Colossians 1:27b: Christ in you, the hope of glory.
It's a time of giving thanks as we enter into a celebration of bountiful harvest, where the gospel (good news) of the Lord Jesus Christ shall be preached like never before! We are entering such season now, a harvest season in the time-table of God.
We have been seeing many places hit with natural calamities recently, e.g waves roaring (tsunami), earthquakes in various places, typhoon, and flood. These are signs of the end-time, as prophesied by Jesus Himself (Luke 21:11, Luke 21:25, Matthew 24:6-7). In times of distress like this, though human and natural hopes may fade, but there remains a hope that will never fade, or the Bible says ‘will not disappoint’ (Romans 5:5). It is our hope in God!
Instead of looking at the situation around us with fear and anxiety, let us look at this end-time with ‘hope’. Luke 21:28 says, ‘now when these things (signs of the end-time) begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near’. Psalm 24:9 says, ‘lift up your heads, for the King of glory shall come in’. Who is this King of glory? He is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ, your Redeemer and Savior. So instead of looking around you with fear, look up to Jesus. He is your only hope. John 14:6 says Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life, and no one comes to the Father (Originator, YHWH, Elohim, or God Almighty) except through Him (Jesus, or Ye-shua).
Christ in you is the hope of glory (Colossians 1:27). The word ‘hope’ in this verse is ‘elpis’ in Greek which means ‘to look to, and to put confidence in, with anticipation and expectation’. Now, in this context, 'hope' is not an 'empty wish'. Hope (in God) is real, and it does not disappoint (Romans 5:5). Let’s look at Psalm 42:11 now. The psalmist wrote, 'hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him, the help of my countenance and my God'. In the midst of distress, the psalmist was crying out deep from his heart to God’s heart (Psalm 42:7), and he ended this psalm with hope in God. In Hebrew, this word 'hope' is ‘yachal’. It means ‘to wait patiently, to trust, to stay with’.
Beloved, Christ in you is the hope of being in His presence forever. When you have Him, you are in the safest place ever. There’s no place on earth that’s as safe as being with Him. Some people try to reach God through various ways, e.g religious laws, man's philosophy, man's teachings, etc, in the hope of finding salvation, but in order to receive God’s salvation, you need the Savior! It’s Jesus whom all of us need. In fact, Jesus, or ‘Ye-shua’ in Hebrew means ‘God saves'. He is 'God the Savior'. There's only one way to be saved (John 14:6). We don’t come to the Father through other means. We come to the Father through Jesus, our only Savior and Redeemer! It is only through Him (Jesus, or Ye-shua) that one can be saved (John 14:6).
That’s why, my friend, in this end-time, the gospel (good news) of the Lord Jesus Christ shall be preached in all the world, to all nations, before the end comes (Matthew 24:14). Everyone, every race, every tribe, and every nation need to hear this gospel (good news) of God’s salvation. God’s will is that none should perish, but all to come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9), and those who endure to the end shall be saved (Matthew 24:13). Let's not doubt. Let's not waver. Let's keep looking to God, and keep putting your hope in Him till the very end!
People of God, it's time to 'advance as one' with the whole body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:12-13) in the world, and let's enter such harvest time together, where the gospel (good news) of our Lord Jesus Christ shall be preached like never before, with such great intensity and vigor. Jesus our Savior and Redeemer is definitely coming back soon! (Matthew 24:30-31)
