Introduction

Welcome to Looking for the Blessed Hope!  I am humbled you have chosen to join me on this journey!  I have absolutely no clue how the Lord will use this study or whose eyes will scan these pages.  However, God knows…and I have prayed for you!  May you be incredibly blessed by the Blessed Hope Himself!

God’s Word is a treasure chest and we are about to embark on a treasure hunt.  Our journey will take us into the Old and New Testaments as we study God’s plan for His people throughout past and future history through the lens of Scripture.   Those who interpret world events only through geopolitical lens will likely not navigate future events successfully.  One absolutely must view world events through Scriptural lens in order to know and understand past events, today’s events and those to come.

The impetus for this study is a very deep-rooted conviction that the Word of God is absolutely, 100% authoritative and can be trusted in all matters.  This is not simply an arbitrary “the Bible says it, so it must be true” mentality.  I believe God’s Word to be 100% authoritative because, in studying it, I find that it proves itself over and over.  In fact, one of the Bible’s greatest self-validating features is the fulfillment of prophecy.  But don’t take my word for it.  Dive deep into this study and come to your own conclusions!

I am deeply grieved and saddened by two things.  First, I see our nation and many of our churches setting aside God’s Word and walking further and further away from its truth.  Secondly, I have come to love Israel and the Jewish people who, for the most part, have yet to see their Messiah.  Both prompt me to action.  As believers, we must understand the times in which we live, and we must be ready for Christ’s return.  Likewise, Biblical wisdom tells us to pray for and to bless Israel.  Thus, the ambition of this study is to learn to view today’s events in light of all God tells us in His Word, and to take appropriate action.

Matthew 24:42-44 says:
“Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming.  But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what time of the night the thief was coming, he would have been on the alert and would not have allowed his house to be broken into.  For this reason you also must be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will.”

Though we don’t know the day and hour (and would be absolutely wrong to predict it), the Bible clearly gives us warning signs and tells us to know and understand the season.  The warning signs are all around us and the season is at hand, yet I wonder…are we sleeping?

My burden is perhaps no more eloquently stated than through the words of While You Were Sleeping, by popular Christian recording group, Casting Crowns.  May these words serve as a timely reminder for us to be ready.

It seems that Bible prophecy is being fulfilled more quickly than a study can be written!  Thus, though Biblical teachings will remain constant, world events will definitely change.  Because a portion of this study requires attention to current events, the study is intended to flow with the current events of the time at hand.  That means you will have to conduct your own research at times.  But don’t worry…all the resources you need will be provided.

I have prayed for you, dear friend!  My prayer is that you will become more confident in the authority of God’s Word, that you will be encouraged by God’s grace to us, and that you will be prompted to action in these last days.  We’ll journey together and I look forward to our time of fellowship around God’s Word!