In Revelation 21, John describes the city-bride as “having the glory of God” (21.11). She is a new Holy of Holies, the place where the glory of God is enthroned above the cherubim. God’s glory is seen in her and through her. That glory is the light by which the nations will walk (21.24). The church, being the body of Christ, is the place where the glory of God dwells on earth.
What is the glory of God? God’s glory is the revelation of himself, his person, power, and perfections. We might tend to think of God’s glory as something that is “contained” in God himself. We only stand at a distance and see the glory of God. It is true that God is glorious in himself. Men come into the presence of an all-glorious God, and they see their own deficiencies in his presence. Isaiah is but one example of this. He sees YHWH seated upon the throne in his temple, and he cries out “Woe is me!” (Isa 6.1ff.).
God being glorious in himself is certainly true. But God has revealed himself, his person, power, wisdom, love, mercy, etc., in his creation. Man, as God’s image, and the rest of creation are the manifestation of God’s glory. The creation is not God, but God has made the creation his glory. Because it is his creation, the creation is an expression of God himself. Because of this, God’s glory, since the creation, is bound up with his creation. God’s glory, then, is not something we see at a distance only, it is something that surrounds us and of which we are a part.
God has invested himself in the creation of his people. His glory is bound up with them. When making promises to Israel concerning salvation, God spoke through the prophet Isaiah saying, “I bring near my righteousness; it is not far off, and my salvation will not delay; I will put salvation in Zion, for Israel my glory” (Isa 46.13). YHWH’s bride, Israel, is his glory just as the “woman is the glory of the man” (1Cor 11.7). So now, the church, the bride of Christ, is the glory of Christ. Christ has so invested himself in the church that his glory is bound up with the church. If the church is not ultimately glorified, then Christ’s glory is inglorious.
Since God’s glory is all tied up in us, the church, is it possible that the church will ultimately fail? Absolutely not! God will be glorified, which means, in part, that the church will be what God intended her to be. The church will one day live as a part of the Divine Family the way she ought. As creatures, we will share in the perfections of God, enjoying the love that has eternally existed between Father, Son, and Spirit. God’s plans for the church cannot fail.
Who, then, ought we to be now? We ought to be those who are being shaped by our future lives. We ought to be those who are seeking to live in the present what we will become. Our relationships in the church ought to reflect our future life. We should be striving now to be true images of the Divine Family, living with one another in love. As we live this way, our light will so shine before men, that they will see our good works and glorify our Father who is in heaven (Mt 5.16).
