154. The Glory of the House
Isaiah 60:7 All the flocks of Kedar shall be gathered together unto thee, the rams of Nebaioth shall minister unto thee: they shall come up with acceptance on mine altar, andI will glorify the house of my glory.
Many different Gentile nations and peoples will come into the house of the Lord, the Church. This is fulfilled prophecy that many different tribes and nations and languages and peoples will be saved and come into the kingdom of life by faith in Jesus Christ. The Book of Revelation lists all these people groups inhabiting heaven and praising the Lord for eternity.
The promise here is that God says He will glorify the house of His glory. The house of God’s Glory is the Kingdom of God: on earth the kingdom includes all the believers in Christ who are presently apart of the invisible Church; in heaven the kingdom includes all the believers over all of history who will live with the Lord forever in the Eternal Kingdom of Glory.
The Lord promises to glorify the Church on earth. We don’t see the glory, and many of the churches we know about do not appear very glorious to our eyes. That does not mean God did not glorify it; it just means we can’t see the glory. But glory comes every time the Gospel is preached, forgiveness of sins is proclaimed, and the Sacraments are administered. Even though we don’t see it, we believe it because God promises: “I will glorify the house of my glory.” Where the Gospel is preached and shared with people there believers will be created; believers immediately become a part of the house of His glory.
If we could see and feel the glory of the house we would have a different opinion of the churches we see and of the individual believers in the Church. They are filled with glory, because the Lord promised to glorify it. If we could only see the glory shining on another Christian our respect and regard for them would certainly change. Even if we could see the glory in our own selves we would feel differently about life than we often do. But faith does see the glory. Faith believes that I myself and other believers are filled with the glory of God. It would also be helpful for us to see the potential glory of those who are not yet believers.
It is easy to love the glory of God, to bask in it, to enjoy its beauty, and be overwhelmed with the loving presence of God. That is, it would be easy if we could believe the promise and see it by faith. Unfortunately, our sin and the sins of others cloud our vision, and so we cannot see clearly. Daily repentance and faith in the Gospel sharpens our focus and clears our vision. Faith sees the glory. And so we pray, “Thy kingdom come.” There is life-changing power in that prayer.