THE PREACHER

"Arise, shine; for your light is come, and the glory of Yahweh is risen on you.

ISAIAH 60:1                  

The glory of Yahweh is to be evident and visible in our lives. How can this be? By the understanding that we are the temple of the Living God.

Or don't you know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit which is in you, which you have from God? You are not your own,

for you were bought with a price. Therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's.

1 CORINTHIANS 6:19,20

What agreement has a temple of God with idols? For you are a temple of the living God. Even as God said, "I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they will be my people.

2 CORINTHIANS 6:16

It is the purpose of God to fill His temple with His glory. We see this in the Old Testament. Prior to the building of the Temple, they had the Tabernacle. This was the dwelling place of YHWH in those days. And it was God’s purpose to fill it with glory:

Then the cloud covered the Tent of Meeting, and the glory of Yahweh filled the tabernacle.

Moses wasn't able to enter into the Tent of Meeting, because the cloud stayed on it, and Yahweh's glory filled the tabernacle.

When the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the children of Israel went onward, throughout all their journeys;

but if the cloud wasn't taken up, then they didn't travel until the day that it was taken up.

For the cloud of Yahweh was on the tabernacle by day, and there was fire in the cloud by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel, throughout all their journeys.

EXODUS 40:34-38

Then, after a few hundred years, it became time to build the Temple. Look what happened when they built and dedicated the Temple to YHWH:

It came to pass, when the priests were come out of the holy place, that the cloud filled the house of Yahweh,

so that the priests could not stand to minister by reason of the cloud; for the glory of Yahweh filled the house of Yahweh.

1 KINGS 8:10,11

Now when Solomon had made an end of praying, the fire came down from heaven, and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices; and the glory of Yahweh filled the house.

The priests could not enter into the house of Yahweh, because the glory of Yahweh filled Yahweh's house.

All the children of Israel looked on, when the fire came down, and the glory of Yahweh was on the house; and they bowed themselves with their faces to the ground on the pavement, and worshiped, and gave thanks to Yahweh, saying, For he is good; for his loving kindness endures for ever.

2 CHRONICLES 7:1-3

This was the glory of YHWH filling His earthly temple. Look at a vision which the prophet Isaiah had concerning the heavenly temple of God:

In the year that king Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up; and his train filled the temple.

Above him stood the seraphim. Each one had six wings. With two he covered his face. With two he covered his feet. With two he flew.

One called to another, and said, "Holy, holy, holy, is Yahweh of Armies! The whole earth is full of his glory!"

The foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke.

Then I said, "Woe is me! For I am undone, because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for my eyes have seen the King, Yahweh of Armies!"

ISAIAH 6:1-5

The point is very simple: God’s temple is designed to be filled with His glory. It is to be a place of awe and wonder, a place of great holiness and majestic power. If this is true of a building, how much more is it true of us? We are the temple of YHWH in this New Testament dispensation. Our body temples are greater, since they are not made by human hands. We are animated by the indwelling spirit, which is joined to and filled with the Holy Spirit of God.

We are designed to be containers of the very Presence of God. Our spirit man – the real us, as it were – is born of God and is in union with the Godhead. We are not separate from Him. Separation is the great lie of the ages, the damnable heresy of religious thinking and striving. We marvel at Isaiah’s vision of a high and lifted up God. Yet we fail to see that this is but a pattern for the life of the son and daughter of God. The Lord is to be high and exalted in the temple not made with hands – our very bodies! People should be in awe and reverential fear of every believer. This is the very message of Isaiah chapter 60.

Note that nations will come to our light and kings to the brightness of our rising (Isaiah 60:3). Have you ever experienced this? Is it because we don’t take God at His Word, particularly concerning His actually living IN us, that we don’t see such wonders?

Verse 10 says that the sons of foreigners will build up our walls and their kings will minister to us. This means that foreigners are here to provide for the temple, just as Solomon contracted foreigners to help him build the Temple in Jerusalem. In other words, the wealth of foreigners is to help meet our worldly needs. That might not be “PC” but it floats for me!

The nation and kingdom that doesn’t serve us will perish (v.12). Verse 14 says that people will bow at our feet. Why? Because of the glory filling the temple! What temple? You!! You have been Divinely designed for glory!

Now look at these verses:

Your gates also shall be open continually; they shall not be shut day nor night; that men may bring to you the wealth of the nations, and their kings led captive.

The sun shall be no more your light by day; neither for brightness shall the moon give light to you: but Yahweh will be to you an everlasting light, and your God your glory.

Your sun shall no more go down, neither shall your moon withdraw itself; for Yahweh will be your everlasting light, and the days of your mourning shall be ended.

ISAIAH 60:11,19,20

And compare them with this:

I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God, the Almighty, and the Lamb, are its temple.

The city has no need for the sun, neither of the moon, to shine, for the very glory of God illuminated it, and its lamp is the Lamb.

The nations will walk in its light. The kings of the earth bring the glory and honor of the nations into it.

Its gates will in no way be shut by day (for there will be no night there),

and they shall bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it so that they may enter.

REVELATION 21:22-26