Auto Transcript
Note: This rough transcript was automatically generated by YouTube’s AI algorithm. We provide it here for your convenience, but know it will surely contain errors as it has not been proofread or edited by a human.
created mankind and then we saw the fall of man into corruption Adam and Eve sin and the plunging of the entire human race into rebellion against God and the catastrophe of the flood and which the whole world was flooded all life was wiped out except that which was saved on the ark and that which existed in the seas then there was the confusion at Babel where the nations the peoples of the earth were separated according to their different languages because of man’s pride and resisting the Lord and trying to build monument to greatness to himself in the city and Tower of Babel and then we had all that intervening period where the Lord was preparing the way for Christ and this this involved the Kingdom of Israel this involved the patriarchs this involved the Messianic prophecies but ultimately it culminated with the coming of Christ the beginning of the New Testament and we also looked at Christ’s ministry culminating in the cross where he provides the perfect sacrifice for sin he suffers the wrath of God on behalf of believers all those who would look to Christ to be their substitute and to be their righteousness for them and Christ went back into heaven and he commissioned his apostles his representatives to continue to teach on his behalf and to begin the church and we’ve looked at how the Apostles minister and we looked at their teaching we looked at their letters but now we come to the last C of the seven C’s of history and that is the consummation now normally we use the term consummation in English to describe a bride groom and a bride officially cementing their new marriage by coming together in physical union cementing their new marriage bond and in some ways this final sea term does have that in mind because their church and Christ are described is if as if in a wedding relationship a marriage relationship the church is the Bride of Christ and we’re talking about the coming together of Jesus our bridegroom with us his church and we’re going to dwell intimately with him for evermore that’s what the consummation is about these future events are going to describe but our English word for consummation ultimately comes from the Latin word that means of summing up a finishing or a completion and I think this is more fundamentally what we’re talking about when we when we use the term consummation in the seven C’s of history and many scripture references that refer to the summing up of all things in Christ or talk about our salvation coming to a completion or being finished or perfected and all that is involved in this 7th see but what we’re referring to them specifically by using this term are the series of events that mark the completion of human history the marriage of Christ to his church and the summing up of all things in God the Son this is our last to see of history but is it really history because it hasn’t happened yet so how could we use that term well from one perspective from a human perspective you could say it’s not history since it hasn’t happened yet but from another perspective a divine perspective it is indeed history this is because of the nature of God and the nature of his revelation God knows the future perfectly not only that he is as the sovereign Lord of the universe he is also making the future come to pass the future is so sure in God’s mind that there are many scriptures that talk about future events in the past tense it’s as if they’ve already happened because they are so sure because of God’s knowledge and because of God’s sovereignty the future is practically history to him but not only that God as the transcendent god that he is is eternal and outside of time now this is hard for us to comprehend because we’re very much bound to time but he is not he is not confined to the present he’s actually in the past and in the present and in the future all at the same time we can’t happen again we cannot fully fathom that but this is another reason why the future is so sure and even history to God because he’s already present in the future it’s all and in one sense the future has already happened it is happening and it will happen because God is outside of time or he’s in every time at once again that’s really hard for us to comprehend but that’s what it is to be an eternal being and we are finite so it we can’t we can’t exist like that but this is another reason why we can say that this seventh seed is consummation these final events in a sense they are really history they are so sure they can be described as history so all that to say Christ’s coming and all the events associated with that are assure is everything that has already taken place both in the scriptures and in a time since then so this is our topic today we’re talking about the seventh day history what does the Bible have to say about Jesus and his return well a whole lot and at the sense we’ve saved the easiest lesson for last right no not even close this is extremely big topic and in some ways difficult topic we could not say all that needs to be said in just one lesson we sometimes think that the Bible has where sometimes think of the Bible and it’s different books and we think that revelation is where we hear all about the future and the last days and the events the consummation and that’s true there’s a lot to say in revelation about those things but that is not the only place where that appears in fact eschatology the study or information regarding the last things and events it’s all over the scriptures that branch of theology really begins in the first five books of Moses and it extends throughout the Old Testament and then of course goes into the New Testament Gospels the letters and then finally the book of Revelation let me consider just a couple of verses even some of the ones that we’ve looked at together in our Sunday School class that have to do with eschatology that are not in the last book of the Bible Deuteronomy 30 verse 6 I use this reference a lot it’s one of those promises given to Israel that’s not yet been fulfilled Deuteronomy 30 verse 6 moreover Yahweh your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants to love Yahweh your God with all your heart and with all your soul so that you may live this isn’t this is a prophecy related to the last days because it has not happened yet or Psalm 2 verses 8 and 9 Psalm 2 8 9 this is the Lord speaking to his son the Messiah ask of me and I will surely give you the nation’s as your inheritance and the very ends of the earth is your possession you shall break them with a rod of iron you shall shatter them like earthenware or one more example Malachi chapter 4 verses 1 to 4 and this one is one we definitely went through together Malachi 4 verses 1 to 4 for behold the day is coming burning like a furnace and all the arrogant and every evildoer will be chaste and the day that is coming will set them ablaze as yahweh of hosts so that it will leave them neither root nor branch but as for you who fear my name the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings and you will go forth and skip like calves skip about like calves from the stall and you will tread down the wicked for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day which i am preparing says Yahweh hosts this is just giving an example pal truth declarations about the last days and last things they’re all over the scriptures in fact I would bet and I haven’t checked this socket I can’t say this with certainty but I would bet that there are more books in the Bible on both the Old Testament and the New Testament they have something to say about eschatology than those that don’t because it’s all over the place so this isn’t something that we can just file away is like oh yeah that’s like that little thing that appears in the end of the Bible no it’s all over the place which means that we’re gonna have to narrow our focus today if we’re gonna be able to say anything even sort of introductory regarding the consummation and the last things so here’s what we are gonna discuss today here’s our here’s aren’t more narrow focus first gonna define three key terms in relation to Christ’s coming we’re not going to try and discuss everything we’re just going to focus on three terms and three passages that talk about those three key terms having do with the last things we’re also going to outline the major views when it comes to Christians Protestants when it comes to Christ’s coming and then we’ll briefly consider what are the biblical applications and exhortations related to the expectation of our Lord’s coming that’s still a lot to do so let’s ask the Lord’s help as we continue in this lesson today our God we thank you for the coming consummation but help me to be able to describe this in a way that is helpful even in the limited scope and time we have today Lord are pitted should be with me and your view with your people that you would encourage them and that you would sober them by this information that you’re coming in Jesus name Amen let’s start first with defining three key theological terms related to the consummation the first place we’re going to go to do that as first Thessalonians chapter 4 verses 13 to 18 the question that really is forming our investigation of these three terms is this Christ is going to return but what exactly is going to happen as part of his return in three terms that are used answering that question are and are really part of any discussion of eschatology are the terms rapture tribulation and millennium rapture tribulation and millennium but are these really biblical terms and if so from where do they come well we’re going to investigate that now we’re starting here in Thessalonians remember the first Thessalonians is this letter of exhortation towards perseverance and holiness and through suffering in light of Christ’s coming so there’s a very good chance we’re gonna find one of those terms if not more than one of those terms in this book and there’s a book that is known for its eschatological teaching chapter 4 is a there’s where we see a section of exhortation and application in Thessalonians and in verse 13 he shifts to a specific discussion of last things and the church so look at verses 1318 we’ll read that together 1st Thessalonians 4 verses 1318 but we do not want you to be uninformed brethren about those who are asleep so that you’re not Grievous to the rest you have no hope for if we believe that Jesus died and rose again even so God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus for this we say to you by the word of the Lord that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will not precede those who have fallen asleep for the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout with the voice of the Archangel and with the trumpet of God and the dead in Christ will rise first then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air and so we shall always be with the Lord therefore comfort one another with these words let’s observe this passage nurse what prompts Paul to speak these words in verses 13 and 14 there’s a misunderstanding in the Thessalonians about those who are asleep and the coming of the Lord Jesus now in context it’s clear we’re not talking about people who are just taking a nap what kind of people are those who have fallen asleep these are the dead these are the department ones these are those people who have already died and that’s that’s even said explicitly later in the text so there’s a misunderstanding about dead departed Saints and the coming of the Lord and this misunderstanding has affected the believers in Thessalonica to the point of grief even grief on the level of those who have no hope so Paul wants to clarify and correct this misunderstanding in the church and in verse 14 he clarifies that those who have died in Jesus departed Saints will actually come with Jesus when Jesus appears again and that’s not all verse 15 clarifies that believers who are alive at the coming of the Lord will not precede those who have already died those believers who have already died at jesus is coming back verses 16 to 17 give us an order of and I reflected it on this line Paul says that first the Lord Himself will descend from heaven and there’s this descent is accompanied by three elements there is a shout there is the voice of the Archangel and there is sounding of the trumpet of God second the dead Saints in Christ rise they rise from the dead and then thirdly the alive Saints also rise notice that then in the beginning of verse 17 this term is reflected or this term our English translation reflects what appears in the Greek this part about the alive Saints rising it occurs after the dead Saints have risen this is the next step in a sequence and this is this makes sense with what Paul’s already said those who are live will by no means precede those who have already fallen asleep know clearly they what happens to them comes after the rising of those who have already slept how those who are already asleep I notice where everyone’s going they rise to the clouds to meet the Lord in the air and notice how they get there the term that we have in our translation is they will be caught up we could also translate the same Greek term as they will be snatched up or snatched away or stolen or even taken away so then these alive Saints and the dead Saints they are snatched upward and brought together to be with the Lord and that’s the result kind of like nectar chapter number four in our sequence the Saints will always be with the Lord this is the new permanent state of believers they will meet Christ in the air and they will never be separated from him notice the sudden switch to we in the text doesn’t say this will happen to believers but he says this will we will always be with the Lord Paul his companions included and the Thessalonians this is not an abstract truth this has personal application for the church so even for us even for you at Calvary we will always be with the Lord when these things take place and notice Paul’s summary application to these truths in verse 18 therefore comfort one another with these words so whatever Paul is telling in church whatever you were grieving about related to the dead Saints and the Lord’s coming grieve no more tell each other about this truth and take comfort right so we’ve made these observations just ask a couple of questions related to interpretation what was this misunderstanding in the church it was causing them so much grief we don’t know specifically because the Texan tell us but from what is implied there seems to have been some some kind of idea that dead believers those who had already died but trusted in Christ they were going to somehow miss out on the Lord’s coming they might even become second-class citizens in the kingdom of God and perhaps the believers who are alive would no longer be able to see departed believers ever again they would be separate from now on they wouldn’t be able to be reunited with each other because well they already died so they missed out on the Lord’s coming they can’t be with the rest of the group there’s some sort of misunderstanding along those lines and that would be a pretty sad prospect right you would grieve intensely over your departed brethren if you thought hey they’re not they’re not going to be able to be with us when we see the Lord and we might not be able to see the member again but Paul says look guys it’s actually the opposite far from being left out those who have died already in the Lord they’re going to be the first participants in Christ coming in fact they’re gonna be participating before you they won’t be separated from you or Christ you will be gathered together with them and be forever with the Lord and that would be a pretty comforting correction that appears to be the issue another question how is it that God will both bring with him those who are already dead and caused them to rise and meet him in the air I could Paco those both be true well most likely Paul is making a distinction between the souls of believers of those who have already died and the bodies of those believers still left on the earth the bodies of the believers who are already with Christ who come with him when he appears in the air I’m sorry the souls of Hamas’s the souls are already with the Lord they come with him but their bodies are raised from the earth and they are joined to their souls in the air and they are now given their resurrected bodies forever this is one of the truths of the New Testament that there will be a resurrection a full Redemption even of our bodies even when our spirits or our souls are with the Lord there will still be a resurrection of our bodies that appears to be what Paul is describing here that there is this joining the soul and body at this during this event that Paul describes and this sense Lord is able to bring his Saints with him but also as the bodies rise he meets them in the air that’s probably what Paul was getting at here it is possible that we need to translate the term that is translated bring in our text that the Lord will bring with him it can also be translated lead or lead away so it doesn’t doesn’t explicitly mean that he has brought them with him but that as he gathers them together he leads them and leave them away or leave them going forward so that is another way of looking at this text rather way this is this is totally possible for the Lord to do but probably the biggest question here I told you this would be important for looking at our Terms specifically the one I want to highlight here is the term rapture we see the rapture here sit where’s rapture in the text that works not in the text well actually our word rapture is roughly equivalent the greek term used here for snatching away in latin the verb wrap also means to snatch away to carry off or to abduct so while the English word rapture doesn’t appear in our translation the idea is most clearly there so here’s the big I here’s the big point when it comes to describing Christ’s coming one key element is the rapture the snatching away of believers or Saints to meet the Lord in the air this is one of the things that Paul says is gonna happen we see it here and we do see it also mentioning in other scriptures so this is our first key term the rapture is a biblical concept and it is involved in the consummation let’s now look at our second term tribulation and for this one let’s turn over to Matthew chapter 24 Matthew 24 verses 15 to 31 now remember that the Gospel of Matthew is especially written to show forth Jesus as Israel’s Messiah King but also that though his people reject his kingdom it will still come messiahs kingdom will still come now chapters 24 and 25 in the book of Matthew are one of Jesus’s major discourses the book of Matthew features several major discourses from Jesus the one in these two chapters is the Olivet discourse a long talk or speech that Jesus gives during his passion week from the mount of olives to his disciples this discourse begins after Jesus announces that the Great Temple of Jerusalem will be utterly destroyed the disciples asked for clarification you go to Matthew 24 verse 3 you can see the question that the disciples ask they say well I’ll just read the whole verse Matthew 24 verse 3 as he was sitting on the Mount of Olives the disciples came to him privately saying tell us when will these things happen and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age now you may notice that disciples linked together the destruction of the temple with Jesus coming and the end of time the end of the age they see these things happening all together happening simultaneously but Jesus’s answer complicates their pre understanding in verses 4 to 14 which we won’t read we don’t have time Jesus tells them what will happen before the end they’re gonna be events that are happening as we get closer to the end and happening increasingly but in verses 15 to 31 he talks about the end itself and that’s the section I want to read together with you so look at Matthew 24 verses 15 to 31 starting at verse 15 therefore when you see the abomination of desolation which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet standing in the Holy Place let the reader understand then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains whoever’s on the housetop must not go down to get the things out that are in his house whoever’s in the field must not turn back to get his cloak but woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days but pray that your flight will not be in the winter or on a Sabbath for then there will be a Great Tribulation such has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now nor ever will unless those days have been cut short no life would have been saved but for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short and if anyone says to you behold here is the Christ or there he is do not believe him for false Christ’s and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders so as to mislead if possible even the elect behold I’ve told you in advance so if they say to you behold he’s in the wilderness do not go out or behold he is in the inner rooms do not believe them there just as the Lightning comes from the east and flashes even to the west so will the coming of the Son of man be wherever the corpse is there the vultures will gather but immediately after the tribulation of those days the Sun will be darkened and assume the moon will not give its light and the Stars will fall from the sky and the powers of the heavens will be jaqen and then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn and they will see the Son of man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory and he will send forth his angels with a great trumpet and will gather together his elect from the four winds from one end of the sky to the other all right there’s a large text we can’t look at all the details but let’s notice some things we do see the word tribulation in this text verse 21 for then there will be a Great Tribulation now Jesus has already mentioned the word earlier in chapter 24 it talks about that there will be tribulations before the end including persecution for preaching the gospel but now he remarks about a Great Tribulation I love our tribulation it just means a cause of great trouble or suffering tribulation a cause of great trouble or suffering so if there’s a Great Tribulation then we’re talking about something extremely intense the idea great is already in the word tribulation Jesus promises that at the end as part of the end there will be great trouble and suffering of such magnitude and scope that nothing has ever been like it or ever will be like it ever again and notice what event is about what event begins or is at least linked with the beginning of the Great Tribulation and that is the placing of the abomination of desolation in the holy place that term holy place must be referring to the Temple in Jerusalem that’s how that term is used throughout the scripture this presupposes the existence of a temple in the days of the end there will be a temple and there will be some sort of defiling of that temple a placing of an abomination of desolation even in the holy place of that temple now notice though we do have that link between the beginning of the end or some sort of escalation in the tribulation of the end there’s no precise timing given for the length of this tribulation we’re not told how long it will last but we are told that it is shortened for the sake of the elect because otherwise no one would survive now notice what Jesus also warns in verses 27 to 28 regarding those who say that Christ has come look Messiah is here what does Jesus say automatically disproves the idea that the Messiah has come secretly and you need to go find him or find him out what concept is linked with messiahs coming so that there won’t be it there won’t be a need for you to be like oh look he’s over there come to find out notice the two analogies Jesus kids says when he comes it’s gonna be like the lightning in the sky you don’t have to tell somebody oh you know there’s a flash you can all see it because it lights up the whole sky or he says it’s gonna be like vultures gathering around a corpse maybe we’re not as familiar with this because I’m more urban living but when there’s a dead animal or a carcass in a certain place you can see it from miles around because you see these circling of vultures and other carrion type birds in the sky you can see it from a long distance away it’s obvious that someone has died because you can see the vultures so it will be with the coming of Messiah it’s gonna be obvious you won’t need somebody to tell you oh look come and see know you’ll know so he says don’t don’t be deceived by these false messiahs and these false claims and then notice what Jesus says will happen at the end of the Great Tribulation the end of the end he says there will be great disturbances in the cosmos there will be a disruption of the heavenly powers and then the Son of Man will appear in the clouds with glory tribes of the earth will mourn there will be angels there will be a trumpet there will be a gathering of his elect I mean notice some of this sounds a little bit like first Thessalonians 4 passes we just looked at so from from just these we see more about what events are going to be associated with the end we can say more about this passage but I need to keep moving let’s do ask a few interpretation questions though based also on this passage and the idea of tribulation clearly this passage tells us that there will be a time of great trouble a time of tribulation in the future as part of the end but where does Christ’s coming fit in relation to this Great Tribulation if you’re thinking about timing how does tribulation and how does Christ coming fit together this passage it’s pretty clear that Jesus is coming is after the tribulation we talked about there’s gonna be this tribulation there’s gonna be a time of great trouble and then the Lord will appear the sign of the Lord will be in the sky will come on the clouds of glory and various other things will happen so we see that Jesus comes after the tribulation now we also noted there are some parallels the 1st Thessalonians 4 passage or at least some things that sounds similar there’s that there’s the mention of an angel a trumpet and a gathering of the elect so then do verses 30 and 31 of Matthew referred to the rapture the same thing that 1st Thessalonians 4 discusses well it’s possible and some theologians do take this passage that way and that means therefore the rapture would take place at the end of the tribulation but there are other New Testament verses that have to do with it rapture which also need to be taken into account while we’re putting together our our chronology of the last things I’m not gonna discuss that just yet we’ll talk about some of the different Muzo a little bit later on but let’s not forget though that the Old Testament has also described repeatedly a different kind of gathering of God’s people at the coming of Messiah there is the rapture yes but don’t forget some of the same or some of the Old Testament passages that we’ve looked at together such as isaiah 43 verses 5 to seven I don’t know if you looked at this passage specifically but we certainly looked at some like it I say it 43 verses 5 to 7 says this speaking of Israel Isaiah 43 verses 5 to 7 do not fear for I am with you I will bring your offspring from the east and gather you from the west I will say to the north give them up and to the south do not hold them back bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the ends of the earth everyone who was called by my name and whom I have created from my glory whom I have formed even whom I have made so there is another gathering that we are but that we need to consider when it comes to the last things that is the gathering of the people of Israel from all over the world to return to their land and this is not simply a gathering that was fulfilled and Israel’s return from exile in Babylon that gathering was from the north but God says this will be a gathering from north east west and south from all over the world and that son the Old Testament happens at the return of that that happens with the coming of the Messiah and that fits exactly with what Matthew is talking about here remember Matthew also is a book that is focused has a very much a flavor of the Jews throughout the book of Matthew is showing you this to be the Jewish Messiah it’s talking about the kingdom that the Jews have rejected but is still coming so there’s good reasons for us to see that this gathering here in Matthew 24 is referring to the gathering that has to do with Israel though again some take it as the gathering of All Saints in the rapture so what have we seen so far we’ve seen that in the coming consummation there will be a rapture a snatching away of believers to be with the Lord in the air we’ve also seen that there will be tribulation there’ll be tribulation that comes before the end and before Christ’s coming tribulation is part of the end but before Christ’s coming now the last term I want to identify with you is the trim millennium is the millennium in the Bible of course we’re not talking about the Millennium Falcon I’m not even sure how that name makes sense that makes for good sci-fi let’s return to Revelation chapter 20 Revelation chapter 20 verses 1 to 15 alright we finally come to the book of Revelation yes this book is a lot to say about what will happen in the final days in Revelation chapter 19 verses 11 21 our writer john he’s having these visions from the lord about what will happen in the future in revelation 19 verses 11 to 21 John describes a vision of the Lord appearing with his army of saints and in this vision the Lord slays all the rebels of the earth who have gathered against the Messiah and against his people he slays them with a sword of his mouth and it is a great slaughter and it’s and part of that slaughter is the the deposition the casting down of the great and evil human ruler of the world who was called the beast in Revelation we sometimes call him Antichrist he is at the end of Revelation 19 thrown alive into the lake of fire so the army of rebels has been destroyed the Antichrist so the Beast has been dealt with and then we get revelation 20 verses 1 to 15 let’s now read that together starting in verse 1 revelation 20 verses 1 to 15 then I saw an angel coming down from heaven holding the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand and he laid hold of the dragon the serpent of old who is the devil and Satan and bound him for a thousand years he threw him into the abyss and shut it and sealed it over him so that he would not deceive the nation’s any longer until the thousand years were completed after these things he must be released for a short time then I saw Thrones and they sat on them and judgment was given to them and I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony of Jesus and because of the Word of God and those who had not worshiped the beast or his image and had not received a mark on their forehead and on their and they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years the rest of the Dead did not come to life until the thousand years were completed this is the first resurrection lesson and holy is the one who has a part in the first resurrection over these the second death has no power but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years when the thousand years are completed Satan will be released from his prison and will come out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth Gog and Magog to gather them together for the war the number of them is like the sand of the seashore and they came up on the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the Saints in the beloved city and fire came down from heaven and devoured them and the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are also and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever then I saw a great white throne and him who sat upon it from whose presence earth and heaven fled away and no place was found for them and I saw the dead the great and the small standing before the throne and books were opened and another book was opened which is the book of life and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books according to their deeds and the sea gave up the Dead which were in it and death and Hades gave up the Dead which were in them and they were judged everyone according to their deeds 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 okay here’s an even longer passage than our last one so obviously again we cannot observe everything we could but let’s notice a few things now the term millennium does not appear in our translation of the passage but we do see its equivalent millennium simply means a period of 1,000 years and we see the term of 1,000 years six times in our section of text notice that the millennium appears are this specific period and Kingdom that makes up this 1000 year period it appears in the text in our text after the description of Christ’s coming and after the destruction of the rebellious enemies and that would seem to suggest that this millennium takes place after the event of Christ’s coming that would be the sequence notice what also happens during this 1000 year period two main things it says Satan is bound in the abyss sealed there and there’s the reason why so that he would not deceive the nation’s any longer until the thousand years are completed the part of this 1000 years is a very unique thing Satan is bound away probably Satan and his demons there will not be demonic satanic deception going on in the earth during this period of 1000 years that’s one thing to notice second thing to notice during this a thousand years is that the martyred Saints those who died for the name of Jesus and they would not submit to Satan and his evil ruler the Beast and Antichrist they come to life during these a thousand years and they reign with Christ this is part of what’s called their first resurrection notice what happens at the end of the millennium at the end of the 1000 years same is released he leads one final rebellion of men against God and against God’s Saints these rebels are destroyed Satan himself is cast into the lake of fire forever and notice the purpose of this lake of fires told us told for us specifically it they are put there Saint just put there the Beast is put there others are put there to be tormented day and night for ever and ever also at the end of the millennium the first earth and heaven flee away that is there’s no place for them they are ended they’re gone and then the great white throne judgment occurs every unbeliever is now raised from the dead and then judged according to his deeds those who are judged apparently are all pronounced guilty because they are thrown into the lake of fire and once they are judged her rather once death in Hades and those are both terms just four trying to the grave Hades means the grave or the place of the dead once death and Hades give up their dead those places themselves are thrown into the lake of fire that’s the end of them and so are the people who once were part of them those who did not belong to Christ and we’re not in the book of life of course this is a pretty fearful aspect of the vision this is describing the the final judgment and the eternal torment of those outside of Christ but what happens to the Saints they saw that they they reign with the Lord during this a thousand year period but what else what happens next well that comes in the next two chapters of Revelation which we don’t it won’t look at today but that will come from another lesson so we see some things related to the rep to the term millennium in this passage let’s ask to interpretation questions is this 1,000 years literally a thousand years or is it just a long period of time now this question is at the heart of different eschatological views among Protestants at our church at Calvary we take the view that the millennium is indeed one thousand literal years we don’t really have time to go through all the reasons why today except to say that this view Accords well with a fundamental aspect of hermeneutics specifically did historical grammatical method of Hermann hermeneutics that principle is this if the plain sense or the literal sense makes sense seek no other since you probably heard that before it the plain sense makes sense seek no other sense plain sense here would be a little 1,000 years there are no clear clues and the context that this number is meant to be symbolic or this period is symbolic rather the surrounding details would indicate the opposite you have it set in contrast for example to a period of a short time so we would say that this is a literal 1,000 years but if you want a much fuller answer I can recommend you some resources our website our pastor has a sermon series entitled examining end time teaching this is from 2010 you can listen to those audio recordings paster covers these passages this passage and others specifically and you can hear why more why we take this as 1000 literal years what better yet you can pick up pastors book because we actually took that sermon series you may remember and we put it into a book basically the same title examining and time is teaching it’s available I think might still be in the Book Nook but it’s if not is definitely available at amazon.com all right for an e-book one dollar ebook or paperback I think it’s ten dollars anyways you can hear more there or you can just talk to the pastor or any of the elders you can hear more there why we take this view of 1000 literal years and answers to other eschatological questions but again we can’t talk about that in full today one other thing I do want to bring up there’s a reference here to the first resurrection and in this resurrection the martyred Saints reign with Christ now is this the same resurrection that Paul describes in 1st Thessalonians 4 in connection with their rapture sounds pretty similar right there’s a resurrection at the rapture to the dead rise according to Paul 1st Thessalonians 4 isn’t that what’s also being described here does that mean the rapture also takes place after the tribulation and at the beginning of millennia again some people would say yes that is that is one way to take this they would say that these two passages are describing the same event and they are happening at the same time but there is another way to look at this and that is that this resurrection described in Revelation notice it is of specifically the martyrs of the tribulation those who would not accept the mark of the beast those who would not bow to the world system it is they are specifically identified as rising and reigning with Christ so it is possible that the resurrection referred to here in Revelation 20 is specifically for them there is no mention of a rapture in Revelation chapter 20 no snatching up no no gathering in the air in fact the word or the concept of rapture is not in the book of Revelation except for Revelation chapter 3 where Jesus says to one of the churches I will keep you from the hour of trial which is to come so they are not necessarily the same the exact same event what what revelation describes can be part of connected to what first Thessalonians describes the first resurrection that that concept applies to both or can apply to both not necessarily happening the exact same time however the rapture and the resurrection not necessarily or the resurrection here of the tribulation Saints of those who died as martyrs not necessarily having at the same time again some say it is but some are there is another way of looking at that so what have we seen what are the the main things I want you to see from all this discussion we’ve seen that these three terms are clearly biblical when it comes to describing the consummation or the last things the last events there is indeed going to be a rapture associated with the Lord’s coming there’s going to be tribulation associated Lord’s coming and there’s going to be a millennium that’s it associated with the Lord’s coming now what is the relationship between these events what is the sequence what is the timing now we begin to see something of that and something that been answer that even from the past as we’ve looked at but this is where I want to introduce to you the prevailing views among Protestants as many of you know even our dear brothers and sisters in the Lord do not fully agree when it comes to the question of eschatology brethren that we would otherwise have sweet fellowship we’ll be partners in ministry were advancing the same gospel we love the same Lord we both belong to him we can’t have pretty different views when it comes to the consummation and the last things not only are there different views as to the exact sequence of events there are even some who give up on finding any answer at all they say well you know what we don’t know exactly what’s gonna happen in the end it’s just divisive it’s not that important now certainly the Scriptures are not at fault here the as with many other doctrinal issues that we still have differences among those who are even still brothers the problem is not the word and there’s not God it is the weakness of men that’s the reason why we have difficulty and that’s the reason why we don’t have unity on this issue central to the issue of eschatology is the practice and the understanding of hermeneutics remember that word hermeneutics just means principles of interpretation how would you interpret the Bible are you consistent in that interpretation that’s gonna affect your eschatology that’s gonna affect your understanding of last things in their timing now this is not to saying all this this is not to say that everything related to the last days is simple and easy to understand there are some pretty difficult puzzles to work through even if you are trying to be faithful and unbiased as an interpreter so we should have patience with one another when it comes to this issue especially where we’re like why don’t you see this you should understand this be patient help them through it but I I i profoundly disagree with those who say that well eschatology is not important or it’s just too unclear or it’s just too hard to understand it was given to us for our understanding and for our edification multiple times throughout the the New Testament and even the Old Testament descriptions of the end are given so that people will not only understand but become sanctified become encouraged and be warned you say I can’t really understand it then you’re gonna miss out on those purposes and that’s not the reason why God gave us those things not so we would just say that’s first that’s that has no application to me it is something that we need to work through so with those introductory comments set let me outline for you just briefly four main views among Christians when it comes to the events at the end times I should mention that there are many variations these four that I’m just going to briefly introduce to you so if you if you say yeah I ascribe to that but not all that or that sounds a little bit like it but not totally understand there’s a lot of variation but these three terms that we look rapture tribulation of millennium they help describe the four main views of the timing of the last events of the consummation oh look at these one by one with you with the help of some diagrams so first there’s the view called post-tribulation ‘l pre millennialism okay well what what are those terms mean actually they’re pretty descriptive of what the view actually is they basically are just describing the timing of these events the rapture the tribulation and the Cape in the millennial period of the Millennial Kingdom post tribulation all premillennialism is the view that asserts that the rapture takes place post or after the period of tribulation so that’s the first part of the term post tribulation rapture takes place after the tribulation and then the coming of Christ happens pre or before the kingdom of Christ the Millennial Kingdom of 1,000 years so post tribulation allure post-trib as it’s sometimes associated or sometimes called premillennialism or pre mil means rapture takes place at the end of the tribulation and Jesus comes before a millennium you can see that reflected in the diagram so in this view the rapture has believers go up to meet the Lord in the air and then come right back down because Jesus is establishing his kingdom on the earth this is post tribulation on premillennialism now similar view is pre-tribulational premillennialism and i notice the description is informative in the same way and this view the rapture takes place not after the Tribulation Period but before the Tribulation Period the believers are that believes on the on the earth of that time or actually rescued from the tribulation they don’t go through it and Christ comes again as with the first view before the pre Millennial Kingdom before the I’m sorry before the period of the millennium and before the Kingdom so rapture takes place before the tribulation and the coming of Jesus takes place before the Millennium now this is the view that our church affirms we believe that the most hermeneutical astound and can assistant view that is fairest to all the Scriptures both in the Old Testament the New Testament is the pre-trib pre mill you there will be a rapture there will be a Tribulation Period then Christ will come and establish his Millennial Kingdom now it’s worth noting that both the both versions of premillennialism post-trib and pre pre trib they generally see mankind getting worse and worse until the time of judgment until the Tribulation Period this is in stark contrast to the third main view post millennialism and the post-millennial view the church experienced experiences or experienced great tribulation in the past and/or in the present but the church will eventually triumph the church will succeed in its mission to bring the gospel to the world and the world and its society will be reformed once humanity reaches a certain level of revival a kingdom a millennial period of prosperity and justice will come to the earth so it’s kind of like the earth herb the world gets better and better and better and better until we arrive to this Golden Age known as the millennial period of the Millennial Kingdom and at the end of that period end of that Kingdom ended that millennium Jesus returns hence the name post-millennial Jesus coming comes at the end or after the millennial period Jesus comes to establish his are at the end of the triumphant Kingdom for final judgment and for the completion of the world’s salvation that’s the third year one more main view very strong in the Reformers and those who hold to the tradition of the Reformers is aa millennialism now you may notice the prefix aa and name for this view that means without amillennialism says that there is no millennium or no Millennial Kingdom or that if there is it is symbolic and or spiritual in the amillennial view the tribulation period described in the scripture actually describes the present evil age and things will get maybe worse before the end but we’re in the tribulation right now it is something that characterizes the church throughout their present age and also right now is the Millennium or something symbolic like the Millennium though Christ is not literally rain on the earth in person and an amillennial view he does rain in the church or in the hearts of believers or he does rain in heaven it is a spiritual Kingdom that he has established and that’s not going to be something established in the future that’s established right now so tribulation and millennium are actually happening right now in the church and after a undefined period of this tribulation and this millennial rule this spiritual rule Christ will return and the rapture will take place the resurrection will take place and the judgment will take place so again that’s just a broad brush outline of the main views among among many Christians and one when you process Protestants there are many variations to that now again we don’t have time to analyze these different views or why to argue specifically why we hold to the pre mil view the pre-trib pre-meal view and not the others again I recommend you check out those that sermon series actually pastor has a number of sermon series on the end times you can find on our website again that book that I mentioned and also I imagine to you this not too long ago but the Masters seminary did a faculty lecture series on premillennialism this year and you can find it I put the specific URL on there but you don’t have to copy all that down just go to TMS edu go to resources and then click Chappell Chappell archive and you can see the five or six lessons specifically on premillennialism coming at it from different angles what’s the New Testament say where the Old Testament say how does this interact with church history and theology systematic theology etc I would highly recommend to you that to you that was great blessing to me this year as I got to listen to those lectures even in Chapel here at the seminary anyways you can find much more about why we hold to what we do you check out those resources now you may have noticed it here that despite the differences in these four main views there are some consistencies they all see a place for these different elements the rapture the tribulation and the Millennium though most sometimes understood in different ways they’re all present moreover they all feature the same ending which is the return of Christ judgment of the earth and the the move into the eternal state with the Lord and His people dwelling together forever so this should give us some reason for encouragement and fellowship even among the even with and among the Brethren with whom we disagree when it comes to eschatology and the differences in interpretation are significant I’m not saying hey look we have some commonality so let’s not pay attention the other parts know these kind of our big deals if you think that the rapture takes place before the tribulation you’re gonna prepare in a different way than those who think the rapture is going to take place at the end of the tribulation if you expect to go through the tribulation you’re gonna need to need to do some preparation right so those differences are not insignificant but we can agree with our brethren and we can take comfort together we can’t encourage one another on those things that we for sure agree on Jesus will return he’s coming to save and he’s coming to forever be with his own and he’s coming to judge sin and all sinners I’m just a few more thoughts before we end today some questions to consider can anyone know the exact time of jesus is coming well jesus said no one knows the day or the hour said vistas disciples and when his disciples said hey is it this time that you’re gonna establish your kingdom he says it is not for you to know it is not for you to know the times and the epochs that the Lord has determined in his own sovereignty you need to focus on what your mission is now share the gospel we’re not greater than the apostles and disciples they weren’t allowed to know they were not told to be concerned about the specific dates it to be faithful and to be ready for his return so it is with us we are not to set dates for the Lord’s return if we do will be shown to be fools as to have so many different Christians throughout history they say he’s gonna come back now he’s gonna come back this year this time they’ve all been proven wrong that’s because no one knows and no one can now but we can’t get ready another question why hasn’t Jesus come back yet I mean everybody’s been expecting this from more than 2,000 years why is he not coming why is he delaying what’s he waiting for actually the Lord is two things to say in response and both of them are captured well in second Peter verses 3 8 and 9 first of all remember that the Lord’s understanding of time is different than ours he’s not tapping his foot and looking at his watch and saying well man just gotta keep on waiting and waiting no for the Lord a day is like a thousand years a thousand years like a day that is to say he’s now side of time it’s not it’s not a long time for him may seem long to us another thing to say is why is the Lord waiting this is what Peter says in verse 9 second Peter 3 verse 9 the Lord is not slow about his promise as some count slowness but is patient toward you not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance that’s a profound state the reason the Lord has not come yet is because of the Lord’s kindness and patience for the world he’s given them time it’s given more time to repent used by nature as saving God that’s his great kindness the world that he hasn’t come back yet but he won’t forget his own he’s not gonna let them suffer forever he’s gonna vindicate them so he will come but he hasn’t come yet the Lord has his perfect time but he’s patient because of his love he will come now how should we be affected by his coming again I’ll just briefly mention a few things but some of the commands and expectations given throughout the New Testament Old Testament because we know the Lord is coming because this is sure as history we should conduct ourselves with fear while we’re on the earth we should tremble at the magnitude of what’s going to take place in the judgement we should be holy we should act soberly we should have hope we should have confidence we should lift up our heads and say our Redemption is not far away we should have peace we should be filled with joy and we should persevere through suffering we know it’s not gonna last forever eventually the Lord will come and he will bring to a completion this salvation plan again I I would encourage you to meditate more on this we can only broach the subject now that’s it for this week and as actually that’s it for me for a little while because as many of you know I’m gonna be away the next couple of weeks a wife and I along with a number of others here at Grace Community Church we’re going on a short term ministry trip to Ukraine and many of you know there’s the emails that I’ve sent this is also why I’m wearing this shirt today I don’t know if you can tell but it says a short term missions trip on this side and it’s about that about our Ukraine trip so I won’t be with you for the last two lessons of our answers Bhabha curriculum course which kind of makes me sad I’ve enjoyed going through this with you all yeah we’ve you know moved from the beginning those computers them so now I’ve learned a lot probably just as much as you have learned I feel like now that I know more I need to go back to the beginning because I understand things a lot better but I’m not gonna be with you for the next two lessons I trust the elders have figured out who’s gonna be he’s gonna be doing that instead but I would very much appreciate Emma and I would very much appreciate our whole team our Ukraine team very much appreciate your prayers as we go to Ukraine we’re going there from June 14th to June 30th we’re looking to assist the church there and the missionary there as well as do some evangelistic outreach especially to the children in the area around the church in Kiev so please remember us even though I’m not going to be with and may the Lord be pleased to glorify himself by saving and saving those who don’t know him and encouraging those who do know him think you have even through us but it’s been a pleasure going through the curriculum with you and look forward to giving you the report on Ukraine not only while we’re there you can follow us on Facebook and you can you can get some somewhat current updates on what we’re doing there but I look forward to reporting afterwards all that the Lord has done let me close in prayer we’re gonna thank you for these people I thank you for your coming or – thank you that we do have a hope but it is to be one with its sobriety because you will come we will come both to save and to judge I pray Lord that we would be ready and that your spirit would make us ready in Jesus name Amen all right thank you all and I’ll hopefully get to talk to you or rather update to you and then I will teach you through the Facebook page on our trip in Ukraine and otherwise I will see you again soon