Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.
— Philippians 3:21
Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.
— 1 John 3:2-3
Deliver me in thy righteousness, and cause me to escape: incline thine ear unto me, and save me.
— Psalm 71:2
Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.
— 2 Timothy 4:8
It is of the LORD’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him.
— Lamentations 3:22-24
Waking With His Likeness, by John Owen.
The view we have here by faith that the glory of Christ is gathered from scripture in bits and pieces. These bits and pieces must be brought together in our mind so that we may have a clear idea of the glory of Christ.
We do not have great visions of the glory of Christ as Isaiah had under the Old Testament. And as John had on the Isle of Patmos, Isaiah 6:1-4, Revelation 1, 13 and 16, we do not need them. It would not help us. We have a more sure word of prophecy, says Peter in 2 Peter 1:17 and 19. One of those who did receive these glorious visions cried out, Woe is me, for I am undone, Isaiah 6:5. The other fell at his feet instead, Revelation 1:17.
In this life we are unable to bear such glorious visions of Christ. And as we do not have glorious visions of Him, neither do we have any new revelations of His glory by direct inspiration. Scripture is our only blueprint to the glory of Christ. Only in Scripture, and only by faith, can we behold the glory of Christ while still in this life. Nor does Scripture give us an entire picture of the glory of Christ in a single place. nor can it do so.
If all the lights in our heaven were concentrated into one, it would not help us see better. Instead, it would blind us. So divine wisdom distributed the light into sun, moon, and stars, each giving out its own measure of light to enlighten the world. So if the whole glory of Christ and all that belongs to that glory had been concentrated into one description, It would have been too much for our minds to take in. We would have been confused and bewildered rather than enlightened.
So God has distributed the light of Christ’s glory through the whole firmament of the scriptures. Each part gives off its own light for the building up of the church’s faith. One part of scripture describes his person and glory clearly and plainly, whereas other parts present it in allegories conveying a heavenly sense of them to the minds of believers. Yet, other parts describe his glory in terms of his love, his humbling himself for our salvation. His exaltation and His power. His one star differs from another in glory, so God revealed the glory of Christ under the Old Testament types and shadows. and more fully under the New Testament. Glorious testimonies to these things are planted in all parts of Scripture.
So we ought to study Scripture to find out all that is revealed to us of the glory of Christ, as did the prophets of old, 1 Peter 1.11. Those who make gilded images of Christ only feed on ashes and hold a lie in the right hand. In scripture, Jesus Christ is clearly set before us as crucified, Galatians 3:1.
So also by scripture we see him exalted and glorified. And it is the wisdom of faith to gather together all the descriptions of Christ’s glory in scripture so that faith may more clearly behold him. But in heaven we will always see the whole glory of Christ and we shall be enabled by one act of the light of glory to understand it, as only a glorified creature in heaven can. The vision that we shall have of the glory of Christ in heaven and of the glory of the immense God in him will perfectly transform us into the image of Christ. When we see Him, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. 1 John 3:2.
When, at death, the soul departs from the body, it is immediately freed from all weakness, disability, darkness, doubts, and fears. The image of the first atom will then be abolished. All physical weaknesses and infirmities will have gone forever. This necessarily follows death in order that we may enter that blessed state. The first entry into immortality from mortality is a step towards eternal glory and into eternal rest. The great evil, death, thus becomes a means of freeing us from all the remains of evil in us. It is by virtue of the death of Christ alone that the souls of believers are freed by death from the presence of sin, and all the effects that sin had wrought on their bodies. In being freed, their souls flourish and expand to their fullest extent.
But it is not so with the wicked. Death to them is a curse, for it plunges them into eternal misery and pain. They will be forever deprived of all of their comforts ahead in this world. Their souls, separated from their bodies, will be continually troubled and harassed by all those evil passions which fill their minds with corrupt fleshly lusts. They look for relief by death and vain. The spirits of just men, Hebrews 12 : 23, are freed by death from their mortal bodies not yet glorified.
All the powers of their souls and all the graces in them, such as faith, love, and delight, are immediately set free and enabled constantly to be exercised for the glory and praise of God in Christ. The purpose of these powers was to enable us to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. When we are freed from the hindrance and burden of the body, they can now fully exert all their powers to the glory of God and the enjoyment of Him forever. And when the body is fully redeemed by its resurrection, it shall be so purified, sanctified, and glorified that it will no longer be a hindrance and a burden to the soul. Instead, it will be a blessed instrument for the soul’s highest and most spiritual activities. Our eyes were made to see our Redeemer and our senses to receive all that He communicates to us according to their capacity, just as the bodies of the wicked shall be restored to them to increase and complete their misery and their sufferings. So shall the bodies of the just be restored to them to heighten and complete their blessedness. These things prepare us for eternal glory. The soul will not be brought into the presence of Christ without a new power enabling it to behold Him in the full blazing light of His glory. Faith ceases. For we now no longer behold His glory by faith. The light of glory now replaces faith.
When sin entered the world, God said in grief, abrading man for his foolishness. Behold, the man has become as one of us. Genesis 3 : 22. But when grace has done its glorious work, it will say in love and delight as it sees the perfect restoration of its image in man. Behold, man has indeed become like one of us. This is a great result of the light of glory. This sight of Christ’s glory is called the beatific vision because it gives perfect rest and blessedness to those who have this sight of Christ.
God in Christ constantly works in glorified souls and communicates His grace to them. All creatures must eternally live, even in heaven, in dependence on Him who is the eternal fountain of being, life, goodness, and blessedness to all, as we cannot keep ourselves alive for one moment without divine power in us. So in the glorified state we shall depend eternally on divine power and goodness being communicated to us for our eternal blessedness. We have no idea how this is done in heaven, even as we have no idea how God communicates his grace to us here on earth. His ways are shrouded in mystery. John 3 : 8.
While we are still on earth, faith beholding the glory of Christ will give us a foretaste of future glory. There is no glory, no peace, no joy, no satisfaction to be found in this world compared to what we get from that weak and imperfect view that we have of the glory of Christ by faith. Thus, while we are still in this world, faith gives us such a foretaste of future blessedness and the enjoyment of Christ. This may continually stir us up to say with the psalmist, I shall be satisfied when I awake with thy likeness. Psalm 17:15.
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