“At his death Jesus dismantled the old temple, and at his resurrection he established the new one. Now when we unite with the risen Christ in faith, through the Holy Spirit, the Shekinah glory presence of God that had swelled behind the veil, inaccessibly, is now available to us.”- Timothy Keller
“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”- John 1:14 (NIV)
In Chapter 3 (“Glorious Hope”) of Hope in Times of Fear, Timothy Keller talks about one of the most important themes running through Scripture. Pastor Keller stresses that the resurrection brings the future into the present and also bring heaven to earth. Also, it unites people with God.
Furthermore, the New Testament picks up the thread of the Old Testament temple prophecies. For example, in John 1:14, we read that Christ (literally) tabernacled among us. And we beheld His glory.
Therefore, as Christians we partner and participate with Christ as He works to spread the healing and energizing kingdom power all through the world. Hence, Pastor Keller underscores, all of the lines and themes of the temple converge on Jesus. Because Jesus is the:
- sacrifice
- priest
- altar
- bread
- blood of purification
- Shekinah glory
Finally, in C. S. Lewis’s science fiction novel Perelandra, the narrator comes into contact with a being of absolute goodness from the planet Mars. However, the narrator feels threatened by the Martian’s goodness. Lewis states:
“As long as you are afraid of something evil, you may still hope that the good may come to your rescue. But suppose you struggle through to the good and find that is also dreadful? . . . Then indeed, there is no rescue possible, the last card has been played. . . . I wanted every possible distance, gulf, curtain, blanket, and barrier to be placed between it and me.”
Thus, sin causes us to fear and avoid the one thing we most need — God’s presence and glory.
Today’s question: Do you ever find yourself wanting to avoid the Shekinah glory presence of God? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “A sense on the heart of Jesus’s beauty”
