rev 1:4; 3:1; 4:5; 5:6). It is the fullness of God filling the church.
And as the intensity of his felt presence increases several things will occur:
First, as already mentioned the awe of God will invade our gatherings. The weight of this will reduce us and we will be on our faces before him. As God leans upon us our services and meetings will be disrupted and our hearts broken.
Secondly, the "spirit of power" will begin to perform unusual miracles, signs, and wonders in our gatherings and in the marketplace. The most unlikely people will be used in great power; and,
Thirdly, a "spirit of revelation" of "wisdom understanding, and counsel" will lead us into heights and depths of his nature, of his heart and being, hitherto unknown. This is not to say we have not possessed the theological content of these things, we have, but we have not possessed the spirit reality (see Jn 5:39; 6:63).
This will impart to the church a new spirit and a new heart. The heart of stone will be extracted through deep operations of the Spirit. There will be much weeping and travail of soul. The deep subterranean cry of the generations, their wounds, hopes and dreams, will surface in this generation. Through deep identificational repentance the sins of the fathers will be extirpated and the guilt of many generations wiped away.
The "restoration of all things" is imminent. All the devotions, fastings, and prayers of the ages are filling up in this generation. Added to this generations, they are about to be poured out in the most holy, powerful, and passionate move of the Spirit history will record. The golden censer of the prayers of the saints is almost full. And having been filled it will cast fire on the earth (see Rev 8:3-5). Eternal judgement and resurrection life will be restored to the church (see Heb 6:1-3). Some will lose their lives under the discipline of God and many will be raised from the dead.
The false apostolic and prophetic will be removed. The chief-cornerstone of Christ himself and the foundation of true apostles and prophets will be re-laid and the glory will return to the temple (see Eph 2:19-22). Everything the Father has not planted will be pulled up by the roots and eradicated from the kingdom. Ministries, churches, and movements not born of the Spirit in the perfect will of the Father shall receive their reward. Pride and arrogance will be brought low every mountain of idolatry and human presumption will be demolished and every valley of humility and brokenness exalted in this terrible day of the Lord. Only those who have fallen on their faces, humbling themselves under the mighty hand of God, will survive this fearful day of visitation.
The Lord would say in this hour, For a long time I have kept silent, I have been quiet and held myself back. But now, like a woman in childbirth, I cry out, I gasp and pant.
I will lay waste the mountains and hills and dry up all their vegetation; I will turn rivers into islands and dry up the pools. I will lead the blind by ways they have not known,
along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth. These are the things I will do; I will not forsake them.
But those who trust in idols, who say to images, You are our gods, will be turned back in utter shame."
Isa 42:14-17
God is about to break out upon us. But it will not be like the previous move. It is time to get our house in order. Wrong motives, relationships, and values will attract his attention. And so, the weight of glory that is about to rest on the church will come in blessing to those who have willingly suffered for the sake of Christ, bearing the reproach outside the camp (see 1 Pet 4:14; Heb 13:11-14). It will come in great favour, bringing prosperity to those who have prepared a place of habitation in their hearts by pursuing the praise of God rather than the praise of men who through the fellowship of his sufferings and brokenness of heart have made him welcome, and who through the devotion of their heart restored the Fathers house as a house of prayer.
But to those who have pursued their own success, ministry or vocational goals outside the express will of the Father, the coming glory will only bring judgement. No motive or attitude of the heart is hidden "all things are naked and opened to the eyes of him with whom we have to do" (Heb 4:13). They will be leant on heavily by the weight of the presence. And only as they "fall on the rock" will they be saved. Otherwise, the rock the awesome weight of the glory of God, will fall on them and they will be destroyed (see Mtt 21:43-44).
Now is the time to bow our hearts to the "Spirit of Glory" there is fire coming on the earth (see Lk 12:49).
