When we speak of the ways people worship the creature rather than the Creator they are looking at an object through which God’s glory was coming, and, instead of giving God the credit for it, they worshiped that animal or tree or man as if the beauty it possessed originated from within itself. This is the very heart of idolatry and is a very common occurrence. Everyone who has ever lived has committed this error at one time or another. We have all “exchanged” the glory of God in favor of the “glory of man. This is the mistake many people continue to make: trusting in earthly things, earthly relationships, their own powers or talents or beauty, or the goodness they see in others. But when these things fade and fail as they will inevitably do (being only temporary carriers of the greater glory) people despair. "What we all need to realize is that God’s glory is constant, and as we journey through life we will see it manifest here and there, in this person or that forest, or in a story of love or heroism, fiction or non-fiction, or our own personal lives. But it all goes back to God in the end. And the only way to God is through His Son, Jesus Christ. We will find the very source of all beauty in Him, in heaven, if we are in Christ. Nothing will be lost to us. All those things that faded in life we will find again in Him."-JP
There are angels right now giving glory to God in the
highest with veiled faces, the glory of God is supernaturally overwhelming to
the degree that God granted them wings in order to obscure their faces from the
radiant splendor of the most high. Now if the seraphim on high who have six
wings, two of them for covering their faces from shining perfection, how much
more are we to revere such a powerful Deity? When Isaiah who penned the most
compelling prophesy regarding the coming of the savior found himself entering
the presence of the most high, he was overwhelmed with his own inadequacy and
shamefulness. Covered in sin from head to toe, it was like stumbling into the
presence of a power altogether mind numbing in essence. But God encouraged the
prophet by a symbolical action of the seraph. The live coals on the alter
representing the atoning sacrifice of Christ was pressed on his lips assuring
pardon for his unclean nature through the coming atonement of the messiah.
Isaiah's unfitness for the office as well as his personal sin were removed.
We're all getting a picture here for events detailing the coming of Jesus.
According to ancient Jewish custom, the high priest was to enter the holy of
holy's (the very presence of the most high God ) once a year; now he was to
have a rope attached the ankle so as to drag him out in case he was struck dead
by God. If the high priest did not observe the greatest degree of precautions.
God would look on him with anger and strike him down immediately. God had to
not look at the high priest himself but the perfect atonement of the blood of
the lamb he was spilling in front of him so he could overlook the sin and
picture the coming propitiation of his own dearly beloved son spilled for him.
Now many of us could wonder why? Doesn't this seem a bit harsh? But God
does not take his own holiness or glory lightly, this is a big deal. "Yet
even the archangel Micheal while disputing with the devil did not dare condemn
him for slander but said 'the Lord rebuke you'. Yet people slander whatever
they do not understand and the very things they do understand by instinct -as
irrational animals- will destroy them" (Jude 1:9-10).
Now Jesus took on the wrath of God fully for us; the depth of his suffering
spiritually, physically and mentally is appalling, placing on himself the
wrath of his beloved father in whom He had a fellowship and bond with to a
closer degree than sexual union, which is in itself a picturesque
representation on the closeness of the trinity. It is incomprehensible then as
to the degree he had to suffer so that we may now go boldly before the throne
and unlike the high priest fearful for his very life, in relief now of the
sacrifice made for us. Now we can approach the throne covered in Jesus atoning
blood with him at this very moment interceding for us on our behalf. He
is physically right now at the right hand of God wearing the garment of our
humanity pleading before the father on our behalf "Don't hold him/her guilty
for that, I paid for it!" What an amazing reassurance. The process of
prayer is a 3 step process: we pray through the the spirit to the father
through Jesus who is the inter-mediator fusing the aura of holy connection
through his very blood-flow. Now Moses desired to look upon the glory of God's face on the mountain, but God could not fully reveal himself to him. The reason is that He was a being so incomprehensibly powerful and majestic the mere sight of Him would kill Moses on the spot. Thus Moses merely saw the entrails of the aura left over after the passing of God, which was still glorious enough to set his face aglow baffling the idol worshipers as he came down. Witness to the idolatry before him he was emotionally torn asunder and crushed the tablet of the ten commandments. You see an encounter with God changes you. When you are witness to his glory even the tail end of his hind-trails it baffles a man with inescapable awe. "We were eyewitnesses of his majesty" The apostle John writes
Jesus by being indwelt with the holy spirit and conceived through the holy spirit had no sin, thus Satans tactics toward him could not be from the inside (internalized thoughts, impulses) only on the outside, though he could place idea's in his apostles heads: (eg.) Peter, who proclaimed his Lord would never die suffer such a barbarous death as crucifixion "Get behind me Satan" was his rebuke. Judas also was diabolically manipulated during the Passover. Jesus said "Have I not chosen the 12 and yet one of you is the devil?" You see Satan kept trying to make attempts at God but he could only use the tools available to him by the fallibleness of our own sinful inclinations. We by our nature, being born into this world through the seed of Adam do have sin which the holy spirit inside us is continually convicting us and changing us therein from the inside.
Now one day we will all come before his throne. We are either going to be repulsed or enthralled, if we are covered with God's goodness we will be enthralled with his glory, without the reborn nature of the spirit, we cannot be enthralled. I'm telling you this. Please do not be unprepared accept "JESUS" He truly is the only way and his love is unfathomable deep and wide and far reaching. Throughout the old testament there are countless metaphors involving the sacrificing of one's "firstborn" and only son. He who sacrificed his only son and rendered him to death for us: How much more will God the father graciously grant us who ask with a right spirit not for worldly gain put for contentment right now and new spiritual eyes to see the truth.
Now in reference to a miracle of the synagogue demonic, I wanted to touch on another subject "there is a question regarding the presence of a demonic in the synagogue. How did he get there? Evidently, although possessed of an unclean spirit he was not excluded from the public worship of God. Possibly it was not well known he was demon-possessed until the resident demon became conscious he was in the presence of one stronger than the evil kingdom to which he belonged" -HL and with this instinct consciousness cried out in revulsion over the presence he had just entered. Christ often encountered demoniacs in the outside world but that they should intrude into the very presence of God was extraordinary. The demon was considered "unclean". Now history repeats itself and all sorts of unclean doctrine has gone out into the world today lending for demonic intervention. "When, in buildings erected for the preaching of the inspired, infallible scriptures, preachers discredit the reliability of the bible, repudiate the miracles, flout the virgin birth, the atoning blood and even the physical resurrection of Christ, what are they with all their education and polish but demons in the synagogues" -HL Remember that all demons were seeds of the fallen angels who worshiped in the presence of Christ in the dateless past. They could not be silent on this, they knew who this was, while the thronging crowds gathered around him in wonder, the demons were repulsed by the splendor of his glory, "what have we with you Jesus of Nazareth" they would cry, for what fellowship has light with darkness? Between Christ and the devil there can be no affinity but rather the deepest moral antagonism.
"The heavens are telling the glory of God" (Psalm 19:1) , What does that
mean? It means he is shouting at us. He shouts with clouds. He shouts with blue
expanse. He shouts with gold on the horizons. He shouts with galaxies and
stars. He is shouting. I am glorious. Open your eyes. It is like this only
better if you know me.
He himself stooped lower than the angels, taking on our humanity as a bondservant with no rights so we might be lifted up and be glorified with him to even above the angels for his great glory and our greatest joy
"Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world will be judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the smallest matters? Do you not know that we shall judge angels? How much more, things that pertain to this life?” (1 Cor 6:2-3)
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