The Blessed Hope

Our Lord will return to establish a new heaven and earth. This is a wonderful thing to look forward to.

Rev 21: 1-8

We should hold what we believe about how things may unfold lightly and focus on the positives of the blessed hope.

Those of you familiar with 'The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy' will know that the second book in the five-part trilogy is 'The Restaurant at the end of the Universe'. Beings from all over the galaxy are able to travel forward in time to a restaurant to witness the end of time and space. This is humorous, science fiction, eschatology. However, one part is true, there will indeed come a time when the universe as we know it will end. Our Lord will return to establish a new heaven and earth.

This is a wonderful thing to look forward to. The trouble is that many people get hung up on the mechanics of how the end may unfold. Every time something happens in the middle east people speculate about the possibility of the Lord’s return. I had a work colleague in Telstra who was all set to resign during the first Gulf war because he was convinced that this was it.

One event that did surprise me was the recent solar eclipse across the USA. Solar eclipses are regular events. But US Christians got all excited and convinced themselves that the rapture would occur during the eclipse. Apparently one of the towns in the path of the total eclipse was Rapture. Well, we are all still here. Hopefully, they have learned a valuable lesson about not making wild predictions.

We should hold what we believe about how things may unfold lightly and focus on the positives of the blessed hope. During the message you will hear me say a number of times that Jesus will come again. The coming resurrection and return of Jesus are core parts of orthodox theology. It is mentioned in the two great creeds: the Apostles Creed and the Nicene Creed. Let us all hold onto the sure and certain hope in the resurrection of the dead and the second coming of our saviour.

Pastor Andy