bright sky with white cross center and 'Give God Glory' banner at top

Glory

to God

“…and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light…”

Editor’s Note: this is a continuation along a different track of the blog of February 9, 2026 titled God’s Glory.

Seeing God’s glory requires vision beyond the physical. While there was a manifestation of brightness when Moses was in proximity to the presence of God (see each of Moses ‘visits’ with God in Exodus), the glory of God had a lingering effect upon Moses such that after he was in the manifest presence of God, his face glowed.

When Moses came down from Mount Sinai, with the two tablets of the testimony in his hand as he came down from the mountain, Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because he had been talking with God 1
Whenever Moses went in before the LORD to speak with him, he would remove the veil, until he came out. And when he came out and told the people of Israel what he was commanded, the people of Israel would see the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses’ face was shining. And Moses would put the veil over his face again, until he went in to speak with him. 2

Stop and reflect for a moment how different God is from a man—that God’s presence would effect Moses so much that he shined! And no, he did not get radiation poisoning, God was not toxic. God is simply that much ‘purer’ than anything we come in contact with in the earthly realm.

If you think that is an Old Testament only occurrence, when Jesus was transfigured on the Mount before three of His disciples, it records,

And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light. 3  

There is that element of God’s being so different, so distinct that it is without comparison in the temporal. God’s manifest presence is beyond the earthly. As a last point of emphasis, in the heavenly Kingdom of God, there is no light source. We terrestrials think of light as a property of the Sun or stars or fire or electricity, but in the true heaven, the presence of God, there is no created light source.

And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb. By its light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it, and its gates will never be shut by day—and there will be no night there. 4

But. Don’t get caught up in some science fiction portrayal of God as only light. While Jesus is the Light of the world, the Lᴏʀᴅ should not be categorized as a one-dimensional manifestation for He is infinite in His being. He is spirit in each of His personages addition to being known in the person of the Holy Spirit. The glory of God is that the Lᴏʀᴅ is beyond the mere manifestations we comprehend—remember, what we know of God is what He has revealed to us of Himself and not what we have perceived on our own. We are created, He is Creator. If you think you have God figured out, you are in for a real treat and a great surprise when you come face-to-face with Him as He truly is in Heaven. To God be all Glory!

FOOTNOTES:
1 Exodus 34:29 (ESV) – https://www.blueletterbible.org/esv/exo/34/29/p0/t_conc_84029
2 Exodus 34:34-35 (ESV) – https://www.blueletterbible.org/esv/exo/34/34-35/s_84034
 3 Matthew 17:2 (ESV) – https://www.blueletterbible.org/esv/mat/17/2/p0/t_conc_946002
 4 Revelation 21:23-25 (ESV) – https://www.blueletterbible.org/esv/rev/21/23-25/s_1188023
Matthew 17:2 (ESV) - https://www.blueletterbible.org/esv/mat/17/2/p0/t_conc_946002
All Scripture references from the Blue Letter Bible, ESV
at https://www.blueletterbible.org
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001, 2007, 2011, 2016, 2025 by Crossway Books and Bibles, a Publishing Ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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