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Sept.29.04: Light for the Day - "THE SECOND
COMING"
-- Mark 13:31-33 (Matthew 24-25)
(Luke 21)
31 Heaven and earth will pass
away,
but My words will never pass away.
32 "No one knows
about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but
only the Father.
33 Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that
time will come.
-- 2 Peter
3:8-10
8 But do not forget this one thing,
dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand
years are like a day.
9 The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as
some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to
perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
10 But the day of the Lord
will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the
elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it
will be laid bare.
INDEX:
1- THE SECOND COMING
- 2
2-
APOCALYPTICISM
3- THE ANTICHRIST
- 2
4- FALSE PROPHETS -
FALSE CHRISTS
5-
THE DAY OF THE LORD
6- "A THIEF IN THE NIGHT"
7- THE JUDGMENT
SEAT OF CHRIST
8- THE TRIBULATION
- 2
9- THE GREAT TRIBULATION
- 2
10-
THE RAPTURE - 2
11- THE MILLENNIUM
- 2
12- THE FIRST MILLENNIUM
13-
“THOSE WHO HAVE FALLEN ASLEEP"
14- PICTURING THE LAST
JUDGMENT
15- THE SECOND DEATH
16- ARMAGEDDON
17- HELL:
(2), Hades, Sheol,
Gehenna, Hinnom
18- Bible Ref:
Mat. 24, Luke 21, 2
Thess., 2 Peter 3
19- DEATH
20-
JUDGMENT DAY
20- JUDGMENTS
OF GOD
21- HEAVEN
The Time of His Return
One of the most difficult aspects of the second coming is the time
when Jesus will come.
There has been much speculation across
the years. One sect even claims that Jesus returned in 1914. The emphasis
on the exact time and date is mistaken. As one man says it, "I am not on the time and place, but on the welcoming
committee."
Jesus Himself said, "But of that day
and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father
only." (Matthew 24:36; compare 2 Thes. 2; 2 Peter 3:4-11). This blessed hope is to
mark the climax of experience for believers when they shall see Christ
(1 John 3:2-3), shall be transformed (Phil. 3:20-21), receive the crown of righteousness
(2 Tim. 4:8; 1 Peter 5:4), and be made like Him
(1 John 3:3).
The Meaning of the Second Coming
The coming brings believers joy in Christ’s presence, particularly
as they see people to whom they have ministered (1
Thes. 2:19). The coming is for both those already dead in Christ
and for those still alive (1 Thes. 4:15-17;
compare 1 Cor. 15:23; Col. 3:4).
"Even so, come Lord Jesus" (Rev.
22:20).
1- SECOND COMING
The early
Christians knew Jesus had ascended to heaven, and they expected that He
would return from heaven for His people, as angels told the disciples
(Acts 1:11). We refer to this expected event as
the second coming of Christ, although the term is never used in the Bible.
Jesus foretold His return but made it clear that no one could predict the
time (Matt. 24–25; John 14:3). Paul referred to
the great hope many times: 1 Corinthians 15:23;
Philippians 3:20; Colossians 3:4; 1 Thessalonians :15–17; and other
passages.
The New Testament authors clearly expected
the event to occur in their lifetimes. Just as clearly, the event has not
yet occurred. No doubt the New Testament authors would repeat their
message: Stay alert.
While many people in our day are skeptical
about the Second Coming, the early Christians believed in it so strongly
that they made it a part of all the major creeds (the Apostles’ and Nicene
Creeds, for
example).
--------------------------------------
1- THE SECOND COMING
Christ’s future
return to the earth at the end of the present age. Although the Bible
explicitly speaks of Christ’s appearance as a “second time,” the phrase
“second coming” occurs nowhere in the New Testament. Many passages,
however, speak of His return. In fact, in the New Testament alone it is
referred to over 300 times.
The night before His crucifixion, Jesus
told His apostles that He would return (John
14:3). When Jesus ascended into heaven, two angels appeared to His
followers, saying that He would return in the same manner as they had seen
Him go (Acts 1:11). The New Testament is filled
with expectancy of His coming, even as Christians should be
today.
Various opinions exist about what is meant by the Second
Coming. Some regard it as the coming of the Holy Spirit on the day of
Pentecost. Others regard it as the coming of Christ into the heart at
conversion. Christ’s coming for the believer at the time of death is still
another view. Careful examination of the New Testament, however, makes it
clear that the Second Coming will be a climactic historical event. The
Lord will return in the same manner in which He left. His coming will be
personal, bodily, and visible.
The time of the Second Coming is
unknown. In fact, Jesus stated that only the Father knew the time.
Therefore, the return of the Lord should be a matter of constant
expectancy. As He came the first time, in the “fullness of time” (Gal. 4:4), so will the Second Coming be. The
believer’s task is not to try to determine the time of the Second Coming.
We should share the gospel message diligently until He returns (Acts 1:8–11).
2-
APOCALYPTICISM
Preoccupation with end times, the
Antichrist, and with the interpretation of the Book of Revelation. It
includes the identification of the Antichrist with an evil ruler and the
relation of contemporary events to biblical prophecy. In recent years,
popular writers such as H. Lindsey, M. S. Rolfe, and C.
Cumbley have made apocalypticism a subject of intense interest in some
Christian circles, especially in America.
3- ANTICHRIST
Against
Christ, or an opposition Christ, a rival Christ. The word is used only by
the apostle John. Referring to false teachers, he says #1Jo 2:18,22 4:3 2Jo 1:7 "Even now are there many
antichrists."
1. This name has been applied to the "little
horn" of the "king of fierce countenance" #Da 7:24,25
8:23-25
2. It has been applied also to the "false Christs"
spoken of by our Lord #Mt
24:5,23,24
3. To the "man of sin" described by Paul #2Th 2:3,4,8-10
4. And to the "beast from the
sea" #Re 13:1 17:1-18
3- ANTICHRIST
In the
New Testament, the only use of the term "antichrist," is in the Johannine
epistles. 1 John 2:18 speaks of the antichrist
who is the great enemy of God and, in particular, antichrists who precede
that great enemy. These antichrists were human teachers who had left the
church. Such antichrists deny the incarnation (1 John
4:3) and Christ’s deity (1 John
2:2). In
2 John 1:7, the antichrists are identified as
deceivers who teach that Jesus Christ did not come in the flesh. The
concept of the antichrist appears in the term "false Christ" (pseudo
christos) (Matthew 24:24; Mark
13:22). Mark and Matthew apparently expected a Roman ruler to once
again enter the Temple as did Antiochus and
Pompey. In Rev.
13:3, the beast from the sea is often
viewed as an antichrist figure. There John may have looked for a return of
the emperor Nero.
In 2 Thes. 2:1-12, the antichrist figure
is armed with satanic power and is fused with Beliar, a satanic being. In
this passage the Roman government is viewed as restraining its power. In
Revelation, the Roman caesar is the evil force.
Contemporary Concerns
Christians today have differing
views of the antichrist figure. Dispensationalists look for a future Roman
ruler who will appear during the tribulation and will rule over the earth.
Those in the amillennialist school interpret the term
symbolically.
In every age there will be individuals and groups who will oppose
Christ. -- JLB
3- THE ANTICHRIST
A false prophet
and evil being who will set himself up against Christ and the people of
God in the last days before the SECOND COMING.
The term is used only in the writings of John in the New Testament. It
refers to one who stands in opposition to all that Jesus Christ represents
(1 John 2:18, 22; 4:3; 2 John 7). John wrote
that several antichrists existed already in his day—false teachers who
denied the deity and the incarnation of Christ—but that the supreme
Antichrist of history would appear at some future time.
The
Antichrist’s primary work is deception, which also characterizes SATAN in his attempts to undermine the work of God in
the world. Satan’s deception began in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3) and will continue until the end of time.
The DRAGON (or serpent) of Revelation 12 is Satan, the Serpent mentioned in
Genesis 3. Thus the thread of Satan’s deceptive
work may be traced from Genesis through Revelation. That work reaches its
climax in the Antichrist, who receives his authority and power from the
dragon, Satan (Rev. 13:4).
The work of
Satan through the Antichrist is clearly rooted in the prophecies of
Daniel. Daniel spoke of a dreadful beast with ten horns and one little
horn (Dan. 7:7–8). The Ancient of Days will
kill the beast and throw it in the fire (Dan.
7:11). Then, according to Daniel, one like the Son of Man will receive the everlasting kingdom (Dan. 7:13–14).
The Antichrist will be the sum
total of the beasts referred to in Daniel 7 (Rev.
13:1–4). He will speak arrogant, boastful words; and he will be
aided by a FALSE PROPHET, who will make the
entire earth worship him (Rev. 13:11–12) and
receive his mark (Rev. 13:16–17). The number of
the beast, says John, is 666—a mysterious code
name.
Those who worship the Antichrist will experience certain doom
through the wrath of God (Rev. 14:9–11). The
Antichrist makes war against Christ and His army, but he is captured and
is “cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone” (Rev. 19:20). He
is later joined by the DEVIL; together they
“will be tormented day and night forever and ever” (Rev. 20:10).
The devil, the BEAST (or
Antichrist), and the false prophet form a kind
of unholy trinity, counterfeiting Father, Son, and Holy
Spirit.
After
much wickedness and suffering has been loosed against Christ and His
people, the satanic rebellion will be crushed by the power of
God.
Although the apostle Paul does not use the term Antichrist, he
surely had the Antichrist in mind when he wrote of the great apostasy, or
falling away, that would occur before the return of Christ (2 Thess. 2:1–12). The Antichrist is also called the
lawless one (2Thes
2:9) who, empowered and inspired by Satan, will lead the final
rebellion against God (2Thes 2:3), but will be
destroyed at the coming of the Lord. Paul urges believers to stand firm in
the faith and not be deceived by the Antichrist who will display “all
kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders” (2
Thess. 2:9).
The main reason the Bible discusses the
Antichrist is not to encourage idle speculation, but to warn believers not
to be misled by his deceit (Matt. 24:4–5,
23–24). The times when the Antichrist will appear will be very hard
for the faithful. They need to be prepared with special instructions on
how to deal with this unsettling event.
4- FALSE PROPHETS
Those who
falsely claim to utter revelations that come from God, to foretell future
events, or to have God’s power to produce miracles, signs, and
wonders.
In the Bible, false prophets fell into three general
categories:
(1) those who worshiped false gods and served
idols;
(2) those who falsely claimed to receive messages from the
Lord; and
(3) those who wandered from the truth and ceased to be
true prophets.
In the Old Testament, Moses spoke of the
punishment of those who betrayed the faith. He ordered that any prophet
who advocated the worship of other gods be stoned to death (Deut. 13:1-18). During the reign of King Ahab of
Israel, false prophets were officially approved by Ahab and his queen,
Jezebel. The writer of 1 Kings speaks of "the four hundred and fifty
prophets of Baal, and the four hundred prophets of Asherah, who eat at
Jezebel’s table" (1 Kin. 18:19). Later, 400
false prophets spoke words they knew Ahab the king wanted to hear and
assured him of victory at Ramoth Gilead. Micaiah, the true prophet, who
warned Ahab of defeat and disaster, was put in prison on a diet of bread
and water (1 Kin. 22:1-28).
A recurring
characteristic of the false prophets is that they often are found in the
employment of the powerful and that they are careful to speak pleasing,
positive, and flattering words to their employers. Jeremiah condemned the
false prophets who were always saying, "Peace, peace!" when there was no
peace (Jer. 6:14; 8:11).
The false
prophets preached a popular but false message: there would be victory
against Babylon (Jer. 28:1-17). Jeremiah said,
"The prophets prophesy falsely . . . and My people love to have it so"
(Jer. 5:31). Even though Jeremiah was a true
prophet of the Lord, the false prophets were rewarded by the king and
Jeremiah was cast into a dungeon (Jer.
38:6).
In the New Testament, Jesus said, "Woe to you when
all men speak well of you, for so did their fathers to the false prophets"
(Luke 6:26). He warned his disciples to beware
of false prophets "who come . . . in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they
are ravenous wolves" (Matt. 7:15). When
speaking of the signs of the times and the end of the age, He also said,
"Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. For false christs
and false prophets will arise and show great signs and wonders, so as to
deceive, if possible, even the elect" (Matt. 24:11,
24).
Later, the false prophet Bar-Jesus, also called Elymas
the sorcerer, was smitten with blindness by the apostle Paul because he
tried to turn the proconsul Sergius Paulus away from the Christian faith
(Acts 13:6-12).
4- FALSE
CHRISTS
Imposters claiming to be the Messiah
(Christ in Greek). Jesus associated the appearance of messianic pretenders
with the fall of Jerusalem (Matthew 24:23-26; Mark
13:21-22). Jesus warned His followers to be skeptical of those who
point to signs and omens to authenticate their false messianic claims.
Jesus also urged disbelief of those claiming the Messiah was waiting in
the wilderness or was in "the inner rooms" (perhaps a reference to the
inner chambers of the Temple complex).
Josephus mentioned several
historical figures who might be regarded as false
christs:
(1) Theudas, who appeared when Fadus was
procurator (A.D. 44-46) and summoned the people to the Jordan River
wilderness with the promise that he would divide the Jordan like Joshua
and begin a new conquest of the land;
(2) various "imposters"
during the term of Felix (A.D. 52-59) who led crowds into the wilderness
with promises of signs and wonders;
(3) an "imposter" during the
term of Festus (A.D. 60-62) who promised deliverance and freedom from the
miseries of Roman rule for those who would follow him into the
wilderness;
(4) Manahem ben Judah (alias "the Galilean") during
the term of Florus (A.D. 64-66) who came to Jerusalem "like a king" and
laid seige to the city. These messianic imposters and the barely
distinguishable false prophets repeatedly urged the Jewish people to take
up armed resistance to Rome or to stay in Jerusalem to
fight.
In contrast, Jesus urged His disciples to attempt to
save themselves by fleeing the city. The Christian inhabitants of
Jerusalem remembered this advice when the war with Rome broke out (A.D.
66) and fled to safety in Pella in Transjordan. Some interpreters expect
false christs to arise before the future coming of Christ.
5- THE DAY OF THE LORD
The
prophets used this phrase to refer to a future time when God would
intervene to punish sin and deliver His righteous ones. “The day of the
Lord is great and very terrible; who can endure it?” (Joel 2:11). (Some other examples from
the prophets include: Isa. 2:12; 13:9; Jer. 46:10;
Ezek. 13:5; Joel 3:14; Amos 5:18; Zeph. 1:7; Zech. 14:1; Mal.
4:5.)
The New Testament adds a new element: the return of
Christ, who will judge all men. Paul referred to the “day of the Lord
Jesus” (2 Cor. 1:14). According to 2 Peter 3:10, the day will catch people by surprise
and will be dramatic: “The day of the Lord will come as a thief in the
night”
6- "A THIEF IN THE
NIGHT"
More than once the New Testament uses this
expression to refer to the return of Jesus to earth. The idea is that it
will catch people unaware, thus the faithful must be alert at all times.
According to Paul, “The day of the Lord will come like a thief in the
night” (1 Thess. 5:2 ).
Peter elaborated on this return: “The day of the Lord will come as a thief
in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and
the elements will melt with fervent heat” (2 Peter
3:10). A widely used evangelistic film of the 1970s was titled A
Thief in the Night.
7- THE JUDGMENT SEAT OF
CHRIST
Christ as Judge of all men is a key theme of the New
Testament. When He appears gloriously at His second coming, He will judge
the living and the dead. This is stated succinctly by Paul: “We must all
appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the
things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or
bad” (2 Cor. 5:10). This raises an interesting
point: While all people have either heaven or hell as their final
destination, the Bible has no idea of “total equality,” for it is clear
that there are degrees of reward in heaven, based on what we have done or
not done in our earthly lives.
8- THE TRIBULATION
Jesus Himself
predicted that in the end times “there will be great tribulation, such as
has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor
ever shall be” (Matt. 24:21).
The
book of Revelation, the great book of the end times, addresses this issue,
depicting (in a symbolic way) the suffering of the saints under the powers
of evil. Revelation 7:14 speaks of the period
of persecution as “the great tribulation,” and so the phrase passed into
the Christian vocabulary.
While it is possible—even likely—that the
worst persecution still lies ahead, every day since the time of the
apostles Christians have been tortured and killed on some part of the
globe. It would be an injustice to say to the martyred dead that “the
Tribulation has not yet happened.”
8- TRIBULATION
Trouble or pressure of a general
sort; in some passages a particular time of suffering associated with
events of the end time. In this sense it is described as tribulation
surpassing any trouble yet experienced in human history (Matthew 24:21).
Such a reference to "the great tribulation" as Rev. 7:14 is seen by some (amillennialism) to
refer historically to persecution faced by Christians of the latter part
of the first century, but also symbolic of tribulation that occurs
periodically throughout history. Others
(premillennialism) take such a reference to the great tribulation to refer
to an end time period. Dispensational
premillennialism connects such a seven-year tribulation with the
seventieth week of a prophetic framework taken from Daniel 9:24-27. A distinction
is usually made between the two halves of the seven years. The last half,
often called the Great Tribulation, is measured variously as three and a
half years (Daniel 9:27), forty-two months
(Rev. 11:2; Rev. 13:5), 1,260 days (Rev. 11:3; Rev. 12:6), or "a time, and times, and
half a time" (Rev. 12:14).
Distinctive to this view is the teaching the church will be raptured at
the beginning of the tribulation period.
Historic premillennialism sees the period as a future time of
intense trouble on earth prior to Christ’s return, but holds the church
will go through the tribulation. The church must endure the tribulation,
but not God’s wrath.
9- THE GREAT TRIBULATION
A short
but intense period of distress and suffering at the end of time. The exact
phrase, “the great tribulation,” is found only once in the Bible (Rev. 7:14). The great tribulation is to be
distinguished from the general tribulation a believer faces in the world
(Matt. 13:21; John 16:33; Acts 14:22). It is
also to be distinguished from God’s specific wrath upon the unbelieving
world at the end of the age (Mark 13:24; Rom. 2:5–10;
2 Thess. 1:6).
The great tribulation fulfills Daniel’s
prophecies (Daniel 7–12). It will be a time of
evil from false christs and false prophets (Mark
13:22) when natural disasters will occur throughout the
world.
8-
The Tribulation
-- Matthew 24:31
"And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call,
and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the
heavens to the other."
(LAB) Upon his return to
earth, Jesus will send forth his angels to
gather together his chosen ones from the farthest ends
of the earth and heaven. This gathering of the chosen ones
signifies the triumphant enthronement of the Son of Man, who will be
revealed in all his power and glory. Jesus’ second coming marks the core
of the Christian hope. The sound of a mighty trumpet
blast will signal the gathering of God’s people. When he comes, the
whole world will know that Jesus is Lord.
As in Mt. 24:22, three main views of the
Tribulation interpret this verse in different ways:
Pretribulationists would say that this
"gathering" refers to the gathering of Jewish saints (also as in Mt. 24:22), not the church. The "rapture" (taking
believers to heaven) occurred before the Tribulation and concerned only
the church.
Midtribulationists would say that this
verse refers to the rapture and that it identifies both the church and
the Jewish saints. This event will occur in the middle of the
Tribulation, with the outpouring of God’s wrath on the world occurring
in the last half of that period.
Posttribulationists would say that the
rapture and revelation are a single event, and this pictures the only
return of Christ at the end of the Tribulation. There, as here, he will
come to gather his saints and to judge unbelievers.
9- The Great
Tribulation
-- Matthew
24:22
"If those days had
not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect
those days will be shortened."
(LAB) Many interpreters conclude
that Jesus, talking about the end times, was telescoping near-future and
far-future events, as the Old Testament prophets had done. Many of these
persecutions have already occurred; more are yet to come. While a certain
amount of persecution happened in the destruction of Jerusalem, Jesus may
also have envisioned the persecution (tribulation) of believers throughout
the subsequent years. The persecution will be so severe that those days
had to be shortened—that is, if they did not
have a specific ending time, the entire human
race would be destroyed. This refers to
physical survival (as opposed to 24:13, which
speaks of spiritual survival). The time would be cut short for the sake of God’s chosen ones so that the
destruction will not wipe out God’s people and thus their mission. God is
ultimately in charge of history and will not allow evil to exceed the
bounds he has set.
Who are the "chosen ones"? In the Old Testament, this refers to
Israel, particularly those who are faithful to God (see 1 Chronicles 16:13; Psalm 105:43; Isaiah 65:9, 15;
Daniel 12:1). In the New Testament, this refers to the church—all
believers (Romans 8:33; Colossians 3:12;
2 Timothy 2:10; 1 Peter 1:1-2). Some believe that these
verses mean that before the beginning of the world, God chose certain
people to receive his gift of salvation. Others believe that God foreknew
those who would respond to him and therefore he predestined them. What is
clear is that God’s purpose for people was not an afterthought; it was
settled before the foundation of the world.
There are three main views regarding the identity of God’s chosen
ones and the coming time of tribulation. Each view interprets this verse
differently:
Pretribulationists believe that the
chosen ones are the Jews who will have returned to the Lord and will
join the believers (taken to heaven before the Tribulation) at the end
of three and a half years.
Midtribulationists believe that the
chosen ones are the church (all true Christians, both Jews and
Gentiles). Jesus will return in the middle of the Tribulation and take
them with him.
Posttribulationists believe that the
chosen ones are the church (all true Christians, both Jews and Gentiles)
who will persevere throughout the Tribulation period, which will be
ended by God for their sakes.
When the time of suffering comes, the important point for the
disciples and all believers to remember is that God is in control.
Persecution will occur, but God knows about it and controls how long it
will take place. The main thrust of Jesus’ teaching is to show God’s mercy
toward the faithful and to show that God is loving and sovereign. He will
not forget his people.
10- THE RAPTURE
The Rapture
refers to Christians being united with Christ at His second coming. The
idea is based on Paul’s words in 1 Thessalonians
4:16–17: “The Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a
shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And
the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall
be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the
air.”
Jesus’ classic statement on the Rapture is probably Matthew 24:39–41: “Two men will be in the field:
one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding at the
mill: one will be taken and the other left.”
The word Rapture
supposedly comes from the Latin rapio, meaning “caught up,” but obviously
the normal meaning of rapture, “a state of intense emotional excitement,”
is present also.
10- RAPTURE
The
catching up of believers by Christ at the time of His return. The word
came into use by way of the Latin rapio used to translate the Greek
term of 1 Thes. 4:17, harpageesometha.
Living believers are said to be "caught up"
to meet the Lord at His coming. Those of varying millennial
views about end time events all hold firmly to the biblical truth of such
a rapture. However, it is within the premillennial view
that the teaching of a rapture finds major emphasis.
This view sees a tribulation period immediately before the second
coming of Christ. Pre-tribulationists see the rapture
occuring prior to the tribulation. This approach places the church in
heaven during the time of tribulation on earth.
Mid-tribulationists place the
rapture at the mid-point of a seven-year tribulation period. The church
remains on earth for the first half of the tribulation, but escapes the
last half which is seen to be the time of intense or great
tribulation.
This view, along with the previous one, sees the
second coming of Christ in two phases. The first phase will be a secret
coming in clouds to rapture the church. The second will be His return with
the church to reign on earth.
Posttribulationists hold the
church will remain on earth during the tribulation period. While that time
will be one of wrath upon the world system, the church will be protected
from divine wrath although experiencing tribulation. This view avoids
dividing the return of Christ into two phases.
11- THE MILLENNIUM
It means “a thousand years,” and is
important in Christian thought because of Revelation
20, which speaks of a thousand-year reign of Christ and His saints
on the earth. During this period Satan will be “bound,” and Christ and His
saints (including those who have died) will exist in a golden age, after
which Satan will be released, but then will be defeated
forevermore.
With its visions full of symbols and hidden meanings,
Revelation has puzzled people for centuries. People who study it disagree
about the timing of the Millennium. There are “premillennialists,”
“postmillennialists,” and “amillennialists.”
The “pre” people
believe Christ will return before the Millennium, while the “posts”
believe He will return after it. Amillennialists take the “thousand years”
symbolically, referring to the period between Christ’s days on earth and
His final return. Much ink has been spilled over the matter of the
Millennium.
12- THE FIRST MILLENNIUM
As A.D.
1000 approached, many Christians believed that Christ would return to
earth for the Last Judgment and take His people home to heaven. After all,
they reasoned, there had been a thousand years of Christianity, so after
this thousand-year reign of Christ on earth (or so they imagined it), He
would return. Thousands of hymns, poems, and sermons spoke of the “Day of
the Lord,” which would inevitably come with the year 1000. At the
beginning of the 900s, a church council officially decreed that the final
century of history had begun. A Latin phrase came into wide use:
adventante mundi verspero—“since the evening of the world is near.” But it
didn’t happen. The lesson we learn: As Christ told us, no one knows the
day or the hour when He will return (Matt.
24:36).
11- MILLENNIUM
Postmillennialism
Amillennialism
Premillennialism
MILLENNIUM (Mih len’
nigh uhm)
A term not found in Scripture but taken from
Latin to express the "thousand years" mentioned six times in Rev. 20:1-7. The meaning of the thousand
years and the relation of Christ’s future coming to them have given rise
to various millennial views.
Evangelical Christians hold three main views: amillennialism,
dispensational premillennialism, and historic
premillennialism. A popular view of yesteryear was
postmillennialism, but it is no longer widely held, though a new form of
it combined with reconstructionist theology has appeared.
The use of the prefixes a-, pre-,
and post- with the term millennial could be misleading. Much more is
involved in these viewpoints than merely positioning the return of Christ
in relation to a millennium. In spite of the danger of over-simplification
these terms are so widely used that they furnish the working labels for a
study of end time prophecy. The names given the views suggest the general
drift of each one.
Postmillennialism:
The growth of the church and the power of the gospel will cause the
world to get better and better until the present order blends into the
millennium during which the righteous will be in charge on earth. Evil
will be practically nonexistent. Christ will return at the end of the
millennium at a time when Satan reasserts his power. The final victory of
Christ will occur at that time with final judgment and the eternal order
following.
Amillennialism:
The term suggests "no thousand years."
The idea is no literal thousand year period, but a symbolic expression
related to the spiritual blessedness of present Christian experience in
which Satan is a defeated enemy and believers reign in life by Christ
Jesus. Therefore, this view does not look for a literal, future thousand
year reign of Christ on the earth during which Satan is bound.
Premillennialism:
The idea is that of "before the millennium or
thousand years." Such a view positions the return of Christ prior
to a millennial period. There are two broad types of premillennialism.
(1) Dispensational
premillennialism takes the thousand years
to be literal both as to fact and number. The millennium is seen to follow
a seven-year tribulation period. At the beginning of the
tribulation, the church will be taken out of the world. This rapture of
the church is seen as the first phase of the second coming of Christ.
During the millennium, Christ will reign on the earth with His saints
while Satan is bound in the bottomless pit. The Jews as a nation are seen
to have a major place in the events of the millennial period. This view of
future events also incorporates many other aspects of biblical prophecy,
such as a second phase of Christ’s return following the
millennium.
(2) Historic
premillennialism holds to a literal, future
reign of Christ on earth, during which Satan is bound a thousand years and
the saints reign with Christ. Many who hold this view, however, allow for
symbolism in the use of the number 1,000. While the reign of Christ
will be literal, the length of the reign may or may not be exactly 1,000
years. This type of premillennialism does not divide the second coming
into two phases. There is a single return between the tribulation and
millennium.
13- “THOSE WHO HAVE FALLEN
ASLEEP"
The earliest Christians took the Second Coming
seriously, and most of them eagerly expected to be alive when Christ
returned. As years passed without Christ returning, some grew anxious,
wondering what would become of Christians who had already died. Paul
addressed this pressing question in 1 Thessalonians: “I do not want you to
be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you
sorrow as others who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and
rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus”
(4:13–14). Note his use of
“sleep”; Christians who have died are not really “dead,” for the dead do
not awaken, but those who are only “sleeping” will awaken.
14- PICTURING THE LAST
JUDGMENT
Hell has become unpopular in Christian
circles, but in ages past it was a favorite subject for Christian artists.
Scenes of the Last Judgment always showed both sides: the good entering
paradise, the bad consigned to hell. Other religions have depicted their
own versions of the Last Judgment. The ancient Egyptians, for example,
showed the god Osiris judging the dead in his Hall of Justice. Some Asian
religions show Yama, stern lord of the dead, judging their souls. And
there are many Muslim pictures of Allah separating the wicked from the
good. A logical question: With this belief in a final judgment so
widespread, isn’t it likely to be true?
15- THE SECOND DEATH
In
Revelation this phrase occurs four times (Rev. 2:11;
20:6, 14; 21:8) and refers to the “lake of fire,” which is the
final destiny of those who are not found in God’s Book of Life. God’s
faithful ones are assured that the second death has no claim on them. We
can assume that the “first death” refers to the normal physical death of a
person. Because the souls of the unrighteous would seem to be destroyed in
the lake of fire, some Christians argue that hell is not eternal, but is
the annihilation of the soul
[
ANNIHILATIONISM ]
Is hell really forever, or does God simply
snuff out the wicked? Charles F. Parham, one of the “founding fathers” of
the Pentecostal revival in the twentieth century, claimed that
annihilationism was “the most important doctrine in the world today.”
Later, Pentecostals took pains to emphasize that, yes, hell really was
permanent. Parham’s statement indicates that in the early days of
Pentecostalism, not everyone saw speaking in tongues as the key feature of
the movement. Annihilationism is also called conditional immortality.
]
16- ARMAGEDDON
Occurs only
in #Re 16:16 (R.V., "Har-Magedon"), as
symbolically designating the place where the "battle of that great day of
God Almighty" #Re 16:14 shall be fought. The
word properly means the "mount of Megiddo." It is the scene of the final
conflict between Christ and Antichrist. The idea of such a scene was
suggested by the Old Testament great battle-field, the plain of Esdraelon
(q.v.).
ARMAGEDDON [ar mah GED un]
(mountain of Megiddo)
the site of the final battle of this age in
which God intervenes to destroy the armies of Satan and to cast Satan into
the bottomless pit (Rev. 16:16). Scholars
disagree about the exact location of this place, but the most likely
possibility is the valley between Mount Carmel and the city of Jezreel.
This valley (known as the Valley of Jezreel and sometimes referred to as
the Plain of Esdraelon) was the crossroads of two ancient trade routes and
thus was a strategic military site and the scene of many ancient
battles.
Because of this history, Megiddo became a symbol of the
final conflict between God and the forces of evil. According to the Book
of Revelation, at Armageddon “the cup of the wine of the fierceness of His
[God’s] wrath” (Rev. 16:19) will be poured out,
and the forces of evil will be overthrown and destroyed.
17- HELL
The abode of the dead especially as
a place of eternal punishment for unbelievers. Hell is an Anglo-Saxon word
used to translate one Hebrew word and three Greek words in the King James
Version of the Old and New Testaments. The Hebrew word that "hell"
translated was Sheol. (Compare NAS). The
word Sheol occurs sixty-five times in
the Hebrew Bible. The King James Version translates thirty-one of the
occurrences as "hell"; another thirty-one
occurrences as "grave"; and three occurrences
as "pit" (Numbers 16:30;
Numbers 16:33; Job 17:16). The Revised Standard Version never uses
"hell" to translate Sheol. It does use "grave" one time as a translation of Sheol (Song 8:6).
Sixty-four times it simply transliterates the word as Sheol. NAS always uses Sheol, while NIV intentionally avoids Sheol, using grave.
Sheol is a Hebrew word that has
taken on the properties of a proper name. The Old Testament uses the word
to refer to a place in the depths of the earth. The expressions "go down" or "brought
down" are used twenty times in connection with Sheol. The "depths of Sheol" are mentioned six times (Deut. 32:22; Psalm 86:13; Proverbs 9:18; Proverbs 15:24;
Isaiah 7:11; Isaiah 14:15). Four times Sheol is described as the fartherest point from
heaven (Job 11:8; Psalm 139:8; Isaiah 7:11; Amos
9:2). Often Sheol is parallel with the
"pit" (Job 17:13-14; Job
33:18; Psalm 30:3; Psalm 88:3-4; Proverbs 1:12; Isaiah 14:15; Isaiah
38:18; Ezekiel 31:14-17). Nine times it is parallel with death
(2 Samuel 22:6; Psalm 18:4-5; Psalm 49:14; Psalm
89:48; Psalm 116:3; Proverbs 5:5; Isaiah 28:15; Isaiah 28:18; Hosea 13:14;
Habakkuk 2:5).
Sheol is
described in terms of overwhelming floods, water, or waves (Jonah 2:2-6). Sometimes, Sheol is pictured as a hunter setting snares for its
victim, binding them with cords, snatching them from the land of the
living (2 Samuel 22:6; Job 24:19; Psalm 116:3);
Sheol is a prison with bars, a place of no
return (Job 7:9; Job 10:21; Job 16:22; Job 21:13;
Psalm 49:14; Isaiah 38:10). People could go to Sheol alive (Numbers 16:30;
Numbers 16:33; Psalm 55:15; Proverbs 1:12). With rare exceptions,
such as Elijah (2 Kings 2:1-12), all people
were believed to go to Sheol when they die
(Job 3:11-19; Psalm 89:48).
The three Greek words often translated "hell" are hades,
gehenna, and tartaroo.
Hades was the name of the Greek god of
the underworld and the name of the underworld itself. The Septuagint—the
earliest Greek translation of the Old Testament—used hades to translate the Hebrew word Sheol. Whereas in the Old Testament, the
distinction in the fates of the righteous and the wicked was not always
clear, in the New Testament hades refers
to a place of torment opposed to heaven as the place of Abraham’s bosom
(Luke 16:23; Acts 2:27; Acts
2:31). In Matthew 16:18 hades
is not simply a place of the dead but represents the power of the
underworld. Jesus said the gates of hades would not prevail against His
church.
Gehenna is the Greek form of two
Hebrew words ge hinnom meaning "valley of Hinnom." The term originally referred to a
ravine on the south side of Jerusalem where pagan deities were worshiped
(2 Kings 23:10; Jeremiah 7:32; 2 Chron. 28:3; 2 Chron.
33:6). It became a garbage dump and a place
of abomination where fire burned continuously (2 Kings
23:10; compare Matthew 18:9; Mark 9:43; Mark 9:45; Mark 9:47; James
3:6). Gehenna
became synonymous with "a place of
burning."
One time the Greek word tartaroo "cast
into hell" appears in the New Testament (2
Peter 2:4). The word appears in classical Greek to refer to a
subterranean region, doleful and dark, regarded by the ancient Greeks as
the abode of the wicked dead. It was thought of as a place of punishment.
In the sole use of the word in the New Testament it refers to the place of
punishment for rebellious angels.
Punishment for sin is taught in the Old Testament, but it is mainly
punishment in this life. The New Testament teaches the idea of punishment
for sin before and after death. The expressions "the lake of fire" and
"second death" indicate the awfulness of the fate of the impenitent. Some
insist that the fire spoken of must be literal fire, so to interpret the
language as figurative means to do away with the reality of future
punishment. One can, however, maintain this position only if they see no
reality expressed by a figure of speech. Jesus spoke of a place of
punishment as "outer darkness" (Matthew 8:12; Matthew 22:13; Matthew 25:30). Can a
place have both literal fire and literal darkness? What reason does one
have for taking one expression as literal and not taking taking the other
as literal? Literal fire would destroy a body cast into it.
Language about hell seeks to describe for humans the most awful
punishment human language can describe to warn unbelievers before it is
too late. Earthly experience would lead us to believe that the nature of
punishment will fit the nature of the sin. Certainly, no one wants to
suffer the punishment of hell, and through God’s grace the way for all is
open to avoid hell and know the blessings of eternal life through
Christ.
17- HELL
Derived from the
Saxon helan, to cover; hence the covered or the invisible place. In
Scripture there are three words so rendered:
1. Sheol, occurring in the Old Testament sixty-five
times. This word sheol is derived from a root-word meaning "to
ask," "demand;" hence insatiableness #Pr
30:15,16 It is rendered "grave" thirty-one times #Ge 37:35 42:38 44:29,31 1Sa 2:6 etc.
The
Revisers have retained this rendering in the historical books with the
original word in the margin, while in the poetical books they have
reversed this rule. In thirty-one cases in the Authorized Version this
word is rendered "hell," the place of disembodied spirits. The inhabitants
of sheol are "the congregation of the dead" #Pr
21:16 It is:
a. the abode of the wicked #Nu 16:33 Job 24:19 Ps 9:17 31:17
etc.;
b. of the good #Ps 16:10
30:3 49:15 86:13 etc. Sheol is described
as:
a. deep #Job
11:8
b. dark #Job 10:21,22
c.
with bars #Job
17:16
d. The dead "go down" to it
#Nu 16:30,33 Eze 31:15,16,17
2. The Greek word hades of
the New Testament has the same scope of signification as sheol of the Old
Testament.
It is a prison #1Pe
3:19 with gates and bars and locks #Mt 16:18 Re
1:18 and it is downward #Mt 11:23 Lu
10:15 The righteous and the wicked are
separated. The blessed dead are in
that part of hades called paradise #Lu 23:43
They are also said to be in Abraham’s bosom #Lu
16:22
3. Gehenna, in most
of its occurrences in the Greek New Testament, designates the place of the
lost #Mt 23:33 The fearful nature of their
condition there is described in various figurative expressions #Mt 8:12 13:42 22:13 25:30 Lu 16:24 etc.
17- HADES (Hell)
HADES
that which is out of sight, a Greek word used to denote the state
or place of the dead. All the dead alike go into this
place. To be buried, to go down to the grave, to descend
into hades, are equivalent expressions. In the
LXX. this word is the usual rendering of the Hebrew sheol, the common receptacle of the departed (Genesis 42:38; Psalm 139:8; Hosea 13:14; Isaiah
14:9).
This term is of comparatively rare occurrence
in the Greek New Testament. Our Lord speaks of Capernaum
as being "brought down to hell" (hades), i.e., simply to the lowest
debasement, (Matthew 11:23). It is contemplated
as a kind of kingdom which could never overturn the foundation of Christ's
kingdom (Matthew 16:18), i.e., Christ's church
can never die.
In Luke 16:23 it is most distinctly
associated with the doom and misery of the lost.
In Acts 2:27-31 Peter quotes the LXX.
version of Psalm 16:8-11, plainly for the
purpose of proving our Lord's resurrection from the dead. David was left
in the place of the dead, and his body saw corruption. Not so with
Christ. According to ancient prophecy (Psalm 30:3) he was recalled to life.
17- GEHENNA (Hell)
(originally Ge bene Hinnom;
i.e., "the valley of the sons of Hinnom"), a deep, narrow glen to the
south of Jerusalem, where the idolatrous Jews offered their children in
sacrifice to Molech (2 Chron. 28:3; 2 Chron. 33:6;
Jeremiah 7:31; Jeremiah 19:2-6).
This valley
afterwards became the common receptacle for all the refuse of the city.
Here the dead bodies of animals and of criminals, and all kinds of filth,
were cast and consumed by fire kept always burning. It thus in process of
time became the image of the place of everlasting destruction. In this
sense it is used by our Lord in Matthew 5:22, 29-30;
Matthew 10:28; Matthew 18:9; Matthew 23:15, 33; Mark 9:43, 45, 47; Luke
12:5. In these passages, and also in James
3:6, the word is uniformly rendered "hell," the Revised Version
placing "Gehenna" in the margin.
17- HINNOM (Hell)
A deep, narrow ravine separating Mount Zion
from the so-called "Hill of Evil Counsel." It took its name from "some
ancient hero, the son of Hinnom." It is first mentioned in Joshua 15:8. It had been the place where the
idolatrous Jews burned their children alive to Moloch and Baal. A
particular part of the valley was called Tophet, or the "fire-stove,"
where the children were burned. After the Exile, in order to show their
abhorrence of the locality, the Jews made this valley the receptacle of
the offal of the city, for the destruction of which a fire was, as is
supposed, kept constantly burning there.
The Jews associated with this valley these two ideas, (1) that of
the sufferings of the victims that had there been sacrificed;
and (2) that of filth and corruption. It became thus to
the popular mind a symbol of the abode of the wicked hereafter. It came to
signify hell as the place of the wicked. "It might be shown by infinite
examples that the Jews expressed hell, or the place of the damned, by this
word. The word Gehenna [the Greek contraction
of Hinnom] was never used in the time of Christ
in any other sense than to denote the place of future punishment." About
this fact there can be no question. In this sense the word is used eleven
times in our Lord's discourses (Matthew 23:33; Luke
12:5; Matthew 5:22, etc.).
19- DEATH
May be simply defined as the termination of life. It is represented under a variety of aspects in Scripture:
1. "The dust shall return to the earth as it was" #Ec 12:7
2. "Thou takest away their breath, they die" #Ps 104:29
3. It is the dissolution of "our earthly house of this tabernacle" #2Co 5:1 the "putting off this tabernacle"
#2Pe 1:13, 14
4. Being "unclothed" #2Co 5:3,4
5. "Falling on sleep" #Ps 76:5 Jer 51:39 Ac 13:36 2Pe 3:9
6. "I go whence I shall not return" #Job 10:21
7. "Make me to know mine end" #Ps 39:4
8. "to depart" #Php 1:23
9. The grave is represented as "the gates of death" #Job 38:17 #Ps 9:13 107:18
10. The gloomy silence of the grave is spoken of under the figure of the "shadow of death"
#Jer 2:6
11. Death is the effect of sin #Ro 5:12 and not a "debt of nature."
12. It is but once #Heb 9:27
13. universal #Ge 3:19 Ro 5:12
14. Jesus has by his own death taken away its sting for all his followers
#1Co 15:55-57
15. There is a spiritual death in trespasses and sins, i.e., the death of the soul under the power of sin
#Ro 8:6 Eph 2:1,3 #Col 2:13
16. The "second death" #Re 2:11 is the everlasting perdition of the wicked
#Re 21:8 and "second" in respect to natural or temporal death.
THE DEATH OF CHRIST is the procuring cause incidentally of all the blessings men enjoy on earth. But specially it is the procuring cause of the actual salvation of all his people, together with all the means that lead thereto. It does not make their salvation merely possible, but certain
#Mt 18:11 Ro 5:10 2Co 5:21 Ga 1:4 3:13 Eph 1:7 2:16 #Ro 8:32-35
20- JUDGMENT DAY
Contents:
Old Testament Background
Intertestamental Period
New Testament Development
JUDGMENT DAY Time of
God’s punishment and refining of the evil in the world, especially of the
final, history-ending time of eternal judgment. The expression "Day
of Judgment" appears several times in the Bible as a frightful day
of dread (Hebrews 10:27) connected with the wrath
of God (Hebrews 12:29) and can only be overcome
through mature faith in Christ (1 John 4:17-18; compare
Romans 8:33-34; 2 Tim. 4:8). Closely connected with the second coming
of Christ (2 Thes. 1:7-10), it is a part of the
end-time events connected with the close of human history.
Several biblical terms are closely related to the concept of the
judgment day. These refer to the wrath of God, judgment, judging, condemn,
punishment, penalty, vengeance, judgment seat, destruction, and ruin.
Old Testament Background:
The idea of the judgment day reaches back into the Old Testament
concepts of divine judgment and the day of the Lord.
The wrath of God is poured out in judgment upon the nation of Israel (1
Chron. 27:24; 2 Chron. 24:18; 2 Chron. 29:8; Amos 3:2; Amos 5:18; Hosea
13:9-11) as well as her wicked rulers (1 Samuel
15; 2 Kings 23:26-27; 1 Chron. 13:10; 2 Chron. 19:2). Other individuals
became the object of God’s wrath: Moses (Exodus 4:14;
Exodus 4:24; Deut. 1:37); Aaron (Deut. 9:20), Miriam (Numbers
12:9), Nadab and Abihu (Leviticus 10:1-2).
Surrounding nations and their rulers became objects of God’s wrath (Psalm
2:5; Psalm 2:11; Psalm 110:5; Isaiah 13:3; Isaiah 13:5; Isaiah 13:9; Isaiah
13:13; Jeremiah 50:13; Jeremiah 50:15; Jeremiah 51:45; Ezekiel 25:14; Ezekiel
30:15).
His wrath is fierce (Exodus 32:12; Ezra 10:14),
is kindled like a fire (Psalm 106:40), and waxes
hot like molten wax (Exodus 22:24; Exodus 32:10).
A day of wrath was spoken of as a specific time in which God would act in
temporal judgment (Job 21:30; Proverbs 11:4; Ezekiel
7:12; Zeph. 1:15; Zeph. 1:18). God’s wrath came to be so closely
identified with divine action in judgment that its character as an emotion in
the being of God receded into the background.
Also significant is the concept of God as Judge rendering judgments. The
Hebrew mishpat brings together the ideas of judging and ruling into a
single concept focused in the authority of God as Sovereign over the nation of
Israel and over creation. Thus He instituted divine law and renders righteous
verdicts based upon it as well as enforcing its requirements (Genesis
18:25; Psalm 89:27; Psalm 96:10; Psalm 96:13; Psalm 98:9). Associated
with this is the promise of a day when God will exercise His judgments with
awesome power in the Day of the Lord (Isaiah 24-26).
The eschatological interpretation of this day is most evident in Daniel
7:22; Daniel 7:27; Daniel 12:1-3.
Intertestamental Period:
This orientation became more prominent in Jewish writings in the
interbiblical period (Enoch 47:3; Enoch 90:2-27; 4 Ezra
7:33; 4 Ezra 12; Baruch 24; Testament of Benjamin 10:6-8; Judith 16:17).
Judgment Day follows the resurrection of the dead and determines the eternal
destiny of the righteous (either Paradise in Heaven or on a renewed earth, or
life in the heavenly Jerusalem or in the heavenly Garden of Eden come down to
earth) and of the wicked (Gehenna or some other place of eternal punishment)
based on their obedience/disobedience to the law of God. Both Jews and
Gentiles are included. Also angels will be judged as well as humans (Jubilees
5:3-16; Enoch 10:6; Enoch 16:1; Enoch 19:1; Enoch 90:20-27). God is
usually pictured as the Judge although sometimes the Messiah is charged with
this responsibility (Enoch 45:3; Enoch 69:27-29).
New Testament Development:
The New Testament builds on the foundation of the Old Testament and
utilizes the language and imagery of the Jewish writings to present the full
revelational picture of Judgment Day. As in the Old Testament, divine judgment
is both a present and a future reality. Jesus’ first coming represents a
divine judgment (John 3:19; John 9:39; John 12:31).
Sinful humanity presently stands under divine condemnation (John
3:36) and experiences in part now the wrath of God (Romans
1:18-32). The people of God are chastised for their waywardness (Hebrews
12:4-11; Proverbs 3:11-12), but that final divine verdict of judgment
is yet to be carried out in a future day (1 John 4:17;
John 5:24-29) by the Son of Man Himself (John
12:48; John 5:22). Thus human activity in this life basically
determines the verdict rendered in this future judgment.
In the great white throne judgment scene (Rev.
20:11-15), the basis of judgment is first from the book of life (Rev.
20:12a; Rev. 20:15) and then from the books of works (Rev.
20:12b-14). One’s relationship with Christ is that determiner of
eternal destiny (John 3:36), but one’s
faithfulness to Christ is crucial to a genuine relationship with Christ (James
2:14-26; Matthew 7:21-23; 1 John 2:3-6). Very similar in emphasis is
the parable of the sheep and goats (Matthew 25:31-56).
Pious deeds of devotion done to those in need stands as the distinguishing
criterion between the sheep and the goats and settles their eternal destiny (Matthew
25:46). Paul’s discussion in Romans 2:1-16
underscores that demand for obedient commitment to Christ as well. The concept
of retribution for good and bad is also applied to believers (1
Cor. 3:12-15; 2 Cor. 5:10), but the specifics of rewards and
punishments are not stated. However, the New Testament is absolutely clear in
declaring the certainty of Judgment Day from which no one will escape (Acts
17:30-31). Thus comes the apostolic call to repentance and faith.
20-
JUDGMENTS OF GOD
1. The secret decisions of God’s will #Ps 110:5 36:6
2. The revelations of His will #Ex 21:1 De 6:20 Ps 119:7-175
3. The infliction of punishment on the wicked #Ex 6:6
12:12 #Eze 25:11 Re 16:7 such as is mentioned in
#Ge 7:1ff. #Ge 19:24,25 Jud 1:6,7 Ac 5:1-10 etc.
20- Judgment, The final
the sentence that will be passed on our actions at the last day #Mt 25:1ff. #Ro 14:10,11 2Co 5:10 2Th 1:7-10
The judge is Jesus Christ, as mediator. All judgment is committed to him
#Ac 17:31 #Joh 5:22,27 Re 1:7 "It pertains to
Him as mediator to complete and publicly manifest the salvation of His people and the overthrow of
His enemies, together with the glorious righteousness of His work in both respects."
The persons to be judged are,
1. the whole race of Adam without a single exception #Mt 25:31-46 #1Co 15:51,52 Re 20:11-15
2. the fallen angels #2Pe 2:4 Jude 1:6
The rule of judgment is the standard of God’s law as revealed to men,
1. The heathen by the law as written on their hearts #Lu 12:47,48 #Ro 2:12-16
2. The Jew who "sinned in the law shall be judged by the law"
#Ro 2:12
3. Persons enjoying the light of revelation, by the will of God as made known to them
#Mt 11:20-24 Joh 3:19
Then the secrets of all hearts will be brought to light
#1Co 4:5 Lu 8:17 #Lu 12:2,3 to vindicate the justice of the sentence pronounced.
The time of the judgment will be after the resurrection
#Heb 9:27 Ac 17:31 As the Scriptures represent the final judgment "as
1. Certain #Ec 11:9
2. Universal #2Co 5:10
3. Righteous #Ro 2:5
4. Decisive #1Co 15:52
5. Eternal as to its consequences #Heb 6:2
let us be concerned for the welfare of our immortal interests, flee to the refuge set before us, improve our precious time, depend on the merits of the Redeemer, and adhere to the dictates of the divine word, that we may be found of him in peace."
21- HEAVEN
1. Definitions. The phrase "heaven and earth" is used to indicate the whole universe
#Ge 1:1 Jer 23:24 Ac 17:24 According to the Jewish notion
there were three heavens,
a. The firmament, as "fowls of the heaven"
#Ge 2:19 7:3,23 #Ps 8:8 etc., "the eagles of heaven"
#La 4:19 etc.
b. The starry heavens #De 17:3 Jer 8:2 Mt 24:29
c. "The heaven of heavens," or "the third heaven"
#De 10:14 #1Ki 8:27 Ps 115:16 148:4 2Co 12:2
2. Meaning of words in the original,
a. The usual Hebrew word for "heavens" is _shamayim_, a plural form meaning "heights," "elevations"
#Ge 1:1 2:1
b. The Hebrew word _marom_ is also used #Ps 68:18 93:4 #Ps 102:19 etc. as equivalent to _shamayim_, "high places," "heights."
c. Heb. galgal, literally a "wheel," is rendered "heaven" in
#Ps 77:18 (R.V., "whirlwind").
d. Heb. shahak, rendered "sky" #De 33:26 Job 37:18 Ps 18:11 plural "clouds"
#Job 35:5 36:28 Ps 68:34 marg. "heavens," means probably the firmament.
e. Heb. rakia is closely connected with (d), and is rendered "firmamentum" in the Vulgate, whence our "firmament"
#Ge 1:6 De 33:26 etc., regarded as a solid expanse.
3. Metaphorical meaning of term. #Isa 14:13,14
a. "doors of heaven" #Ps 78:23
b. heaven "shut" #1Ki 8:35
c. "opened" #Eze 1:1 (see) #1Ch 21:16
4. Spiritual meaning. The place of the everlasting blessedness of the righteous; the abode of departed spirits.
a. Christ calls it his "Father’s house" #Joh 14:2
b. It is called "paradise" #Lu 23:43 2Co 12:4 Re 2:7
c. "The heavenly Jerusalem" #Ga 4:26 Heb 12:22 Re 3:12
d. The "kingdom of heaven" #Mt 25:1 Jas 2:5
e. The "eternal kingdom" #2Pe 1:11
f. The "eternal inheritance" #1Pe 1:4 Heb 9:15
g. The "better country" #Heb 11:14,16
h. The blessed are said to "sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob," and to be "in Abraham’s bosom"
#Lu 16:22 Mt 8:11 to "reign with Christ" #2Ti 2:12 and to enjoy "rest"
#Heb 4:10,11
5. In heaven the blessedness of the righteous consists in:
a. the possession of "life everlasting," "an eternal weight of glory"
#2Co 4:17
b. an exemption from all sufferings for ever,
c. a deliverance from all evils #2Co 5:1,2
d. and from the society of the wicked #2Ti 4:18
e. bliss without termination, the "fulness of joy" for ever #Lu 20:36 2Co 4:16,18 1Pe 1:4 5:10 1Jo 3:2
The believer’s heaven is not only a state of everlasting blessedness, but also a "place," a place "prepared" for them
#Joh 14:2
18- Bible
Reference:
-- Psalm 90:4 (2
Peter 3:8)
For a thousand years in Your
sight are like a day that has just gone by, or like a watch in the
night.
-- 1 Thessalonians
5:2
For you know very well that the
day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.
-- Matthew 24:42-44
42
"Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will
come.
44 So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at
an hour when you do not expect Him.
--
Matthew 25:13
"Therefore keep watch,
because you do not know the day or the hour."
-- Matthew 24
Jesus Tells about the Future (Mt
24:1-25)
1 Jesus left the temple and was walking away when
his disciples came up to Him to call His attention to its buildings.
2
"Do you see all these things?" He asked. "I tell you the truth, not one
stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down."
3
As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him
privately. "Tell us," they said, "when will this happen, and what will be
the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?"
4 Jesus answered:
"Watch out that no one deceives you.
5 For many will come in My name,
claiming, ‘I am the Christ, ‘and will deceive many.
6 You will hear of
wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such
things must happen, but the end is still to come.
7 Nation will rise
against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and
earthquakes in various places.
8 All these are the beginning of birth
pains.
9 "Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to
death, and you will be hated by all nations because of Me.
10 At that
time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each
other,
11 and many false prophets will appear and deceive many
people.
12 Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will
grow cold,
13 but He who stands firm to the end will be saved.
14
And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a
testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.
15 "So when you
see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination that causes desolation,’
spoken of through the prophet Daniel— let the reader understand—
16
then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.
17 Let no one on
the roof of his house go down to take anything out of the house.
18 Let
no one in the field go back to get his cloak.
19 How dreadful it will
be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers!
20 Pray that
your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath.
21 For
then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the
world until now— and never to be equaled again.
22 If those days had not been cut short, no one would
survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be
shortened.
23 At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look,
here is the Christ!’ or, ‘There he is!’ do not believe it.
24 For false
Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and
miracles to deceive even the elect— if that were possible.
25 See, I
have told you ahead of time.
Jesus
Tells about His Return (Mat
24:26-35)
26 "So if anyone tells you, ‘There He is, out in
the desert,’ do not go out; or, ‘Here He is, in the inner rooms,’ do not
believe it.
27 For as lightning that comes from the east is visible
even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.
28 Wherever
there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather.
29 "Immediately
after the distress of those days "‘the sun will be darkened, and the moon
will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the
heavenly bodies will be shaken.’
30 "At that time the sign of the Son
of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will
mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with
power and great glory.
31 And he will send his
angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the
four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.
32
"Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender
and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near.
33 Even so, when
you see all these things, you know that it is near, right at the
door.
34 I tell you the truth, this generation will
certainly not pass away until all these things have happened.
35 Heaven
and earth will pass away, but My words will never pass
away.
Jesus Tells about
Remaining Watchful (Matthew
24:36-51)
36 "No one knows about that
day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the
Father.
37 As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the
coming of the Son of Man.
38 For in the days before the flood, people
were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day
Noah entered the ark;
39 and they knew nothing about what would happen
until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the
coming of the Son of Man.
40 Two men will be in the
field; one will be taken and the other left.
41 Two women will be
grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left.
42
"Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will
come.
43 But understand this: If the owner of the house had
known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch
and would not have let his house be broken into.
44 So you also must be
ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect
Him.
45 "Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has
put in charge of the servants in His household to give them their food at
the proper time?
46 It will be good for that servant whose master finds
him doing so when he returns.
47 I tell you the truth, he will put him
in charge of all his possessions.
48 But suppose that servant is wicked
and says to himself, ‘My master is staying away a long time,’
49 and he
then begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with
drunkards.
50 The master of that servant will come on a day when he
does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of.
51 He will cut
him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will
be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
-- Luke 21:5-38
Jesus Tells about the Future
(Matthew 24:1-25; Mark 13:1-23)
5 Some of his
disciples were remarking about how the temple was adorned with beautiful
stones and with gifts dedicated to God. But Jesus said,
6 "As for what
you see here, the time will come when not one stone will be left on
another; every one of them will be thrown down."
7 "Teacher," they
asked, "when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they
are about to take place?"
8 He replied: "Watch out that you are not
deceived. For many will come in My name, claiming, ‘I am He,’ and, ‘The
time is near.’ Do not follow them.
9 When you hear of wars and
revolutions, do not be frightened. These things must happen first, but the
end will not come right away."
10 Then He said to them: "Nation will
rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.
11 There will be
great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places, and fearful
events and great signs from heaven.
12 "But before all this, they will
lay hands on you and persecute you. They will deliver you to synagogues
and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors, and all
on account of My name.
13 This will result in your being witnesses to
them.
14 But make up your mind not to worry beforehand how you will
defend yourselves.
15 For I will give you words and wisdom that none of
your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict.
16 You will be betrayed even by parents, brothers, relatives
and friends, and they will put some of you to death.
17 All men will
hate you because of Me.
18 But not a hair of your head will
perish.
19 By standing firm you will gain life.
20 "When you
see Jerusalem being surrounded by armies, you will know that its
desolation is near.
21 Then let those who are in Judea flee to the
mountains, let those in the city get out, and let those in the country not
enter the city.
22 For this is the time of punishment in fulfillment of
all that has been written.
23 How dreadful it will be in those days for
pregnant women and nursing mothers! There will be great distress in the
land and wrath against this people.
24 They will fall by the sword and
will be taken as prisoners to all the nations. Jerusalem will be trampled
on by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are
fulfilled.
Jesus Tells about His
Return
(/Matthew 24:26-35; Mark
13:24-31)
25 "There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars. On
the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and
tossing of the sea.
26 Men will faint from terror, apprehensive of what
is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken.
27 At
that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and
great glory.
28 When these things begin to take place, stand up and
lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near."
29 He
told them this parable: "Look at the fig tree and all the trees.
30
When they sprout leaves, you can see for yourselves and know that summer
is near.
31 Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that
the kingdom of God is near.
32 "I tell you the truth, this generation
will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened.
33
Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass
away
Jesus Tells about Remaining
Watchful
(Matthew 24:36-51; Mark
13:32-37)
34 "Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down
with dissipation, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will
close on you unexpectedly like a trap.
35 For it will come upon all
those who live on the face of the whole earth.
36 Be always on the
watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to
happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man."
37
Each day Jesus was teaching at the temple, and each evening He went out to
spend the night on the hill called the Mount of Olives,
38 and all the
people came early in the morning to hear Him at the temple.
-- 2 Thessalonians 2
% The Day of the LORD: Instruction (2Th 2:1-12)
1 Now, brethren, concerning the
coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask
you,
2 not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or
by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had
come.
3 Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will
not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is
revealed, the son of perdition,
4 who opposes and exalts himself above
all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the
temple of God, showing himself that he is God.
5 Do you not remember
that when I was still with you I told you these things?
6 And now you
know what is restraining, that he may be revealed in his own time.
7
For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now
restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way.
8 And then the
lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath
of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming.
9 The
coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all
power, signs, and lying wonders,
10 and with all unrighteous deception
among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the
truth, that they might be saved.
11 And for this reason God will send
them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie,
12 that they
all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in
unrighteousness.
% The Day of the LORD:
Exhortation (2Th 2:13-3:18)
13 But we
are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren beloved by the
Lord, because God from the beginning chose you for salvation through
sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth,
14 to which He
called you by our gospel, for the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus
Christ.
15 Therefore, brethren, stand fast and hold the traditions
which you were taught, whether by word or our epistle.
16 Now may
our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and our God and Father, who has loved us
and given us everlasting consolation and good hope by grace,
17 comfort
your hearts and establish you in every good word and work.
-- 2 Peter 3
1 This is my second
letter to you, dear friends, and in both of them I have tried to stimulate
your wholesome thinking and refresh your memory.
2 I want you to
remember and understand what the holy prophets said long ago and what our
Lord and Savior commanded through your apostles.
3 First, I want
to remind you that in the last days there will be scoffers who will laugh
at the truth and do every evil thing they desire.
4 This will be their
argument: "Jesus promised to come back, did he? Then where is he? Why, as
far back as anyone can remember, everything has remained exactly the same
since the world was first created."
5 They deliberately forget that God
made the heavens by the word of his command, and he brought the earth up
from the water and surrounded it with water.
6 Then he used the water
to destroy the world with a mighty flood.
7 And God has also commanded
that the heavens and the earth will be consumed by fire on the day of
judgment, when ungodly people will perish.
8 But you must not
forget, dear friends, that a day is like a thousand years to the Lord, and
a thousand years is like a day.
9 The Lord isn’t really being
slow about his promise to return, as some people think. No, he is being
patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to perish, so he is giving
more time for everyone to repent.
10 But the day of the Lord will come
as unexpectedly as a thief. Then the heavens will pass away with a
terrible noise, and everything in them will disappear in fire, and the
earth and everything on it will be exposed to judgment.
11 Since
everything around us is going to melt away, what holy, godly lives you
should be living!
12 You should look forward to that day and hurry
it along—the day when God will set the heavens on fire and the elements
will melt away in the flames.
13 But we are looking forward to the new
heavens and new earth he has promised, a world where everyone is right
with God.
14 And so, dear friends, while you are waiting for these
things to happen, make every effort to live a pure and blameless life. And
be at peace with God.
15 And remember, the Lord is waiting so that
people have time to be saved. This is just as our beloved brother Paul
wrote to you with the wisdom God gave him—
16 speaking of these things
in all of his letters. Some of his comments are hard to understand, and
those who are ignorant and unstable have twisted his letters around to
mean something quite different from what he meant, just as they do the
other parts of Scripture—and the result is disaster for them.
17 I am
warning you ahead of time, dear friends, so that you can watch out and not
be carried away by the errors of these wicked people. I don’t want you to
lose your own secure footing.
18 But grow in the special favor and
knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be all glory and
honor, both now and forevermore. Amen.
JESUS, Second Coming
of (Bible Reference)
Job 19:25-26;
Matthew 16:27-28; Matthew
23:39-25:13; Matthew 25:19; Matthew 25:31-46; Matthew 26:64;
Mark
8:38-9:1; Mark 13:1-37; Mark 14:62;
Luke 9:26-27; Luke 12:37-40; Luke
17:22-37; Luke 18:8; Luke 19:12-13; Luke 19:15; Luke 21:5-36;
John
14:3; John 14:18; John 14:28-29;
Acts 1:11; Acts 3:20-21;
1 Cor.
1:7-8; 1 Cor. 4:5; 1 Cor. 11:26; 1 Cor. 15:23;
Phil. 3:20-21; Phil.
4:5;
Col. 3:4;
1 Thes. 1:10; 1 Thes. 2:19; 1 Thes. 3:13; 1 Thes.
4:15-17; 1 Thes. 5:2-3; 1 Thes. 5:23;
2 Thes. 1:7-10; 2 Thes. 2:1-3; 2
Thes. 2:5; 2 Thes. 2:8; 2 Thes. 3:5;
1 Tim. 6:14-15; 2 Tim. 4:1;
2
Tim. 4:8; Titus 2:13;
Hebrews 9:28;
James 5:7-9;
1 Peter 1:7;
1 Peter 1:13; 1 Peter 4:13; 1 Peter 5:4;
2 Peter 1:16; 2 Peter 3:3-4;
2 Peter 3:8-14;
1 John 2:28; 1 John 3:2;
Jude 1:14-15;
Rev.
1:7; Rev. 3:11; Rev. 16:15; Rev. 22:12; Rev. 22:20
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