THE HOPE OF GLORY

WHAT IS HOPE?

Hope is simply the certainty in the present and firm expectation for the future; Hope is a key Biblical theme, expressed already after the fall of Adam and Eve into sin, when God promised to send someone to crash the head of Satan. Throughout the Old Testament God continued to offer hope to His people through numerous prophecies of a coming deliverer. The New Testament reveals that these promises were all fulfilled in Jesus Christ. So certain was the truths that “hope” and “trust” are often interchangeable in the Bible, “The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; and He knows those who trust in Him” (Nah. 1:7). Jesus came as both the hope of Israel and the hope of all nations. Those who know Christ have hope as a stabilizing anchor in life (Heb. 6:19); those who do not profess Christ as Lord and Savior are without hope in the world. Our hope is rooted in the faithfulness and trustworthiness of God. Because of Christ resurrection and return to His Father, Christians have hope as we look forward to His return, to the resurrection of the body and to life with Christ that will never end. Hope is an important of the triad “faith, hope, love; “Therefore having justified by faith, we have peace with God  through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only that, but we glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us” (Rom. 5:1-5).

THE HOPE OF GLORY

“Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, by the commandment of God our Savior and the Lord Jesus Christ, our hope” (1 Tim.1:1). Paul as a Jew and more particularly as a Pharisee was enthused with the hope of Israel. This hope was the Messiah, who would consummate the ideas and desires of the nation. But when Paul found Christ, a new hope inspired his life. It was “Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Col. 1:27). Paul stressed the power and glory for Christ. He is the image of God, and “all the fullness” of God dwells in him. God created all things through Christ and continues to rule all things in Him. Christ reigns as the head of the church, supreme over every power and authority. Christ as the “hope of glory” lives in us, and some day we will enter and share His glory. In our journey toward glory, we have the awesome privilege of serving a glorious Savior! Christ as the source of hope not only in this life but also in a better world to come fired the zeal of this man. He was changed from a bigoted Pharisee to an evangelist of Christ. The offer in Christ of salvation to all men so burned in his heart that he felt the obligation to announce it to all men everywhere. Facing difficulties, braving perils, and suffering want, he had gone out to communicate a saving message to a lost world. Now in prison, facing possible death, that hope was especially dear to this old warrior. His mind dwelt on the near prospect of that for which he had given his life. Apostle Paul boldly had to confess, “For me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Phil. 1:21). He did not love his life to the point of death, but give it whole willingly for the sake of Christ. He knew that the sufferings of this world was just for a moment and could not be compared with the glory that would be revealed to the true sons and daughters. My beloved brethren, may we have that zeal as Apostle Paul to hope in the glory of God that will be revealed in us in Christ Jesus our Lord and Savior.

GOD’S HOPE TO HIS PEOPLE THROUGH NUMEROUS PROPHECIES

Prophet Isaiah’s hope in the Messiah:  Isaiah inspires hope through his prophecies. He never ends his prophecies on a note of despair but moves on to visions of a glorious future. Many of these visions include references to a coming special representative of God who would accomplish redemption: the Branch, the Root, the Prince of Peace, a King of righteousness and Leader of the people, and the Servant of the Lord. The New Testament interprets such prophecies as referring to Jesus the Messiah; In fact, the New Testament quotes Isaiah more than all the other prophets of the Old Testament combined, that message of hope extends beyond the nations of Israel, for they have been chosen by God to be a light to the Gentiles. Isaiah’s vision ends with the promise of a new heaven and a new earth; in eager expectation we await the fulfillment of that promise. “Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this” (Isa. 9:7). When Jesus began His public ministry in Galilee (these are the former territory belonging to the tribes of Zebulon and Naphtali), He fulfilled Isaiah’s prophecy uttered in verses one and two of chapter nine in the New Testament; (Matt. 4:13-16). Furthermore, God’s prophecy spoken through Isaiah, that a royal Son would be born who will reign on David’s throne forever was fulfilled when Jesus was born to Virgin Mary “He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord  God will give Him the throne of His Father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end” (Luke 1:32-33).

Prophet Jeremiah’s righteous Branch: “Behold the days are coming,” says the Lord, “That I will raise to David a Branch of righteousness; a King shall reign and prosper, and execute judgment and righteousness in the earth” (Jer. 23:5). At the time Jeremiah wrote these words “the royal family of David” was almost extinguished. But Jeremiah knew that God would preserve that line and someday send a Son of David who would reign as King forever. Jesus is the one who fulfilled this prophecy and save His people from their sins (Matt. 1:21). Jeremiah too included a message of hope in his book. God would not forget His people, for a remnant would be spared, and after an exile of seventy years would be gathered back. God would fulfill His promise to David by raising up a righteous Branch, and at that time he would establish a new, everlasting covenant. So certain was Jeremiah of God’s restoration that in Judah’s darkest hour, he purchased property in Anathoth and had the deed stored in a jar. The last word of God is always one of hope, forgiveness and restoration.  

Prophet Amos promise of Restoration: “On that day I will raise up the Tabernacle of David, which has fallen down, and repair its damages; I will raise up its ruins, and rebuild it as in the days of old” (Amos 9:11). When James the moderator at the council at Jerusalem, wanted to convince the apostles and elders that God had predicted a time when Gentiles would come to salvation in His name, he quoted this text from Amos, “And after they had become silent, James answered, saying, “Men and brethren, listen to me; Simon has declared how God at the first visited the Gentiles to take out of them a people for His name. And with this the words of the prophets agree, just as it is written: ‘After this I will return and will rebuild the tabernacle of David, which has fallen down; I will rebuild its ruins, and I will set it up; so that the rest of mankind may seek the Lord, even all the Gentiles who are called by My name, says the Lord who does all these things.’ “Known to God from eternity are all His works” (Acts 15:13-18). Amos did however; inspire hope for restoration if the people would seek the Lord in a true, genuine manner. In response to two brief prayers of intercession, God assured Amos that He would not totally destroy His people, but would have a remnant like pebbles left in a sieve after the sand has fallen through. Amos closed his prophecy with a powerful promise of restoration. God’s final word to human beings is never one of doom but always one of hope.

Prophet Micah’s Lord’s Future Reign: “Now it shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established on the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall flow to it” (Micah 4:1). Micah alternates his message of judgment with one of hope. God would intervene and destroy the enemies of His people. Judgment would be followed by the gathering of the remnant and the rebuilding of the nation. Micah’s prophecies extended even further to the birth of the coming deliverer in the line of David and to the reign of peace over all the nations on earth that this King would establish. The prophet reserved his most beautiful message of hope for the end of his book; sins would be totally forgiven- words that have never ceased to comfort the hearts of people burdened by sin and guilt.

Prophet Zephaniah’s prophecy for Jerusalem’s Rebellion and Redemption: “The remnant of Israel shall do no unrighteousness and speak no lies, nor shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth; for they shall feed their flocks and lie down, and no one shall make them afraid.” The Lord has taken away your judgments; He has cast out your enemy. The King of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst; you shall see disaster no more” (Zeph.3:13, 15). Zephaniah offered hope that perhaps those who sought the Lord and lived righteously would be sheltered from God’s anger on that awful day. God would rid Jerusalem of all sinners, turn back the enemy and restore joy and banish sorrow. The meek and humble who trusted the Lord would form a sinless remnant. He even envisioned the conversion of the Gentiles in the days to come. Through these prophecies, Zephaniah sharpens our anticipation of the coming age.

Prophet Haggai’s prophecy of The New Temple’s Splendor: “And I will shake all nations, and they shall come to the Desire of All Nations, and I will fill this temple with glory,’ say the Lord of hosts” (Hag. 2:7). Haggai inspired hope for a time when all nations would come to the temple with treasures for the Lord. God would reverse the curse on Jehoiachin (Jer. 22:24), “As I live, “ says the Lord, “though Coniah the son of Jehoiachin, king of Judah, were the signet  on My right hand, yet I would pluck you off,”  and resurrect the throne of David in the person of Zerubbabel, a descendant of David. These prophecies reach their fulfillment only in Jesus Christ, the Son of David, who personified the temple of the Lord (Jn. 2:19-22) and to whom people from all nations are now coming.

The Faith of the Thessalonian Believers: “And to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come” (1 Thess. 1:10). Timothy reported to Paul a concern about Christian hope. Since some Thessalonians thought all believers would live until Jesus’ return, the question arose when some believers dead whether death ended a person’s hope for being with Jesus when He returned. Paul assured them that those who died in Christ would rise again, and that when Jesus returned, all Christians would go to be with the Lord. So central was the message of this hope that each chapter ends with a brief statement about the second coming of Jesus. We today can face life and death with confidence, since we know that someday the living Jesus will return on the clouds of heaven and take us to Himself.

Events prior to the Lord’s Second Coming: “Let no one deceive you by any means: for that day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition” (2 Thess. 2:3). False prophets who had suggested that the day of the Lord had already come caused Paul to return to the subject of hope in this second letter. He indicated the return of the Lord would not come until events surrounding a certain “man of lawlessness” occurred. Nevertheless, though the time was uncertain, Jesus would return again as judge. For believers this would be a time of glory. The Thessalonians could rest in the knowledge that Jesus has won the victory- and with that assurance they could be strong in the Lord. That same assurance is ours; in that peace we persevere, knowing that the Lord will have His way.

“Grace to you and Favor from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen and Amen and Amen.”