Theology - Last things

Last Things

The judgment of the living nations:

1. The place of it - in the valley of Jehoshaphat: "When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory. And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats" (Matt. 25:31,32 - cf. Joel 3:2; Zech. 14:1,2).

2. The basis of it - attitude toward the message and messengers of the kingdom:

"And the King shall answer and say unto them,

Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me" (Matt. 25:40,45 - cf. Joel 3:1-8,19; Matt. 24:14). The basis of this judgment of the Gentile nations is their treatment of "my brethren.

Without doubt these are the Jews who turn to the

Lord after the rapture of the church, becoming God's evangelizing instrument prior to the Second Advent that establishes the kingdom.

3. The results of it:

a. The righteous go into the kingdom prepared from the foundation of the world: "Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world" (Matt. 25:34). These nations are doubtless those who have taken a favorable attitude toward the message and messengers of the kingdom, and who have demonstrated such by their actions toward them in deeds of mercy.

That the righteous here cannot refer to the church is seen from the following: These receive a "kingdom prepared from the foundation of the world"; the church is blessed with all spiritual blessings in the heavenlies. These are "blessed of the Father"; the church is in fellowship with the Father and the Son. These receive a "kingdom prepared from the foundation of the world"; the church is chosen in Him from before the foundation of the world.

This result doubtless includes participation in the millennial kingdom with Christ as nations, and share in the joys of eternal life as individuals.

b. The wicked are shut out of the kingdom and suffer final judgment and doom: "Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye eursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels" (Matt. 25:41 - cf.

Matt. 25:46). The wicked nations by reason of their attitude and actions in relation to those whom Christ calls His brethren shut themselves out of the kingdom of Christ and put themselves under an everlasting curse.

The wicked nations referred to in this judgment cannot consistently be identified with the wicked dead of Revelation 20. They appear before the great white throne; these wicked nations appear before the Son of Man as He sits upon the throne of His glory. They appear as individuals for judgment; these as nations. They are raised from the dead to be judged; these are living upon the earth. They are judged according to the books of records and the Book of Life; these are judged according to their treatment of the "brethren.

The judgment of fallen angels: "Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life?" (1 Cor. 6:3 - ef. 2 Peter 2:4; Jude 6). The apostle Paul declares that the church shall participate in the administration of this judgment. She will herself have passed through the judgment of the bema and will then be identified with Christ in the future execution of His sovereign authority and justice.

The judgment of the great white throne: "And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it. from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them" (Rev. 20:11).

1. The identity of those judged: "But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished" (Rev. 20:5a).

Those to whom justice is to be administered at the great white throne failed to participate in "the first resurrection." These are the dead who "lived not again until the thousand years were finished." They are to be identified with those who are called "the unjust" and who are said to have a "resurrection unto judgment" John 5:29; Acts 24:15).

2. The basis of this judgment:

a. According to the record of deeds in the books: "And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God, and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.

And the sea gave up the dead which were in it: and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them; and they were judged every man according to their works" (Rev. 20:12,13). The books of record reveal the guilt of those judged. They contain the evidence upon which the verdict is rendered. Apparently, there are degrees of guilt (Luke 12:47,48).

b. According to the roll of names in the Book of Life: "And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire" (Rev. 20:15 - cf. Rev. 20:12). The final appeal in this judgment concerning those in question is the Book of Life. The Book of Life reveals that no substitution has been made or redemption accomplished for those who have thus been found guilty.

3. The outcome of this judgment:

Revelation 20:15. This is spoken of as the final judgment. It stands at the end of this present order of the ages (1 Cor. 15:28).

Doctrinal statement: The judgments of God begin with that borne by Himself in Christ on behalf of believers, continuing with that administered by them upon themselves, and including in its scope that meted out by Christ to the church, Israel, the nations, the fallen angels, and the wicked dead.

THE FUTURE DESTINY OF THE RIGHTEOUS AND THE WICKED

What are we to believe concerning the present state of those who have died? The intermediate state of those who have departed this life has been a subject of much conjecture and speculation.

Even the light that shines from Scripture is not as strong as some wish. It is sufficient, however, to reveal the essential facts. Two words to be considered in this connection play an important part in the biblical teaching upon this subject. The two words are Sheol and Hades, the one a Hebrew word, the other Greek. These two words have the same significance, i.e., they refer to same general place, the abode of the souls of the dead. In the King James Version these words are translated by various English words, such as "hell," "the pit," and

These, however, are not correct translations. Each of

them has its own Hebrew or Greek equivalent. The American Standard Version has avoided this error by not translating the words Sheol and Hades, but transliterating them into English.

In the Old Testament, all those who died, both righteous and wicked, are represented as going to Sheol (Gen. 37:35; Ps. 9:17; 16:10). In the narrative of the rich man and Lazarus in Luke 16, Jesus lifts the curtain and reveals the fact that there are two compartments in Sheol, or Hades.

The one, spoken of as "Abraham's Bosom," " was the abode of the righteous.

At the resurrection of Christ, this part of Hades was emptied of its occupants, who were transferred to the right hand of God (Eph. 4:8-10 compared with 2 Cor. 12:2-4; Ps. 68:18; Zech. 9:11,12). This new abode of the righteous is now called Paradise. It is to this place of Christ's presence that the believer takes his departure at death, and it is here, where he abides in conscious fellowship with Christ, that he remains until the resurrection of the just (Phil. 1:23,24; 2 Cor. 5:6-8). That part of Hades or Sheol which was separated from Paradise by the Great Gulf is the abode of the souls of the wicked. This is the temporary prison where the universe’s criminals are held in confinement awaiting the judgment of the great white throne.

Under this topic, we are to consider the future destiny of the two classes, the righteous and the wicked - that destiny which has its beginning beyond this present earth-life and after the completion of this present world order.

Heaven in Its Relation to the Future Destiny of the Righteous According to certain traditional beliefs, there are supposed to be seven heavens, but the Scriptures refer to only three: the atmospheric heaven (Acts 14:17); the stellar heaven (Gen. 1:14); and the third heaven (2 Cor. 12:2; Deut. 10:14).

There will be new heavens and a new earth. The possibilities of the heavens being dissolved, the elements melted with fervent heat, and a new heaven and a new earth cannot be disputed (2

Peter 3:10-13).*

"New" here does not mean just brought into exist people, with a program suited to both.

Hell in Its Relation to the Future Destiny of the Wicked

By the term hell, as used here, is meant the final abode and condition of the sinful. This is a subject upon which both science and philosophy must of necessity, remain silent, while revelation alone is allowed to speak as being authoritative.

The Greek word translated "hell," which is descriptive of this abode, is Gehenna - the name given to the valley of Hinnom, near Jerusalem, in which the garbage of the city was cast and burned.

At any time, day or night, the fires with their ascending smoke could be seen in this valley. Jesus makes it the symbol of hell, "Where the worm dieth not and the fire is not quenched."

The scriptural fact of hell:

1. Established by reason:

a. The argument from the principle of separation: This principle is operative in all realms of life. The dead are separated from the living - every cemetery and crematory are arguments for hell. Garbage is separated from wholesome food - every garbage can is an argument for hell. Refuse is separated from the things of value - every rubbish-heap is an argument for hell. The unholy and unrighteous are thus separated from the holy and righteous.

b. The argument from the principle of natural consequence:

Hell is the logical outcome of the sequence to a life of wickedness. Sin damns just as fire burns or water drowns or disease kills. S-I-N spells "hell" in this world and the next.

The smoke of torment ascends here from the brothel, the dive, the saloon, the drunkard's home, the divorce court, the prison, the electric chair, the opium den, the madhouse, the gambling den, and the lives of men and women who are burning in the furnace of their own lusts.

c. The argument from the principle of restraint: There are some who are restrained from criminality and lawlessness by the fear of punishment. To take away all penalty for disobedience to law is to open up the flood-gates of crime. The increase of suicides, murders, and other forms of crime has been due in no small measure to the removal of the fear of all future retribution.

d. The argument from the principle of governmental obliga-tions: God owes it to His law and justice to visit punishment upon the sinner. Satisfaction to offended justices must be rendered. The penalty of broken laws must be paid. A law without a penalty is a farce, as is also a penalty without its enforcement.

2. Established by revelation: "And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell" (Matt. 5:20 - cf. Matt. 10:28; 25:46; Rev. 20:15).

Doctrinal statement: The fact of hell is in harmony with human reason and according to the teachings of divine revelation.

The character of hell: Just as heaven is a place with a definite location, so is hell. The representation sees this of its being inhabited. It is further shown because of the fact that the inhabitants are possessed not only of souls but of bodies. It may also be inferred by the description of the present abode of the wicked in Hades as "a place"

"(Luke 16:28), for it is from this location they are to be transferred to the place called "Gehenna." It is to be further said that all the descriptive terms that are used of hell denote locality.

1. A place of unholy associations: "But the fearful, and unbeliev-ing, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death" (Rev. 21:8 - cf. Rev. 22:15).

2. A place of imprisonment and death: "And death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death, even the lake of fire" (Rev. 20:14 Asv - cf. Matt. 5:24,25; Rev. 20:15).

A place of sorrow and despair: "There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out" (Luke 13:28 cf. Matt. 22:13; 24:51; 25:30; John 3:36).

4. A place of conscious misery and torment: "And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night forever and ever" (Rev. 20:10 - cf. Luke 16:24,25; Rev. 14:11).

5. A place of darkness and degradation: "And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth" (Matt. 25:30); "He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still" (Rev. 22:11a.

The occupants of hell. The Scriptures describe a motley crowd who are to be the inhabitants of this abode of the damned. These represent many and diverse forms and degrees of sins and wickedness, but all are guilty and condemned.

1. Satan and his angels: "Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels" (Matt. 25:41).

2. The beast and the false prophet: "And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever" (Rev. 20:10).

3. Wicked and unbelieving men: "But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death" (Rev. 21:8).

The eternal duration of hell.

1. Established by reason:

a. The argument from endless being of the soul: Man's creation in the image of God carries with it the necessity of endlessness of being, since this is a very essential element in the Being of God and therefore necessary in the being of man for the similarity indicated by the terms "image" and "likeness." As life is essential to being, so endless being implies endless life. The Scriptures never represent the soul as being subject to death in the sense of its becoming extinct or passing into a state of unconscious existence. Since man has endless being, he must spend eternity somehow, somewhere; since the impenitence of the wicked precludes their restoration to God, and release from punishment, their punishment must be eternal. For the sin of the wicked thus becomes eternal sin, and they become eternal sinners (see Mark 3:29).

b. The argument from the infinite sacrifice of Christ.

There was no need of an infinite sacrifice for a temporal punishment - a finite ore could meet the demand within time. But grant the truth that Christ as God was an infinite sacrifice for sin and you have also admitted the truth of eternal punishment.

2. Established by revelation: "And these shall go away into ever: lasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal" (Matt. 25:46 - cf. Mark 3:29; John 3:36; 2 Thess. 1:9). Some tell us that the Greek word aionios, translated as "everlasting in the above passage, means only an indefinite period and therefore does not mean "endless" or "eternal." This word occurs about seventy times in the New Testament and should mean the same in each instance. This word, which is applied to the punishment of the wicked, is also applied to the life believers possess (Matt. 19:16), to the salvation and redemption in which they rejoice (Heb. 9:12), to the glory to which they look forward (2 Cor. 4:17), to those mansions in which they hope to dwell (2 Cor. 5:1), and to the inheritance which they expect to enjoy (Heb. 9:15). Moreover, it is applied to God (Rom. 16:26), and to the Spirit (Heb. 9:14). If, therefore, it be maintained that the word aionios does not mean everlasting when applied to the punishment of the wicked, what security have we that it means everlasting when applied to the life, blessedness, and glory of the redeemed? Is not the Triune God eternal?

There is no warrant translating aionios as "everlasting" or “eternal” for God, and believers fit is not so translated for the damned.