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Glorification: The End of Salvation

completion. The indwelling of the Holy Spirit represents the down
payment, the beginning of life eternal, which will be completed in the
life to come. Paul said he is
“confident of this, that he who
began a good work in you will
carry it on to completion until the Glorification will occur
day of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:6). on the day of Christ
Thus glorification will occur on the
day of Christ Jesus as the final, Jesus as the final,
crowning act in God’s work of crowning act in God’s
redemption. That day lies ahead,
and with its arrival our whole work of redemption.
being will be set free and all
creation will be liberated as well
(Romans 8:21–23).

What is this day of Christ Jesus? It is the day when Christ returns
for His own, His church—those who have been redeemed and who are
trusting in Him. We read these words in 1 Thessalonians 4:16–5:2:

For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud
command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet
call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we
who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with
them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be
with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage each other with these
words. Now, brothers, about times and dates we do not need to
write to you, for you know very well that the day of the Lord will
come like a thief in the night.

We read further about this day of the Lord in 1 Corinthians 15:51–52, 58:

Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be
changed—in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet.
For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable,
and we will be changed.… Therefore, my dear brothers, stand
firm. Let nothing move you. Always give ourselves fully to the
work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord
is not in vain.

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