THE ETERNAL HOPE OF THE BELIEVER
By Bishop Mike Okonkwo
Sunday 26th June 2022
“…I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also”. John 14:3 (KJV)
It is very important that you know what will happen to the believers who are already dead in Christ so that you will not grieve like others who have no hope. Your loved ones and your friends are not lost. Since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we also believe that when Jesus returns, because He is surely going to return, God will bring back with Him the believers who have died. So you see, they are not lost.
According to the scriptures: “If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.” (1Corinthians 15:19). So the joy we have as Christians is that we don’t only have hope now, we have hope in the life after. Knowing this, we look forward to this life with faith, with confidence, with assurance and with joy.
The believers who died in the Lord will be the first to rise from the grave. They will rise to be with Jesus. Then we who are still alive when these events happen will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord and will be with the Lord forever. Be encouraged! Don’t fear! When this world will be messed up and the antichrist will be revealed, we are not going to be around.
Some people are so bothered when people talk about the mark of the beast. Why are you bothered? You already belong to God and the Lord has given us assurance that He is coming for his own. Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God. Jesus has given assurances to the believer, so why are you bothered about the mark of the beast? Why are you bothered about chips? What has that got to do with you?
You belong to God and no one will pluck you out of His hands. Yes, you are secure in God’s hands. The antichrist or the devil cannot pluck you out of the hands of God. Rest in that assurance.
Further Reading: 1Thessalonians 4:13-18, John 14:1-4
Daily Bible Reading: Morning – Job 6-7, Evening – Acts 8:1-25