These three future hopes, as a bible believer, change my overall definition for how I understood hope. As a Christian, my hope is not in some possibility, such as “I hope to win the lottery.” But it is an assured knowing; confidence and anticipation of what is to come.
In this post we will look at three future events that the Bible says will happen and how they are a hope to us, Bible believers. These three future hopes will impact your living when taken in consideration and serious. In fact, living with these three future hopes shape your life in being ready for the imminent return of Jesus. Which is the first out of the three we will discuss.
The Rapture of The Church- Our Resurrection
The blessed hope of the Church is the any-moment-rapture. 1 John 3:3 says that everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself just as He is pure. Believing in the rapture of the church gives us a future hope knowing that at any moment we will stand before Christ. This hope purifies us and shapes the way we live. We will be more mindful of our thoughts, actions, and behavior. It encourages us to be kingdom minded and eternally prepared for when it will take place.
The future hope of the rapture for believers is not only that we will be with Christ forever from that day on. But also that we will be in new bodies, 1 Corinthians 15 teaches us the doctrine of our resurrection bodies. Living with this expectation has it’s own implications and I won’t spend too much time discussing each but here are 5 implications living with this future hope; urgency in evangelism, endurance for persecution, resistance from sinning, anticipation for heaven, and living in victory.
If you are uncertain of this doctrine I encourage you to download my free guide to 50 arguments for the pre-tribulation rapture, here. The Bible teaches that Jesus will be coming for His saints then followed seven years later by His Second coming with His saints to rescue the nation of Israel. Just a short list of the difference between the rapture and second coming of Christ:
- AT THE RAPTURE: The saints meet Christ in the air.
- AT THE SECOND COMING: Christ returns to earth.
- AT THE RAPTURE: The Mount of Olives is untouched.
- AT THE SECOND COMING: The Mount of Olives splits.
- AT THE RAPTURE: Living saints are translated.
- AT THHE RAPTURE: Christ comes for His saints.
- AT THE SECOND COMING: Christ comes with His saints.
- AT THE RAPTURE: The world is not judged and sin gets
- worse.
- AT THE SECOND COMING: The world is judged and sin is dealt with.
- THE RAPTURE: Is not preceded by detailed signs or warnings.
- THE SECOND COMING: Is preceded by specific detailed signs.
- THE RAPTURE: Concerns only the saved.
- THE SECOND COMING: Concerns the saved and the lost.
The Bema Seat Judgement of Christ
The second hope out of our three future hopes as Bible Believers is the bema seat judgement of Christ. This event is not to be confused with the Great White Throne judgment described in Revelation 20. The judgement of Christ also known as the Bema Seat Judgement are explained in 2 Timothy 4:8, John 5:22, 2 Corinthians 5:10, 1 Corinthians 3:10-15, and Romans 14:10. Our future hope for the bema seat is a judgment specifically for the Church. It’s not a judgement of condemnation.
“There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, awho 1do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.”
Romans 8:1,
Our future is about the little choices that reveal what we really are in the sight of God. This moment is the greatest moment of our Christian lives. This judgement will judge our works. Allow me to explain this future hope.
We are accustomed to receiving all sorts of rewards based on our efforts, for example a high school diploma. Most of my employers rewarded me based on my performance. Athletes also receive rewards in competitive games like the Olympics.
Like matter, Scripture teaches that God will judge His followers works when they die. This judgement is known as the Bema Seat of Christ specifically for believers. The purpose of this future hope is assigning eternal rewards based on our service to Christ.
The word Bema comes from the Greek words for “judgement seat” and it appears seven times in Scripture. Paul compares this future hope as “running the race to receive the prize” (1 Cor. 9:24-27). Important to note, the prize or reward here is not referring to salvation. Salvation is never called a prize in Scripture, only a gift.
The Reigning of Christ on Earth
The last future hope for all believers is the ruling of Christ on Earth. Scripture gives us the in and outs about this period known as the Kingdom of God. This term has been interpreted in many way. Bible students either believe the Kingdom is literal, physical time, and place or that it is a metaphor for something else.
Being a Bible student myself; my approach to interpreting Scripture is a literal hermeneutic of Scripture whenever possible, including in this case. Scripture tells us that the reigning of Christ on earth will be for a 1,000years. The kingdom is a promise that was given to the nation of Israel. It’s a proposal, program, and place.
The promise began in Genesis given by God to Abraham (Hebrews 11:9-16). Jesus discusses how “the Kingdom is at hand” (Matthew 4:17). For believers, the church is commissioned to recruiting and receiving new citizens for the kingdom. We are part of the program of populating it in a future day to come. The Lord assigned this mission to His followers in Matthew 28:18-20.
This command given by Jesus to His followers is on that grows our hope for this future day. It is necessary to fulfill God’s promise to Abraham that through his seed all nations would be blessed. The kingdom will be the fulfillment of this and that’s when we will reap our reward and seeing the work of our fruits. What a glorious day it will be.