There is in the gospel a double hope: (1) the hope for the eschaton (the last time, the future), which is bound up with the coming of Christ, the resurrection of the body, and the erasure of sin, pain, and tears. This, with its crowning hope-the presence of Christ-is the great hope of the Christian. It includes the hope (expectation) of final perfection. But that is not all. Christianity is not merely pie in the sky bye and bye when you die; indeed, Christians can start slicing today! (2) There is
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