August 14, 2015

 

 

A few months ago, Bruce Allen asked if I would pray about sharing in a prophetic conference to be held in Spokane.  When I asked him what the anticipated theme of the conference was going to be, he told me that what was in his spirit was to share on the Glory of the Lord -- more specifically, the Shekinah Glory.

 

Have to admit, that's not a subject I've ever shared despite some pretty extraordinary experiences throughout the past 70-plus years.  As the weeks went by, Holy Spirit began to download so many things in my spirit that I honestly felt a bit overwhelmed.  I realized that in spite of some personal experiences there were many layers of understanding and revelation that needed to be peeled back.

 

Even as I began sharing during the conference a few weeks ago, the downloads continued.  Bruce's sharing at the conference was revelatory all by itself, but the Lord was faithful to show up for those of us involved in the ministry as well as those who were in attendance.  While Reg Smith was leading the worship (Rich & DeAngela and Della & I provided some accompaniment) the presence of the Lord became so intense that it became difficult to stand.

 

Bruce was getting ready to share so we headed to our chairs on the front row.  Della and DeAngela were already tipsy from drinking of the Spirit.  I'd been sitting on my guitar stool up to this point and hadn't stood on my feet for awhile.  When I got to my chair, I realized that my legs were buckling under me and reached out to grab Della for some stability.  That didn't work too well.  Down Della went, with me across her.  It was humorous, but at the same time, Holy Spirit was continuing to pour His presence into us.

 

That said, in the next few weeks, I'd like to try and share some of the things the Lord has been saying, and perhaps give you a glimpse into where God is taking  His people -- as well as what is required of us if we are going to be a part of the revealing of God's Glory in the earth.

 

Let’s begin by considering the vast scope of God's Glory, and just what the Lord means when He speaks of His Glory.  We can start by putting this picture in its context as Moses, who is chosen by the Lord to lead Israel, wants to get a grasp of who the Lord really is.

 

God has shown Himself in the Cloud and in the Pillar of Fire, and made known the fact that His Glory is being manifested as the Cloud settles over the Tabernacle, but Moses doesn’t really KNOW the Lord yet, and he wants a personal revelation.

 

Exodus 33:12-23:  And Moses said unto the LORD, See, thou sayest unto me, Bring up this people: and thou hast not let me know whom thou wilt send with me. Yet thou hast said, I know thee by name, and thou hast also found grace in my sight.

 

Now therefore, I pray thee, if I have found grace in thy sight, show me now thy way, that I may know thee, that I may find grace in thy sight: and consider that this nation is thy people.   And he said, My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest.

 

And he said unto him, If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence.   For wherein shall it be known here that I and thy people have found grace in thy sight?  is it not in that thou goest with us?  So shall we be separated, I and thy people, from all the people that are upon the face of the earth.

 

And the LORD said unto Moses, I will do this thing also that thou hast spoken: for thou hast found grace in my sight, and I know thee by name.   And he said, I beseech thee, show me thy glory.  And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy.

 

And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live.   And the LORD said, Behold, there is a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon a rock:  And it shall come to pass, while my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a clift of the rock, and will cover thee with my hand while I pass by:  And I will take away mine hand, and thou shalt see my back parts: but my face shall not be seen.

 

Let’s break down this conversation and consider first what Moses is saying to the Lord.

 

His response to the Lord is essentially, “Lord, you say that you know me, but I don’t really know you.”  Here is an amplified translation of what comes next as Moses pursues his question and need to understand what God is really asking of Him.

 

Now, if you would, [Lord], I beg of you, if I have found favor and acceptance in how you see me, reveal to me your innermost thoughts and heart’s desires; help me to see what you see, to know the path you’ve set for me and for this nation.  (My desire) is to become pleasing to you, to find complete acceptance with you.  Let’s not forget that Israel — this nation — is your chosen nation and people.  (Exodus 33:13, RAC Translation and Amplification)

 

And God responds by giving to Moses the first indications of what His Glory will mean to Moses — and to Israel.

 

And God said, The face of my visible presence will precede you and accompany you, and I will cause you to be at peace and breathe easily.  (Exodus 33:14, RAC Translation & Amplification)

 

Now, Moses takes advantage of God’s promise and makes it his personal criterion for accepting the commission and mandate to lead Israel through the wilderness to the land of promise.

 

And he (Moses) responds saying, If the face of your visible presence does not precede and accompany us, then do NOT lead or take us [to that land.]  Because how else is it going to be  known [among the nations] that I (as the leader) and this nation as Your People have found favor and acceptance with you?  Won’t it be because you precede us and accompany us?  By this means we will be regarded as distinguished and set apart — I and this nation as Your People from every other tribe, nation and people spread across the face of the earth.  (Exodus 33:15-16, RAC Translation and Amplification)

 

Now we come to God’s answer to Moses, and we set the stage for a revelation of His Glory.

 

And the Lord answered and declared to Moses, I will perform this word exactly as you  have requested and required, for you have indeed found favor and acceptance with me, and I know of a surety your character, your makeup, your honor and trustworthiness and your integrity [with me].  (Exodus 33:17, RAC Translation & Amplification)

 

So now, Moses is going to take advantage of God’s approval of him.

 

Then, Lord, if you will, reveal to me and allow me to experience your Glory.  (Exodus 33:18, RAC Translation & Amplification)

 

Are you ready?  Ready to see just what makes up the Glory of the Lord?  Then buckle your seatbelt!

 

And He answered, I will cause the entirety of Myself, My Kingdom, My fairness, beauty, joy, prosperity and goodness, and My discernment, to transition in phases by and upon you; I will address and pronounce the nature, the character, the makeup the personality of Yod Hey Vav Hey (Jehovah) to you personally; I will [demonstrate to you that I] bestow favor, acceptance and mercy on whom I choose to show my love, favor, acceptance and mercy.

 

And He continued: you cannot see my face (or see into my eyes) because it is not possible for any person of the Adamic seed to see and experience my face (or see into me) and live, or continue in life.

 

And the Lord, continuing in His promise, said, Watch!  Pay attention, now!  There is a space here next to me where I will station you, and have you stand on a cliff.

 

At the same time, while My Glory moves and transitions past you, I will place you in a crevice in the rock and screen you in, covering and overshadowing you with the hollow of my hand while I pass by.

 

As soon as I pass, I will remove my hand which has been covering you, and you will get to see all that I have done — all of time past [from the beginning of Creation] up to the present — but you’ll not get to see and experience my face (or see into my eyes) and know me that way.  (Exodus 33:19-23, RAC Translation and Amplification)

 

The scope of God’s Glory   literally surpasses anything and everything the natural eye or mind can possibly conceive.  But let’s remember something — and the apostle Paul put it like this:

 

But as it is written, natural eye has not seen, nor has the ear of flesh heard, neither has it begun to be conceived by the unredeemed, natural mind, those things that God has made ready to reveal to those that love Him, [those who are in Christ, and in whom He dwells].

 

But God has unveiled and revealed them to us by His Spirit; for the Spirit pursues, digs out and prepares to reveal to us the profound depths of the nature, the character and purposes of God which have been hidden away from us [for an appointed time in the development of our character in Him].  (I Corinthians 2:9-10, RAC Translation and Amplification)

 

Are you beginning to see the picture, here?  What was hidden from Moses (as a part of the Adamic seed) now becomes available to those who are in Christ Jesus “who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.”

 

The Glory of the Lord is NOT available nor accessible for those who live their lives after the desires of the flesh.  It is NOT available for folks who have a religious agenda and/or attempt to fit their lives into a doctrinal box.  The Glory of the Lord ONLY comes to and for those who have cut away all pre-conceived notions on how they should respond to the Lord, and/or what He requires of them.  We will get into this more in the next session, but let’s take a look at something that Isaiah prophesied.

 

Isaiah 42:8:  I AM the Lord: that is my name: and my Glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images.

 

But take a look at the way it actually appears in the Hebrew text:

 

I AM Yod Hey Vav Hey: that is my shem (onoma) nature and character, my makeup and personality: the weight of my glory and honor, my splendor and light will NEVER be given to strangers — to  anyone not of my family — neither will I allow My Praise, My renown and fame (with the songs thereof) to be given to idols or graven images (other objects of focus, prime attention or worship).  (Isaiah 42:8, RAC Translation and Amplification)

 

The Lord refers to His nature, character, makeup and personality as synonymous with His Glory.  There are literally dozens of names given to the Lord throughout Scripture to describe His various attributes, and I won’t take the time in this series to try to cover all those names; but let’s take a look at just those four letters that make up what we generally refer to as “the tetragrammaton” — four Hebrew letters that are words all by themselves with distinct meaning and character.

 

I really want to dig into the translation and explanation of Yod Hey Vav Hey  because this isn't just some funny translation from the Hebrew: this "tetragrammaton" is revelatory in every sense of the word.  We miss the significance of this because we Anglicize it into Jehovah or Yahweh or some other approximation so we can pronounce something that is representative of the character, the nature, the very essence of who God really is.

 

When God answered Moses, following his request to see God's Glory, the Lord told him that he would "proclaim the name of the Lord" before him.  He was literally saying to Moses that He was going to reveal the very character and personality embodied in Yod Hey Vav Hey  -- something He had never done prior to this time in history.  There's a huge panorama here, and we will try to at least illustrate this as best we can.

 

Each of the four letters that make up this "name" are pictures in themselves.  Rather than try to get started in today's Coffee Break and then have to stop mid-way, let's pause at this point and pick it up here next week.

 

I remind those of you in need of ministry that our Healing Prayer Call takes place on Mondays at 7:00 PM Eastern (4:00 PM Pacific).  Once again, the number to call for healing is (805) 399-1000.  Then enter the access code: 124763#.

 

At the same time, in case you are missing out on real fellowship in an environment of Ekklesia, our Sunday worship gatherings are available by conference call – usually at about 10:45AM Pacific.  That conference number is (559) 726-1300, and the access code is 308640#.  We hope to make these gatherings available by Skype or Talk Fusion before long.

 

Blessings on you!