Upper Loft Meditation- 1 Peter 1
April 1, 2008 · Print This Article
“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead…” - 1 Peter 1:3
Through the resurrection of Jesus, God has given to those who believe in His son, a living hope.
It is very important to understand that this is a hope, not as the world defines hope, but as it is defined in the Bible. Hope is defined by the world as wishful thinking. It is what you want to have happen.
The Bible defines hope as something in the future you are certain will come to pass. “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” Hebrews 11:1
You can see the huge difference between the two different view points.
C.S. Lewis writes that hope is not “a form of escapism or wishful thinking, but one of the things a Christian is meant to do. If you read history you will find that the Christians who did most for the present world were just those who thought most of the next. The apostles themselves, who set on foot the conversion of the Roman Empire, the great men who built up the Middle Ages, the English Evangelicals who abolished the Salve Trade, all left their mark on Earth, precisely because their minds were occupied with Heaven. It is since Christians have largely ceased to think of the other world that they have become so ineffective in this. Aim at Heaven and you will get earth ‘thrown in’; aim at earth and you will get neither.”
Hope is not to be set on a shelf with all your other reference books. It is to be set ever before you like a fresh bouquet of flowers.
The Hope Of Heaven!
“For the Hope which is laid up for you in Heaven, which you first heard in the Word of Truth that is the Good News”! (Colossians 1:5)
The Hope Of Heaven!
There is a “biblical” translation that has been called “The Good News”, yet what of The Good News(The Gospel)? What was the promise of The Good News that The Messiah preached?
The promise of The Good News for the Jews and “the lost sheep of Israel”, which The Messiah preached, was recorded in Matthew 3:12,4:17,10:7, Mark 1:15, and Luke 10:9, 21:31.
“The Kingdom Of GOD(Heaven) Is At Hand”
And what was the promise of “The Good News” which Paul preached unto the heathen(gentiles) after The Messiah “was raised from among the dead”?
“Through the Good News those who are not Jews(heathens) will share with the Jews in GOD’s blessing. They belong to the same body, and they share together in the promise that GOD made in The Messiah. By GOD’s special gift of grace given to me through his power, I became a servant to tell that Good News.” (Ephesians 3:6-7)
And The Good News of The Promise!
“The Kingdom Of Heaven(GOD) Is At Hand”!
A Lively, Living Hope Of Heaven!
When Paul began his ministry, after GOD had “raised up The Messiah from among the dead”, he testified that “believers were translated into The KINGDOM OF GOD’s BELOVED SON”. (Colossians 1:13)
“THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN” HAD COME!
And “The Good News” after the destruction of the earthly “kingdom” of Jerusalem was:
“THE KINGDOM OF GOD” HAS COME!
All Thanks And Praise Be To Our Father!
Believers have a Living Hope of Heaven!
So why is it so many still believe that “The Kingdom of Heaven(GOD)” is yet to come?
“What is Truth”?
“Pilate” asked The Messiah that question after The Messiah testified, “You say that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause I came into the world, that I should bear witness to The Truth. Everyone that is of The Truth hears My voice”! (John 18:38)
Do you hear The Messiah’s voice?
The Messiah previously had testified, “The Words that I speak are not My Words”. “For I have not spoken of Myself; but The Father which sent Me, HE gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak.” (John 3:34, 12:49) Later The Messiah testified to His disciples, “As GOD sent Me, so send I you”! (John 14:10)
“What is Truth”?
The Messiah bore witness unto The Truth, as He revealed The Way to The Truth of The Life, both in His Teachings and His Life example.
And The Truth of “The Good News” promise?
“The Kingdom Of GOD(Heaven) Is At Hand”!
The Hope Of Heaven
Now when The Messiah was raised from among the dead and ascended into Heaven He was given His rightful place at the right hand of Our Father and GOD, and “all power was given Him(by His Father and GOD) in Heaven and in earth?” “The Kingdom” HAD “Come”! And The Faithful “were translated into The Kingdom of GOD’s Beloved Son”!
“Giving thanks unto The Father, WHO has made us able to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in Light: WHO has delivered us from the power of darkness, and HAS translated us into The Kingdom of HIS Beloved Son:” (Col 1:12-13)
All Thanks And Praise Be To Our Father!
And Paul testified of the time when The Messiah would deliver up The Kingdom unto Our Father and GOD and The Messiah would be submitted unto Our Father and GOD once again. (1 Cor 15:22-28)
“Then the END comes, when The Messiah shall have delivered up The Kingdom to GOD, even The Father; when The Messiah shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. For The Messiah must reign(after He was resurrected), till He has put all enemies under His feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. For GOD has put all things under The Messiah’s feet. But when GOD said, all things are put under The Messiah, it is manifest that HE(GOD) is excepted, WHO did put all things under The Messiah.
And when all things shall be subdued unto The Messiah, then shall The Son also, Himself be subject unto GOD, HE WHO put all things under Him, so that GOD may be all in all.” (1 Cor 15:22-28)
“Then the END comes, when The Messiah shall have delivered up The Kingdom to GOD, even The Father.”! (1 Cor 15:22)
Question is, “The END of what?”
Paul testified, “In that GOD said, A New Covenant, HE has made the first covenant old. Now that which is decaying and waxing old is ready to vanish away”. (Heb 8:13)
That which was decaying and waxing old was the old, earthly “covenant of laws”, and “The END” was the destruction of the earthly, natural “kingdom” of Jerusalem! The earthly “kingdom” would be no more!
All Praise And Thanks Be Unto Our Father!
So believers were, and are, exhorted to,
“Set their affections on things above(Heaven), not things of the earth”! (Col 3:2)
Believers are exhorted to, “Be not of those whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame because they mind earthly things.” (Phlp 3:19)
Now why such exhortations?
“Spiritually Reborn!” A believers “citizenship (Life) was, and is, in Heaven”! (Phlp 3:20)
And believers “had been translated into The Kingdom of GOD’s Beloved Son”. (Col 1:13)
They Had A Living, Lively Hope of Heaven!
So “We do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen, for things seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal. We know that our body, the tent we live in here on earth, will be destroyed. But when that happens, GOD will have a house for us. It will not be a house made by human hands; instead, it will be a home in Heaven that will last forever. But for now we groan in this tent. We want GOD to give us our Heavenly home, because it will clothe us so we will not be naked. While we live in this body, we have burdens, and we groan. We do not want to be naked, but we want to be clothed with our Heavenly home. Then this body that dies will be fully covered with Life. This is what GOD made us for, and he has given us The Spirit to be a guarantee for this New Life. So we always have courage. We know that while we live in this body, we are away from GOD. We live by what we believe, not by what we can see. So I say that we have courage. We really want to be away from this body and be at home with Our Father for our only goal is to please HIM whether we live here or there.” (2 Cor 4:18, 5:1-9)
The Kingdom of GOD’s Beloved Son HAD Come and believers were translated into The Kingdom! (Col 1:13)
The END” of the old, earthly covenant was At Hand, for it was “decaying, waxing old”, and would soon “vanish away”!
And it did! Thanks Be To Our Father!
When Old Jerusalem was destroyed The END came. It was then that The Messiah delivered up The Kingdom unto Our Father and GOD! The Heavenly, Spiritual Kingdom of GOD WAS, and always WILL BE!
“THY Kingdom” HAD “Come”!
“And as some spoke of the temple, how it was adorned with goodly stones and gifts, The Messiah said, As for these things which you behold, the days will come, in which there shall not be left one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down. And they asked Him, saying, Master, but when shall these things be? And what sign will there be when these things shall come to pass?
And He said, Take heed that you are not deceived: for many shall come in My name, saying, I am messiah; and the time draws near: do not go after them. But when you shall hear of wars and commotions, be not terrified: for these things must first come to pass, but The End is not by and by. Then said He unto them, Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven. But before all these, they shall lay their hands on you, and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues, and into prisons, being brought before kings and rulers for my name’s sake. And they shall turn to you for a testimony. Settle it there- fore in your hearts, not to meditate before what you will answer: for I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor resist. And you shall be betrayed both by parents, and brethren, and kinsfolk’s, and friends; and some of you shall they cause to be put to death. And you shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake. But there SHALL NOT A HAIR OF YOUR HEAD PERISH. In your patience possess your souls.
And when you shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is at hand. Then let them which are in Judea flee to the mountains; and let them which are in the midst of it depart out; and let not them that are in the countries enter there. For these be the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled.
But woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck, in those days! For there shall be great distress in the land, and wrath upon this people. And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the heathen, until the times of the heathens are fulfilled. And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up YOUR heads, for YOUR redemption draws near.
And He spoke a parable to them; Behold the fig tree, and all the trees; when they now shoot forth, you see and know of your own selves that summer is now close at hand. So like- wise YOU, when YOU see these things come to pass, YOU know that The Kingdom of GOD(Heaven) is close at hand. Truly I say unto YOU, THIS GENERATION SHALL NOT PASS AWAY, TILL ALL BE FULFILLED.”(Luke 21:5-33)
And The Messiah testified, “Truly I say unto YOU, that this generation shall not pass, till ALL these things be done.” (Mark 13:30) “Truly I say unto YOU, This generation shall not pass, till ALL these things be fulfilled.”(Matt 24:34) (The word “YOU” in the above testimonies referred to those whom The Messiah was speaking to at that time, not two thousand, or more, years after!)
Simply, with the destruction of the earthly, natural Jerusalem, that “which waxed old” DID “vanish away”! (Heb 8:13)
The Kingdom no longer had a physical presence, in a precise location on the earth, The Kingdom of GOD was now fully of The Spirit, Heavenly. The END of the Old, earthly kingdom WAS! “THY Kingdom” HAD “Come” indeed and Truth, and believers were, and are, translated into The Kingdom of Our GOD and Father! A Living Hope of Heaven!
And so it is believers were and are exhorted to “love not the world, neither things that are in the world, for all that is in the world, the lust of the eye, the lust of the flesh and the pride of life is not of Our Father, but is of the world”!
Believers knew that their “citizenship” was now in Heaven, and that “whosoever would be a friend of this world was the enemy of The Only True GOD”! (Phlp 3:20, James 4:4) And The Messiah testified that “the works of the world were evil” (John 7:7) And John testified, “the WHOLE world is under the control of the evil one”! (1John 5:19) And Paul?
Paul testified, “WE WHICH ARE ALIVE and remain SHALL BE CAUGHT UP together with them in the clouds to meet The Messiah in the air: and so shall WE ever be with The Messiah.”(1Thes 4:17:18) and Paul testified, “I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion. And GOD WILL DELIVER ME FROM EVERY EVIL WORK, AND WILL PRESERVE ME UNTO HIS Heavenly Kingdom: to WHOM be Glory for ever and ever. Amen(Let it be so)”(2Tim4:17-18)
I believe that Paul was alive and taken up “in the clouds to meet The Messiah in the air” when the physical, earthly Jerusalem was destroyed. At that time “The Messiah came in the clouds”. And at that time of “the END” of that old age, The Messiah delivered up The Kingdom unto Our Father and subjected Himself unto HIM once again.
All Thanks And Praise Be To “Our Father”!
The Messiah had testified, “Behold, I COME QUICKLY: hold that fast which YOU have, that no man take YOUR crown.” (Rev 3:11) “Behold, I COME QUICKLY: blessed is he that keeps the sayings of the prophecy of this book.”(Rev 22:7) Behold, I COME QUICKLY, and My reward is with Me, to give every man according as his work shall be.”(Rev 22:12)
And the apostle John testified, “He Who testifies concerning these things said to me, “Surely I COME QUICKLY”. Amen (So be it). Even so, come Yahshua Messiah!”(Rev 22:20)
And The Messiah DID Come Quickly!
The Messiah came at “The END” of the old covenant when the natural, earthly kingdom of Jerusalem was destroyed!
And so it is today that The Faithful desire to be taken Home, for their “place has been prepared for them”! Home! Home at last! The Faithful await their final transformation, “caterpillar to butterfly” indeed and Truth.
The Faithful Have A Living Hope Of Heaven!
Peace, in spite of the dis-eases(lies) that are of this wicked world and it’s systems of religion, for “the WHOLE world is under the control of the evil one” indeed and Truth….
francisco