More about My Hope

This morning in church we talked about hope and about having a right hope. There was a Scripture reading this morning from St. Paul's Epistle to the Hebrews. (Heb. 6:13-20) In it, hope was called "an anchor of the soul." There was mention made of a promise that God has made to Abraham. Only, St. Paul quoted part of the promise, not all of it.

For when God made promise to Abraham, because He could swear by no greater, He sware by Himself, saying, Surely blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee. (Heb. 6:13,14)

In Genesis 22, we can read the entire promise that God made to Abraham.

I have sworn by Myself, says the Lord, because thou hast done this thing, and on My account hast not spared thy beloved son, surely blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of heaven, and as the sand which is by the shore of the sea, and thy seed shall inherit the cities of their enemies. (Genesis 22:16,17, LXX)

This promise applies not only to Abraham, but also to all of those who belong to Christ. St. Paul calls Christians "heirs of promise" and says that God made this promise and "comfirmed it by an oath." (Heb. 6:17) He says that it is "impossible for God to lie." (Heb. 6:18)

Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of His counsel, confirmed it by an oath: that by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us: which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil. (Heb. 6:17-19)

In verse 12 of this same chapter of this epistle, the apostle says:

That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises. (Heb. 6:12)

He uses the word "promises" and not promise in this verse. That means that there are other promises God has made to His faithful children.

And God said to Abram after Lot was separated from him, Look up with thine eyes, and behold from the place where thou now art northward and southward, and eastward and seaward; for all the land which thou seest, I will give it to thee and to thy seed for ever. And I will make thy seed like the dust of the earth; if any one is able to number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed be numbered. Arise and traverse the land, both in the length of it and in the breadth; for to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever. (Genesis 13:14-17, LXX)

God has promised to give Abraham and his seed all the land that Abraham saw as well as make his seed "like the dust of the earth." There is a whole lot of dust on earth. Abraham must have a very vast number of seed.

In the Psalms, it says:

But the righteous shall inherit the Earth, and dwell upon it for ever. (Psalm 36:29, LXX; Psalm 37:29, Hebrew)

Here, God has promised not only the land that Abraham saw to him and his seed, but also the whole Earth as well! Furthermore, St. Paul speaks of the inheritance of the righteous as being more than just the Earth. It includes the kosmos or entire universe!

For the promise, that he should be the heir of the world (kosmos, universe), was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the Law, but through the righteousness of faith. For if they which are of the Law be heirs, faith is made void, and the promise made of none effect. (Rom. 4:13,14)

Belonging to Christ, we are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.

And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise. (Gal. 3:29)

Being joint-heirs with Christ, we inherit everything that Christ inherits.

And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with Him, that we may be also glorified together. (Rom. 8:17)

All of these promises of God in Christ are true. God "cannot lie" (Titus 1:2), for, indeed, it is impossible for Him to do so. (Heb. 6:18)

For all the promises of God in Him are yea, and in Him Amen, unto the glory of God by us. (II Cor. 1:20)

So, my hope is to be blessed by God, multiplied by God, and inherit the entire universe along with all of those other people who faithfully follow Christ. I hope to one day enjoy God's creation in my eternal youth, not as a man with a body of a 50 year old, but with a body of a 33 year old. St. Jerome says that our bodies will be resurrected at the biological age at which Jesus Christ was crucified, died, and resurrected.

No difference of age can affect the reality of the body. Although our frames are in a perpetual flux and lose or gain daily, these changes do not make us different individuals. I was not one person at ten years old, another at thirty and another at fifty; nor am I another now when all my head is gray. According to the traditions of the church and the teaching of the apostle Paul, the answer must be this; that we shall rise as perfect men in the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ. (Eph. 4:13) At this age the Jews suppose Adam to have been created and at this age we read that the Lord and Saviour rose again. (Letter CVIII, paragraph 25, by St. Jerome, 345-420 A.D., vol. 6, p. 209, Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Second Series)

The Lord was somewhere between 32 1/2 and 33 1/2 years old when He was crucified. I hope to live one day at that biological age at which He died and rose again as an immortal human being. I will never need to see a doctor. I will not need any life insurance to make sure that I will get buried since I will never be able to die any more. (St. Lk. 20:36: Rev. 21:4)

St. Paul said that the dead bodies of faithful Christians will be resurrected just as Christ was raised from the dead.

And God hath both raised up the Lord, and will also raise up us by His own power. (I Cor. 6:14)

He said that their bodies will be changed so that they are like Christ's glorious body.

Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto His glorious body, according to the working whereby He is able even to subdue all things unto Himself. (Phil. 3:21)

Furthermore, I will know God more intimately than I do now. St. Paul says:

For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. (I Cor. 13:12)

St. John says:

Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is. (I John 3:2)

To one day behold Christ and to know God more intimately than I do now, that is a tremendous spiritual blessing. In the Psalms there are places where God is called "the portion of mine inheritance" and "my portion." He is also called "my hope."

The Lord is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup. (Psalm 15:5, LXX; Psalm 16:5, Hebrew)

But God is the strength of my heart, and God is my portion for ever. (Psalm 72:26, LXX; Psalm 73:26, Hebrew)

I cried unto Thee, O Lord, and said, Thou art my hope, my portion in the land of the living. (Psalm 141:5, LXX; Psalm 142:5, Hebrew)

To have God as the portion of my inheritance in the land of the living forever! How deep is God's mind! I will never be able to fully fathom it. (Rom. 11:33) I will continue to go from one degree of glory to another forever and ever as I continually behold the glory of God in ways that I cannot do so now. (II Cor. 3:18) What a wonderful experience that will be!

I hope to one day have God as my portion in the land of the living forever and as a joint-heir with Christ inherit all things.

He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? (Rom. 8:32)

He that overcometh shall inherit all things. (Rev. 21:7)

I hope to possess Christ's righteousness so that it is manifested in my daily life to such a high degree that I walk as He walked and live as He lived. As I continue to do so, I can expect to continue to enjoy the good things that God in His love continues to give me.

The Lord will not withhold good things from them that walk in innocence. (Psalm 83:11, LXX; Psalm 84:11, Hebrew)

All of these things, having a youthful body that cannot die, inheriting the entire universe as a joint-heir with Christ, being blessed materially and spiritually in phenomenal ways, being multiplied as the dust of the earth and the stars of heaven, and having God as my portion forever, make the Christian life really worth living. My reward will be far greater than what I deserve.

Steve

Bibliography

Ante-Nicene Fathers, edited by Alexander Roberts, D.D. & James Donaldson, LL.D., volumes 1-10, Hendrickson Publishers, Peabody, Massachusetts

Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, First Series, edited by Philip Schaff, D.D., LL.D., volumes 1-14, Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., Peabody, Massachusetts

Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Second Series, edited by Philip Schaff, D.D., LL.D. & Henry Wace, D.D., volumes 1-14, Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., Peabody, Massachusetts

My Hope

Here, on the feast day of an archangel, I wish to say some things about Heaven. After all, the Archangel Gabriel is a creature of Heaven and Heaven is the hope of all faithful Christians.

What I hope for is actually more than just Heaven. It is the entire Universe renovated and transmuted, changed into something far more beautiful than it is now. (Isaiah 65:17-23, LXX; II Pet. 3:13)

There are people today who have false teachings on this subject and do not realize that what they are actually teaching is that Heaven is just another form of Hell. Some people believe that people will be changed into some non-human sexless creatures with wings that fly around all of the time doing nothing else but singing hymns to God.

I believe that we will sing hymns to God, but I also believe that we will do other things like “building houses and planting vineyards.” (Isaiah 65:21)

Although this is not a dogma of our Church, I also believe that I, a single 50 year old man, will one day live with a woman in the resurrection and have immortal children with her. God created woman for man (I Cor. 11:9) and He said that it is not good for a man to be without a woman. (Gen. 2:18) I do not think that I will be single forever. In the Bible, sterility and barrenness are viewed as a curse. (Deut. 28:18) I do not believe that God is going to bless anyone in the resurrection of the just with a curse. So, I think that I will have children with a woman in the afterlife. (Isaiah 11:6-8)

I believe that something else will replace marriage. Men and women will live together in the resurrection, but it will not be marriage as we know it. However, heterosexual unions will, in my opinion, still retain some of the same features as marriage.

I believe that I will get see distant worlds in other galaxies. After all, I will then live forever and never die. (St. Luke 20:36; Rev. 21:4) I believe that I will be able to eat meals with other people. (St. Luke 22:30)

However, I do not think that God saves people so that they can continue to sin. I do not believe that people will be addicted to sex, food, and various other pleasures. I believe that people will be able to enjoy physical pleasures without ever being addicted to them, but will desire the spiritual pleasures that come from worshipping and serving God even more. People in the afterlife will be more interested in the spiritual pleasures than the physical ones. Nevertheless, the physical ones will still be there as sort of “fringe benefits” that our Creator allows us to enjoy.

Here, I am a stranger and pilgrim on the earth (Heb. 11:13), but one day I hope to inherit ,along with others, the very same Earth that we now sojourn on. (Psalm 36:29, LXX; Psalm 37:29, Hebrew)

Steve

The Day before the Feast of the Annunciation

Today is the day before the Feast of the Annunciation. Tomorrow we will commemorate the day that our Lady became pregnant with our Lord. Our Lady, the Most Holy Theotokos Mary, is a model for women. She became pregnant with God the Son Incarnate and instead of having an abortion, she gave birth to our Lord. There is a pro-life bumper sticker that says, “If Mary were pro-choice, there would be no Christmas.”
This is something for young, unmarried pregnant women to think about. Our Lady was betrothed to Joseph. They were not even officially married and she gave birth to our Lord despite whatever criticisms she probably had gotten from others who probably falsely accused her of committing fornication.
Our Lady is “the most exalted of God’s creatures” and “the chief of Saints.” God chose the very best woman to be His mother. He did not choose an immoral woman. She cooperated with God fully.
I would encourage every unmarried, pregnant woman to give birth to her child. Even if you have committed the sin of fornication with a man and become pregnant in that way, you are still carrying about in your womb another human being.

Steve

My First Blog Here

Hello! I am an Orthodox Christian and this is my first blog here. I just want to say a few things about me. I am a reader in the Orthodox Church in America. I chant the Hours and read the Epistle readings during the Divine Liturgy. (The Divine Liturgy is what we call our Communion service. The Roman Catholics call theirs Mass. We call ours Divine Liturgy.) I also do catechumen lessons in our church. My Church name is Reader Stephen.
The church at which I serve is Sts. Constantine and Helen Orthodox Church in Helena, Georgia. It is located next to the Georgia State Patrol Station on U.S. Highway 341 in Helena.
I am pro-life. I have been pro-life for a very long time. I am totally against the killing of unborn children. I support the pro-life movement as much as I can. The only reason I think a woman should be allowed to have an abortion is to prevent her from dying if she gives birth to her child.
I believe that life begins at conception and that God creates our souls the very moment that the sperm unites with the egg. (Zech. 12:1; Jer. 1:5)
I like to read books, especially religious ones. I also like science fiction stories.
I dislike vulgar and obscene movies. I think that a lot of the movies could be improved if the foul language and nude scenes were deleted from them. Such stuff, in my opinion, really does not add to the plot.
I have a My Space site. It is: www.myspace.com/readersteve.
There is much else I could write about myself, but I am going to stop here.

Steve