"That the trial of your faith.. .might be found.. .at the appearing of Jesus Christ" (1 Pet. 1:7).

There are two words in the original language of the New Testament for which the word "appearing" has to do service in our Authorized Version, viz.:epiphaneia, literally, "outshining," and apokalupsis, literally, "unveiling."

In the old dispensation, the people of God were made well aware of the outshining of God's glory. Even a beast coming near to Mount Sinai was destroyed. But there was never an unveiling of glory until God came forth fully declared in Christ.

The "appearing" is spoken of in the above passage in the sense of revelation or "unveiling," and immediately the apostle puts in contrast the fact that his readers had not yet seen objectively the One they loved. That is opposed to all human experience. We cannot be permanently in love with an ideal; we must have in the mind a concrete impression of the object we love. In the first instance all human affection springs from sight. But the key to participation in the circle of divine affections is supplied in the succeeding sentence, "In whom.. .believing." Then follows rejoicing "with joy unspeakable" and "glory-tinged."

In our present condition we cannot bear the full outshining of glory. When a medicinal preparation is too strong for assimilation by the human organism it is diluted with water, but the essential virtues of the medicinal qualities are unimpaired. In the same way, our joy in the Lord is glory diluted. It does not differ in quality from the fulness of joy which we shall experience in the glory with the Lord Jesus Christ. The present foretaste has but a scintillation of the glory in which we shall dwell for ever. T. Oliver (Galashiels)