And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:14, NASB)
I love the beauty of golf. I love the flight of a well-struck 6-iron as it arches across the blue sky on its way to the green. The feel. The balance. The sound. It may not happen often, but when it does, it is a beautiful thing to behold.
I also love the beauty of a golf course early in the morning or late in the afternoon at twilight as the sun surrenders in the western sky, especially after a round of competitive golf. Good memories.
The natural world here and now gives us a glimpse into the glory that is to be revealed. The heavens are telling of the glory of God; and their expanse is declaring the work of His hands (Psalm 19:1).
The Old Testament is but a shadow of the shadow caster to come. Glory beyond measure.
But every now and then, God gives us a glimpse of what is to come. A stone in Bethany was rolled away, and Lazarus came forth after being dead for four days.
Jesus told them, Did I not say to you that if you would believe, you would see the glory of God? (John 11:40, NASB). They saw His glory in raising their friend from the dead. Imagine what Lazarus saw!
And then on the mountain with three of Jesus closest friends, they saw their Lord transfigured, His face shining like the sun, His garments white as light. Luke summarized this event this way: They saw His glory (Luke 9:32, NASB).
Then one day, no more glimpses. It will be a full reality.
“One day, the Son of Man will return, the same way He left, in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory” (Luke 21:27). No more glimpses. No more fleeting moments. No more veil between Him and us. Just the full, radiant splendor of His presence.
But something else will happen that day. And this is where we fit into the story. 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 (1 John 3:2). It boggles the mind.
We shall be like Jesus. You and I, both of us, along with all of God’s children. We shall be like Jesus. It’s not a possibility; it’s a promise. We shall be like Jesus. We won’t resemble Him; we will replicate Him. Imagine all the dimensions of glory that await us. One day we will shed all the atrophies of age, the slack muscles, the brittle bones, the arthritic joints, the failing health, the fading memory.” (Randy Wolff and Ken Gire, Stay on Trail: Following the Signposts Home)
Pardon me. I get so thrilled about His assurance of the glory to come. I conclude with this quote from C.S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory:
“At present, we are on the outside of the world, the wrong side of the door. We discern the freshness and purity of morning, but they do not make us fresh and pure. We cannot mingle with the splendors we see. But all the leaves of the New Testament are rustling with the rumor that it will not always be so. Someday, God willing, we shall get in.”
The glory we see now in this world is only the first sketch. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known (1 Corinthians 13:12, NASB).
We glimpse His glory now, but the fullness is yet to come.
Prayer – Lord Jesus, your promise continues our hope. Come, Lord Jesus.