“Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.”
but we know that when He is revealed,
John conveys a note of hope – the coming of Christ for His own. The word “know” portrays the idea of sureness, “We know with innate assurance that we will be like Him.” Christians will receive full transformation, spiritually and physically, at the point when Christ comes back at the Rapture.
The Bible does not give the exact time when Jesus will come back, but whenever that event occurs, God will transform Christians into a perfect state. There is a radical contrast between the present state and the future state of the believer.
Ph 3:20-21, 20 “For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself.”
we shall be like Him,
We will be “like Him” when Jesus comes back. This is the point when He conforms every believer to His image or nature. The present process of being formed into the image of Christ will become final when Jesus comes. Christianity conforms us to Christ.
1 Co 15:49, “And as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly Man.”
1 Co 15:51-52, “Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed— 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.”
2 Co 3:18, “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.”
PRINCIPLE:
Jesus will conform us into His image perfectly when He comes back.
APPLICATION:
The body that we have now is a wonderful piece of workmanship, but it is nothing compared to the body we will have on that day. The best is yet ahead.
Our bodies will be just like Jesus’ resurrected body when Jesus comes. Our character will be like Jesus one day. This is the consummation of salvation. The Devil will not thwart this event, for God predestines us to be just like Jesus.
Ro 8:29, “For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.”
There will be no selfishness in me when I receive my glorified body.
