HopeWritten By Evelyn Pointer

Saturday, March 24, 12

What is Hope?What is hope? Hope is desire or expectation that you believe will be fulfilled. Hope can be centered on something or someone. As servants of God our hope is centered on God. We therefore say that God is our hope. What is hope? Hope is desire or expectation that you believe will be fulfilled. Hope can be centered on something or someone. As servants of God our hope is centered on God. We therefore say that God is our hope.

What is our desire? What is our expectation as saints of God? Our hope is that Christ is going to return a second time and deliver us. We hope in the promises of redemption that we have studied about in the bible. We hope to be freed from sin and death. We hope for eternal life and joy and peace. We hope to see God, and to be part of him and the heavenly kingdom. When we put our hope and trust in God, it is called a sure hope. Sure means certain, positive, steadfast, and without a doubt.

Saturday, March 24, 12

Hope of AgesOur hope is also the hope of the ages. The generations of our fathers wait in the grave for deliverance. From the very beginning even the ancient fathers looked forward to the coming of the Lord. Did not Enoch prophesy in the book of Jude verses 14 and 15 “Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints, to execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him.” All of the prophets through the spirit prophesied about the coming of the Lord.

Some people feel uncomfortable with prophesy. They say that they do not have to know all of that to be saved. Without prophesy we have no hope. Therefore wherever the word of God is spoken in truth, and wherever the testimony of Jesus is proclaimed, the word of prophesy is also spoken. Is the testimony of Jesus not the spirit of prophecy?

Saturday, March 24, 12

True ProphesyWhen we speak about the true word of prophecy, it is plain to understand. What do we know and speak? That Christ came the first time to save us from our sins, and that he will return the second time with power and glory to deliver us. This is our hope, and this is the foundation of all prophecy. The question we find, and the misunderstanding is in the details.

So many people have so many opinions on the second coming of the Lord and the end of the world. How do we know what is true? First of all the knowledge of the bible and of prophecy is available for all to read. The understanding of the bible and prophecy is given to just a few. Knowledge is abundant. Understanding is given by measure. The law is like a key. Without acceptance of the law and keeping of the law, you do not have the key to open the doors of understanding. We can say with confidence that anyone not worshipping God on the Sabbath, that rejects any part of the bible or does not keep the truth, will not have that sure prophecy. So we can forget anything that they say.

Saturday, March 24, 12

Prophesy and DoctrineIn fact if they do not obey God don’t listen to their opinion on anything to do with the scripture. However even if you obey the law, it does not mean you can understand all prophecy. Understanding is given by measure. It is a gift. You can’t understand it just because you want to, or just because someone else seems to. If you love the Lord and obey his word, and you hope in his return, then you understand what you need to know.

The bible also said for us not to despise prophecy. The Lord gives the gift of prophecy, and dreams and visions to his children. The Spirit talks to some people in a more open way than with others. Some people have more spiritual dreams than others. We do not always understand the meaning of dreams. Satan also gives us dreams. Some dreams are simply the way that the brain organizes information while we sleep. They have no important message for us. Some people when talking about the Lord is only interested in their interpretations of prophesy in the bible or prophesy that someone else has spoken. They seem more interested in that than in serving the Lord. Even the common or unlearned man is aware of the season of time that we live in. Yet they have no interest in preparing themselves for the coming of the Lord. Therefore our first exhortation is that the saint of God must prepare for the coming of the Lord, by walking on that straight path, staying on the foundation, and obeying the law of God. And why do we do these things? We do them because we have hope and faith in God. We do them because we love God. We do them because we fear his judgment. We do them because we hope in his promise.

Saturday, March 24, 12

From the uprisings in the

Middle East, protests against

senseless violence, peculiar weather that has plagued

the nation, and the rise of sodomites; all of these point to the season in

which the children of God will be

delivered.

Saturday, March 24, 12

The prophecy in the last days is outlined in Revelations chapter 14. We look to the sealing and deliverance of the 144,000, the preaching of the everlasting gospel, the fall of Babylon, and the rise of the man of sin, the first resurrection, the marriage supper, and the battle of Armageddon. Other scriptures teach us that Christ is going to bring the tabernacle to earth before the man of sin rises. Others tell us about the work of the 144,000 and of the last witnesses. Still others tell us about the signs and wonders before and after each of these events occur. Another wonderful scripture about the coming of the Lord is in Matthew chapter 24. Let us study the basic fundamentals of our hope.

Read---- outline of events in the last days, Revelations 14:1-20, Matthew 24:1-42, about the tabernacle Isaiah 2:1-4, Zechariah 14:4-11, about the great day of the wrath of the Lamb Revelations 6:12-17

Saturday, March 24, 12