Condensed Theology, Lecture 47, Eschatology Part 03

8/6/2019 Condensed Theology, Lecture 47, Eschatology Part 03

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Condensed Theology

A Primer in Systematic Theology


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Eschatology

What does the Bible teach aboutlast things?


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Review

The Structure of Eschatology


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Review: The Structure ofEschatology

The Bible understands history to unfold in

two successive ages: This present age

And the age to come


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This present age is characterized by

The temporal and transient (marriage andbeing given in marriage),

Evil, and therefore an age to which Christiansmust not conform,

Impotent ignorance of spiritual truth,

The implicit worship of the devil, And spiritual and physical death.


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And this present age is characterized by

The rule of Jesus Christ,

Spiritual and temporal blessings for those whoembrace the gospel,

And the presence of Christ with believers tothe end of the age.


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Review and Embellishment:The Structure of Eschatology

The age to come is characterized on the

one hand by the oppositeof this presentage; it is characterized by The eternal and permanent

Righteousness, and therefore an age to whichChristians must conform themselves,

Real knowledge and all discernment of the

truth, Worship of the true and living triune God,

And spiritual and physical life.


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Review and Embellishment:The Structure of Eschatology

On the other hand, the age to come

shares at least three characteristics of thispresent age:

The rule of Jesus Christ,

Spiritual and eternalblessings for those whoembrace the gospel,

And the presence of Christ with believersforever.


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Review

The End of the Age


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Review: The End of the Age

Since history is understood to unfold in

this fashion, it follows that in order for theage to come to arrive, this present agemust end.

That this age will end is clearly taught inthe Bible

Indeed, it will end with the followingevents:


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The Second Coming of Jesus Christ (the

bodily return of Jesus to the earth).

The resurrection of the just and unjust

The judgment of the just and unjust The restoration of creation (the restoration

of all thingsthe regeneration).


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The issue of the resurrection of the just

and unjust,

As well as the issue of the judgment of the

just and unjust at the end of the age Leads us to the area of eschatology called

personal, or individual eschatology.

Personal eschatology asks, What willhappen to meat the end of the age?


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Personal Eschatology

Death


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Death Death is the consequence and judgment for sin;

it is everyones destiny unless the Lordintervenes to prevent it. Gen 2:17: but from the tree of the knowledge

of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day

that you eat from it you will surely die. Rom 5:12: Therefore, just as through one man

sin entered into the world, and death throughsin, and so death spread to all men, because all

sinned. 1 Cor 15:22: For as in Adam all die, so also in

Christ all will be made alive.


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Death

Death results in different things for

different people depending upon theirrelationship to Christ.


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Death

For Christians


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Death: For Christians Death cannot separate Christians from the

love of God in Christ Rom 8:38-39: For I am convinced that

neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor

principalities, nor things present, northings to come, nor powers, nor height,nor depth, nor any other created thing, will

be able to separate us from the love ofGod, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.


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Death: For Christians Death is no longer fearsome

Heb 2:14-15: Therefore, since the children share inflesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook ofthe same, that through death He might renderpowerless him who had the power of death, that is,

the devil, and might free those who through fear ofdeath were subject to slavery all their lives.

John 11:25-26: Jesus said to her, I am the

resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me willlive even if he dies, and everyone who lives andbelieves in Me will never die. Do you believe this?


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Death: For Christians Death is a better state than the present one; for it means deeper

communion with the risen Christ;

This state is theologically referred to as the intermediate statesince it is the state of existence for human beings following theirdeaths and prior to their resurrection from the dead at the Last Day.

Phil 1:21-23: For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. But if I am to

live on in the flesh, this will mean fruitful labor for me; and I do not knowwhich to choose. But I am hard-pressed from both directions, having thedesire to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better.

2 Cor 5:8: we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be

absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord.

Luke 23:43: And [Jesus] said to him, Truly I say to you, today you shallbe with Me in Paradise.

Heb 12:23: to the general assembly and church of the firstborn whoare enrolled in heaven, and to God, the Judge of all, and to the spirits of

the righteous made perfect.


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Death

For Non-Christians


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Death: For Non-Christians Death is the termination of the possibility for a non-Christian

to experience the mercy of God in Christ;

There are no second chances to trust in Christ after death. 2 Cor 5:10: For we must all appear before the judgment seat of

Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds inthe body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.

Rom 2:5-10: But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant

heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrathand revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who WILLRENDER TO EACH PERSON ACCORDING TO HIS DEEDS: tothose who by perseverance in doing good seek for glory andhonor and immortality, eternal life; but to those who are selfishly

ambitious and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness,wrath and indignation. There will be tribulation and distress forevery soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of theGreek, but glory and honor and peace to everyone who doesgood, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.


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Death: For Non-Christians Death is a worse state than the present one; for it means

an immediate experience of the judgment of God; This state is theologically referred to as the intermediate

state since it is the state of existence for human beingsfollowing their deaths and prior to their resurrection fromthe dead at the Last Day.

Luke 16:24-25: And [the rich man] cried out and said, FatherAbraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus so that he maydip the tip of his finger in water and cool off my tongue, for I amin agony in this flame. But Abraham said, Child, remember thatduring your life you received your good things, and likewiseLazarus bad things; but now he is being comforted here, and you

are in agony. 2 Pet 2:9: The Lord knows how to rescue the godly from

temptation, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment forthe day of judgment.


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The Intermediate State


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The Intermediate State This phrase (the intermediate state) has

reference to the condition of human beingsafter their deaths and prior to theirresurrection from the dead.

The souls of human beings are separatedfrom their bodies until the Last Day whenthey are reunited with their bodies to face

either everlasting life or everlastingcontempt.


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The Intermediate State Dan 12:2: Many of those who sleep in the dust of the

ground will awake, these to everlasting life, but the

others to disgrace and everlasting contempt. John 5:28-29: Do not marvel at this; for an hour is

coming, in which all who are in the tombs will hear Hisvoice, and will come forth; those who did the good deeds

to a resurrection of life, those who committed the evildeeds to a resurrection of judgment. Acts 24:15: having a hope in God, which these men

cherish themselves, that there shall certainly be aresurrection of both the righteous and the wicked.

Matt 25:46: These will go away into eternal punishment,but the righteous into eternal life.


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The Intermediate State Believers, as we have seen in our lecture on glorification,

will have their bodies transformed into the image ofJesus Christ. 1 Cor 15:50-53: Now I say this, brethren, that flesh and blood

cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does the perishableinherit the imperishable. Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not

all sleep, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in thetwinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound,and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will bechanged. For this perishable must put on the imperishable, andthis mortal must put on immortality.

Phil 3:21: who will transform the body of our humble state intoconformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of thepower that He has even to subject all things to Himself.


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The Intermediate State The nature of unbelievers transformed

bodies is not described in Scripture; What we can say is simply that they will be

fitted for an eternity of torment in body andsoul in hell.

Matt 10:28: Do not fear those who kill the

body but are unable to kill the soul; but ratherfear Him who is able to destroy both soul andbody in hell.


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The Final Judgment


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The Final Judgment

The Judgment of Believers


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The Final Judgment: Believers Believers will be justly judged

2 Cor 5:10: For we must all appear before thejudgment seat of Christ, so that each one may berecompensed for his deeds in the body, according towhat he has done, whether good or bad.

Romans 14:10 For we will all stand before thejudgment seat of God. For it is written, "AS I LIVE,SAYS THE LORD, EVERY KNEE SHALL BOW TO

ME, AND EVERY TONGUE SHALL GIVE PRAISETO GOD." So then each one of us will give anaccount of himself to God.


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The Final Judgment: Believers The judgment of believers is a judgment at

which time they will be rewarded for their goodworks;

The reward they will receive, however, is notsalvation: John 5:24: Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My

word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life,and does not come into judgment, but has passed outof death into life.

Rom 8:1: Therefore there is now no condemnationfor those who are in Christ Jesus.


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The Final Judgment: Believers The judgment of believers is a judgment at which time

they will be rewarded for their good works. 1 Cor 3:12-15: Now if any man builds on the foundation with

gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each man's workwill become evident; for the day will show it because it is to berevealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of eachman's work. If any man's work which he has built on it remains,he will receive a reward. If any man's work is burned up, he willsuffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.

1 Cor 4:5: Therefore do not go on passing judgment before thetime, but wait until the Lord comes who will both bring to light the

things hidden in the darkness and disclose the motives of men'shearts; and then each man's praise will come to him from God.


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The Final Judgment

The Judgment of Unbelievers


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The Final Judgment: Unbelievers Unbelievers will be justly judged

Rom 2:5-6, 8: But because of your stubbornness andunrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself inthe day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgmentof God, who WILL RENDER TO EACH PERSONACCORDING TO HIS DEEDS.8to those who are

selfishly ambitious and do not obey the truth, but obeyunrighteousness, wrath and indignation.

Matt 11:21-22: Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you,Bethsaida! For if the miracles had occurred in Tyre and

Sidon which occurred in you, they would have repentedlong ago in sackcloth and ashes. Nevertheless I say toyou, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the dayof judgment than for you.


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The Final Judgment: Unbelievers The just judgment of the unbelieving is an eternity of

conscious punishment in the torment of hell. Dan 12:1-2: Now at that time Michael, the great prince who

stands guard over the sons of your people, will arise. And therewill be a time of distress such as never occurred since there wasa nation until that time; and at that time your people, everyonewho is found written in the book, will be rescued. Many of thosewho sleep in the dust of the ground will awake, these toeverlasting life, but the others to disgrace and everlastingcontempt.

Matt 25:46: These will go away into eternal punishment, but the

righteous into eternal life. 2 Thess 1:9: These will pay the penalty of eternal destruction,

away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of Hispower,


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The Final Judgment: Unbelievers The just judgment of the unbelieving is an eternity of

conscious punishment in the torment of hell. Rev 14:9-11: Then another angel, a third one, followed them,

saying with a loud voice, "If anyone worships the beast and hisimage, and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, healso will drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is mixed infull strength in the cup of His anger; and he will be tormentedwith fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and inthe presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment goesup forever and ever; they have no rest day and night, those whoworship the beast and his image, and whoever receives themark of his name.

Rev 20:10 And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the

lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophetare also; and they will be tormented day and night forever andever.


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The Final Judgment: Unbelievers

The just judgment of the unbelieving is an

eternity of conscious punishment in thetorment of hell.

The justice of hell has frequently beenassailed.

Consider the quotation from writer, Clark

Pinnock, on the following slide:


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The Final Judgment: Unbelievers Let me say at the outset that I consider the concept of

hell as endless torment in body and mind an outrageous

doctrine, a theological and moral enormity, a baddoctrine of the tradition which needs to be changed.How can Christians possibly project a deity of suchcruelty and vindictiveness whose ways include inflictingeverlasting torture upon his creatures, however sinfulthey may have been? Surely a God who would do sucha thing is more nearly like Satan than like God, at leastby any ordinary moral standards, and by the gospelitself.Does the one who told us to love our enemies

intend to wreak vengeance on his own enemies for alleternity? [Clark Pinnock, The Destruction of the FinallyImpenitent, Criswell Theological Review, 4 (1990), 246-47, 253 quoted in Cornelis P Venema, The Promise ofthe Future(Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth, 2000), 427].


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The Final Judgment: Unbelievers

The objections marshaled against the

biblical doctrine of eternal punishment failto take into account three critical elementsof theology:

The character of God: God is infinitely holy.

The nature of sin: Sin is measured against thewill and character of God.

The nature of grace: Grace is undeserved.


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The Final Judgment The final judgment is included both in the

area of personal eschatology as well asgeneral eschatology;

For it is at the bodily return of Jesus Christthat believers and unbelievers, followingtheir resurrection, will be judged.

Condensed Theology, Lecture 47, Eschatology Part 03

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