The Doctrine of the "Shekinah" Glory, No. 2
RO48-01

The Glory of God

Larry Flynt

Since that time, some very dramatic things have happened. Now the poor man lies in a critical condition, paralyzed from the waist down. "The Evangelical Newsletter" of January 27th, 1978 had this to say about Larry Flynt's conversion, which has some very puzzling features associated with it, and which are to be explained by the fact that he does not understand the glory of God. The evangelical newsletter says, "Publisher Larry Flynt promised to give up leadership of his pornographic empire last November when he reported to the world he became Christian. But he is still boss. 'I am going to continue publishing pornography, and anybody who doesn't like it can go kiss a rope,' he told The New York Times. 'Pornography,' he says, 'is not sinful. We will try to do what God would approve of in our stories,' he writes in unchanged "Hustler," March issue. 'Future issues will feature photos of Christ, and will portray sexual scenes from the Bible.' Whatever his newfound faith, which has him into meditation; fasting; and, celibacy, his publishing empire grows. He recently bought weekly newspapers in Los Angeles; Atlanta; Plains, Georgia; and, 'Monthly Ohio' magazine. 'I still believe in what we are doing. Women have to lose their hangups about displaying their bodies."

Then the December, 1977 / January, 1978 issue of the "Wittenberg Door" has an article entitled "If You Love Jesus, Shut Up." It says, "Now we have Larry Flynt, publisher of the raunchy 'Hustler' and 'Chic' magazines on our hands. Reportedly, he stood before a Houston church last month and told how Ruth Carter Stapleton had helped him to be born-again. He was sobbing: 'God is so awesome.' No one can understand him.

"Since that time, Flynt has vowed that 'Hustler' will extol godly loving, and print healthy sex plus religion. 'I will no longer hang women up as pieces of meat,' he promised. Apparently, his idea of healthy sex will be to print pictures of nude women sent in by their husbands instead of by their boyfriends. Not only that, but the perpetually horny cartoon character Chester the Molester will be changed to Chester, the protector.

"His resolve is as firm as his opinion of himself is high. Listing himself with Moses and Abraham Lincoln, he declared in an interview aboard his private jet: 'Moses freed the Jews; Lincoln freed the slaves; and, I want to free the neurotics.'"

After expressing some question as to the reality of his conversion, and his lack of a grasp of the glory of God, he goes on to say, "I hope I'm wrong here. I hope Larry Flynt and other figures like him have done more than add another verse (this time with religious words) to the same old song they have always sung. For new birth means a new origin and a new basis. It signifies a change not only in the content of a life, but in a structure as well. Becoming a Christian cannot be simply a matter of transferring to a religious arena, what one has always done in a secular sphere."

That is a very, very perceptive remark. How many so-called superstar Christians do you know of in the entertainment world, who are still hitting the nightclub circuit, and who are still doing all of the things in the world system that they've always done before they had come to their so-called conversion?

Continuing: "James Thurber's famous story about the alcoholic bear makes this point clear: Once there was a bear who would come home every night very drunk. Upon entering the living room, he would immediately commence turning somersaults and back-flips; destroying the furniture; knocking over lamps; and, and generally terrifying his wife and his children. Finally exhausted, he would collapse in a heap on the floor, and there sleep until the next morning. But one day this bear went on the wagon, never again to go back to the booze. And to prove how much stronger he was now that he had gone straight, every night when he came home, he would enter the living room and immediately commence turning somersaults and cartwheels; destroying the furniture; knocking over lamps; and, generally terrifying his wife and children. Finally exhausted, he would collapse in a heap on the floor, and there sleep until the next morning.

"New content: old structure. New wine: old wine skins. We all know what Jesus had to say about that. The new wine is spilled and lost when the old container disintegrates, as inevitably it must."

Then the writer of the editorial goes on and makes some very good observations about the fact that somebody ought to go up to Larry Flynt and say, If your conversion is genuine, and if you really love Jesus, then shut your mouth, until you've got some divine viewpoint orientation, before you start talking. Now that is perceptive, because it almost makes you laugh as he describes how churches, and evangelicals, and wonderful Christians everywhere are going to be falling all over themselves to try to get Larry Flynt out to talk to their groups.

Ignorance of the Glory of God

People Ignore God

People View God as a Non-Person

The "Shekinah" Glory of God

So, they're impressed with God. They recognize His authority over the world which He has created because they understand the glory of God. So, we have found some amazing things about the glory of God, particularly in its visible demonstration of that blazing, flaming light called the "Shekinah" glory. It called Moses to the leadership of the Exodus from Egypt. It protected Israel's escape from Pharaoh. It led the Israelites in their wilderness travels. It was present on Mount Sinai in the giving of the Lord. It reflected in the face of Moses after his dissent from Mount Sinai. It visibly indicated God's presence among the Israelites. It abode over the tabernacle. It set upon the mercy seat of the ark. It entered Solomon's temple. It later left. It will return again in the millennium. It punished sins among the Israelites. It demonstrated God's unapproachable holiness: His power; His blessing; and, His discipline. Isaiah saw the glory of God displaying the awesome holiness of God. Ezekiel saw the glory of God in a majestic display of colored light. The "Shekinah" glory, we found, was made up of the flaming elect angels. It makes up the chariot of God, which took Elijah to heaven. Adam and Eve were probably covered with the "Shekinah" glory light before they sin.

We also indicated that the sword guarding the entrance to the Garden of Eden, to protect man from the tree of life, was the "Shekinah" glory. Moses, we found, requested a full view of God's glory, but he received a super grace "Shekinah" glory display, for the full view of the glory of God would have caused him to die. We also pointed out that the "Shekinah" glory was associated only with Israel. Pagan gentile nations – it was never associated with them. On occasion, it burns and consumes.

The word "glory" in English translations sometimes leaves the word "the" off, so that you don't realize that it is speaking about the glory the "Shekinah" glory). This is the glory that shone down upon the shepherds at the birth of Jesus. It was the star which led the magi to Nazareth, to the house where Jesus was. Simeon, in the temple, when he picked up the baby, Jesus called Him the "Shekinah" glory of Israel. And it was displayed on the Mount of Transfiguration when Christ revealed, for a moment, His own glory. It is the sign of Jesus Christ at His Second Coming. Paul described Jesus Christ as the Lord of the "Shekinah" glory. And because the leaders of Israel did not recognize that He was the Lord of the "Shekinah" glory, they murdered Him. Finally, we pointed out that Jesus Christ prayed that His humanity share in the "Shekinah" glory of His deity. And that's exactly what happened. And since He is our pattern, that means that you and I someday are also going to share in the visible display of the glory of God. It already exists in you. It is shielded just as it was in the Lord Jesus Christ. Someday it is going to be brilliantly displayed outwardly as your normal appearance, just as it was His on the mount of transfiguration.

1. Pentecost

   Adding to that now, point number one: the sheer "Shekinah" glory of God appeared as two tongues of sword-like flames of fire on each of the believers on the day of Pentecost. You remember the description of that in Acts 2:3: "And there appeared unto them cloven tongues, as a fire, and it sat upon each of them." This was that amazing thing that the believers, gathered in the upper room on the day of Pentecost, saw flickering on the top of each of their heads was nothing less than the "Shekinah" glory of God.

   The Holy Spirit

   This signaled the arrival of the Holy Spirit to replace Jesus Christ on the earth. John 14:16-17 foretold that this would happen. Jesus said, "I have been your Comforter. I am leaving. I am going back to heaven. But I'm going to send someone who's just like myself (that is, who is also God), who is going to come, and He will be your Comforter."

   This arrival of God the Holy Spirit, who was the replacement comforter, was signaled by the "Shekinah" glory flame on the individual believers. Also, it signaled the arrival of the Holy Spirit on earth to indwell believers of the church age. John 7:39 had declared that that's what would happen. This is a most amazing difference from the Old Testament. God the Holy Spirit now is not just going to be there to help you. He is going to be in you. He is going to be residing within your bodies. And He would be there in a permanent relationship – as a permanent resident.

   Therefore, this signaled the beginning of the church, the body of Christ, in which the "Shekinah" glory dwelt. And it is the fulfillment of the prediction of the Lord Jesus Christ which we have an Acts 1:4-5, where He told the disciples that in just a few days, they would be baptized by God the Holy Spirit. And ten days later, this is precisely what happened.

   So, what we have here is that the "Shekinah" glory is now again present on earth, but now within the believers of the church age in the form of the person of God the Holy Spirit. This was a fantastically wonderful realization.

   The "Shekinah" glory came down upon the tabernacle that Moses built in the wilderness – that tent-like structure. Later, they replaced that place of worship with Solomon's magnificent temple. And the "Shekinah" glory, before the eyes of the people, came down upon that temple, and dwelt within the temple itself in the holy of holies. In time, because of the rebellion of Israel, the "Shekinah" glory left the people. Then Jesus Christ came down upon this earth, and the "Shekinah" glory was again present on this earth in the person of Jesus Christ. That was evidenced through the incident on the Mount of Transfiguration. Then He went to heaven. And on the day of Pentecost, again God says, "My glory is now upon the earth again." Where is it, God? Wonder of wonders, it is in those frail, weak, incapacitated believers who form the body of Christ. And it wasn't just one flame of fire on top of the believers. It was separated flames on the heads of each one of them, because the Spirit of God dwells in them individually.

   So, of all things, you and I have replaced Jesus Christ as the carriers of the "Shekinah" glory of God on the earth today. So, we read, for example, in 1 Corinthians 3:16-17, "Don't you know that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him God shall destroy. For the Temple of God is holy – which temple you are."

   Then, in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, Paul says, "What? Don't you know you that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have of God, and you are not your own. For you are bought with a price. Therefore, glorify God in your body and in your spirit which are God's." Glorify God. How can you glorify God in your body and in your spirit? Well, it's because you have the same "Shekinah" glory dwelling within you for that very purpose.

   So, as the "Shekinah" glory resided in the Old Testament tabernacle on the day of dedication, so, on the day of Pentecost, it came to reside in the temple of the church. And as the "Shekinah" glory rested upon the Old Testament tabernacle and the temple, so, today it rests upon you and me as believers.

   1 Peter 4:14, therefore, says, "If you be reproached for the name of Christ, you are happy, for the spirit of glory and of God rests upon you." And that is referring again to the "Shekinah" glory resting upon each believer. So, what Peter is saying is that the church saint already possesses the glory of God which will be externally manifested at the rapture. And in Romans 5:2, where we began all this, Paul says, "We are in hope of the glory of God." He means that we are in hope of the external demonstration of the glory which is already within us.

   1 Peter 5:1 says, "The elders (the pastor-teachers) who are among you, I exhort, who am also a pastor-teacher and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed." So, Peter is saying, I already have the glory of God in me, just as you already have the glory, and I am partaker of a glory which is going to be revealed externally, as it's going to be revealed externally in you. What kind of people therefore ought we to be? Oh, you have said, "Yes, I know that God the Holy Spirit lives within me. I know that I'm his temple." But now you should know a little more – that within you rests the "Shekinah" glory of God at this moment.

   Think back of all the things we have learned; all the examples we have looked at in the Old Testament; and, all the brilliant displays of the glory of God. That's what's residing in you. It's not just the Holy Spirit. It's something more. It's the complete holiness of God. That's what's existing within you. Therefore, believers should live in keeping with their position as those who are called to share in the glory of God.

   1 Thessalonians 2:12 says, "That you should walk worthy of God who has called you unto His kingdom and glory." So, you and I as believers ought so to live that we are displaying the holiness of God who dwells us.

   Ephesians 1:4, Ephesians 2:21-22, and 1 Peter 1:15 are all admonishing us to the kind of people we should be in our daily lives and in our daily conduct. This includes all those little wrong things we do. That's not befitting of people who have the holiness of this "Shekinah" glory within them. This also includes all of the weaknesses that we tolerate in ourselves; and, all of the deliberately wrong things that we tolerate about ourselves: the kind of language we use; the kind of mental attitudes we have; the kind of mental attitudes we refuse to keep to ourselves; and, that sewage that we insist on spewing on other people. We're going to have it churning within ourselves to keep it within ourselves. It's unbefitting of people who have within them the "Shekinah" glory of God. This also includes the attitudes that we have toward the weaknesses of other Christians, and the attitudes toward people who very often are those who are our best friends. These people who are putting themselves out in our behalf in the greatest way are those who often are the ones we strike down. The people who indeed stand at the center of divine approval are the people that we slash out against, because we forget who they really are. They are people who are indwelt by the "Shekinah" glory of God.

   So, I'd suggest that you look around you quietly at the believers who are present here, particularly the ones who rub you wrong, and the ones who aggravate you, and realize right now the fantastic truth that they shield the glory of God. As it is true of you, it is true of them. And if for one moment, God were to permit in this room right now to happen what happened on the Mount of Transfiguration, we'd all be bug-eyed, and we all be probably cast into terror as the "Shekinah" glory burst and filled this room to the point where we could hardly keep our eyes open with the brilliance of the glory of God. Right now you're shielding it, just as Jesus Christ shielded it. Someday the shield is going to be removed.

   Not only is it in us, but it is also in the angels who gathered in this room, who are here right now listening and observing what we are doing toward the person of Jesus Christ, whom they love, and whom they serve, and whom they esteem. If these angels were suddenly to become visible to you and me, remember that their glory is in this room.

   You remember the incident we looked at of Elisha. Elisha turned to God and asked God to open the eyes of his servant. He said, "Just let him see for a moment what surrounds us here, Lord, so that he can relax. Elisha knew what was there. And Elijah was not fearful of the fact that the Syrian army had surrounded him.

   Now those angels are here surrounding us, and it is a good thing that they're keeping their glory shield too, for they carry the "Shekinah" glory of God upon them. It is true of you, and it is true of others. The "Shekinah" glory inhabits us. And, wonder of wonders, it never did this before. It never inhabited people in the Old Testament. Never once was a person inhabited by the glory of God. But you are at this moment. May that the anchor point of your living, and the anchor point of your attitude toward other people.

2. God is the King of Glory

   God is the King of Glory. Psalm 24:7-10 describe Him for us as the great King of Glory. God's glory is supreme in the universe. His glory reflects His perfect justice and His righteousness. Therefore, no one surpasses the holiness of God. It is for this reason that Romans 3:23 says that all mankind has fallen short of the standard of God's glory; that is, His absolute perfect holiness. The reason for this is because everyone is born with an old sin nature. Because we are less than this standard of perfect holiness, we cannot enter heaven. And that's the human problem. This is the problem with Paul is explaining. All of us have fallen short of the glory of God. Therefore, all of us are doomed, because God is the King of Glory. He is the supreme standard.

3. Christ's Death Glorified God

   Jesus Christ and God the Father were glorified by the sacrifice of the Son on the cross for the sins of the world. When Jesus Christ was taken by the religious and civil authorities, and crucified as a common criminal, they meant it to be a humiliation to Him. But it was not. It was a point of great glory for Him and for the Father, because it was the accomplishing of the plan and purpose of God for the redemption of mankind. In John 13:31-32, we read, "Therefore, when he was gone out (that is, Judas), Jesus said, 'Now the Son of Man is glorified, and God the Father is glorified in Him. If God be glorified in Him, God shall also glorifying Him in Himself, and shall straightway glorify Him.'" Judas went out to set the machinery in motion for the final stage of the death of Jesus Christ (His taking into custody). And the Lord Jesus said, "Now God the Father is going to be terrifically glorified, and He's going to glorify Me in the death upon the cross.

4. The Gospel

   The gospel is the means by which the sinner secures the glory of God. 2 Thessalonians 2:14 describes that for us: "Unto which He called you by our gospel to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. Without the gospel, and without the fact of what Christ has done upon the Cross in behalf of our sins, no one can come to the glory of God. That's the means.

5. Jesus Christ

   Jesus Christ is the one who brings a believing sinner into the glory of God. It is not something that you and I achieve by some personal efforts. Hebrews 2:10, therefore says, "For it became Him, for Whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons into glory to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings."

   Then 1 Peter 5:10 adds to that: "But the God of all grace Who has called us into His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, make you perfect; establish; strength; and, settle you." Jesus Christ is the One who brings the sinner into the kind of glory of God.

6. Justification

   Since born-again believers in Jesus Christ are justified, they will be able to stand in the very presence of this "Shekinah" glory of God without reproach, and with great joy. Jude 24: "Now unto Him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy." That's what's before us. Now, if we were to approach the "Shekinah" glory with our old sin nature (the very presence of God), it would be disaster. However, positionally we can be indwelt by the "Shekinah" glory, until the full glorification of our bodies and the removal of the old sin nature qualifies us to enter heaven itself.

7. The Indwelling of the Lord Jesus Christ

   The Christian's hope of one day shining forth in the splendor of the "Shekinah" glory of God is made certain by the indwelling of the Lord Jesus Christ." Colossians 1:27 tells us that Christ in us is the assurance of our coming into the "Shekinah" glory: "To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory." Why do we have a certain hope of glory? Because Jesus Christ indwells us. Salvation provides a believer with eternal glory (2 Timothy 2:10), not a temporary glory. God is glorified by this provision of eternal security in salvation, and thus in divine glory (Romans 8:30, 2 Timothy 4:18). It is a great honor to God to give us a security in this glory. Divine justice demands glory for the believer who has been justified, and thus indwelt by Jesus Christ. So, the divine glory is certain because Christ indwells us. God's justice must give us that "Shekinah" glory.

   Stephen

   One of the examples of human contact with the "Shekinah" glory, of course, is with the Christian martyr Stephen. Acts 7 gives us the description of Stephen's testimony before the Sanhedrin, who were enraged at his testimony in behalf of Jesus of Nazareth as the Messiah of Israel. In Acts 7:55-56, we read, "But he (Stephen), being full of the Holy Spirit, looked up steadfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God." You know what he saw. He saw the "Shekinah" glory – the brilliant, dazzling light display: "And Jesus standing on the right hand of God." He saw the person of Jesus Christ in the midst of this cloud: "And said, 'Behold, I see the heavens open, and the Son of Man standing on the right hand of God.'"

   Well, all the Sanhedrin immediately understood what he was saying. He said, "I see the heavens open. I see the 'Shekinah' glory. I see Jesus of Nazareth standing right there in the 'Shekinah' glory. Well, all the religious leaders have been saying that: "Jesus is not the Messiah; Jesus is false; and, Jesus is a fraud." Stephen says, "No, He isn't. I see Him right there. There He is, in the midst of the glory of God, and He's standing right there at the right hand of God." That was all they needed. Those words were true, but with those words, Stephen doomed himself. He had testified boldly concerning the Messiahship of Jesus Christ as Israel's Messiah. That angered them. So, just before they stoned him to death, he had this terrific vision, because if Stephen was right on what he said he saw up there, then all the religious people of Israel were wrong.

   How can one man be right, and all the people who are educated be wrong? How can this one uneducated man be right, and all the people who study the Bible be wrong? Do people who study the Bible impress you that they must certainly be right, and that the more who gang up and take a certain position and say, "This is the way it is," does that impress you? It should not, and I hope it will not. You should be above being impressed with people who study the Bible. You should only be impressed with what they say in terms of how it rings the bell of truth, and how it is compatible with what you see in Scripture. If you can see from Scripture, and say, "Yes, that's what's there;" and, "Yes, I see that your explanation fits the Word," then believe it. I don't care if it's some junior-age kid who found the Bible in a garbage can, and brushed it off, and read a verse, and explained it to you, and hit it right on the head – believe it. He never went to seminary. He doesn't have any prestige, but he knows the truth, and that's what counts.

   So, here are these men couldn't believe that Stephen could look up there and be reporting the truth, but he was.

8. The Sufferings of Believers

   The sufferings of believers are sometimes designed to display the glory of God. John 11:4 tell us that the death of Lazarus was so that God could display His glory. Remember that the word "glory" connotes uniqueness. Glory means separated from others and thus carrying an influence over them.

9. The Believer's Trials on Earth

   The believer's trials on earth are nothing when compared to the "Shekinah" glory which is to be revealed through them after the rapture. In Romans 8:18, the apostle Paul makes this observation: "For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us." To that, you may add 2 Corinthians 4:17.

   It would be a good idea for you to remember that when you come to the hard times of your own life. Remember that nothing that hits you is, in any way, comparable to the glory that is going to be revealed in you. This "Shekinah" glory that radiated from Jesus Christ will radiate from you. 2 Corinthians 4:17 can be added to that.

10. Resurrected Believers Will Radiate God's Glory

    Believers will radiate the glory of God in their resurrection bodies. When your body has been resurrected, then the "Shekinah" glory that now resides in you will be externally visible. Matthew 13:43 says, "Then the righteous shall shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their father.

    In 1 Corinthians 15:43, the apostle Paul adds that same concept: "When we are resurrected, then we are glorified." This is speaking of the body of the Christian: "It is sown in dishonor (that is, with an old sin nature); it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power."

    Philippians 3:21 also says, "Who shall change our lowly body, that it may be fashioned like His glorious body (or the body of His glory, more precisely), according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things unto Himself." So, our body is going to be a body of glory when it is raised.

11. God will Demonstrate His Glory toward Undeserving Sinners

    God will demonstrate the magnitude of His glory by His sovereign mercy toward undeserving sinners (Romans 9:23-24). How great His Holiness is, is going to be demonstrated, not by his love, but by His faithfulness to His Holiness; His justice; and His absolute righteousness. God does not demonstrate who He is by His love. He demonstrates it by His faithfulness to the demands of His justice, and of His absolute righteousness. That's why people don't respect God. They don't understand that His glory demands that His Holiness be kept intact. That means that He must act upon His justice and His righteousness.

12. The Second Coming of Jesus Christ

    Christians will radiate the brilliant glory of God while accompanying Jesus Christ at His Second Coming. Colossians 3:4 tells us that when we return, we will do it in the brilliant light of the "Shekinah" glory. You will raise from the grave. The moment you are brought up from the grave, or you are caught up in the rapture alive, the "Shekinah" glory that resides in you has been permitted to break forth. That is because, in a moment that you are raised at the rapture, or you are caught up in the air at the rapture, the old sin nature is removed. And now your body is completely glorified, and it radiates externally this glory. So, when you return with Christ Second Coming, you will radiate that glory again.

    You can imagine what a display this is going to be. There will first be black, dark, solid darkness all over the earth. Then here comes Jesus Christ with His glory, and we are sharing the radiating glory of the "Shekinah" with Him. What a display that's going to be!

13. Jerusalem during the Millennium

    God will display his "Shekinah" glory in Jerusalem during the millennium, and will be a wall of fire around it (Zechariah 2:5). "As the people of old saw the "Shekinah" glory in Jerusalem, so they will in the millennium.

14. The New Jerusalem

    The "Shekinah" glory of God will continually illuminate the new Jerusalem in eternity, so there is no night there (Revelation 21:23-25). There is no night because God Himself is the light. What do you think the great white throne is made up of? Why is it the blazing white throne? Obviously, it is the blazing white throne because Jesus Christ sits upon it in His glory. The great white throne is the "Shekinah" glory of God in final judgment of those who are rebels against God's authority (Revelation 20:11).

    The Lake of Fire

    Let's take a look at the lake of fire. The lake of fire for the unregenerate is made up of the flaming angels of God. What is the lake of fire? Here is another example of fire that causes devastation but does not destroy what it is burning. As it did not burn the tabernacle; as it did not burn the ark; and, as it did not burn Moses, now you have something that again is burning without destroying. 2 Thessalonians 1:8-10: "In flaming fire, taking vengeance on them that don't know God (that is, His mighty angels in flaming fire), that do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of His power; when He shall come to be glorified in His saints, and to be admired in them that believe, because our testimony among you was believed in that day."

    So, here Paul is saying that these flaming angels are going to be taking vengeance on whom? On those who don't obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. If you do not obey the gospel, which means you don't believe it, that means you're unsaved. That means you're lost. And these who are lost, verse 9 says are going to be punished in everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of His power. They will not see God. They will not be in the presence of His "Shekinah" glory, but they will be in the presence of these angels who are exercising this destruction, which are the flaming angels of God.

    So, we find in the Bible that the lake of fire is a place of eternal punishment for lost humanity and for angels. Matthew 25:41 and Jude 7 teach that. This eternal punishment of the lake of fire is described as: "Drinking the cup of God's wrath," in Hebrews 10:31 and in Psalm 70:8. People who experience the punishment of hell for all eternity are described under the image of somebody bringing a cup to their lips of the wrath of God, and their being forced to drink it forever.

    What is the nature of this cup of divine wrath? You'll find it described in Psalm 11:6: "Upon the wicked, He shall reign snares, fire, and brimstone, and a horrible tempest. This shall be the portion of their cup." So, what we have described here is again the burning of fire and brimstone – the same thing that is associated with the lake of fire.

    Let's add to this Daniel 7:9-11. These verse describe the "Shekinah" glory surrounding the throne of God. In Daniel 7, you have this picture: From the throne of God, there flows a river. And into this river, in the form of a fiery stream, the antichrist is cast. Now what fiery stream is antichrist going to be cast into? Well, elsewhere in the Scripture, we discover that it is the lake of fire – what we commonly refer to as hell.

    Daniel 7:9: "I beheld till the thrones were placed, and the ancient of days did sit, Whose garment was white as snow and the hair of His head like pure wool. His throne was like the fiery flame, and His wheels as burning fire. A fiery stream issued, and came forth from Him. A thousand thousands ministered unto Him, and 10,000 times 10,000 stood before Him. The judgment was set, and the books were open. I beheld then because of the voice of the great words which the horn spoke (the antichrist). I beheld even the beast was slain, and his body destroyed, and given to the burning flame."

    So, here you have the picture of a stream of flaming fire coming from the throne of God into which the antichrist is cast. If you go to the last book of the Bible, you'll find that this same things spoken of here Daniel is identified clearly in the book of the Revelation as the lake of fire. Revelation 19:20 says, "And the beast was taken, and within the false prophet that brought miracles before him with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshiped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone." In Revelation 20:10-15, you may add to that this whole description of a burning like a fire.

    So, the fiery stream of Daniel and the lake of fire of revelation are the same place: hell. And the thousands of those ministering before God, spoken of in Daniel, are these flaming angels that actually form this stream of fire.

    Revelation 14:9-10 say, "The cup of divine wrath is poured in the form of this lake of fire: "And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, 'If any man worship the beast and his image, and receives his mark on his forehead, or in his hand, the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of His indignation. And he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb." There you have it buttoned down. The cup of God's wrath is the cup of fire and brimstone. And it is a cup which these people shall experience forever in the presence of the holy angels of God; that is, the flaming angels are the flames of hell. And these flaming angels form the Shekinah glory of Jesus Christ, exercising now judgment upon those who are in hell. The fiery stream from the throne of Jesus Christ in Daniel are the angels of God exercising eternal punishment in the form of the lake of fire.

    Of course, we see that the lost are not consumed by the flaming punishment, but that the flaming angels provide them with an endless agony (Matthew 13:42, Mark 9:44).

So, the future for the unbeliever is very, very grim indeed. The end of all this for you is to find the glory of God, which now resides in you, externally and visibly demonstrated. The future for the unbeliever is to find himself in the presence of what could have been glory to him, but in the presence of these flaming angels who will be comrades to you as they are in this room right now. He's going to find himself in their presence, under great agony and under great pain. It will be as if somebody had thrown him into a lake flaming with fire and brimstone.

Dr. John E. Danish, 1977

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