From the June 2001 issue of The Banner of Love

• John 17:5 - "And now 0 Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was."
• Heb. 10:5 - "...but a body hast thou prepared me."
• Gen. 22:8 - "And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering."

Notice the same principle herein. The body was prepared me. Jesus is saying that the essence of the Godhead was all the fullness of such. It does not say a "body was prepared for me." The body was Me. Also, Abraham told Isaac, that God will provide Himself a Iamb. That is Christ in picture, figure or form. It does not say: "God will provide for himself a lamb." Christ is Himself the Lamb - The Body. All sheep have bodies.

Glory Revealed

Further, the Glory was revealed and manifested while Christ was on Earth in that same body of flesh and bone - John 1:14- "And the word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, [and we beheld His Glory, the Glory as of the only begotten of the Father.] full of grace and truth." Please observe - it did not say that "The Word was put into flesh." But, that "the word itself was made flesh." That is flesh and bone body Christ Himself, the very essence of all the fullness of the Godhead – Col. 2:9

Further, the term "only begotten" does not just refer to the birth of the Virgin Mary, but the Glory has always been with and in Him. The glory of God was "of the Father," and was instantly displayed in that infant body even. Read Matt 2:2-speaks of the Star in the East. Matt. 2:10 speaks of when they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. This glory manifested, Luke 3:9-14-refers to "The Glory of the Lord shone around about them." This heavenly host was praising God, and saying, "Glory to God in the highest...." That is glory manifested. And these texts are contextually pointing directly to that Infant Body - Christ Jesus. The point is we did not have to wait for Him to grow up, preach, be crucified, die, be buried and then be Resurrected before He became a Glorious Body. He has always been such.

Two Natures now:

1. Glory Image of Son of God-
This is one hat Jesus wore, and at times such was only in the forefront, but the other was not absent. His persona or mask or face or image was displayed as any particular occasion warranted.

2. Glory Image of Son of Man-

This is the other hat Jesus wore, and at times such was only in the forefront, but the other was not absent. Both were always present with Him, but both were not always shining forth in a manifested or displayed manner. It was His call, or choice, as to which was expedient at any given moment or occasion in various environments.

John 17:5 - Jesus was not asking the Father to glorify Him by returning the glory, but that the time has come when this still same flesh and bone body would only shine forth with the radiance of the still same flesh and bone body to manifestly display in the fore-front the Glory of the divinity of Christ. I have heard it said, that during that earthly sojourn in His body, that He had completed the image of "looking like His brethren," and now He was ready to be re-clothed with the Glory of Divinity from His Father. Please note- Heb. 2:17 states, "Wherein in all things it behooved him to be made like unto His brethren." it did not say that He "only looked like" His brethren, but was made like unto them and still in-
John 1:14 - "The word was Made flesh and we beheld His Glory." He was both simultaneously, but only one or the other Images was displayed at any given time, not both. However, He could have done so.

Matt. 17:1-8 - Transfiguration of Christ was demonstrated to The Law-Moses and The Prophets - Elijah, with both pointing us to the N. T. Redeemer and the Fulfillment of the Law and Prophets - Matt. 5:17. There Jesus was standing before them in His Son of Man Image, and He simply, unzipped His Humanity robe and revealed that within that same flesh and bone body as also he was simultaneously the Divine Son of God. When he unzipped His humanity, His divinity, and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light. This face that shined as the sun was the same face of that still same flesh and bone body, but Divinity was presently, reflected and manifestly displayed. Such even affected His clothing, which became as white as the light. This did not cause Peter, James and John, nor Moses and Elijah to die, but it did cause much and great humility to the three disciples.