1. The blessed hope of the personal return of Christ. (Titus 2:19)
2. The resurrection of the body in a glorified new form, never again subject to sickness, weakness, or death. (Acts 23:6)
3. The restoration of loved ones who have fallen asleep/died in Christ. (1Thessalonians 4:13-18)
4. Fellowship with converts and other saints. (1Thessalonians 2:19)
5. Being presented spotless, 2Peter 3:14, and faultless, Jude 24, in unutterable glory, Colossians 1:27.
Read moreWhat is hope? It is not wishful thinking that hopes against hope for that which flies in the face of reality. It is not just optimism, which will not face up to sober evidence. It is not the same as expectation, which implies a high degree of certainty based upon what obviously is going to happen. "For in this hope we are saved. But hope which is seen is no hope at all." (Romans 8:24) We must have some basis, some reason, to hope. Hope must be rooted in reality.
Read moreThere is enough blame to go around. Most want to claim that it is the fault of someone else. Some economists think that if governments follow their advice and enact their solutions, that all would be well. But we have learned that life is much more complicated than they think.
Read moreWhat does the Gospel have to say to us as we face the future? Let me share with you a word from Jesus, and a word from the apostle Paul on this topic.
Jesus said, On the day that the "Son of Man is revealed...And you're out in the field, don't go back and get your coat. Remember what happened to Lot's wife. If you grasp and cling to life on your terms, you'll lose it, but if you let that life go, you'll get life on God's terms." (Luke 17:30-33. The Message)
Read more"Today, in the town of David, a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord." (Luke 2:11)
Read moreThere's a word to this kind of prophetic writing that projects God's final success onto the end of time: it's called "apocalyptic".
Read more"After me will come one more powerful than I, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit." (NIV, Mark 1:7,8)
Read moreWe need to beware of the fallacy of the theory of uniformity. Uniformity presupposes that whatever happens today has always happened this way, and that we can anticipate the future in the light of the processes we see in the past. On the basis of uniformity it is said that the future will mirror the way things have always been. But the Bible is premised on something other than uniformity. The sovereign God of creation and salvation intervenes to disclose himself to the world.
Read moreAs President, George Washington made the following proclamation and created the first Thanksgiving Day designated by the national government of the United States of America:
Read more"All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had. With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them all. There were no needy persons among them.
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