Neville Goddard Lectures: “Predestined Glory”

30 May Neville Goddard Lectures: “Predestined Glory”

By Neville Goddard – Date Unknown

Tonight’s subject is: “Predestined Glory” In the Epistle to the Hebrews, the author speaks of God as “bringing many sons unto glory.” (Hebrews 2:10) What is “bringing many sons unto glory”? Well, if you read the Scriptures carefully, you will see that glory and God are synonymous, “I will make my glory to pass before you,” or, “While my glory passes by… I will cover you with my hand,” (Exodus 33:22) and, “When I pass by, I will remove my hand.” (Exodus 33:23)

So, here we find “my glory” is equal to I. “My glory passes by,” and “When I pass by…” What is He doing? He is bringing His sons to Himself. He has chosen His sons . . unnumbered sons, and, yet, there is a number to it, but it seems like an infinite number. And the word glory means to magnify, to “make self many.” So, He is transforming us into Himself . . actually one with God, as God. That is the story . . the great mystery of the Christian faith.

He said, “I consider the sufferings of this present time not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed in us.” (Romans 8:18) Then He tells us that He calls us “according to His purpose, for those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be . . “conformed to the image of the Son…” “and those whom He predestined, He also called, and those whom He called, He also justified, and those whom He justified, He also glorified.” (Romans 8:28-30)

So, here we have five terms: “foreknew,” “predestined, “called,” “justified,” and “glorified” . . the affirmation of predestination. And there is no way of interpreting these terms to avoid such a conclusion. You are predestined to be God!

Now, you may say, “Well, now, look at the things that I have done, the horrible things that I have done!” It doesn’t really matter. We have all done them, or we are doing them, or we will do them, but that does not interfere with God’s predestined plan. There we have in five terms the structure of God’s plan of giving Himself to us, not as something that is great on the outside, but giving Himself to us. So, we actually become God!

Now, I know the priesthoods of the world scare us to death trying to make us conform to their concept of what a man ought to be in order to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. May I tell you, fitness for the Kingdom of Heaven is the consequence, not the condition, of His glory. When He calls you . . and He calls you individually . . you could be the most unclean being in the world, judged by human standards, but God calls us according to His purpose. Now, when He is ready, He’ll take you into His body, for His body is the Eternal Temple, now made up of living stones . . not dead stones, and only God knows that you are not fitted, but you are fitted by reason of His call. When He calls you, He incorporates you into His body, and that incorporation fits you for the Kingdom of Heaven! So, fitness is the consequence, not the condition, of His glory.

Now, let me share with you my own experience of the Call. It was this month back in 1929. I was then a dancer. I was 24 years of age, searching . . searching for an experience of God. If anyone went into blind alleys looking, I did. I tried everything, trying to find Him. No, I didn’t try dope; I didn’t smoke marijuana. No, I didn’t go in for that. First of all, I couldn’t afford liquor, and Prohibition was on in those days, and I wasn’t in the habit of drinking. I couldn’t afford it, and there was no liquor around unless you went to some expensive speak-easy. Well, I couldn’t afford it. But I was searching for God. I thought maybe a certain diet, like a strict vegetarian . . maybe that would do it. I tried that.