Standing Firm

Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. [1 Corinthians 16:13]

Biblical TeachingsPodcast Episode

Doctrine #13: The Blessed Hope

Cathy

Look, I will come as unexpectedly as a thief! Blessed are all who are watching for me, who keep their clothing ready so they will not have to walk around naked and ashamed. [Revelation 16:15]

Oh yes, we are moving into the prophetic doctrines now, which are my even more favorites! Did you know that there is a special blessing for those of us who read prophecy? This is NOT a book to be afraid of and nor are any other prophetic books or messages. Prophecy when based on the Word of God always brings peace and comfort.

God blesses the one who reads the words of this prophecy to the church, and he blesses all who listen to its message and obey what it says, for the time is near. [Revelation 1:3] 

There are several warnings throughout scripture just as Revelation 16 stresses. These messages are a warning to us, to be on the watch, to be ready, to be prepared for His coming, since, whenever it will occur, it will be at a time when we were not expecting Him.

Walking around naked and ashamed is a great visual of how we will be IF we are not ready.

At the time this was written, in the temples, the main guard would do his rounds at night and if he found Levites sleeping on his watch, he had the authority to beat them with a stick and burn his clothing. Such a person would be found on his return home walking the streets naked. It was immediately known that he was found asleep at his post, had been beaten, and his clothes burnt.

His shame became evident as he faced reproach for his lack of readiness, and awareness, and failure to follow his orders.

Benefits of Sound Doctrine

  1. Sound doctrine provides comfort and peace when all hell is breaking loose.
  2. Sound doctrine shows us ALL of God’s promises since the beginning of time, for current times, and in the future.
  3. Sound doctrine provides healing from sickness and disease.
  4. Sound doctrine gives you the ability to have a relationship with God All Mighty.
  5. Sound doctrine equips you to do what you are called to do.
  6. Sound doctrine baffles the devil, he doesn’t know what to do with it.
  7. Sound doctrine will give you the ability to trust in the Holy Spirit leading.
  8. Sound doctrine will prevent you from straying from the Lord.
  9. Sound doctrine gives you a deep sense of awe for God.
  10. Sound doctrine gives you a reverential fear of the Lord.
  11. Sound doctrine is imperative for all believers in these last days.
  12. Sound doctrine will cause you to seek the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
  13. Sound doctrine will produce a church that allows the Holy Spirit to lead.
  14. Sound doctrine will provide power and supernatural workings of the Holy Spirit.
  15. Sound doctrine provides a life of peace, prosperity, and purpose.
  16. Sound doctrine gives you a solid foundation for everything in your life.
  17. Sound doctrine prevents you from living in fear and anxiety.
  18. Sound doctrine will give you boldness in the Holy Spirit.
  19. Sound doctrine will give you the ability to be a living sacrifice.
  20. Sound doctrine will help prevent you from receiving the antichrist spirit.
  21. Sound doctrine gives you discernment about heaven and hell.
  22. Sound doctrine will allow you to live a holy life.
  23. Sound doctrine will keep you from falling away from the faith.
  24. Sound doctrine will prevent you from being deceived.
  25. Sound doctrine will help you from going insane in this crazy world.
  26. Sound doctrine will help you to STAND FIRM.

In the next few scriptures, we are going to talk about the rapture of the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ. This is the BLESSED HOPE – that Jesus does return.

This is when TRUE believers will be taken up with the Lord BEFORE the tribulation.  Yes, I do believe that we will NOT be here for the tribulation. We will be spared this awful time. Jesus will not be visible so we will be “taken up” into the air with Him.  Those who are already dead will go up first, IF we are still alive, we will then be taken up after them. (right now, we are touching the basic points for biblical doctrine, so I will go back and have teachings on Revelation later).

When I say true believers, these are those that have stood firm and those that have committed their lives as living sacrifices. Remember, in previous messages we talked about saying the prayer of salvation, yet never choosing to have a transformed life and the devastating consequences of this choice. (go back and review all other doctrines)

Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter. On judgment day many will say to me, ‘Lord! Lord! We prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name. But I will reply, ‘I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God’s laws. [Matthew 7:21-23]

THE BLESSED HOPE

For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say No to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age,  while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ,  who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good. [Titus 2:11-14]

  • The Blessed Hope is a cornerstone of all the doctrines we have been speaking about, encapsulating the anticipation and expectation regarding the magnificent return of Jesus Christ.
  • The Blessed Hope speaks of the imminent return of our Savior to gather His redeemed ones, the TRUE believers.
  • The Blessed Hope is possible because Jesus gave His life in exchange for OUR lives.
  • The Blessed Hope is for those who said NO to ungodliness.
  • The Blessed Hope is for those who said NO to worldly passions.
  • The Blessed Hope is for those who have lived a self-controlled life.
  • The Blessed Hope is for those who have lived upright.
  • The Blessed Hope is not a wishful desire, but a confident expectation based on God’s Word, doctrine #1, for ALL of those who have been saved.

THE HOPE OF THE RESURRECTION

And now, (dear brothers and) sisters, we want you to know what will happen to the believers who have died so you will not grieve like people who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we also believe that when Jesus returns, God will bring back with him the believers who have died. We tell you this directly from the Lord: We who are still living when the Lord returns will not meet him ahead of those who have died. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the believers who have died will rise from their graves. Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever. So encourage each other with these words. [1 Thessalonians 4:13-18]

  • The Blessed Hope is a source of comfort, and encouragement, and should be a motivation for believers.
  • The Blessed Hope is even for believers who have already died, they will be raised up before those still living!
  • The Blessed Hope of our ultimate destination.
  • The Blessed Hope is our eternal life with the Lord FOREVER.
  • The Blessed Hope is a call for joyful expectation.
  • The Blessed Hope is a call to steadfast faith.
  • The Blessed Hope is a call to live a life readiness.
  • The Blessed Hope is to encourage one another.

THE FUTURE GLORY

Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later. For all creation is waiting eagerly for that future day when God will reveal who his children really are. Against its will, all creation was subjected to God’s curse. But with eager hope, the creation looks forward to the day when it will join God’s children in glorious freedom from death and decay. [Romans 8:18-21]

  • The Blessed Hope is intricately tied to the promise of a day when the struggles of this world will be replaced by the unending joy and peace of God’s eternal presence.
  • The Blessed Hope This hope is not confined to wishful thinking but is grounded in the redemptive work of Jesus Christ’s suffering, death, and resurrection.
  • The Blessed Hope serves as an anchor in the storms of life, assuring that, despite the challenges and uncertainties of the present, a glorious future awaits.
  • The Blessed Hope is the assurance to believers that His return will usher in the consummation of God’s divine plan for creation.

THE RESURRECTION BODY

But let me reveal to you a wonderful secret. We will not all die, but we will all be transformed! It will happen in a moment, in the blink of an eye, when the last trumpet is blown. For when the trumpet sounds, those who have died will be raised to live forever. And we who are living will also be transformed. For our dying bodies must be transformed into bodies that will never die; our mortal bodies must be transformed into immortal bodies. [1 Corinthians 15:51-53]

  • The Blessed Hope provides a promise of eternal life, no death.
  • The Blessed Hope promises that our bodies will be transformed back into the perfection that started in the Garden of Eden!
  • The Blessed Hope transcends earthly circumstances, offering a perspective that looks beyond the temporal to the eternal.
  • The Blessed Hope is the anticipation of Christ’s return.
  • The Blessed Hope instills a sense of purpose.
  • The Blessed Hope encourages believers to live in alignment with Biblical doctrines and the Word.
  • The Blessed Hope gives urgency to share the Good News of Jesus Christ.

The Blessed Hope stands as a radiant thread, woven with the promises of Scripture and anchored in the unchanging character of our Savior. As we eagerly anticipate the return of Jesus, our hearts are filled with peace and joy. This Blessed Hope is not merely a distant dream but a steadfast anchor that steadies us in the storms of life. With each passing day, we draw closer to the fulfillment of this hope, a day when we will have a new resurrected transformed body. This Blessed Hope is a rock-solid promise of eternal life with Jesus, which our pea sized brains can hardly comprehend.

 

Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong.
[1 Corinthians 16:13]

STAND FIRM COMMUNITY

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