What Will Happen When Christ Returns?

Transcription

1 Lessn # 13 Christ s Return & Final Judgment What Will Happen When Christ Returns? Objectives: Christ s Return 1. BFC Article 25 - Secnd Cming f Christ 2. The Return Of Christ. 3. The Timing Of The Return. 4. The Events At The Return. 5. The Victrius King. Final Judgment & Eternal Punishment 1. The Fact f Final Judgment. 2. The Time f Final Judgment. 3. The Nature f Final Judgment. 4. The Necessity f Final Judgment. 5. The Justice f Gd in Final Judgment. 6. Mral Applicatin f the Final Judgment. 7. The Reality f Hell. Intrductin The study f future events is ften called eschatlgy, frm the Greek wrd ἔσχατος which means last. The study f eschatlgy, then, is the study f the last things. The Bible als talks abut certain majr events that will affect the entire universe. Specifically, it tells us abut the secnd cming f Christ, the millennium, the final judgment, eternal punishment fr unbelievers and eternal reward fr believers, and life with Gd in the new heaven and new earth. The study f these events is smetimes called general eschatlgy. BFC Article 25 - The Secnd Cming f Christ 25-1 The Secnd Cming f Jesus Christ is the persnal visible, bdily return f ur Lrd t this earth t cnfrm believers t His image and t establish the millennial kingdm. In cnnectin with Christ's return there will be the resurrectin f the righteus dead, the rapture f the saints, the salvatin f Israel, the great tribulatin, and the inauguratin f the millennial reign. Fllwing the millennium will be the resurrectin and judgment f the unrighteus. The righteus will be eternally glrified with Him; the unrighteus will be eternally punished The Secnd Cming is the believer's surce f encuragement and cmfrt inspiring him t active service fr Christ, and is a mtive fr purificatin and hly living. The Return f Christ There Will Be a Sudden, Persnal, Visible, Bdily Return f Christ. Acts 1: And when he had said these things, as they were lking n, he was lifted up, and a clud tk him ut f their sight. And while they were gazing int heaven as he went, behld, tw men std by them in white rbes, and said, Men f Galilee, why d yu stand lking int heaven? This Jesus, wh was taken up frm yu int heaven, will cme in the same way as yu saw him g int heaven. Other Passages: Mt 24:44, Jn 14:3, 1 Thess 4:16, Heb 9:28, Jms 5:8, 2 Pet 3:10, 1 Jn 3:2, Rev 22:20.

2 Lessn # 13 Christ s Return & Final Judgment We Shuld Eagerly Lng fr Christ s Return. Rev 22:20 - He wh testifies t these things says, Surely I am cming sn. Amen. Cme, Lrd Jesus! Titus 2: Fr the grace f Gd has appeared, bringing salvatin fr all peple, training us t renunce ungdliness and wrldly passins, and t live self-cntrlled, upright, and gdly lives in the present age, waiting fr ur blessed hpe, the appearing f the glry f ur great Gd and Savir Jesus Christ, (See als: 1 Cr 16:22, Phil 3:20) We D Nt Knw When Christ Will Return. Matt 24:44 - Therefre yu als must be ready, fr the Sn f Man is cming at an hur yu d nt expect. Matt 25:13 - Watch therefre, fr yu knw neither the day nr the hur. Mark 13: But cncerning that day r that hur, n ne knws, nt even the angels in heaven, nr the Sn, but nly the Father. Be n guard, keep awake. Fr yu d nt knw when the time will cme. (See als: Lk 12:40) All Evangelicals Agree n the Final Results f Christ s Return. The judgment f unbelievers. The final reward f believers. Believers will live with Christ in a new heaven and a new earth fr all eternity. There Is Disagreement Over the Details f Future Events. The nature f the millennium. The relatinship f Christ s return t the millennium. The sequence f Christ s return and the great tribulatin perid that will cme t the earth. The questin f the salvatin f the Jewish peple (and the relatinship between Jews wh are saved and the church). Nte: Their differences cncern the interpretatin f varius passages relating t these events, but their differences n these matters shuld be seen as matters f secndary imprtance, nt as differences ver primary dctrinal matters. The Timing f the Return.

3 Lessn # 13 Christ s Return & Final Judgment Verses Predicting a Sudden and Unexpected Cming f Christ. Lk 12:40 - Yu als must be ready, fr the Sn f Man is cming at an hur yu d nt expect. Phil 3:20 - But ur citizenship is in heaven, and frm it we await a Savir, the Lrd Jesus Christ, 1 Thess 5:2 - Fr yu yurselves are fully aware that the day f the Lrd will cme like a thief in the night. 1 Peter 4:7 - The end f all things is at hand; therefre be self-cntrlled and sber-minded fr the sake f yur prayers. Other Passages: Matt 24:42, 24:50, 25:13, Mark 13:32-37, 1 Cr 16:22, Tit 2:12-13, Heb 10:25, James 5:7-9, 2 Pet 3:10, Rev 1:3, 22:7, 12, 20) Signs That Precede Christ s Return The Preaching f the Gspel t All Natins: And the gspel must first be prclaimed t all natins. (Mark 13:10) The Great Tribulatin: Fr in thse days there will be such tribulatin as has nt been frm the beginning f the creatin that Gd created until nw, and never will be. And if the Lrd had nt cut shrt the days, n human being wuld be saved. But fr the sake f the elect, whm he chse, he shrtened the days. (Mark 13:19 20, See als Mark 13:7-8) The Cming f the Man f Sin and the Rebellin: Fr false christs and false prphets will arise and perfrm signs and wnders, t lead astray, if pssible, the elect. (Mark 13:22, See als 1 Jhn 2:18) Fr that day will nt cme, unless the rebellin cmes first, and the man f lawlessness is revealed, the sn f destructin, wh ppses and exalts himself against every s-called gd r bject f wrship, s that he takes his seat in the temple f Gd, prclaiming himself t be Gd... The cming f the lawless ne is by the activity f Satan with all pwer and false signs and wnders, and with all wicked deceptin fr thse wh are perishing, because they refused t lve the truth and s be saved. (2 Thess 2:1 10 ESV) Signs in the Heavens: But in thse days, after that tribulatin, the sun will be darkened, and the mn will nt give its light, and the stars will be falling frm heaven, and the pwers in the heavens will be shaken. (Mark 13:24 25, Mt 24:29-30, Lk 21:25-27) False Prphets Wrking Signs and Wnders: False Christs and false prphets will arise and shw signs and wnders, t lead astray, if pssible,

4 Lessn # 13 Christ s Return & Final Judgment the elect. (Mark 13:22) The Salvatin f Israel & Gentiles: Lest yu be wise in yur wn sight, I want yu t understand this mystery, brthers: a partial hardening has cme upn Israel, until the fullness f the Gentiles has cme in; and thus all Israel will be saved. (Rm 11:25) Cnclusins frm These Signs That Precede Christ s Return: The impact f these passages seems s clear that, many Christians have felt that Christ simply cannt return at any mment. Pssible Slutins: Christ culd nt cme at any time Seems t nullify the frce f the warnings f Jesus that we shuld watch, be ready, and that he is returning at an hur we d nt expect. The signs are given s that, when we see them, they will intensify ur expectatin f Christ s return. Christ indeed culd cme at any time One way t recncile them is t say that the New Testament talks abut tw distinct returns f Christ. This is the pre-tribulatin rapture view whereby Christ desn t cme t earth physically but secretly raptures away the Christians ut f the wrld. In this view Christ wuld nt physically cme t earth until after the seven year tribulatin is ver thus fulfilling all f the prphecies befre His return. Anther slutin is t say that all the signs have been fulfilled, and therefre Christ in fact culd return at any mment. Anther is t say that it is unlikely but pssible that the signs have already been fulfilled and therefre we simply cannt knw with certainty at any pint in histry whether all the signs have been fulfilled r nt. (Mst likely) The Events at the Return Much f the disagreement regarding Christ return is centered n the interpretatin f Revelatin 20:1-6 Then I saw an angel cming dwn frm heaven, hlding in his hand the key t the bttmless pit and a great chain. And he seized the dragn, that ancient serpent, wh is the devil and Satan, and bund him fr a thusand years, and threw him int the pit, and shut it and sealed it ver him, s that he might nt deceive the natins any lnger, until the thusand years were ended. After that he must be released fr a little while. Then I saw thrnes, and seated n them were thse t whm the authrity t judge was cmmitted. Als I saw the suls f thse wh had been beheaded fr the testimny f Jesus and fr the wrd f Gd, and thse wh had nt wrshiped the beast r its image and had nt received its mark n their freheads r their hands. They came t life and reigned with Christ fr a thusand years. The rest f the dead did nt cme t life until the thusand years were ended. This is the first resurrectin. Blessed and hly is the ne wh shares in the first

5 Lessn # 13 Christ s Return & Final Judgment resurrectin! Over such the secnd death has n pwer, but they will be priests f Gd and f Christ, and they will reign with him fr a thusand years. (Rev 20:1 6 ESV) Three views n the time and nature f this thusand year perid knwn as the millennium. Amillennial: The millennium is nw and when it ends, Jesus will return. The present Church Age, n future millennium t cme. The signs f Christ cming ccurred early n in Church histry. Thse wh reign with Christ (Rev. 20:4) are thse wh died and are in heaven with Him. The 1000 years are symblic fr a lng perid f time. It is the simplest f the views. Pstmillennial: The millennium will cme gradually, and Jesus will return after the millennium. The influence f the church will gradually cause sciety t becme mre and mre in line with Gd s standards. Gradually a millennial age (nt necessary literal) f great peace and righteusness will cme upn the earth. Christ will nt physically reign, but will d s in His peple. Prpnents say that the parables f the mustard seed and the three measures f leavened flur supprt this view (Matt. 13:31-33). Premillennial: The millennium will cme suddenly, and Jesus will return befre the millennium. Jesus will return and physically reign after the tribulatin and set up His kingdm. Believers will be raised t reign with Him. Satan and demns will be cmpletely remved. There still will be thse wh d nt believe, even withut Satan. Satan will again deceive after the millennium. NOTE: Premillennialism seems t be the mst biblically supprted! (Is 11,:6-11, 65:20, Ps 72:8-14, Zech 14:5-17)

6 Lessn # 13 Christ s Return & Final Judgment BFC Article 27 - The Millennium 27-1 The Millennium is that aspect f the Kingdm f Gd that will be ushered in when the Lrd Jesus Christ returns t the Earth t rule in righteusness. The unfulfilled Messianic prphecies will then be cmpleted. During this perid, Satan will be bund and his deceitful activities thus restricted. The created universe will underg a transfrmatin, with universal prsperity and peace prevailing n earth. The saints will reign with Christ, and the earth will be full f the knwledge and glry f the Lrd. The Victrius King And when the thusand years are ended, Satan will be released frm his prisn and will cme ut t deceive the natins that are at the fur crners f the earth, Gg and Magg, t gather them fr battle; their number is like the sand f the sea. And they marched up ver the brad plain f the earth and surrunded the camp f the saints and the belved city, but fire came dwn frm heaven and cnsumed them, and the devil wh had deceived them was thrwn int the lake f fire and

7 Lessn # 13 Christ s Return & Final Judgment sulfur where the beast and the false prphet were, and they will be trmented day and night frever and ever. (Rev 20:7 10 ESV) The Final Judgment & Eternal Punishment BFC Article 26 - The Judgments 26-1 The Scriptures enumerate several judgments that differ in time, place, subjects, and results. All judgment has been entrusted t the Sn by the Father Thrugh the death f Christ n the crss, the believer's sins have been judged, and he has passed frm death unt life. In n case d the redeemed cme again int judgment cncerning their eternal destiny. Each saint, hwever, will be required t give an accunt befre the judgment seat f Christ regarding his wrks and cnduct The unregenerate will be judged, cndemned & banished t eternal damnatin in the lake f fire. The Fact f Final Judgment Scriptural Evidence fr a Final Judgment. Scripture frequently affirms the fact that there will be a great and final judgment f bth believers and unbelievers whereby they will stand befre the judgment seat f Christ in resurrected bdies and hear his prclamatin f their eternal destiny. Rev 20:11-15 Then I saw a great white thrne and him wh sat upn it; frm his presence earth and sky fled away, and n place was fund fr them. And I saw the dead, great and small standing befre the thrne, and bks were pened. Als anther bk was pened which is the bk f life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the bks, by what they had dne. And the sea gave up the dead in it, death and hades gave up the dead in them, and all were judged by what they had dne. Then death and hades were thrwn int the lake f fire. This is the secnd death, the lake f fire; and if anyne s name was nt fund written in the bk f life, he was thrwn int the lake f fire. Acts 17:30-31 Nw.cmmands all men everywhere t repent, because he has fixed a day n which he will judge the wrld in righteusness by a man whm he has appinted, and f this he has given assurance t all men by raising him frm the dead. Other imprtant passages: Rm 2:5, Matt 10:15, 11:22, 24, 12:36, 25:31-46, 1 Cr 4:5, Heb 6:2, 2 Pet 2:4, Jude 6, 2 Pet 2:9-10. Will There be Mre than One Judgment? Schlars debate this tpic. Cvenant thelgians believe there is simply ne judgment, which includes all judgments. Dispensatinalists believe that there will be at least tw judgments and pssibly three depending n interpretatin.

8 Lessn # 13 Christ s Return & Final Judgment Judgment f Believers at the Bema seat whereby rewards will be dispensed. (2 Cr 5:10) Judgment f all unbelievers at the great white thrne judgment at the end f the millennium, whereby all unbelievers will be prnunced guilty and eternal punishment will be declared. (Rev 20:11-15) Judgment f the natins. (Matt 25:31-46) Dispensatinalists view this judgment f the natins as a separate judgment based upn hw they have treated the Jewish peple during the tribulatin. Thse wh will treated Israel well will be allwed int the millennium, and thse wh did nt will be refused. The argument against the judgment f the natins is that the passage seems t prmte the judgment f individuals (gats & sheep). Furthermre, entrance int the millennium is nt mentined, but eternal destinies and eternal punishment is mentined. S sme wuld simply understand this as a part f the final judgment between true believers and unbelievers. The Time f the Final Judgment The final judgment will ccur after the millennium and the rebellin that ccurs at the end f it. Jhn tells us that the judgment will fllw the great battle whereby Gd defeats His enemies. (Rev 20:1-11) Dispensatinalists wuld place the judgment f believers at the Bema seat befre the millennium. The timing f that judgment wuld depend upn whether r nt the rapture is believed t be pretribulatin, mid-tribulatin r pst-tribulatin. The Nature f the Final Judgment Jesus Christ will be the Judge. (2 Tim 4:1, Acts 10:42, 17:31, Mt 25:31-33) Jhn 5:26-27 The Father.has given him authrity t execute judgment, because he is the Sn f Man. Unbelievers will be judged. All unbelievers will stand befre Christ fr judgment including the dead, great and small (Rev 20:12), n the day f wrath when Gd s righteus judgment will be revealed. He will render t every man accrding t his wrks.fr thse wh are factius and d nt bey the truth, but bey wickedness, there will be wrath and fury. (Rm 2:5-7) - Judgment will include degrees f punishment. (Rev 20:12-13, Lk 12:47-48, 20:47, Mt 11:22) - Every wrd & wrng deed will be remembered and taken int accunt. (Mt 12:36, Eccl 12:14) - The secrets f men s hearts will be revealed and made public. (Rm 2:16, Lk 12:2-3) Believers will be judged. This judgment f believers will be a judgment t evaluate and bestw varius degrees f reward. Believers shuld nt fear eternal judgment r cndemnatin. 2 Cr 5:10 Fr we must all appear befre the judgment seat f Christ, that each ne may

9 Lessn # 13 Christ s Return & Final Judgment receive what is due him fr the things dne while in the bdy, whether gd r bad. Jhn 5:24 He wh hears my wrd and believes him wh sent me, has eternal life, he des nt cme int judgment, but has passed frm death t life. Other passages: Rm 14:10, 12, Rm 2:6-11, Rev 20:12, 15, Mt 25:31-46, Rm 8:1. - All secret sins, wrds and actins f believers will als be revealed n that day. (1 Cr 4:5) - We shuld nt live in terrr, but shuld be mtivated t live gdly lives. - Even thugh there will be degrees f rewards fr believers, (1Cr 3:12-15, 2 Cr 5:10, Lk 19:17-19) every believer will have a full and cmplete jy in heaven and will in hnr fall befre Gd s thrne t wrship Him (Rev 4:10-11). Angels will be judged. Rebellius angels are being held in the pits until the day f judgment. (2 Pet 2:4, Jude 6, 1 Cr 6:3) We will help in the wrk f judgment. (1 Cr 6:2-6, Rev 20:4) The Necessity f Final Judgment Since bth believers and unbelievers enter int eternity at the pint f death (believers t glry & unbelievers t separatin & punishment), why is there a final judgment established at all? It will serve the purpse rather f displaying befre all ratinal creatures the declarative glry f Gd in a frmal, frensic act, which magnifies n the ne hand His hliness and righteusness, and n the ther hand, His grace and mercy. Mrever, it shuld be brne in mind that the judgment at the last day will differ frm that f the death f each individual in mre than ne respect. It will nt be secret, but public; it will nt pertain t the sul nly, but als the bdy; it will nt have reference t a single individual, but t all men. (Berkf, Systematic Thelgy, p. 731) Justice f Gd in the Final Judgment All f Gd s judgments are true. On that day f final judgment n ne will be able t cmplain again Gd. He will judge every man impartially accrding t every man s deeds (1 Pet 1:17, Rm 2:11). One f the great blessing f the final judgment will be that saints and angels will see demnstrated in millins f lives the abslutely pure justice f Gd and this will be a surce f praise t him fr all eternity. (Rev 19:1-2) Mral Applicatin f the Final Judgment The dctrine f final judgment satisfies ur inward sense f a need fr justice in the wrld. (Cl 3:25) The dctrine f final judgment enables us t frgive thers freely. (Rm 12:19 Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lrd. (1 Pet 2:22-23, Lk 23:34, Acts 7:60)

10 Lessn # 13 Christ s Return & Final Judgment The dctrine f the final judgment prvides a mtive fr righteus living. (Mt 6:20, 2 Pet 3:3-4, 1 Pet 4:4-5) The dctrine f the final judgment prvides a great mtive fr evangelism. (Ez 33:11, 2 Pet 3:9) The Reality f Hell Hell is a real place f eternal cnscius punishment fr the wicked. Place f eternal fire & yet darkness. (Matt. 25:41) Place f eternal pain, suffering, & sadness. (Mt 25:30) Place where the wrm des nt die and fire is nt quenched (Mark 9:48) Place f eternal trment and punishment. (Luke 16:28, Rev 14:9-11) Place prepared fr the Devil and Demns (Matt. 25:41)