The Lord has provided a blueprint for our lives, but it’s up to us to follow that blue print or not. The choice of following the blueprint or not following it comes down to whether we choose to believe the Word of God or not.
Following His blueprint will cause us to prepare for the future – looking for the blessed hope and the glorious appearing of Jesus. There are two mentions in scripture of Jesus appearing – the rapture and the second coming. The second coming will be preceded with signs, the rapture will not. If we thought that the rapture was going to happen tomorrow, we would live very well today so as not to miss it.
The blessed hope is the hope that God will extend His benefits toward us and come to bring us out of this world. It is very similar to a traditional Jewish wedding. Jesus, the bridegroom, has gone back to His Father’s house to prepare a place for the church. It is up to the Father to tell the Son when to come back and get His bride. Prior to the groom to getting the bride, she would go through a purification ritual. If we have hope that Jesus is coming back for us, we should purify ourselves for Him.
We get ready to do natural things in life, such as going out to dinner or the movies. Jesus’ return is significantly more important than any of that – we should get ready!
Key Scriptures: Titus 2:11-13, 2 Peter 3:1-9, Romans 8:18, John 14, 1 John 3:2-3, 1 Thessalonians 1:10, 1 Thessalonians 4:15-18, 1 Thessalonians 5:6, Revelation 22:20, 2 Thessalonians 2:1
