When Moses completed work on the Tabernacle a ‘cloud’ covered the ‘Tent of Meeting’. Then the ‘Glory of the Lord’ filled the Tabernacle, so that Moses was unable to enter the ‘Tent of Meeting’ for the ‘cloud’ was resting upon it, and the ‘Glory of the Lord’ filled the Tabernacle.1
When Solomon completed work on the Temple the priests brought the ‘Ark of the Covenant’ to the Holy of Holies with the two tablets of stone inside it, the tablets of the Covenant of the Law given to Moses on Mount Horeb. When the priests came out of the Temple, a ‘cloud’ filled the House of the Lord, so that the priests were unable to remain standing to perform their duties. The ‘Glory of the Lord’ had filled the House of the Lord.2 Fire and the ‘Glory of the Lord’ is mentioned in the report in the Book of Chronicles: “The priests could not enter the Temple of the Lord because the ‘Glory of the Lord’ filled it. When all the Israelites saw the fire coming down and the ‘Glory of the Lord’ above the Temple, they knelt on the pavement with their faces to the ground, and they worshiped and gave thanks to the Lord, saying, “He is good; His love endures forever.”3 Isaiah says that the train of His robe filled the Temple.4 When Ezekiel sees the New and final Temple, he sees how the ‘Glory of the Lord’ fills the House of the Lord, and he falls facedown.5 John sees ‘smoke’, and where there is ‘smoke’, there is ‘fire’, and where there is ‘fire’, there is God’s Glory. Our God is a consuming fire.6 God’s Glory completely fills the Temple, and it is the Glory of His holiness and of His wrath. In this verse it is no longer possible for anyone to enter the Temple, not even to offer prayers and supplications on the altar of incense. The ‘time of grace’ has come to an end. The Lord has almost endless patience and longsuffering. The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.7
However, when the evil under the government of the ‘beasts’ and the ‘whore of Babylon’, inspired by the ‘dragon’, the devil, has taken possession of the great majority of mankind, the time for His trials, tribulations and judgments has come—yet always as plagues, still hammering to break stubborn hearts. In the ‘schedule’, the ‘order of events’, or the ‘order of visions’ in the Book of Revelation we see after the seven missionary letters to the seven churches: seven ‘seals’, seven ‘trumpets’ and seven ‘bowls’. And the ‘seventh’ always finishes with the return of Christ in Glory. Along that “time line” we have been given, gradually, more and more details. We are ‘zooming in’ as it were, and ever more details are revealed. The ‘graph’s curve’ rising gradually steeper, ever closer to the climax: the return of Christ. The descriptions are jumping back and forth in time, in typical Semitic narrative style, revealing increasingly more and more information about the judgements of God.
Although both of the above ‘schemes’, ‘orders of events, ‘’ order of visions’ are both acceptable, the second one is preferable in my opinion. The similarities between the ‘trumpets’ and the ‘bowls’ (see Day 231), for example, are too obvious to think that they refer to two consecutive series of events. The conclusion that the ‘great tribulation’ Jesus speaks about8 begins with the ‘trumpets’ appears to be justified. Whereas the ‘seals’ seem to correspond to events described in Jesus’ ‘discourse on the last things’ Matthew 24:1–14. They show the history of the world over the last two thousand years. It is dangerous to come up with ‘schemes’, ‘timetables’ and ‘orders of events’, however. The comfort and the warning of the Book of Revelation is clear – the Lamb of God has the history of this world in His hands. God’s judgments are coming over the earth. Every human being has to choose between life or death. The choice is simple but highly important. There are only two ways: either to life or to death. In Joshua 24:15 Joshua puts the people of Israel to the choice: “If serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” Now is the year of the Lord’s favour.9 Now is the time of grace.10 Now it is decision-time. So go to your Saviour. Go now to Him, Who offers you salvation. He Who left Heaven for you as well. Listen to His call, and go to Him!
• How quickly a person can be converted is seen in several places in the Book of Acts, e.g. the eunuch11 and the Philippian jailer.12 In the Gospels too there are examples: Zacchaeus13 and one of the criminals on the cross, “Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when You come into Your Kingdom.” Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.”14 Everyone who wants to may go to our Saviour! This means you too, and you, even now.
Bible References:
1.Exodus 40:34–35 2.1 Kings 8:6–11 3.2 Chronicles 7:2-3 4.Isaiah 6:1 5.Ezekiel 44:4 6.Hebrews 12:29 7.2 Peter 3:9 8.Matthew 24:21 9.Luke 4:19 10.Hebrews 3:7 and 15, 4:7 and 11; Psalm 95 11.Acts 8:26–40 12.Acts 16:19–34 13.Luke 19:1–10 14.Luke 23:43
