Believers need to have their fears and doubts allayed. When the glorified Christ charged Thomas to touch the nail-prints in his hands and feet, and his pierced side, he was teaching every subsequent generation of believers about that which of most importance to their faith. While we do not now see the visible wounds of Christ, we see them by faith as we see Him suffer for us in the Scripture. There is, therefore, no reason for us to doubt that He continues to bear these visible signs of His love and redemption.
There is so much we do not know about the experience of believers in glory. The Scriptures give us just enough insight to stir up within us an anticipated longing to be in glory. “Being with Jesus” is the most common way in which Christ and the apostles spoke about the believer’s eternal happiness. Jesus told His disciples, “If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also” (John 14:3). The Apostle Paul told the church in Philippi, “I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better indeed” (Phil. 1:23). The Apostle John, in the vision of heavenly glory, wrote,
“I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice, ‘Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!’ And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying, ‘To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever’” (Rev. 5:11-13).
Jesus, under the figure of the slain lamb is the centerpiece of heaven. There is, in these words, a clear depiction of the ongoing visible reminder of the sufferings of Christ for the redemption of His people. There are several reasons why Jesus bears the wounds of His sufferings for all eternity. Consider the following:
In the first place, believers need to have their fears and doubts allayed. When the glorified Christ charged Thomas to touch the nail-prints in his hands and feet, and his pierced side, he was teaching every subsequent generation of believers about that which of most importance to their faith. While we do not now see the visible wounds of Christ, we see them by faith as we see Him suffer for us in the Scripture. There is, therefore, no reason for us to doubt that He continues to bear these visible signs of His love and redemption.
