Confident hope! That is what keeps born-again Christians going each day. We know. We are certain that this world with all its misery, evil, sin, pain, suffering and death is not all there is. It’s what gives us joy and peace even though the earth around us is in turmoil. It’s the Good News of the Salvation of Jesus Christ!
The Apostles’ Creed Part 8
…and I look forward to the resurrection of the dead
The Apostles Creed
and the life of the world to come. Amen.
The Resurrection of the Dead
Because Jesus rose from the dead 3 days after being crucified (taking our sins away), we, too, who believe in Him, will be resurrected when we die. The Apostle Paul tells us…
We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.
2 Corinthians 5:8 NKJV
In other words, the moment you die, your soul leaves your body and goes to be with Jesus. Your body stays on earth until the rapture. (See that passage from 1 Thessalonians below.)
Jesus told Martha just before He raised her brother Lazarus from the dead…
“I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying. 26 Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die. Do you believe this, Martha?”
John 11: 25-26 NTL
Do you believe this _________ (insert your name)? Yes? Great! You’re on the right track!
Life in the World to Come
Eternity. Heaven. Life after death. Yes, there is life after death. Furthermore, because of God’s promises to His believers, it’s going to be wonderful! Jesus assured us…
“Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. 2 In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.”
John 14:1-3 NKJV
Imagine that! There are many MANSIONS or dwellings in God’s House! Think about it. Each time there’s a new believer, God calls His angels to build another mansion. Heaven keeps expanding and growing. God’s goal is to fill up Heaven!
Related: God’s Wonderful Promises in the Book of Revelation
Jesus is there preparing a place for YOU! Once everything is ready and the last person that’s going to believe converts, Jesus will come back for us born-again believers in the Rapture.
36 “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only. 37 But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. 38 For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, 39 and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. 40 Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left. 41 Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left. 42 Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. 43 But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. 44 Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.
Matthew 24:36-44 NKJV
Are you ready?
Paul told us…
13 And now, dear brothers and sisters, we want you to know what will happen to the believers who have died so you will not grieve like people who have no hope. 14 For since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we also believe that when Jesus returns, God will bring back with him the believers who have died.
15 We tell you this directly from the Lord: We who are still living when the Lord returns will not meet him ahead of those who have died. 16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the believers who have died will rise from their graves. 17 Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever. 18 So encourage each other with these words.
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 NLT
That’s it! That’s our hope! It’s our encouragement! There’s no way I could get up each morning and face this world without the assurance that this isn’t all there is!
Here’s the final quote by Matt Chandler in the Bible Study on the Apostles Creed from the Bible App:
Every religious tradition, every culture, every family, and every individual has some concept of hope. Of course, the object of hope can differ quite significantly from person to person or from culture to culture, but everyone is hoping for something. For example, one of the main forms of hope that has captured the minds and imaginations of our culture is the hope of progress. The promise of progress tells us things are constantly getting better; culture is making strides toward greater freedom, greater liberty, better health, greater medical advances, fewer problems, and more enjoyment. But we know that no matter what we achieve, things don’t get any better. We may improve our quality of life—maybe—but sin, brokenness, and death are still inescapable. We can’t repair the fracture in our lives or in the world around us.
Christians, however, have real hope. As we’ve already studied, we’re not immune to problems, and we’re not perfect. We don’t have a forced smile that’s oblivious to the pain and suffering in life. We don’t think a believe-it-to-achieve-it positivity is going to make everything work out in the end. We know something much, much better. Something true. Something real. We know the end of the story, and death isn’t the end.
Confessing, “I believe in … the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting” is to place our hope in something very specific about our future and the future of all creation.
Matt Chandler, LifeWay.com
Death isn’t the end. Below I’ve embedded 2 videos from 2 different ministries which explain the Rapture and eternal life and the end times very clearly.
Basically, if you truly want to be born again and have the assurance of salvation, receive the Holy Spirit, and get a 1-way, non-stop ticket to Heaven and that you won’t be left behind at the Rapture, this is what you have to do…
Believe. Repent. Be Baptized. Receive the Holy Spirit.
- Believe — have Faith — that Jesus is the Christ and He died taking your sins away forever and that He rose from the dead 3 days later.
- Repent of your sins — stop sinning! Do a complete 180-degree turn in your life and surrender your life to Him. When you ask Jesus to forgive you He will. ALL your sins will be wiped clean — past, present, and future! And All means ALL!
- Be Baptized by water baptism — show the world and yourself that you have died to your old life and are born again in Christ.
- Receive the gift of Holy Spirit in your heart.
Invite Jesus into Your Heart and Receive the Gift of Grace, Joy, Peace, and the Confident Hope of Eternal Life…
Pray this prayer humbly and wholeheartedly…
“Dear Lord Jesus, I know I am a sinner. I believe You died for my sins. Please forgive me. Right now, I turn from my sins and open the door of my heart and my life to you. I confess You as my personal Lord and Savior. I surrender my whole life to you and I will follow you for the rest of my life. Thank You, Jesus, for saving me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”
Jesus Christ is coming back soon! Are you ready?
Pastor Jack Hibbs:
Lamb and Lion Ministries:
Soli Deo Gloria — To God Alone Be the Glory!
