BASIC CHRISTIAN DOCTRINE // MODULE - 8 (ENGLISH) //THE DOCTRINE OF ESCHATOLOGY //
As
we begin the final unit of this teachings, we turn to consider events that will
happen in the future. The study of future events is often called “eschatology,”
from the Greek word eschatos, which means “last.” The study of eschatology,
then, is the study of “the last things.” Two kinds of Eschatology 1. The
Personal Eschatology ( Death, intermediate time, Glorification )2. The General
eschatology The return of Christ, Rewards of believers, judgement upon the
unbelievers, The judgement and The new heaven and earth.
1.
Understanding
The return of Christ
A.
There
Will Be a Sudden, Personal, Visible, Bodily Return of Christ Jesus often spoke about his return. “You also must be ready; for the Son of
Man is coming at an hour you do not expect” (Matt. 24:44). He said, “I will
come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also” (John
14:3). Immediately after Jesus had ascended into heaven, two angels said to the
disciples, “This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the
same way as you saw him go into heaven” (Acts 1:11). Paul taught, “The Lord
himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the archangel’s
call, and with the sound of the trumpet of God” (1 Thess. 4:16). The author of
Hebrews wrote that Christ “will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but
to save those who are eagerly waiting for him” (Heb. 9:28). James wrote, “the
coming1 of the Lord is at hand” (James 5:8). Peter said, “The day of the Lord
will come like a thief” (2 Peter 3:10). John wrote, “when he appears we shall
be like him, for we shall see him as he is” (1 John 3:2). And the book of
Revelation has frequent references to Christ’s return, ending with Jesus’
promise, “Surely I am coming soon,” and John’s response, “Amen. Come, Lord
Jesus!” (Rev 22:20).
B.
We
Should Eagerly Long for Christ’s Return
John’s
response at the end of Revelation should characterize Christians’ hearts in all
ages: “Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!” (Rev. 22:20). True Christianity trains us “to
live sober, upright, and godly lives in this world, awaiting our blessed hope,
the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ” (Titus
2:12–13).2 Paul says, “our commonwealth is in heaven, and from it we await a
Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Phil. 3:20).3 The term “Maranatha” in 1
Corinthians 16:22 (NASB) similarly means, “Our Lord, come!” (1 Cor. 16:22 RSV).
C.
We
Do Not Know When Christ Will Return
Several
passages indicate that we do not, and cannot, know the time when Christ will
return. “The Son of man is coming at an hour you do not expect” (Matt. 24:44).
“Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour” (Matt. 25:13).
Moreover, Jesus said, “But of that day or that hour no one knows, not even the
angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Take heed, watch; for you
do not know when the time will come” (Mark 13:32–33). It is simply an evasion
of the force of those passages to say that we cannot know the day or the hour,
but that we can know the month or the year. The fact remains that Jesus is
coming “at an hour you do not expect” (Matt. 24:44), and “at an unexpected
hour” (Luke 12:40). (In these verses the word “hour” [hora] is best understood
in a more general sense, to refer to the time when something will take place,
not necessarily a sixty-minute period of time.)4 The point of these passages is
that Jesus is telling us that we cannot know when he is coming back. Since he will
come at an unexpected time, we should be ready at all times for him to return.
Signs That Precede Christ’s Return.
The
other set of texts to be considered tells of several signs that Scripture says
will precede the time of Christ’s return. In fact, Berkhof says, “According to
Scripture several important events must occur before the return of the Lord,
and therefore it cannot be called imminent.” Here it will be helpful to list
those passages that most directly refer to signs that must occur before
Christ’s return.
Signs
· The Preaching of the Gospel to All Nations
· The Great Tribulation
· False Prophets Working Signs and Wonders
· Signs in the Heavens
· The Coming of the Man of Sin and the
Rebellion
·
The
Salvation of Israel
2.
Resurrection of the believers.
A
central theme of the preaching in the Early Church was the resurrection of
Jesus and how His resurrection also becomes the guarantee of ours. His
resurrection is the ground for our faith and hope. One of the great
affirmations of the New Testament is found in the words of Jesus: “Because I
live, you also will live” (John 14:19). Paul calls it a mystery, something not
revealed in Old Testament times but now made clear. “We will not all sleep, but
we will all be changed—in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last
trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and
we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the
imperishable, and the mortal with immortality.
When
the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with
immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: ‘Death has been
swallowed up in victory’” (1 Cor. 15:51–54). “We” simply means all true
believers, all who are “in Christ.” Paul previously compared the present body
to a bare grain, which must be buried if it is to be changed into a whole wheat
plant (1 Cor. 15:37). Here he qualifies this by saying we shall not all die. He
is not saying that he himself would be alive when Jesus comes. Rather, he is
emphasizing that all believers, both living and dead, will be changed at the
time of the Resurrection.
3. The MILLENNIUM
Pre
tribulation and Pre Millennium
4.
The time of the Great Tribulation
Matthew
24:21 (and parallels), where Jesus says, “For then there will be great
tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now,
no, and never will be.” Historic premillennialism believes that Christ will
return after that tribulation, for the passage continues, “Immediately after
the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened . . . then will appear
the sign of the Son of man in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will
mourn, and they will see the Son of man coming on the clouds of heaven with
power and great glory” (Matt. 24:29–30).
But,
as explained above, in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries a variety of
premillennialism that holds to a pretribulational coming of Christ became
popular. This is often called a “pretribulation rapture” view, because it holds
that when Christ first returns the church will be “raptured” or snatched up
into heaven to be with him.
5. The Final Judgement and Eternal Punishment.
A.
The
final judgment is vividly portrayed in John’s vision in Revelation:
“
Then
I saw a great white throne and him who sat upon it; from his presence earth and
sky fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, great and
small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Also another book was
opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written
in the books, by what they had done. 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 done.
Then death and hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second
death, the lake of fire; and if anyone’s name was not found written in the book
of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. (Rev. 20:11–15)”
B.
The
Time of Final Judgment
The
final judgment will occur after the millennium and the rebellion that occurs at
the end of it. John pictures the millennial kingdom and the removal of Satan
from influence on the earth in Revelation 20:1–6 (see the discussion in the
previous two chapters) and then says that “when the thousand years are ended,
Satan will be loosed from his prison and will come out to deceive the nations .
. . to gather them for battle” (Rev. 20:7–8).
After
God decisively defeats this final rebellion (Rev. 20:9–10), John tells us that
judgment will follow: “Then I saw a great white throne and him who sat upon it”
(v. 11).
C.
The
Nature of the Final Judgment.
1.
Jesus
Christ Will Be the Judge.
Paul speaks of “Jesus Christ who is to judge the living and the dead” (2 Tim.
4:1). Peter says that Jesus Christ “is the one ordained by God to be the judge
of the living and the dead” (Acts 10:42; compare 17:31; Matt. 25:31–33).
2.
Unbelievers
Will Be Judged.
This
judgment of unbelievers will include degrees of punishment, for we read that
the dead were judged “by what they had done” (Rev. 20:12, 13), and this
judgment according to what people had done must therefore involve an evaluation
of the works that people have done.3 Similarly, Jesus says: And that servant
who knew his master’s will, but did not make ready or act according to his
will, shall receive a severe beating. But he who did not know, and did what
deserved a beating, shall receive a light beating” (Luke 12:47–48).
When
Jesus says to the cities of Chorazin and Bethsaida, “It shall be more tolerable
on the day of judgment for Tyre and Sidon than for you” (Matt. 11:22; compare
v. 24), or when he says that the scribes “will receive the greater
condemnation” (Luke 20:47), he implies that there will be degrees of punishment
on the last day.
3.
Believers
Will Be Judged. In writing
to Christians Paul says, “We shall all stand before the judgment seat of God. .
. . Each of us shall give account of himself to God” (Rom. 14:10, 12). He also
tells the Corinthians, “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of
Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in
the body, whether good or bad” (2 Cor. 5:10; cf. Rom. 2:6–11; Rev. 20:12, 15).
In addition, the picture of the final judgment in Matthew 25:31–46 includes
Christ separating the sheep from the goats, and rewarding those who receive his
blessing.
4.
Angels
Will Be Judged. Peter says
that the rebellious angels have been committed to pits of nether gloom “to be
kept until the judgment” (2 Peter 2:4), and Jude says that rebellious angels
have been kept by God “until the judgment of the great day” (Jude 6). This
means that at least the rebellious angels or demons will be subject to judgment
on that last day as well.
We
Will Help in the Work of Judgment. The Doctrine of Final Judgment Satisfies
Our Inward Sense of a Need for Justice in the World.
The
Doctrine of Final Judgment Enables Us to Forgive Others Freely.
The
Doctrine of the Final Judgment Provides a Motive for Righteous Living.
The
Doctrine of Final Judgment Provides a Great Motive for Evangelism.
It
is a rather amazing aspect of New Testament teaching that we (believers) will
take part in the process of judgment. Paul says: Do you not know that the
saints will judge the world? And if the world is to be judged by you, are you
incompetent to try trivial cases? Do you not know that we are to judge angels?
How much more, matters pertaining to this life? (1 Cor. 6:2–3).
Moral
Application of the Final Judgment
·
The
Doctrine of Final Judgment Satisfies Our Inward Sense of a Need for Justice in
the World.
·
The
Doctrine of Final Judgment Enables Us to Forgive Others Freely.
·
The
Doctrine of the Final Judgment Provides a Motive for Righteous Living.
·
The
Doctrine of Final Judgment Provides a Great Motive for Evangelism.
6.Hell
It
is appropriate to discuss the doctrine of hell in connection with the doctrine
of final judgment. We may define hell as follows: Hell is a place of eternal
conscious punishment for the wicked. Scripture teaches in several passages that
there is such a place. At the end of the parable of the talents, the master
says, “Cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness; there men will weep
and gnash their teeth” (Matt. 25:30). This is one among several indications
that there will be consciousness of punishment after the final judgment.
Similarly, at the judgment the king will say to some, “Depart from me, you
cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matt.
25:41), and Jesus says that those thus condemned “will go away into eternal
punishment, but the righteous into eternal life” (Matt. 25:46).8 In this text,
the parallel between “eternal life” and “eternal punishment” indicates that
both states will be without end.
Jesus
refers to hell as “the unquenchable fire” (Mark 9:43), and says that hell is a
place “where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched” (Mark
9:48).10 The story of the rich man and Lazarus also indicates a horrible
consciousness of punishment: The rich man also died and was buried; and in
Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes, and saw Abraham far off and
Lazarus in his bosom, and he called out, “Father Abraham, have mercy upon me,
and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for
I am in anguish in this flame.” (Luke 16:22–24).
7.The New Heavens and New Earth
We
Will Live Eternally With God in New Heavens and a New Earth After the final
judgment, believers will enter into the full enjoyment of life in the presence
of God forever. Jesus will say to us, “Come, O blessed of my Father, inherit
the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world” (Matt. 25:34).
We
will enter a kingdom where “there shall no more be anything accursed, but the
throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and his servants shall worship
him” (Rev. 22:3). When referring to this place, Christians often talk about
living with God “in heaven” forever. But in fact the biblical teaching is
richer than that: it tells us that there will be new heavens and a new earth—an
entirely renewed creation—and we will live with God there.
1.
What
Is Heaven?
During
this present age, the place where God dwells is frequently called “heaven” in
Scripture. The Lord says, “Heaven is my throne” (Isa. 66:1), and Jesus teaches
us to pray, “Our Father who art in heaven” (Matt. 6:9). Jesus now “has gone
into heaven, and is at the right hand of God” (1 Peter 3:22). In fact, heaven
may be defined as follows: Heaven is the place where God most fully makes known
his presence to bless. We discussed earlier how God is present everywhere1 but
how he especially manifests his presence to bless in certain places. The
greatest manifestation of God’s presence to bless is seen in heaven, where he
makes his glory known, and where angels, other heavenly creatures, and redeemed
saints all worship him.
2.
Heaven
Is a Place, Not Just a State of Mind.
The
New Testament teaches the idea of a location for heaven in several different
ways, and quite clearly. When Jesus ascended into heaven, the fact that he went
to a place seems to be the entire point of the narrative, and the point that
Jesus intended his disciples to understand by the way in which he gradually
ascended even while speaking to them: “As they were looking on, he was lifted
up, and a cloud took him out of their sight” (Acts 1:9; cf. Luke 24:51: “While
he blessed them, he parted from them”). The angels exclaimed, “This Jesus, who
was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go
into heaven” (Acts 1:11). It is hard to imagine how the fact of Jesus’
ascension to a place could be taught more clearly.
3.
The
Physical Creation Will Be Renewed and We Will Continue to Exist and Act in It. In addition to a renewed heaven, God will
make a “new earth” (2 Peter 3:13; Rev. 21:1). Several passages indicate that
the physical creation will be renewed in a significant way. “The creation waits
with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God; for the creation was
subjected to futility, not of its own will but by the will of him who subjected
it in hope; because the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to
decay and obtain the glorious liberty of the children of God” (Rom. 8:19–21).
4.
Our
Resurrection Bodies Will Be Part of the Renewed Creation. In the new heavens and new earth, there
will be a place and activities for our resurrection bodies, which will never
grow old or viewpoint is the fact that God made the original physical creation
“very good” (Gen. 1:31). There is therefore nothing inherently sinful or evil
or “unspiritual” about the physical world that God made or the creatures that
he put in it, or about the physical bodies that he gave us at creation. Though
all these things have been marred and distorted by sin, God will not completely
destroy the physical world (which would be an acknowledgement that sin had
frustrated and defeated God’s purposes), but rather he will perfect the entire
creation and bring it into harmony with the purposes for which he originally
created it.
Therefore, we can expect that in
the new heavens and new earth there will be a fully perfect earth that is once
again “very good.” And we can expect that we will have physical bodies that
will once again be “very good” in God’s sight, and that will function to fulfil
the purposes for which he originally placed man on the earth.
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