Hope

Concise Bible Dictionary:

This is described as waiting for something that is not seen but which has been promised. Rom (8:24-25). Blessed is the man whose hope the Lord is; though troubles arise he will not cease to bear fruit (Jer. 17:7-87Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is. 8For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit. (Jeremiah 17:7‑8)). There is nothing vague in the Christian’s hope: it is an anchor of the soul, sure and steadfast, because the Lord Himself is his hope, and Christ in him is the hope of glory (Col. 1:2727To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory: (Colossians 1:27); 1 Tim. 1:11Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the commandment of God our Saviour, and Lord Jesus Christ, which is our hope; (1 Timothy 1:1); Heb. 6:18-1918That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us: 19Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil; (Hebrews 6:18‑19)). The coming of the Lord, and not death, is a blessed part of the Christian’s hope (1 Thess. 4:13-1813But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. 14For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. 15For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. 16For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 17Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. 18Wherefore comfort one another with these words. (1 Thessalonians 4:13‑18); 1 John 3:2-32Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. 3And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure. (1 John 3:2‑3)).

From Anstey’s Doctrinal Definitions:

In Scripture, hope is not used in the same way as it is in the common vernacular—today’s language. We use the word in our day to refer to something that we would like to see happen, but we have no guarantee that it will take place. In the Bible, hope is a deferred certainty; it has expectancy with assurance connected with it.
In Romans 5:2,2By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. (Romans 5:2) Paul speaks of "the hope of the glory of God," which has to do with the believer's future glorification at the Lord’s coming (the Rapture). It is something that the believer is looking forward to with certainty. It will definitely happen—we just don't know when. This glorious end of being with and like Christ is the Christian’s hope. When we first believed the gospel and received the Lord Jesus Christ as our Saviour, we were put in hope of our eventual glorification. Paul refers to this in Romans 8:24,24For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? (Romans 8:24) stating that we have been "saved in hope." (The KJV says that we are saved "by" hope, but it should read "in" hope.) This means that when we first trusted Christ as our Saviour, it was in view of our having this final aspect of redemption. Thus, when we were "saved," it was "in hope" of the full and final thing that is coming.
Knowing the glorious future that lies ahead for us sustains us in the path, because the thing hoped for is steadfast and sure. In hope we have been saved, and in its power we live. It gives us “patience” to wait for it (Rom. 8:2525But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it. (Romans 8:25)). It has been said that faith and hope are good travelling companions for the Christian in his wilderness pathway through this world, and this is true. But at the coming of the Lord (the Rapture), we will part ways with those companions, and enter heaven with the Lord where love will abide alone. We will not need faith and hope there.

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Hope: May 2013