Ephesians 3:20-21 NLT
[20] Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. [21] Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen.
As I explore God’s Word, I have come to realise how much God desires to bless us. He is passionate about giving, favouring, blessing us with lavish portions of His love and goodness. We are the ones who limit Him by our doubts, fears, suspicions, and unbelief.
As Paul unpacked God’s salvation plan from before creation to its consummation at the end of time, he understood that God had two great goals in mind. First, He chose people from every nation to be a family of redeemed humans upon whom He could lavish His love in all its many-faceted wonder. Second, He wanted to display, through them, His glory to every created being, including those who had forfeited His love and goodness by rebelling against Him.
When God has finally judged and disposed of His opposition, rebellious gods and humans, and replaced them with people qualified and groomed to take their place, His kingdom will rule in peace forever under the authority of His chosen King.
Isaiah 9:6-7 NLT
[6] “For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. [7] His government and its peace will never end. He will rule with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David for all eternity. The passionate commitment of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies will make this happen!”
What then? No one on this side of heaven can imagine what eternal life will be like when heaven and earth are united under the reign of King Jesus.
Revelation 21:3-5 NLT
[3] I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. [4] He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.” [5] And the one sitting on the throne said, “Look, I am making everything new!” And then he said to me, “Write this down, for what I tell you is trustworthy and true.”
Since Jesus is God and equal, in every detail, to the Father and the Holy Spirit, He will be to His creation what He represented the Father to be during His time on earth.
John 14:8-9 NLT
[8] “Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.” [9] Jesus replied, “Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and yet you still don’t know who I am? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father! So why are you asking me to show him to you?”
His redeemed people, in turn, will be set free from all the limitations of their earthly existence. Their limited understanding will give way to perfect knowledge!
1 Corinthians 13:9-10, 12 NLT
[9]” Now our knowledge is partial and incomplete, and even the gift of prophecy reveals only part of the whole picture! [10] But when the time of perfection comes, these partial things will become useless….
[12] Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely.”
However, it seems, from the witness of Scripture, that our knowledge and experience of God will never stop growing. Even in eternity, since God is infinite, there will always more of God and His love to learn.
What we don’t know of God now, His nature and ways, in our finiteness, we will know then. What we will know then, when our knowledge of the mysteries of earth and heaven are revealed, we will still not know of God in His completeness. How can we unless we ourselves are God and that will never be.
So, in this life, however much of God’s glory, grace, and power He reveals, there will always be more… In the life to come, when our limitations are removed, we will know God yet not know Him. There will always be more…
As Anna said, (of “Mister God, this is Anna” by Finn), to paraphrase, “Just when we climb to the the top of the ladder and think we know God, we discover that we know nothing.”