Misplaced ‘Hope’ Has Made the World Ripe for the Reign of the Antichrist

Of all the exhortations in the Word of God that Paul is inspired to write, there is one which should be precious to every saint in these closing days of the church age. He says in 1 Corinthians 16:13-14: “Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong. Let all that you do be done with love.“

Although the word “hope” is not used in the passage above, it is clear that in order to watch, to stand, to be brave and strong, we must have hope. But what exactly is Biblical hope and where does my hope come from? To answer the first question, hope is an unwavering confidence in God’s goodness and power to do what He says He will do because of His love for us and His faithfulness to His Word. Answering the second question adequately will take a little more time.

Many people believe hope is to be found by looking outward. Consequently, they are searching fervently for a political, economic or cultural solution to counteract the mess the world is currently in. Others believe that hope is found within and that if each person manifests enough of their inner strength, the world will overcome evil with good.

Although such beliefs have formed the basis of countless television shows, feel-good movies and books, real and everlasting hope comes from above. As the Psalmist proclaimed in Psalm 42:5: “Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him for the help of His countenance.” This abiding hope is not only reserved for a special few, but it is something that God wants both Jew and Gentile to share in. The reason we are able to share in this common bond of hope is because Jesus didn’t just come to bring hope – He is our hope. 1 Timothy 1:1 says: “Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, by the commandment of God our Saviour and the Lord Jesus Christ, our hope.“

As natural disasters, wars, rumours of wars and diseases continue to cause great distress amongst the nations, people are searching for some type of hope that will comfort them in life and in death. The problem is, they continue their frantic search by looking inward and outward instead of upward. This, to some degree, explains why this world is becoming ripe for the reign of the Antichrist. Many will blindly believe he is the man with a plan who is going to restore hope. Not content to live by faith in Jesus Christ, many will fall for the wicked agenda of the Antichrist because they prefer to live by sight. […]

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