The Lord Jesus Christ - The Shekinah Glory
John 1:1 and 14 say, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.” The Word is a reference to the Lord Jesus Christ, who, as the manifest Person of the Trinity, reveals the Word of God the Father to us. It refers to Jesus Christ as God taking on true humanity and dwelling among mankind on earth. But His dwelling presence did not begin there. Christ was and is the dwelling presence of the invisible God with His people throughout history. This is the localization of God’s power and presence in a given time and a given place. We call this dwelling presence “the Shekinah Glory”. The term Shekinah is derived from the Hebrew word shakan, found in Deuteronomy 12:5, and it means a dwelling presence. This physical dwelling presence of God the Son existed throughout history.
When Adam and the woman were created, the Shekinah Glory, called “the Lord God,” walked with them “in the cool of the day” (Genesis 3:8). In the Old Testament, they did not know Him by the name of Jesus Christ, yet He was no less present. He made appearances as a theophany, which is a visible presence of God the Son. He appeared to Moses (Exodus 3:2-14) and Abraham (Acts 7:2). To Israel, He was known as YHWH, transliterated as Jehovah. He dwelt with Israel in different forms at different times. He was present in the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night (Exodus 13:21-22). The Shekinah Glory appeared in the Holy of Holies in the tabernacle (Exodus 25:21-22; 40:34, 35; Leviticus 26:11-12) and later in the temple (1 Kings 8:11). This is a means by which an omnipresent God made His personal presence known and visible to His own people in a specific location at a specific time.
The Shekinah Glory was the bodily presence of the glory of God in the First Advent, the central point in the history of mankind. He was the God-man in the flesh for all to see. In the future at the Second Advent of Christ, the Shekinah will return and deliver His people at the Battle of Armageddon. He will re-establish the throne of David and will be the glorious king who will reign for 1,000 years in the Millennial kingdom.
The Lord Jesus Christ is now seated at the right hand of the Father, yet He continues to dwell within every believer. Although His physical presence is in heaven, His indwelling presence remains with us. We know from 1 Corinthians 6:19 combined with 2 Corinthians 6:16 that our bodies have been made a temple by the Holy Spirit for the indwelling of the Shekinah Glory. “Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27). As our spiritual life progresses and we take on the eternal perspective, we reflect the glory of God that is in us (2 Corinthians 3:18; Ephesians 5:1). The Shekinah Glory gives us confidence that Jesus Christ, as the revelation of God the Father, has always been with mankind and will always be with us. He truly “never leaves us nor forsakes us” (Hebrews 13:5b).
Memory Verse: "For we are the temple of the living God, just as God has said, `I will dwell in them and walk among them; I will be their God and they will be My people’" (2 Corinthians 6:16).
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