"THE LIGHT OF THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE GLORY OF GOD IN THE FACE OF JESUS CHRIST"

MF Blume
August 28, 2011

Acts 9:1-9 MKJV And Saul, still breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest (2) and asked letters from him to Damascus to the synagogues; so that if he found any of the Way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. (3) But in going, it happened as he drew near to Damascus, even suddenly a light from the heaven shone around him. (4) And he fell to the earth and heard a voice saying to him, Saul, Saul, why do you persecute Me? (5) And he said, Who are you, lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom you persecute. It is hard for you to kick against the goads. (6) And trembling and astonished, he said, Lord, what will You have me to do? And the Lord said to him, Arise and go into the city, and you shall be told what you must do. (7) And the men who journeyed with him stood speechless, indeed hearing a voice but seeing no one. (8) And Saul was lifted up from the earth, his eyes were opened, but he saw no one. But they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. (9) And he was three days not seeing, and did not eat or drink.

Acts 9:17-18 MKJV And Ananias went and entered into the house. And putting his hands on him, he said, Brother Saul, the Lord, Jesus, who appeared to you in the way in which you came, has sent me to you that you might see and be filled with the Holy Spirit. (18) And instantly scales as it were fell from his eyes, and he instantly saw again. And rising up, he was baptized.

2 Corinthians 4:5-6 MKJV (5) For we do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake. (6) For it is God who said, "Out of darkness Light shall shine;" who shone in our hearts to give the brightness of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

Saul of Tarsus became Paul the Apostle.

It began when a light shone upon Saul and struck him to the ground.
It blinded him for three days.
That light was the presence of Jesus Christ, whom Paul knew was God, but not that GOD WAS JESUS.
The LIGHT showed Paul the GLORY OF GOD WAS IN THE FACE OF JESUS CHRIST.
In other words, GOD WAS UNDERSTOOD in the face of Jesus Christ.
His face was so bright, just as it was in Matt 17 the day His face shone like the sun on the mountain of Transfiguration.

Paul later described his conversion as light shining in a dark place, just as when God said LET THERE BE LIGHT in Genesis 1!

This light showed him the KNOWLEDGE OF GOD IN THE FACE OF JESUS.
He was actually describing the revelation he had in Acts 9 THAT JESUS WAS GOD.
God “shone in our hearts to give the brightness of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”

Paul learned about JESUS when the LIGHT SHONE ON HIM.

We also need to learn about something special concerning JESUS that has to do with YOU AND I.

Paul understood that the glory of God is IN JESUS.

The ark of the covenant was also called the GLORY OF GOD.

1 Samuel 4:21-22 MKJV And she named the child Ichabod, saying, The glory has departed from Israel, because the ark of God had been taken, and because of her father-in-law and her husband. (22) And she said, The glory has departed from Israel, for the ark of God is taken.

David called it THE GLORY as well in recounting this story in 1 Sam 4 through 5.

Psalms 78:56-61 MKJV Yet they tempted and provoked the Most High God, and kept not His testimonies; (57) but they turned back, and acted unfaithfully like their fathers; they were turned aside like a deceiving bow. (58) For they provoked Him to anger with their high places, and moved Him to jealousy with their carved images. (59) When God heard, He was angry, and turned away from Israel; (60) so that He left the tabernacle of Shiloh, the tent which He placed among men, (61) and delivered His strength into captivity, and His glory into the enemy's hands.

Shiloh was where the Ark was when it was taken to battle by Eli’s sons and stolen by the Philistines.

Psalms 78:65-66 MKJV Then the Lord awakened like one out of sleep, like a mighty man rejoicing with wine. (66) And He drove His enemies backward; He put them to a never-ending shame.

Like the LIGHT exploding out of darkness, the Lord awakened as if out of a sleep, and destroyed the enemies while in the temple of Dagon.

Psalms 78:66 KJV And he smote his enemies in the hinder parts: he put them to a perpetual reproach.

Recall the EMERODS in the hinder parts where he smote the Philistines with a plague.

Shiloh was in the EPHRAIM’S land.
After we read his Ark left Shiloh and into the hands of enemies where He awoke and smote the enemies, we read the Ark did not go to Josephs’ tribe, who was father of Ephraim.

Psalms 78:67 KJV Moreover he refused the tabernacle of Joseph, and chose not the tribe of Ephraim:
Psalms 78:68 KJV But chose the tribe of Judah, the mount Zion which he loved.

The ark went to ZION!

In JUDAH’S LAND in the Tabernacle of David where also the throne of David was erected.

Psalms 78:69 KJV And he built his sanctuary like high palaces, like the earth which he hath established for ever.
Psalms 78:70 KJV He chose David also his servant, and took him from the sheepfolds:

(The temple was later built on Mt. Moriah, never to be removed any more anywhere else as in the wilderness.)

Notice how GOD AWOKE once taken by the enemies.

And it’s as if GOD FORGOT ALL ABOUT HIS PEOPLE’S SINS that caused him to depart from them.
He explodes in the temple of Dagon and destroys them in their hinder parts.

What a perfect picture of Christ who was delivered due to the sins of Israel, and exploded in the GRAVE in resurrection power, destroying the power of the devil, willing to FORGIVE SINS due to that death and resurrection!

Read the text again:

2 Cor 4:(6) For it is God who said, "Out of darkness Light shall shine;" who shone in our hearts to give the brightness of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

Notice how the GLORY OF GOD is mentioned by Paul when he said God shines light of knowledge into our dark hearts.

Knowledge of the GLORY OF GOD.
The picture of LIGHT SHINING OUT OF DARKNESS looks so much like the ARK OF THE COVENANT exploding in power in the temple of the false god and idol Dagon.
And Paul called it LIGHT OF THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE GLORY OF GOD, just as the ARK was called the GLORY OF GOD.
So we have two parts of 2 Cor 4:6 that are very similar to the Ark’s story of it being taken into a false god’s temple and destroying that false god.

1) Reference to LIGHT SHINING OUT OF DARKNESS, as the Ark exploded after it was put into Dagon’s temple.
2) Reference to the GLORY OF GOD, which both Jesus and the Ark of the covenant were called.

Since God’s Word called the ARK OF THE COVENANT by the name THE GLORY OF GOD, we can see how it represents JESUS CHRIST.

So for that reason I am going to use the story of the destruction of the idol Dagon by the Ark of the covenant to help us understand how Jesus brought destruction to the power of the devil that was over our lives.
Other stories of the ARK will speak of Jesus Christ as well.

The history of the ARK OF THE COVENANT shows Christ’s glorious victory over the enemy.

When Paul described the LIGHT SHINING OUT OF DARKNESS, giving KNOWLEDGE OF THE GLORY OF GOD IN THE FACE OF JESUS, the emphasis is that God’s Glory is in JESUS.

And the most notable and significant thing about Jesus is the CROSS.
The death, burial and resurrection.
Just like light shining out of darkness in Paul’s heart and in Genesis 1, the ARK exploded in power in Dagon’s temple.
It broke off the human head and hands of the idol.

We saw how this corresponded to the deaths of Phinehas and Hophni (mouth of the serpent and fist fighter), and the breaking of Eli’s neck.

The message is that when we deal with the works of the flesh (Eli’s sons) and the life of the old man who should be crucified (Rom 6:6—represented by ELI), the glory of God goes to work and destroys the power of the devil over us.
His only power over us is when we give him our members as instruments of unrighteousness.

Romans 6:13 KJV Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.

Paul spoke of this in Romans 6, in teaching the KNOWLEDGE of Jesus Christ’s death, burial and resurrection.

Romans 6 is all about KNOWING that we were included in Christ’s death.
As the head and hands of us all were yielded as instruments of unrighteousness they must be instead yielded to God.

Romans 6:3 DO YOU NOT KNOW…

6:6 KNOWING THIS…

61:16 DO YOU NOT KNOW…

1 Samuel 4:10-13 MKJV And the Philistines fought, and Israel was beaten, and each one of them fled into his tent. And there was a very great slaughter, for there fell thirty thousand footmen of Israel. (11) And the ark of God was taken. And Hophni and Phinehas, the two sons of Eli, were slain. (12) And a man of Benjamin ran out of the army. And he came to Shiloh the same day with his clothes torn and with earth upon his head. (13) And he came in, and behold, Eli sat on a seat by the wayside watching. For his heart trembled for the ark of God. And when the man came into the city and told it, all the city cried out.

1 Samuel 4:17-18 MKJV And the messenger answered and said, Israel has fled before the Philistines, and there has been a great slaughter among the people also. And also your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead, and the ark of God is taken. (18) And it happened when he spoke of the ark of God, he fell backward off the seat, by the side of the gate. And his neck broke, and he died, for he was an old man, and heavy. And he had judged Israel forty years.

The messenger of Benjamin was the one whose NEWS caused Eli to die.

What he caused ELI TO KNOW brought the death of ELI.
He told of the taking of the ark and Phinehas’ and Hophni’s deaths.
This is just like INFORMATION OF the death of Christ for the purpose of destroying the works of the flesh in our lives.
AND GOD FORGETS THE EVIL AND SINFUL THINGS WE DID, like He seemingly overlooked Israel’s sin, and exploded in power against DAGON, the god of the enemy!

Look at how Paul taught the Galatians that the crucifixion of Jesus was meant to AFFECT OUR LIVES.

Galatians 5:24 MKJV But those belonging to Christ have crucified the flesh with its passions and lusts.

FORGET THEM!

Notice that we have an association with the crucifixion and our lusts and passions being destroyed.

This is the reason why we see a picture of Eli’s children being killed in association of the Ark being taken.
Eli’s children are like the OFFSPRING or CHILDREN of fleshly sinful lives.
Eli’s boys are named FIST FIGHTER and MOUTH OF THE SERPENT.
Perfect descriptions of the sinful things people DO if they are living sinful lives.
A good description of how people’s heads and hands are utilized by the devil, representing our bodily members put into use by the devil.

THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE NEWS and INFORMATION caused the neck of Eli to break, and this OLD MAN to die.

Paul taught we must KNOW the relationship between the death of Jesus and our OLD MAN.
The NEWS AFFECTED Eli as well as Phinehas’ wife who gave birth to THE ANNOUNCEMENT THAT THE GLORY IS DEPARTED.
Instead of OFFSPRING of more works of the flesh, there is the OFFSPRING of INFORMATION!
She named her baby after the NEWS of what happened to the ARK.
SHE DIED IN GIVING BIRTH to what she named after the INFORMATION she heard.
ICAHBOD means NO GLORY.

Literally in Hebrew it means WHERE IS THE GLORY?

WHAT HAPPENED TO IT?

The next chapter, 1 Sam 5, provided the ANSWER TO THE QUESTION IN THE BOY’S NAME.

We hear the news of JESUS’ CAPTURE and the CROSS.

The question is asked WHERE IS THE GLORY?
It was taken and hidden as it were.
And just as Jesus was taken and hidden in the realm of death, Paul explained the BEHIND THE SCENES workings.
THE SPIRITUAL ANSWERS.
And this corresponds to the INFORMATION we read in 1 Sam 5 as to what happened to the Ark after it was taken, and what it did to the power of the enemy.
Paul explains to us what happened to Jesus and HOW HIS TAKING AFFECTED THE POWER OF THE ENEMY.

When we HEAR and UNDERSTAND the EXPLANATION of what happened to Jesus being taken and crucified, this INFORMATION is the SPIRITUAL INFORMATION about what happened.

We go beyond just learning Jesus died, was buried and resurrected.
We LEARN ABOUT US DYING WITH HIM.
We learn that His death was meant to deal with OUR OLD LIVES OF SIN and CRUCIFY THEM so we can STOP SERVING SIN.
Romans 6:6 KJV Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.

Learning this causes a death to our OLD MAN.

You have to know this.
It is not automatic just because Jesus died.
When you LEARN THIS EXPLANATION of why he died, and YOU BELIEVE IT, something happens.
It’s like LIGHT exploding in your heart!
Truth ignites a blast in you.

Remember PAUL CALLED THIS EXPERIENCE the LIGHT of the KNOWLEDGE OF THE GLORY OF GOD IN THE FACE OF JESUS CHRIST shining in our hearts.

Let’s break this phrase down.

First, he said the God who did this also commanded light to SHINE OUT OF DARKNESS in Genesis 1.

So, we are meant to realize that a SIMILAR thing happens IN OUR HEARTS.
And the light that shines in our hearts is a special version of LIGHT.

It is the LIGHT OF KNOWLEDGE.

That means it is LEARNING SOMETHING.
And that knowledge, or the information we learn, is referring to the GLORY OF GOD.
We come to KNOW something about the GLORY OF GOD, and that is called LIGHT.

At this point remember that the ARK was called the GLORY OF GOD.

So when we read of the light of the knowledge of the glory of God, in order to get the picture right think of it as the knowledge of the ARK OF THE COVENANT that Eli and Phinehas’ wife heard.
As soon as they heard about THAT KNOWLEDGE, what happened?
Eli fell back and broke his neck.
Phinehas’ wife broke into contractions and travail to birth Phinehas’ son.
She called his name ICHABOD, meaning NO GLORY.
AND SHE DIED, TOO.

And the glory of God IS IN THE FACE OF JESUS CHRIST.

In other words, the most perfect way the glory of God was ever revealed to mankind was IN JESUS CHRIST, THE WORD MADE FLESH.
It is also identifying the GLORY OF GOD as JESUS CHRIST.
And if the Ark represents the glory of God, then the Ark represents Jesus Christ.

The man who brought this message was A MAN OF BENJAMIN.

What is so significant is that PAUL who taught SPIRITUAL KNOWLEDGE of what happened when Jesus was taken and crucified was of the tribe of BENJAMIN (Philippians 3:5).
And his teaching is about the OLD MAN DYING so we should not SERVE SIN any more.
And he spoke of us serving sin by YIELDING OUR MEMBERS AS INSTRUMENTS OF UNRIGHTEOUSNESS.

So the KNOWLEDGE of the glory of God in Jesus’ face is actually KNOWING about what happened when JESUS, like the glory of God as the Ark, went into darkness of death and exploded in light, destroying the devil.

Hebrews 2:14-15 KJV Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; (15) And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.

Notice Heb teaches DEATH was the VIA POINT Jesus took in order to free us from a bondage of the fear of death.

We have to start thinking of the work and accomplishments of the cross as far more than saving souls from sin and hell.

IT IS ALSO TO RESCUE US FROM SINFUL ACTIVITIES IN THE EVERYDAY WORLD.
If you want to go deeper in Jesus you have to understand the work of the cross was intended to free you from bondage to such an extent that you do not even commit sinful acts!

The same chapter that says this:

Galatians 5:24 MKJV But those belonging to Christ have crucified the flesh with its passions and lusts.

Said this as well:

Galatians 5:16 MKJV I say, then, Walk in the Spirit and you shall not fulfill the lusts of the flesh.

And the reason verse 16 said that is because we read…

Galatians 5:24-25 MKJV But those belonging to Christ have crucified the flesh with its passions and lusts. (25) If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

Verse 16 provides us with the understanding of what Paul meant in saying we should WALK IN THE SPIRIT.

He meant we should NOT FULFILL THE LUSTS OF THE FLESH.
Why?
Because the lusts and passions of the flesh are supposed to be CRUCIFIED.
So walking in the Spirit is LIVING A CRUCIFIED LIFE.

That is why SATAN IS CALLED A GOD in 2 Cor 4:4, just as DAGON was a FALSE GOD.

2 Corinthians 4:4 MKJV in whom the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving ones, so that the light of the glorious gospel of Christ (who is the image of God) should not dawn on them.

The MIND has to be dealt with FIRST, since the devil blinded MINDS.

So KNOWLEDGE must be imparted.
Since the BLINDNESS is not in the physical eyes, but the mind, then the LIGHT is not physical light but KNOWLEDGE.
WE HAVE TO KNOW how the LORD DIED IN ORDER FOR US TO DIE WITH HIM, and in that way cause us to no longer serve sin.

Romans 6:6-7 KJV Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. (7) For he that is dead is freed from sin.