Introduction to Eschatology

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Say: Let us now begin to worship the Father the Son, the Holy Spirit, Our Call to worship Comes to us from Reading

Psalm 105:1–3 ESV

1 Oh give thanks to the Lord; call upon his name; make known his deeds among the peoples! 2 Sing to him, sing praises to him; tell of all his wondrous works! 3 Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice!

Introduction

In The chronicles of Narnia, the Dawn treader the children are exploring the gerear sea in search of Aslan’s Country. (Explain the book briefly) the Island they stopped on was based on the 8 evil thoughts, that predates the seven deadly sins by a 1000 years, being the sin of Vainglory. The sin on vainglory is when you seek human acclaim, it’s like wanting to see if your post on social media is getting a lot of attraction. It’s one of the most wicked sins that socail media promotes.

She was so absorbed that Aslan had to save her.

We are all dragged down into vainglory, looking at our own acclaim, seeking the aggrandizement of our own status.

When Aslan saved her he walked away from the trap of Vainglory and then he had to depart. Lewis records this,

“Do not look sad. We shall meet soon again.”

“please, Aslan,” said Lucy, “what do you call soon?”

“I call all times soon,” said Aslan; and instantly he vanished away...”

When it comes to the end-times we are dealing with the soon. We don’t know when soon is, but their is a nearness to it.

Everyone blieves in an endtime - (expalin secular ones, the Isalmaic one and any I know of).

Why we do is because I believe that God has put into the human heart the story of the end and the beginning. God in his goodness has revealed much about himself in time and in human stories. I’ve been reading Roman history with my children, part of their home schooling and I learned that the founders of Rome were said to be sealled in a basket and sent down the River Po to protect them from their murderous uncle, sound fimaler? God has done these things in all our stories because he is shareing with us his story of creation, fall, salvation, New- creation

Some intial things before we Jump in

Jesus will literally return

If you Deny this you are not a Christian

John 14:3 ESV

3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.

You by denying that Jesus is coming back are calling him a liar

Numbers 23:19 ESV

19 God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?

This is a pleasant reminder that he keeps his promises. So when you learn about end-times remember we all are looking to a future promise. Like those before the birth of Christ, waiting on his coming we share in the same blessing and being faithful in the moment we are in.

There are many different positions on End-times so charity is good.

Believe it or not may people hold to many different perspectives on the endtimes!

Ephesians 4:1–3 ESV

1 I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, 3 eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

We ,ust bear with each otrher in love as we discuss the differances!

(explain the big three!) plus 2 more in the Evangelical camp.

Let’s look at Spurgeon for a momment

Charles Spurgeon held to historic Premil - he rejected the pre-tribulational rapture, he was a pastor around the time people came up with that view point in the mid-1800s, he actually thought it nonsense! He in the middle of his life a post-mil/Amil guy and at the end of his ministry a Pre-mil again based out of his dispaer of the trajectory of the church.

One of the founding groups of America, the puritans of New England, these would be the people I’m partially descended from, believed mostly in an non-Premill postion.

The ealiest Christians were Pre-mil

Saint Augustine is credited with the AMil postion, and as such, Luther, Calvin, and most of the reformers are with him their.

If you look into the Middle ages you’ll find them also all over the map.

All this to say. We love our brother and sisters in the faith. The honest Christian must agree with Peter when speaking about Paul’s writings

2 Peter 3:16 (ESV)

16....There are some things in them that are hard to understand,

We all are obeying God and trying our best to understand his word!

So love your brother and sister, even if you disagree! How God returns in a secondairy issue, that He will return is primary. I used to tease my pentacostal Aunt, but we both love Jesus, she’s sense gone on to be with the Lord I’m sure she is learning all she can now!

Don’t set a date, don’t get taken in with the News

Finally don’t date set

Matthew 24:36 ESV

36 “But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only.

The son in his human submission to the father didn’t know the hour of his return. We all want to know, but resist thinking that you know, because you don’t. It will be so obvious to us all after the fact, like most of life is, but for now we can’t know or find out.

By application don’t read the news into the Bible. You can read the news in light of the Bible, but know every generation think their days is it, and they’ve all been wrong! It is best to love and obey God and walk in faith as opposed to crippled in fear thinking your day is it!

Text

Mark 13:1–4 ESV

1 And as he came out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Look, Teacher, what wonderful stones and what wonderful buildings!” 2 And Jesus said to him, “Do you see these great buildings? There will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.” 3 And as he sat on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter and James and John and Andrew asked him privately, 4 “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign when all these things are about to be accomplished?”

Observations/Background

We are about to enter one of the most difficult parts of scripture. We are going to look at over the next 2-3 weeks end times topics. Admittedly I am studying and learning a lot about this myself, it has never been an area I have been able to study very deeply. Partly because of ministry, partly life experience.

When we look at the text we are going to go through the Olivette discourse. This text has near, far, and multiple fulfillment events (that means that somethings will repeat again and again). Some of these thing will happen in the lifetime of the disciples in AD 70 some will happen again and again in Christian history, some at the end of the age, some 2 of those three and some all three.

All this to say End-times studies are difficult, take solid study.

Application note:

The near, close and far is why I’ve come to subscribe to partial- historic understanding of the end-times. Just as we see repeated Exodus like events in the Bible, I believe we see small end-times like events in Christian history, the scriptures teach that many anti-Christ have come.

1 John 2:18 ESV

18 Children, it is the last hour, and as you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come. Therefore we know that it is the last hour.

(Name a few past and present, speak of Luther)

So I commend to you learn the stories of your Bible, and you’ll see patterns in here, what does that teach us? To understand everything we believe in light of what this books says and balance those beliefs in light of every part of scripture.

Point 1 Jesus the center of The Endtimes

Turn to :

Titus 2:11–14 ESV

11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, 12 training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, 13 waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, 14 who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.

I’m going to briefly uses this to govern our future hope.

Briefly to repeat He will bodily return

Jesus is the center of history, we literally build our calendars off of his birth. In the past it was based around the reign of a king or emperor, that was switch out our calendar as it is based around the birth of the king of kings

2. There are two comings of Jesus - Merry Christmas

This one is for all you bah-humbugs! I’m putting up my tree this month!

I’ve said it from the pulpit, but I mean it. We will have two Christmases one day! Christmas truly is advent - Advent from the Latin meaning Coming. The world has experienced the first advent we are waiting for the second.

Titus 2:11 ESV

11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people,

That is past tense - the word is related to our word for Epiphany, It has happened. We are in Ti. 2:13

Titus 2:13 ESV

13 waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ,

That appearing is what we are waiting for.

I want you to look ahead to Titus 3:4

Titus 3:4 ESV

4 But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared,

That is how we understand his appearing. (expand)

Don’t fear it’s good, it will be the greater Christmas morning for us all! I can’t wait!

3. The return encourages us to live worthy of him

Titus 2:14 ESV

14 who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.

We must keep busy in the meantimes serving him!

Point 2 Why you should Learn about Eschatology

1. To love Jesus more, to see his glory and to grow in our faith.

Philippians 3:8 ESV

8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ

When you read the bible you see the king of kings in his awesome might, seeing what he will do grows your admiration and love for our king! His deeds to come are amazing! They fully expand on what he has done!

2. It demonstrates that all of life, history, nations, men and women have a point! YEs your life is part of God’s awesome and maginifcant plan. Rom 8:28-30

Romans 8:28–30 ESV

28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. 29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.

HE is working it out! Using you and me to do it! - You then can trust him because he is doing great things!

3. It gives us mission for our lives today, we’re to pursue lives of holiness 2 Peter 3:13

2 Peter 3:13 ESV

13 But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.

So only those who are holy may dwell there, and We know that he will bring that to completion. You can work to grow in your Holiness and God will do it through you.

So of you feel you can’t God can

1 John 3:2–3 ESV

2 Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. 3 And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.

4. It brings us comfort after hardship 1 Thess. 4:16-18

1 Thessalonians 4:16–18 ESV

16 For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore encourage one another with these words.

Be encouraged your hardship will end. Tell your brother and sister that! This to shall pass. I get this in a real personal way.

5. It gives us reason to Pray. Saint John wrought Rev. 22:20-21

Revelation 22:20–21 (ESV)

20 He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus! 21 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen.

Do you pray for his coming? Do you amen with Saint John?

6. It creates a labor of annictipation. Today is the day of salvation. We muyst go and share the truths of God’s word! We know that this work is not in vain! 1 Cor. 15:58

1 Corinthians 15:58 ESV

58 Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.

7. It leads us to glorious worship!

Philippians 2:11 ESV

11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

This return of Jesus makes that anticipation of his return make you want to give him all honor and glory!

Give the gospel

Benediction

Say: As we close our service of worship dear brother and sister please stand for our benediction and receive by faith this blessing from God

Hebrews 13:20–21 ESV

20 Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, 21 equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.