The Shekinah glory is known, in the Old Testament, as the glory which was behind the veil in the temple. It is the glory of God. The author John writes that he and his readers saw Jesus and His glory (1:14). This glory, as many translations put it, is the kind of glory that can only be displayed by one who is the Son of God.
Christ’s glory is also considered as the Shekinah glory which was only found in the Jewish temple. The temple is where the high priest would enter through the veil, into the holy of holies. He did this once a year to offer a sacrifice for the forgiveness of sins for all the people. As the gospels tell us, when Jesus died, the temple veil tore from top to bottom (Matthew 27:51). The Shekinah glory left its location.
Jesus’ disciples saw the glorified Christ face-to-face, and they didn’t die. In fact, Jesus said, “If you have seen me, you have seen the Father” ( John 14:9). This is quite the privilege and honor. For example, Moses asked to see God’s face; however, God only allowed him to see His backside. Moses said, “I pray You, show me your glory.” God responded with, “You cannot see My face, for no man can see Me and live” (Exodus 33:18-19). That interaction alone physically changed Moses to where his hair turned white, and his face shown of God’s glory. The people had to put a veil over his face because of the radiance.
Sometimes, if a high priest did not purify himself properly before entering the holy of holies, the priest would die. That’s why they would tie a rope with a bell to the priest when he entered.
In summary, John says that they saw the Shekinah glory face-to-face. This is the glory which only one who is of God can possess. Its qualities are of grace and truth. The only one who possesses it is Jesus, the great High Priest who offered Himself as the sacrifice for our sins (Hebrews 10:19-20).
If you want to learn more about Jesus and His glory, consider checking out my book “Believe: A Commentary on the Gospel of John” [You can get it on Amazon, here]
Check out the 7 “I AM” Statements which Jesus said, making the claim to be the God of the Old Testament. [You can read the article, here]
(This link is an affiliate link which I receive a small commission from any purchases from Amazon)