. . . for you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring word of God. 1 Peter 1:23

The End of Time

There He is

The Holy Scriptures clearly state that Jesus is going to appear visibly at the end of time to all people at the same time in His glory surrounded by His angels for the purpose of bringing to fruition God’s plan for history. This will include judging the living and the dead, casting those who rejected Him away and leading His saints to their wonderful home in the new heaven and the new earth.
 
 

• NAB Matthew 24:30 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. 31 "And He will send forth His angels with A GREAT TRUMPET and THEY WILL GATHER TOGETHER His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.

Jesus warns us as Christians not to be decieved about His coming. There will be no secret coming. In fact, Jesus warns us to beware of those who would attempt to mislead us, who might even have power from Satan to do great wonders to decieve us.

• NAB Matthew 24:24 "For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect.

The Time Unknown:

As Christians we should also know better than to listen to those who claim to have an inside track into when Christ is going to return. Jesus tells us that no one knows when He will return.

• NAB Mark 13:32 "But of that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone.

Jesus gave us many signs of His coming again. We will see wars, famines, sickess, false teachers, people abandoning the church. Especially strong are the indications of sever persecution against the Church and the Gospel. But the purpose of these signs is not to help us calculate the coming of the Lord but rather to encourage us to be ever ready for His return. It could happen at any moment.

• NAB Matthew 24:42 "Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming.

The Resurrection of the Dead

On that Last Day, the Lord will appear to all, dead and living. Indeed, He will raise all the dead. Our bodies will be restored before the judgment and our souls united to them.

• NAB 1 Corinthians 15:51 Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.

 
The bodies of the righteous will have no trace of age nor mark of suffering as these are the products of sin. But the ungodly will be reuinted to their bodies and come unto everlasting shame and contempt.

• NAB Daniel 12:2 "Many of those who sleep in the dust of the ground will awake, these to everlasting life, but the others to disgrace and everlasting contempt.

The Great Judgment

Immediately following the return of Christ and the resurrection of the dead, will follow the greatest judgement. All People will be brought before the throne of God our king. All people will be judged and the basis of the judgement will be the revealed word of God.

• NAB Romans 2:16 on the day when, according to my gospel, God will judge the secrets of men through Christ Jesus.

All people will be judged, but believers will be declared pardoned. They will not be condemned for their sins.

• NAB John 5:24 "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.

 
The End of the World

God reveals to us in His Word that because of the sinful corruption of the entire creation, both heaven and earth will pass away. The earth as it is now will be entirely destroyed.
 

• NAB Luke 21:33 "Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.

• NAB 2 Peter 3:10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up.

God is going to recreate a new heaven and a new earth.

• NAB Isaiah 65:17 "For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; And the former things will not be remembered or come to mind.

• NAB Isaiah 66:22 "For just as the new heavens and the new earth Which I make will endure before Me," declares the LORD, "So your offspring and your name will endure.

• NAB 2 Peter 3:13 But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells.

Will God actually send people to hell?

Only those who reject or disbelieve hell can do so who also disbelieve God’s revelation of His Word. The idea that hell does not fit with "God is love" is a produce of human reason marred by sin and not upon God’s Word.

It will be an eternal punishment, an eternal separation from God. While the figure of fire and brimstone is figurative for a terrible punishment and not meant literally, we should not suppose hell to be an any better condition.

Only those are damned who refuse God’s gift of mercy and grace in Jesus Christ.

• Thessalonians 1:7 . . .  the Lord Jesus will be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire, 8 dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not respond to the gospel of our Lord Jesus. 9 These will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power,

Is There Good News?

copyright Rev. David D. Reedy, 1998

Rev. David D. Reedy 2002

Prince of Peace Lutheran Church   

Dayton Tennessee   

423.775.4253

Prince of Peace is a LCMS congregation located in Rhea County Tennessee, serving the entire county of some 32,000 people.