Concise Bible Dictionary:
There are eight different words in the Hebrew translated “glory,” but some occur only once. The principal of them are
1. hod, “renown, glory,” anything for which a being is admired. It is applied to God (Psa. 148:13; and to the horse (Job 39:20).
2. tipharah, tiphereth, “splendor, beauty, glory.” It is applied to God (Isa. 60:19); to Israel (Isa. 46:13); the crown that wisdom gives (Prov. 4:9); the hoary head (Prov. 16:31, etc).
3. kabod, “weight, honor, glory” (the word commonly used). It is frequently applied to God, as in “the God of glory” (Psa. 29:3); to Jehovah as “the King of glory” (Psa. 24:7-9); “the glory of Jehovah” that appeared on Mount Sinai, and that filled the tabernacle (Ex. 24:16-17; Ex. 40:34-35), and will fill the future temple (Ezek. 43:2-5); also the glory pertaining to Israel, and to the Gentiles in the past and the future (1 Sam. 4:21-22; Isa. 66:12).
In the New Testament the word is δόξα, “esteem, honor, excellency of mind, body.” It is applied to created things, as the sun, moon, and stars (1 Cor. 15:41); also to man as “the glory of God” (1 Cor. 11:7). The moral glory of the Lord Jesus Christ shone out in all His pathway on earth (John 1:14; John 11:40). He speaks of the glory He had from eternity with the Father, and His acquired glory which He will graciously share with His joint heirs (John 17:5,22,24). Every tongue shall confess His lordship to the glory of God the Father (Phil. 2:11). His glory will be revealed on earth, and He will be hailed “King of kings and Lord of lords” (Matt. 25:31; 1 Pet. 4:13; Rev. 17:14; Rev. 19:16). He is “the Lord of glory” (1 Cor. 2:8).
Glory belongs to God: He is the God of glory (Acts 7:2; 2 Cor. 4:6,15). In Him all the divine attributes shine in infinite perfection. Christians in acknowledging this, and owning that from Him come all their blessings, joyfully ascribe unto Him “Praise and honor, glory and power, forever and ever” (Rom. 11:36; Gal. 1:5; 1 Tim. 1:17; 2 Tim. 4:18). The same is ascribed to the Lord Jesus by the saints, and will be by every creature (Rev. 5).
Glory is often used as expressive of the proper distinction of a person, or of a company: as the glory of the Father (Rom. 6:4); of the Word (John 1:14); of the children of God (Rom. 8:21); and even of inanimate bodies heavenly and earthly (1 Cor. 15:40-41). Each has its own glory, and such glory is evidently not transferable; for if it could be transferred or communicated, it would lose its specially distinctive force. But glory may be in the nature of distinction conferred, as upon a creature by a superior, and even upon the Lord Himself, viewed as in the place of Man; as on the mount of transfiguration, and at the right hand of God (2 Pet. 1:17; 1 Pet. 1:21). And this is distinction in which others may in measure be permitted to share (John 17:22).
Glory may properly attach to a person even under an exterior by which it is not expressed. This was evidently the case with Christ when on earth: the flesh which He assumed in becoming Man served to veil His glory. In the same way the glory of the children of God is not yet manifest, and until it is manifest the glory is the exultation of the heart. This idea is not unfrequently found in the Psalms.
And further, this thought of glory hidden brings us to the glory of God, which, in its full expression, is the effulgence or display of Himself in the accomplishment of His counsels, in hope of which Christians rejoice. These counsels hid in God constitute, as one may say, His glory; and in their result they fully display His wisdom, love, and power. Meanwhile they have come to light through Christ being at the right hand of God, and the Holy Ghost given. We have now the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
The visible manifestation of glory seems connected with light: it was so on the mount of transfiguration (Matt. 17:2). God dwells in “light which no man can approach unto” (1 Tim. 6:16). In the new Jerusalem the glory of God lightens it, “and the Lamb is the light thereof” (Rev. 21:23). When the Lord Jesus was revealed to Saul at his conversion, he was blinded by “the glory of that light” (Acts 22:11), but only that divine light might shine into his soul.
From Anstey’s Doctrinal Definitions:
This is can be described as: “excellence in display” or “manifested excellence.” It is used in Scripture in connection with God the Father (Rom. 6:4; Phil. 2:11) and God the Son (John 11:4; 13:31-32); it is also used to describe the final state of the saints.
In connection with the Persons in the Godhead, glory has to do with divine attributes being brought into display. All such perfection and excellence is found in the Person of our Lord Jesus Christ. Scripture notes at least seven great glories that belong to Him. They fall into two categories:
His intrinsic glories—These are essential qualities inherent in His Person, being the perfect One that He is. They were not given to Him, nor did He acquire them—they were always His because of who He is. Some of these glories were veiled when He became a Man, and some could not be veiled.
His acquired glories—These are glories that the Lord secured for God through His power and grace. Some of these glories are shared with His redeemed people, and some cannot be shared.
1) Divine Glory
Hebrews 1:2-3 says, “His Son, whom He hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also He made the worlds; who being the brightness of His glory, and the express image of His Person.” This “glory” is His essential intrinsic glory in deity. The Lord did not acquire it, for it always belonged to Him, because He was “with God” and “was God” (John 1:1; 1 Tim. 6:14-16). The attributes of deity that reside in Him are: eternality, infinity, omniscience, omnipotence, omnipresence, immutability, impeccability, sovereignty, self-sufficiency, and righteousness. This glory will never be shared with men; it belongs exclusively to the Godhead alone. (See Deity.)
2) Sonship Glory
John 1:14 says, “And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we have contemplated His glory, a glory as of an only-begotten with a father), full of grace and truth.” This is an intrinsic glory that Christ has as being the only-begotten Son of God. It, also, is not an acquired glory; He always had it, being God's eternal Son (Isa. 9:6; Heb. 1:5; 1 John 4:14).
John 1:14 tells us that the Lord brought this eternal Sonship glory with Him into Manhood, and those who had faith beheld it. In a parenthesis, John qualifies the character of glory that the Lord had as the Son of God by pointing to the glory that an only-begotten child has with his father, having his father’s full and undivided attention and affection. Thus, "only-begotten with a father" is not capitalized in the text because it is referring to the human relationship of a father with his son; the Spirit of God is using it to illustrate the affection that the Father has for the Son.
When the term “Only-begotten” is applied to the Lord Jesus, it refers to His uncreated relationship with God the Father. It denotes the Father’s delight in Him. Similarly, when the Lord Jesus came among men, they saw Him living in the full enjoyment of His Father’s love. He was the Object of His Father’s undivided attention and delight (Matt. 3:17), for He ever dwelt “in the bosom of the Father” (John 1:18; Prov. 8:30) as “the Son of His love” (Col. 1:13). Joseph’s “coat of many colours” is a type of this glory. It distinguished him as being the son of his father’s special love (Gen. 37:3-4). He is a type of Christ.
Upon His return to His Father on high, the Lord requested that He might have this Sonship glory—which He had with the Father "before the world was"—as a glorified Man (John 17:5). This was not a request to be re-invested with this glory because He never surrendered it. His request was to have it now as a glorified Man. This was granted in His ascension, when He was "received up in glory" (1 Tim. 3:16). This Sonship glory of Christ will not be shared with the redeemed, but the place He has as Son before the Father is shared with us! (Eph. 1:5; Gal. 4:5-6)
3) Creatorial Glory
The Bible says, “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament showeth His handywork” (Psa. 19:1). This verse indicates that all three Persons of the Godhead were involved in the creation, for “God” (Elohim) is plural in the Hebrew (Gen. 1:1). See also Ecclesiastes 12:1 (“Creator” is plural). The Father was the Source (Heb. 3:4; Acts 14:15), the Spirit was the Power (Gen. 1:2; Job 26:13), but the Son was the Agent by which the work was done (John 1:3, 10; Col. 1:16; Heb. 1:2; Rev. 4:11).
The Lord’s glory as the Creator is not an intrinsic glory that He always had; there was a point in eternity past when He didn’t have this glory. It was acquired when “He made the worlds” (Heb. 1:2; John 1:3, 10). This glory is anything but veiled; it is displayed daily before all (Psa. 19:2-4).
4) Moral Glory
Being Who the Lord was, when He became a Man and lived in this world, His life was perfect. There was a moral glory connected with all that He said and did that simply could not be hidden or veiled. At the end of His earthly pathway, He looked up to God His Father and said, “I have glorified Thee on the earth” (John 17:4). Of all the men that have ever lived on earth, He is the only One who could truly say that to God.
His life was characterized by obedience and submission to His Father’s will (John 4:34; 8:29). As a perfectly dependent Man, He lived by each word that proceeded out of the mouth of God (Matt. 4:4). In the four Gospels, we trace a life of total abstinence of self, as Scripture attests, “Christ pleased not Himself” (Rom. 15:3). He was filled with grace and “went about doing good, healing all that were oppressed of the devil” (Acts 10:38). He laboured for the good of others and freely drew upon God’s power to supply all their real needs, but personally suffered want, hunger, and thirst, without ever working a miracle for Himself. His activities were chiefly in the lowest walks of life. He was always accessible; He never turned away one person who came to Him (John 6:37). He had time for children (Matt. 19:13-15), and the fatherless, and the widows found mercy in Him (Luke 7:11-17).
When He spoke, people wondered “at the gracious words that proceeded out of His mouth” (Luke 4:22). There was no guile in His speech (1 Peter 2:22). People said, “Never man spake like this Man” (John 7:46). His practical wisdom gave evidence to the fact that He lived in the presence of the Lord God Who gave Him “the tongue of the learned” that He would “know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary” (Isa. 50:4). He talked to the woman at the well with marvelous tact, and won her away from a life of sin without performing a single miracle (John 4). Being confronted with those who opposed Him, He never argued or said one word in a wrong tone of voice. When personal insults were hurled at Him, He never defended Himself; it was only when evil men launched their derogatory attacks on the glory of God that He answered them with marvelous wisdom (John 8:48-49). Throughout His life and ministry he perfectly illustrated His own teaching—“Do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again” (Luke 6:35). There is not one instance where He claimed either the person or the service of those whom He restored and delivered. When He loved, healed, and saved, He looked for nothing in return.
However, His holiness made Him an utter stranger in this polluted world. He often spent nights under the open skies without a place to lay His head, yet never complained about being left alone and rejected (John 7:53–8:1; Luke 9:58). He was so lowly and unassuming that He wasn’t conspicuous among His disciples as their Master. At His arrest in the garden, they could not identify Him as the Leader of the little band that followed Him, and had to ask which one of them was He. Since He had been teaching daily in the temple, they should have been able to identify Him (John 18:4-8). When He was abused and reviled by the chief priests and elders, and later by the Roman authorities, “He suffered, and threatened not, but committed Himself to Him that judgeth righteously” (1 Peter 2:23). When He was suffering and dying on the cross, when all others would be thinking of themselves, He still had time for the thief who was on the verge of death and damnation. He found time to pour in the oil and wine from the resources of God when He saw true repentance there (Luke 23:40-43).
This moral glory is presently being shared with the redeemed, for they have been given the very life of Christ, and therefore, have the capacity to manifest these moral features. It is being formed in them now by the Spirit in the measure in which they are occupied with Him (2 Cor. 3:18). This work of moral conformity will be completed when the Lord comes (the Rapture), at which time He will glorify His heavenly people, ridding them of their fallen natures. They will be completely like Christ then—morally (1 John 3:2). In the Eternal State, heaven and earth will be filled with a new race of men who are morally perfect like Christ.
5) Redemption Glory
This is a glory that Christ won by going into death and accomplishing redemption. Having glorified God over the question of sin on the cross, God “raised Him up from the dead and gave Him glory” (1 Peter 1:21). He is now at God’s right hand “crowned with glory and honour” (Heb. 2:9). This is an acquired glory. It is something that the Lord did not have prior to accomplishing His finished work on the cross. He gained or acquired it through being obedient unto death, and thus, He has brought a glory to God that the Godhead did not have before. The marvel of it is that He shares it with His redeemed! “The glory which Thou gavest Me I have given them” (John 17:22; 2 Thess. 2:14). In the coming millennial day it will be displayed before all, so that “the world may know” the great love that Christ has for the Church (John 17:23; Eph. 5:25).
6) Glory Of Preeminence
When the Lord Jesus rose from the dead, He became the Head of a new race of men—the new creation (Rev. 3:14). In doing so, He acquired another glory that He did not have theretofore. In the new creation, He is “the Firstborn among many brethren” (Rom. 8:29). “Firstborn,” in this sense, does not refer to being first in birth order, but first in rank and position. (Compare Genesis 48:14 with Jeremiah 31:9, and 1 Chronicles 2:13-15 with Psalm 89:27.) Being the “Firstborn,” He will always have the first place in the new creation. It belongs to Him by right, and thus, there is a special glory connected with that place which He alone has. This special glory distinguishes the Lord from all other men in the new race so that “in all things He might have the preeminence” (Col. 1:18). He has “a Name which is above every name” (Phil. 2:9; Eph. 1:21). The Lord prayed that we would behold this glory, saying, “I will that they also Whom Thou hast given Me, be with Me where I am; that they may behold My glory which Thou hast given Me” (John 17:24). This glory is not shared.
7) Kingdom Glory
The Old Testament Scriptures are filled with descriptions of Christ’s official kingdom glory. Every godly Israelite looked for the day when their Messiah and King would reign over the whole earth (Zech. 14:9). When the kingdom is established in power in the world to come (the Millennium), “all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord” (Num. 14:21; Hab. 2:14; Ezek. 39:21; 43:2). “I will gather all nations and tongues; and they shall come and see My glory... that have not heard of My fame, neither have seen My glory; and they shall declare My glory among the Gentiles” (Isa. 66:18-19). This glory is something that He has yet to acquire, and will do so through His warrior judgments at His Appearing.
When the Lord Jesus walked among men, God gave three of the apostles a glimpse of this future kingdom glory on the mount of transfiguration (Matt. 17:1-9; 2 Peter 1:16-18). "When they were awake, they saw His glory" (Luke 9:32). This kingdom glory of the Lord will be shared with the Church for He will associate it with Himself in the administration of the world to come. Under the figure of a “city” descending out of heaven—“having the glory of God”—the Church as the bride of Christ will reflect Christ’s kingdom glory before the world (Rev. 21:9–22:5; Rom. 8:18).
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In connection with the final state of the saints, “glory” refers to the excellence that will be manifested in their glorified condition—in spirit, in soul, and in body. Christ was glorified in this way when He rose from the dead and ascended to the right hand of God (Acts 3:13; 1 Peter 1:21; 1 Tim. 3:16), but Christians and Old Testament saints await this glorification, which will not occur until Christ comes—the Rapture (Rom. 8:17-18; 1 Cor. 15:43, 51-56; 2 Cor. 5:1-4; Phil. 3:21; 1 Thess. 4:15-18; Heb. 11:40; 1 John 3:2). Eventually, all who will populate the “new heavens and a new earth” will also be glorified (2 Peter 3:13; Rev. 21:1).
In the minds of many Christians “glory” is synonymous with heaven. They speak of it as if it were a place in heaven where God dwells, to which a believer goes after he dies. Many hymns reflect this mistaken idea—such as: “Come join this holy band and on to glory go” (E. G. #29). Or, “None can to glory go, or dwell with God above...” (E. G. #307). However, in Scripture "glory" is a condition, not a place. The KJV doesn't help the matter, stating that Christ was "received up into glory" at His ascension (1 Tim. 3:16). But this is a mistranslation; the verse should say that He was received up "in glory," which means that He ascended to heaven in a glorified condition.
Using the phrases, "in glory" and “in the glory” the way Christians commonly do, confuses the present state of departed saints with their future state of glorification. Departed believers are in heaven with the Lord now, but they are not there in glory yet (a glorified state). Their bodies still lie in the grave, awaiting resurrection. J. N. Darby said, "The intermediate state, then, is not glory (for that we must wait for the body. It is raised in glory; He shall change our bodies, and fashion them like His glorious body)" (Collected Writings, vol. 31, p. 185). Thus, it would be incorrect to say that departed saints are "in glory." There is only one Man who is glorified now—Christ Himself (Acts 3:13; Phil. 2:9-11; 1 Tim. 3:16; 1 Peter 1:21).
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Shekinah “glory” refers to the visible presence of Jehovah dwelling over the camp of Israel in the wilderness (Ex. 13:21-22) and over the temple in the land of Canaan (2 Chron. 5:13-14). Shekinah is a Hebrew word, not found in Scripture, meaning “residence” or “presence” (Rom. 9:4). On account of Israel’s failure, the glory cloud was removed from them, signifying that God could no longer identify Himself publicly with His erring people. The glory cloud was removed slowly, showing the Lord’s reluctance to withdraw from His people. The Lord desired to dwell with them, but they were in such a state that it could not be possible any longer. The glory cloud was removed from them in seven stages:
• It was over “the cherub” in the sanctuary (Ezek. 8:4; 9:3a).
• It removed “to the threshold of the house” (Ezek. 9:3b).
• It removed to “over the threshold of the house” (Ezek. 10:4).
• It removed “off the threshold of the house” (Ezek. 10:18).
• It removed to “the midst of the city” (Ezek. 11:23a).
• It removed to “the mountain which is on the east side of the city” (Ezek. 11:23b).
• It removed to “the plain [valley]” in Babylon “by the river Chebar” (Ezek. 3:23).