That Blessed Hope

“Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness13. Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless.14 — 2nd Peter 3:13-14

“For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,11 teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;12 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ;13 Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.14 — Titus 2:12-14

The Last Judgement — Rogier van der Weydun, Public Domain Image

“But we are bound to give thanks always to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth:13 Whereunto he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.” — 2nd Thessalonians 2:13-14

“Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.2 And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.3 — 1st John 3:2-3

The return of Christ is supposed to encourage us and motivate us toward sanctification and good works. We do not earn our salvation, we do not perform any good work to pay off our debt to God, but rather because we know we are his children, we desire to live after his example out of love and respect. In each of these four passages that speak of the anticipation of Christ’s return, the urge to sanctify ourselves and live in godliness and peace among men is inseparable from our saving faith.

Many Christians tend to get caught up with wild speculations about “the Tribulation” and the timing of the “rapture.” End-times hysteria has been documented as far back as 500 A.D. People sell everything they own and abandon their lives in order to participate in an ecstatic ritual that always end in humiliation when the sun rises the next day and the world is exactly as it was.

The Last Judgement — Michelangelo, Public Domain Image

Jesus said to his disciples before ascending back up to heaven, “It is not for you to know the times or the seasons which the Father hath put in his own power. (Acts 1:7)” Period. Full stop.

Whatever your eschatology, it should not take its cues from Hollywood, mega-church televangelists, the ancient Mayans, or the Pope of Rome. It should be from a sober and humble study of the scriptures. Sola scriptura.

Selah.

Wrath Treasured Up

“And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent: and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding great.” Revelation 16: 21

Image Source https://www.pinterest.com/pin/310889180512901294/

18 Hast thou perceived the breadth of the earth? Declare if thou knowest it all…

22 Hast thou entered into the treasures of the snow? Or hast thou seen the treasures of the hail,

23 Which I have reserved against the time of trouble, against the day of battle and war? – Job 38

God declares the end from the beginning in order to glorify himself. In the Mosaic law execution by stoning pictures the judgement of God in this plague of hail. In the end times, God will stone the world to death for their sins. God himself is the speaker in Job 38:18-22, and he seems to be saying that there are hailstones he has stored up for the day of vengeance since at least the early days of the book of Genesis. This is also evidenced by the book of Jude, where it says:

14 And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints,

15 To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him.”

The end has been declared from the beginning. Enoch in Genesis 4 was prophesying of the Second Advent, and God confirmed that he has a plague of hail stored up for a time of trouble in Job 38. God can be extremely patient and merciful upon people, even the unsaved, but we should know that for every wicked act God crystalizes his wrath into another hail stone and sets it aside for the day of vengeance.

5 But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God;

6 Who will render to every man according to his deeds:

7 To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life:

8 But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath… - Romans 2

We see a foreshadowing of God’s plague of hail in Exodus chapter nine when God rains down a grievous hailstorm on the Egyptians. We know it is a foreshadowing of things to come because in Job 38 God refers to “the time of trouble,” words never used to refer to the specific plagues levied against the Egyptians anywhere else in scripture.

To be clear, we are not appointed to wrath (1st Thessalonians 5:9), but the books of Romans and Hebrews warn us of the chastisement of the Lord we can face on this earth if we disobey him. The New Testament tells us to serve the Lord with fear and trembling, because “it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” (Hebrews 10:31)

Amen.

At the Last Day

“And this is the Father’s will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.”

John 6:39

“And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.”

John 6:40

“No man can come to me except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.”

John 6:44

“Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.”

John 6:54

So when is the resurrection of the Just? At the last day. Paul leaves us this clue as well:

“Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.”

1 Corinthians 15:51-52

The book of Joshua also gives us a tight picture of this:

“And it came to pass on the seventh day that they rose early about the dawning of the day, and compassed the city after the same manner seven times. And it came to pass at the seventh time, when the priests blew with the trumpets, Joshua said unto the people, Shout; for the LORD hath given you the city.”

Joshua 6:15-16

“But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets.” Revelation 10:7