p. 94 | Blessed Hope by A. Lanphear

The Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Aug 16, 1864

Blessed Hope.

By A. Lanphear

"LOOKING for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ."

Among the multitude of professors of religion, how few there are, who are in reality looking for that blessed hope. Some tell us the Lord will not come in millions of years yet. Others tell us that he came at the destruction of Jerusalem, and yet others tell us that he never will come, only as he comes spiritually. But he is spiritually with us all the time. Oh, then where is our hope of future life? Paul says, "For the Lord himself shall descend from Heaven with a shout, with the voice of the arch-angel, and with the trump of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first." The resurrection from the dead is immediately connected with, and is dependent on, the coming of the Lord. If the Lord does not come, then there will be no resurrection from the dead, "and if no resurrection from the dead then those that have fallen asleep in Christ are perished." "For as in Adam all die, 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."

At his coming then, those that have died in hope will be made alive. Paul says again, "Behold I show you a mystery: we shall not all sleep, but we shall 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. When? When the trumpet sounds. When does it sound? When the Lord descends from Heaven with a shout and with the voice of the archangel.

Jesus says, "If I go away I will come again." I believe it. I rejoice in it. I thank the Lord for these comforting words, "I will come again," and can say with the poet, "Roll on ye wheels of time, and bring the welcome day."

Looking for that blessed hope. Yes, blessed hope! glorious hope! Jesus is coming, and the saints will see him and be like him. There are a few that will ere long enjoy the full fruition of this hope. Who are they? They are those who have purified their souls by obeying the truth, the class that Peter speaks of when he says, "But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation a peculiar people."

If we are denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, and are living soberly and righteously and godly, and have been redeemed from all iniquity and been purified unto Christ a peculiar people, and are zealous of good works, then we may look with confidence for that blessed hope. We may have a good theory of the truth, and be very zealous in advocating it, talk long and loud about the beauties and glories which cluster around this hope, and yet fail at last for not being zealous in good works. The apostle says, "This is a faithful saying and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God, might be careful to maintain good works." We must "be purified unto Christ." "Every man that hath this hope in him, purifieth himself even as he is pure." We must be pure. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. "Be ye holy even as I am holy." "Be ye perfect as your Father in Heaven is perfect." Oh, let us all "walk in the light, as he is in the light, and have fellowship one with another, that the blood of Jesus Christ may cleanse us from all sin, so that we may with confidence look for that blessed hope. A. LANPHEAR. Nile, Allegany Co, N. Y.