Let Us Hold Tightly to Our Hope in His Promises…especially as the Day of His Return is Drawing Near
"He will come again, not to deal with our sins, but to bring salvation to all who are eagerly waiting for Him.” Hebrews 9:28b
The word salvation here is the Greek word, sōtēría, Strongs# 4991. It means deliverance, preservation and safety. [1] We are told that now is the day of salvation (2 Corinthians 6:2). The gospel of our salvation (Ephesians 1:13) leads us to fullness of life on earth as well as eternal life. And, in light of this, we are to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling (Philippians 2:12).
At the root of sōtēría, is Strongs #4982, the Greek word sṓzō, "to save, rescue, heal, and deliver out of danger into safety.” This word is used in relation to rescuing believers from the penalty and power of sin—from perishing. It also is used when the woman with the issue of blood touched the hem of the garment of Jesus and was made well or whole. Jesus told the woman that her faith brought her sozo (wellness, wholeness, curing from sin and disease). [2]
The Lord is going to return, not to bring salvation again as He already paid this full price when He went to the cross. We can now freely receive Him, coming under the covenant, having forgiveness of sin; He already has paid the full penalty of sin and we have this salvation available. So, what does this salvation look like when He returns?
Notice this verse in Hebrews is not for everyone. Rather, this verse is for those who are saved from our sins and are eagerly waiting. Like our Spirit that groans for our full adoption, there is a travail in our spirits for His return to set things right for us. It is an active waiting that decisively puts away all that should be left behind and pulls on God for what is to come with eager and expectant hope. It emphasizes looking away from the world and to our final eternal redemption.
Peter talks about this salvation to be received by already saved believers, on the last day for all to see as well (1 Peter 1:5). He says about this, "And through your faith, God is protecting you by His power until you receive this salvation, is ready to be revealed on the last day for all to see... This salvation was something even the prophets wanted to know more about when they prophesied about this gracious salvation prepared for you. They wondered what time or situation the Spirit of Christ within them was talking about when he told them in advance about Christ's suffering and his great glory afterward. They were told that their messages were not for themselves, but for you. And now this Good News has been announced to you by those who preached in the power of the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. it is all so wonderful that even the angels are eagerly watching for these things to happen." (1 Peter 1:5, 10-12)
Angels stand on tiptoe peering into the end of time where the Bride of Christ receives this full manifestation of salvation and comes into the fullness of the glory through the priceless inheritance awaiting us. According to these verses, it has been set in motion and like dominos that build greater and greater momentum over time, it has not fully manifest yet. The immense measure of the Holy Spirit received is just the down payment on what awaits.
Romans 8:19-25,TPT says, "The entire universe is standing on tiptoe, yearning to see the unveiling of God’s glorious sons and daughters! For against its will the universe itself has had to endure the empty futility resulting from the consequences of human sin. But now, with eager expectation, all creation longs for freedom from its slavery to decay and to experience with us the wonderful freedom coming to God’s children. To this day we are aware of the universal agony and groaning of creation, as if it were in the contractions of labor for childbirth. And it’s not just creation. We who have already experienced the firstfruits of the Spirit also inwardly groan as we passionately long to experience our full status as God’s sons and daughters—including our physical bodies being transformed. For this is the hope of our salvation. But hope means that we must trust and wait for what is still unseen. For why would we need to hope for something we already have? So because our hope is set on what is yet to be seen, we patiently keep on waiting for its fulfillment.
So, what does this salvation look like? Based upon the definition, it includes to be made well, free from sin and disease, and walking out our full salvation under the divine protection of the Lord. And, we know from the Book of Revelation that His coming again will free us completely from the constraints of the worldly order.
In Revelation 18:1-4, 8, it says, “After these things [the beast and the harlot having authority] I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, and the earth was illuminated with His glory. And He cried mightily with a loud voice, saying, ‘Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and has become a dwelling place of demons, a prison for every foul spirit, and a cage for every unclean and hated bird! For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich through the abundance of her luxury. And I heard another voice from heaven saying, ‘Come out of her, my people, lest you share her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues….Therefore her plagues will come in one day—death and mourning and famine. And she will be utterly burned with fire, for strong is the Lord God who judges her.”
So, there is this angel coming down from heaven with great authority, and the earth is illuminated with His glory. Since sometimes Jesus is depicted as an Angel of Light in the Old Testament, this would make sense to be a picture of Christ coming in His great authority and illuminating the whole earth with His glory while setting His people free from the plagues of Babylon.
God also calls His people to come out of Babylon in Jeremiah 51:6, “Flee from Babylon! Save yourselves! Don’t get trapped in her punishment! It is the Lord’s time for vengeance; He will repay her in full.”
We know from Jeremiah 50-51 that the people of God were taken away to Babylon because of their sin. They had made an idol of the temple in the Promised Land and were claiming His promises and protection without even having a relationship with the Lord. He whisked them off for a season to free them from these lies and re-establish a relationship. Then the Lord planned to cause the demise of Babylon for their idols and called His people out of her.
And it says about His people in Jeremiah 50:19-20, “’And I will bring Israel home again to its own land, to feed in the fields of Carmel and Bashan, and to be satisfied once more in the hill country of Ephraim and Gilead. In those days,’ says the Lord, ‘no sin will be found in Israel or in Judah, for I will forgive the remnant I preserve.’”
The people of God had lived among those destined for doom in Babylon for a period of time. During that time, many from the area witnessed to the greatness of God; faithful Israelites like Daniel, turned people’s hearts from darkness to His light. Then there comes this time of judgement and separation. The people of God come out of this world order while others refuse and are crushed under the weight of the plagues and destruction He sends intended to free us.
And we know what the plagues look like that people of God get stuck in from the worldly order from 2 Timothy 3:1-5, "But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people."
All that to say that the people of God receiving the letter from John about Babylon through the Book of Revelation, have this backdrop of experience and understanding of being taken out of the land because of sin and brought back into the fullness of the Land and promises from a place of intimacy. Jesus, as the Angel of Glory with great authority, calls His Bride out from places of bondage and worldly order into the fullness of salvation- not only for Her, but all those around as the Bride comes into wholeness and freedom that is promised in the Covenant.
We, as His people, sinned in the garden of Eden by eating the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. In doing so, we were pushed out of the garden of intimacy with the Lord. We could not stay because, if we ate of the Tree of Life in this state, we would live eternally separated from God. We were in essence, exiled to Babylon. But then Jesus returns in a cloud of glory and power, destroying Babylon with fire and wrath and calling His people out of her destruction.
All this to say that we are living in the day of waiting and watching for His return but also the beginnings of seeing this manifest. The heavens are open and the glory is beginning to come forth in greater and greater measure as His Bride presses in for His return. We are in a season of shifting as the Lord is calling His people out of the worldly system of Babylon. There is an outpouring of glory for those who reach for it. It sets His people free and draws them near to His heart. Hopefulness, expectation and joy flood the lives of those who seek Him, leaving behind the fruit of Babylon of despair, hopelessness and bondage. As there is such a differentiation between the hopeful and the hopeless, it brings with it salvation to many.
There is a growing intimacy with the Lord available and out of this, freedom to walk into the fullness of the promises of God, divine covenant protection, and wholeness under the covenant promises. We were made to walk in the fullness of glory not only for ourselves but all around us in need. At the same time as we radiate with heavenly glory and have joy unspeakable, we wrap our arms in love around our neighbor, bringing this glorious light of salvation to all those in need of hope.
Ultimately, the people of God will be called into greater and greater differentiation from the worldly order that causes so many pain and bondage. We must come out of her, no matter what needs to be surrendered and left behind. We will flee from the fear and the lies as that world crumbles around those who stay stuck in it and we will live into the fullness of the covenant promises of God, bringing many into His Kingdom in this last great harvest of salvation.
It makes me think of a video clip I just watched about Heidi Baker and her call to serve the people of Mozambique. When God spoke to her about someone who He was giving a city, she asked for a nation. It was one of the most unreached nations. When she stepped in, just being faithful, the people began to become saved in droves. It went from no churches to having churches everywhere. And miracles came of healing, deliverance and wonders through her ministry.
“The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is His faithfulness; His mercies begin afresh each morning. Sy to myself, ‘The Lord is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in Him. The Lord is good to those who depend on Him, to those who search for Him. So it is good to wait quietly for salvation from the Lord.” (Lamentations 22-26)
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