Simeon’s Long-Awaited Moment
In Luke chapter two, we meet Simeon—a devout, God-loving man who’d been waiting his whole life for the Messiah. Simeon knew the prophecies, trusted the Scriptures, and believed that one day he’d witness God’s salvation with his own eyes. Finally, when Mary and Joseph brought the infant Jesus to the temple, Simeon recognized Him instantly. He takes Jesus in his arms and says, “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you may now dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation” (Luke 2:29-30).
Simeon’s reaction is profound. He was thrilled, even ready to die, because he believed he was seeing the start of God’s kingdom on earth. This wasn’t just about personal salvation or going to heaven—it was about seeing God’s promises becoming real in this world. For Simeon, seeing the Messiah meant God’s kingdom was coming to transform the earth. His hope wasn’t to escape to some other realm; it was to see God’s rule on earth, in the flesh.
The “End Around” Nobody Expected
But here’s where the story takes a twist. God pulls an unexpected end around. Simeon, like many Jews at the time, likely expected Jesus to grow up, overthrow the oppressors, and reign as a visible king. But instead, Jesus went to the cross. Rather than setting up an earthly kingdom right then and there, He died, rose again, and ascended. This was something no one saw coming—not Simeon, not the disciples, and definitely not the religious leaders.
This wasn’t the kind of kingdom they expected, but it was the beginning of something even greater. Christ’s kingdom was now, yes, but not yet fully realized. It would be seen in part now, through His Spirit, and would be fully visible when He returns. And that’s where our real hope kicks in—the hope that we, just like Simeon, long to see fully fulfilled: the resurrection, not just of souls but of bodies, and not just in heaven but right here on a renewed earth.
Paul’s Longing for a Permanent “Tent”
Paul captures this longing perfectly in 2 Corinthians 5:1-4. He says, “For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands… because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling.” Paul’s imagery here is powerful. He’s saying that even in heaven, we’re not fully “clothed” until Christ returns and sets up His kingdom on earth. Even in the afterlife, we’re longing for something more—for the day when God’s kingdom will come fully, when we’ll receive our resurrected bodies in a renewed world under Christ’s reign.
This longing isn’t about escaping from the physical; it’s about stepping into something even more real. Our ultimate hope isn’t to just live in heaven—it’s to see the fulfillment of God’s kingdom here on earth, the way He originally intended. Like Paul, we’re not hoping to be without a body but to be given new, eternal bodies that can fully experience a new, physical world.
Rediscovering Our Hope: Resurrection and Renewal
So here’s the thing: somewhere along the way, many Christians have lost sight of this hope. We’ve drifted toward the idea that our end goal is to escape to heaven, to be with God in a disembodied state. But that’s not the story God gives us in Scripture. Simeon, Paul, and the early believers held onto a hope rooted in resurrection—a time when the Messiah would reign over a real, renewed earth. Our hope isn’t to leave behind the world God made but to be resurrected into new, glorified bodies in His perfected creation.
Keeping Our Eyes on What’s to Come
Simeon’s story is a reminder: our ultimate hope isn’t just heaven. It’s the day when Christ returns, raises the dead, and establishes His kingdom in a world made new. It’s the resurrection—always has been, always will be. God’s plan is for us to live in a world renewed under Christ’s perfect leadership, in bodies that are made to last.
So, if Simeon were here today, I think he’d tell us to keep our eyes on that hope, just like he did. The same hope that filled him with joy is the one we’re called to look forward to—a hope of resurrection, a real, physical world restored under the reign of Christ. That’s where everything is leading. And that’s the hope we’re meant to hold on to.
