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Return to You and Your Beliefs Return to Wednesday Bible Study Series "You
and Your Beliefs"--Eschatology, part 2 Tonight we've come to our final session
in our study, "You and Your Beliefs."
We're examining the final doctrine in our series, eschatology, the
Doctrine of Last Things. The
Doctrine of Last Things, part 2 Review:
(from last week)… I.
The Foundation for Eschatology: The
Plan of God God
has a Plan, a Program. If we don't
plug eschatology into the framework of that Plan, we'll be off base.
Eschatology grows out of...
A. The Doctrine of Creation
(Gen 1-3)
B. The Doctrine of Redemption
(II Cor 5:19, 21)
1. Christ's First Coming (I
Cor 15:3)
2. Christ's Second Coming (I
Cor 15:22ff) Here's
the message of the Bible. God is
redeeming a people for Himself. He
is reclaiming and restoring a universe that was wrecked by sin.
To whom did God the Father commit this task?
To His Son, Jesus Christ II.
The Focus of Eschatology: The
Person of Jesus Christ
God did not give us a systematic theology textbook.
He gave us the Scriptures. The
Scriptures reveal and focus on a Person, Jesus Christ.
So too our eschatology.
Application: There are
over 250 references to the return of Christ in the NT.
Why? Why did God give us so
many passages relating to eschatology? Did
He give them to us to satisfy our curiosity?
So we could debate them?
What is the purpose of eschatology? Let’s
look at two 1 Thes 4:18 "Wherefore, encourage
one another with these words." 2 Thes 2:16-17 "Now our Lord who
has given us this hope...establish you in every good word and work." must focus on Christ. New
Material… III.
The Fulfillment of Eschatology Key
Text: Rev 21:5 "...Behold I
make all things new."
When Jesus came to the world, He came to restore, to reconcile, to renew.
Objection: "If Christ
brought newness into the world, why is it still so wrecked by sin and
death?"
Key: It’s important to see
that God is bringing newness into the world in progressive
stages, each one leading to the next. God
is reclaiming His world and reestablishing His Kingdom through the following
stages.
A. New Man
When Christ came the first time, He came as our representative.
He came as the second Adam. He
came to reverse the effects of Adam's sin. See:
Rom 5:12, 17 "For if by one man's offense..."
What do we experience once we are identified with Christ? Rom
6:4 "...newness of life."
We become a New man if we are in Christ.
To do: Discuss the importance
of the phrase "in Christ" in NT—it describes our standing.
Key Question: What is the New
man? It’s not a part of us. It's what we
become if we are in Christ. See… I
Cor 15:45 "The first man Adam...the last Adam was made a lifegiving
spirit." I
Cor 15:49 "As we have born the image of the earthly...so now the
heavenly."
We were created in God's image. But
sin marred that. Christ renews our
capacity to reflect God's image. Eph
4:23-24 "And be renewed...put on the new man..."
Christ makes all things new, starting with the individual person.
The new Man.
B. New People
When Christ came the first time, what did He establish?
According to the following, a New Covenant… Jer
31:31-33 "Behold the days come that I will make a new covenant..."
When Jesus Christ came 2000 years ago, He established that New Covenant.
Paul emphasized this in the following… I
Cor 11:25 "This cup is the new testament in My blood."
At Pentecost, Christ sent His Spirit.
In so doing, He formed a New People. II
Cor 5:17 "Therefore if any man be in Christ he is a new creation."
Key: Right now, if you're in
Christ, do you possess newness? The answer
is…Yes! Christ has made us a new man and has made us part of a new people.
Why then do we struggle? Because
Christ's work has yet another phase.
C. New Age
In this present age, Jesus Christ rules as King in the hearts of His
people. Yet the world does not know
He is king, and certainly does not recognize Him as king.
But listen. The day is coming
when the One whose rule is now "in cognito" will be visible to all.
When? In the Age to Come, the
New Age.
Discuss: We should exercise
caution when studying eschatology. We
should strive to say no more than and no less than what the Bible says.
What is the danger of saying more
than…? Of saying less
than…?
So let’s proceed with caution in our study.
Yet let’s proceed!
What phrase do the OT prophets constantly use to refer to that New Age?
"The Day of the Lord." (some
other closely associated terms in the Bible:
"Parousia" "
Obadiah, Amos, Joel and others made it clear that a future time is coming
when God will send both wrath, and subsequent blessing on the world.
Note both elements…
**A Day of Wrath and Judgment Amos
5:18, 20 "Woe unto you that desire the Day of the Lord...darkness.”
See also: Isa 34:8; 35:4
**A Day followed by great Blessing Amos
9:11, 13 "In that day will I raise up the tabernacle of David..."
If you were to chart eschatology from the perspective of the prophets, it
would look like this…
Present Age >>
Age
to Come
Key: The OT doesn't
distinguish the fact that there is an overlap
in these 2 ages.
Observation: The phrase
"Day of the Lord" seems to be a comprehensive term in Scripture
describing the entire period from Christ's return to the final resurrection and
judgment. It refers to that time
between the present age and the new creation.
1. Refers to the Tribulation
period I
Th 5:2, 4 "For you know that the Day of the Lord comes as a thief..."
2. Refers to the formation of
the New Heavens and Earth II
Pt 3:10, 13 "But the day of the Lord will come....in which the elements
shall melt."
Key: We're living in the Day
of man. But the Lord's day will
come.
The Lord's Day will be that time when Christ fulfills the Plan of God to
restore this fallen world. He will
reverse the effects of sin on creation. Right
now the creation groans in pain (Rom 8:22).
In that Day the lion and lamb will lie down together in paradise.
We live in the Present Age. The
present age is an age of suffering, of ridicule for Christians (II Tim 3; I Pt
1). But we can have confidence.
How? We know that the New Age
is coming. What will the Lord do in
the New Age?
1. The Lord will return and
remove His people from the world.-Rapture Mt
24:42 ? I
Th 4:13-18
2. The Lord will pour out His
wrath on the world.-Tribulation Rev
6-19 gives vivid description of this.
Who will cause havoc in the world during this 7 year period?
One man described as...
--The Abomination that causes desolation (Dan 9:27; Mt 24:15)
--Paul refers to him as the man of lawlessness (II Th 2:3)
--John uses the term Antichrist (I Jn 2:18)
Will the church be present during this hour of testing and wrath?
God has promised to deliver His people, the Church, from this time. Rev
3:10 I
Th 5:9 "For God has not appointed us to wrath..."
3. The Lord will establish
His Messianic Kingdom. II
Sam 7:16 Isa
65:18-25 Rom
11:26 This will be the time when all Rev
20:4-6 1000 year period when Christ reigns in absolute righteousness
Satan will gain a following after the Messianic Kingdom.
That will lead to a final rebellion against God (Rev 20:7-10).
However, Christ will devour this army (20:9).
Then He will judge them at the Great White Throne judgment and cast them
into the lake of fire (Rev 20:11-15). Is that it?
No. The goal of God's
redemptive activity is not completed in the New Age, but when?
The following…
D. New Creation II
Pt 3:12-13 "Looking for a coming day of God...new heavens and
earth..."
The book of Revelation does not end with the Messianic Kingdom, but with
a brilliant description of the New Creation (Rev 21-22).
No more suffering, tears, death (21:4).
The people of God will serve their King in unhindered fellowship (22:3).
Notice again what Christ will do at the climax of history. I
Cor 15:24 "...He shall have delivered up the Kingdom to God, even the
Father..."
Key: This then is the goal of
eschatology. To unveil the Person of
Jesus Christ. To reveal His
marvelous and certain work in which He will both rescue and judge.
To bring glory to God Who alone is worthy of glory.
Discuss: What practical
differences should this truth make on our lives? |