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THE GOSPEL HOPE

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Seventh-day Adventist Missionary Society · Oakland, California · Oct 13, 1881

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 7, No. 39.

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THE GOSPEL HOPE.

By John Norton Loughborough

BY J. N. LOUGHBOROUGH, SOUTHAMPTON, ENGLAND.
HOPE is defined to be, "A desire of some good, accompanied with at least a slight expectation of obtaining it." Neither desire nor expectation alone constitutes a hope. A person may desire what he has no reasonable ground of expecting. Again, he may expect to receive that which he by no means desires. One may desire the future kingdom of God, with all its attendant glories, and yet cannot expect to receive it, unless he is found walking "in the statutes of life." The sinner may expect, on the authority of the word of God, that, if he does not turn and serve the Lord, he will be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power (2 Thess. 1 : 8, 9), yet he does not desire it. So we may conclude that the true hope is a combination of expectation and desire, based upon what God has promised, and upon the assurance that we ourselves are complying with the conditions of the promise.
The Scripture writers have not placed many hopes before us, but as St. Paul says, "There is one body, and one spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling." Eph. 4 : 4. There are indeed several events to be accomplished in order to the full and final realization of the gospel hope. Each of these events may be spoken of as the hope, but only in the sense that the accomplishment of these events are embodied in the ushering in of the one hope. These objects, or events, have to be called the hope; because if these are not fulfilled, the hope itself would fail of its accomplishment.
We might compare these events to steps to be taken in ascending a tower. Each is taken to gain the top of the tower, but no one of the steps alone will bring us to the top. Although each step is taken to gain the top, still the top is not gained unless all the steps are taken. So with the different events of the hope, all must be fulfilled or that hope will never be realized.
To make the point plainer we say, 1. The hope is spoken of as the inheritance awaiting the faithful in Heaven. St. Peter says, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance *incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in Heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation, ready to be revealed in the last time." 1 Pet. 1 : 3-5.
We learn, 2. That eternal life is called the hope. St. Paul says, "In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began." Titus 1 : 2. This same apostle has made this very plain in writing to the Corinthians where he says, "Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I show you a mystery: we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump; for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality." 1 Cor. 15 : 50-53. Looking forward by faith, cherishing the hope of a part in the future kingdom, we see that ere we enter that kingdom we must be made immortal, in other words we must receive eternal life through our Lord Jesus Christ. So we see that "eternal life" is a part of that hope of inheritance in the kingdom.
We further learn, 3. That the resurrection is called the hope. We read of St. Paul, "He cried out in the council, Men and brethren, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee; of the hope and resurrection of the dead I am called in question." Acts 23 : 6. Again, "But this I confess unto thee, that after the way which they call heresy, so worship I the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the law and in the prophets; and have hope toward God, which they themselves also allow, that there shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjust." Acts 24 : 14, 15. This is also clear when we consider that it is at the resurrection of the just that the saints of God are to be made immortal. The resurrection of the just then is indeed the hope, for it is at the resurrection that corruption puts on incorruption in order to obtain an entrance into the future kingdom of God.
The second appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ is also called the hope; "The grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ." Titus 2 : 11-13. It is at the coming of Christ that to take place, "For the Lord himself shall descend from Heaven with a shout, with the voice of the Archangel, and with the trump of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first." 1 Thess. 4 : 16. "For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But, every man in his own order: Christ the first-fruits, afterward they that are Christ's at his coming." 1 Cor. 15 : 22, 23.
If there were no second coming of Christ, there would be no resurrection. The resurrection is spoken of as an event to transpire at the coming Christ, hence, if there should be no coming of Christ, the saints would not be raised. If the saints are not raised, immortality will not be given. If immortality be not given, the hope of the future kingdom must all prove a failure; for "flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom." Thus it is evident that the second coming of Christ is the grand and glorious event which is to usher in the consummation of the hope of God's people. There is then no marvel that so much importance is attached in the Scriptures to the great theme of Christ's second coming.
It has been claimed, by those who have counted, that one verse of every thirty, in the New Testament treats of Christ's second coming. Receiving the idea that our hope centers in his coming to raise the dead and bestow immortality upon his people, that they may possess the immortal kingdom, there is a glory clustering around the event of his coming, like the glory of dawning day. It is the grand door that must be opened to usher us into the kingdom of God.
In harmony with the thoughts already suggested in this article, we may understand why the promises of the entire Bible which relate to the future reward are made in the manner they are. A fact which must have suggested itself to the careful student of Scripture is this. When Bible writers have occasion to speak of the reward of the righteous, they either point us to Christ's coming, the resurrection, or eternal life and the kingdom of glory beyond the resurrection.
Said Job, "I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth; and though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God," Job 19 : 25, 26. Comparing this with his statements in previous chapters we see he had no other hope but in the awaking at Christ's coming. He says, "There is hope of a tree, if it be cut down that it will sprout again." Then he contrasts it with man's death, comparing it to the drying up of the waters, and saying they are in a sleep from which they shall not awaken until the heavens be no more, and says, "If a man die shall he live again? All the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come." Job 14 : 7-15.
In chapter seventeen he shows us plainly that his hope is not consummated while he is dead. "If I wait, the grave is mine house; I have made my bed in the darkness. I have said to corruption, Thou art my father; to the worm, Thou art my mother, and my sister. And where is now my hope? as for my hope who shall see it?" Verses 13-15. He waits in the sleep of death, with worms consuming his body, resting in hope that his Redeemer will come at the last day and he shall then be resurrected and see God in his flesh.
The prophet Ezekiel, in treating of the resurrection of God's people, under the similitude of a valley of dry bones, represents the bones of the dead as speaking, and saying, "Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost; we are cut off for our parts." But the Lord says, "Prophecy and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God: Behold, O my people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel." Eze. 37 : 11, 12. Designating clearly that their hope is not cut off, because that there will be a resurrection of the dead.
As to the time of reward we instance the words of our Saviour as recorded in St. Luke. He had been bidden to a feast. "Then said he also to him that bade him, When thou makest a dinner or a supper, call not thy friends, nor thy brethren, neither thy kinsmen, nor thy rich neighbors; lest they also bid thee again, and a recompense be made thee. But when thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind; and thou shalt be blessed; for they cannot recompense thee; for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just." Luke 14 : 12-14.
The words of St. Paul are also in point, when writing to the Colossians, he says, "For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory." Col. 3 : 3, 4.
St. Paul seemed very desirous that the church should have the true hope before them as we see in his words addressed to those of Thessalonica. He says, "But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from Heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first; then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air; and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words." 1 Thess. 4 : 13-18.By looking carefully at these words of St. Paul we learn, 1. That those he addressed were sorrowing like those who had no hope. 2. The reason they were thus sorrowing was because they were ignorant concerning their friends who had died. 3. He tells them he would not have them ignorant, which is conclusive proof that he was not himself in ignorance concerning the dead. 4. Having thus intimated that they are ignorant and that he is not, and that he would not leave them in ignorance we should expect him, as a faithful apostle of Christ, to write in such a manner as to remove this ignorance respecting the dead by placing the true gospel hope before them.
Under such circumstances, with such a preface to his remarks, what does he tell them? That their friends are in Heaven receiving their reward? That they are already happy in the full fruition of their hope? No! he has no such statement to make; but that the Lord is coming to raise their friends from the dead, and take them up with the living saints, to meet the Lord in the air, when he comes, to be forever with him. And he concludes by saying, "Wherefore comfort one another with these words." Thus he points them to Christ's coming and the resurrection for the consummation of their hope.
What he taught others in his life and ministry was the hope that cheered him when he neared the close of his pilgrimage. Writing to Timothy, he said, "For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure [death] is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith; henceforth [from the time of his death] there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, shall give me at that day; and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing." 2 Tim. 4 : 6-8. This shows that the reward of righteousness is to be given at Christ's second coming. This is in exact accordance with our Saviour's words, as recorded in Revelation, "And behold, I come quickly, and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be." Rev. 22 : 12.
Both St. Peter and St. John, the beloved apostle, agree with the above in their testimony concerning the hope. St. Peter says to the ministers of Christ, "Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; neither as being lords over God's heritage, but being ensamples to the flock. And when the Chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away." 1 Peter 5 : 2-4.
St. John says, "Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be; but we know that when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure." 1 John 3 : 2, 3.
The coming of Christ then is the time we shall receive our reward, and it is then the hope of God's people will be consummated.