The Blessed Hope - What is it?

[FresnoJoe]

 

The Blessed Hope - What is it?

 

First off, it is located in Titus 2:13:

 

  11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, 12 instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and Godly in this present age, 13 looking forward to that blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, 14 who gave Himself for us, to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good works.

 

No real definition is provided in the above passage, and nothing tells us what it is not either. One thing we do know, is that is is something to look forward to.

 

Some people think this is a reference to the rapture, that catching up of believers, referred to by Paul in 1 Thessalonians 4:

 

13 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. 15 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore comfort one another with these words.

 

Interesting. Paul here mentions in verse 13, that there are some who have no hope, I never noticed that as a contrast to a blessed hope before - just an observation. Back to my original thought:

 

If this catching up (or rapture as it is sometimes called) is a pre-tribulation event, then it would indeed be a blessed hope (at least for those who will be around near the end), because if would be a meeting with our savior, and an escape from a horrible time that is about to take place.

 

I am wondering though, what in Titus 2, indicates that this is what is being spoken of? Well, to be honest, I am not wondering that exactly, because the answer to my question is "NOTHING". Nothing there indicates that it is a pre-trib rapture. Some take it upon themselves to go beyond the word of God and just define the blessed hope as the pre-trib rapture.

 

I have the hope, one day, that I will meet my savior, face to face, and enter into His rest. I have the hope, that I will be delivered from His wrath He intends to apply to the ungodly, that I deserve because of my rebellions, my sins. My hope is based upon the promise that rather than endure torment, I will join Him in Heaven, because by His grace alone, I will have been brought there.

 

So anyway, take a look at Titus 2:13 in it's context, and see if you think that the context indicates that the blessed hope is a pre-trib rapture, or is it possible something else?

 

Personally I have a blessed hope, not unlike this idea, in that I am looking forward to the blessed hope of salvation (Titus 2:11) and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, mentioned in Titus 2:13 and described in Matt 24:29 and 30 where we are told that after the tribulation and they will see the Son of man coming on the clouds with great glory.

 

So, what are your thoughts....

 

 

Happy

 

Behold, happy is the man whom God correcteth: therefore despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty: Job 5:17

 

Is

 

Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding. Proverbs 3:13

 

The

 

Happy is the man that feareth alway: but he that hardeneth his heart shall fall into mischief. Proverbs 28:17

 

Man

 

Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is. Jeremiah 17:7

 

See~!

 

Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:3

[Bible2]

Omegaman 3.0 said in post 1:

 

The Blessed Hope - What is it?

 

The blessed hope (Titus 2:13) is the hope of eternal life: "In hope of eternal life" (Titus 1:2), "that blessed hope" (Titus 2:13), "the hope of eternal life" (Titus 3:7), by which is meant the hope of obtaining an immortal, physical resurrection body (Romans 8:23-25, Philippians 3:21, Luke 24:39) at Jesus' 2nd coming (1 Corinthians 15:21-23,51-53; 1 Thessalonians 4:15-16, Revelation 19:7 to 20:6), which won't occur until immediately after the future tribulation of Revelation chapters 6 to 18 and Matthew 24 (Matthew 24:29-31; 2 Thessalonians 2:1-8, Revelation 19:7 to 20:6). Also, Jesus himself is the hope of believers (1 Timothy 1:1b), for he himself is eternal life (John 14:6), and only by believing in him can people have eternal life (John 3:36).

 

Also, no Christians are hoping for the tribulation instead of Jesus' 2nd coming, even though those Christians who (rightly) hold to the post-tribulation rapture view know the tribulation must come first (Matthew 24:29-31; 2 Thessalonians 2:1-8, Revelation 19:7 to 20:6; cf. 1 Peter 4:12-13). For a Christian (whether male or female) who holds to the post-tribulation rapture view is like a pregnant woman nearing the end of her term. She isn't hoping for birthing pains instead of the birth of her child, but she knows birthing pains must come first (John 16:21-22, Isaiah 26:17-19; 1 Corinthians 15:21-23).

[Bible2]

Willa said in post 14:

 

1 Thess. 2:19 NKJV For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Is it not even you in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at His coming?

 

I see this hope as being in Christ's presence at His coming. There is a difference between His coming for His own, and His return when the world is awaiting to do battle with Him.

 

Note that Jesus' coming FOR his own and WITH his own will occur at the same 2nd coming. For 1 Thessalonians 3:13 and 1 Thessalonians 4:14-17 show that at Jesus' 2nd coming, the souls of all obedient dead believers of all times will be brought down from the 3rd heaven with Jesus (1 Thessalonians 4:14-15), and their souls will descend to the earth and their physical bodies will resurrect/rise from their graves (1 Thessalonians 4:16). Then they and all believers who will survive the future tribulation of Revelation chapters 6 to 18 and Matthew 24 on the earth (those who will still be "alive and remain") will be raptured up high into the air above the places all around the globe where they will be (1 Thessalonians 4:17a), and then they will be gathered together from the sky (the 1st heaven) all around the globe (Matthew 24:31; 2 Thessalonians 2:1) to the one place in the sky where the returned Jesus will be (1 Thessalonians 4:17b), which will be right above Jerusalem, before he sets his feet on the Mount of Olives (Zechariah 14:4-5, Acts 1:11-12).

 

It is because of this 2nd-coming rapture into the sky, and then the gathering to where in the sky Jesus will be (and then the marriage of the obedient part of the church there to Jesus: Revelation 19:7-8, Matthew 25:1-12), that the obedient part of the church will already be with Jesus when he subsequently descends from the sky (the 1st heaven) to the earth (Revelation 19:14, Revelation 17:14, Zechariah 14:5c,4).

[Last Daze]

 

Our blessed hope is the resurrection from death to eternal life.

Since the Resurrection and Rapture are simultaneous, the Blessed Hope includes both, and for the Christian it is the completion or finalization of his or her salvation (body, soul, and spirit). For those who died in Christ it is their resurrection and glorification, whereas for those who are alive at the time, it is their transformation and glorification. 

 

As Paul says those who are called are justified, and those who are justified are glorified (Rom 8:30).  The objective being "to be conformed to the image of His Son" (Rom 8:29). Note what is stated in 1 Jn 3:1-3:

¹ Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.

² 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.

³ And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.

 

The word "appear" is related to "the glorious appearing" in Tit 2:13.

 

 

Well said Ezra.