ROMANS UNWRAPPED 138

THE WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT, PREPARING US FOR GLORY.
4) Part 2  Assuring our hearts concerning the future.

"For the earnest expectation of the creation waits for the manifestation of the sons of God.   For the creation was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of Him who subjected the same in hope.   Because the creation itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.     Romans 8 - 19-21

Having explained that, as Christians in this present world, we would all suffer, he now goes on to explain the glorious future to which we are all headed.   This would come under the work of the Spirit declaring "things to come", as Jesus said He would; the study and awareness of future events is a very powerful tool in the hands of the Spirit to bring us to a state of sanctification.   Only God can write history before it happens, and this is what we call prophecy.   Christians should not neglect the revelation of future events because they are the greatest incentive to holy living in the present.  

He does this in two ways

1.  The display of the sons of God        2.  The deliverance of the material creation.

1.  This is described as the manifestation of the sons of God.   The New testament makes it clear that the life of the believer is hidden from public view.   This present time is a time of holding back, of self denial, a time of sacrifice, but this is not the whole story.   Colossians 3v3-4   "Your life is hid with Christ in God.   When Christ who is our life shall be manifested then shall ye also be manifested (brought into public view) with Him in glory."   Other scriptures saying the same are 1st Peter 1v5 and 1st Peter 4v13.    There is coming a day when the sons of God, saved by grace, united to Christ, indwelt  by and led by the Holy Spirit are going to be displayed in public glory.   When all matters have been dealt with fully, and they have been presented to God for His inspection (Jude 24), God will bring them forth and show to the world what He has done with poor, wretched, vile sinners.   He will display His sons in public He will show them openly.   What a day that will be for all concerned'; but what is just as amazing is that the creation, being the animate creation and the inanimate creation are expecting this, are waiting longingly for that very day.   Those who work with animals and plants etc. tell us that in some marvellous and unexplained way these have extra sensory perception, and this is surely the highest form of it here.   The creation knows and waits for the day of the manifestation of the sons of God.   The word used is very powerful; it means craning the neck, living in expectation that there is a better day coming for this world, they know not how.  

2.  When that day comes the whole creation will be delivered from the bondage of corruption, which came as a result of sin, and will only be reversed in the day when God brings His sons to this earth.   What it says is that the creation will be delivered into the glorious liberty of the sons of God.   The entire creation will be set free, the curse will be removed and the consequences of the curse will in great part be reversed.   This is a vast biblical subject and readers should familiarise themselves with the details of the prophecy of Isaiah in particular.   A few but wonderful details are as follows:
the dessert shall blossom with the rose; the lion shall lie down with the lamb and a little child shall lead them; the weapons of war will be turned into the implements of food production; there will be no unemployment; no one without food; the blind will see; the lame will walk; perfect justice will rule from Jerusalem; corn will grow on the tops of mountains; the dead sea will produce fish for the first time ever; Israel will be the head of nations.   In summary there will be universal justice, universal peace, universal joy, universal healing, universal prosperity.   God will do what man has always wanted to do but never could!  

For 1000 years (Revelation 20) this world will know the benign reign of Jesus Christ.   God will not bring His glorified sons into a world as it is now.   He will make a perfect habitation to display the sons He has saved by grace.   The display of His sons will initiate the deliverance of creation.   For His only Son, and the many sons that have followed Him, only the best will do, only a rejuvenated creation will be right.

DON'T YOU JUST WANT TO BE PART OF THAT?