Hebrews 6:13-20
Hope is the Anchor for the Soul
13 When God made his promise to Abraham, since there was no one greater for him to swear by, he swore by himself, 14 saying, “I will surely bless you and give you many descendants.” 15 And so after waiting patiently, Abraham received what was promised.
16 Men swear by someone greater than themselves, and the oath confirms what is said and puts an end to all argument. 17 Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, he confirmed it with an oath. 18 God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope offered to us may be greatly encouraged. 19 We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, 20 where Jesus, who went before us, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
Those Who Have No Hope
13 Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. 14 We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. 15 According to the Lord’s own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. 18 Therefore encourage each other with these words.
1 Peter 1:3-5
God Has Given Us a Living Hope
3Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you, 5who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.
Revelation 1:18
Hope Through All Eternity
18 I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.
Hope is an anchor for us in life...Those who view life with a positive outlook and have hope, have less anxiety, have less depression, and have less chronic pain...
The author of Hebrews tells us that hope is the anchor to the soul...St. Paul tells those who are not followers of Christ, and stay ignorant of Him and His resurrection and what He done, have no eternal hope...For when when the non-believer dies, he is done (or so he thinks)...His hope is his life and world on this earth...When he dies he is gone...St. Peter tells us that God gives us not only hope, but a living hope...Blessed is the Father of our LORD and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gives us hope for yesterday, today, and tomorrow...According to our Father's great mercy, He has caused us to be born again in His Son...And since His Son lives, we have a living hope...A hope in His resurrection...Therefore, we will always have hope, because He lives...
There are and were those who probably did not and do not believe in the promise God made to Abraham...We have this hope first by the oath to Abraham -that God would make his descendants into a great nation, and Abraham's descendants would be blessed by the LORD, our God (Genesis 12:2-3)...There are also, those who do not believe in the life, the death, and resurrection of Jesus...But for those who believe in the oath God made to Abraham, they also believe that He confirmed this oath, and this hope in the life of His Son...His Son was born and lived and is our salvation...Jesus has become our High Priest forever...Believers have this hope, as the anchor to our soul and it is firm and secure...
St. Peter reminds us that those who keep the faith, will never die, and will get an inheritance that will never perish, spoil, fade, or leave them -this hope and inheritance is kept in heaven for each of the believers of the two oaths...St. John tells us that Jesus revealed to him these things for those who hope in the LORD, our Savior, and they shall live forever and ever...Jesus holds the keys, to both our life and death...He holds the keys to eternity...