Old and New: Devotions From Time of Grace MinistrySample

The Glory of the Lord now is found in the face of Christ

Where is the ark now? Nobody has the slightest idea. The original ark was taken off to Babylon when Jerusalem fell in 586 B.C. Presumably, when the temple was rebuilt in 520 B.C., another ark was fabricated. The Romans would have plundered or destroyed it in A.D. 70. There has never been another temple.

God doesn’t need one. The glory-cloud no longer lives on Earth. When Christ was crucified, God tore the huge temple curtain of separation from top to bottom (Luke 23:45). The reason? Christ triumphant has opened up heaven to all believers. The reason? Christ triumphant is the glory of the Lord. “For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ” (2 Corinthians 4:6).

You now encounter the glory of the Lord as you see and hear Christ in the Scriptures. You are clothed with his holiness and righteousness when you are baptized. In the Holy Supper, you bond with him as you take into yourself the very body and blood given and poured out for you for the forgiveness of your sins.

One final step remains: to see Christ face-to-face. St. John tells us that when he appears, we will be like him, for we will see him as he is. Hang on. Believe. The Glory awaits you.