September 22nd: The End of the World
Speaker: Chris Laws
Shaping our view of the end of time from the Gospels and Epistles.
(BCF chapters 31 + 32)
John 11.23-24 “Jesus saith unto [Martha], Thy brother shall rise again. Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection in the last day.” There will be a last day for Earth.
What will happen at the very end of time?
In 19thC complex schemes devised: 3 judgements, several returns of Christ, secret rapture, etc, based on Revelation.
Modern dispensationalism.
Revelation is an ‘advanced’ book. Need to know the OT well.
Highly symbolic. That seems to attract a lot of interest. What does ‘666’ mean? Many differences of opinion.
A common-sense rule – start with the Gospels and epistles, not Revelation. Look at Revelation another time.
Aim: to piece together a picture of the end of time from the words of Christ, Luke and Paul.
GOSPELS (10 texts)
1. Matt 13.38-43 – Parable of wheat and tares.
“The harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels...and they shall...cast them into a furnace of fire...then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father.”
Harvest = last judgment (LJ). Angels reaping and separating wheat / tares ie: believers / unbelievers (SEPN), Happens at the end of world (EOW), ushering in of the eternal Kingdom of God (EK).
Spoken of as one huge event.
2. Matt 13.47-50 – Parable of the net.
“Again, the kingdom of heaven...” Note: kingdom of heaven/God are the same (dispensationalists say different).
“...is like unto a net which when it was full...” Last judgement.
“So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall…sever the wicked from among the just and shall cast them into the furnace of fire”.
Again, LJ at the EOW, angels gathering and sorting good/bad (SEPN)
3. Matt 16.27
“The Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his deeds”.
LJ: ”every man” will be rewarded on this occasion. This happens at the Second Coming (SC).
Observe: the same things happen at Christ's SC as at the EOW. LJ, angels, SEPN
Spoken of as the same great occasion.
4. Matt 25.31-4, 41, 46
“When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him (SC, with angels), then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory. And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them (SEPN) one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats...Inherit the kingdom prepared for you...These shall go away into everlasting punishment.” (SC, SEPN, LJ, EK)
Identical events at the EOW and SC.
5. Matt 24.29-31
“All the tribes of the earth…shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he shall send his angels…and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.”
SC a mighty upheaval, visible, angels gathering and separating (SEPN). Again the EOW at SC.
Note: SC will be visible to all (no secret rapture).
6. Matt 24.27
SC will be unexpected, sudden, visible to all): “as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.”
7. John 5.27-29
“The hour is coming in the which all that are in the graves…shall come forth...unto the resurrection of life...unto the resurrection of damnation”.
Resurrection of all the dead (RESN), when there will be SEPN, LJ.
Add resurrection to this great event. Will occur immediately before LJ.
8. John 6.40
“I will raise him up at the last day.” RESN on an occasion called the Last Day.
9. John 11.23
“Thy brother shall rise again. Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day.” RESN on the Last Day.
10. John 12.48
“The word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day.”
LJ on the Last Day.
Suppose you knew nothing about Revelation or common views of believers. After reading the Gospels you would believe in one Last Day with the following components:
SC (sudden, unexpected, visible), with all the angels, RESN, SEPN, LJ, EOW, EK.
ACTS and EPISTLES (5 texts)
1. Acts 1.11
“This same Jesus shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.”
SC visible, bodily return.
2. 1 Cor 15.52-54
“For the trumpet shall sound and the dead shall be raised incorruptible...Then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.”
RESN, new bodies “raised incorruptible”. Destruction of death (DD).
3. 2 Thess 1.7-2.2
“The Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God…who shall be punished with everlasting destruction…when he shall come to be glorified in his saints…in that day”.
SC, with the angels, SEPN, LJ
Called “the day of Christ”
4. 2 Tim 4.1
“Who shall judge the quick and the dead (RESN, LJ) at his appearing (SC) and his kingdom (EK)”.
5. 2 Pet 3.7, 10-13
“The heavens and the earth…are…reserved unto fire against the day of judgement”. (LJ) “...The day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth and the works that are therein shall be burned up (SC, EOW)
End of the universe. “New heavens and a new earth” (EK).
SUMMARY
There will be one great day – called the day of the Lord/ day of Christ/ last day.
On that day there will be the:
SC (sudden, unexpected, visible), with all the angels
RESN of all the dead, SEPN of believers from unbelievers, LJ
EOW, end of the Universe, DD
New incorruptible bodies, new Heavens and Earth, EK
A FEW QUESTIONS
1. What of those who are alive at the Second Coming?
1 Thess 4.16-17 “The dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.”
BCF 31 para 2: “At the last day, those of the saints who are still alive shall not sleep (die) but shall be changed.”
2. Will they be different bodies?
BCF 31 para 2: “All the dead shall be raised up with their own, same bodies, and none other...” Recognisable.
Job 19.26 “And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God: whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes behold, and not another.”
3. In what way will they be different?
1 Cor 15.42-43 “It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption: it is sown in dishonour; it is raised in in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power.”
Adapted for eternity. No ageing, disease.
Phil 3.21 “Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body.”
BCF 31 para 2: “...although with different qualities, and these bodies shall be united again to their souls for ever.”
4. Why is the date kept secret?
BCF 32 para 3: “He will have that day kept unknown to men, that they may shake off all carnal security, and always be watchful, because they know not at what hour the Lord will come.”
Mark 13.35 “Watch ye...for ye know not when the master...cometh…lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping.”
CONCLUSION
God will wind up everything one day. Like closing down a massive business empire.
Why do some believers think it will be more complex? One small passage in Revelation 20.
Impact of rest of NT overlooked.
The Lord Jesus Christ and the Apostle Paul would never sign up to a dispensational statement of faith!
