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LAST THINGS

LAST THINGS. THE REFORMED VIEW.

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LAST THINGS

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  1. LAST THINGS

  2. THE REFORMED VIEW • WCF 32:1, “The bodies of men after death return to dust, and see corruption; but their souls (which neither die nor sleep) having an immortal subsistence, immediately return to God who gave them. The souls of the righteous, being then made perfect in holiness, are received into the highest heavens, where they behold the face of God in light and glory, waiting for the full redemption of their bodies; and the souls of the wicked are cast into hell, where they remain in torments and utter darkness, reserved to the judgment of the great day. Besides these two places for souls separated from their bodies, the Scripture acknowledgeth none.” The Last Things

  3. THE REFORMED VIEW • The soul continues to live after physical death • Elect souls are perfected in righteousness, go to heaven and behold God • Non-elect souls go to “hell” and are tormented • There is no other place, such as purgatory. The Last Things

  4. THE ROMAN CATHOLIC VIEW • “The Catholic Church, by the teaching of the Holy Spirit, in accordance with Sacred Scripture and the ancient tradition of the Fathers, has taught in holy councils, and most recently in this ecumenical council, that there is a purgatory, and that the souls detained there are helped by the prayers of the faithful, and especially by the acceptable Sacrifice of the Altar.” The Council of Trent, 25th Session, Decree Concerning Purgatory (Denziger 1820) •  The Church bases this on the distinction between Mortal Sins (sins unto death) and Venial Sins (lesser) for which post-mortem purification is necessary • Scriptures used by the Roman Catholics include • II Maccabees 12:40-45, Sirach 7:33 • Matt. 12:32, Mark 3:29, Luke 12:10, I Cor. 3:11-15. The Last Things

  5. TERMS FOR THE HEREAFTER • she’ol, lAav., 66x, “pit, grave, death, underworld,” Sheol is the place of departed dead, of good and evil. It may be related to verb sha’al,lav, “to ask” •  `adhj, “Hades,” KJV, “hell,” Hades is the NT word for the place of the departed dead, both righteous and wicked. It is parallel to she’ol • paradeisoj,paradeisos, 3x Luke 23:43; II Cor. 12:4; Rev. 2:7. Taken from Heb. pardes, sdrP, from the Persian word for garden, it is always a good place of righteous dead. It is parallel to third heaven, II Cor. 12:2,4, and the tree of life is found there, Rev. 2:7 • “Abraham’s bosom,” Luke 16:22, Lazarus The Last Things

  6. TERMS FOR THE HEREAFTER • ’ouranoj, ouranos, 284x, “heaven,” This word is often used for “air, sky, space,” or as circumlocution for “God.” Usually it is used for the abode of God and the angels, often in the plural form. Sometimes it is used in the church fathers as the place to which Christians go at death, cf. Rev. 6:9, 4:1-2. In NT, heaven is viewed as a source of blessings, II Cor. 5:1-2; Matt. 5:12; 6:20; Col. 1:5; I Peter 1:4 • geenna, geenna, “gehenna, hell, ” Gehenna is from the Hebrew ge’ (ben) hinnom, “valley of the sons of Hinnom.” This is the traditional site of hell and the place of final judgment. Translated “hell” in the NT, it is used 11x in Synoptics, once in James 3:6 The Last Things

  7. TERMS FOR THE HEREAFTER • “Lake of Fire” (Rev. 19:20; 20:10,14,15; 21:8) This is apparently the same as gehenna since it also includes fire. Cf. Matt. 5:22; 18:9; but see also Luke 16:24 • tartarow, tartaroo, “hold in Tartarus,” II Peter 2:4 Tartarus in Greek mythology was considered place lower than Hades, where divine punishment was meted out. Cf. Deut. 32:22, “lowest she’ol.” It is used in II Peter only for demons, not for the departed wicked The Last Things

  8. INTERMEDIATE STATE: RIGHTEOUS • They are: freed from sin • There is no misery • They have communion with Christ • They await the resurrection • Scriptural data: blessedness • Lazarus is in “Abraham’s bosom,” Luke 16:22-25 • Thief on the Cross is promised paradise, Luke 23:43 • Paul speaks about the joy of the presence of Christ, Phil. 1:23; II Cor. 5:8 • Church Triumphant, joyful assembly, Heb. 12:23 The Last Things

  9. INTERMEDIATE STATE: RIGHTEOUS • The righteous dead in heaven are described as “souls” (Rev. 6:9, 20:4) or “spirits” (Heb. 12:23). Yet pronouns and nouns are used, suggesting personality; e.g., Lazarus, Christ; “I” and “you” • While the NT emphasizes joy during the intermediate state, both the OT and NT teach that the state is incomplete and even, in the long term, undesirable • Psalm 6:5 (cf. 88:5); 115:17; Isa. 38:18-9; Ecc. 3:19-21; 9:4-6; 12:7 • Luke 16; Rev. chap. 6; 7:13-17; chap. 14. • II Cor. 5:1-5, uses the term “naked”; speaks of a desire for the resurrection body, to be “clothed.” See also I Cor. 15:53-4; “Mortal swallowed”- I Cor. 15:54; “earnest of Spirit”- Rom. 8:23 and Eph. 1:14 The Last Things

  10. INTERMEDIATE STATE: WICKED • The lost are cast into hell • Hell is a place of Torments • All is in Utter Darkness • Reserved to Judgment at the last day • Scriptural Evidence concerning the intermediate state of the lost • The rich man, thirsty and in torment, Luke 16:23-24 • The wicked: punished/reserved for judgment, II Peter 2:9 • The inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah suffer eternal fire, Jude 7 The Last Things

  11. THE RESURRECTION • WCF 32:2-3 “At the last day, such as are found alive shall not die, but be changed: and all the dead shall be raised up with the self-same bodies, and none other, although with different qualities, which shall be united again to their souls for ever. The bodies of the unjust shall, by the power of Christ, be raised to dishonor; the bodies of the just, by his Spirit, unto honor, and be made conformable to his own glorious body.” • All the dead shall be raised • Those in Christ will have the same bodies, but glorified • Those who are lost will be raised to dishonor • All those living believers, at the return of Christ, will not die, but will be transformed The Last Things

  12. THE RESURRECTION: SCRIPTURE • Job 19:25-7, “in my flesh shall I see God,” mibbesari, hz<x/a, yrIf'B.mi `H;Ala/ • Gen. 17:8, 26:3, 28:13: There are promises to the patriarchs that they would participate in the blessings of the Abrahamic covenant (Cf. Heb. 11:13,19) • Isa. 26:19, “the dead shall live” • Dan. 12:1,1 “those who sleep will awake” The Last Things

  13. THE RESURRECTION: SCRIPTURE • I Thess. 4:13-7, “the dead in Christ shall rise” •   I Cor. 15:20-24, 42-44, 51-57, speak of the centrality of the resurrection for the Christian faith • Acts 24:15, Paul asserts the resurrection of the just and unjust  • Phil. 3:21, “transform the body” • See also Rev. 20:4-6, 11-14 The Last Things

  14. RESURRECTION & MILLENNIUM • Amillennial and Postmillennial Christians believe in a general resurrection of the just and the unjust that will take place at the return of Christ, preparatory to a general judgment. This has generally, in the past, been the Reformed view • Premillennial and Dispensational Christians believe there will be a resurrection of the just at the beginning of the millennium and a resurrection of the unjust at the end of the thousand year reign The Last Things

  15. RESURRECTION AND THE LOST • They are raised to dishonor • Their bodies have physical substance • This substance will exist eternally • These bodies will not be glorious, but befitting to a wicked heart The Last Things

  16. HELL IN SCRIPTURE • It is a place for the destruction of both body and soul, Matt. 10:28; II Thess. 1:8,9 • It is the company of Satan and demons, Matt. 25:41; Rev. 19:20; 20:10,15 • It is a place of fire, Matt. 25:41; Rev. 20:15 (But, see Hodge, ST, III,868) • Hell is a place of darkness, Matt. 25:30 • It is a place of Torments, Mark 9:43-4; Rev. 14:9-11 • There will be thirst, weeping, and gnashing of teeth, Luke 16:24; Matt 22:13; 25:30 The Last Things

  17. RESURRECTION & THE REDEEMED • There is identity with their bodies during life, a physical substance • Cf. resurrection body of Jesus • The disciples could feel his hands and side • Jesus could eat fish • His body was called “flesh and bone,” Luke 24:39 • Jesus was able to transport without physical, spatial, barriers (See the discussion in Hugh Ross, Beyond the Cosmos, 44-49, 122ff for the extra-dimensionality of God) • See the description of the resurrection body in I Cor. 15:35-54 • Honor • Power • Spiritual • Incorruptible The Last Things

  18. THE JUDGMENT • WCF 33:1, “God hath appointed a day wherein he will judge the world in righteousness by Jesus Christ, to whom all power and judgment is given of the Father. In which day, not only the apostate angels shall be judged, but likewise all persons that have lived upon earth shall appear before the tribunal of Christ, to give an account of their thoughts, words, and deeds, and to receive according to what they have done in the body, whether good or evil.” • The judgment includes apostate angels • It also includes all humans • It covers all of one’s life, thoughts, deeds, etc • Rewards or punishments are based on the outcome of this judgment The Last Things

  19. JUDGMENT AND SCRIPTURE • Eccl. 3:17; 11:9; 12:14, all will be judged • Matt. 10:26; 12:36-7, we will be judged for every idle word • John 5:22, 26-7, 30, Christ will be the judge • Rom. 2:16; 14:10-2, God will judge at the judgment seat of Christ • I Cor. 3:13-5; II Cor. 5:10, Christians will be judged for their deeds • Heb. 9:27, all are appointed to judgment • II Peter 2:4, Jude 6, the fallen angels will be judged • Rev. 20:11-15, describes the Great White Throne judgment The Last Things

  20. ETERNAL STATE • Everlasting life • Fullness of joy and refreshing • Freed from all sin and misery • Inconceivable joys • All will be perfectly holy and happy in soul and body • Saved will dwell in the company of saints and angels • Vision and fruition of the Triune God. The Last Things

  21. It is called “Eternal life,” Matt. 25:46; John 3:16 There are no tears in heaven, Rev. 7:17 There is no hunger or thirst, Rev. 7:16-7 The Glory of God fills all and is in all, II Cor. 4:17 Heaven is a place of Rest, Heb. 4:9 There is eternal day- No night, Rev. 22:5 In heaven, the curse has been removed, Rev. 22:3 It is a place of unsurpassed beauty, Rev. 21,22 There will be fellowship with others, Heb. 12:22-3 There is Communion with God, Rev. 21:3; 22:4 Heaven is a place of Righteousness, II Peter 3:13. There the people of God offer Service to God, Rev. 22:3. Christians exercise authority with God, Rev. 22:5 All will bow and worship God, Rev. 7:9-12, 19:1. HEAVEN IN SCRIPTURE The Last Things

  22. LAST THINGS

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