Jeremiah 29:11; “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” (ESV, all emphasis mine)
Psalm 25:4-5; “Make me to know Your ways, Oh Lord, teach me Your paths. Lead me in Your truth and teach me, for You are the God of my Salvation; for You I wait all the day long.”
Psalm 33:20-22; “Our soul waits for the Lord; He is our help and our shield. For our heart is glad in Him, because we trust in His Holy name. Let your steadfast love, Oh Lord, be upon us, even as we hope in You.”
Psalm 42:11; “Why are you cast down Oh my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise Him, my Salvation and my God.”
Psalm 119:114; “You are my hiding place, and my shield; I hope in your word.”
Isaiah 40:30-31; “Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.”
Micah 7:7; “But as for me, I will look to the Lord; I will wait for the God of my Salvation; My God will lead me.”
So far, this has covered a few verses from the Old Testament about our Heavenly Father and how any hope we may have in Him is not misplaced. All the recipients of these verses were still under the Mosaic Law and had not received the gift of eternal life that our Precious Savior provided with His sinless blood sacrifice. Until that time came, sacrifices had to be made on a regular basis and according to the strict instructions from the Father to temporarily cover sins.
At the cross, Our Savior’s blood reached back to those who had been in the will of the Father, and all the way forward to the end of the Millennial Reign for all who would receive and accept His gift. For those pre-calvary who worshiped other gods and who died out of God’s will, they received a reservation in line at the Great White Throne Judgment of Revelation 20:11-15.
We are given encouragement in the New Testament about our eternal hope secured for us by our Savior. The sacrifice for all our sins was made once and for all who would receive and accept Jesus.
Romans 5:1-5; “Therefore since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through Him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance; and endurance produces character; and character produces hope; and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.”
Romans 15:13; “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit, you may abound in hope.”
Hebrews 10:23; “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.”
Hebrews 11:1; “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for; the conviction of things not seen.”
1 Peter 1:3-5; “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ according to His great mercy, He has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead; to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled and unfading; kept in Heaven for you; who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a Salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”
1 Peter 3:15-16; “But in your hearts, honor Christ the Lord as Holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect; having a good conscience so that when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame.”
There is a saying that “a person can live 40 days without food, 4 days without water, 4 minutes without air, but only 4 seconds without hope” (John Calvin Maxwell; American Author; focusing on leadership). While this may seem a bit extreme, anyone without hope will be in a state of misery. All who are without Jesus in their lives and have no hope of an eternal life with Him would fall into this category. This world can only supply what some believe they need for only a limited time.
To die without Jesus as Savior is an instant awakening to an enormous eternal mistake. This was evidenced by the parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus in Luke 16:19-31. Their suffering begins immediately, while the death of a believer starts our eternity of eternal life.
Having a true relationship with Jesus is knowing that, no matter what this life brings, we have an eternal home with Him. A hymn from 1868 by Septimus Winner speaks of a hope that all who are part of the Savior’s flock have. It’s titled “Whispering Hope.”
1.) Soft as the voice of an angel, breathing a lesson unheard, hope with a gentle persuasion, whispers her comforting word. Wait till the darkness is over; wait till the tempest is done. Hope for the sunshine tomorrow, after the darkness is gone.
(ref) Whispering Hope; Oh how welcome Thy voice, making my heart in its sorrow rejoice.
2.) If, in the dark of the twilight, dim be the region afar, will not the deepening darkness brighten the glimmering star? Then, when the night is upon us, why should the heart sink away? When the dark midnight is over, watch for the breaking of day. (ref)
3.) Hope as an anchor so steadfast rends the dark veil for the soul. Whether the master has entered, robbing the grave of its goal. Come then; Oh come glad fruition; come to my sad weary heart. Come, Oh thou blest hope of glory; never, Oh never depart.
False prophets and antichrists are out in full force leading souls to seek worldly pleasures over the love of our Jesus. This is a time that is given to us in the Bible with end of this age prophecies. Our Heavenly Father is not being taken by surprise as the earth’s timeline is right on schedule. Soon, there will be an evil world leader that will come forth, and this earth will be in an awful tribulation period.
This can be avoided by all who have Jesus in their hearts as their eternal Savior. All who have this will not see the antichrist or the 7-year wrath period. Romans 10:9-13 gives the steps to Salvation, and the final verse states it best; “All who call on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
Today would be an excellent time to make your “reservation” for the trip up to meet the Lord in the air in what is known as the Rapture. To delay could be the most costly mistake anyone could ever make. Definitely hope to see you at the feet of Jesus!
Maranatha – Come, Lord Jesus!