Now

It astonishes me how you can read a verse for decades, know it inside out, have it memorised, think about it half a dozen times a week, hear it in a thousand teachings, and yet not understand what it's saying.

1 John 3:2
Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.

It says now are we the sons of God. It doesn't say then we will be the sons of God, it says now. The word says that when Jesus Christ comes back we will see him as he is.

1 John 3:1,2
Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.

Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he [Jesus Christ] shall appear [at the return], we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.

We will see him as he is, not as he was. We shall see him as he is because at the return we will be like him. We will have the same kind of body then as he has now.

Philippians 3:20,21
For our conversation [politeuma - citizenship] is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ:

Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working [energeia - energising] whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.

I've had the hazy notion that when Jesus Christ returns and I get my new body that I'm somehow going to be different. I've unconsciously thought that a new body meant I was going to be someone else, that I wouldn't really be me any longer. This just isn't the case, and a brief look at Jesus Christ in his resurrected body should clear this up for us.

John 20:11-17
But Mary stood without at the sepulchre weeping: and as she wept, she stooped down, and looked into the sepulchre,

And seeth two angels in white sitting, the one at the head, and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain.

And they say unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? She saith unto them, Because they have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid him.

And when she had thus said, she turned herself back, and saw Jesus standing, and knew not that it was Jesus.

Jesus saith unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? whom seekest thou? She, supposing him to be the gardener, saith unto him, Sir, if thou have borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away.

Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and saith unto him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master.

Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.

Here is Jesus Christ in his resurrected body. He has just been raised from the dead. Did he know who he was? Yes, he did. Did he know who Mary was? Yes, he did. The point is, Jesus Christ was the same person after his resurrection as he was before his death. He still had all his own thoughts and memories. He was the same man. The only thing that had changed was the body he was living in.

John 20:19-22
Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews [Judeans], came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you.

And when he had so said, he shewed unto them his hands and his side. Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the Lord.

Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.

And when he had said this, he breathed on [in] them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost [holy spirit]:

Did Jesus Christ know who the disciples were? Yes, he did. He was still Jesus. He had not lost any of his memories or thoughts. He knew who everyone was and everyone knew who he was.

John 21:1-14
After these things Jesus shewed himself again to the disciples at the sea of Tiberias; and on this wise shewed he himself.

There were together Simon Peter, and Thomas called Didymus, and Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, and the sons of Zebedee, and two other of his disciples.

Simon Peter saith unto them, I go a fishing. They say unto him, We also go with thee. They went forth, and entered into a ship immediately; and that night they caught nothing.

But when the morning was now come, Jesus stood on the shore: but the disciples knew not that it was Jesus.

Then Jesus saith unto them, Children, have ye any meat? They answered him, No.

And he said unto them, Cast the net on the right side of the ship, and ye shall find. They cast therefore, and now they were not able to draw it for the multitude of fishes.

Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved saith unto Peter, It is the Lord. Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he girt his fisher's coat unto him, (for he was naked,) and did cast himself into the sea.

And the other disciples came in a little ship; (for they were not far from land, but as it were two hundred cubits,) dragging the net with fishes.

As soon then as they were come to land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid thereon, and bread.

Jesus saith unto them, Bring of the fish which ye have now caught.

Simon Peter went up, and drew the net to land full of great fishes, an hundred and fifty and three: and for all there were so many, yet was not the net broken.

Jesus saith unto them, Come and dine. And none of the disciples durst ask him, Who art thou? knowing that it was the Lord.

Jesus then cometh, and taketh bread, and giveth them, and fish likewise.

This is now the third time that Jesus shewed himself to his disciples, after that he was risen from the dead.

Was Jesus Christ a different person in his resurrected body? No, he wasn't. Don't ask me how God can take the consciousness of a man from a dead body and place it into a new body, I have no idea, but he did it with Jesus Christ and he is going to do it for us as well.

Philippians 3:20,21
For our conversation [politeuma - citizenship] is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ:

Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working [energeia - energising] whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.

When Jesus Christ comes back for us, we will all be changed, yes, but that's referring to our bodies, not who we are. At the return I will still be George. We will all be ourselves, we will all know who we are. I will know who I am and so will everyone else. I will have all my memories and thoughts, and so will everyone else.

That's why I am God's son now, not at the return. I'm me now and I will still be me at the return. So will you. That's why we are sons of God now, not later, not after we're dead, not at the return, but right now. We will never be someone else, not even at the return.

1 John 3:2
Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.

I'm George now and I will be George for eternity.

1 Thessalonians 4:16-18
For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:

Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

Right now I am a son of God, not later, not after I'm dead, not at the return, but right now. At the return I will still be me. I have eternal life. I am going to live forever. So are you.

Romans 8:38,39
For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,

Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.