In Colossians 1:27-28, we read of the hope of glory, which is Christ in you so that everyone who understands the gospel and abide in Christ Jesus will be made perfect. But what actually does these verses mean? Is it simply believing in the saving grace of Jesus Christ and nothing else and then get to heaven when we die? If that was so, the Apostle Paul would not have to mention 'stewardship' and 'mystery' in the preceding verses of 25 and 26. It is more than just meets the eyes.
Jesus Christ is the only firstborn Son of God. While on earth in the flesh but before His resurrection from the dead, He was the begotten Son of God (John 1:14). The word 'begotten' means not yet born. After His resurrection, he became the Son of God - the firstborn among many brethren - meaning that He will not be the last for many will follow after the last trumpet sounded at His Second Coming (1 Cor 15:52). But who are these who will be born again at the first resurrection as spiritual immortal sons of God? These resurrected saints are the overcomers (Rev 3:21) who are the 'called, the chosen and the faithful (overcomers)' (Rev 17:14). But what do they overcome? While in this mortal life, they will be tested (1 Peter 4:17) and have to overcome the temptations of Satan and his demons, the pomp and glamour of a materialistic society and the selfish and sinful nature of self. This is the hope of glory for the saints.
Those who are called and predestined to become the sons of God will have to overcome deceptions from the great deceiver. Many Christians are ignorant of the false doctrines that have infiltrated the church throughout the centuries. Most of them have their roots in the Babylonian system which the Bible has warned, 'Come out of her (the Babylonian system), my people (the true church), lest you share in her sins (idolatry) and lest you receive of her plagues (cataclysmic events during the Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord)' - Rev 18:4. Sadly, most people pay no heed to God's word even if they know about it. Many will be sorry when the time of reckoning comes. Understand this - only those who are found worthy will escape all these things (the Great Tribulation) - Luke 21:36.
The hope of glory is not just about resurrection as immortal spirit beings but also to become members of God's divine family. God is a Family and He is the Head of the divine family as the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named (Eph 3:14-15). Many Christians mistakenly think that they are already 'born again' when they say the sinner's prayer. But this is not so. Christ told Nicodemus specifically, 'unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God' (John 3:3); 'that which is born of the flesh is flesh (natural physical birth) and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit (supernatural spiritual birth at RESURRECTION) - John 3:6. This is affirmed by the Apostle Paul in 1 Cor 15:50, 'that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God'.
Those who claim that the kingdom of God is the church of the here and now are being deceived because Christ states that 'many will come from the east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven (God) - Matthew 8:11. Since the patriarchs are nowhere to be found in any church of the church age, they are in effect claiming that Jesus Christ lied and that is blasphemous!
The kingdom of God is a world ruling government that shall never be destroyed, not ruled by people (humans) and will stand forever (Daniel 2:44). Those who are called to be sons of God will be trained in the government of God to train and teach (royal priesthood) and ruled over humans with Christ when He returns. They will inherit the nations during the millennium.These saints were and are the begotten sons (not yet born as immortal spirit beings) and heirs of the promise that will inherit all things in the kingdom of God (Matthew 24:47). Those who are called in the church age are members of the true church of God who will become the Bride of Christ to form the Family of God (Rev 19:7-9). Those who do not possess the spiritual character qualities of Christ and with righteous deeds will not qualify (Matthew 22:11-14).
Make no mistake about this - the ultimate quest for any human being is to be born into the divine family of God - it is also the gospel that Jesus Christ came to preach, the gospel of the kingdom of God (Mark 1:15). That is why he told His disciples to 'seek first the kingdom of God (your goal is to see and enter the kingdom as sons of God's divine royal family) and His righteousness (God's spiritual laws and commandments) and all these things (all your needs and longings) shall be added to you' - Matthew 6:33. There is no higher calling for man's destiny in all of eternity!
The family structure is the bedrock on which God's divine family will derive its members. It is the very foundation on which every civilization is built upon. Those who break this spiritual law will find themselves on the wrong side of the eternal divide. The Apostle Paul warned that those who are immoral (including homosexuals and adulterers) and idolaters (including those who worship paganism) will not inherit the kingdom of God - Eph 5:5; 1 Cor 6:9-10; Gal 5:19-21.The family unit is the channel for God's plan and vision to reproduce His divine family for His eternal purpose. This is what is meant in 1 Cor 2:9 when the Apostle Paul quoted Isaiah 64:4, 'Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him'. Indeed, this is the blessed hope of glory for all who understand and obey, for it is the ultimate quest of being!
