by Doug Fortune

The Glory of the Lord . . . the very mention of those words inspire awe . . . what wonderful words to utter from our lips and wonderful to our ears also. We know that the glory is something to be desired and that the earth will one day be filled with the glory of the Lord (Hab.2:14). Some say the glory is falling, some say it is rising, some say it is a mist, some say it is pure light, some say it is a feeling. We all want it, but we have difficulty defining it. If the glory is something that will fill the earth, then I believe it deserves our attention in gaining an understanding of it, and pursuing not just an understanding, but an experiential participation. Moses desired God’s glory, and many of us have echoed his words, "Please, show me Your glory" (Ex.33:18). Let us consider the context of this encounter between Moses and God, and it may unlock some secrets to understanding and apprehending God’s glory.

You will remember that the children of Israel had just been brought out of Egyptian bondage, gloriously delivered by miracles, signs and wonders. Unfortunately, though they were out of Egypt, there was still plenty of Egypt in them, as evidenced by the whole golden calf episode. Although they had been set free and had even changed locations, they were manifesting an old behavior in worshiping the calf. Their primary cry to God at that time had been "Meet our needs, O God!"

There are many today who have come to Christ and have been set free from Egyptian slavery to sin, they have come out of the world system, and  have even changed locations as they are now seated in heavenly places in Christ; yet they still manifest the Adam nature. The primary cry is, "Meet our needs, O God!" The needs-based gospel that is trumpeted throughout the earth today tells of a God who exists for us. Yes, God loves you intensely and is concerned with your needs, but you were created for Him, not visa-versa . . . and in fulfilling His purposes, our needs are more than met. So, what does all this have to do with God’s glory?  Let’s go back to Moses.

Remember, in our passage of scripture Moses was before God on behalf of the people’s needs; they needed forgiveness for the golden calf ordeal. Yet the heart cry of Moses was not just to meet needs; his cry was, "Please, show me Your glory" (Ex.33:18). When I caught the revelation of the next verse after that (Ex.33:19), it was revolutionary. "And He said, I will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before you; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy."

Did you catch that?  Moses asked to see God’s glory, and God showed Moses His nature - goodness, compassion, and mercy. Remember, the context here is the children of Israel manifesting the sin-nature. In our pursuit of God’s glory, let us not get caught up in looking only for a supernatural manifestation - a mist, a light, a cloud, or even signs and wonders (although these things are good!). The glory of God IS the nature of God! I do believe that there is a natural manifestation of God’s Shekinah glory.  However, I believe that the primary manifestation of His glory is His nature  manifested in the lives of His people  as  we go from glory to glory (2Cor.3:18).

It’s interesting to note that the Father didn’t allow Moses to literally see His face, rather He placed Moses in a cleft of the Rock. The face shows the expression, it is symbolic of the character or nature of a thing. The Father’s intention was not just for Moses to be impressed and in awe of God’s nature manifested in His divine face. The Father had something else in mind.

We need to explore some Hebrew word definitions in Ex.33:19 to get a clearer picture of the Father’s intention in this encounter with Moses. "And he said, I will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before you"; or as the Literal Bible says, "I will cause to pass all My goodness in front of your face, and I will proclaim the name of Yahweh in the presence of you."

• ‘will cause to pass’ (Hebrew abar) - meaning to cross over, used very widely of any transition, specifically to cover in copulation (sorry to get a bit graphic there, that’s the definition, though).

• ‘in front of your face’  and 'in the presence of you' (Hebrew paniym ) - meaning face, so this is saying face-face, once again the possible idea of intimate relations. 

• ‘the name of ’ ( Hebrew shem) - meaning the idea of definite and conspicuous position, an appellation, as a mark or memorial of individuality, by implication honor, authority, character. 

Given these definitions, this verse seems to be saying that God caused His goodness, His Nature to cover over, to spiritually impregnate, to overshadow (sounds a bit like Mary) Moses’ face and nature. Then He decreed His name, His bloodline, His mark upon Moses’ face and nature. Is it any wonder that we see Moses manifesting the glory - the nature of God - on his face as he comes down the Mount? The Father is giving us a prophetic picture of a people who are not just in awe of God’s nature manifested in His own divine face (Second Day mentality), but are impregnated with and manifesting the nature of God in  their face, their nature (Third Day mentality). "But we all, with open face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are changed into the  same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord" (2 Cor.3:18). The key here is staying in the Cleft of the Rock; or as the Father says, the "place beside Me" (Ex.33:21). Remember, the phrase ‘the name of ’ is shem in Hebrew, meaning the idea of definite and conspicuous position . . . the Father has made a definite and conspicuous position for us to be beside/in Him, as Christ is seated at right hand of the Father (Eph.1:20) and we are seated in Christ (Eph.2:6).

As religion has been feeding from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, it has taught us much about getting Adam to behave.  Part of that method includes keeping us under condemnation because we don’t measure up, and focusing only on the nature of God manifested in His own divine face, never getting to the glory we are to behold in the mirror. God told Moses that he couldn’t see His face and live (Ex.33:20). Yes, I believe that was literal, but I also believe it is prophetic. As long as we only see His nature on Him, we will never live the true life that Jesus came to give us. "I am come that they might have life [zoe], and that they might have it more abundantly" (John 10:10). That life is zoe life, the God-Life, not psyche-soulish life. Hebrews 2:10 speaks of His bringing many sons to glory. You see, only Christ can live like Christ; training Adam to behave just doesn’t cut it! In reality, Adam has already been dealt with on the cross, yet we can give him authority in our lives by not allowing our minds to be renewed to our true position in Christ.

Jesus Christ became the last Adam (1Cor.15:45) in order that you and I would receive a new nature! "And that you put on the new man, which was created according to God, in righteousness  and true holiness" (Eph 4:24) "Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which lives and abides for ever"; or as the Amplified Bible says, "...not from a mortal origin (seed, sperm) but from one that is immortal by the ever living and everlasting Word of God."(1Pet.1:23) "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus..." (Eph 2:10) We must understand that we were not created when our parents formed a physical union; we were created in Christ.

Moses was not able to stay in the Cleft of the Rock, as the Father was really foreshadowing that which was to come. We are able to stay in the Cleft of the Rock Christ Jesus; "For you are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God" (Col.3:3). Only Christ can live like Christ, and His intention is to live through us; "When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall you also appear with Him in glory"(Col.3:4). Just like with Moses’ face and  nature, God is impregnating a people who are bringing forth a Manchild, a mature ‘huios’ son . . . a Stone not cut out with hands that becomes a great Mountain that fills the whole earth (Dan. 2:34-35). In prophetic fulfillment of Hab.2:14 ("For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea"), I’m not necessarily looking for the natural manifestation of a mist or a cloud to fill the earth. Rather I am looking for the divine nature of the Father to be manifested in the ‘whole earth’- the whole man (spirit, soul and body). According to 2 Cor.4:7, we have this treasure in earthen vessels, and as the whole earth (spirit, soul and body) manifests the glory, the nature of God, then the "waters cover the sea". Remember, seas are symbolic of peoples and nations, and rivers are symbolic of the  Living Water that will flow from our inmost being - our spiritual womb (John 7:38-39) - bringing healing to the nations.

Like Moses, we cannot just see God’s glory, His nature in His divine Face, and live the (zoe) Life destiny for which we were created. We must begin to see His nature reflected in the mirror (2 Cor.3:18). Like Moses, the cry of our heart cannot just be "Meet our needs, O God!"  Our cry must be "Show me your glory, Your nature!"

by Doug Fortune

How awed I am just knowing that I have been translated into the Kingdom of His Glorious Son Light (Col. 1:13). I have recognized the Stone that was cut out without human hands (Dan. 2:34), and indeed I am placed in the Cleft of that Rock, the place Beside the Father (Ex. 33:21,22) seated in the heavenlies (Eph. 2:6). This Stone is ever increasing into a great Mountain that is filling the earth (Dan. 2:35) with the knowledge of the GLORY of the Lord (Hab. 2:14).

Indeed, I am in the midst of that Fire enfolding itself (Ezek. 1:4) that is melting the elementary and rudimentary understanding (Gal. 4:3; II Pet. 3:10) with the fervent heat of the baptism of Fire (Mat. 3:11). This is releasing the lion (kingship), the ox (servanthood), the man (mature sonship), and the eagle (prophetic vision) (Rev. 4:7) within me to cry "Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty! The WHOLE earth (spirit, soul, and body) is filled with Your GLORY! Come, Your Kingdom . . . Let Your will be done (Mat. 6:10) in this earthen vessel – that contains the treasure of Christ (II Cor. 4:7) – as it is in heaven!"

Let the head (the authority) of the serpent, that feeds upon the dust of the earthly Adamic nature (Gen. 3:14) be crushed under the feet (Rom. 16:20) of the many-membered corporate Christ (I Cor. 12:12), as the kingdoms of this world become the Kingdom of the Lord and His Christ (Rev. 11:15). Let the mystery (Col 1:27) of the seventh trumpet of the seventh seal (Rev. 10:7) of the REVEALation of Jesus Christ be unveiled as mature (huios) sons of God are manifested in the earth (Rom. 8:19).

May these earthen vessels of the Adamic nature (I Cor. 15:47) be shattered as the prophetic trumpet voice sounds, revealing the Glorious Light of Christ within us that brings defeat and destruction to the Midianites (Judges 7:20) of the world system and the harlot (Rev. 19:2). Oh, what a glorious day to be living in as the Glory of this ‘corporate Christ latter house’ shall far exceed the Glory of the ‘early Church former house’ (Hag. 2:9).

May the prophetic trumpet continue to sound in the earth as we are ‘caught up’ IN Christ (I Thess. 4:17) in the heavenly realm to meet Him in that dwelling place of His Resurrection Life that He went to prepare for us (John 14:2) . . . that trumpet that bids us to ‘come up’ (Rev. 4:1) in SPIRIT and understanding, without our feet leaving the ground. (Sorry, the ‘escape’ theory isn’t happening.)

Yes, for truly

• "The righteous shall never be removed, but the wicked shall not inhabit the earth" (Prov. 10:30).

• "The Kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the Kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the saints of the Most High, whose Kingdom is an everlasting Kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey Him" (Dan. 7:27).

• "There was given Him dominion, and glory, and a Kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve Him; His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which  shall not pass away, and His Kingdom that which shall not be destroyed" (Dan. 7:14).

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