This week, those of us who celebrate the season of Advent are contemplating the virtue of HOPE. Hope is a Gift from God and is arguably one of the most forgotten virtues of our day and age.
In Hebrew, the “Hope that does not disappoint” is Tikvah. As many of you know, Ha’Tikvah is also the name of the Israeli national anthem. The hope expressed in that beautiful song is a hopeful longing for the homeland of Israel by the world’s Jews. But the soulful words express more than a “maybe” hope. It is an existential yearning for the promised land – the land that the LORD God promised Abraham to give his descendants, a longing to dwell in freedom in a land of milk and honey, and of ultimate peace.
And that brings us back to our Christian celebration of Advent. Advent means ‘the arrival of a notable person or event.” In the Christian calendar, the Season of Advent anticipates the arrival on Earth of the infant Jesus Christ.
In the years before Jesus was born, there was great hope that the Messiah’s coming was close. Messianic fever was at an all-time high pitch, much as Rapture fever is on us today. All the signs, according to the old prophets such as Isaiah and Daniel, were in place for the momentous birth on Earth of God’s Anointed One, which is what Messiah means. Young Jewish women all over the Mid-East longed to be the bearer of Messiah. The young men hoped they would grow up to be Him. And mothers and fathers prayed their sons would be chosen.
However, if these people would have read their Bibles more carefully, they would have seen that human effort had nothing to do with this promised coming.
Isaiah 7:14, “Therefore, the LORD Himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call Him Immanuel.” And Isaiah 9:6-7, “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on His shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful, Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the greatness of His government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness, from that time on and forever.”
And here is the hammer: “The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this.”
Isaiah tells us Who is coming – a child, a Son born of a virgin.
Isaiah tells us what His Name will be — Immanuel, which means God With Us. The prophet also tells us He will bear other names, including Prince of Peace and even the Name of the Almighty.
Isaiah tells us why He is coming – to bear the weight of the government on His shoulders, so that the greatness and peace of His Kingdom will be forever.
Lastly, Isaiah tells us how this will all be accomplished. No machinations of humans will bring about this miraculous birth; it is the Zeal of God that enables the miraculous birth of Messiah on planet Earth. It is God’s passionate desire to save us from our sin which brings about the birth of “God With Us,” Immanuel.
Daniel 7:13-14 saw the Messiah as arriving on Earth full-panoplied, that is, not as an infant, but fully grown and ready to serve.
“In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was One like a Son of Man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into His Presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and His kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.”
Daniel tells us of the everlasting kingdom that Messiah will usher in. He says he saw “One like a Son of Man” coming with the clouds of heaven.” Jesus referred to Himself as The Son of Man – ready? – 81 times throughout the New Testament!
Daniel prophesies that the Son of Man comes to establish His kingdom, a dominion that will not pass away. Despite a lot of effort on Satan’s part, the hope of Jesus’ eternal kingdom is alive and well in these last days. His authority over all nations and peoples has resulted in a worldwide church. In these days, the numbers are dwindling, but that is fulfillment of prophecy, too. The church will not, however, disappear before Jesus comes again. She (we) will keep alive the promise of the Coming Kingdom until the end. Then Jesus will snatch up the remnant church (us) to meet Him in the air, as His bride, in the Rapture.
What is known as the Marriage Feast of the Lamb will last for seven years in heaven. Then we will come back to Earth with Jesus, Who, at that time, will put an end to war and wickedness “with a word” or the breath of His mouth.
So, now, this is where hope comes in.
In the brief Book of Titus, we read that our HOPE, as followers of Yeshua, is a blessed hope, looking for the glorious appearing of “the Great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ.” The question may arise, Why should we be looking for Jesus? Answer: Because watching for Him to return gives us strength to go on in the midst of the turmoil of life. Watching for Jesus, HOPING to see Him, HOPING to be with Him, fills many an empty heart and empty life. And this is not a BLESSED HOPE; it is, indeed, THE BLESSED HOPE. It is the same hope of promise the people of Judah had before Jesus was born.
The First Advent was anticipated with much longing and praying. It must have been really hard for people of the last four centuries before Christ was born. The last of the great Jewish prophets, Malachi, wrote his book some four hundred years before the Nativity of Christ. Four Hundred Years!
Let’s put that into perspective. Four hundred years ago was the year 1625! America was in her infancy. Canada was just being explored by a few intrepid white men. There were no trains, planes or automobiles, of course. The most distance a body could travel comfortably overland in a day was about 60 miles, mostly at a rate of about five miles per hour.
Suffice it to say that four hundred years is a long, long time. Yet, the last few years before Jesus was born saw the Jewish world in an uproar, anticipating the fulfillment of Isaiah’s, Daniel’s, and others’ prophesies about the coming Messiah.
It seems we are about at that stage right now as we await the Blessed Hope of Redemption in the Resurrection and Rapture. Those of us who see the signs so clearly have more than a hope, as in “Gee, I hope He comes soon.” No, our Hope is Holy. It carries with it the fulfillment of God’s promise to us of a new life in Him.
A 94-year-old sister-in-Christ recently passed away. She loved the LORD and often expressed her desire to be home with Him. When she passed, I could not help thinking how very blessed she is right now. Though I wouldn’t do a thing to hurry it on, I find myself quite envious of those who have run the race and captured the prize of eternal life with Jesus already. Meanwhile, we continue to plod along here on Earth, some of us in aged bodies, some in infirm bodies … but even some believers with healthy bodies are on the same page that I am.
God has placed eternity into the hearts of all believers, and sometimes we are so ready for it. Just thinking about seeing the face of Jesus is enough to fill us with that longing. Throw in the part where our bodies will be redeemed, as well as our souls, and, oh my, I’m like a little kid waiting for Christmas. And, indeed, Apostle John says that’s what we are – God’s little children waiting for the day when Our Saviour will shout, “Come up, hither!!” and we will meet Him in the clouds and be with Him forever (1 Thessalonians 4:17).
The birth on earth of Jesus Christ in Bethlehem, 2000 years ago, gave human beings a real hope of escape from the curse of Adam and Eve. “For God so loved the world that He gave us His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
My hope is in the LORD! How about you?
A Prayer …
Father God in Heaven: When life on Earth gets too hard, when we are led astray by thoughts of “What’s the use?” or even “Is it all true?” please then strengthen our Blessed Hope of seeing You soon. Thank You for sending Jesus the first time. Please give us patience and wisdom and understanding when we sometimes feel lost. Please show us in Your Holy Word how magnificent our future is going to be when Jesus comes again.
In the Name of Yeshua, Jesus, our Saviour forever, we pray. Amen.
The post Hope That Does Not Disappoint :: By Lynda Janzen appeared first on Rapture Ready.
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