In
the Bible there is a Hebrew term for the presence of God that is often translated as “glory.” This term is “kabod,”
and it literally means “weight.” To me this is a perfect description of the Lord's manifested Spirit, because
He sometimes comes upon people in such a powerful way that it actually seems heavy (though in no way over-burdening). I have had maybe a dozen or two encounters
with this sort of glory.
The experience
of God's kabod is probably one of the strongest levels of His revealed glory that a person can know in their mortal bodies.
It goes beyond much of the other phenomena that we often acknowledge as God's presence. As far as I can tell, one can be prophesied
over, healed, and receive holy laughter all without sensing the actual kabod of Heaven overwhelming them. This is not to say
that the other blessings do not indicate enough that the Lord is moving in one's midst. It is simply that the Holy Spirit
usually has not come in an extremely intense way to a place without the kabod.
Many
scriptures in the Old Testament describe the kabod as appearing to men in the form of a thick cloud. It was so concentrated
that people could actually see it gather in the atmosphere. Christians around the world have reported similar occurrences taking place in modern revival meetings, where the kabod became visible to entire
crowds who were worshipping Jesus. Such is not always the case, but there is always a very undeniable indication that the Lord has personally come to visit His people.
I
was in a congregation once when the kabod fell and suddenly, all around the room, people started doing strange things such
as spin or shake for no reason. There was a kid there that I went to school with, and he started weeping like a baby. I later
learned that he did not like what was happening, because he told his parents he never wanted to come back to that church!
I realized that when the Spirit descends in such a manner, even people who normally
would not enter in to worship become confronted and are drawn to respond somehow.
Other
times that I have felt the kabod of God I was in a group where everyone would just stop singing or praying and was silent
for an extensive amount of time. Afterward all we could say was a simple “wow,”
and then go on with our lives. The moment was too awesome to discuss.
Being touched
by the weight of God's glory goes significantly beyond normal evangelical or Pentecostal activities. It is not the same as
being saved, filled with the Holy Ghost, or having some sort of purely mental enlightenment. Nor is it an emotional high.
It is something completely out of control – completely humbling, which no man can bring forth. It is a sovereign gift
from the Father.
The
last time that I know I experienced the kabod was at one o clock in the morning on my 21st birthday, and I am praying that everyone will get to experience it much more frequently. No matter how many
or how few times we are graced with it though during this lifetime, the Word promises us that we will live in it perpetually
during the age to come. 2 Corinthians 4:18 says, “For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight
of glory far beyond all comparison.” This is the purpose of tasting the kabod – to whet our appetites and keep
us focused on what is to come. It will be the most satisfying state we have ever been in.
