Our Lively Hope

The first time in the Bible that we read of armed conflict between nations is in Genesis 14. The king of Sodom and the king of Gomorrah joined forces with three other kings in a rebellion against Chedorlaomer, king of Elam, and three other kings that were allied with Chedorlaomer. The five kings and their nations had been in subjugation to Chedorlaomer for 13 years and decided to end it the only way they knew how. They engaged in battle to defeat their subjugators and free themselves. Unfortunately, it did not work out as they had planned. The king of Sodom and the king of Gomorrah, along with their allies were defeated and their nations plundered. 

 This has significance in the Bible story because Abram’s nephew, Lot was living in Sodom at the time, and he was taken captive. Abram reacted the only way he knew how. He raised an army consisting of 318 of his trained servants and engaged Chedorlaomer and his allies in battle. Abram, with God’s help, as stated by Melchizedek, defeated the four kings, rescued Lot and all of the spoils that had been taken from Sodom. This is just the way it was done in those days.

However, it was not done this way just in those days. From that time, almost to the present, the whole of world history has been a story of conquerors and those they enslaved. By the beginning of Exodus, God’s people were enslaved by the Egyptians and forced to work in cruel conditions. It was the way of the world

Following the Egyptians came the Assyrians, and the Syrians, the Babylonans, the Medes and Persians, the Greeks and the Romans. For almost two thousand years these nations wrote the story of world history. It was a history of conquering and subjugation, of pillaging and taking slaves. Human life was not highly regarded and brutal treatment was not unusual for those taken captive.

Even those who could claim citizenship of the conquerors did not necessarily live in peace and security. In almost all cases they were under the control of an absolute monarch who ruled with an iron hand. It was his way or the highway, and it was at the threat of life and freedom that a governed “serf” raised a voice in opposition to the sovereign.

During all this time, God’s people were often among the subjugated and enslaved peoples. In Old Testament times God allowed such circumstances as punishment for the Israelites not heeding His word and not being faithful to His calling. After the death of Christ on the cross and the establishment of the church, God has simply allowed the politics of nations to play out however it might, often leading to the persecution of Christians.

The imprisonment of Peter and John in Acts 4, and the work of Saul described in Acts 8:3, and 9:1-2 are the earliest examples of this persecution, but there are more from the Bible itself, such as the beheading of John the Baptist and the stoning of Stephen. Secular history tells us that James, the brother of Jesus, was stoned and beaten to death with a club. James the brother of John was beheaded. Paul was beheaded in Rome and Peter was crucified upside down. John the Baptist was beheaded. Though we believe them to be true, these are mere stories for us, factual stories, but stories none-the-less. They were very real to Christians of the first and second century. The early church knew fearful conditions, the threat of persecution, imprisonment and execution for professing their trust in Christ

When Peter wrote to the people in Roman provinces in what is now northern Turkey, they were already facing some persecution, but would soon be facing possible execution under provincial governors such as Pliny the Younger of Bithynia. When he wrote to these new Christians about their “lively Hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,” and an “inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you,” and a “salvation ready to be revealed in the last time,” in 1 Peter 1:3-5, they were in a bad situation and Peter's words meant a great deal to them. Still speaking of this, Peter went on to say in verse 6, “you greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, you are in heaviness through manifold temptations.”

Yes, agreed Peter, at the present moment you are in an unpleasant situation, but as Christians, we don’t let that get us down. We have a hope that causes us to rejoice in spite of the present. We have an inheritance that is going to last and be ours. In the end salvation will belong to us. For the people to whom he was writing, how comforting and reassuring these words must have been. Moreover, how important it must have been for these embattled souls to hear these words. They needed strength and encouragement to overcome the evils through which they had to live. These words provided the weary Christian what they needed to hear to persevere.

What about us? Do we realize what we have? Are we thankful for our blessings? Not only do we not suffer a hint of serious persecution, but we live in extreme comfort. In sweltering summer heat, we have cooling AC. In freezing winter temperatures we have the efficient comfort of modern heaters. We have cars in which we ride in comfort to our appointed destinations.. Our food is kept in freezers and refrigerators. We have clinics and hospitals in which highly specialized medical help is available for even the most extreme emergencies.

A very real possibility inherent in living a life of comfort, free from fear and terror such as we live, is the trade-off of not realizing the magnificence of the hope and reassurance we have with our future salvation. There is nothing about our lives that causes us to want to leave this world for the heavenly realm. In fact, we prefer to prolong our stay here as much as possible. It’s not that we don’t want to go to Heaven. We just aren’t ready to leave this earth at the moment.

It should be noted that there are those individuals among us who are suffering. There are in this world those who are suffering persecution and even death for their dedication to God. Others may not be persecuted but have trials and tribulations that make life difficult to endure. I do not mean to discount these people and their very real problems. But I do not envision people suffering in this life to have the problem of being overly satisfied in the present world.

That is what I fear may be a problem for some of us. We are so comfortable in our life situation that we have become indifferent to the hope Peter promised his readers. If that is the case, we need to make changes in our perception of the here and now, and of eternity. We need to see the here and now as temporary and eternity in Heaven as our desired result for a life of service to God. It would be so sad for God’s people not to desire, above all else, to be in His presence for all of eternity. That is what He wanted for us, to the extent that He gave His only begotten Son to accomplish it.