- Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called children of God; and we are. 1Jn. 3:1
Yet as we stand looking into the past with amazement at how far above our previous state as sinners we have become, John bids us turn our minds toward the future! The contrast into the future is far greater than the past. "Beloved, now are we children of God, and it is not yet made manifest what we shall be. We know that, if he shall be manifested, we shall be like him; for we shall see him even as he is." (1Jn. 3:2) Just over the horizon of this life, there is something so new and different, so special and amazing that neither our mind nor imagination can grasp it. It has not yet been manifested because we have nothing in this age to illustrate or explain it. John simply summed it up with one simple phrase. "When we see Him we will be like Him."
The glorious body of Jesus will be the pattern for our own. The instant we see Him as He truly is, the transformation will have already begun. "For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body," (Phil. 3:20). These are amazing revelations, yet though we can believe, we don't know what He will look like. We can relish and anticipate the promise, but is there anything else? Any "hints" or guidance that will help?