Our Hope of Glory

Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.”
– Luke 1:30-33 NKJV

Hello Friends,

Once again, it is time for my annual Christmas letter. This year, my desire is to think upon the blessed hope that we have in Jesus of Nazareth, our Messiah and risen LORD. Before I dive into the heart of my message today, I wanted to highlight five essential and biblical truths that serve as a foundation for what I desire to communicate. These are:

• Jesus is God Preeminent: He is the firstborn over all creation. Before Jesus was born of the Holy Spirit by the virgin Mary, He existed in the beginning equal to the Father and the Holy Spirit. Jesus is God eternal and immortal.
• Jesus was born, fully human, by the virgin Mary, into the tribe of Judah. Jesus is fully God. He is also fully man. He will forever be the Jewish man from Nazareth.
• Jesus died a sinner’s death on a Roman cross, even though He was the only uniquely sinless human to have ever lived. By His sinless and sacrificial death, Jesus satisfied the fullness of God’s wrath against humanity’s sin. In doing so, all those who put their trust in Jesus have been liberated from the eternal consequences of sin.
• Jesus was raised from the dead on the third day. He is the firstborn from the dead. Those who put their trust in Him will one day be raised from the dead as resurrected immortal humans. Those who are presently dead, who had put their hope in Messiah during their lifetimes, are with Him in Spirit, no longer suffering. Even so, the dead in Messiah are still waiting for the blessed hope of resurrection from the dead. This means that even the dead in Messiah still have greater promises and hope awaiting them! They too will receive their resurrection bodies in the future, at the time of Jesus’ return to earth.
• Our blessed hope is realized through the glorious return of our great God and Savior, Jesus Messiah. The scriptures teach that our resurrection from the dead is directly connected to this event. We will together reap the rewards of eternal life on a newly redeemed earth.

For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works. Speak these things, exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no one despise you.

Titus 2:11-15 NKJV

Many Christians today believe that the eternal reward awaiting Jesus’ disciples is an eternity in heaven. This is not the truth. Throughout scripture, we see time and time again that the eternal domain of humanity is the earth. As followers of Jesus, it is true that when we die our spirit passes into the presence of Jesus, who is currently dwelling in the heavens. Even so, the heavens are not our eternal home. Earth is our eternal home. Before Jesus ascended into the heavens, He promised His disciples, “I will go and prepare a place for you.” We see in the book of Revelation that the place prepared for us actually comes out of the heavens and descends to the earth. When we set our minds on things above, and look to the heavenly city of our God, we do so not with the view of escaping this earth for eternity. We set our minds on the heavenly city and the heavenly kingdom, because God intends to establish His heavenly promises here on earth at His return.

“In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”

Matthew 6:9-10 NKJV

The scriptures teach that Jesus must return from the heavens (see Acts 1:10-11). Some believe the only reason for His return is to take believers into heaven, however this assumption is incorrect. Jesus will return, and as we read in our opening verse, He will “reign over the house of Jacob forever.” Jesus is still king of the Jews. He is still destined to rule over Israel while sitting on the throne of His father David. This means that, while Jesus is currently seated next to the Father in the heavens, even Jesus is still waiting for the fullness of the blessed hope. Jesus does not receive the fullness of His own reward and inheritance from the Father until He returns to earth to rule and reign over the nations from Jerusalem. As a human descendant of David, Jesus is destined to rule on the earth, from Jerusalem, for all eternity.

The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand, Till I make Your enemies Your footstool.”

The Lord shall send the rod of Your strength out of Zion. Rule in the midst of Your enemies!

Psalm 110:1-2 NKJV

In Psalm 110, King David witnesses the Lord (Father God) commanding David’s Lord (Jesus Messiah), to “Sit at My right hand, Till…” This is the ‘great until’. Jesus will not be seated at the right hand of the Father forever. Jesus will be seated at the right hand of the Father until the Father establishes Jesus’ throne in Zion. We have far too often spiritualized Zion as a heavenly metaphor. Zion is earthly Jerusalem.

Why would an eternity on earth be something to consider as our “blessed hope”?

We are so hardwired as modern Christians to look forward to heaven. Much of modern evangelism is centered around turning from our sins so that we can ‘go to heaven’. Yet, most Christians cannot provide a detailed description of heaven. When we do, the discussion is often spiritualized through metaphor and emphasizes ethereal ideas that lack any true substance. Many think of Christianity as though we are “spiritual creatures having a bodily experience.” Such thinking is contrary to biblical hope.

Biblical hope is the radical redemption and restoration of all creation, not just the souls of humans. The goal is not a purely spiritual ‘new heavens and new earth’. Even the dirt upon which you stand will reap the rewards of the great restoration. The goal of Messiah is a redeemed, restored, revitalized, and eternal ‘new heavens and new earth’ which are equally spiritual and natural in their substance.

Biblical hope means that, though there will be great judgment and wrath at the end of this present age, the judgment and wrath are designed to prepare the earth for new life and new hope. The earth will quite literally be rinsed with fire so that afterward new life will spring forth. This new hope is what the bible calls the “age to come”.

Biblical hope is the restoration of Eden on earth. In many ways, it means we get a do-over, but the second time around we will be directly under Jesus’ leadership and governance. The new earth finds its genesis in earthly Jerusalem, on the same patch of dirt that is being fought over today. Jesus will return and finish the warfare over that land and establish Himself as King. Afterward, it is promised that the “increase of His government and peace there will be no end.”

For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end, Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.

Isaiah 9:6-7 NKJV

The restoration of the earth will be accomplished through the natural healing of physical geography and the restoration of ethnic peoples in redeemed cultures with civil, communal, and familial aspects. Jesus will reign as an earthly king, over Israel, and ultimately over all creation. In doing so, Jesus will establish a new civil government in Israel which will be led by ethnic Jews from each of the tribes. The 12 apostles will sit as judges throughout the land.

The bible not only promises redemption for Israel, but for all nations. Paul tells the Ephesians that Gentiles are heirs together, with Israel, in the promise of Messiah. The gospel reveals that the nations also reap the rewards of Jesus’ salvation and His blessed hope. God loves the nations of the earth and seeks to redeem a remnant from every tribe and tongue. Those among the nations who believe and put their faith in Jesus today will rule and reign with Him in the age to come. This means that we are not only saved from our sins, but we too will get to take part in the restoration of all things! And better yet, we will labor in this marvelous work not by the ‘sweat of our brow’ in mortal bodies, but we will do so in resurrected eternal bodies that will no longer suffer exhaustion, pain, sickness, abuse, or death!

According to the prophet Zechariah (Zechariah 14:16), each year during the restoration, there will be people from every ethnic group who will come to Jerusalem during the feast of Tabernacles. In doing so, they will learn more about Jesus’ government and peace. In the age to come, once we receive the blessed hope of Messiah, we will still come to the feet of Jesus to continue learning His ways. We will behold Him in the fullness of His glory and righteousness. Afterward, many will return to their own families, cultures, and nations to further administer Jesus’ glorious and everlasting kingdom.

And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years.

Revelation 20:4-6 NKJV

Some believe in a figurative thousand year rule of Jesus. I believe the 1,000 year rule is literal and yet future. On one hand, you could rightly argue that the ‘new heavens and new earth’ begin the moment Jesus splits the sky and returns. On the other hand, the presence of a unique thousand year kingdom prior to the eternal age reveals to us that very real human processes of life will still be taking place. Yes, those who put their trust in Jesus will have eternal resurrected bodies, however we will still be humans. Though we will have fewer limitations, we will still be limited by our individual giftings and skills. In other words, we become eternal beings at the resurrection, but we will not be omniscient or infinitely almighty in the same manner as God. He is still God and we are still mankind. The blessed hope reveals to us that God is patiently and faithfully committed to human participation in the restoration of the earth. He welcomes the human process with our limitations in diverse giftings and callings.

The restoration of the earth will be a process, and after 1,000 years our eternal reward will be to share in the glory of renewed creation with God for all of eternity.

And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. And there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him. They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads. There shall be no night there: They need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light. And they shall reign forever and ever.

Revelation 22:1-5 NKJV

We see in Revelation 20 & 22 a contrast between reigning for a thousand years and reigning forever. At the start of the 1,000 year rule of Messiah on earth, we will witness the glorious New Jerusalem come out of heaven and descend to the earth. Before this happens, at the end of this present age, much of the earth will suffer wrath and destruction. The reward of Christian endurance will be to witness the heavenly Jerusalem presented as a “bride” and be joined to earthly Jerusalem. The two will become one, on earth, after Jesus defeats the final antichrist and his military. The primary function of this city is to bring healing to the earth. Again, this illustrates to us that the restoration is both immediate (no more curse), but also a process (passage of time; serving God; ruling with Messiah). The presence of the tree of life reveals that the Eden of the book of Genesis becomes the New Jerusalem of the book of Revelation.

There is much more I could write about our blessed hope and future, but I hope this introduction will spur you on to further study. My exhortation and reminder, this Christmas, is to point us not only to the birth of the Son of God, but also toward the great hope and glory to come for those who believe in the Son of God who was born to save us from our sins.

To Jesus be all the glory, honor, power, and might. Maranatha and amen!

J.S. Marek