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The Bible Teaching Commentary on Genesis: The Book of Foundations
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The Transformation of Hope
A study of the future presence of hope
Paul J. Bucknell
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 || Study questions
What is hope? Will hope still exist in heaven, in God's eternal presence? (This is part 1.)
Hope is a powerful factor gauging the quality of life on earth, but will it accompany us beyond the shores into eternity? Hope builds excitement and anticipation needed for life.
Probably all of us have experienced hope’s beauty which, like a slow blooming flower, promises great delight as it fully blossoms. Hope can be likened to a marriage. Before getting married, each individual anticipates that magic moment of making those wedding vows that will usher them as a couple into a life of joy and love with each other.
I clearly remember, being far away at college, longing to see my girlfriend (now wife) and desiring to marry her. My heart was sad for the delay due to studies. I often meditated on the truth of the verse: “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but desire fulfilled is a tree of life” (Prov 13:12) which well described the deep longing in my heart. Hope allows us to brave defeats, loneliness, sickness and even death itself.
Hope itself has two defining points: future time and positive fulfillment. First, hope is always for a future event. One does not wish for past things except that it would shape a future situation. We might hope something like an accident didn’t happen or that a loved one was not involved in the recent crash, but the hoped for state still remains in the future, namely that our loved one is well and that we will soon see him or her.
The second aspect of hope anchors on much anticipated events. The scriptures speak much of hope, the word being used 139 times in the Bible. But beyond that, there are a great number of images conveying hope such as: redemption, prophetic fulfillment, Jesus’ return, salvation, new creation, etc.
This article and many others are part of our Digital Library #3 which helps mature Christians more effectively and nurture their spiritual lives.
Next (part 2/4)
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