The End Times 4 Making All Things Right The Final Judgments, Millennial Kingdom, and Eternal State

Transcription

1 The End Times 4 Making All Things Right The Final Judgments, Millennial Kingdom, and Eternal State Intro: How will this world come to an end and what comes after? That is a question people have been asking for centuries. The short answer is that this world will come to an end by God making all things right. This will occur by means of God making good on all of His promises concerning this world, by God bringing an absolute end to sin and all of its results, and in such a way that as many people as possible are invited into and provided access to His perfect kingdom of peace and joy which will last forever. Today we come to look into the specifics of how that will come about. Recap Let me briefly recap what we have seen so far in terms of a sequence of end times events. Church = Rapture, resurrection bodies, bema seat, marriage supper of Lamb Tribulation = judgment and salvation of Israel: antichrist, false prophet, 144k, two witnesses, Armageddon, return of Jesus Christ. That is where we left it last week Jesus returns to the Earth and defeats the armies gathered against him at the battle of Armageddon. What happens next? What happens next is judgment. Let s consider that now. I. 3 Judgments Directly following the second coming are three separate judgments of three separate groups of people. The first two judgments are for people who live through the Tribulation period. These people will gather to the Lord Mt 24: Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 30 Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, 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. 31 And he will send out his angels with a loud

2 trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. #1 The Sheep and the Goats Gentiles Judged You have probably heard of the judgment of the sheep and the goats. There is even a weird song by a band called Cake that acknowledges this event. The song is called Sheep go to Heaven, Goats go to Hell. Cake, certainly not a Christian band, at least got the title right! The judgment of the Sheep and the Goats is the judgment of gentiles at the end of the tribulation period. So this is for people who live through the horrible 7-year tribulation. Mt 25: When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. 34 Then the King will say to those on his right, Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me. 37 Then the righteous will answer him, saying, Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? 38 And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? 39 And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you? 40 And the King will answer them, Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me. (their inward spiritual condition will be evidenced in how they treat Israel) 41 Then he will say to those on his left, Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me. 44 Then they also will answer, saying, Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you? 45 Then he will answer

3 them, saying, Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me. 46 And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life. Joel tells us that all the nations are brought to the Valley of Jehoshaphat outside Jerusalem and judged (picture ). This is the name given in modern times to the valley between Jerusalem and the Mount of Olives, and the Kidron flows through it. Joe 3:1 2-1 For behold, in those days and at that time, when I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem, 2 I will gather all the nations and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat. And I will enter into judgment with them there, on behalf of my people and my heritage Israel, because they have scattered them among the nations and have divided up my land, #2 Judgment of Jewish people Those Jews still alive at the end of the Tribulation period are then judged. Ezekiel tells us about this day of judgment for the people of Israel as to whether or not they have received Christ as savior and Messiah. Eze 20: As I live, declares the Lord God, surely with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm and with wrath poured out I will be king over you. 34 I will bring you out from the peoples and gather you out of the countries where you are scattered, with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, and with wrath poured out. 35 And I will bring you into the wilderness of the peoples, and there I will enter into judgment with you face to face. 36 As I entered into judgment with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so I will enter into judgment with you, declares the Lord God. 37 I will make you pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant. 38 I will purge out the rebels from among you, and those who transgress against me. I will bring them out of the land where they sojourn, but they shall not enter the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the Lord. #3 Judgment of Old Testament and Tribulation saints Immediately following the second coming, all the old testament saints and all those saints who dies during the tribulation are resurrected and judged. Their judgment is one of an acknowledgement of their salvation.

4 Da 12:1 3- At that time shall arise Michael, the great prince who has charge of your people. And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never has been since there was a nation till that time. But at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone whose name shall be found written in the book. 2 And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. 3 And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky above; and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever. Jn 5: Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice 29 and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment. Re 20:4 5- Then I saw thrones, and seated on them were those to whom the authority to judge was committed. Also I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. 5 The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended. This is the first resurrection. If we take Daniel and John and Revelation together here, we see that dead believers are raised before the millennial kingdom and given their resurrection bodies and dead unbelievers will be raised after the millennial kingdom. Judgments prep for Millennial Kingdom So what we see is that these 3 judgments are a set up for the Millennial Kingdom. The church is there in their resurrected bodies, the believers who live through the Tribulation (both Jews and Gentiles) are there in their earthly bodies, and the Old Testaments saints and saints who died in the Tribulation are there in their resurrection bodies. Thus the Millennial Kingdom begins with all people being believers! We will interact with one another in our different bodies just as Jesus interacted with His disciples in His. Those with earthly bodies will marry and reproduce for the next 1,000 years. Let s now look at more details regarding this Millennial Kingdom

5 II. The Purpose of the Millennial Kingdom #1 For God to fulfill all of the promises He has made to Israel Remember, the end times is largely about God making all things right by means of Him making good on all the promises He has made to Israel When the Millennial kingdom starts there are still promises left unfulfilled that God had made thousands of years previous to the people of Israel through the prophets. This Millennial Kingdom is when they all come true in literal fashion. #2 - For God to establish His reign on this Earth and bring more to salvation Another purpose of the Millennial kingdom is for God to establish clearly and uniquely that He is king and that his kingdom is good. It may have looked like Satan won in the Garden of Eden and at the Cross, but now God is making it clear that He is the victor and giving one final enduring chance for people to come to Him to find grace and salvation. Those children of the people that enter the Millennial Kingdom will be offered salvation in their King. III. The Sights and Sounds of the Millennial Kingdom #1 It is 1,000 years long The length of the Millennial Kingdom is given some six times in Revelation. It is best that understand this length literally. Re 20:4 7- They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. 5 The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended. This is the first resurrection. 6 Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection! Over such the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for a thousand years. 7 And when the thousand years are ended, Satan will be released from his prison

6 #2 Jesus is King and others you know rule with Him Jesus is the literal and physical king The greatest thing about the Millennial Kingdom is that Jesus is its literal and physical King. He rules from the Earth with Jerusalem as the center of his Kingdom. Is 9:6 7-6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this. Je 23:5 6-5 Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. 6 In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. And this is the name by which he will be called: The Lord is our righteousness. Lk 1: And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end. He will be a good judge and king - Is 2:4-4 He shall judge between the nations, and shall decide disputes for many peoples; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore. Bush at Buckley I remember and will never forget one day when we lived in Colorado. We lived next to Buckley Air Force Base in an apartment. We were very close to the landing strip. One day I was driving home and flying low over our apartment complex large in the sky was Air Force One. President Bush was

7 coming for a visit. I even saw several black SUVs shutting down certain streets for the motorcade. It was the coolest thing!! There just above me was the President of the US! How many million times cooler will it be to see Jesus reigning as our perfect and good ruler, not invisibly from heaven, but visibly and bodily right here on the earth? Other rule as well Jesus will also give a measure of His rule to others as well. We see him advising his disciples that they will have leadership of Israel during the Millennium. Mt 19:28-28 Jesus said to them, Truly, I say to you, in the new world, when the Son of Man will sit on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. Also it seems apparent that at least those who were faithful through the tribulation and killed, if not all those with resurrection bodies will rule and reign with Christ. Rev 5:10 and 20:24 remind us that we will rule and reign with Him for 1,000 years. #3 Satan is bound Re 20:2 3- And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, 3 and threw him into the pit, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he might not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were ended. After that he must be released for a little while. With the God of this world bound and his entire world system defeated and replaced by Jesus the King, we can barely imagine how wonderful it will be! #4 An era of unprecedented peace, wellbeing, and joy because of the conditions of the kingdom IN place of Satan s reign Christ s reign brings a time of unprecedented peace and joy for people.

8 Is 65: I will rejoice in Jerusalem and be glad in my people; no more shall be heard in it the sound of weeping and the cry of distress. 20 No more shall there be in it an infant who lives but a few days, or an old man who does not fill out his days, for the young man shall die a hundred years old, and the sinner a hundred years old shall be accursed. (if someone dies at 100 years old, it will be considered an inordinately young death people will live longer!) labor and childbirth easy! - Is 65:23-23 They shall not labor in vain or bear children for calamity, for they shall be the offspring of the blessed of the Lord, and their descendants with them. The earth will produce like never before - Is 35:1 2-1 The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad; the desert shall rejoice and blossom like the crocus; 2 it shall blossom abundantly and rejoice with joy and singing. The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it, the majesty of Carmel and Sharon. They shall see the glory of the Lord, the majesty of our God. Am 9: Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when the plowman shall overtake the reaper and the treader of grapes him who sows the seed; the mountains shall drip sweet wine, and all the hills shall flow with it. 14 I will restore the fortunes of my people Israel, and they shall rebuild the ruined cities and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and drink their wine, and they shall make gardens and eat their fruit. 15 I will plant them on their land, and they shall never again be uprooted out of the land that I have given them, says the Lord your God. Sun more productive / Jesus a healer - Is 30:26-26 Moreover, the light of the moon will be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun will be sevenfold, as the light of seven days, in the day when the Lord binds up the brokenness of his people, and heals the wounds inflicted by his blow. Animals will not kill / all will be herbivores (as originally Gen 1:30) - Is 11:6 9-6 The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together; and a little child shall lead them. 7 The cow and the bear shall graze; their

9 young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. 8 The nursing child shall play over the hole of the cobra, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder s den. 9 They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. No sickness or handicaps Is 33:24-24 And no inhabitant will say, I am sick ; the people who dwell there will be forgiven their iniquity. Is 35:5 6- Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; 6 then shall the lame man leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute sing for joy. For waters break forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert; #5 Satan released / rebellion As the thousand year period comes to a close, there is one last object lesson that God has for people. Satan is released and despite the perfect living conditions that these millions of people had, many of them will follow Satan and rebel against Jesus. We see this told us in Rev Re 20:7 10- And when the thousand years are ended, Satan will be released from his prison 8 and will come out to deceive the nations that are at the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them for battle; their number is like the sand of the sea. 9 And they marched up over the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, but fire came down from heaven and consumed them, 10 and the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. Note: Now let me make an important side note here. If you think about the end time sequence and the character of God and the purposes of all of this, you begin to see a pattern. 1) God begins the church age and gives his son so people can come to Him by grace. He still leaves sin in the world so that we can see every day how badly we need a savior.

10 2) When that doesn t exhaustively work, God brings Tribulation to, as we talked about last week, shake the world out of its rebellion sometimes punishment is the only way to see someone redeemed. 3) When that doesn t exhaustively work, God begins a Millennium of perfect peace and joy and changes everything for the good so that people will see how good God is and come to Him for salvation. What does all this show us? It shows us that God loves people and He is actively pursuing to bring the lost to Himself through incredible patience and various circumstances to cause them to see their need for Jesus. Further, and listen to this, the Millennial Kingdom, and the rejection of Christ afterward shows us something else. It is proof that it is not our environment, or our difficult pasts, that cause us to rebel against God. It is our sinful heart. These people will live in near perfection for centuries. There will be no hypocrite Christians and no alcoholic fathers, and at the first opportunity to rebel against the Lord, they jump on it. Our hearts lead us astray and we need a savior not excuses. IV. The Eternal State We can think of the eternal state as the second phase of the Kingdom of God. The Millennial Kingdom reigns for a thousand years and then that Kingdom is merged with heaven and we enter into a new heavens and a new earth forever. Listen to Paul in 1 Cor 15 as he talks about the transfer of the Millennial Kingdom to the eternal state 1 Co 15: Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. 25 For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy to be destroyed is death. 27 For God has put all things in subjection under his feet. But when it says, all things are put in subjection, it is plain that he is excepted who put all things in subjection under him. 28 When all things are subjected to him, then the Son himself will also be subjected to him who put all things in subjection under him, that God may be all in all. #1 Begins with two final judgments

11 After the Millennial Kingdom comes to a close we see two more final judgments: 1) Satan and demons cast into Lake of Fire (Rev 20:10; 2 Pet 2:4; Jude 1:6-7) This is the final victory of the Cross and Jesus over Satan and Evil 2) The Great White Throne Judgment All unsaved people from every age will be resurrected at this time (called resurrection of judgment by Jesus in Jn 5:29) and will stand before Jesus to be judged Re 20: Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. 12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. 13 And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. 14 Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. 15 And if anyone s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. Books = positive evidence against them in that they lived and died by works and not by receiving salvation in Christ #2 Heavens and Earth renewed Earth burned up At this time God takes this current Earth and the Heavens above us and totally refines them through fire to be recreated perfect without a curse. Mt 24:35-35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. 2 Pe 3:10-10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed. New Earth called into existence

12 2 Pe 3:13-13 But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. New Jerusalem Rev 21:16 A new heavenly city will be there on the Earth. It is of incredible size and beauty. The city is 1500 miles long, 1500 miles wide, and 1500 miles high! It has gates of pearl, buildings of pure gold, and foundation stones of precious gems. God will live there, Jesus and the Spirit of God will live there and so will we. Our life will be a prefect life of full joy and multitudinous experiences. A place of perfect earthy Joy that lasts forever: Re 21:1 6-1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. 4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away. 5 And he who was seated on the throne said, Behold, I am making all things new. Also he said, Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true. 6 And he said to me, It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. Conc: Making all things right = All promises that God made come true Sin is dealt with people brought into relationship with God And people given physical and spiritual victory of sin and its effects

13 All of this happens in Jesus Christ. Eph 1: Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, 4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love 5 he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. 7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, 8 which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight 9 making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ 10 as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. 11 In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, 12 so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. 13 In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory. All things made right!