What is God Like? What is Jesus Like? The Glory of the Lord

2800 words

“On the glorious splendor of your majesty and on your wondrous works, will I meditate” Psalm 145:5

Doxa- brilliant luster, radiant splendor, dazzling luster

What is God like? What is Jesus like? What are some descriptions of Him? How could we describe Him?
God the Father and Jesus the most wonderful, most beautiful Beings in the universe. . . They are so glorious, so wonderful, and so beautiful. . . that we as humans cannot describe them with words. . .

The Kingdom

Jesus said: “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.”
“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.”
So Glorious, So Slendid, So Beautiul
He’s so wonderful . . . He cannot be put into human words.
So glorious . . . so magnificent . . . so splendid . . . so beautiful . . .
So awesome . . . so majestic . . . so rich . . . so awe-inspiring . . .
Joy unspeakable and full of glory . . . the peace that passes all understanding . . . He calms the soul, stills the soul . . . fulfills our every need, want, and desire . . .
He’s the answer . . . The answer to every need you have.
He is the key . . . The secret . . . The answer . . .
Those who make it to heaven will spend all eternity . . . in awe of Him and His glory . . . His presence . . . of Him, the Lord God Almighty.
The answer to the longing of your heart and soul, the longing for real fulfillment and purpose.
The Answer
He’s the answer to the most basic and important question of all: why we are here on the earth? To fellowship with Him. God wanted a family and children to fellowship with, to be with, to enjoy. He created man, into His own image and after His likeness.
He’s the answer to the miracle and healing you need. The answer to all your deepest needs—spiritual, emotional, mental, physical, psychological, intellectual . . . all your needs.
He is the Lord God Jehovah . . . Elohim . . . Yahweh . . . The Creator of the Universe . . . The three-in-one God . . . The Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit . . .

His Name

His name is . . . Well, He has many names.
The most important one for us human beings? Jesus Christ, the Lord and Savior of the world.
Jesus and His glory, His majesty and His splendor . . . the Presence of Jesus Christ . . . not just a mental assent of “Jesus,” but Jesus the Christ in His fullness and His glory.
There are several secrets to finding Him. How about a list:
1. Your own personal, direct relationship with Him. Just you and Him. Yes, walking in fellowship with other believers. But the main thing is your relationship with your Lord.2. A daily walk with Him. Throughout the Bible, God utilizes trees as metaphors for human beings. See this message. Trees grow very, very slowly, day by day. That’s what we have to do. If we do that, He gives us just the right amount of Himself, every day. He’s the perfect Father and knows what’s best for us. 3. A broken, contrite (mourning over sin), humble spirit, who knows he or she is lost and nothing without the Almighty God.4. Of course, doing what Jesus says to do! That’s easy to know, His instructions are in the Gospels and the entire Bible.

The Glory . . .

God’s glory fills and permeates heaven.
And amazingly, incredibly, almost unbelievably, His glory is also available to everyone on the earth.
It’s what Jesus called the “kingdom,” his most frequently taught subject and topic when he was on the earth. He continually preached, talked about, and taught about the “kingdom of God” and the “kingdom of heaven.”
Remember, Jesus revealed “things kept secret from the foundation of the world.” There is so much to write about regarding this topic, but I want to hone in on the Glory of the Lord. In the meantime, the Gospels contain the Lord’s glorious teachings about the kingdom.
In summary, the kingdom of God is literally The Lord God Almighty and His Glorious Presence. Jehovah God. Elohim. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. YAHWEH.
YAHWEH is the Only One. He is life, and outside of Him is no life. With Him, we have life, eternal life. Without Him, we are dead and have nothing. In Him, we are able to bear fruit, which lasts for eternity. Without Him and apart from Him, we can do and accomplish nothing.
Wait a second. It seems like most of the world, most of the 7.5 billion people on earth, do NOT seem to know Him or walk with Him. According to stats, about 30% of the world, or 2.25 billion people, are “Catholics” and “Christians.” So, 70% of the world are NOT in the category of “followers of Jesus Christ.”Moreover, amazingly, among the 2.25 billion people, to be quite honest and blunt, most of them are mired in “religion” and “ceremony.” The hope is that they know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and sincerely walk with Him—and make it to heaven.
However, the reality is that, sadly, a small minority of the believers in Jesus know about, walk in, live, teach, and preach about . . . the Glory of the Lord. The Presence of the Almighty . . . the Holy, Sacred, Freeing, Unspeakably Glorious and Inexpressibly Wonderful . . . Presence of Jesus through the Holy Spirit.
Why is that?
Jesus spoke directly about this subject.
First, a quick teaching so we can understand His words. There are three general phases of knowing Jesus , according to His own teachings. His most famous teaching about this is: “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man comes to the Father except through Me.” (John 14:6) The three sections of Israel’s Tabernacle were called “the way, the truth, and the life.” Like all Jesus’ teachings and words, His “way, truth and life” quote has eternal, glorious meaning and truth—and much more.
He also taught about the three phases of knowing Him in the Gospel of John, Chapters 3, 4, and 7. See this message to learn more.
So, here is Jesus quote about few finding Him as the life: “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and constricted is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.” (Matthew 7:13)
According to God Himself, many people are on the broad way that leads to destruction. And few people are on the way which leads to life. Notice He says, “Leads to life.” So, the Jesus’ path LEADS to life. It begins with someone knowing Jesus as the Way. If that person continues on with the Master, they might enter into the second phase: the Truth.
If he or she continues on, they may enter into the third phase: the Life.
Jesus’ teaching 2,000 years ago is confirmed today. About 70% of the current world, or 5.25 billion people, are not followers of Jesus Christ. It’s sad. It’s tragic. It’s shocking.
Tragically, shockingly, someone who dies without knowing Jesus Christ as Lord will spend eternity in hell, a place of fire, suffering, and torment horrible beyond human comprehension.
It’s sad, tragic, shocking and sobering, that while God wants to save everyone, most people apparently will not find and meet the Glorious Lord Jesus Christ and the Great and Awesome Father God Almighty, the Creator of the Universe. If they do not know Him when they die, they will not make it to heaven. They miss out on the greatest offer ever made to the human race: the opportunity to become a child of God.
How can this be?
There are many reasons. Let’s start by listing some of the causes:
1. Man has a free will, and weak, frail, selfish, fallen, sinful humans do their own thing. An ultimate sin is self-will. Isaiah wrote long ago: “All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.” (Isaiah 53:6). “The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked;Who can know it?” (Jeremiah 17:9)2. The Body of Christ is not doing its job and is not fulfilling its calling, according to Jesus’ instructions found in the Gospels. It’s up to the believers in Jesus to partner with Jesus through the Holy Spirit to reach the lost.3. The enemy, Satan, deceives people into following many different paths and ways, all of which lead to destruction. He was Lucifer, the highest created being under the Trinity. See this message to learn more.
Jesus also shed light on this mystery in the Book of Matthew.
“And the disciples came and said to Him, “Why do You speak to them in parables?” He answered and said to them, “Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. 12 For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. 13 Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. 14 And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says:‘Hearing you will hear and shall not understand,And seeing you will see and not perceive;15 For the hearts of this people have grown dull.Their ears are hard of hearing,And their eyes they have closed,Lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears,Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn,So that I should heal them.’ (Matthew 13:10-15)
The God Who Hides Himself
“Truly You are God, who hide Yourself, O God of Israel, the Savior!” (Isaiah 45:15)
It’s fascinating to learn and know that God hides Himself. He is the Almighty. It is wise to learn His ways. See this message to learn more about this subject. The fact that God hides Himself is a holy, divine truth that we do not fully understand.
God also tests man. Let’s look at three scriptures about this:
“And you shall remember that the LORD your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not.” (Deuteronomy 8:2)
“The LORD is in His holy temple, The LORD’s throne is in heaven; His eyes behold, His eyelids test the sons of men. The LORD tests the righteous.” (Psalm 11:4,5)
“I, the LORD, search the heart, I test the mind, even to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings.” (Jeremiah 17:10)
Wow! This is amazing. God led the Isrealites through the wilderness to humble them and test them, to know what was in their heart, whether they would keep His commandments or not. In Psalms, we read that He searches and knows the heart of man, which is the real man, the spirit man, which is eternal and will spend eternity in either heaven or hell.
In Jeremiah, we read that He tests man. He tests the mind of man and gives every person accordings to his ways, according to the results of his deeds.
Some reasons why We do understand some of why God
“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,” says the LORD. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.
Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out!34 “For who has known the mind of the LORD?Or who has become His counselor?” (Isaiah 40:13, Jeremiah 23:18)35 “Or who has first given to HimAnd it shall be repaid to him?” (Job 41:11) (Romans 11:33-35)

It was not always this way. For about 4,000 years, God’s presence on earth was limited to the Most Holy Place, also called the Holy of Holies, in the Tabernacle, the Temple, the Ark of the Covenant and the occasional times that God Almighty would come down to earth to appear to a person or group or fill a specific place.
His glorious, holy presence- the answer- was not available to everyone.
Jesus changed all that. When Jesus Christ died, the presence of God literally went out from the Holy of Holies and became available to all people. Matthew states what happened when Jesus died:
“Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split, 52 and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; 53 and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many.” (Matthew 27:51-53)
As mentioned, the subject Jesus Christ spoke about the most was “the kingdom of God and heaven.” He was (and is) emphasizing . . . the glorious, divine secret . . . which because of Jesus Christ was now not a secret anymore . . . which would now, amazingly, unbelievably, incredibly . . . be available to everyone . . . the holy, awesome, sacred Presence of God . . . and Power of God . . . Amen, and Amen . . . Glory to God Forever and Ever.
A Summary

The Glory of the Lord is so holy, so indescribably glorious, that . . . in one sense, we as tiny, mortal, finite humans should bow down, lie prostrate on the ground, in humility before the Great and Awesome Creator of the Universe, upon learning, upon knowing, that we actually have the opportunity to fellowship with Him.
Imagine it! It’s almost beyond human comprehension . . . but it’s true, and real, and possible.
At the same time, we can approach Him with confidence and boldness, because of Jesus and what He’s done in saving us and restoring mankind back to the Father. Yes, we need to humble ourselves before God, have a broken and contrite spirit, a repentent heart and more. But we can walk with him in complete confidence that He is our God and we are His children. The Lord is our strength.
We must know that we have to do it His way, but it’s possible. He makes the rules. We must follow His ways, rules, commands and more.
So, what is some insight about how we can fellowship with Him?
You shall seek me, and you shall find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart (Jeremiah 29:13).
Wait a second. Why does it seem like very few actually do fellowship with the Almighty? Jesus said it would be that way. He said:
Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it.14 Because[a] narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it. (Matthew 7:13-14)
Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the life. No man comes to the Father except through Me.” (John 14:6)
Many find him as the way. Some find him as the truth. Few find him as the life.
Before Jesus Christ Came to Earth as a Man
Before Jesus lived and died on earth, the presence of God was in the Holy of Holies of the Tabernacle and then later in the Temple in Jerusalem and also appeared to and came upon certain people and groups.
Let’s look at some of those times.
When the Isrealites were in the desert for 400 (sic) years, they needed a place of worship. So God commanded them to create the Tabernacle where He would dwell. See Exodus 25-27 and 30.
In Exodus 24, God Himself came down to Mt. Sinai to visit Moses and a group of 74 leaders of Israel.
Ex 24: 9: Then Moses went up, also Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, 10 and they saw the God of Israel. And there was under His feet as it were a paved work of sapphire stone, and it was like the very heavens in its clarity.
Now the glory of the LORD rested on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days. And on the seventh day He called to Moses out of the midst of the cloud. 17 The sight of the glory of the LORD was like a consuming fire on the top of the mountain in the eyes of the children of Israel. 18 So Moses went into the midst of the cloud and went up into the mountain. And Moses was on the mountain forty days and forty nights.
The Atonement- Priest and the incense which is symbolic of God’s presence covering us. Leviticus 16:6, 11-12
Every person on earth is either a child of God or a potential child of God. He wants all people to be in His family, forever. Since we are made in His image, we have a free will to decide if we want to be in His family or not.