The word translated manifested is phaneroo and generally has the thought of bringing

to light something that has been hidden (Mark 16: 12, 14; Col. 1: 26; I Tim. 3: 16).

Hope is the final realization of what we now hold by faith. By faith we are now

seated together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus (Eph. 2: 6); realized hope will take

us actually there whether living or dead (II Tim. 4: 1). Then the stupendous glory of our

great God and Saviour Christ Jesus will be revealed in the heavenly holiest of all. But

this will not be the glory of Christ by Himself. It will be the revealed glory of Head and

Body united for the first time. Or if we look to the tremendous goal of Eph. 2: 19-22

when this church will be completed and constitute a holy Temple, a `dwelling place for

God' in the heavenly places. Then the glory of our Saviour will fill it completely, as the

glory of God did in the earthly type of Solomon's temple (II Chron. 7: 1, 2). It will be

manifested there to all the heavenly host, and we shall have the highest honour of being

living stones in that dwelling place of splendour, majesty and infinite joy.

This is indeed a `blessed hope', one that words can only faintly portray. No wonder

Paul prayed for the Ephesian saints that they should have enlightened eyes in order to

know it for themselves (Eph. 1: 17, 18). We are sometimes told that this is `nebulous',

`ephemeral' or `unreal'. People who talk like this want us to be able to describe this hope

in earthly terms that our human senses can appreciate. They do not realize that this high

calling, going far beyond the limitation of earthly things and earthly experiences, being

related to a heavenly sphere that we know nothing about apart from the Scriptures is

practically indescribable in human words. If we could so describe it, then it would not be

the tremendous goal that the post-Acts epistles of Paul reveal.

The phase of the Second Advent that relates to the earth can be far more easily

appreciated because we are within our own human sphere and can well imagine what the

effect of such a Coming will be on earthly things and the activities of men. But the

destiny of this church is so exalted that earthly terms utterly fail to adequately describe it.

It is true to say that this highly favoured company will constitute the holiest of all itself.

It will indeed be `the fullness of Christ' (Eph. 1: 23). In which case we can give humble

and grateful thanks to the Father `who has made us sufficient to be partakers of the

holiest of all in the light' (Col. 1: 12 contrast I Tim. 6: 14-16).  What an exceeding

work of grace was needed to do this! And what a change will be necessary for this body

of weakness and humiliation! It will need nothing less than one fashioned like the body

of His glory! (Phil. 3: 20, 21).

Some believers are greatly concerned as to how this will happen. In fact they seem to

be more concerned with how they will get to glory than to appreciate the hope itself, the

certainty of being there. The method has already been given in earlier epistles. It will be

by change and rapture for those who are living and resurrection for those who have died.

There can be no other way. We have no reason to believe that the hope of the Church

which is the fullness of Him that filleth all in all, will be any less instantaneous than that

of I Cor. 15: 51, 52. We shall know nothing about the process for it will be quicker than

the `twinkling of an eye'. The fact remains that we shall be there in the glory with our

exalted Saviour and Head as His Temple and dwelling place. Surely then we can live,