The Earth Will Be Filled with the Glory of God
By Collin Lewis
The prophets have said “for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea” (Hab. 2:14) and “they shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea” (Isa. 11:9).[1] David prays along these same lines saying “Blessed be His glorious name forever; may the whole earth be filled with His glory! Amen and Amen!” (Ps. 72:19). Where are the biblical authors getting the idea that God would cover the earth with His glory? How is this theme recapitulated throughout the Old Testament? What is the application of this topic to the modern-day local church?
This research paper will seek to show how later Old Testament authors work off of [BT1] earlier Old Testament authors regarding the theme of God filling the earth with His glory. It will also explore a few key events and themes in the Torah that will influence this idea of God filling the earth with His glory. Tracing this theme through the perspective of the Old Testament authors will bring the reader to a local church application. Specific strategies and obstacles will also be discussed to see how the church participates in this glorious reality.
God’s Grand Plan
We often ask the question “why am I on this earth?” and just as often Christians will respond with “for God’s glory.” Yes, and Amen[BT2] to this answer. In fact, this is what I teach my children to say to that question[BT3] . However, we don’t often ask a more important and less self-centered question, “What is the purpose of God?” This question rightly places creation in its proper position as subordinate to its Creator and recognizes God as the supreme end of all things. Rather than beginning with ourselves and asking how we fit into God's plan, we begin with God Himself, acknowledging that all of creation exists to serve His purposes and display His glory.
The eternal creator God while speaking about rebellious Israel in contrast to His servant Caleb essentially swears by this promise[BT4] , “But truly as I live and as all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord” (Num. 14:21). This is a promise from Almighty God and is as certain to happen as He is to continue living. God’s grand plan is to fill the formless and void earth (Gen. 1:2) with the only thing that can fill it completely—His glory. After all God says, “Can a man hide himself in secret places so that I cannot see him? Declares the Lord. Do I not fill heaven and earth?” (Jer. 23:24). Donnie Berry defines God’s glory as “all the fullness of the triune God—the fullness of His wisdom, love creativity, beauty, strength, compassion, justice, life, joy—all that makes Him weighty and wonderful, made manifest for us to see, experience, respond to, and perhaps most surprisingly participate in.”[2] The people He has created have the capacity to see this glory, “The heavens declare the glory of God and the sky above proclaims His handiwork” (Ps. 19:1) and can know this glory (Rom. 1:20).
God’s purpose is set into motion when He creates male and female in His own image (Gen. 1:27) to bear His glory and fill the earth with it (Gen. 1:28). God did not fashion the earth so that it would be empty, as the prophet says, “For thus says the Lord, who created the heavens (He is God!), who formed the earth and made it (he established it; he did not create it empty, he formed it to be inhabited!): I am the Lord, and there is no other” (Isa. 45:18). God also does not say things that will not happen. Berry additionally says, “in creation, God invests humans with His glory so they can participate in the joy of being like God, reflecting His self-giving love into every relationship, every task, and every part of creation He places under their care.”[3] God permitted His viceregent and by extension, all His people to participate in His plan to fill the earth with His glory. This was the intension from the very beginning.
Biblical Authors
One of the things to be argued for in this research paper [BT5] is that God not only says this is His plan, but shows it through key events in the Old Testament—key events that other biblical authors would be aware of and use to further that reality. The biblical authors lived within the same God-created world and interpreted it through the theological framework established by Moses.[4] As they were carried along by the Holy Spirit (2 Pet. 1:21), they recapitulated and developed these foundational ideas and themes throughout Scripture. One such theme is God's overarching purpose to fill the earth with His glory. Since these authors were inspired by the Holy Spirit, then God intended His grand plan to reverberate throughout the Old Testament through many different books and authors. This grand plan is seen in each section of the tripartite structure of the Hebrew Bible (Torah, prophets, writings) referred to as the Tanakh.[5] As God has intervened in the authorship of Scripture, so has He intervened in the history of His people with actions and events. Certain events like the Creation, flood, and establishment of the tabernacle and camp of Israel display in a visible way, what God intends to do at the end of all history, and the biblical authors pick up on this. As these biblical authors were not only careful writers, but careful readers as well, it should not be surprising they would[BT6] be influenced heavily by the biblical material made available to them.
Primeval Waters
At the very beginning of the Torah, Moses notes “the earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters” (Gen. 1:2). This is stating the earth was completely covered in water with the Spirit of God hovering over the water. God makes every single move with complete intentionality and no single word or line of Scripture does not have an objective behind it. It is easy for us to pass over this line as we make our way to the days of creation, but did God mean to foretell something here? Did Moses intend for later biblical authors to pick up on an important detail in God's handiwork?
In the beginning God created the earth (Gen.1:1) and started the creation in such a way that was representative of the telos of His creation—covered in His glory. This is the first, but not the last time the earth that God has created would be covered in water. As the Spirit of God hovers רחף so too does the glory of God since His glory and person are inseparable. Kenneth Matthews notes that “this divine superintendence may be likened to an eagle “hovering” over the earth. The same term is used of an eagle that expands it's winged flight to protect it’s[BT7] young.”[6] God covers the earth with His spirit like an eagle it’s young, as the waters are also covering and hovering over it. Patrick Schreiner resting on the shoulders of Christian tradition equates[BT8] the Spirit of God with the cloud in the Old Testament.[7] This could be at play here especially if these waters are a canopy like the cloud is (Isa. 4:5).[BT9]
If the whole earth is to be filled with the glory of God, what might a picture of that look like for biblical authors to see and comment on? May it look like an earth covered in water completely covering and filling the space so that every square inch is full? If God intentionally covers the earth at the very beginning of creation this may show His intention with the end of His creation, forming a chiastic structure to the universe as with so many other examples from Genesis to Revelation. Why this particular moment in creation is so important is because of what Isaiah and Habakkuk say regarding God’s glory. “As the waters cover the sea” is phrase that shows an all-encompassing filling and is almost completely [BT10] identical from Isaiah to Habakkuk. Waters and sea are inextricably linked together[BT11] , just as the earth and God’s glory will be. Since we are saying “will be” it must be noticed[BT12] that this is a future reality—a grand hope in the grand plan of God.
Isaiah is pronouncing the judgment of God on the wicked nations; while maintaining the hope through the righteous Branch will the knowledge of the Lord cover the earth as the waters cover the sea (Isa. 11:1-9). Wickedness and chaos of evildoers is much like the chaotic, formless, and void world seen in Genesis 1. The Lord will not leave it in this state but intends to cover and fill this earth with his glory as the waters cover the sea. This paradise is lost in Adam but reinstituted through the second Adam (Rom. 5:17). Isaiah could be picking up on this from Moses in Genesis and from what the Lord says in Numbers 14:21. Isaiah also has the added advantage of receiving a vision of the Lord that he describes in chapter 6 of his book. This vision shows the Lord in His Holiness causing Isaiah to curse himself in contradiction to what is seen (Isa. 6:5). What is significant in this vision for the purposes of this paper is that in the midst of this grand vision Isaiah is experiencing, he hears the grand plan of God flying from the lips of one seraphim to another, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory” (Isa. 6:3). This vision only further served [BT13] and supported the idea seen in the primeval waters.
Likewise, Habakkuk comments on the prosperity of the wicked and God's comments about a nation more wicked than Israel serving as his instrument, but presents the people of God with the optimistic statement that is no doubt inspired by the words of Isaiah.[8] There is another picture of this not many chapters from Genesis 1. As Robertson says, “God’s continual exercise of righteous judgments serves to advance His glory”, the worldwide flood advances the idea of a glory filled earth.[9]
Flood
The second time the earth was covered in water was in the worldwide flood of Genesis 6, and by God's promise, it would also be the last. Because of the increasing corruption of sin on the earth the Lord seeks to de-create His earth by destroying the great wickedness of man in the flood waters. Genesis 6:11 says, “Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight, and the earth was filled with violence.” The earth is supposed to be filled with the glory of God, but here it is explained that the earth is filled [BT14] with quite the opposite. The very beings commissioned to be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth with the glory of God are no longer capable of that because of the fall and thus are the ones responsible for filling it with wickedness (Gen. 6:13). I say “no longer capable” based on Dane Ortlunds assessment of Romans 3:23 displaying that humans have lost their ability to rightly bear or image the glory of God and fall short of that occupation.[10] This leads to rampant wickedness.
In God's judgment he had the “windows of the heavens” opened and the “the fountains of the great deep burst forth” filling the earth with water. In God’s grace, he saves righteous Noah, his family, and the clean and unclean animals in the ark. The waters cover the earth and destroy all the living things.. Interestingly[BT15] this time instead of the spirit of God hovering over the waters, it is the ark that God provides floating on the waters (Gen. 7:18). The Divine presence of the Lord is found in the safety of the ark as it “floated on the face of the waters” which repeats elements of the creation narrative.
This is another showing of how God intends to fill the earth with His glory with the analogy of water covering the sea like the prophets use. Isaiah and Habakkuk pick up on the language from Moses and the events God has displayed in His world to capture a future hope for the people of God. Jim Hamilton says, “As the weight of the waters rests on the ocean floor, so the glory of Yahweh will rest upon the dry land, and all nations shall be gathered together, united in the worship of Yahweh.”[11] The judgment of God and the glory of God are connected and the best display of this all-pervasive judgement and glory is the earth covered in water. After the flood God once again establishes the creation mandate by telling the righteous Noah, “Be fruitful, multiply and fill the earth” (Gen. 9:1). God continues to work towards the end for which He created the earth—that it may be filled with His glory. These pictures of an earth covered with water relating to how the earth will be covered with the glory of God (Isa. 11:9, Hab. 2:14) are not the only pictures of God’s grand plan that the biblical author’s pen. Another picture of this future reality is found in the tabernacle.
Tabernacle
God, by His grace commissioned the building of the earthly tabernacle as a shadow of the heavenly tabernacle (Heb. 8-9) where He dwells in order that He may settle amongst His people. A frightening yet wonderful reality. The Tabernacle and later the Temple would be central to the life of God's people, because their God was there. The tabernacle was more than just a tent made with hands for God's people but as G.K. Beale points out it was “a small model of the entire cosmos.”[12] Beale demonstrates that the tabernacle is set up in a tripartite structure: (1) the outer place representing the habitable world; (2) the holy place representing the visible heavens and it's light sources; (3) the holy of holies representing the presence of God.[13] Beale traces the cosmic symbolism of the tabernacle throughout the Old Testament and early Judaism, highlighting features such as its use of precious metals, the depiction of the heavenly lights in its woven curtains, and its correspondence with other Ancient Near Eastern temple structures to portray the idea of a microcosmos. Beale also links the tabernacle as a recapitulation of the Garden of Eden, which is considered the first tabernacle/temple on earth (Eze. 28:13-14, Eze. 41-48).[14]
In the garden God gave the command to “be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it” which was to fill the earth with God's glory bearing images. God dwelt amongst Adam and Eve, presumably radiating His glory in the midst of His holy creation, not yet tainted and corrupted by sin (Gen.3:8). T. Desmond Alexander argues that the construction of the tabernacle was the continuation of God’s plans in the Garden of Eden.[15] This becomes very important in the book of Exodus when a striking event takes place. “Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. And Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud settled on it, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle” (Ex. 40:34-35). Two things out of many are significant here; 1) the cloud covers the Tabernacle and 2) the glory of the Lord fills the tabernacle. If the Tabernacle is a small model of the cosmos like stated above then on a small scale, here is a picture of God's grand plan—to fill the cosmos with His glory. The Lord is showing to His people their future right in the middle of the camp He has constructed, with the tabernacle He put together, through the participation of His people. This type of event is also recounted in Numbers 9:15-16 “On the day that the tabernacle was set up, the cloud covered the tabernacle, the tent of the testimony. And at evening it was over the tabernacle like the appearance of fire until morning.”
The miniature cosmos dwelling in the middle of the camp of Israel was covered with the cloud of the Lord. The Biblical authors knowing what the tabernacle is, would see what God was getting at here. L. Michael Morales comments on the cloud saying, “the Cloud conceals no less then it reveals: while Yahweh’s presence is apparent, the Cloud veils His ineffable glory from the gaze of onlookers.”[16] Morales also puts forward the idea that “Yahweh has a heavenly dwelling, surrounded by heavenly hosts; He has now established an earthly dwelling (Ex. 35-40), and part of the movement and logic of Numbers’ opening chapters are found in Yahweh’s establishing an earthly host around this earthly dwelling.”[17] Fascinatingly, Morales takes this theme a step further by arguing that the mobility of Israel's camp functioned as an earthly chariot for the Shekinah presence of God, drawing on the chariot visions of Ezekiel to support this connection.[18] As one moves to chapter 10 of Numbers, the Cloud of the Lord not only covers the tabernacle, filling it with the glory of God, but covers the entire earthly host/chariot as they move (Num. 10:34).
This Cloud is like a canopy over the microcosmos established in the tabernacle covering and filling it so completely that Moses cannot even enter the Tabernacle. The glory of the Lord fills the house of the Lord in the same exact way after Solomons prayer for the temple in 2 Chronicles 7:1-3, showing continuity. This Cloud also covers the entirety of Israel's earthly host, which represents the heavenly host surrounding the throne of God. In this way, the glory of God can be symbolically portrayed as covering both heaven and earth. This Cloud is certainly characteristic of His glory and so this idea is not far-fethced. John Durham says, “The cloud that concealed the mountain, from the midst of which Yahweh called out to Moses, and into the midst of which Moses went, is a special symbol of divine guidance, divine communication, and divine presence, and an extension of the theophanic experience.”[19] If you make the connection between the Cloud and the presence of God, then this would be a recapitulation of the Spirit presiding over the primeval waters, and the ark floating on the waters in Genesis 6. Nevertheless, this is coupled with God explicitly stating His purpose in the book of Numbers to fill the earth with His glory (Num. 14:21). He is saying something with that statement in Numbers 14:21 that He essentially has displayed in chapters 9-10. Morales makes the point that, “When the Skekinah, the visible manifestation of God’s immanent presence, fills the tabernacle, therefore, the scene represents a new creation filled with the glory of God.”[20]
Again, a picture, just like the primeval waters, and the flood is being given [BT16] to God's people for them to see His grand plan fulfilled—a reality yet to come. The prophets looking back upon this in the midst of a wicked world present a bright and certain future to God’s people counting on the promise of God to fill the earth with His glory just like He has said and shown. This narration of the temple influenced much of John’s writing in the New Testament and becomes[BT17] a key theme for seeing the telos of the temple. This is significant because of what John specifically would say in his gospel and the revelation given to him. The biblical authors are not left without clues on what this is to look like and not left without evidence for their hope to be sustained. [BT18] David in the Psalms may recognize the pictures God had given through the hand of Moses praying and asking with melody before the Lord, “Blessed be his glorious name forever; may the whole earth be filled with his glory! Amen and Amen!” (Ps. 72:19).
The Earth Filled with God’s Glory
One must move to the New Testament to see this reality consummated. Just as God created the heavens and the earth, so too has He promised to create a new heaven and a new earth (Rev. 21:1-4). What a wonderful promise! In that new heaven and new earth there is not a square inch where His glory is not filling space. His new heavens and earth are covered in His glory as the waters cover the sea. You can see this in many of the verses [BT19] at the end of Revelation but just a few are necessary to see to get this[BT20] . Revelation 21:2 and 10-11 show that the people of God are the new Jerusalem coming down from heaven and the difference is explained in v. 11, “having the glory of God, it's radiance like a most rare jewel, like jasper, clear as crystal” (Rev. 21:11). This city and the saints that inhabit it are glorified. There is no temple in this new Jerusalem. This is significant because the temple housed the glory of God (2 Chron. 7:1-3), but now the temple is the “Lord God Almighty and the Lamb” (Rev. 21:22). The Lord completely fills this new space He has created. His radiating glory shines over all this creation so much so that the sun is no longer needed (Rev. 21:23). Lastly, the nations and the kings of earth will bring their glory into this place to give unto the Lord, where all glory is due. Those who live here will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord—Isaiah, Habakkuk, David and a cloud of witnesses notwithstanding. As Kostenberger says, “the future New Jerusalem, represents the fulfillment of what God intended when He first created the earth.”[21]
Donnie Berry is worth quoting at length here:
“The fullness of God’s character and presence is manifest in this new creation city, and the city seems to fill the whole world. It is described the way the temple of the Old Testament was described. But it’s not a temple, John tells us, because the whole world has become God's dwelling place now. There is no longer any need for a temple. God’s glory, which filled the temple in the Old Testament now fills everything. In this city, “it's temple is the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb” (Rev. 21:22). There is no need of sun or moon to shine in it, “for the glory of God gives it light, and it's lamp is the Lamb” (Rev. 21:23). The nations of the earth walk in the light of God’s glory, “and the kings of earth will bring their glory into it… They will bring into it the glory and honor of the nations” (rev. 21:24,26). Here is a picture of humans fulfilling their royal destiny. Their creative, culture-making dominion is in service of the glory of God. They offer the work of their hands, which bears the imprint of God’s glory, back to Him in worship and praise.”[22]
God has shown His people through His word and events happening in His world, the way in which the earth will be filled. These three key events show how God will accomplish His grand plan. However, this grand plan hinges completely upon the person and work of Christ—the glory of God (Heb. 1:3). It is through Christ that God has “shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (2 Cor. 4:6). The plan to fill the earth with the glory of God always had redemption in Christ at the center of it—not as a plan b. God’s plan to fill this earth with His glory as seen above in revelation was clarified in sending Christ to fill the earth first (Eph. 4:10). The life, death, resurrection, and ascension of Christ paves the way for God's glory to fill the earth completely as seen in Revelation. The Lamb that was slain is integral to God's grand plan (Rev. 5:1-10, 21:22-27).
So committed to this mission was Christ that as He left this earth, He made sure the mission would carry on instructing His followers in a similar way God instructed the first humans, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And Behold I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matt. 28:19-20). Accordingly, the grand plan of God advances through His people, who, in Christ, are recommissioned to carry out His redemptive purposes in the world. The Church are His people and as they are divided up into local assemblies, they are not left without application until Christ returns.
Local Church Application
What does the local church do after they see God's grand plan as told by the biblical authors? First, they worship the Lord! Second, they seek to participate in it. The story of redemption in the Scriptures is astounding and worthy of all our attention, because God is worthy of all glory. We must worship the God of the Bible, for to worship is to bring glory to Him. We must know that God loves most His own glory and why that is a good thing. Unfortunately, this is a reality that many people in local churches today do not grasp or do not hear. John Piper got at the heart of this in a sermon saying, “What I have found is this, if a person is God-centered because they believe God is man-centered, their God-centeredness is man-centeredness.”[23] Essentially, we can fall into the trap of thinking the grand plan of God is about us, instead of about His glory. The most important and central thing in all the existence of the universe is the glory of God and for God not to be most supremely focused on that thing would be for God to be focused on something lesser. This is incongruent with His nature. [BT21] Furthermore, if it is blasphemous for human beings to love or worship anything above God because He alone is the highest good and the most glorious being in existence, should not the same principle apply to God Himself?
We must know this reality and make this reality known so that the whole earth may be covered in the knowledge of His glory as the waters cover the sea (Hab. 2:14). If, as stated above, the tabernacle is the continuation of the of the plans in the Garden of Eden, then the church is the continuation of the plans of the Tabernacle. Beale shares the mission of God applied to the local church to be “God’s temple, so filled with His glorious presence that we expand and fill the earth with that presence until God finally accomplishes the goal completely at the end of time.”[24] The strategies and obstacles to this must be talked about broadly for sake of time and space.
Preaching and Singing
This big God who can fill heaven and earth (Jer. 23:24) must be at the center of the fundamental acts of worship at the local church, mainly preaching and singing. [BT22] The congregation must be told of the God of the Bible as He has expressed Himself in that Bible. Preaching must exalt God to the highest degree humanly possible so that the people are left worshipping like Paul, “oh, the depths of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and how inscrutable His ways!” (Rom. 11:33). So many pulpits lack this kind of preaching, and as a result, many people are led to believe in a God who is capable of filling their lives with His glory, but not the whole earth. Expositional preaching is a great way to make sure these verses are covered, but a shepherd must have a passion created by the Spirit of God to proclaim these realities and to aim for His glory. One way to do this in preaching is to “stir up holy affections” in the life of the congregation.[25] This does not happen apart from the holy affections being first stirred up in the life of the preacher after rigorous attention to the purposes of God in the Word and pleading with God to make them efficacious in his life. By God's grace and through His Spirit, the people of the local church will increase their view of God to rest and participate in the promise of an earth covered in His glory.
An obstacle concerning this that is hopefully on it's way out [BT23] of the evangelical church is the notion that the Old Testament is no longer relevant. As is shown in this paper[BT24] , this theme was carried by the Holy Spirit throughout the whole of the Old Testament. This reality can be seen from the garden to the end of the Hebrew Bible. It is what the biblical authors saw and hoped for. Churches must read the whole canon and think about each subject in the bible canonically. As the earth will be filled with the glory of God, so too is the entire canon of Scripture filled with His glory—every page, every line. Shepherds need to preach through the Old Testament and when they preach through the New Testament, they must incorporate the Old Testament for the Bible is one story.
Likewise, singing in conjunction with preaching will exalt God and bring glory to His name by singing His word. Colossians 3:16 brings this front and center, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.” The local church needs to praise the Lord in song, and they need to sing theologically robust songs to fill the hearts and minds of the people with genuine worship. There is an epidemic of emotional manipulation within contemporary worship music that leads people to superficial thoughts of God and a high view of self. Praising the Lord in this way keeps churches from being introspectively focused and more outward mission-oriented. Songs become fuel for the fight and exhortation for the mission God has called His church to.
These two areas, preaching and singing, have the propensity to drive everything else the local church does. However, these acts fall apart if they are not bathed in prayer. The church must pray for God’s glory to be displayed in them. A good place to start is by praying and believing the Lord’s prayer found in Matthew 6:9-13. The Lord uses the prayers of His people to accomplish His ends, so the church must pray for the earth to be covered in His glory. They must pray He would do it as He has covered in water, or as He has filled the tabernacle. Additionally, the thoughts in this paper are possible because of the discipline of Biblical theology. This is a discipline that the church should be lead and taught to engage in so that the realities God has placed in His Word can be seen.
Missions
Worship of the Lord for how great and glorious He is will lead the worshipper to proclaim this glory. Sound preaching and worship of the Lord in the local church will drive the church to participate in the purpose of God. The proclamation of the gospel to the nations from the local church is to spread the knowledge of the glory of God (Hab. 2:14, Matt.28:19-20). It is the job of the church as commissioned by Christ to participate in the promised reality of filling the earth with the knowledge of God’s glory.
The reason we proclaim the glory of God in the gospel to others is because God is worthy of everyone’s worship, and we should be zealous to make sure He gets it.[26] This task is done through the local church by missions. John Piper famously says, “Missions exist because worship doesn’t.”[27] Missions as defined by Aaron Menikoff and Harshit Singh is “churches sending qualified workers across linguistic, geographic, or cultural barriers to start or strengthen churches, especially in places where Christ has not been named.”[28] As God has created the entire earth, He has created every group of people on this earth. Humans are the only creatures capable of knowing the glory of God in a salvific way. This knowledge is what God intends to cover the earth with (Isa. 11:9, Hab. 2:14). There are groups of people that have access to this knowledge and people groups who do not. The future reality being discussed in this paper is displayed in Revelation 7:9, “After this I looked and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes with palm branches in their hands.” This verse is clear to point out three distinctive categories describing people God has made. This shows that it is to be people groups and not just geographical locations this glory will be spread.
In America, there is religious freedom and evangelical churches that cover the nation. Access to the gospel and knowledge of the glory of God is available yet often rejected. In contrast, in a country like India, there are several hundred different people groups that have no access to the gospel and no knowledge of God’s glory. There are obstacles to missions that may seem, on the surface, to not be obstacles. One of these is an emphasis on sending missionaries to places that Christ has already been named.
Paul helpfully lays out in Romans 15 the strategy for missions: “And thus I make it my ambition to preach the gospel, not where Christ has already been named, lest I build on someone else's foundation, but as it is written, “Those who have never been told of him will see, and those who have never heard will understand.” This is the reason why I have so often been hindered from coming to you” (Rom. 15:20-22). This passage displays that it is not necessarily wrong to send qualified workers to places to strengthen existing churches and go to people groups where Christ has been named, but the emphasis should be on where He has not. This is the exact reason that Paul was hindered from going to Rome, because he was preoccupied with taking the knowledge of the glory of God to peoples in regions of the earth where there was no knowledge of it.
Providentially, things do not work this way, but hypothetically a helpful though experiment here is looking at the amount (roughly) of unreached people groups in the world and the number of evangelical churches in America.[29] Theoretically every evangelical church in America should be concerned with participating in the grand plan of God. Currently there are 4,486 unreached people groups.[30] To put this into perspective, we will limit the churches to the Southern Baptist Convention, of which the church I attend is one member, includes 46,876 churches.[31] If each one of those cooperating churches sent a unit to reach and plant a church amongst an unreached people group, they could be reached 10 times over. Understandably this is maybe a bit far-fetched, but how far? At the time of this writing, I recently had a meeting with a missionary our church supports, and he was sharing with me that in the first quarter of this year, 105 people groups have been engaged with the gospel.[32] Praise the Lord! God does not say things that He does not intend to bring to completion.
Another obstacle that often goes unnoticed is leaving the local church out of the process of missions.[33] Much of missions work has been farmed out to well-meaning parachurch ministries and missions organizations. John Folmar and Scott Logsdon share that the local church is the “origin, means, and end” of missions.[34] The local church seeks to raise up people from their congregation (2 Tim. 2:2) to be sent out to an unreached people group—the origin of missions. Essentially the local church is a missionary machine, where preaching, singing, prayer, and biblical theology help saints see the call to make the glory of God known to those who do not know it. They also are the means in which this missionary family, or unit of families (preferrable) are supported, held accountable, and cared for. In this way, the entire local church is involved in this missions process. The goal of this missionary family or unit of families and the local church sending them is to not rest until a church is planted amongst the unreached people group they have “adopted” and in a sense taken responsibility for. This explains the end of missions as the local church as well. Each local church, who loves the glory of God, must make this mission central to who they are. Everything else in the church serves this purpose of God (Num.14:21). Many local churches can partner together in this endeavor through collective organizations that still give the local church the primary responsibility in all of this. “Missions works best when churches work together.”[35]
Conclusion
As the primeval waters covered the earth, as the flood waters covered the earth, the glory of God will cover the earth. As the tabernacle was filled with the glory of God, so is the church and as the church is spread across the earth, so too is the glory of God. The primeval waters, the flood, the tabernacle, the temple, and ultimately the person and work of Christ each provide a picture of the day when "the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD as the waters cover the sea" (Hab. 2:14). The biblical authors did not treat this promise as an isolated prophecy but as the culmination of God's eternal design—a design woven into the very fabric of Scripture and history. God has embedded the promise of a glory-filled earth into the structure of redemptive history itself, leaving prophetic pictures throughout the Old Testament that culminate in Christ, the church, and the new creation.
The church must inherit this mission as told to them from [BT25] God Himself and see to it that they actively contribute. The preaching and singing, the emphasis on missions must all serve God's grand plan for His glory and the joy of all people. The church must trust the Lord that has permitted them to participate in spreading His glory for the mission will not fail. This mission is guaranteed to succeed. One day “All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the Lord, and all the nations shall worship before you. For kingship belongs to the Lord, and He rules over the nations” (Ps. 22:27-28). The church must not rest while the Lord has us here on this earth.
[1] [1] Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture references are from the ESV
[2] Donnie Berry and L. Michael Morales, The Earth Will Be Filled: A Biblical Theology of the Glory of God (2025). 7.
[3] Donnie Berry and L. Michael Morales, The Earth Will Be Filled. 20
[4] James M. Hamilton Jr., What Is Biblical Theology? A Guide to the Bible’s Story, Symbolism, and Patterns (Wheaton: Crossway, 2013). 20-21.
[5] Stephen G. Dempster, Dominion and Dynasty: A Biblical Theology of the Hebrew Bible, Repr, New Studies in Biblical Theology 15 (Downers Grove, Ill: InterVarsity Press, 2006).
[6] Kenneth Mathews, The New American Commentary: Genesis 1- 11:26 (Nashville, Tenn: Holman Reference, 1995). 136.
[7] Patrick Schreiner, The Transfiguration of Christ: An Exegetical and Theological Reading (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, a division of Baker Publishing Group, 2024). 72-78.
[8] O. Palmer Robertson, The Books of Nahum, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah, The New International Commentary on the Old Testament (Grand Rapids, Mich: W.B. Eerdmans, 1990). 198.
[9] O. Palmer Robertson, The Books of Nahum, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah. 199.
[10] Ortlund, Dane C. “What Does It Mean to Fall Short of the Glory of God? Romans 3:23 in Biblical-Theological Perspective.” Westminster Theological Journal 80, no. 1 (Spring 2018): 121–140.
[11] James M. Hamilton Jr, God’s Glory in Salvation through Judgment: A Biblical Theology (Wheaton, Ill: Crossway, 2010). 197.
[12] G. K. Beale, The Temple and the Church’s Mission: A Biblical Theology of the Dwelling Place of God, New Studies in Biblical Theology 17 (Downers Grove, Ill: Apollos : Inter-Varsity Press, 2004). 48
[13] G. K. Beale, The Temple and the Church’s Mission. 32-33
[14] G. K. Beale, The Temple and the Church’s Mission. 66
[15] Desmond T. Alexander, From Eden to the New Jerusalem, 1st ed (Grand Rapids: Kregel Publications, 2013). 34
[16] L. Michael Morales, Numbers 1-19, ed. David W. Baker and Beth M. Stovell, Apollos Old Testament Commentary 4a (London, England: Apollos, 2024). 220.
[17] L. Michael Morales, Numbers 1-19. 27.
[18] L. Michael Morales, Numbers 1-19. 30.
[19] John I. Durham, Exodus, Word Biblical Commentary 3 (Waco, Tex: Word Books, 1987). 364.
[20] L. Michael Morales, Who Shall Ascend the Mountain of the Lord? A Biblical Theology of the Book of Leviticus, New Studies in Biblical Theology 37 (Downers Grove, Illinois: Apollos,InterVarsity Press, 2015). 117.
[21] Andreas J. Köstenberger, D. A. Carson, and T. Desmond Alexander, Salvation to the Ends of the Earth: A Biblical Theology of Mission (IVP Academic, 2020). 12.
[22] Donnie Berry and L. Michael Morales, The Earth Will Be Filled. 149.
[23] John Piper, “The God-Centeredness of God,” Desiring God, April 30, 2009, https://www.desiringgod.org/messages/the-god-centeredness-of-god.
[24] G. K. Beale, The Temple and the Church’s Mission. 402.
[25] John Piper, The Supremacy of God in Preaching (Crossway, 2021). 88.
[26] Robby Gallaty, Growing up, Revised and Updated: How to Be a Disciple Who Makes Disciples, 1st ed (B&H Publishing Group, 2022). 164.
[27] John Piper, Let the Nations Be Glad!The Supremacy of God in Missions, (Baker Academic, 2022). 15.
[28] Aaron Menikoff, Prioritizing Missions in the Church, 1st ed, with Harshit Singh et al., 9Marks Church-Centered Missions Series (Wheaton: Crossway, 2025). 8-9.
[29] There are different ways to count unreached people groups. For the purposes of this hypothetical, I will be using data collected at Joshuaproject.net.
[30] “Joshua Project - Reaching the Unreached | Joshua Project,” accessed July 16, 2026, https://joshuaproject.net/.
[31] Fast Facts - SBC.Net,” Https://Www.Sbc.Net/, n.d., accessed July 16, 2026, https://www.sbc.net/about/what-we-do/fast-facts/.
[32] Private conversation with the author, July 7th, 2026.
[33] I am thankful however, for the recent reemphasis on the local church in missions by organizations like 9Marks and Missionary.com.
[34] John Folmar, Prioritizing the Church in Missions, 1st ed, with Scott Logsdon et al., 9Marks Church-Centered Missions Series (Wheaton: Crossway, 2025).16-17.
[35] John Folmar, Prioritizing the Church in Missions. 186.
[BT1]“build off of” or “build on” potentially?
[BT2]amen
[BT3]“...this is how I teach my children to respond.”
[BT4]The eternal creator God, while speaking about rebellious Israel in contrast to His servant Caleb, essentially swears by this promise
[BT5]“A pivotal argument in(of?) this research paper is that God not only declares this plan but also shows it through…”
[BT6]“...well---it should not be surprising that they would…”
[BT7]Both “it’s” should be “its”
[BT8]“Patrick Schreiner, resting on the shoulders of Christian tradition, equates...”
[BT9]“...the cloud. (Isa. 4:5)”
[BT10]“..almost completely…”
[BT11]“...inextricably linked together…”
[BT12]“noted”
[BT13]Choose “only” or “further”
[BT14]“but here the earth is filled”
[BT15]Interestingly, this time...
[BT16]“...is given…”
[BT17]“became” matches the tense of the first verb in the sentence
[BT18]“...their hope.”
[BT19]“...in many verses at…”
[BT20]Select a word like “detail”...etc. after “this” so that the sentence does not end on “this” if at all possible.
[BT21]This needs to be trimmed down and clarified.
Perhaps:
“The glory of God is the highest good and if He were not focused on His own glory supremely He would be at odds with his very nature.”
[BT22]“...church: preaching and singing.”
[BT23]“An obstacle to proper preaching of the Word that may be on its way out…”
[BT24]“As shown in this paper…”
[BT25]“...as given by God…”