2 Cor. 4:6 For God, who said, "Light shall shine out of darkness," is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.
Our God, throughout time, remains unchangeable, therefore His word is consistent. All through His word are patterns that display His character; and when discovered by divine revelation, they can be depended upon to reveal truth.
James 1:17 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.
(1) Our God does ______ ___________ like ___________ shadows
Genesis 1:2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.
(1) Does this verse describe an earth in harmony or one of disorder? ____
Genesis 2:1 Thus the heavens and the earth were completed, and all their hosts. Genesis 2:2 By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work.
(1) For ___________ days God worked to bring order to the chaos that was planet earth.
Genesis 1:3 And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light.
Genesis 1:6-7 And God said, "Let there be an expanse between the waters to separate water from water." 7 So God made the expanse and separated the water under the expanse from the water above it. And it was so.
Genesis 1:9 And God said, "Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear." And it was so.
Genesis 1:11 Then God said, "Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds." And it was so.
Genesis 1:14 And God said, "Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark seasons and days and years,
Genesis 1:20 And God said, "Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the sky."
Genesis 1:24 And God said, "Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: livestock, creatures that move along the ground, and wild animals, each according to its kind." And it was so.
(1) It was necessary to bring you through all of the verses on the formation and preparation of planet earth to establish a foundation for a pattern of God. In the previous verses God made _____________ out of dis-_________.
Now God is ready to release His glory into the earth. (f)
. Genesis 1:26-27 Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." 27 And God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.
(1) Man was created in the image and likeness of _____.
(2) God said He made man in "Our" image, our indicates more than one. God is a tri-part being, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Man is a tri-part being, he is a ________ _________ and _______.
Our author points out, correctly that all other animals had a natural covering except for man. Man was clothed the glory of the Lord (g)
Psalm 8:5 You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned [`atar,, aw-tar'; to encircle, wreath, compass] him with glory and honor.
Therefore they were naked and not ashamed. Genesis 2:25
You could say that Psalm 8 verse 5 only applies to Christ, but Paul tells us that the image and glory of God applies to man. A man ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God; but the woman is the glory of man. 1 Cor. 11:7
The privilege that Adam and Eve experienced was indescribable. They lived in a paradise that functioned in perfect harmony. They walked with God in all His majesty and glory.
The pattern is set, God brought order to planet earth. When the order was established, God revealed His Glory through man. Then came the rebellion and God's judgment fell.
God's laws were established in the beginning and among them was the spiritual law that continues until this day, apart from Christ.
Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
(1)What are the wages of sin. _________________
This was true from the very beginning.
Genesis 2:16-17 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, "From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; 17 but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you shall surely die."
(1)What is the penalty for disobedience? ________
Judgment was immediate; Adam died spiritually, the covering of the glory of the Lord departed and they found themselves naked. Genesis 3:7
Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.
(1) What did Adam and Eve do when they realized they were naked?____________
___________________________________________________________. They produced their own coverings. This is religion. They were clothed in the righteousness of Christ and now they would try to cloth themselves with their own labor.
Judgment was severe- the result of Adam's irreverent disobedience in the presence of God's Glory was spiritual death. Their covering gone, the first couple were blocked from the tree of life, and physical death also came to planet earth.
The body was the intended tabernacle of the Lord. Until Christ came, God would not be able to dwell within men.
For many hundreds of years God watched as man became increasingly wicked. God had a righteous man named Noah build an ark. God flooded the earth, destroying all land-dwelling creatures except those that were in the ark. Through those saved on the ark God began to develop a new plan whereby He might dwell with men. Several hundred years after the flood, God found a friend in a man named Abram. Through Abram's obedience and willingness to please God, God changed his name to Abraham (father of many), God secluded his descendants in Egypt until they were a people. God raised up a deliverer named Moses to bring the nation out of Egypt. Now they were in the wilderness, and since the fallen state of man still existed, God could-not indwell men, so He revealed His plan to dwell with them.
Exodus 29:46 "And they shall know that I am the Lord their God who brought them out of the land of Egypt, that I might dwell among them; I am the Lord their God.
(1) God knows that He cannot dwell within them, so what does He plan to do? ________________________________________________________.
Exodus 25:8 "Then have them make a sanctuary for me, and I will dwell among them.
(1) If God can't tabernacle within man, How will he accomplish His desire?
He instructs Moses to build _______________________.
Remember the holy sequence that God seems to follow. First He establishes order, then His glory comes, followed by judgment.
Does God establish divine order? let's see!
Foremost, God is very specific on the architecture, the contractor, and the future staff.
Exodus 25:40 See that you make them according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.
(1) Does God have a particular design in mind? ____________.
Exodus 31:1-3 Then the Lord said to Moses, 2" See, I have chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, 3 and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, ability and knowledge in all kinds of crafts--
(1) Not only does he have a particular artisan in mind, but God will also gift them with the _______ ________ and ____________ necessary to accomplish the task.
Exodus 31:6 Moreover, I have appointed Oholiab son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, to help him. Also I have given skill to all the craftsmen to make everything I have commanded you:
(1) Not to be irreverent, only to be clear: Is God involved with the interior decorators also? _______ .
Hebrews 8:5 They serve at a sanctuary that is a copy and shadow of what is in heaven. This is why Moses was warned when he was about to build the tabernacle: "See to it that you make everything according to the pattern shown you on the mountain."
(1) God ___________ Moses to build the tabernacle exactly like the ____________ shown to him.
Hebrews 9:23-24 It was necessary, then, for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with these sacrifices, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. 24 For Christ did not enter a man-made sanctuary that was only a copy of the true one; he entered heaven itself, now to appear for us in God's presence.
(1) This ______________ sanctuary was to be a __________ of the heavenly tabernacle.
"The Spirit of God, working through men, joined in harmony with God's Word, would once again bring about divine order." h
Exodus 39:42-40:2 So the sons of Israel did all the work according to all that the Lord had commanded Moses. 43 And Moses examined all the work and behold, they had done it; just as the Lord had commanded, this they had done. So Moses blessed them. 40:1 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2" On the first day of the first month you shall set up the tabernacle of the tent of meeting.
(1) The tabernacle was built exactly according to God's direction. God was even precise down to the dedication day which was to be the _________day of the ____ month. (This by the way is the day on which we, the new testament temple begin our new lives. It is the first day of the first month of eternity).
Exodus 40:33 And he erected the court all around the tabernacle and the altar, and hung up the veil for the gateway of the court. Thus Moses finished the work.
(1) Everything was now in order according to the word of God. The verse says Moses ____________ the work. Many years later Jesus would complete the preparations of another tabernacle, one not made with human hands, and exclaim these words ___ ___ __________.
John 19:30 When Jesus therefore had received the sour wine, He said, "It is finished!" And He bowed His head, and gave up His spirit.
Exodus 40:34-35 Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. 35 And Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud had settled on it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.
(1) What happened when divine order was established?___________________.
To understand why God always seems to appear in a cloud we must again look to the Word. Exodus 33:18-20 Then Moses said, "I pray Thee, show me Thy glory!" 19 And He said, "I Myself will make all My goodness pass before you, and will proclaim the name of the Lord before you; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show compassion on whom I will show compassion." 20 But He said, "You cannot see My face, for no man can see Me and live!"
(1) Why does God cloak His glory with a cloud covering? __________________________.
1 Tim. 6:15-16 which He will bring about at the proper time-- He who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords; 16 who alone possesses immortality and dwells in unapproachable light; whom no man has seen or can see. To Him be honor and eternal dominion! Amen.
(1) Paul describes God's glory as an _________________________light.
Hebrews 12:29 for our God is a consuming fire.
(1) How do you envision a consuming fire? Perhaps as a nuclear explosion or a laser light blast? _______________________________________________.
Isaiah 13:9-10 Behold, the day of the Lord is coming, Cruel, with fury and burning anger, To make the land a desolation; And He will exterminate its sinners from it. 10 For the stars of heaven and their constellations Will not flash forth their light; The sun will be dark when it rises, And the moon will not shed its light.
(1) Isaiah contrast, God's glory with the sun, moon and stars. The light of God's glory is so overpowering that the ________ appears dark when it rises.
Does the bible answer the question - what is God's glory. Exodus 33:18 Then Moses said, "I pray Thee, show me Thy glory!"
(1) What did Moses ask God to show him? _______________________
Exodus 33:19 And He said, "I Myself will make all pass before you, and will proclaim the name of the Lord before you; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show compassion on whom I will show compassion."
(1) God agreed. How did He refer to His glory? ___________________________.
(2) What other attributes did God ascribe to His glory? _______________ and __________.
2 Cor. 4:6 For God, who said, "Light shall shine out of darkness," is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.
(1)We learned in Exodus 33:20 that no man can see the glory of God and live. Does this verse say that we can see the glory of God in Christ? It says,"to give __________ of the glory of God in the face of Christ."
Paul makes it clear that in this life . . . "we see through a glass, darkly; [ainigma, obscureness] but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known." 1 Cor. 13:12
(1) Are we able to perceive His glory clearly? We see _______________.
Even after the resurrections of Jesus we are given an indication of how his disciples and others were able to see Jesus and live. The scene is that of the disciples on the road to Emmaus, " But their eyes were prevented from recognizing Him. Luke 24:16"
In comparison, John, exiled on the island of Patmos, because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus, in his vision, saw Jesus as he really is! 10 On the Lord's Day I was in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet, Rev. 1:10
(1) John was in the _____________ .
Rev. 1:12-18 And I turned to see the voice that was speaking with me. And having turned I saw seven golden lampstands; 13 and in the middle of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed in a robe reaching to the feet, and girded across His breast with a golden girdle. 14 And His head and His hair were white like white wool, like snow; and His eyes were like a flame of fire; 15 and His feet were like burnished bronze, when it has been caused to glow in a furnace, and His voice was like the sound of many waters. 16 And in His right hand He held seven stars; and out of His mouth came a sharp two-edged sword; and His face was like the sun shining in its strength. 17 And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as a dead man. And He laid His right hand upon me, saying, "Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last, 18 and the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades.
(1) Would it be a fair assessment that John saw Jesus as a consuming fire? _______.
(2) Could John have looked upon Him and lived if he, John, were not in the Spirit? __________.
The context of the next few passages are that of the visions of Isaiah.
1:1 The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, concerning Judah and Jerusalem which he saw during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.
Isaiah 6:1-4 In the year of King Uzziah's death, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple. 2 Seraphim stood above Him, each having six wings; with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. 3 And one called out to another and said, "Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of hosts, The *whole earth is full of His glory." 4 And the foundations of the thresholds trembled at the voice of him who called out, while the temple was filling with smoke.
Knowing that to see the glory of God would kill him, were he clothed in sinful human flesh, he cried out: Then I said, "Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips , And I live among a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts." Isaiah 6:5
(1) Did Isaiah understand that to look upon the glory of the Lord, in human flesh, would kill him? _______
Rev. 4:8 And the four living creatures, each one of them having six wings, are full of eyes around and within; and day and night they do not cease to say,
"Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God, the Almighty, who was and who is and who is to come."
(1) Do these creatures ever tire of giving reverence to God? ______
Rev. 4:9-11 And when the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him who sits on the throne, to Him who lives forever and ever, 10 the twenty-four elders will fall down before Him who sits on the throne, and will worship Him who lives forever and ever, and will cast their crowns before the throne, saying, 11 "Worthy art Thou, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for Thou didst create all things, and because of Thy will they existed, and were created."
(1) Those to whom the glory of God is revealed, pay Him homage night and day! Why do we as humans have difficulty doing that? ________________________.
If you have questions or comments please Email the compiler at deans@interpath.com or write to the Author at, John Bevere Ministries, P.O. Box 2002, Apopka, FL 32704-2002 U.S.A.
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