God’s glory – a practical application

Can the glory of God produce physical manifestations in people?

What is the glory?

Glory in general indicates abundance, riches, honor, splendor, dignity, reverence. The basic Hebrew root word, Chavod, means heaviness. So, to be in the presence of the Lord is to experience a weight that is greater than we are. Our flesh cannot handle it, and we find ourselves on our knees, or in some submissive position.

The glory of god in nature

shaking

Isa 2:19 And they shall go into the holes of the rocks, and into the caves of the earth, for fear of the LORD, and for the glory of his majesty, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth.

Isa 2:21 To go into the clefts of the rocks, and into the tops of the ragged rocks, for fear of the LORD, and for the glory of his majesty, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth.

visual

Exd 16:10 And it came to pass, as Aaron spake unto the whole congregation of the children of Israel, that they looked toward the wilderness, and, behold, the glory of the LORD appeared in the cloud

falling

Jos 6:5 And it shall come to pass, that when they make a long [blast] with the ram’s horn, [and] when ye hear the sound of the trumpet, all the people shall shout with a great shout; and the wall of the city shall fall down flat, and the people shall ascend up every man straight before him.

Isa 24:20 The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, and shall be removed like a cottage; and the transgression thereof shall be heavy upon it; and it shall fall, and not rise again.

Effects on people:

visual

Eze 8:2 Then I beheld, and lo a likeness as the appearance of fire: from the appearance of his loins even downward, fire; and from his loins even upward, as the appearance of brightness, as the colour of amber.

Eze 8:3 And he put forth the form of an hand, and took me by a lock of mine head; and the spirit lifted me up between the earth and the heaven, and brought me in the visions of God to Jerusalem, to the door of the inner gate that looks toward the north; where [was] the seat of the image of jealousy, which provokes to jealousy.

Eze 8:4 And, behold, the glory of the God of Israel [was] there, according to the vision that I saw in the plain.

Lev 9:23 And Moses and Aaron went into the tabernacle of the congregation, and came out, and blessed the people: and the glory of the LORD appeared unto all the people.

Exd 24:17 And the sight of the glory of the LORD [was] like devouring fire on the top of the mount in the eyes of the children of Israel.

restricting physical movement

2Ch 5:14 So that the priests could not stand to minister by reason of the cloud: for the glory of the LORD had filled the house of God.

2Ch 7:2 And the priests could not enter into the house of the LORD, because the glory of the LORD had filled the LORD’S house.

Exd 40:35 And Moses was not able to enter into the tent of the congregation, because the cloud abode thereon, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.

falling down

Num 20:6 And Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and they fell upon their faces: and the glory of the LORD appeared unto them.

fall + visual

Eze 1:28 As the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud in the day of rain, so [was] the appearance of the brightness round about. This [was] the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. And when I saw [it], I fell upon my face, and I heard a voice of one that spoke.

fire

2Ch 7:1 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 the LORD filled the house.

2Ch 7:2 And the priests could not enter into the house of the LORD, because the glory of the LORD had filled the LORD’S house.

2Ch 7:3 And when all the children of Israel saw how the fire came down, and the glory of the LORD upon the house, they bowed themselves with their faces to the ground upon the pavement, and worshipped, and praised the LORD, [saying], For [he is] good; for his mercy [endureth] for ever.

feeling of burning like fire

Isa 10:16 Therefore shall the Lord, the Lord of hosts, send among his fat ones leanness; and under his glory he shall kindle a burning like the burning of a fire.

physical changes on body

Eze 9:4 And the LORD said unto him, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof.

Drunkenness- speaking in tongues

Act 2:1 And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place

Act 2:2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.

Act 2:3 And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.

Act 2:4 And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance

Act 2:13 Others mocking said, These men are full of new wine.

Act 2:14 But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all [ye] that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my word

Act 2:15 For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is [but] the third hour of the day.

Act 2:16 But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel;

Act 2:17 And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams:

Fragrance- some have reported a beautiful fragrance

“But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumph, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of Him everywhere. For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things? For we are not, like so many, peddlers of God’s word; but as men of sincerity, as commissioned by God, in the sight of God we speak in Christ.” 2 Corinthians 2:14-17

Debated issue

Falling back under the power of the Holy Spirit. This is debated as falling the wrong way, because scripture describes falling forward, for either worship or repentance. Most of the time, when I see this falling back, it is usually for deliverance, and that application has not been addressed in the bible. I personally do not think the direction of the fall is important, only the final results.

The argument that something has not happened before is not a strong argument. On the day of Pentecost, tongues of fire came down upon the believers. This had not been recorded yet in Jewish history, but it was now a reality, and God was the source of it.

The most common use of falling in the bible is due to being defeated. In a spiritual sense, falling before the Lord is having our own natures defeated, while his victory over us restores us to Him.

Judging a spiritual experience

We are told to discern and evaluate what we see, so that we are not deceived. According to scripture, the best way to judge the spirit in a situation is to judge the fruit.

First of all, glory of God will produce something similar to the definition of glory stated above- honor, splendor, dignity, reverence. Therefore, if the person is acting in a dishonorable fashion, or lacks dignity, or reverence for God, then it is not the Holy Spirit. It is either the flesh trying to glorify itself, or it is the devil.

Secondly, the glory of God will produce positive, holy results, such as salvation, repentance, worship, healing, praise, joy, etc. God does not waste His time touching people, unless it is productive. Therefore, if there are no benefits to an experience, or one feels negative or worse, then it is not the Holy Spirit.

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See also “The Church is Having a Power Failure” (signs and wonders gone in the church?) Click here for more

See also “Fake and Real Charismatics”  Click here for more

See also “The Wheat and the Tares”  Click here for more

See also “Baptism of the Holy Spirit & Tongues”  Click here for more

See also Speaking in Tongues – the Science and the Spirit Click here for more