Glory Fills the Earth
The angelic proclamation that “the whole earth is full of His glory,” is puzzling. Other biblical authors pointed toward a future day in which God’s glory would fill the earth. For example, Habakkuk wrote, “The whole earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.” And the Psalmist prayed in Psalm 72:19, “Let the whole earth be filled with His glory.” But both of these are looking toward something future.
That future reality is something we can grasp. Those of us who believe in Christ, not only believe that He died and rose again, but also that He is coming again and that one day there is going to be a glorious New Heaven and a New Earth in which, as John writes in Revelation, there is no need for the sun or moon to light it for the glory of God will illuminate that land, (Revelation 21).
We get that, but what about this present tense glory of which these angels cry? There are a couple of possibilities. One is that it speaks of the declaration of God’s glory that the heavens make, and the handiwork of God displayed in all of creation. The angels are merely acknowledging in praise what they see as God’s glory manifested by His created universe.
God’s glory is displayed when we look up at the night sky and see the stars, all named by God Himself; or when we look at the intricate design of a spider web and the beauty of a spring tulip. That is all true.
I think this is one of those now, but not yet things. The kingdom has come, and the kingdom is coming. Salvation is ours now and will be ours in the future. Christ reigns now and will reign in the future. These things are all now, but they are also not yet. The glory of God fills the earth now in one sense, but in another, it doesn’t yet fill the earth.
We have a taste of these things, to remind us of the fullness of these things that are yet to come. The glory of God fills the earth, and we pray, “fill the earth with your glory, O Lord.”
Excellent! I agree with you about the "already," but "not yet." Oh what glory awaits us!