Our Hope

                                                                                                                                    

Aloha Dearest Family,

                Today we will examine the word “hope”. In our culture most people think of hope as more of a wish. A wish like winning the lottery or wishing to win a certain ball game. Like “I hope we win today”. Hope, in the Bible, is not a wish but a guaranteed promise that will one day be fulfilled. For when God promises something, you can bank on it happening for God cannot, and does not, lie (Numbers 23:19). In God’s Word hope is always future, something that is not available now. 

 “For we are saved to hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?” (Romans 8:24) Hope is something that is absolute and to be expected and looked forward to sometime in the future.

                A great example of this is regarding Moses leading the children of Israel to the Promised Land. The reason they called it the ‘promised land’ is because years earlier God had promised the land of Canaan to Abraham’s descendants. This promise was given to Abraham before he even had any children but the land that he sojourned in was promised to his children for an everlasting possession (Genesis 17:8). Fast forward more than 450 years and Abraham’s descendants are now about 2 ½ million souls and living in Egypt. Moses was sent to bring them out of Egypt and take them through the wilderness to the land that God had promised them. To Israel, this was their hope-a future guarantee from God.

                For those of you who do not know the story, when they arrived at the point of entering the land that was promised, the people became convinced they could not take the land (they didn’t think they were big enough or as mighty as the people already living on the land). They had forgotten that it was God who had brought them this far and that He could be relied upon to bring them into the land. Because of their unbelief the children of Israel were sent back into the wilderness for 40 years. Now only those who were 20 yrs or younger would enter. The older generation forfeited their right to enter. They doubted God at every turn. They turned their back on every promise that God made to them. The older ones would never see the Promised Land. Their job now was to prepare the next generation to someday enter the Promised Land and reenergize their children’s hope.

                The Word of God many times referred to the Promised Land as the land flowing with milk and honey. But it was so much more than this. Deuteronomy says,               

“For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land—a land with brooks, streams, and deep springs gushing out into the valleys and hills; a land with wheat and barley, vines and fig trees, pomegranates, olive oil and honey; a land where bread will not be scarce and you will lack nothing; a land where the rocks are iron and you can dig copper out of the hills.” (Deuteronomy 8:7-9)

This was a future that they could picture and look forward to, a future to get excited about. When they were living in the wilderness this must have seemed like paradise. All they had to do was believe that God meant what He said and said what He meant regarding this promise He made to their father Abraham.  They could have had it all. Eventually, following the leadership of Moses, Joshua and Caleb, those that were left received the promise.

                We as God’s children also have a living hope promised to us. 

 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,” (I Peter 1:3) 

This hope is promised to us because we have believed in Jesus Christ and made him our Lord. For God’s Word tells us that one day Christ will return for his church and we will forever be with him. This hope is to be an anchor to our soul to keep us going in times of trials and tribulation (Hebrews 6:19).

                What more does it say about our future home? In the book Revelation the Apostle John writes of the vision that he received of the Lord about future times to come. In Revelation 21:10 John says,               

“And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God.”

The description of what John saw is almost beyond imagination. Here are some of the highlights of his vision:

                -The city that John saw was 1,500 miles by length and width. This is greater than the size of India. It is also 1,500 miles high. This city is made of pure gold.

                -The foundations of the walls of the city are adorned with 12 of the most precious gems on earth. Each foundation has the names of each of the twelve apostles.

                -The city has three gates on each side, each made of one huge pearl (pearly gates). Each one has the name of one of the tribes of Israel.

                -The street of the city is made of pure transparent gold.

                -A crystal clear river runs down the center of it flowing from the throne of God and the Lamb. On each side of the river is the tree of life which bears twelve types of fruit which blooms each month. The leaves on the trees are for the health of the nations. The river will flow out of the city and heal the land. (Also see Ezekiel 47).

                -There will be no more night and no need of the sun for God and the Lamb will be it’s light. (For further glimpses into paradise see Isaiah 11:6-9 and 35:5-10).

It is hard to imagine a city such as this, but WE WILL SEE IT! This city is for us, for our names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.    

                   

“And there shall in no wise enter into it anything that defileth, neither whatsoever             worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book       of life.” (Revelation 21:27) 

This is our hope, God’s promise to us of our future paradise on earth. But beyond this description of our future home is the real reason for eternal life. That we will truly and fully know God and Jesus Christ.

                “Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” John 17:3.

                                                            Love Always, Ray