“For the vision is yet for the appointed [future] time It hurries toward the goal [of fulfillment]; it will not fail. Even though it delays, wait [patiently] for it, Because it will certainly come; it will not delay.

Habakkuk 2:3 AMPC

[if you missed part 1: read it here]

There is an immeasurable weight of glory at the culmination of the heavenly vision 1 Cor 15:28. Christ is at the centre submitting all things to the father even as He also submits Himself under the father: that God may be all in all. God desires that we be ‘partakers’ in that inheritance with Christ. Lucifer tasted of it – brought forth sin and was cast out Eze 28:14-15. Adam began to glimpse it and fell. Indeed, you and I fall woefully short of the glory of GOD for we lack the righteous character to bear it.
Only Jesus has. Only Jesus can. Only Jesus fully will. Hebrews 1:3

So how does God achieve His desire of bringing many sons into this glory?
Ans: He has to [i] Get them in Christ AND [ii] Bring [to the fore] Christ in them!

For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. Hebrews 2:10

Therefore even though the vision is already unfolding towards the set appointed time and will surely come to pass; God deliberately ‘engineers delay (‘tarrying’) into the full manifestation as concerning you & i in order that through providential opportunities | situations | circumstances of our lives, The person and nature of Christ can be brought more fully to the fore in us.

Preparing for the Glory: Tarrying | Testing | Tasting

  • The tarrying season is ‘tailor-made’ for each individual. It is full of ‘courses’ loaded with modules in discipline and seasons of presentation. He trains you -> He elevates you to a measure of glory -> He tests you -> He trains you some more.
  • God doesn’t mandate that the training time be long & arduous. But He does make the season of tarrying compulsory for all who He has pre-qualified Rom 8:29-30 to show forth His glory!
  • He is not in a rush. He is more interested in forming Christ in you than anything you want for yourself.
  • How long your season of tarrying will be is determined by:-
    • The allotted time God has set for it.
    • Our degree of obedience and yielded-ness to His dealings.
    • Our level of conformation to Christ’s nature at every stage.
  • There are also seasons of lifting and manifestation programed into the journey. Where we are served increasing measures of glory/power/grace that we might demonstrate we are true brothers of Christ who “6Who, existing in the form of God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 7but emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross“
  • When you have been given a taste of power/glory at your level of influence at work/school/in the marriage/marketplace, Have you emptied yourself and used the privilege to serve others as Christ OR have you gotten drunk on power and served your own ambitions?
    In your home – how well have you served your husband? your wife? your children?
    Has Christs meekness been set forth in you?
  • The Holy Spirit is our primary tutor but He also employs as the occasion requires parents | siblings | spouses | your boss at work | your employees | your children | your fellow believers | your pastor | even your enemies.

    The point is you are not trained/tested in a vacuum! Whatever and whoever is fit for purpose will be used by God to mold Christ in you so that you in effect can have more capacity to show forth more of His glory!

Let’s take a look at some biblical examples.

Joseph

'Until the time came to fulfill his dreams, the LORD tested Joseph’s character'. Psalm 105:15
  • At Age 17 He caught the Heavenly Vision Gen 37:5 though He didn’t yet understand it.
  • In His father’s house He took two modules (I) ‘Managing Betrayal’ (ii) ‘Dream Management.
  • In Potiphar’s house he took 4 modules (i) Kingdom Stewardship (ii) Divine Blessing (iii) Lust Management (iv) Managing False Accusation
  • In the prison he took modules in (i) Long suffering (ii) Offence Management (iii) Divine Timing
  • His brothers; Potiphar; Potiphar’s wife; The Prison Warden; The Butler; The Baker; His father Jacob were all (un)willing agents deployed at various stages of his training.
  • At age 30 The earthly aspect of the vision began manifesting. The sun and the moon did bow to him. By then he was a thoroughly broken and humble man with a servant’s heart. He used he platform of power and glory to serve divine purpose of God in preserving Israel not to serve himself.

Examples abound from Gen to Acts. David – Jacob – Nehemiah – Esther – Hannah – Peter – Paul – John the Beloved. Mary mother of Jesus.

Building Capacity for the Glory Ahead

God’s purpose and plan remains consistent even as this phase of the heavenly vision unfolds.
The more understanding and insight we gain into God’s purposes and how we fit into it, the wiser the choices we will be able to make now whilst we still have time to influence our eternal future.

We are building capacity here for our eternal lives to come. Do not mistake any man’s outward status on earth today as an equivalent to his position in eternity. There will be many hitherto unknown ‘obscure’ saints who will be highly decorated in heaven. There it will be a question of [i] How faithful have you been with the salvation purchased for you [ii] How much has Christ been made manifest in and through you.


In Conclusion:-

paraphrasing Thomas Brooks

If we are all vessels unto honor, All the vessels of glory shall be filled to the brim with a clear sight of God, and with a full enjoyment of God; and yet some saints shall apprehend more of God than others, and comprehend more of God than others, and enjoy more of God than others. 

There shall be no lack of glory to any of the saints in heaven. All the saints shall be filled with glory—according to their capacity. If you bring a thousand vessels of different sizes to the sea, the sea fills them all. Though their sizes differ, and some are bigger, and others lesser—yet all are filled, every little vessel has its fill as well as the greater—just so, every saint shall have his fill of glory when he comes to glory; the felicity of every saint shall be perfect God will be all in all to all saints, Psalm 17:15.
Saints shall not differ in essence: in that we shall all be able to fully commune with God and be conformed to His image in Christ and in our everlasting worship of Him. We shall all be alike in terms essence and substance —yet the degrees and measures of glory shall be distributed to some more, to some less. There shall be different degrees of glory in heaven, answerable to the different degrees of grace and holiness that the saints reach to here on earth, and that God will at last proportion his rewards according to the different degrees of labor, service, and sufferings of his people in this world, may be made evident,

In one of our last 3-day crusades, a believer during the Q&A raised his hand and stated that ‘i am content with just being a gate-man in heaven!‘ to which i replied ‘Jesus died and rose that you may have so much more, besides who told you there is a vacancy at heavens gates?‘

How we faithfully use the time and talents we have now will have a greater impact on our eternal;
What purpose is your life currently serving? How faithfully are you serving it?

Help me Holy Spirit to number my days and run daily with the Heavenly Vision in view. Amen.