The glorification of the saints is the end of that golden chain of Divine grace that begins with God’s foreordination and predestination. Thus we read in Rom. 8:29-30: "For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified."
Let it be noted first of all that "foreknow" is, as we have previously seen, the same Greek word rendered "foreordained" in I Pet. 1:20, and this is its meaning here. And the "foreknowledge" is not of the actions of certain ones, but rather of their persons, so that by no stretch of the imagination can this be in reference to foreseen faith. Faith is not a "whom." See this discussed in Chapter Two under point II, and in Chapter Nine. And again it must be noted that there is no room for loss or accumulat-ion between the links of this chain of grace. Repeatedly the formula is "whom…them," "whom…them," "whom…them. The same ones whom the Father has foreordained in His counsel in eternity will be glorified in eternity future—an incidental proof of the eternal security of all God’s saints.
This golden chain of Divine grace which is made up of forged, unbreakable links is the basis of the assurance that "We know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose," Rom. 8:28. The word "for" in V29 shows this. But there cannot be this assurance to the person that mangles one or more of the links of this golden chain through disbelief.
God’s purpose for His people is sure and certain and all-glorious, for eternal glorification is the blessed and sure promise that is held out to the true child of God. Paul was willing to endure all things, not only that the elect might be saved, but that they might also obtain that full glory that God has for His elect, and unto which He has predestinated them. "Therefore I endure all things for the elect’s sakes, that they may also obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory," II Tim. 2:10. And though this condition known as glorification is to be the wonderful terminal and eternal condition of the people of God, yet one will search in vain in most theological books for any mention of it. And those that do mention it generally do so only in the most cursory manner, and that only in connection with some other subject.
Perhaps this is what is implied in the "abundantly" of II Pet. 1:11. For while the justified man will truly be glorified in the eternal kingdom of our Lord though he enters in filled with doubts and fears and with little joyful service to his credit. Yet he who has made his calling and election sure with the result that he joyfully serves his Lord in the assurance of glory to come, shall have an abundant entrance ministered unto him, as opposed to the fruitless and rewardless entrance of the other.
It is certain from such texts as II Cor. 4:17 that the believer’s patient endurance of trials and afflictions has something to do with the degree of glory that shall be his. This verse says: "For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory." How ashamed then ought we to be for all our mourning and complaining over our little petty inconveniences and discomforts when our gracious Lord has promised us that these shall be the very means of our further glorification if we patiently bear them that our God may be thereby glorified. Let us remember: God will be no man’s debtor: what is done for Him will be rewarded in due season. "And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not," Gal. 6:9.
"Glory" has to do with that sublime and inconceivable state and condition that lies just beyond the present life, and that, since His resurrection, now characterizes Jesus as the God-man, Luke 24:26; I Pet. 1:11. This is what will characterize all the saints after their resurrection, Rom. 8:17-24; Phil. 3:20-21. This is the condition toward which all true saints are moving, for it is their predestinated and promised end, Rom. 8:29-30; 9:23; I Cor. 2:7. We know of no other text that is more appropriate for our study of this subject than Col. 3:4, which says: "When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory."
Glorification is as certain as one’s justification, for it is as much a part of salvation as is justification, as is witnessed by Rom. 8:30. Glorification is the final state in salvation, for it is the redemption of the body, and is the vindication of the saint’s faith and hope. May we note in passing that the Bible speaks of salvation under three tenses, and so, it suggests the three phrases of it. (1) At conversion, we are freed from the penalty of all sins, for we are pronounced justified by God, and this is past tense from the moment of faith. But the Bible sometimes speaks of the present tense of sal-vation—of salvation as an on-going process—we are "being saved," as the Greek tense sometimes says. Thus, (2) in sanctification we are being freed from the power of indwelling sin as we grow more holy and more dedicated to the Lord. But sometimes the Bible speaks of salvation in the future tense—"we shall be saved,"—which has to do with (3) Glorification, which is our freedom from the very presence of sin in us by our receiving of new bodies and minds at the return of our Lord from heaven. These are not three salvations, but are rather three phases of the one complete salvation that our Lord purchased for all His elect upon the Cross. After referring to II Tim. 1:9; Phil. 2:12 and Rom. 13:11, A. W. Pink observes:
"Now those verses do not refer to three different salvations, but to three separate aspects of one and unless we learn to distinguish sharply between them, there can be naught but confusion and cloudiness in our thinking. These passages present three distinct phases and stages of salvation: salvation as an accomplished fact, as a present process, and as a future prospect. So many today ignore these distinctions, jumbling them together. Some contend for one and argue against the other two; and vice versa. Some insist they are already saved, and deny that they are now being saved. Some declare that salvation is entirely future, and deny that it is in any sense already accomplished. Both are wrong. The fact is that the great majority of professing Christians fail to see that ‘salvation’ is one of the most comprehensive terms in all the Scriptures, including predestination, regeneration, justification, sanctification, and glorification."—The Doctrine of Salvation, pp. 106-107.
The glorification of the saints is as certain as Christ’s own glorification, and this is certain for it is now a past fact and history cannot be changed. John 17:22-24 says: "And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them: that they may be one, even as we are one: I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou has loved me. Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou has given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world." Note how our Lord says in V22 that He has given (past tense) His own glory to them. This same fact is seen in Rom. 8:30. The foreknowledge and predestination in V29 are past tense: we can easily see and understand this. And the calling and justification in V30 are both past tense: we can also easily see and understand how this is so for every saved person. But that glorification is also past tense is hard for us to receive, and we are prone to try to reason this away. "Surely," we reason, "the Lord has not yet returned. Surely the resurrection has not yet come about. Surely I have not yet received my new body. How then can the past tense be used here?" Thus by mere perverted human reasoning, we may effectually invalidate some of God’s precious truth about the gracious standing that God has given us.
We reckon entirely too much by appearances, and we are so subject to time and space that we find it hard to realize that our great God is above both time and space, and He is not subject to either. He reckons the glorification of the saints to be past because in His mind and purpose it is as certain as if it were already done. We doubt this generally because we bring in humanism—we try to make God’s purpose subject to man’s workings instead of recognizing God’s sovereign ability to do whatever He wills whenever He wills to do it without so much as a single "do you mind" asked of man. Indeed, because God is not subject to time and space, all things are to Him as if there was but one great present, something that we creatures of time and space cannot visualize and understand.
The text in Col. 3:4 shows that the glorification of the saint is as certain as is the return of the Lord Jesus Christ, for it says "when," not "if He shall appear." It is not a question of whether the saint will be glorified, but only a question of when. There is no uncertainty in anything with the Lord, for He knows all things, and He controls all things. There are no unforeseen contingencies with God, as there are with man, for He does all that He purposes to do. "Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me, Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure… I have spoken it, I will also bring it to pass; I have purposed it, I will also do it," Isa. 46:9-11. For God to purpose some-thing and then not bring it to pass would be a reflection on His Godhood. For it would imply, either that He had not the wisdom to foresee all of the contingencies and make allowance for them. Or that foreseeing all of them, He had not the power to meet those problems. Or that, having both the wisdom and power, He nonetheless changed His mind about what He wanted to do. But the Divine attributes of omniscience, omnipo-tence and immutability are against all of these suppositions.
The certainty of Christ’s return, and the saints’ subsequent glorification, is set forth in Phil. 3:20-21, which the R. V. renders more literally. "For our citizenship is in heaven; from whence also we wait for a Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: who shall fashion anew the body of our humiliation, that it may be conformed to the body of his glory, according to the working whereby he is able even to subject all things unto himself." The word here rendered "wait for" in the R. V., and "look for" in the A. V. means literally to confidently and expectantly look and wait for something. Note how this same Greek word is used in the same basic sense in all of its seven appearances in Rom. 8:19, 23, 25; I Cor. 1:7; Gal. 5:5; Phil. 3:20; Heb. 9:28. With the possible exception of Gal. 5:5, these all look forward to the great hope of the Christian—the return of the Lord Jesus to complete their salvation. And even Gal. 5:5 may have this same application, since it was spoken by, and addressed to, those who are already saved, so that this waiting for of righteousness may refer to Christ’s reign of righteous-ness in which the saints shall share. Although a different word is used in I Thes. 1:10, yet this is the same idea. It is at the time of Jesus’ return that His will, as expressed in John 17:22, will be fulfilled.
"The glory to which Christ has been exalted, is not a subject of idle speculation, in which we have no interest. In his address to his Father, he said, in allusion to his disciples, ‘The glory which thou has given me, I have given them.’ Hence, while we suffer with Christ, and for Christ, in this world, we may rejoice in the hope of being glorified with him."—J. L. Dagg, Manual of Theology, p. 207.
Again, glorification for the people of God is as sure as God’s Word, for His integ-rity rests upon His keeping of His word. He pledges that it shall be thus, and so, it cannot be otherwise. To all that seek for glory through the truth it shall come, but to all that reject the truth, only indignation, wrath, tribulation and anguish, Rom. 2:6-11. "Who will render to every man according to his deeds: to them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, eternal life: but unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile; but glory, honor and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile: for there is no respect of persons with God."
Where judgment and reward are concerned God is totally impartial and shows no respect of persons. But it is a great mistake to attempt to apply "no respect of per-sons" to God in every situation, and it manifests ignorance of Scripture, for in several areas He does show respect of persons, as a number of Scriptures declare. This is especially so in every area where election, salvation or any of God’s covenant dealings are concerned. See Gen. 4:4; Exod. 2:25; Lev. 26:9; II Kings 13:23; Ps. 74:20; 138:6, and others. And, inasmuch as God is the source of all good and perfect gifts, James 1:17, and is the One that distinguishes one person from another, I Cor. 4:7, this respect of persons is commonly seen in life. For example, men do not all have the same advantages in life either physically, mentally, morally, psychologically or spiritually, for all are not gifted with the same abilities and talents, and opportunities vary from person to person. This alone, even if there were not so many Scriptures declaring otherwise, would refute the idea that God never shows respect of persons in any area. Exami-nation of every text that declares that "God is no respecter of persons" will reveal that this is stated only in regard to judgment, and in the final judgment no grace will be seen, but only pure damning justice that exacts everything that is due from sinners.
In election and salvation God shows respect to some over others, for the very word "elect" implies the choice of some and the leaving of others. A universal election is a contradiction in terms. The very first appearance of "respect" in the Bible (and first appearances are almost always significant, and are often the most definitive) in Gen. 4:4-5 shows that God had respect both unto Abel and to his worship, but not to Cain and to his worship. This text and the others cited above in this regard clearly show that God does respect one person over another in matters of His grace. This is because grace is always unconditional else it is not grace. The wisest of men recognized this truth, and prayed to enjoy it, I Kings 8:28. Only in judgment and in rewards, we repeat, must God deal impartially with men; all His dealings in grace, because they do not take notice of any merit or worth in the creature, must show respect of persons.
God has pledged Himself to give glory to every saved soul because he is saved. This involves grace, in which there is respect of persons in every instance. But God has also pledged Himself to reward every rightly motivated service done unto Him by enhancing that initial glory. And because this involves service and rewards God shows no respect of persons, but bases it upon faithfulness in well doing, Rom. 2:7, 10. This is a point where we must "rightly divide the Word of truth," and not just parrot some misapplied Biblical phrase that fits our prejudices. Scripture has spoken clearly in this matter. What will our response be?
Anything that doesn’t have an adequate ground is a vain hope. The believer is not arbitrarily and groundlessly glorified, but he is assured of glorification on the basis of association with the glorified Christ. There is no such thing as glory apart from Christ, but one is predestinated to be conformed to the image of his Lord.
"The process of sanctification, which is continued during the present life, is completed when the subjects of it are perfectly fitted for the service and enjoyments of heaven. In this work of the Spirit, the resurrection of the body is included, and the fashioning of it like the glorious body of Christ. Having been predestinated to be conformed to the image of God’s dear Son, the proposed work of grace is not completed until we appear in glory, with our bodies like the glorious body of the Redeemer. For this perfect conformity, the saints on earth long, and to it they look as the consummation of their wishes and hopes: ‘Then shall I be satisfied when I awake with thy likeness,’ Ps. 17:15."—J. L Dagg, Manual of Theology, p. 300-301.
Col. 3:4 emphasizes this unity with the life of Christ when it says, "When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with Him in glory." Our being glorified is dependent upon our being possessed of that Divine life that is imparted to us in regeneration, II Pet. 1:1-4. This is clearly stated in Col. 1:27: "…Christ in you, the hope of glory." "Hope" in Scripture is a stronger word than our Modern English word which generally means little more than a mere wish without any assurance of receiving the object of that hope. Biblical hope, on the other hand, is the well-grounded expectat-ion of good to come, because it is based upon a Divine promise. Thus, Christ dwelling in our hearts by faith is the evidence of the new birth, and is the ground of our expect-ation of glory to come.
We noted under the preceding division that our glorification is as certain as our justification, for Rom. 8:30 shows that glorification is grounded in justification. God has an order in everything and man cannot disannul that order. God’s order in time is (1) Calling. (2) Justification, and (3) Glorification. "…whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified." Glorification is a result of justification, and cannot exist apart from it, for this verse leaves no room for either gain or loss of persons between the links of this chain. The same persons—the elect of God—are in the foreknown and predestinated stage as are in the glorification stage, and vice versa. The same ones who are called are to be glorified, for they have been justified, which is an incidental proof of the security of the saints.
But someone will doubtless object that "How can this be so, for most people who hear the Gospel do not respond to God’s invitation?" True, but this objection is based upon a misconception of the meaning of "call" here. It is assumed that "called" refers only to the general invitation to salvation. "Called" is used in two senses in the Bible doctrine of salvation: (1) The general call of the Gospel, which is universally rejected by men until the Holy Spirit works in their hearts to quicken them so as to enable them to hear, heed and respond to it. (2) The effectual call of the Holy Spirit by which men are born again and enabled thereby to repent, believe and respond to God’s invitation. This is universally responded to by the elect, for God works effectually, "quickening whom He will," John 5:21, without any response from the sinner until the regeneration is completed. The concurrence of the human will is no part of this, Rom. 9:15-16, for being spiritually dead it is not capable of any right spiritual action until it is made alive by the Spirit of God. Thus no one is ever saved just by the general call of the Gospel, but all are saved to whom the effectual call comes. It is to this second "call" that is made effectual by the almighty power of God that reference is made in Rom. 8:30, and other texts where "call" is used in this special sense. This "call" is "unto the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ," II Thes. 2:14. And it is to be noticed in the preceding verse that this is based upon God’s sovereign choice, as in Rom. 8:29-30. The believer in Christ receives the glory of Christ prospectively in salvation, for glorification is grounded in salvation, being actually a part of it.
"To inform us who shall possess it, and on what ground, it is called an inheritance. Plainly denoting, that none but the children of God shall enjoy it: for a servant, considered as such, cannot inherit. We must, therefore, be the sons of the Highest, by adoption and regeneration, before we can justly hope to enjoy the heavenly patrimony."—Abraham Booth, The Reign of Grace, p. 269.
Glorification is also grounded in our position as believers, for we are predestin-ated to be accepted in the beloved Son of God, as in Eph. 1:5-6. "Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved." The beauty of glorification lies not in us and in our efforts, but wholly in Christ and in His spiritual beauty that is put upon us, as beautifully prefigured in Ezek. 16:14. "And thy renown went forth among the heathen for thy beauty: for it was perfect through my comeliness, which I had put upon thee, saith the Lord God." Israel generally, as well as the Gentiles, missed this truth completely.
It is as much by Christ’s risen and glorified life, as by His sacrificial death, that we find acceptance with the Father, for His righteousness is imputed to us as Rom. 4 so abundantly testifies. And Rom. 5:10 clearly says, "For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life." This is why those who deny the resurrection of Christ have no hope of eternal life and glory, for they deny that which is an integral part of the salvat-ion and glorification of the saint. In the life of Christ alone is life and light for men, John 1:4, and it is to these who have received this life and light that the promise is given of sharing in the glory of Christ. The imputed righteousness of Christ is that alone which fits men for acceptance before God and entry into His kingdom. Human righteousness is never sufficient, for the Pharisees and scribes were the most legally righteous people on earth, yet our Lord warned His disciples in Matt. 5:20 that they needed more than this for acceptance into God’s kingdom. "Except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven."
The coming of our Lord in glorious majesty to the earth is set forth in Rev. 19:11-13, and in V14 we are shown His companions. "And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean." This symbolism is explained in the immediate context, for V8 says: "And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints." On the basis of V7 "his wife hath made herself ready," some believe that the righteousness in V8 is a personal, not an imputed, righteousness, but one word in V8 refutes this. "Granted" is the common Greek word for "given," so that clearly this that characterizes the saints is an imputed righteousness—the only kind any person can have.
Thus, whether they are considered as individuals, or corporately as the Lamb’s wife, V7-8, or militantly as an army, V14, their glory is a result of the imputed righte-ousness of Christ. But not just by this alone, for as we’ve noted under the first division, the believer’s glorification is grounded in God’s omnipotent power, in His omniscience, and indeed in all of His glorious attributes. Abraham Booth observes:
"Their felicity, therefore, is permanent as the Divine perfections they adore and enjoy; and made certain to their own comprehensive minds beyond the possibility of a doubt. This makes their state supremely glorious. This constitutes heaven indeed. Nay, what if the limits of their capacities should be forever enlarging, and forever receiving greater measures of glory? For the Deity is an infinite source of blessedness; and finite vessels may be forever expanding, and forever filling, in that ocean of All-sufficiency."—The Reign of Grace, p. 274.
Traced back to its ultimate ground, the glorification of the saints rests upon the grace of God as is implied in Eph. 1:3, 10. "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ… That in the dispensation of the fullness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in Him." These two verses are tied together by the intervening verses that detail how grace works to bring these spiritual blessing to us. Glorification, like calling and justification, must be grounded in God’s grace, since none of us can claim to deserve even the least part of these spiritual blessings.
When may we expect this wonderful experience to come about? And where is it to take place? Many people think that it takes place immediately upon our death, when we pass into heaven. This is incorrect, although it is correct to say that one who has died has "entered into glory," for this phrase describes the presence of God, where we go at death, Eccl. 12:7; II Cor. 5:8. It does not, however, describe the condition of the saints in heaven while they are awaiting the final episode in their redemption. There is a sense in which those that have died in Christ have been made perfect. Dagg says:
"Besides this final perfection, to which the saints are taught to aspire, there are stages in their progress to which the name perfection is, in a subordinate sense, applied in the Holy Scriptures. The disembodied saints, now in the presence of God, though they have not attained to the resurrection of the body, are nevertheless called ‘just men made perfect.’ They are free from the body of death, free from sin, free from all the tribulations and sorrows of this world, and are present with the Lord, and in the enjoyment of his love."—Manual of Theology, p. 301.
The quotation referred to here is Heb. 12:23. And in proof of what Dagg says of this "perfection" being used only in a subordinate sense, and not in an absolute sense, we have only to notice the prior disclaimer of absolute perfection in those that have not yet attained to the resurrection. After having listed many that had triumphed by faith in the Lord, Heb. 11:39-40 says of all these that they had not yet been made perfect. "And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise: God having provided some better thing for us, that that they without us should not be made perfect." The final and absolute perfecting, or completing, as the Greek word often means, of the saints, will take place all at one time when all saints from all ages will be glorified together. And we make this statement with this exception: we are fully aware that there were some Old Testament saints that, along with Christ, constituted the firstfruits of the resurrection, Matt. 27:51-53. We have no explanation for this, but accept it as a true revelation of the facts. It is God’s business as to what is involved.
Our gracious Lord has made known "the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory," Rom. 9:23. And it is the fact that He has before prepared them unto glory, and glory for them, that glorification is placed in the past tense in Rom. 8:30. But the believer cannot be physically glorified until the judgment seat of Christ, for it is there and at that time that the degree of his glory will be determined, as II Cor. 5:9-10 shows. "Wherefore we labor, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad." But this judgment takes place at the return of Christ to earth, after the Great Tribulation, as says Matt. 16:27: "For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works." His coming then will be with power and great glory, Luke 21:27, and He shall sit upon the throne of his glory," Matt. 19:28. Glory will be the chief characteristic of that great event.
The degree of one’s glory will be contingent upon the faithfulness of his service, and so, rewards enter into the matter, and these are to be passed out at the coming of Christ. But consider: both good and bad actions by Christians have consequences that go on and on, like the ripples in a lake left by the tossing in of a single stone, and the full consequences of an act may not be fully known for several generations. Hence, only at the judgment seat of Christ, when all human actions are reckoned up, will the full consequences of any given act, good or bad, be known to men, and so the degree of reward due be discerned.
The Divine order of all this is presented in I Thes. 4:16-17. "For the Lord Him-self shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord." Here we see: (1) The coming of Christ from heaven with a shout, and with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God. (2) The redemption of the body, Rom. 8:23, for the bodies of the dead saints are raised, Isa. 26:19, then the bodies of the living saints are changed by being instantly renovated, I Cor. 15:51. (3) This shall be our gathering together unto Him, Ps. 50:3-5; II Thes. 2:1, the blessed hope of all believers, Tit. 2:13. (4) The rewarding will take place after this, Matt. 16:27; Rev. 22:12. (5) This rewarding will include ruling over all the earth as kings and priests, Ps. 149:5-9; Rev. 5:9-10; 11:15-18.
Clearly the time of the glorification of the saints will be at the time of Christ’s own enthronement over all the earth. This is borne out in the parable that Jesus taught in Luke 19:12, 15. "He said therefore, A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return… And it came to pass, that when he was returned, having received the kingdom, then he commanded these ser-vants to be called unto him, to whom he had given the money, that he might know how much every man had gained by trading." Here is (1) The Return. (2) The Reigning. (3) The Rewarding. Nor can this be made out to be a present "reigning of the church" as has been the popular teaching of the past. A. W. Pink well says of these verses:
"Here we learn that Christ’s return and His reception of the ‘Kingdom’ are inseparably connected together. Not only do the Scriptures plainly refute the assertion that Christ is now reigning, but existing conditions cannot be made to square with this belief. How absurd it is to say that Christ is now reigning over the earth when His authority is despised and rejected by the whole of the unbelieving world."—The Redeemer’s Return, p. 108.
On the basis of this fact, believers are taught in the model prayer to pray "Thy kingdom come," Matt. 6:10, for the coming of the Kingdom of Christ will be the fruition of all the saints’ hopes and desires as well, for it will mark their entrance into the glory of Christ in all its fullness. But this very duty to pray this makes evident that the King-dom has not yet come upon the earth, else the duty to pray this would be abrogated.
We know not what prophecies yet remain to be fulfilled before the return of the Lord, and our consequent glorification. Perhaps there are none yet to be fulfilled, but only the sovereign will of God withholds this great event because His time is not yet. Though God has called us already to share in this glory, yet He has declared that this shall only come about after we have "suffered a while," I Pet. 5:10, for our suffering will increase our appreciation of that glory when it dawns. Indeed, it is shown that there is a correlation between our suffering with Christ, and our being glorified together with Him, Rom. 8:17: "…if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together." And II Tim. 2:11-12 says: "It is a faithful saying: For if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him: if we suffer, we shall also reign with him…" Willingness to suffer for Christ’s sake is a test of one’s fidelity and love to Him, as well as teaching us to appreciate the glory when it comes. A. J. Gordon says:
"That repeated strain in the parable which follows that of the ten virgins —‘Well done, good and faithful servant: thou has been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things’—seems to indicate the nature of the saints’ inheritance. Reigning with Christ over the earth throughout the millennium, their rank in His manifested kingdom will be according to their fidelity during the time of His absence. In the judg-ment of the nations which now follows, they will be associated with their Lord,—‘Know ye not that the saints shall judge the world?’ (I Cor. 6:2)—and in their nearness to Him in honor and authority will consist the greatness of their reward."—Ecce Venit, p. 271.
Thus, it becomes a question of great importance to ask ourselves, as to how much we are willing to suffer for the Lord’s sake, in the light of His promise to reward everyone who suffers for His sake. An important point is, that He has determined to allow us to suffer a while for His glory, which is itself a gift of His grace, as Phil. 1:29 shows. "For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake." Thus, those who are unwilling to suffer for Christ, attempt to frustrate the very reason for the seeming delay of His return to glorify them, and the very means of the enhancement of their glorification.
When shall the coming of Christ take place, and the saints’ glorification? No definite time is set, and it is foolish to attempt to set up dates. What is important is to watch for the fulfillment of events that mark the approach of the great event, and to be careful that we are always prepared to unashamedly meet Him at His coming.
"We want to get rid of the idea that there is a date fixed by our Lord for His coming. Without doubt God knows the exact time when it will happen. But the thing for us to mark is that it will not occur because a certain fixed date has arrived. That is the way we adjust all our human affairs, fixing dates, and then doing the things on those dates, unless it prove impossible. This is not the way here. And the more clearly this is fixed in our minds the better we shall understand God’s plannings. The time of the Coming is fixed as the harvest is fixed, that is, it will come when things are ripe for it. This is the principle determining the time."—S. D. Gordon, Quiet Talks About Our Lord’s Return, p. 177.
In harmony with this is the word that our Lord Himself has spoken in Matt. 25:13: "Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh." We are to watch for the signs of the times, Matt. 24:32-34, and these will give us a general idea of the time of the coming of our Lord again to earth, and of our glorification with Him.
Just prior to this statement, Peter had spoken of being a partaker of the glory to come. In V1 he said: "The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed." He spoke of this as certain because it is certain to all believers, for they cannot lose their salvation, and consequently cannot fail to be glorified. The degree of it may vary because of unfaithfulness, but not the fact of it. We are certain to be glorified because of Christ in us, as Col. 1:27 declares: "…Christ in you, the hope—expectation—of glory." The resurrection of the body, which is glorification, is an integral part of salvation, and so, glorification of the body is made absolutely certain by the salvation of the soul. B. H. Carroll rightly observes in his notes on Rom. 8:
Just as God the Father and God the Son, being one, share the things that are common to each, so the true saint, being associated with Christ, shares His glory which the Father has given to Him. John 17:21-22 reveals: "That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one." Our glorification then rests upon being associated with Christ through the new birth, and is guaranteed by the omnipo-tent power of God. Unbelief may ask, "How may these things be?" (See I Cor. 15:35.) But Scripture answers "By the power of God, which is absolute." Phil. 3:21 says in no uncertain terms: "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." There is no room for doubt in this matter if God be God, and if we are associated with Him through saving faith in His Son, Jesus Christ.
Furthermore, the believer’s association with Christ in glorification is to be seen in such texts as II Tim. 2:12; Rev. 1:6; 5:10; 2:26-27, and Ps. 149, which speak of the saints’ joint rule with Christ over all the earth in the Millennial Kingdom. Glorification will also involve our being placed as kings and priests over all the earth. For during Christ’s Millennial rule every civil governmental post, and every religious position will be occupied by those that are not only born again, but who also possess new bodies and minds which are incapable of mistakes in judgment or justice. This is why it will be a reign of perfect peace and righteousness, Ps. 85:9-11; Isa. 32:17-18. Then will the saints’ trust in Christ be vindicated before all the world, and no more will Satan give worldly honors and riches to wicked men to make it appear that evil is profitable. By this aspect of glorification will it be shown that God blesses those that trust and obey Him, and that no one loses permanently by serving God. And likewise, that to follow Satan, though it may be temporarily profitable and pleasing in this present evil age, will yet involve the loss of the glories of the coming age, and after that, eternal loss.
Man’s time on earth is so pitifully short—even when he lives beyond his appoint-ed three score years and ten, Ps. 90:10—and so Satan convinces man that he must grab all that he can, while he can. But the truth is, the present life is the time of testing and preparation for the world to come—a glorious world for all that are fitted for it by justification, sanctification and glorification. But who can even imagine the glory of the world to come, for it will not only involves inconceivable glory, but even growth in the ability to enjoy and appreciate it. In a description of heaven, A. H. Strong says:
By Davis W. Huckabee, Pastor,