Free Grace Women

The search for the perfect summer glow

Although my life as a homeschooling mom on a tight budget has been far from glamorous, and I’d like to think that I’ve largely matured past the vanity of my youth, I must confess that I still secretly love a good trip to Sephora—if only to look (and smell!) On a recent trip, I was struck by the vast number of products promising to provide that perfect “summer glow.” Bronzers, illuminators, glow-enhancing highlighters…those are just a few of the in-store options available to those of us seeking to cultivate a more luminous warm-weather look.

I’d like to say that I was easily able to dismiss it all as being frivolous, but to be honest, I found myself tempted to justify repurchasing my favorite (expensive) bronzer from a bygone era—and in need of a serious reality check. But if the promise of beautiful, burnished summer skin was beyond my grasp, a recent Bible study seemed to suggest that an even more dazzling option could one day be available to me…

A gleaming possibility found in Scripture

In a Zoom study focused on the End Times, a group of us were studying Daniel chapter 12, and the resurrection of the dead, beginning in verse 2:

“And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, some to shame and everlasting contempt.” (NKJV)

This was ground we’d covered many times before. But where things got exciting was in verse 3. It reads:

“Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the firmament, and those who turn many to righteousness like the stars forever and ever.” (NKJV)

At first glance, it might seem that the statements in verse 3 are meant to be taken metaphorically. However, as our leader, Kathryn, pointed out, it’s quite possible that they are meant to be taken literally. That is, this verse could actually be suggesting that the glorified bodies of believers may glow to varying degrees. That prospect blew me away, making my conception of eternity seem even brighter than before. No need for highlighter, ladies! 

Our discussion continued as we explored other places in Scripture which seem to indicate the same likelihood. In 1 Corinthians 15, Paul’s famous chapter on the resurrection of the dead, the apostle answers the following hypothetical question:

“But someone will say, “How are the dead raised up? And with what body do they come?” (1 Corinthians 15:35 NKJV)

His response begins in v. 36, and in verses 40-42, we begin to catch another glimpse of the possibility of a glorified glow-up:

“There are also celestial bodies and terrestrial bodies; but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another. There is one glory of the sun, another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for one star differs from another star in glory. So also is the resurrection of the dead.”

Further down in verses 48 and 49, Paul continues the theme, and leaves another potential clue:

“As was the man of dust, so also are those who are made of dust; and as is the heavenly Man, so also are those who are heavenly. And as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly Man.”

In pondering the prospect of what this glorified image-bearing might look like, a few verses spring to mind: 1 Timothy 6:16 declares that Jesus “dwells in unapproachable light.” (NASB) Habakkuk 3:4 states, “His radiance is like the sunlight; He has rays flashing from His hand…” (NASB) And Revelation 21:23 proclaims, “The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light.” (NKJV) Taking those verses into consideration, it certainly seems plausible that we might reflect His brilliance in a literal sense.^[1]

Another interesting passage which puts “flesh and bones” on this theory is the account of Moses coming down from Mount Sinai after receiving the Ten Commandments from the Lord:

“Now it was so, when Moses came down from Mount Sinai (and the two tablets of the Testimony were in Moses’ hand when he came down from the mountain), that Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone while he talked with Him.” (Exodus 34:29 NKJV)

If Moses’ face shone after being in the presence of the Lord in a natural body on earth, it doesn’t seem unlikely that our glorified bodies could glow while permanently in His presence in eternity.

An exclusive perk

A final verse which seems to support this idea is Matthew 13:43: “Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father.” (NKJV) In considering this verse, Bob Wilkin suggests that this particular “upgrade” may not be for all believers, but may be reserved exclusively for overcoming believers. In his article here, he writes: “The Lord may have been talking about an abundant eternal experience that only overcoming believers will experience.” He goes on to point out that in Daniel 12:2-3, the recipients of this special benefit are “those who are wise,” (and “those who turn many to righteousness”), and in Matthew 13, it is “the righteous.” Wilkin argues that as not all believers are either wise or righteous in their experience, not all believers meet the criteria of these verses. This is certainly in line with scores of other verses which promise exclusive rewards to those faithful believers who obey and overcome. (Wilkin includes a list of such verses in his article).

A benefit well worth the investment

Life is hard and often anything but glamorous. But the more I focus on eternity, and the amazing possibilities that may be available to me there, the easier it becomes for me to shift my gaze from the fleeting luxuries of this life in order to run after the enduring rewards of the life to come. Instead of lamenting my tiny beauty and fashion budget, I need to keep in mind that no trendy clothing we buy here can compare to the shining white linens we’ll receive there. And any pearls we don here will pale in comparison to the sparkling jewels we may obtain from the Lord as a reward for a job well done.

In 1 Peter 3:3-4, the following instructions are given regarding our attitude toward physical beauty and adornment:

“Do not let your adornment be merely outward—arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel—rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God.” (NKJV)

If these heart attitudes are valuable to the Lord, surely they will merit His reward. So rather than bemoaning my present lack of glitz and glam, I will remember that no external earthly beauty, which fades away, will compare to the glorious bodies we will be given in the resurrection—and I’ll invest in a heavenly glow-up instead.

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^[1] Similar to 1 Corinthians 15:49, 1 John 3:2 states, “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.” (NKJV) Philippians 3:20-21 also tells us that Jesus “will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body.” (NKJV)

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