In the beginning God made four great declarations concerning man.

That man would be in God's image.

That man would be male and female.

That man would be fruitful.

That man would have dominion.

These four declarations have an initial meaning and a transcendent meaning. The Word of God will not stop working until all that God has declared concerning man has been accomplished to perfection.

Adam was in God's image but in a very limited way—just a faint outline. The Lord Jesus Christ is what God means by man being in God's image.

The Book of Ezekiel reveals the outer image of God and the inner image of God.

The first chapter of Ezekiel tells of the image of the Glory of the Lord. There is the whirlwind, the cloud, the fire, the four living creatures in the likeness of a man, the face of the lion, the ox, the eagle, the guidance of the Spirit, the wheel in the middle of a wheel, the throne surrounded by the rainbow, and the Man of Fire on the throne.

This is Christ, the Son of God.

We see Christ also in the first chapter of the Book of Revelation as the High Priest of God with eyes of fire and feet of glowing bronze.

We are called to this external image. We are called to sit in the throne of Christ, the highest throne of the universe, having authority over all the works of God's hands.

Then in Ezekiel, Chapter Forty onward we find a symbolic description of the inner character of Christ and consequently of His brothers. The description begins with the very high mountain, the city, the bronze of judgment, the wall, the stairs, the gate, the guardrooms. Each of these says something about what God is developing in our personality.

There are the stone tables of sacrifice. God has to build an altar in each one of us. Our body must be presented a living sacrifice continually.

Finally we come to the water of the Spirit.

The conclusion is, "the name of the city from that day shall be, the Lord is there."

This is the new Jerusalem, the holy city, the glorified Church, the place of the throne of God and of the Lamb.

We understand from this description of the outer and inner profiles of the sons of God that being saved and filled with God's Spirit is the merest beginning of what God has in mind. After we are saved through the blood of the cross and filled with the Spirit we have ages upon ages to come to know the Lord and to be conformed to His image.

Although the gap between what we are now and the description in Ezekiel is so great as to be incredible, don't stumble at it. Be strong in faith like Abraham. When he was without a single child God promised him his Seed would be as the stars of heaven for number and majesty. Since Abraham's Seed is Christ we know the promise will be fulfilled literally, for of the increase of His government there shall be no end.

God is greater than we can understand. Let's not limit Him by confining His work in us by what we have seen to the present hour.

There's no hurry. We have all eternity.