We come now to the matter of glorification and continue with verse 19. “For the anxious watching of the creation eagerly expects the revelation of the sons of God.” The word “revelation,” a more accurate rendering of the Greek word used in this verse, is a better word than manifestation. Revelation means to open the veil. Something has been veiled, covered by a veil. One day the veil will be removed, and the hidden things will be revealed. Although we are the sons of God, we are veiled, not yet revealed. When the Lord Jesus was on earth He was the Son of God, but He was veiled by His human flesh. One day on the mountain He was unveiled and revealed (Matt. 17:1-2). It is the same with us. Although we are sons of God, yet we are under a veil. One day this veil will be removed—that will be our glorification. All the sons of God will come out from under the veil and be revealed. Then the whole universe will behold the sons of God.
The creation is eagerly expecting and anxiously watching to see this revelation of the sons of God, because “the creation was subjected to vanity, not of its own will, but because of Him Who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will also be freed from the slavery of corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God” (vv. 20-21). As we have seen, the entire creation is under vanity, bondage, and the slavery of corruption. Creation’s only hope is to be freed from this slavery of corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God when the sons of God are revealed. Although the entire creation is presently held in a condition of vanity and corruption, God will bring in a kingdom to replace this present condition. The present condition is a condition of vanity and slavery of corruption; the coming kingdom will be a kingdom of the glory of God, a kingdom composed primarily of revealed sons of God. At the time of the revelation of this kingdom the whole creation will be liberated. The creation is eagerly expecting and anxiously watching for this kingdom to come. Thus, “the whole creation groans together and travails in pain together until now” (v. 22). The universe is groaning and travailing in birth awaiting the revelation of the sons of God. Furthermore, we ourselves, “having the firstfruit of the Spirit,” also groan as we expect sonship, the redemption of our body (v. 23).
In verse 24 Paul says that “we have been saved in hope; but hope that is seen is not hope; for what anyone sees, why does he also hope?” The hope mentioned in this verse is the hope of glory. Since none of us has ever seen this hope, it is a hope complete and genuine. Some hope is partial because we have seen a certain percentage of it. However, the hope of glory is a whole hope, for we have not seen any part of it. Hence, we are waiting for that hope, “eagerly expecting it through endurance” (v. 25).
Chapter 5:2 says, that we “boast in hope of the glory of God,” and 9:23 says that we are “vessels of mercy, which He had before prepared unto glory.” This glory will be in the revelation of the coming kingdom in which we, as revealed sons of God, shall participate. God has called us into this glory (1 Thes. 2:12; 2 Thes. 2:14; 1 Pet. 5:10). Christ Himself is the hope of this glory (Col. 1:27) which we are expecting and for which we are waiting. Our hope is none other than Christ Himself who will be revealed as our glory. We now boast and rejoice in this hope of glory. We shall share this glory at the day of our glorification. When Christ appears, we shall appear with Him in glory (Col. 3:4). This is our destiny.