"Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.
"Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.
"And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is  pure." 1 John 3:1-3

We have been considering these verses as telling us of the Sonship of the Believer. Last week we looked into Scripture concerning verse 1. Today, let's see what Scripture tells of verse 2.

John tells those beloved of God, Believers, that even here and now we are God's children. Then he goes on to say, *'it has not yet been revealed what we shall be'
We see in Scripture that there is some knowledge that is withheld from man and why-- Genesis 2:16-17 tells us, it is perilous:
"And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, 'Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die."

There is the inability to understand:
Jesus in washing the disciples feet in John 13:7, "...What I am doing you do not understand now, but you will know after this."

Human weakness makes it necessary:
Jesus again speaking to the disciples in John 16:12, "I still have many things to say to you but you cannot bear them now."

There are earthly limitations:
"For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known." 1 Corinthians 13:12

However, God has blessed us with a great amounts of knowledge! It would take many messages to even make a tiny start so I leave that to each of us to delve into Scripture as the Holy Spirit leads us into a personal study.

*'But, we know that when He is revealed we shall be like Him'
Of our likeness to Christ Jesus:
Scripture tells us in Romans 8:29,
"For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren."

"For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself." Philippians 3:20-21

"When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory." Colossians 3:4

I Corinthians 15:49 tells us,
"And as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly man." (Concerning the resurrected, read Vs. 35-49.)

*'for we shall see Him as He is.'
Our heavenly vision beholds the glory of things to come:
"As for me, I will see Your face in righteousness; I shall be satisfied when I awake in Your likeness." Psalm 17:15

"Your eyes will see the King in His beauty; They will see the land that is very far off." Isaiah 33:17

In Jesus' prayer to His Father in John 17:24, "Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world."

In the Revelation of Jesus Christ as given to the apostle John on the island of Patmos, Scripture tells us, "They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads."
Revelation 22:4

Oh the glorious blessing of being a child of God! Thank you Lord God for the this eternal life we now have in Christ! As pilgrims here on earth now, we look to the coming of our Glorious Christ Jesus. Amen