Understanding Scripture Part 2: The Blessed Hope

Hi Friends,

Today’s article is part two in a series I’m calling “Understanding Scripture”. In my first article, I addressed the error of New Testament Priority. This time, I am going to take a look at our blessed hope—the appearing of Jesus in His glory.

Many Christians assume that when Jesus appears to us at His second coming we are brought to heaven. I would argue that this is an assumption built not on a proper understanding of Scripture, but on ancient Greek ideas that were imported or imposed upon the text.

Greek Philosophy & Christian Theology

Before jumping into the biblical text, I want to briefly address what I mean by Greek ideas. It may surprise many modern Christians to know that an eternity in heaven is not what Jesus or the apostles had in mind when they spoke about eternal life. Throughout the apostolic era it was taught that any believer who dies is present with Jesus. They are, in essence, with He who is presently seated at the right hand of the Father in the heavens. But this was not considered their eternal state. The promise of real substance, the hope of glory, is the future earthly resurrection of the dead at Jesus’ return.

It would be the Gnostics in the 2nd century who would present Platonic dualism— a philosophical view created by the ancient Greek philosopher Plato that divides reality into two distinct realms: the invisible, eternal world of forms and the visible, changing physical world of matter—as something compatible with Christianity. These gnostic ideas, when blended with Christianity, proposed that a future eternity in heaven should be expected.

The early church fathers fought against the gnostic claims. In Dialogue with Trypho 80, Justin Martyr stated that people who claim that souls are taken to heaven at death, with no resurrection, shouldn’t be counted as Christians. In Against Heresies 5.31, Irenaeus targets the gnostic denial of bodily resurrection.

It would not be until the 3rd century, via Origen and the Alexandrian school, that kingdom texts would be read allegorically, with the eternal soul ascending toward God.

In the 4th-5th centuries, after the time of Constantine, earthly millennial hope faded in large part due to Augustine’s teachings. To be fair, Augustine still affirmed a bodily resurrection, though he developed the beatific vision, the theological concept of an eternal, direct, and unhindered contemplation of God face-to-face in heaven.

Later, in the 13th century, Thomas Aquinas would make the beatific vision the cornerstone of his theology. Despite the controversy that arose from the doctrine, it would become prominent within Catholicism and altered versions of the doctrine would continue into the Protestant Reformation via the teachings of John Calvin and others.

One thing we need to remember about Christianity is that there has never been just one consensus view on these matters. Early Christians held diverse views about the intermediate state (the time between death and resurrection), but my goal in this section is to show how a line can be drawn from influential Greek philosophies to modern views on heaven.

Today, evangelism is often presented in such a manner as to assume our eternal options are heaven or hell. In the pastoral sermon, we are often comforted with the hope of heaven. Often, very little of substance is said about the true hope we await as believers in Jesus.

The remainder of my article is aimed at presenting an alternative reading of the Scriptures, one that does not align with the beatific vision and its Neoplatonic roots.

A More Faithful Reading

Understanding what happens at Jesus’ return, and the hope it produces in our souls, is central to the Gospel. Knowing the truth of these matters will produce an unshakable resolve, a faith more precious than gold.

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 NIV

In his letter to Titus, Paul frames the blessed hope as the “appearing” of Jesus. This word means a visible manifestation or arrival. This is one biblical citation from where we get the Christian doctrine for a personal and visible return of Jesus.

If we are to follow Jesus in the way He desires, we are required to battle against the effects of the fall—presented by Paul to Titus as ungodliness and worldly passions. The apostle Paul connects this battle not to moral superiority or mere pious devotion. He connects our battle to the appearing, or return, of Jesus. The hope of His return is and should be the primary goal of our faith and obedience, but we must ask, “Why?”

The general answer we hear from the pulpit is, “So that we can go to heaven and be with Jesus.” Going to heaven is presented as our great reward. Heaven itself is typically presented as the eternal life experience. My goal in writing today is to ask you to discern whether or not this is actually what Scripture teaches. Let’s take a look at a few passages and ask ourselves what these words suggest.

“Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you. See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the Lord rises upon you and his glory appears over you. Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn…

No longer will violence be heard in your land, nor ruin or destruction within your borders, but you will call your walls Salvation and your gates Praise. The sun will no more be your light by day, nor will the brightness of the moon shine on you, for the Lord will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory. Your sun will never set again, and your moon will wane no more; the Lord will be your everlasting light, and your days of sorrow will end. Then all your people will be righteous and they will possess the land forever. They are the shoot I have planted, the work of my hands, for the display of my splendor. The least of you will become a thousand, the smallest a mighty nation. I am the Lord; in its time I will do this swiftly.”

Selections from Isaiah 60 NIV

Do not fret because of those who are evil or be envious of those who do wrong; for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away. Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn, your vindication like the noonday sun…

For those who are evil will be destroyed, but those who hope in the Lord will inherit the land. A little while, and the wicked will be no more; though you look for them, they will not be found. But the meek will inherit the land and enjoy peace and prosperity…

The blameless spend their days under the Lord’s care, and their inheritance will endure forever…

The wicked borrow and do not repay, but the righteous give generously; those the Lord blesses will inherit the land, but those he curses will be destroyed.

Selections from Psalm 37 NIV

I believe these and many other passages are trying to condition our hearts, minds, and souls for an eternal creation on a redeemed earth free from the penalty and wages of sin.

In Isaiah 60, the passage is addressed to Israel’s promised hope. Without going into a deep study on the surrounding chapters, the bird’s eye view of the passage details the coming hope of the Messiah and what He will accomplish in righteousness. This places the timeframe of the blessing during a future when Jesus the Messiah is ruling in Israel. The presence of land, borders, and other nations is enough to tell us that there are natural earthly promises. The transformation of the natural earth informs us that there will be dramatic changes, however the phrase “they will possess the land forever” should be taken in its plainest possible meaning.

Psalm 37 highlights the judgment of the wicked and the vindication of the righteous. The finality of the judgment and blessing instruct us that we’re looking forward to eternal hope, not temporary consequence or blessing. In Matthew 5:5, Jesus quotes Psalm 37 when He says, “the meek will inherit the earth”. If one of our heavenly rewards is to inherit the earth, Psalm 37 helps us understand how the heavenly reward and the earthly inheritance work together practically and spiritually.

I have heard many people argue that we do not and cannot really know much about eternity, that is, the age to come. They might say something to the effect of, “The bible doesn’t say a whole lot about heaven, but we know it will be good.”

If our goal is to discuss an eternity in heaven, these people are correct. The Bible doesn’t say much about it. This is because heaven is not our eternal home. If a believer dies today, they will have temporary residence in heaven with Jesus until the day of His return. When He returns to the earth, those of us who have died will be resurrected and given new, glorified bodies. At His coming, we will meet the Lord in the air to be with Him forever. But where is Jesus returning to? Is it not the earth? This is our blessed hope: resurrection life with Jesus in the age to come. (1 Cor 15:15-53; Phil 3:20-21; 1 Thess 4:16-17; Rev 21:3)

There are more than 90 chapters of scripture that discuss life on earth after the resurrection (I’ve listed numerous chapters at the conclusion of the article). The problem is, we’ve been conditioned to believe most of these passages are metaphors and poetic symbolism. The Psalms are a great example of a place where we do this. By my very unofficial count, around 15-20 psalms address this topic. The irony of the Psalms is that David, Asaph, and the Sons of Korah likely had a much better theology of the eternal age than much of the church does today.

The saints of old daily sang the hymns of God’s restoration plan, presumably to put their trust in the blessed hope. They knew Messiah would come. Today, we have the first coming of Jesus in our rearview, but still have the same resurrection hope at His second coming as our future hope. We share this expectant faith with Old Testament believers who came before us, and it binds us together in confidence with the great cloud of witnesses. (Hebrews 11-12)

One of the appealing arguments for dying and going to heaven is that many people simply do not believe the earth is good. They would rather leave here at death and imagine a perfect eternity with Jesus, even if they don’t fully understand it. In some ways I understand the sentiment. The pure and simple faith that being with Jesus MUST be far better than anything we experience here is just that—pure and simple faith. This present world is sinful, destructive, and unjust. Why would we not want to escape it?

But faith should also be based upon understanding. I believe if we understand the radical transformation of the earth which will take place during and after the return of Jesus, we will actually fan the flames of our hope and expectation. It will also produce within us a respect for this present world—one which God calls a good creation, and will plant seeds of hope within us for its restoration.

Remember How Jesus Taught us to 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 NIV

It should be no surprise to us that Jesus’ goal is to bring His heavenly kingdom to earth when He returns. Let’s read a few related passages so that we can get a fuller picture.

Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”

Revelation 21:1-5 NIV

Dear friends, this is now my second letter to you. I have written both of them as reminders to stimulate you to wholesome thinking. I want you to recall the words spoken in the past by the holy prophets and the command given by our Lord and Savior through your apostles.

Above all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. They will say, “Where is this ‘coming’ he promised? Ever since our ancestors died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.” But they deliberately forget that long ago by God’s word the heavens came into being and the earth was formed out of water and by water. By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.

But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare.

Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells.

2 Peter 3:1-13 NIV

I want to look at a few things in the Revelation and 2 Peter passages. We see in both passages, our hope is not in going to heaven, but rather in a new heavens and new earth where Jesus is ruling in righteousness. Peter highlights the severity of the judgment, while Revelation 21 shows us the result: God dwelling with man on the new earth.

Some people believe, especially when considering the 2 Peter passage, that the present earth and heavens are completely annihilated and a completely new earth and heavens are created. While I do not agree with the conclusion of annihilation, it is an honest and plausible theory.

The first judgment was one of water, when God sent the flood during the days of Noah. In Peter’s own language, he describes the world as being destroyed. We obviously know that this previous destruction did not result in the earth ceasing to exist, but the destruction did transform it. I believe we need to consider this when we try to understand the nature of the latter judgments.

The coming judgment will be one of fire. In essence, both the heavens and the earth will be burned in judgment. It will be such a fierce fire that it says elements will melt in the heat. In a manner of speaking, you could say this is some manner of annihilation, but I want to suggest another possibility.

I live in a rural area where the government does a lot of controlled burning. Fire is destructive, but also very useful when trying to encourage new growth. There are numerous chemical changes that happen when something is subject to fire. While I don’t believe Peter is trying to give us a science lesson, his words can be understood at least somewhat through a plain understanding of what fire can accomplish. The judgment will be complete and final. Neither the heavens or the earth will escape it.

In the Revelation 21 passage, we read that the first heaven and first earth will pass away. In essence, they will die. That said, I believe the interpretation of this “death” is native to the text itself. When the heavens and earth “pass away”, what happens next? It says that the New Jerusalem will come down out of heaven and descend to the earth. I’ll ask you: Is annihilation happening here, or could it be reformative transformation by judgment into new life?

At that time there will be a judgment from God which will change everything we understand about creation. This judgment is literally the “other side of the same coin” to the blessed hope of Jesus’ appearing. They are one unified reality—judgment and hope. I won’t break it down in this article, but a good place to read about how this results in physical land transformation can be found is in Zechariah 14.

As believers, we are called to live today in faith, believing in our promised hope. Paul tells Titus to live a “self-controlled, upright and godly” lifestyle. Psalm 37 presents “inheriting the land” as a reward for faith righteousness. Jesus teaches us to pray for the Father’s kingdom to come to the earth.

In every instance of looking forward to the blessed hope, we are instructed to keep the faith and lead lives above reproach. This is how we partner with God’s plans today as we await the restoration of all things. It is why sincere repentance (even for the believer) is so necessary. We need to continually rely on our God who delights in mercy—who is willing to forgive transgression. And this is why forgiveness is so important. If God has forgiven us, we must also forgive others.

In essence, the goal is to remain in the hope of Jesus and ever put our trust in Him. If you falter, return to God. If your loved one falters, forgive them and try to lead them back to God. There is a day coming when judgment will be final, so let us work together to lead one another towards lives of faith and goodness in the pursuit of Jesus.

Lastly, I believe if we can get a view of the renewed and redeemed creation, this will unlock the hearts of so many that have been resistant to the gospel. People need to know that in the age to come, we will not be riding around on clouds in an ethereal holding place. We will have homes, land, gardens, recreations—and we will rule and reign with the Messiah for eternal ages. At the end of the article I have listed numerous chapters that contain the theme of the promised age to come. This is far too much information to handle in one article, so my encouragement is to take a look for yourself. Consider at least the possibility these may be real and tangible promises and not mere metaphors. The Scriptures spell out far more about the aspects of daily life in the age to come than we might assume.

In the new creation, we will not experience sorrow or death. The very ground we stand upon today will be renewed and no longer prone to decay or destruction. The curse of sin will be removed from the earth, and humanity will finally be able to experience the fullness of God’s glorious creation without sickness, pain, or suffering.

Amen.

J. S. Marek

Looking for More?

Catch up on the series
Understanding Scripture Part 1: The Error of New Testament Priority

More Articles with a Similar Theme
Psalm 110: The Great ‘Until’
Sukkot 2026: Wilderness & Exile; Pilgrimage & Hope

List of Chapters Dealing with the Age to Come as either a minor or major theme

Torah

Gen 12, 15, 17, 22, 49; Ex 15; Num 24; Lev 26; Deut 30; 32-33

Major Prophets

Isaiah 2, 4, 9, 11, 12, 19, 24–27, 32–35, 40, 42, 49, 51, 52, 54–56, 59–62, 65, 66 ~28

Jeremiah 3, 23, 30–33

Ezekiel 11, 20, 28, 34, 36–37, 38–39, 40–48

Daniel 2, 7, 9, 12

Minor Prophets

Hos 1-2, 3, 14; Joel 2, 3; Amos 5, 9; Obad; Mic 4, 5, 7; Hab 2; Zeph 3; Hag 2; Zech 2, 3, 6, 8–10, 12–14; Mal 3, 4

Psalms

2, 16, 22, 37, 45–48, 67-68, 72, 87, 89, 96–99, 102, 110, 132, 145

New Testament

Matt 24–25; Luke 1; John 5-6, Acts 1, 3; Rom 8, 11; 1 Cor 15; Heb 11-12; 2 Pet 3; Rev 19–22