ESCHATOLOGY
I. PERSONAL ESCHATOLOGY
This can be considered under two headings: physical death and the inter- mediate state.
A. bIYSICAL DEATH
Physical death is not to be confused with spiritual or eternal death. Spiritual death is that spiritual state in which one finds oneself before salvation. It is spoken of as being “dead” in trespasses and sins (Eph. 2:1, 5). Jesus said,
“Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear shall live” (John 5:25). Thus, a person is considered spiritually dead before he comes alive in Christ at salvation. Eternal death is that eternal judgment which comes at death upon those who have never been made spiritually alive. It is the eternal judgment of God which comes upon those who have never, in their lifetime,
“passed out of death into life” (John 5:24; cf. Rev. 2O:lO). This is called “the second death, the lake of fire” (Rev. 20: 14).
Spiritual death and eternal death relate to the soul; physical death has to do with tbe body. Physical death is the separation of the soul from the body;
it is the termination of physical life. It is described in several ways in Scrip- ture: the separation of body and soul (Eccl. 12:7; Acts 7:59; James 2:26), the loss of the soul or life (Matt. 2:20; Mark 3:4; John 13:37), and departure (Luke 9:3l; 2 Pet, 1:15). It should not, however, be thought of as annihila-
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tion, cessation of being, or non-existence; rather, it is a change in relation- ships. There is a severance of the natural relationship between soul and body.
The body decays in the grave and returns to dust (Gen. 3:19), and the soul continues on.
Physical death bears a relationship to sin because Adam was not subject to physical death until after the fall. Physical death is a result of man’s spiritual death (Rom. 5:21; 6:23; 1 Cor. 15:56). Physical death is not something natural in the existence of man. It is a judgment (Rom. 1:32; 5:16) and a curse. Christ has delivered the believer from the power of death. Scripture records that Christ partook of flesh and blood “that through death He might render powerless him who has the power of death, that is, the devil; and might deliver those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives’_’ (Heb. 2:14f.).
Though death is a common enemy, through Christ the believer needs no longer to fear it. Death for the believer is entrance into the presence of Christ. He is absent from the body and present with the Lord (2 Cor. 5:8).
Death to the believer is “to depart and be with Christ” (Phil. 1:23). The sting of death has been removed (1 Cor. 15:55-57) and the Christian falls asleep in Jesus (1 Thess. 4:14). In stark contrast to the believer, the unbeliever has no such comforting hope. He faces condemnation and eternal judgment away from the presence of the Lord (John 3:36; 2 Thess. 1:9; Rev. 2O:lO).
B. THE INTERMEDIATE STATE
Physical death relates to the physical body; the soul is immortal and as such does not die. While Scripture declares that God .alone has immortality (1 Tim. 6: 16; cf. 1: l7), man is immortal in the sense that his soul never dies.
That the soul is immortal, even after physical death, is confirmed by Scrip- ture. In answer to the Sadducees’ question concerning the resurrection, Jesus responded by quoting what God had said to Moses in Exod. 3: 6, “I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob” (Matt. 22:32).
He further commented, “God is not the God of the dead but of the living” (v.
32), the point being that if God was the God of Abraham in Moses’ day, then Moses was yet alive. The story of Lazarus and the rich man also indicates the immortality of the soul (Luke 16:19-31), as does the mention of souls under the altar (Rev. 6:9f.).
But what happens to the soul after death, but before the resurrection? We look first at the scriptural evidence, then at four unscriptural positions.
1. The scriptural evidence. Though the Bible does not give a great deal of information, it does give sufficient material to draw certain conclusions. In the first place, the believer is with Christ. Paul said that he would “prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord” (2 Cor.
Personal and General Eschatology 339 5:8; cf. v. 6). Further, Paul had the “desire to depart and be with Christ”
(Phil. 1:23). Th’1s was the encouragement which Jesus gave to the penitent man on the cross next to him, “Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise” (Luke 23 :43). That paradise was heaven is clear from 2 Cor.
12:3f. Not only is the believer with the Lord and in heaven, but he is in fellowship with other believers. Hebrews speaks of the “general assembly and church of the first-born who are enrolled in heaven” (12:23). Believers are alive, conscious, and happy (Luke 16:19-31; Rev. 14:13). This state between death and the resurrection is a condition to be preferred above the present state. Paul calls it “very much better” (Phil. 1:23). He asserted that he would “prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord” (2 Cor. 5:8). A careful study of 2 Cor. 5:1-9 suggests that the believer prefers to be raptured and translated rather than to die and enter into the intermediate state. He would rather be clothed with the resurrection body than to be unclothed. But the unclothed state is to be preferred over the present physical state, for even if unclothed, the believer is present with the Lord.
In the story of Lazarus and the rich man, Lazarus was in Abraham’s bosom, comforted; the rich man was in agony (Luke 16: 19-31). From this we gather that the unsaved individual is also in a temporary state undergoing conscious torment, while awaiting the great white throne judgment (Rev.
20: 11-15).
2. Purgatory. In Roman Catholic theology, souls which are completely pure at death are allowed to enter heaven, to enter into the presence of God, the beatific vision. Those souls which are not perfectly pure and are in need of cleansing go to a place for purging. This place, called “purgatory,” is for the purging away of the guilt of venial sins. It is not a place of probation, but a place of purging or cleansing. Believers there suffer in that they are for a time losing out on the joys of heaven and their souls are being afflicted.
Several Scriptures are used in support of this doctrine (Zech. 9:ll; Matt.
12:32; 1 Cor. 3:13-X). Against this position are the facts that there is no solid scriptural support for it and that Christ fully paid our penalty. We cannot add anything to the merits of Christ (Heb. 1:3). Granted, there are temporal punishments for sin in this life, but Scripture nowhere teaches explicitly or implicitly that these sufferings continue after death. The pri- mary support for purgatory is found in the noncanonical book of 2 Mac- cabees (12:4245).
3. Soul-sleep. Those who hold this view maintain that after death the soul lapses into a state of sleep or unconscious repose. This is argued in several ways. Scripture often represents death as sleep (Matt. 9:24; John 11:ll;
1 Thess. 4:13). Further, some references seem to teach that the dead are
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unconscious (Ps. 146:4; Eccl. 9:5f., 10; Isa. 38:18). And finally, no one who has returned from the dead has reported concerning this temporary state.
But in answer to these objections, first, sleep is used of a believer. It is a euphemistic expression taken from the similarity in appearance between a dead body and a sleeping person (cf. James 2:26). Further, the scriptural evidence is that believers who die enjoy a conscious communion with Christ.
The verses which suggest the unconscious condition of the soul are viewed from the perspective of the living. From the vantage point of the living, the dead have gone to sleep.
4. Annihilationism. This teaching relates primarily to the unsaved. Ac- cording to this doctrine, there is no conscious existence at all for the wicked after death. Most who hold this position teach that at death the unsaved individual simply ceases to exist. Biblical terms such as death, destruction, and perish are interpreted to mean “deprived of existence” or “reduced to non-existence” (John 3:16; 8:51; Rom. 9:22). But, in answer to this view, we say that God does not annihilate what he has created. Life is the opposite of death; if death is merely cessation of being, then life is just prolonged existence. But eternal life is a quality of life, not merely quantity. Further, death and destruction is punishment; it is hard to see how annihilation could be termed punishment. Scripture is clear that the unsaved will continue to exist forever (Eccl. 12:7; Matt. 25:46; Rom. 2:5-10; Rev. 14:ll). Again, there are degrees of punishment, and annihilationism does not allow for this (Luke 12:47f.; Rom. 2:12; Rev. 20:12).
5. Conditional immortality. According to this doctrine, the soul is not created or born with immortality, but receives it upon confession of faith in Christ. It comes as a gift of God. The one who dies without Christ simply ceases to exist because he has not received the gift of immortality. Those who hold this position argue that God alone has immortality (1 Tim. 6:16), and he gives it to those who respond to his call. They further teach that Scripture nowhere speaks of the immortality of the soul. But we answer that this doctrine confuses immortality with eternal life. The eternal life received at salvation is more than eternal existence; it is rather a quality of life, a richness of life in the presence of Christ. It is true that God alone has inherent immortality; nevertheless, man did receive derived immortality at creation. He is born as an immortal being.
We conclude that at death the believer enters into the presence of Christ.
He remains with the Lord in a state of conscious blessedness until the time of the resurrection, at which time he will receive his body of glory. The un- believer enters into a state of conscious torment until the resurrection, at which time he will be cast into the lake of fire. The doctrines of purgatory, soul-sleep, annihilationism, and conditional immortality cannot be con- sidered biblical doctrines.
Personal und General Eschatoloyy 341 II. THE IMPORTANCE OF THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST The early church was keenly interested in the doctrine of the return of Christ. The apostles had held out the possibility of his returning in their day, and the next generations kept alive the blessed hope as something that was imminent. Not until the third century was there any great exception to this rule, but from the time of Constantine onward, this truth began to be rejected until it was almost entirely set aside. It is only during the last 100 years or so that this doctrine has been revived in the church. Though there is still indifference and opposition to it, there is a growing and healthy interest in this biblical truth. While devout Christians say, “Amen. Come, Lord Jesus” (Rev. 22:20), unbelievers and scoffers continue to say, “Where is the promise of His coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation” (2 Pet. 3:4). The unbelief of the scoffer does not reduce the importance of this doctrine; rather, many things indicate its importance.
A. ITS PROMINENCE IN THE SCRIPTURES
Throughout the Scriptures there is a prominent place given to the second coming of Christ. Though the first and second advents are often so closely merged in the Old Testament prophecies as to make it difficult to bring forward a specific promise that deals with the second coming alone, there are some references that clearly do so (Job 19:25f.; Dan. 7:13f.; Zech. 14:4;
Mal. 3: If.). The New Testament mentions this doctrine more than three hundred times. Whole chapters are devoted to the subject (Matt. 24, 25;
Mark 13; Luke 21; cf. 1 Cor. 15). Some books are practically given over to this subject (1 Thess. ;2 Thess. ; Rev.). It ranks with other major doctrines in emphasis.
B. IT IS A KEY TO THE SCRIPTURES
We speak of prayer and a teachable spirit as keys to the understanding of the Word of God, but in addition to these, the recognition of the fundamental character of the doctrine of the Lord’s return is a key to the Scriptures.
Many biblical doctrines, ordinances, promises, and types cannot be fully understood except in the light of the doctrine of the Lord’s return. Take the case of biblical doctrine. Christ is prophet, priest, and king, but no one can properly understand his kingly office apart from the recognition of the truth of his second coming. Salvation is represented as past, present, and future, but no adequate view of the future aspect can be held apart from a belief in the Lord’s return. John’s teaching concerning two resurrections (Rev. 20:4- 15) presents a conundrum apart from this doctrine. The Davidic covenant (2 Sam. 7:12-16; Ps. 89:3f.) remains inexplicable to one who rejects the truth
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of Christ’s return. The prophecy concerning the restoration of nature and the animal world (Isa. 11: 6-9; 65 :25 ; Rom. 8:20-22) becomes absurd if inter- preted apart from a reference to the second advent. The prediction of the bruising of Satan’s head (Gen. 3:15) loses its real point if it is not associated with the return of Christ.
Many types of Scripture lose their most attractive features if they are not viewed in the light of Christ’s return. Enoch’s ministry and translation is one of these (Gen. 5:22-24; Heb. 11:5 ; Jude 14). The story of Noah drops down to the level of mere historical fact if it has no typical meaning, as does the high priest’s blessing of the people on the day of atonement (Heb. 9:28).
The same thing is true of many of the promises of Scripture. The Lord’s coming is a key to many of the Psalms (Ps. 2 ; 22 ; 45 ; 72 ; 89; 110). Peter declares that all the holy prophets speak of the times of restoration and the coming of Christ (Acts 3: 19-24). Besides this, there are many definite prom- ises of his return in the New Testament (Matt. 16:27; John 14:3; 1 Thess.
4:13-18; Heb. 10:37; James 5:8; Rev. 1:7; 22:12, 20). In these, the Chris- tian is challenged to be ready for his return, comforted by the fact of his return, admonished to console the bereaved by the truth of his return, asked to bear oppression in the light of his return, exhorted to retain confidence because shortly he will return, and assured that his return will bring bless- ings and rewards to all who look for him. Surely, some of the most precious incentives to godliness are lost by rejecting the truth of the Lord’s return.
The same thing is true of the ordinances; they lose their full meaning for the one who rejects the truth of the Lord’s return. Baptism implies resurrection with Christ to newness of life, and this new life in Christ Jesus will be made manifest when he who is our life shall appear in glory (Col. 3:14). So also the Lord’s Supper has a bearing upon the second advent. Paul says, “For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes” (1 Cor. 11:26). And Jesus said,
“But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom” (Matt.
26:29).
C. IT IS THE HOPE OF THE CHURCH
The Lord’s coming is set before us as the great hope of the church. Neither death nor the conversion of the world is the hope of the believer, but according to the Scriptures, the Lord’s return is. Paul said, “I am on trial for the hope and resurrection of the dead!” (Acts 23:6; cf. 26:6-8; Rom. 8:23- 25; 1 Cor. 15:19; Gal. 5:5) and “Looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus” (Titus 2 : 13). Peter wrote, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living
Personal and General Eschatology 343 hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (1 Pet. 1:3; cf.
2 Pet. 3:9-13). And John said, “Beloved, now we are the children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we shall be. We know that, when He appears, we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him just as He is. And every one who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure” (1 John 3:2f.).
D. IT IS THE INCENTIVE TO BIBLICAL CHRISTIANITY
The coming of Christ is the great incentive to biblical Christianity. A sincere belief in this doctrine has had much to do with orthodoxy, for those who have entertained this hope most heartily and intelligently have never denied the deity of Christ, nor questioned the authority of the Bible, nor declined from the faith that was once delivered to the saints. But this is not all. The acceptance of this truth also induces self-purification (Matt. 25:6f.; 2 Pet.
3: 11; 1 John 3:3) ; it inspires watchfulness and perseverance (Matt. 24:44 ; Mark 13:35f.; 1 Thess. 5:6; 1 John 2:28); it challenges the backslider to return (Rom. 13:llf.); it constitutes a warning to the ungodly (2 Thess.
1:7-10); and it is a stay in adversity and bereavement (1 Thess. 4:13-18;
5:ll; 2 Tim. 2:12; Heb. 10:35-39; James 5:7). It is clear that the blessed hope was the incentive to apostolic Christianity. The men who had heard Jesus say that he would come again, could not be again seduced by the allurements of this world. They longed for his coming, lived for it, sought to lead others to him and to the hope of his return.
E. IT HAS A MARKED EFFECT ON CHRISTIAN SERVICE
The Scriptures furnish in the promises and prospects of his return the greatest stimulus to service (Matt. 24:45-51; Luke 19:13; 1 Cor. 3:11-15;
2 Cor. 5: IOf.). In them is disclosed to us the divine purpose and program of service (Acts 1:8; 15:13-18; Rom. 11:22-32). And then, this truth itself constitutes the basis of the most effective appeals for the acceptance of Christ and for the consecration of life to God. Paul certainly so used it (Rom.
13: llf. ; 2 Thess. 1:7-10). Thus, we conclude that the second coming of Christ is a most important doctrine.
CHAPTER XL
The Second Coming of Christ:
The Nature of His Coming
and the Purpose of His Coming in the Air
There are several questions which come to mind in connection with the doctrine of the return of Christ. First, what is the nature of his coming? Then we ask, are there phases to his coming? And, if so, what are they? Having determined that there will be several phases of the return of Christ, other questions arise which relate to his coming in the air, the judgment of the nations, the coming of Christ to rule, the resurrections, and many other such questions. In this chapter we will look first at the nature of his coming, then continue with a study of the purpose of his coming in the air.