[This is an extended cut of what was originally published today in the 2023 Advent Devotional of Pathway Church.]
Sometimes I wonder if we take God’s words as seriously as we should.
I understand why we might read His words with hesitation. For all the times my words don’t mean what I want them to, I see why it’s tempting to read His with caution. But God never says things just for the sake of saying them. He’s never partially true. He’s never wasted a promise.
What He says, is.
His word at creation brought light. His words on the cross brought forgiveness. The scriptures say that His voice is powerful (Psalm 29:4) and that His words do not return in vain (Isaiah 55:11).
It matters when God speaks.
So, when He says through the prophet that everyone will see the revelation of His glory, the mouth of the Lord has spoken the truth of what will be. Each of us will experience His reality.
The question is, how will we receive it?
Luke writes about how the shepherds witnessed the glory of the Lord when the angel visited them at their field. They saw it and were terrified. (Luke 2:9)
Ezekiel experienced the glory of the Lord when it came and filled the temple. Rather than afraid, he seems as if he expected it. (Ezekiel 43:1-5)
The Apostle Paul says we will see the glory of the Lord, but can’t until we turn to it. (2 Corinthians 3:16)
When we turn, the veil will be removed and we will experience transformation — in this glory!
”And all of us, with unveiled faces, seeing the glory of the Lord as though reflected in a mirror, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another, for this comes from the Lord, the Spirit.“ - 2 Corinthians 3:18
So, the question remains, how will we receive it? Are we afraid? Do we expect it? Are we turning away from what we are right now unable to see or turning toward it?
According to Isaiah and Paul, all of us will see this glory. Because in one way or another, God’s word will remove the veil.
Your neighbor will see it. Your boss will see it. Your great grandfather will see it. Your great granddaughter will see it. Kings and presidents, friends and enemies, the righteous and the unrighteousness.
Everyone is going to notice.
So, if God says that we will ALL see it, and if we are taking God’s words as seriously as we say we do, Advent begs the question…
How will we receive this coming glory?
The answer begins with the way we right now receive His words in the scriptures. Are His words a lamp unto our feet or a sword that cuts us up?
During Advent, we should expect both. As we wait for Christ, we need the light to see and the surgery that heals our blindness. Then we may rightly witness the glory that is certain.
We see the glory of the Lord lying in a manger. We witness the gory of the Lord dying on the cross. We encounter the glory of the risen Lord who is broken and poured out on the table we share together.
The glory of the Lord, who is the man, Jesus Christ.
”For this purpose he called you through our gospel, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.“ - 2 Thessalonians 2:14
Come, Lord quickly! Help us to hear Your never failing words and rightly receive the assuredness of your coming.