Month: September 2023

heavenly body, shining

You Will Have The Glory Of God

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How much do you reflect on the idea that the people of God will have the glory of God? Revelation 21:11 promises that in the coming New Heaven and New Earth believers will have “the glory of God”. But this promise is not confined to Revelation ‒ it is a major New Testament theme. In a previous post we looked at the future luminosity of the body of Christ which is one dimension of God’s glorification of his people. Now we will consider what the New Testament says about this glorification in general. Warning: this is a very encouraging subject! It is surprising how often Scripture speaks of the glorification of believers. Apparently, this is an important truth for believers to keep in mind. Some of the mentions of this theme in the New Testament include (Bible quotes are from the ESV translation): • In John 17:22 Jesus states in Continue Reading →

Weekly words of encouragement

Our New Earth Of Righteousness – Weekly Words Of Encouragement

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“But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.” II Pet. 3:13 (ESV) We do not have to be distressed about this present age nor doubt that God will judge the good and the bad. Those who have received the Son will have life in the next age, the New Creation. We will dwell on a new earth underneath new heavens, and society will be as God originally meant it to be. So our hearts now dwell in the place of constant anticipation of the New Creation. Peter emphasizes that righteousness will dwell on the new earth. This is a big part of what we look forward to. Now, we suffer in a world immersed in unrighteousness, unholiness, destruction, dehumanization and opposition to God. But we look forward to a world where we can live without any unrighteousness! It is Continue Reading →

sun, heaven, luminous

You Will Be Luminous

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In Revelation 19:8 we learn that the Bride of the Lamb (i.e., believers) will be “bright”. This is a significant theme for believers in the New Testament and I refer to this theme as “luminosity”. The glorification of believers is a major New Testament theme and this is one aspect of that theme. I suspect that when scripture mentions the glorification of believers, which it does often, luminosity is implied. You will be luminous with the light of God shining through you. God wants his saints to literally shine, and to shine in a way that is almost blinding. I have found this mentioned two other times in the New Testament. Jesus states it plainly in Matthew 13:43: “Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father.” (This is an allusion to Daniel 12:3: “And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of Continue Reading →