The Way of Hope

(This is chapter 7 of the book The Way of Sonship: Anointed to Overcome)

In Hebrew, one of the words commonly translated “hope” means to bind to something with a cord, and to live in the longing expectation of something good happening. Originally, within Hebrew culture, their hope had nothing to do with dying and going to heaven. In Luke 2, Anna the prophetess was hoping for the redemption of Jerusalem and Simeon was looking for the consolation (“paraklesis” or comforter in Greek) of Israel. In Mark 15, Joseph of Arimathea was waiting in hope for the Kingdom or Rule of God or Heaven upon the Earth. In Luke 24, on the road to Emmaus, Jesus’ disciples were hoping that Jesus would redeem Israel back to Supremacy and in Acts 17, 23, and 24 Paul’s hope was resurrection from the dead. This was the original Messianic hope that the Kings and Prophets of old hoped for. This hope will be realised at Jesus’ second coming when He, as the Son of David, will establish the Kingdom of Heaven upon the Earth. That is why it says in 1 Peter 1:13 “Wherefore having girded up the loins of your mind, being sober, hope perfectly upon the grace that is being brought to you in the revelation of Jesus Christ”. That is why it says in Ezekiel 34:22-24 “And I have given safety to My flock, and they are not any more for prey, and I have judged between sheep and sheep. And have raised up over them one shepherd, and he has fed them—my servant David, He does feed them, and he is their shepherd, and I, Yehovah, I am their God, and My servant David prince in their midst, I, Yehovah, have spoken”. That is why Jesus said in John 10:14-16 (KJV) “I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. As the Father knows me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep. And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one-fold, and one shepherd”. Jesus’ brothers or Bride are the cloud of witnesses of the First Resurrection upon which Jesus will come and who will reign and rule together with Him. That is why Peter says in 1 Peter 1:3-7 (KJV) “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fades not away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perishes, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ. Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls”. The religion of tradition has changed the hope of the gospel. Dying and going to heaven rather than hell was not their hope. Peter is clear, the salvation that was hoped for was an inheritance reserved in heaven for Jesus’ brothers or Bride to be revealed at Jesus’ second coming. Behaviour in life will become inheritance in resurrection. What qualified Jesus’ brothers or Bride to receive their inheritance in God was responding to the amazing grace of God by living by faith and love in the power of resurrection life by having hearts or personalities filled with the glorious joy of the love and fatherhood of God now, not after they were dead.

Unlike many other ancient cultures and traditions, the ancient Hebrews did not have a well-developed conceptual religious belief system about the afterlife. One of the words in Hebrew for the grave was “sheol” which literally meant “who knows?” It did not mean hell for there was no such place. That is why, on the Day of Pentecost, hell was not mentioned. Peter said in Acts 3:19-21 (KJV) “Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you: Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began”. Jesus as the Son of David had been received into Heaven and is sitting on the heavenly throne of his father David. At the time of the restitution or redemption of all things, Jesus will return with His brothers or Bride. Just like Nathaniel the true God-blessed Israelite in whom there was no deceit (see John 1:47), they are the true Israel of God, those who were sovereignly chosen to be inspired by the goodness and grace of God to repent from the natural born selfishness of their egocentric pride-poisoned hearts. They died with Jesus on the cross so that they could rise with him through His resurrection, living new lives with redeemed hearts full of the breath or Holy Spirit of God’s fatherhood. That is why Paul says in Romans 5:5 “… and the hope does not make ashamed, because the love of God has been poured forth in our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.” Those who die physically, bearing the image of Jesus by being filled with the breath or Holy Spirit of God’s fatherhood like he is, are received into heaven just like he was because they are in Him and he is within them. This is something that was possible only after Jesus, the good shepherd, had laid down his life for his sheep and then rose from the dead. He reaped within his body and personality the bad behaviour that fallen humanity had sown into their lives so that God could sow grace-inspired God-behaviour into their lives through his resurrection from the dead. Behaviour in life will become inheritance in resurrection. Those who behave like God will one day inherit God but those who do not, will not, despite the boasts, beliefs, claims and confessions of religion.

For Abraham and the ancient Hebrews, their natural hope was to father a son in their own image and likeness so that their son could perpetuate their generational seed line by bearing their image, reflection, character, behaviour or name in the next generation of sons. In order to do this a Hebrew son was given his father’s provision, protection, presence, and purpose and ultimately his father’s blessing. Jesus said in John 14:2 “In my Father’s house are many rooms”, and just as the unborn sons lived in the house of their father’s body before they were born, the father’s true sons became their father’s house, and through their house or home, the fathers lived on. The true son was the embodiment or branch of the name or vine of his father if he bore the same fruit as his father in life. He did this by embracing his father’s God and his father’s purpose, behaving just like his father in every aspect of that life. Abraham fathered Isaac in his own image and likeness and gave Isaac his blessing and the inheritance of all that he owned so that Isaac could bear witness to Abraham and the wonderful fatherhood of God in the next generation of sons. In Hebrew, the word blessing meant a gift brought on bended knee, and the true son inherited his father’s blessing just as a father had an inheritance within the house of his true sons. Paul said in Ephesians 1:11-14 “in whom [Christ] also we did obtain an inheritance, being foreordained according to the purpose of Him who the all things is working according to the counsel of His will, for our being to the praise of His glory, even those who did first hope in the Christ, in whom ye also, having heard the word of the truth—the good news of your salvation—in whom also having believed, ye were sealed with the Holy Spirit of the promise, which is an earnest of our inheritance, to the redemption of the acquired possession, to the praise of His glory”. An inheritance was something that could not be earned, but it could certainly be lost by sons who disqualified themselves by not behaving like their father, cutting themselves off from their father’s vine. As such they did not bear the fruit of their father’s name. The earnest or guarantee of an inheritance in God is the life’s breath or Holy Spirit of God’s fatherhood that changes people’s hearts by inspiring them to love as Jesus loves. This redeems the life’s breath or Holy Spirit of God’s fatherhood back into their hearts that was lost at the Fall. Those who live in love live in God; their hearts become to God an acquired or purchased possession that becomes God’s eternally inherited possession at the First Resurrection (see Revelation 20:5). However, it is only those who are counted worthy that are called by Jesus the Sons of Resurrection (see Luke 20:35). This is why Paul said in Ephesians 5:1-6 “Become, then, followers of God, as children beloved, and walk in love, as also the Christ did love us, and did give himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for an odour of a sweet smell, and whoredom, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as becometh saints; also filthiness, and foolish talking, or jesting, —the things not fit—but rather thanksgiving; for this ye know, that every whoremonger, or unclean, or covetous person, who is an idolater, has no inheritance in the reign of the Christ and God. Let no one deceive you with vain words, for because of these things comes the anger of God upon the sons of the disobedience, become not, then, partakers with them, for ye were once darkness, and now light in the Lord”. Paul warned the Ephesians that they could not hope to inherit the actual personal presence of the person of Almighty God eternally dwelling within their hearts if they continued to partner with the father of lies and have darkened hard hearts that were filled with the lying breaths of darkness despite what religion had taught them to believe. Paul said in Galatians 3:18, 27, 29 (KJV) “For if the inheritance be of the law, it is no more of promise: but God gave it to Abraham by promise….For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ….And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise”. Those who do not behave like Jesus have not been baptised into Him, they are not clothed with the Anointed One (or Christ), they are not Abraham’s seed or sons, and they are not heirs according to the promise. Behaviour in life will become inheritance in resurrection. Behaviour is a family thing; the Sons of God are led by the life’s breath of God to behave like God by loving as Jesus loved. Inheritance is not a faith thing; people’s actions in life betray what they really believe despite what religion teaches them to confess. Inheritance is a family thing, it cannot be “claimed” by someone who is not “in the family way” or in the will of the Father. In Acts 19 the seven “exorcist” sons of Sceva attempted to cast out demons by using the name of Jesus like a religious mantra. The evil spirit said, “Jesus I know, Paul I know of, but who are you?”. They did not bear the family resemblance; they were not in the family way. They were not within Jesus, did not behave like Him and so they received a right royal beating. In 1 Corinthians 9:27 Paul says, “I chastise [subdue] my body, and bring it into servitude [servant or slave], lest by any means, having preached to others—I myself may become disapproved [disqualified]”. Those that hope to win the prize in the “race of life” need to compete according to the truth of God’s rules and not the rules of their own culture or the religion of tradition. Otherwise the only “stephanos” or crown of victory that they win will be one awarded by the pride of their own self-admiration. Paul said in Ephesians 1:3-6 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: According as he has chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: Having predestined us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved”. Paul knew without a shadow of a doubt that he had been sovereignly chosen and predestined for the praise of God’s glorious and amazing grace to obtain an inheritance of the life’s breath or Holy Spirit of Almighty God eternally indwelling his heart. However, he also knew that he would not be holy and blameless in the sight of God if he allowed the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life to rob him of his inheritance in God by disqualifying him from the prize. An inheritance within God is not something that can be earned, but it is certainly something that can be lost. Paul is clear, it depends upon how people are inspired to behave because the inbreath or inspiration of the Spirit of Truth or Holy Spirit or life’s breath of God’s fatherhood “is” their prize or inheritance. Behaviour in life will become inheritance in resurrection. People need to receive the prize and live in the truth of that prize before they die, otherwise being already alive to themselves and dead to God that is how they will be resurrected. There is no repentance in resurrection. That is why he said in Ephesians 4:22-24 “Ye are to put off concerning the former behaviour the old man, that is corrupt according to the desires of the deceit, and to be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and to put on the new man, which, according to God, was created in righteousness and kindness of the truth”. The fallen heart of the old man is wicked beyond all things and is beyond cure, fallen human nature cannot be redeemed. By an unmerited merciful act of sovereign grace, it must be replaced with something new.

In Genesis, when God spoke His word with the breath or Holy Spirit of His mouth, this was called light, and “day”. For the Hebrews, light and day were good because they could live and work, do and achieve. In the darkness they could do nothing worthwhile. Abraham was sovereignly called by God out of the darkness of Ur of the Chaldeans, out of the lying religion of tradition, out from living amongst the sons of disobedience. He was called out with the living words of the promise of the living light of the hope of God’s loving father’s blessing. This blessing was God’s unmerited provision, protection, presence and purpose that changed the natural born darkness of Abraham’s heart and generational seed line and enabled Abraham to be called by the name “Son of God” by becoming a foreshadowing of Jesus, the light of men and living personality of God’s ideal Son. This was God’s original purpose for Adam or Man who was created by God to be the house or home or vine of God’s personality or presence or life’s breath or Holy Spirit of God’s fatherhood but then lost at the Fall. When God said to Abraham in Genesis 12:3 that “..in you shall all the families of the earth be blessed”, God Himself was that blessing because one day, God Himself would be born as the Son of Abraham, and the Son of David. The ancient Hebrews saw things in totality, and the “you” of Genesis 12:3 which included Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, King David actually and ultimately referred to Jesus, God Himself born as their Son and heir. King David said in Psalm 16:5-11 (KJV) “The LORD is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup: thou maintain my lot. The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places; yes, I have a goodly heritage. I will bless the LORD, who has given me counsel: my reins also instruct me in the night seasons. I have set the LORD always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. Therefore, my heart is glad, and my glory rejoice: my flesh also shall rest in hope. For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell [grave]; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore”. It was God’s original purpose for Adam that God Himself would be Adam’s inheritance, eternally dwelling within the cup of his heart. Yehovah God became the man Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of Man, the Son of Abraham, and the Son of David. As the Son of David, these words of David that were inspired by the Holy Spirit or life’s breath of God were also the words of Jesus, David’s Son because Jesus is the incarnation of the Holy Spirit or the eternal life’s breath of God. King David’s hope was resurrection from the dead, eternally inheriting God within the breathings of his personality or heart. Because David shared in the Son of David’s identity as the Son of God, these words of hope came true both for David and of course for Jesus. Or was it the other was round? For those who share in Jesus’ identity as the Son of God, those who practically share in His death to themselves and His resurrection into the arms of God’s fatherhood, the hope of the original purpose of God that was lost at the Fall is restored. God Almighty becomes to them the Everlasting Father who dwells richly and eternally within the breathings of their personality. Jesus said in Revelation 21:6-7 (KJV) “It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning, and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. He that overcomes shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son”. Those that set Yehovah God before them, those that have Yehovah God as the strength of their right hand, those whose glorified heart is gladdened by God are sovereignly inspired to not live corrupted lives. Instead, in the presence of overcoming power where victory is assured, the hope of this promise of Revelation becomes true within their experience. Paul prayed in Ephesians 1:17-18 “… that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of the glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the recognition of him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened, for your knowing what is the hope of His calling, and what the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints…”. Behaviour in life will become inheritance in resurrection. Jesus’ brothers or Bride wear his crown, share his throne, experience the hope of a better resurrection, and eternally reap the reward and inheritance of the Holy Spirit or glory of God’s fatherhood and presence dwelling in their hearts. This is the way of hope.

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