By Francis Frangipane
What we define doctrinally as "salvation" is, in truth, the entrance,
and then expansion, of Christ's Presence throughout our person. What we
call salvation is, in truth, the beginning of God's glory in man.
If you are a Christian, then Christ is in you; you are already in glory.
You have been clothed with Christ, who is Himself the "radiance of [the
Father's] glory" (Heb 1:3). The fact is, Satan knows you are a
Christian, not simply because he heard you repeat a prayer at a church
altar; the Devil sees what happened when you prayed: The glory of Christ
entered your spirit!
There, within you right now, abides the substance, the radiance, of
Christ. Your prayer to receive Jesus into your heart was eternally
effective.
The Divine Refuge
To attain the manifest glory of God is the reason for our existence.
Consequently, the Lord is more concerned with our full conversion than
our fleshly comfort; He seeks to establish in us true holiness rather
than false happiness. He will even bring us through floods and fires, if
necessary, to scourge away our addiction to the goals of men.
The outcome of what seems like harsh or severe dealings is that, having
been delivered from the frail defenses of man, the glory of God becomes
our shelter.
Isaiah 4:4-5
"When the Lord has washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion ... by
the spirit of judgment and the spirit of burning, then the Lord will
create over the whole area of Mount Zion and over her assemblies a cloud
by day, even smoke, and the brightness of a flaming fire by night; for
over all the glory will be a canopy."
The glory of His Presence "will be a canopy." Isaiah continues, "And
there will be a shelter to give shade from the heat by day, and refuge
and protection from the storm and the rain" (Isa. 4:6).
Think of it! In the last days the glory of God shall increasingly become
so tangible, so substantial, that it will become a "shelter," a
"refuge," and a "protection" to those who have learned to live in the
Presence of God.
For all the compelling reasons to serve God, His highest calling to our
hearts is nothing less than the attainment of Christ's glory: "It was
for this He called you through our gospel, that you may gain the glory
of our Lord Jesus Christ" (2 Thess 2:14).
Yes, Christ will part the skies and be manifest in finality, but first
He comes to be manifest in our humanity! Paul tells us that Christ is
coming specifically "to be glorified in His saints on that day, and to
be marveled at among all who have believed" (2 Thess 1:10).
As the return of Christ approaches, entrance into the glory of God shall
not only become more attainable; it shall become ever more necessary.
For as the battle at the end of the age intensifies, only the shelter of
God's glory shall preserve us.
This message is adapted from Francis’, In Christ's Image Training course. Register now for this life-changing course. Visit www.icitc.org for more information.