Keep Your Hope In The Final Revelation

11.5.23 1 John 3:2–3 (EHV)

2 Dear friends, we are children of God now, but what we will be has not yet been revealed. We know that when he is revealed we will be like him, and we will see him as he really is. 3 Everyone who has this hope purifies himself just as Jesus is pure.

Keep Your Hope in the Final Revelation

When our children were first born I couldn’t help but wonder what they would be like when they’d grow up. What would their voices sound like? Would they be athletic? Fun? Musical? When you see a certain trait in your child, and you notice it is a strength, a beauty, a parent will try to build on that strength and use it to their fullest potential. You want your child to succeed and do well. You pray for them. You take them to worship. You want them to know Jesus. You hope for the best. It doesn’t always turn out that way, but as a good parent you do your best to help make it happen.

As we look at our children with hope, John speaks with that same type of hope when he talks about us, God’s children. He speaks with eager expectation and says, What we will be has not yet been revealed. God’s going to reveal a whole new you on Judgment Day. Paul spoke the same way in Romans. He writes in Romans 8, We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. I honestly don’t think this way too often. I’m more often worried about how I look right now, all my blemishes and faults. But I should look forward to Judgment Day and say, “I can’t wait to see what God is going to do with me in the end, how God is going to recreate me.” Each one of us will be unique, special, and perfect in our own way: Saints Triumphant.

We will be unique, but we will also be very similar in some senses. John writes, We know that when he is revealed we will be like him, and we will see him as he really is. When Moses was on the top of Mt. Sinai receiving the Ten Commandments, his face shone like the sun. (Exodus 3, 2 Corinthians 3) It was so bright that he had to cover his face when he came down the mountain. It wasn’t really his own glory, but a reflection of the glory of God that was beaming on him and in him. When Jesus was on the top of the Mount of Transfiguration, he too shone like the sun. So what does it mean that we will be like him? Jesus Himself said that at the resurrection “the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father.” (Mt 13:43) This is what we hope for. This is what we can’t wait for, to be rid of our sinful blemishes and faults, to actually look like God wants us to look, holy and blameless, without makeup or some sort of phone app to distort our appearance.

The second part of heaven is also interesting to think about as we wait for heaven. We will see him as he really is. One of the greatest beauties of heaven is when we get to see Jesus as he REALLY is. That little concept is really kind of a neat thing to dig into. About five years ago a movie came out called, “A Star is Born.” Brad Cooper directed it, and he wanted Lady Gaga to play a major role in it. If you don’t know who Lady Gaga is, she is known for her outrageous costumes and makeup. She really lays it on thick. She played a similar part at the beginning of the movie as she sang at a drag bar with a ton of makeup and face paint on. Brad Cooper, as the country star, saw her sing, and went back in the makeup room to meet her. He then proceeded to take off her fake eyebrow, because he wanted to see what she really looked like. She was embarrassed. Later on, as they sat at the bar and she had her makeup off, she explained that she put all the makeup on because she was embarrassed at the size of her nose. But in a very romantic and heartfelt scene Brad Cooper told her how attractive he felt her nose was and actually touched her nose. The point I’m getting at is the idea of how he looked at her and saw her for who she was without the makeup. As is. Face to face. That’s how John talked about seeing God, that’s how we want to see Him.