What Does it Mean to be Glorified?

Meditate. Glory. Glory. Glory.

But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior. He will take our weak mortal bodies and change them into glorious bodies like his own, using the same power with which he will bring everything under his control. Philippians 3:20-21

The Empty Tomb - Jerusalem

What does it mean to be glorified? When Jesus died, His body was just His body—without His spirit. That body was in a tomb for three days. When He was resurrected, He was glorified, His body and spirit were reunited and restored to a state of heavenly dignity. He was recognizable—although the two disciples He met on the road to Emmaus didn’t recognize Him until He offered thanks and broke bread for dinner. Then Jesus appeared to the disciples where they were in the Upper Room back in Jerusalem. He didn’t go through the door—He just appeared. When they saw Him, they were frightened. (See Luke 24:36-43; John 20:19-23). Can you imagine seeing someone just materialize in the room—without opening a door?

But in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead. He is the first of a great harvest of all who have died. So you see, just as death came into the world through a man, now the resurrection from the dead has begun through another man. Just as everyone dies because we all belong to Adam, everyone who belongs to Christ will be given new life. But there is an order to this resurrection: Christ was raised as the first of the harvest; then all who belong to Christ will be raised when he comes back. 1 Corinthians 15:20-23

When we die our body goes to the grave and our spirit lives on. One day we will also be glorified. The bodies in the graves will be raised first. Bodies and souls will be reunited. Will we’ll be able to go anywhere instantly and go through walls like Jesus did? If He has a purpose for us to do that to serve Him, it will happen. Paul tells us that at the point of our resurrection we will be with the Lord forever. Forever.

And now, dear brothers and sisters, we want you to know what will happen to the believers who have died so you will not grieve like people who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we also believe that when Jesus returns, God will bring back with him the believers who have died. We tell you this directly from the Lord: We who are still living when the Lord returns will not meet him ahead of those who have died. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the Christians who have died will rise from their graves. Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever. So encourage each other with these words. 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

Prayer ~ Lord, please give me the wisdom and words to say to encourage others—Christians—as we see the time drawing short. May Your words fill them with hope. Also, help me to encourage those who don’t know You…that they would seek You and recognize You as their Lord and Savior. May we all give You the glory—as one day we all will be glorified.

Verse of Salvation ~ Therefore, since we have been made right in God's sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God's glory. We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. Romans 5:1-4

Do you know the ABCs of Salvation?
A - Admit
Admit what you have done wrong and ask forgiveness.

- Romans 3:23 All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

- Romans 6:23 The wages of sin is death.

- 1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

B - Believe
Believe that Jesus died on the cross and rose again as a payment for your sins.

- John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

-1 Corinthians 15:3-4 Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures.

- Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates His own love for us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

C - Confess and Choose
Confess and choose to allow God to the be in charge of your life.

- Matthew 16:24 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.

- Romans 10:9 If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

- Romans 10:13 Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.

Pray and receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior.

© 2021 Text, photos and illustrations by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved.

All scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT) unless otherwise noted.

New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation.

Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Biblical search from Blue Letter Bible - http://v3.blueletterbible.org/search.cfm.

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