Joseph Prince - Have a Confident Expectation of Good in Your Future
This is an excerpt from: Power To Renew Your Youth
Recently, in the Harvard Gazette, I just read this yesterday, but I know about this for quite some time, but in case those of you who are wondering about this, whether it's backed up and all that, you can search for it, but not now, okay? Uh, The Harvard Gazette, released a study they made, a protracted study down through the years of women in their 20s all the way to the 70s, and, they made this study through many years, you know? And many of these women grew up in the studies. So, this Harvard, Harvard Gazette, they say that, the conclusion of these women of different races, different ages, okay, different financial background and all that, 'cause they factor in if you are wealthier, does that, you know, help you to live long and healthier, maybe because you can afford more, you can do this more.
A lot of people think that way, okay? We rule that out, because this test is not about that. We put everyone in all the different categories, different races and all that. Some people say certain races have a propensity toward certain conditions and all that. Well, all races are in this study. And, you know what? Besides exercise, we all know exercise is good, so put exercise aside. Besides exercise, besides good food, good diet, right diet and all that, what is the factor, one factor that contributes to longevity? Guess what they found? Optimism. You know what's optimism? And this is how they define it in the Gazette. They say that optimism is expecting good things in your future. Isn't that, sounds like the Bible's, definition of hope.
In the Greek, elpis, Bible hope is, what? The confident, certain, you see this is important, confident, certain, because the world, you know, they have this, "I hope so, lah," "I really hope so, leh," "I really hope so". I'm using Singapore style lah so you all know, right? It sounds more like the way we talk, all right? We tell our friends, "I hope so," and your friends tell you, "I really hope so," and their hope is not confident expectation. But when we use Bible hope, and hope has got to do with the future, something that's gonna happen, we must be certain and confident. So, the definition of elpis...and this is not from me, not from Pastor Prince. You can look at it from Thayer's definition, from Strong's definition. It says, "A certain, confident expectation of good in your future".
So, while you are listening to end times teaching or watching it, and some of you really are into this, end time, end times, remember what I shared last week, what Jesus said when he talked about the signs of the end in Matthew 24. What did he say? He said, "See that you be not troubled". In another gospel where he talked about the signs of the times in the end times, and we are seeing the signs now, right? What did Jesus say? "Men's hearts," hearts, cardia in the Greek, "Men's hearts failing," heart failure, "Men's hearts failing them for fear of seeing those things coming on the earth". Do you hear that? So, be careful that when you are involved in end times, all right, studying end times, make sure it does not impart hopelessness as you see the future. Yes, the world will get darker and darker, but, child of God, you are not part of the world.
In fact, the Lord's gonna bring us out before the worst happens. Like, the tribulation, like never before on planet earth, Jesus said, like never was there a tribulation like this, but those seven years we are not here. We are looking down from above, amen. The Lord will rapture us, amen. Praise the Lord. So, we can only look forward for the church getting brighter and brighter and the world getting darker and darker, but if you keep your eyes focused, you know, you look at YouTubes all the time and all the...what this guy says, what that person says, and what is happening here, what's happening, what's happening in China, what's happening in Europe, all that kind of thing, you get very frightened, you get very fearful. Men's hearts failing them for fear of those things coming upon the earth. Mm?
Now bird flu in Cambodia, and WHO is concerned. And rightly so, there's a body to be concerned about. But, you know, seeing these things, right, and not spending time in the Word to put on the helmet of hope is dangerous. These things will happen, and more will happen in the days to come, right? Let me stand here and tell you, we are not saying things will get brighter and brighter in the world. No, no, no, no. In fact, the Bible says, the Bible says it'll get darker and darker, amen, until Jesus comes and set this world right, all right? But in between, the church is looking for the rapture. And remember, the rapture is nothing more than the redemption of our bodies. 'Cause back in those days, when they pay for something, they pay for something, there's also this element where they'll say that "I'll take the purchased redemption," okay, "on another day," all right? "But now I pay for it," okay?
So, I put down an earnest, they call it an earnest. So, the Bible says our bodily redemption, in Ephesians, is actually the down payment. Jesus made a down payment, amen, and he's coming back for our bodies to be completely redeemed. That means we will never die, we'll never have sickness again, we'll never suffer constant fatigue, we'll never grow old. So, we are in heaven, not disembodied. We are in heaven fully bodied, but except the body is glorified body. Good news. What a way to see our future, amen. Every time you have an ache, you have a pain, amen, it just reminds you to long for that purchased redemption. And it's coming for it, and when that happens, the Bible says, "In the twinkling of an eye, this mortal shall put on immortality". Immortality. Amen? And how long will we be in the immortal body? Forever.
So, we're not floating around, we're not floating around. And even those who have gone on before, amen, up there in the cloud of witnesses cheering us on now, amen, they are worshipping God day and night, amen, and they are having perfect bliss, joy, and happiness where they are. My mother's amongst them. They are cheering us on. All of them young, strong, healthy, better looking than any of us, amen. They are cheering us on. And one day we'll join them, praise the Lord. But they are disembodied now. But even for them, when the rapture happens, they will come and claim their bodies, their glorified bodies. And the dead in Christ shall rise first, and then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together to meet the Lord in the air. Notice the word, "We who are alive and remain". It is repeated more than once there in that passage, we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together.
So, there are people who are alive because they are young, right? But then alive and remain. So, I assume, I will see there those who are older, advancing in years, but they remain. So, there is a revelation before the rapture, and we know the rapture can happen any time. So, there is a revelation God is giving out in these last days about overcoming premature death, overcoming, amen. And the Christian's position, I'll repeat again. It's not looking to the grave, it's looking to the sky, amen. The Bible says this in Thessalonians. "And to wait for his Son from heaven". We are looking up, not looking down. We don't have a dust perspective, we have a heavenly perspective. Can I have a good amen? Praise the Lord. Are you looking to the Lord's coming? Amen, praise the Lord. In an atomic second, the Bible says, we'll be transformed, and forever, you know? Long, long time. Until the 12th of Never, that's a long, long time. You all don't know the song, right? Yeah, it's an old hymn. Okay, praise the Lord.