Read Job 19:23-27 and Daniel 12:1-3.
There are three tenses in salvation. There is salvation from sin’s penalty, a past experience of justification when a believer has come to faith in Christ. There is salvation from sin’s power, a present experience of sanctification as a believer lives by faith in Christ. There is salvation from sin’s presence, a promised experience when a believer’s faith becomes sight. It is the third dimension we will focus on this week: glorification.
We begin with an Old Testament perspective from Job and Daniel. Because revelation is progressive—that is, God discloses truth in an increasing way as one moves through the Scripture—there is not as much about the promised glory of the resurrection and our life in heaven found in the Old Testament. The teaching, while not fully developed, is there, however.
What a hope it was for Job! Imagine all this man suffered. He lost everything—except for the hope of glory! Yet, he expected an existence where he would have a new body, in a new place, where he would not feel the pain and heartache of this world. He would not be a ghost, floating around, as he speaks of “my flesh” and “my eyes” being with God and seeing God. The resurrection body will be a different type of body and yet a real body.
Daniel says more about the resurrection. He points to the timing—in the last days of earth’s history and the return of Christ. He writes of “many,” because this refers to “your people”—Daniel’s fellow Israelis—who will be raised following “a time of trouble,” meaning the seven year Tribulation Period. There are actually a series of resurrections—Christ being the firstfruits, then the dead in Christ at the Rapture, and now these Old Testament saints at His return to earth to reign. Lastly, the wicked will be raised. The righteous will be raised with bodies suited for Heaven and the wicked with bodies designed for Hell, but for all people everlasting existence, somewhere, destined for reward or retribution.
Where will you spend eternity?
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