Bright Hope for Tomorrow: How Anticipating Jesus' Return Gives Strength for Today

by Chris Davis

Overview

This is no ordinary hope. This hope can transform us fully when we learn to see it correctly.

Christ is risen, and Christ will come again. That is the hope that fueled the lives of Jesus' disciples and the momentum of the early church. The hope of seeing their risen Lord face-to-face powered their endurance through persecution, their patience in discipling new believers, and their courage to renounce injustice and sinful passions.

Learning to renew our hope in Jesus' actual, promised return trains us to live differently and see the world with different eyes. What if we could hold that hope closer to us intellectually and emotionally?

In Bright Hope for Tomorrow, pastor Chris Davis will help you see the Second Coming in a fresh way that recaptures your spiritual imagination, strengthens your discipleship, and recovers your theology from the confusion and controversy caused by end-times studies.

This book is a journey into the heart of Christianity's eschatological anticipation that will help you:

• Explore the return of Jesus in the terms of the New Testament letters.
• Get a better, more biblical picture of what we will see when we behold Christ at his appearing.
• Develop rhythms and practices necessary to maintain your expectancy (including gathering, fasting, and resting).

Rediscover the true heights of the hope we have in Christ—a fresh hope that can drive our daily responses to temptation, affliction, discouragement, and life in a broken world.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780310134190
Publisher:	Zondervan
Publication date:	10/25/2022
Pages:	240
Product dimensions:	5.30(w) x 6.90(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Chris Davis is senior pastor of Groveton Baptist Church in Alexandria, Virginia. He and his wife, Rachael, have four children.

Table of Contents

Introduction 1

Part 1 The Story of Hope

1 Dark Despair and Bright Hope 17

2 The Day of the Lord 28

3 The Lord's Appearings 40

Part 2 Portraits of Jesus' Return

4 The Warrior King 55

5 The Bridegroom 66

6 The Judge 80

7 The Resurrecting One 98

Part 3 Rhythms of Anticipation

8 Gather 115

9 Fast 132

10 Rest 145

Part 4 The Transforming Power of Hope

11 Purifying Ourselves 165

12 Doing the Master's Work 179

13 Persevering through Afflictions 192

Epilogue 207

Acknowledgments 213

Notes 217

Editorial Reviews

'American Christians of the past fifty years have tended to make two mistakes when it comes to Jesus' return: either obsess over the details of when and where, or ignore its import altogether. In this biblically grounded, humble, and engaging book, pastor and writer Chris Davis helps the church recover the centrality of Christ's return and how it shapes our daily lives and affections. Jesus' return not only reorients our priorities, it also offers good news to those who labor under persecution, live with unhealed physical and emotional pain, and await justice for wrongdoing and abuse. Bright Hope for Tomorrow helps readers walk with a lighter step as we set our sights on the joy of seeing Jesus face to face.'

KATELYN BEATY

'Some years ago the church was awash in controversial books about the second coming. Each had an axe to grind for one of the theories about the nature of the millennium and about the exact order of last things. I was not sad to see those books fade away. But that left us without guides for how to use the doctrine of the second coming practically in our lives and hearts and practices. Chris Davis fills this gap wonderfully with the best practical pastoral book on the doctrine of the second coming written in years. Recommended!'

Redeemer City to City TIM KELLER

'Eschatology often signals debates and disagreements, but Chris Davis reminds us that the hope of the resurrection should make a difference in our lives today. The hope of the gospel isn't an abstraction but a powerful incentive to live for the glory of Christ and to pursue him with all our strength as long as our lives endure. Davis combines theology and practice deftly and in a way that speaks to believers as they sojourn in this earthly life.'

THOMAS R. SCHREINER

'Bright Hope for Tomorrow is a marvelous book about a glorious topic: the return of Jesus. Chris Davis offers insights that are theologically rich, elegantly expressed, practical, and personal. In an age when far too many Christians have embraced the idols of this world, Davis reminds us we're citizens of heaven. That truth, so beautifully expressed in this book, has the power to transform lives.'

PETER WEHNER

'Many of us, for many reasons, feel overwhelmed by the darkness in this cultural moment. I can think of few people better equipped or more trustworthy than Chris Davis to bring a steady ray of light by which we can more clearly see not only the future but the present. Bright Hope for Tomorrow isn't just about tomorrow. It's about today.'

KAREN SWALLOW PRIOR

'Fretting over possible futures, raging in the face of death, prognosticating to try to wrest some control back from the chaos of life—all these come naturally to us, whether or not we're Christian. But hope—our quiet confidence in the return of Jesus Christ and the fulfillment of God's promises through him—doesn't come naturally, which is why we need this book. In these pages, a humble and seasoned Christian pastor schools us in what Christian hope really is and how, as we fix our gaze on Christ, we may come to embody it.'

WESLEY HILL

'Bright Hope for Tomorrow delivers exactly what the subtitle promises. Chris Davis has created a terrific biblical guide for allowing Jesus' future return to transform us here and now. This is truly a must read!'

STEVEN TRACY

'Chris has given the gift of a faithful and wonder-filled guide to better understanding, anticipating, and delighting in the hope of the gospel. Bright Hope for Tomorrow is both a balm for weary pilgrims and a spur to more joyfully embrace and live into the hope before us.'

CHERIE HARDER

'The kingdom of the heavens is not a puzzle to solve but a real and present help to those who put their faith and trust in Jesus. Chris Davis makes this clear in Bright Hope for Tomorrow, a pastoral work which intends to bring heaven to readers' hearts. And it succeeds!'

MICHAEL WEAR