THE NATURE OF THE LIGHT OF THE HEAVENLY WORLD.
"The glory of God doth lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof."
We have given the above Scripture quotation repeatedly in these pages, in order to forcibly impress the minds of all with the fact that the light of the heavenly world is different from the light of the Sun; that it far transcends it in brightness. For we are told that it "is far above the brightness of the Sun shining in its strength," even "seven-fold brighter than the Sun."
Let us contemplate what has been revealed of this "glory light."
First. No mortal ever has beheld the full radiance of the face, or glory of God. For He hath said that no one should see His face and live. In evidence of this, when Moses, who was so near Him, and desired so much to behold His face unveiled, prayed to Him saying: "I beseech thee, show me thy glory." There came an answer unto him. "Thou canst not see my face, for there shall no man see me and live." And in order to preserve the life of Moses, God placed him in the "cleft of a rock" and covered him with His hand while His glory was passing by.
Others have desired to see God, and the brightness of His glory, yet such desire, while in mortality, is wrong, for none could behold it and live.
It is recorded of Trajan, the Emperor of Rome, that he accosted Rabbi Joshua, saying: "You teach that your God is everywhere, now I should like to see Him." Joshua replied, "He cannot be seen, no mortal eye can behold His glory." The Emperor, however, persisted, contending that if He was everywhere, He could surely be seen, and thus derided the doctrine taught by Joshua. "Well," said the Rabbi, "let us try first to look at one of His ambassadors." To this Trajan consented. Joshua then led him forth into the open air at noon-day, and bade him "look at the Sun." The Emperor replied: "I cannot, for its light dazzles, and will blind me." Then replied Joshua, "If thou art unable to endure the light of one of His creatures, how canst thou expect to be able to behold the resplendent glory of the Creator? The sight would annihilate thee."
Thus we find that in every representation of the "glory of God," its light is beyond our comprehension, and so overpowering that no mortal could behold it and live.
We have, however, a feeble representation of this glory manifested by His Son. When Saul, of Tarsus, was on his way to Damascus, to persecute the disciples and followers of Christ, behold, at mid-day, a light, above the brightness of the Sun, shone around him and his band, and they all fell to the earth, and their leader was smitten with blindness, which continued for three days, and was only then relieved by the agencies which the Saviour appointed. When first smitten, hearing a voice that was not of Earth, he exclaimed, "Lord, who art thou?" The answer was, "I am Jesus whom thou persecutest."
When the beloved disciple John beheld the Son of Man, walking in the midst of the golden candlesticks, the light and influence was so overpowering, that he "fell at His feet as dead." Thus we have a faint prelude of the light of the glory of God. Yet no one in mortality can behold it, even in a veiled form. But the strength of the spirit-eye will enable us to behold the King in all His glory, "for we shall see Him as He is."