‘The Blessed Hope’ Problem

A widely misunderstood verse is “The Blessed Hope” verse spoken of only in Titus 2:13.

 

Why so? It’s because it is mistranslated in most Bibles—“while we wait for the blessed hope – the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ . . .” (NIV, KJV).

 

Grammatically, the correct translation (as rendered from the original Greek and in the NAS) is, “looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus.”

 

Did you catch the difference?

 

The key word here is “glory.” It’s a noun and not an adjective.

 

Hence, it should not be translated as the adjective “glorious” to modify the noun “appearing.”

 

This “glory” is the object that was to appear and not the visible Person. Big difference!

 

Most notably and quite appropriately, in every instance of the appearance of “the glory of the Lord” throughout the Old Testament, major optical and/or physical manifestations were present—manna and quail dropping out of the sky, a cloud, consuming fire, thunder, a voice, the ground splitting open, a plague, etc.

 

These were signs of Yahweh/Jehovah God’s presence.

 

But never once was the Person of deity visibly seen. (See for example: Exodus 16:7, 10; 24:16, 17; 40:34, 35, and many more.)

 

Again, the noun “glory” and not the Person was what would appear as “the blessed hope” in Titus 2:13.

 

And it did, as Jesus came “in the glory of the Father” (Matt. 16:27) circa A.D. 70, along with many optical and physical manifestations. 

 

For other notable appearances of “the glory of the Lord” see: Lev. 9:6, 23; Num. 14:10, 21; 16:19, 42; 20:6; 1 Ki. 8:11; 2 Chron. 5:14; 7:1-3; Psa. 104:31; 138:5; Isa. 35:2; 40:5; 58:8; 60:1; Ezek. 1:28; 3:12, 23; 10:4, 18; 11:23; 43:5; 44:4; Hab. 2:14. Also see: Luke 2:9; 2 Cor. 3:18; 8:19, and more.

 

What do you think?

 

(Excerpt from my book, “The Greater Jesus,” p-163)