D. FUTURE TRANSFORMATION
1. Bodies of Humiliation

We have seen that we are a new creation. We are also being transformed while yet in earthy
bodies. This is not all God has for us. We now shall see that "we shall bear the image of the
Heavenly" (1 Cor. 15:49). God has predestined us "to be conformed to the image of His Son, that
He might be the firstborn [that is, preeminent, foremost] among many brethren" (Rom. 8:29).
What a promise this is! Not a mere outward resemblance, but just like Him! Not earthy any more,
but entirely heavenly. (Note, the Greek word for "conformed" in Rom. 12:2_"be not conformed
to this world"_has the sense of a superficial and temporary resemblance. But it is a different
Greek word for "conformed in Rom. 8:29, meaning a permanent, thorough conformity, inside and
out.)

This was an Old Testament hope. Both Job and David testify to this (Job 19:25-27; Psa. 17:15).
The New Testament is full of this hope also.

In Phil. 3:20,21, we read:"We look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall change our
vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto His glorious body." This change is not a continual
renewing happening upon this earth, but awaits His coming. "Our body of humiliation" (JND) is
a better translation than "our vile body." Our bodies are not exactly vile although we may do vile
things. Our bodies are "fearfully and wonderfully made" (Psa. 139:14). But they are earthy and
weak and frail (Psa. 39:4-7). They are easily injured and killed. They humiliate us in many ways.
They get sick. They sometimes smell or make sounds we do not want them to make. We are not
strong enough or coordinated enough to do some things. We fall short when we try, we stumble,
we fall, we make mistakes, we get confused, we get hurt and bleed. We gradually age, get aches
and pains and spots and wrinkles, and finally die. Ecclesiastes 12 gives a graphic picture of the
aging process. This, however, is not the end. God has something better ahead for the believer (2
Cor. 4:16-18). It is a "far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory." Even though we might
suffer terribly now for Christ’s sake, or as victims of sinful acts of others, we have this hope. All
of the creation groans together for this … the redemption of our body. It will be blessed when we
are brought into liberty of the glory of the sons of God (Rom. 8:18-25 JND). Other scriptures
enlarge on this:

Our bodies will be changed "like unto His glorious body" (Phil. 3:21).

"We shall be changed" (1 Cor. 15:51-58), with no more corruptibility or mortality. In other
words, we won’t age or die.

We shall "be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven." We have "the earnest (advance,
pledge, or binding part payment) of the Spirit" as proof of this (2 Cor. 5:1-9).

"We shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is" (1 John 3:2). No longer will we see Him
obscurely as through a dim window, but "face to face" (1 Cor. 13:12).

The disciples got a glimpse of this glory in the transfiguration (Matt. 17:2), and later in the
resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ. Saul, on the road to Damascus, saw Him in glory. The
sight transformed his whole way of thinking and his entire life. He desires that our whole person
be like Him in that day (1 Thess. 5:23).

And is it so_I shall be like Thy Son?
Is this the grace which He for me has won?
Father of glory (thought beyond all thought!),
In glory, to His own blest likeness brought!

2. A New Body

We each have a "soulish" body. It attends to the appetites of the soul. The soul naturally attends
to the demands of the body (Luke 12:19). Each of us also has a spirit as well as a soul. The spirit
of man "knows the things of a man" (1 Cor. 2:11). This is different from the soulish part of his
nature that a man has in common with beasts (which so confuses the evolutionists). But our bodies
are not "spiritish" bodies yet. They are earthy, but soon shall be heavenly. Jesus rose from the
dead with a new body–a heavenly one suited for the spirit in control instead of the soul. He passed
through shut doors (John 20:19,26), appeared and disappeared (Luke 24:31,36), had flesh and
bones (but blood was not needed anymore; 24:39), and finally ascended bodily into the air and
passed into the heavens (24:51; Acts l:9; Eph. 1:20; Heb. 4:14; 9:24). He is there seated_a Man
in glory (Mark 16:9; Col. 3:1; Heb. 1:3; 10:12; 12:2). He will return in His resurrection body
to get us. We will then be changed to be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is (1 Cor.
15:51-54; 1 Thess. 4:13-18; 1 John 3:2). Later we shall return with Him, in bodies like His, to
judge His enemies on earth (2 Thess. 1:6-10; Rev. 19:11-21). Then we shall reign over the earth
as the bride of Christ for 1,000 years (Rev. 19:7-9; 20:6). After that, we shall be with Him,
unchanged, for eternity (Rev. 22:5). This is not fairy tales, science fiction, fantasy, fanciful
dreams, or wishful thinking. It is real! It has already happened to Enoch and Elijah (Gen. 5:24;
Heb. 11:5; 2 Ki. 2:11). It has already happened to Jesus. It will very soon happen to us (Rev.
22:20). Do we really believe this in our hearts? How it should affect our walk on this earth_as
pilgrims passing through (1 Pet. 2:11), as ambassadors for Christ (2 Cor. 5:20), as citizens of
heaven (Phil. 3:20). Let us live as such!

Behold, what wondrous love and grace!
When we were wretched and undone,
To save a ruined, helpless race,
The Father gave His only Son!
Of twice ten thousand gifts divine,
No gift like this could ever shine!

What of the unbelievers_cast in Adam’s image, responsible to display God’s image, lost, corrupt,
fearful, rebellious, self-centered, idolatrous souls? God will allow them to complete the path they
have chosen. By His grace He created them and allowed them to live and experience His bountiful
goodness and mercies (Psalm 107; Matt. 5:45; Acts 14:15-17; Rom. 2:4; 9:22). Men chose to
create idols instead of the true image of the God they knew (Rom. 1:20-23; Josh. 24:2). They
persisted even after they were forbidden by Moses (Exod. 20:4; Lev. 26:1; Amos 5:25-27; Acts
7:42,43). Even now men are self-centered and covetous, and "covetousness … is idolatry" (Col.
3:5). There are false prophets, false teachers, and false christs abroad even now. Jesus Himself
warned of such (Matt. 24:5,24), as did John (1 John 2:18-23; 4:1-6). This secret iniquity already
is at work (2 Thess. 2:7).

4. The False Image

Soon we shall leave this earth, and the One who restrains it, the Holy Spirit in us, will go with us.
Then men will be presented a false Christ, a false prophet who will deceive by miracles and who
will erect an image in a holy place then found in Jerusalem (Matt. 24:15,24). He looks like a lamb
but speaks like a dragon (Dan. 11:31-39; 12:1; Rev. 13:11-19; 14:9-11; 15:2; 16:2). He is an
abomination which brings on a desolator (an invading nation sent by God upon His idolatrous
rebel Israel). This antichrist displays himself as God (2 Thess. 2:4). Then the Lord, the true image
of God, will return and destroy them. The fearful and unbelieving will be cast into the lake of fire
(Rev. 21:8). Solemn fate! What a useless eternal loss when eternal life is available–free for the
taking–in Jesus. "Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable gift" (2 Cor. 9:15). Will you not
repent, take Him, and be changed eternally into His image?

FRAGMENT
It is in Christ that all our thoughts are adjusted, set right, judged, and purified. Everything relates
to Him; we do not eat without Him, we do not drink without Him. What we say and what we do
are said and done in the name of the Lord.

FRAGMENT
Can we say of any when going into their house, “That person brings me to Christ”? If one had
paid a visit to the apostle Paul, would not that person have come away with a fresh taste of Christ?
I have often come out of the house of a poor bedridden soul feeling, “Oh, how I wish my soul
were like that!” Oh, that the pulse of Christ were throbbing in every one who belongs to Him!

"As unknown, and yet well known" (2 Cor. 6:9).

It is our purpose here to investigate a few New Testament characters whose identity God has seen
fit not to reveal, much as some of us, in our short-sightedness, might wish that we knew.

A Zealous Follower

The first of these, and perhaps the most noted, is found in Mark 14:50-52:"And they all forsook
Him and fled. And there followed Him a certain young man, having a linen cloth cast about his
naked body; and the young men laid hold on him. And he left the linen cloth and fled from them
naked."

Now who was this young unnamed man, we ask? No one on earth can tell us with certainty. There
have been many conjectures, including James, the brother of the Lord, and John, the son of
Zebedee. However, were we compelled to hazard a guess, we should say it was John Mark, the
writer of the Gospel himself. Or else it was a young man with whom John Mark could well
identify because of his own failure many years later when he gave up and left Paul and Barnabas
while on a missionary journey (Acts 13:13). He may have recorded this little episode concerning
the young man as a warning for all_particularly young men_against presumption in the beginning
of their purpose to follow and serve the Lord.

This young man, probably roused out of sleep by the noisy rabble, ran into the street. Recognizing
the Prisoner and moved by mere enthusiasm or indignation, he was determined to follow Him
whom the apostles had so ignominiously forsaken. But mere natural zeal and its good intentions
is insufficient to maintain one through a course of discipleship; only grace, grace given us by God,
can accomplish this. This young unnamed man appears to have been lacking in this area, and
failure and shame were the result. It was probably not so much fear for his life as it was fear of
the ridicule of his fellow youths who laid hold on him. His natural courage failed him and he
hastened to make his escape from his tormentors, leaving his night cloth in their hands.

Here indeed lies a lesson for all would-be disciples and followers of Christ. To such we would
say, in the language of the hymn, "The arm of flesh will fail you." The confident language of faith
is, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" (Phil. 4:13), and "Not I, but Christ"
(Gal. 2:20). All attempts to follow and serve and suffer for Christ in the energy of mere natural
courage or enthusiasm will result in what we see exhibited in this undoubtedly sincere
zealot_namely, failure, exposure, and shame.

Let us, then, His servants, no better in ourselves than this unnamed young man, learn from him
the needed lesson of self-distrust. And let us follow the pattern of the writer of this account and
of our Lord in manifesting that thoughtful love that "shall hide a multitude of sins" (Jas. 5:20).
Let us not be ready or eager or even willing (unless compelled by a sense of duty) to make known
a fellow disciple’s faults or failures, but diligent rather to conceal them from the knowledge of
others, and from the vulgarly curious in particular.

A Would-Be Assassin

Simon Peter was perhaps the best known of the twelve disciples of Christ. But with respect to one
negative event in His life he remained anonymous until nearly the close of the first century. This
event was when he, with inexcusable haste, drew a sword and with more serious purpose, no
doubt even to kill, cut off the ear of the servant of the high priest. The incident is recorded in all
four Gospels, but it was given only to John to divulge the name (Matt. 26:51; Mark 14:47; Luke
22:50; John 18:20). And had John not revealed the identity of the culprit we should never have
known this side of heaven who it was. John’s Gospel was probably written about 96 A.D., so
Peter’s identity in this matter was concealed for more than a half century until after he was dead
and therefore when the publication of his name could injure neither him nor his influence and
usefulness.

We might wonder why Peter’s anonymity was preserved with regard to the sword-wielding
incidence and not with regard to his far more serious threefold denial of his Lord. Perhaps it was
to keep him from getting into even more trouble with the authorities than he already experienced
because of his witness for Christ (Acts 4-12).

How perfectly natural to the human mind to wish to know who the would-be assassin might be as
the dramatic narrative was read; but it was not to be during the lifetime of the guilty one. His Lord
was compelled to perform a miracle (something He was never eager but rather reluctant to do) in
restoring the severed ear, and also to offer an apology for His disciple’s misconduct, saying,
"Suffer thus far" (Luke 22:51). How wondrously gracious of Him! and even more gracious was
His restraining of the earlier evangelists, Matthew, Mark, and Luke, from recording his name.

Oh, how admirable that "love of Christ" that for so long a time kept covered the name of His
energetic though often mistaken disciple! May a similar love in us, ever constrain us to a like
concealment of our brethren’s faults and failures, and even sins, if these last be not of sufficient
seriousness to call for some extreme penalty.

(To be continued.)

In Part I of this series we discussed the need for the unbeliever to prepare for death by repenting
of his sins and placing his trust in the finished work of Christ on the cross for his sins. We also
discussed the desirability of believers preparing for heaven by seeking to live our lives here on
earth as we will one day in heaven. In this way we can begin even now to taste the joys and
blessings that we will experience in full measure throughout eternity.

Preparation for Leaving Earth

As we prepare ourselves for heaven on the one hand, we need to concern ourselves also with what
we are going to leave behind on earth when we die. There is truth in the cliché, "You can’t take
it with you"; in a certain sense, we will leave everything behind when we die (or are raptured, as
in 1 Cor. 15:52). But we must be careful that what we leave behind is not too much, not too little,
and not the wrong things.

Let me explain what I mean by posing some probing questions:

1. If you were to die tonight, how much debt would your family be saddled with? Without your
salary, would your family be forced into bankruptcy? Would there be enough value in your assets
(for example, house, automobile, furniture, appliances) to fully pay your creditors, or would they
be left "high and dry"? ("Owe no man anything," Rom. 13:8, certainly is applicable in this
context.) Or even if your family has little or no debt, have you built up enough of a "nest egg" to
help your spouse through the initial crisis of separation and reduced income?

2. Have you and your spouse trained and instructed one another in each other’s household duties
and responsibilities so that if you were to die tonight, your spouse could step in and keep all
aspects of the household running smoothly? For example, do both you and your spouse know how
to prepare a meal, program the microwave, and use the washer and drier? how to write checks and
balance the check book? where to find important papers (such as the deed to the house, automobile
title, certificates of deposit, stock certificates, bank passbooks, unpaid bills, etc.)? what financial
assets and liabilities your family has? how to change a tire, replace the battery in the smoke alarm,
start the lawn mower, and replace a washer in the faucet? how to change a diaper and dress a
child?

Similar lists of questions could be drawn up concerning your job, the business you run, or your
responsibilities (such as treasurer) in the local assembly.

There may be various reasons why certain family responsibilities have been assigned to or carried
out by one spouse rather than the other (for example, natural abilities or interests, habit, tradition),
and it may be more efficient to have a division of labor. But each spouse should have some
working knowledge of the other’s domain so that the death of one spouse would not leave the other
totally helpless in any area.

3. If you were to die tonight, would you leave behind anyone whose spirit you have wounded, who

carries emotional scars because of you, to whom you have spoken angry or unkind words, with
whom you have had a strained relationship or have not been on speaking terms for some time, to
whom you have lied, or about whom you have gossiped to others? Would you leave behind anyone
to whom you have stubbornly, proudly refused to confess a wrong? It is true that "you can’t take
it with you," but is this really what you want to leave behind_people you have hurt and with
whom you have never been reconciled?

Scripture places a premium on making right our wrongs toward others (Exod. 22:1-14; Lev. 6:5),
confessing our faults and sins to those whom we have offended and sinned against (Jas. 5:16), and
being reconciled with those who have anything against us (Matt. 5:23-26). How awful it would
be to sin against an unbeliever and then to die without confessing it or making it right! If the
unbeliever by God’s mercies is saved, in spite of the blot we have put upon the testimony of
Christ, then we shall rejoice to be able to confess our sin and be reconciled when we meet together
again in heaven. But if that unbeliever goes to the grave without being saved, we will have lost
forever the opportunity to confess our sin to the one we have sinned against. Here, surely, is a
solemn example of what it will mean for a saved person to "suffer loss" (1 Cor. 3:15).

If we have sinned against another believer (maybe our spouse, or a parent, or a brother or sister
in the local assembly), and if we don’t clear it up in this life, no doubt it will have to be cleared
up when we get to heaven as a result of our appearance "before the judgment seat of Christ" (2
Cor. 5:10). Heaven is a holy place. There can be no sin where thrice-holy God dwells. And
therefore, there can be no unconfessed sin nor unreconciled people there either. In fact, the
clearing up of all of the sins and offenses and misunderstandings that have separated and divided
believers here on earth will be one of the reasons for the supreme joy and happiness that will be
found in heaven.

In view of these things, why wait!? Let us humble ourselves to confess our faults and sins to our
brothers and sisters in Christ, our husband or wife, our parents, our children, and seek to be
reconciled with them even now in this life. What joy and happiness will flow from it! What
deliverance from guilt and shame! What new found power for ministering the Word and for living
the Christian life! And what immeasurable benefits to those sinned against, releasing them from
all excuse to be resentful, bitter, angry, or vengeful toward you, and to be filled with self-pity and
depression because of the wrongs done to them! So by humbly, sincerely confessing your sins
against another, you not only free yourself to live as God would have you to live, but in many
cases you will help to deliver the person initially sinned against from his/her own sinful response
to your sin.

May each of us desire to live our lives so that if we should die suddenly and without warning, we
would not leave behind (1) a pile of debt for our survivors to have to worry about; nor (2) a stack
of new responsibilities of which our survivors are quite ignorant; nor (3) any souls who are still
hurting and stumbled as a result of our sinful or un-Christlike behavior.

(To be continued.)

Oh, the bitter pain and sorrow
That a time could ever be,
When I proudly said to Jesus,
"All of self and none of Thee."

Yet He found me; I beheld Him
Bleeding on th’accursed tree,
And my wistful heart said faintly,
"Some of self, and some of Thee."

Day by day His tender mercy,
Healing, helping, full and free,
Brought me lower, while I whispered,
  "Less of self and more of Thee."

Higher than the highest heaven,
  Deeper than the deepest sea,
Lord, Thy love at last has conquered;
"None of self and all of Thee.