Our Hope & Things to Come
The Body of Christ has a heavenly hope. Before the day of wrath the Lord will catch up the believers to meet Him in the air, and every believer will stand before the judgment seat of Christ for reward, not condemnation. These articles set the believer's hope apart from Israel's earthly kingdom and the prophetic events still to come.
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The Hope of the Gospel
Posted by Edward Cross on
The hope of the gospel is not a future reward to be earned but Christ in you — the present, sealed reality of being complete in Him and seated in heavenly places. This article examines why the hope Paul describes transforms the believer's walk from striving to gratitude.
The Rapture: The Blessed Hope Revealed to Paul Alone
Posted by Edward Cross on
Paul calls the rapture a mystery — kept secret since the world began and revealed to him alone. This article examines why the catching away belongs exclusively to the Body of Christ, why Matthew 24 is not the rapture, and what the blessed hope actually is for those living under the dispensation of grace.
The Judgment Seat of Christ: Rewards, Not Condemnation
Posted by Edward Cross on
For the believer, the judgment seat of Christ is no courtroom of condemnation but the place where a faithful Master rewards His servants. Rightly divided, it weighs our service, never our salvation, and the crown of righteousness it gives is our glorification in Christ, all of grace, to all who love His appearing.
All articles on this topic
The Rapture: The Blessed Hope Revealed to Paul Alone
Posted by Edward R. Cross on June 10, 2026
Paul calls the rapture a mystery — kept secret since the world began and revealed to him alone. This article examines why the catching away belongs exclusively to the Body of Christ, why Matthew 24 is not the rapture, and what the blessed hope actually is for those living under the dispensation of grace.
The Rapture: Comfort in Sorrow and Deliverance from Wrath
Posted by Edward R. Cross on June 10, 2026
Paul gave the Body of Christ two great comforts: grief at the grave is answered by the catching away, and fear of the tribulation is answered by our deliverance from wrath. But the certainty of the blessed hope is precisely what frees Paul to plant us in the present truth of who we already are in Christ.
They Shall Never Perish: Kingdom Salvation, Eternal Life, and the Resurrection of Israel's Remnant
Posted by Edward R. Cross on June 8, 2026
Christ promised His sheep eternal life and that they would never perish — and He meant it. But that promise belongs to the prophetic program for Israel and operates within a precise resurrection sequence. This article traces who enters the kingdom and in what condition, what the strong delusion is, and why Paul's mystery program stands apart.
No Mansion For You: Why John 14 Was Not Written to the Body of Christ
Posted by Edward R. Cross on April 5, 2026
Jesus was not speaking to the Body of Christ in John 14. The Father's house and prepared place belong to the little flock of Israel awaiting the earthly kingdom and the New Jerusalem. This article shows what the Body of Christ is actually promised — a heavenly hope far greater than a room in a city.
The Hope of the Gospel
Posted by Edward R. Cross on October 2, 2023
The hope of the gospel is not a future reward to be earned but Christ in you — the present, sealed reality of being complete in Him and seated in heavenly places. This article examines why the hope Paul describes transforms the believer's walk from striving to gratitude.