Question:
How are we “in Christ” in glory right now? Won’t we be with Christ in glory after the rapture?
Answer:
When the Scriptures speak of a person being “in Christ,” it means that that is the believer’s position before God. God sees the believer “in Christ.” A person becomes “in Christ” by believing “in Him” (John 3:16), and the Lord says that no man can “pluck them [believers] out of My hand” (John 10:28). Being “in Christ” means that you can never be lost, just as you won’t drown if your head is above water. Our Head is above water for Christ is in heaven, and we are too for we are “in Christ!”
The more we realize the great privilege that is ours of being “in Christ,” the more we will seek to please Him, and the more we will want to be careful how we live. If we commit a sin, He knows all about it because He is right there with us, for we are “in Christ.” This causes us to confess the wrong to Him right away (1 John 1:9), and continue on pressing “toward the mark” (Philippians 3:14).It is true that the believer will also be with Christ very soon in the glory. But we must first be “in Christ” before we can be “with Christ.” The reason God has put us “in Christ” is so “that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:7).