This post is Day 9 in a series of studies about “Hope”. I strongly suggest you begin with the introduction to this study, please click here to read it.

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Hope – Day 9

After Jesus ascended to heaven, the early disciples were living in constant expectation of His return to earth. They had all seen Him be taken up to Heaven and had heard the angels say that He would come back in the same way that He had disappeared! Nobody knows when.

1 John 3:3

All who have this hope in Him purify themselves, just as He is pure.

The Thought

The hope that John is writing about here, is the hope of seeing Christ again when He reappears on the earth. The preceding verse talks about that. We know that when Christ appears, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.

After Jesus ascended to heaven, the early disciples were living in constant expectation of His return to earth. They had all seen Him be taken up to Heaven and had heard the angels say that He would come back in the same way that He had disappeared (Acts 1:9-11)! But the timing of that event is not given in any of the books of the Bible. Nobody knows! But many believers over the last two thousand years and more have lived in constant expectation of that event.

Matthew 24 gives us a scary account of what that time will be like. Some of the verses there could be a description of our world today. John is telling us in his three short letters to live as though Jesus is coming back soon. No matter when that event takes place!

Action

Read Matthew 24 today and ask yourself how much of it is speaking to our world as reported on the news media of our day. But don’t be afraid. We must concentrate on what is good and continue to live as Jesus told us to, and as He lived. Healing the sick, and spreading the good news that He is alive and will return one day. If that doesn’t happen during in our lifetime, then we must still live as a preparation for meeting Him in heaven.

Ask yourself and those in your Christian circle, how conscious we are of the imminent appearance of Jesus. Do we live with that hope?

Pray for more understanding of that event.

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