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be redeemed; “we ourselves groan within in a moment [Greek atomos], in the twin-
ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, kling of an eye” (1Co 15:51-52). The bodily
the redemption of our body” (v23). At change will happen in the smallest indivis-
His coming to rapture the Church out of ible fragment of time, and we will be fitted
this world, our Saviour “shall change our physically for the glory of heaven.
vile body” (Php 3:21), i.e., these present
bodies of humiliation that still belong to a Our Ultimate Glorification
groaning creation. Needing fed, watered, What a moment it will be when the
clothed, they get tired and need rest and Lord comes again, and we will be brought
sleep; they are weak, fragile, subject to to complete conformity to the glorified
decay, suffering, disease and death. Christ. This is why God set His purpose
But our Saviour “shall transform our on us. Romans 8:29 says, “For whom he
body of humiliation into conformity to his did foreknow, he also did predestinate to
body of glory” (v21 JND). The miraculous be conformed to the image of his Son.”
character of Christ’s glorified resurrection
body was displayed when He came clean J.N. Darby’s hymn captures the thought:
out of the tomb, leaving the grave clothes And is it so! We shall be like Thy Son,
lying as they had been wrapped around Is this the grace which He for us has won?
His body in death (Joh 20:5-7). He would Father of glory! (thought beyond all
later appear in the midst of the gathered thought)
disciples, when the door was kept shut In glory, to His own blest likeness brought.
(v19). Yet it was a real tangible body of God’s gracious purpose in our salvation
flesh and bones (Luk 24:39), in which will be satisfied when heaven is populated
He shared meals with His disciples (Luk by many redeemed believers who are all
24:30; Joh 21:12-13). The wonderfully
transformed character of the resurrection like God’s own Son, conformed to His
body is detailed in 1 Corinthians 15:42- image. Only then will Christ be fully sat-
44: “It is sown in corruption / dishonour isfied; “He shall see his seed .... He shall
/ weakness / a natural body ... it is raised see of the travail of his soul, and shall be
in incorruption / glory / power / a spiri- satisfied” (Isa 53:10-11). Only then will we
tual body.” These will be glorified bodies be eternally satisfied; in the words of the
which will be comprehensively suited for Psalmist, “As for me, I will behold thy face
that eternal sphere of heavenly glory. in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when
This change for our bodies will be the I awake, with thy likeness” (Psa 17:15),
completion of God’s work in us, and will with that conformity to Christ. Let us not
be performed “according to the work- therefore be satisfied now with anything
ing whereby he is able even to subdue less than making spiritual progress in view
all things unto himself” (Php 3:21). Our of this final glorified state. Let us not find
Saviour will be able to overcome any that our satisfaction with that which this world
would dare to oppose the future glorifica- would seek to distract us, inhibiting our
tion of His own; He will be in complete spiritual progress. Let us keep looking to
control, and all will be subservient to Christ in faith, until that moment “when he
Him. In keeping with His ability, and the shall appear” and “we shall be like him; for
certainty of this, “we shall all be changed, we shall see him as he is” (1Jn 3:2).

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