► Read Daniel 7:9-14 together. What does this passage tell us about the future?
Subjects in biblical prophecy include: the mark of the beast, the trumpets, the great tribulation, the antichrist, the seven years, the 1,000 years, the great white throne, the city coming down, the lake of fire.
► What issues do you think of in biblical prophecy?
Levels of Importance
Discussions of prophecy often focus on minor questions instead of the major truths. Topics in prophecy are not all equally important. We will not try to cover everything about prophecy in this course.
Sometimes people wonder what the mark of the beast will look like, what country the antichrist will come from, and who the two witnesses will be. These are questions that the Bible does not clearly answer, and arguing about them is not worthwhile.
There are other topics that the Bible explains more. Some examples are whether Jesus will come back at the beginning, middle, or end of the tribulation; and whether or not the millennium is a literal 1,000 years. However, these doctrines are not essential to the gospel. You should never break fellowship with someone because you disagree with his opinion on one of these questions.
There are some necessary truths in biblical prophecy. These are truths that are so clear that everyone who believes the Bible accepts them. These doctrines affect Christian living and the whole system of Christian doctrine. Let’s look at four necessary truths revealed in biblical prophecy about final events.
The Physical Return of Jesus
Jesus will return visibly to this earth. Though he is spiritually present with believers on the earth now, he will return in his glorified, risen form in the sight of all the earth. (Read Revelation 1:7.)
► What are some things that will happen when Jesus returns?
The return of Christ will be the climax of earthly history. The kingdoms of the world will become the kingdoms of Christ. Those who have been faithful to him will be rewarded and honored. Those who have been in rebellion against him will be put down, and he will have power that will overcome all opposition. (Read Matthew 26:64.) Every knee will bow, and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord (Philippians 2:10-11).
Christians who have died will be resurrected to rule with Christ (2 Timothy 2:12). They and the living believers will rise to meet the Lord when he appears (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17).
[1]Jesus’ return is the blessed hope of all Christians. (Read Titus 2:13.) Think of all that his return means to us: the end of persecution, suffering, and sorrow; reunion with saints and Christian loved ones; proof that our faith has not been in vain; the sight of Jesus himself; and entrance into heaven and the fullness of eternal life with God. None of these things depend on the time of his return, but simply on the fact that he will return as he promised.
Jesus said that he would return with power and glory (Matthew 24:30). He promised to come and take his people to live with him (John 14:3). The angels said that he would return in the same way that he had gone up into heaven (Acts 1:11). The apostles preached repentance while waiting for Christ to return to establish God’s ultimate plan for this world. (Read Acts 3:19-21.) That Jesus will return to this earth again in power and glory is taught repeatedly in the New Testament.[2]
Though there are signs that will precede the second coming of Jesus, we cannot know exactly when he will return. It is good for believers to always anticipate Jesus' coming and to live accordingly. (Read Mark 13:33-37.)
► Why is Jesus coming back?
We live in a world where most people are in rebellion against God. The whole creation suffers from the curse of sin. The world will never be made perfect by political action, social reform, improved education, or prosperous economies. Jesus will suddenly enter his creation as the returning king to set it right.
All people are sinners, but if they willingly join God’s kingdom now, they can escape the coming judgment. God’s kingdom is functioning already among those who repent and believe (Mark 1:14-15, Mark 9:1). That kingdom will come fully and openly at the return of Jesus.
► How should we live because we know Jesus is coming back?
We must remember the priorities of early Christians. We are called to keep our faith (1 Corinthians 16:13) and endure to the end (Matthew 24:13). We are warned not to let pleasures and the things of the world make us forget about the coming of Christ (Luke 21:34-36). We live according to eternal values since the things of this world will pass away (2 Peter 3:11-13). We are told to watch, not by gazing at the sky for his appearance, but by staying on guard spiritually so that his coming will not catch us unprepared (Mark 13:33-37). We pray for purity and live a pure life because we want to be like him (1 John 3:3).
Those who live today as though Jesus is not coming will not be ready for his return. Jesus’ coming will be like lightning (Matthew 24:27; 1 Corinthians 15:52), so sudden that nobody will have time to change anything after he appears. 1 Thessalonians 5:1-6 shows that those who are in darkness, those living for this world, will be shocked by the return of the Lord. For them, his return will be like the intrusion of a thief. For believers, his return will not be frightening, but will bring great joy, like the coming of a bridegroom for his bride (John 14:2-3).
“No one has made progress in the school of Christ who does not joyfully await the day of death and final resurrection. Let us await the Lord's coming with longing because it is the happiest thing of all. He will come to us as Redeemer and will lead us into that blessed inheritance of his life and glory.”
– Adapted from John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion
[2]1 Thessalonians 4:15-16; 2 Thessalonians 1:7, 10; Titus 2:13; Hebrews 9:28; James 5:7-8; 1 Peter 1:7, 13; 2 Peter 1:16, 2 Peter 3:4, 12; 1 John 2:28
The Bodily Resurrection of All People
We know that the body has eternal value because the Bible teaches the resurrection of all people. The doctrine of the resurrection is necessary. We know this because Apostle Paul spent all of 1 Corinthians 15 defending the doctrine. He explained that denial of resurrection is denial of the gospel. If there is no resurrection, then Jesus could not have been raised (1 Corinthians 15:13). If Jesus did not rise from the dead, the gospel cannot be true, and nobody is really saved (1 Corinthians 15:17).
Every person will be resurrected, but not all people at the same time. At the return of Jesus, he will take up all Christians, raising those who have died (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17; Revelation 20:6). Those who died in their sins are not accepted for the first resurrection. They are raised at a later time for judgment (Revelation 20:13).
Christians will be raised in glorified bodies like Jesus (1 John 3:2). Unconverted sinners will be raised in some other form for eternal punishment (John 5:28-29).
► If you did not believe that the body will be resurrected, what difference would that make for you?
[1]The belief that we will someday be resurrected affects our lifestyle. We can see the practical effects of the doctrine by looking at examples of people who deny it. Some people in the Corinthian congregation denied that the human body will be resurrected. Those who believed this error divided into two positions.
Some said, “Since the body will not be raised,the spirit is all that matters. That means that the sins we commit with the body are not serious. We can even commit fornication because the body is going to be discarded anyway.”
Some of the Corinthians seemed to have had a slogan, “Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food,” meaning that the body is for nothing but indulgence of desires. Paul told them that people will be judged for misuse of the body (1 Corinthians 6:13). He said that the body is for the Lord, and that God will raise our bodies as he raised Jesus’ body (1 Corinthians 6:14).
Others said, “Since the body will not be raised, it must be worthless and evil. We should suppress all bodily desires, not eating anything that tastes pleasant or enjoying marriage.”
Both of these errors came from denying the resurrection. Denial of the resurrection devalues the body. But the Christian doctrine of the resurrection gives value to the body.
► Read 1 Corinthians 6:14, 15, 19-20.
These verses show that Christians’ bodies are valuable because they
Are redeemed
Are the temples of the Holy Spirit
Are members of Christ
Will be resurrected and glorified
The doctrine of the resurrection is necessary because it means that
“O death, where is your sting?
O Hades, where is your victory?
Christ is risen, and you are abolished.
Christ is risen, and the demons are cast down.
Christ is risen, and the angels rejoice.
Christ is risen, and life is freed.
Christ is risen,
and the tomb is emptied of the dead:
for Christ, being risen from the dead,
has become the Leader and Reviver
of those who had fallen asleep.
To him be glory and power for ever and ever. Amen.”
- Chrysostom, “Easter Homily”
The Judgment
Judgment Day is truly the end for those whose names are not in the book of life. It is not the end of their existence, but it is the end of their opportunity to make choices. In the eternity that follows, people will experience the unending consequences of their decisions, which can never be reversed.
The judgment gives our choices significance beyond their immediate results. Some people think that as long as they can control the results of their actions, there is nothing else to worry about. They want to believe that their sin is not evil if it doesn’t really do any harm. In reality, all sin does harm. But even if it did not bring harm in this life, sin is serious because of the judgment. God's Word says that people will be judged for their works. (Read 2 Corinthians 5:10; Romans 2:6-11.)
At the judgment, some will be sent to eternal punishment and others to eternal reward. Scripture describes one scene of judgment for unconverted sinners who are resurrected to face condemnation for their sinful works. (See Revelation 20:11-15.) There is another judgment for Christians, where they will be rewarded for those works that had worthwhile, lasting results. (Read 1 Corinthians 3:14-15.)
The judgment means that someday sin will no longer exist. It is hard to imagine a world with no sin, but someday all rebellion against God will be ended.
God does not intend that we live in constant fear, or that fear be our motive for living right. However, consciousness of the judgment ahead gives us a sense of accountability that guides our lives.
We must know about the judgment to understand
1. The significance of sin
2. Our accountability to God
3. The importance of our choices
4. The end of all sin
God’s Eternal Kingdom
According to some philosophies and religions, time goes on forever in cycles, with no beginning or end, and no events that change things forever. But according to the Bible, time has a beginning and a series of events progressing to a conclusion. The Bible describes creation, then the tragic fall of man, then the plan of salvation that God is working out through the centuries of human history.
In Genesis 3 we find the beginning of sin. In Revelation sin is excluded from God’s eternal city (Revelation 21:27). In Genesis we see the loss of the tree of life and the sentence of death (Genesis 3:22-24). In Revelation we see restoration of the tree of life, names in the book of life, and invitation to a river of the water of life (Revelation 22:1-2, 19).
The coming of God’s complete and eternal kingdom will accomplish God’s plan. God has always been the King of his universe, but since the fall of man, most of humanity has been in rebellion against God’s kingdom. That rebellion will come to a sudden end, and God will rule eternally without a rival. The world will be perfectly as God wants it, just as heaven is.
Error to Avoid: Earthly Focus
There is a human tendency to live as though earthly life goes on forever. We try to improve our conditions, solve our problems, and create an environment that makes us content. We need to be like Abraham who was expecting an eternal home while he lived in tents and moved often (Hebrews 11:8-10, 14-16). We need to remember that the things we build, the things we have, and the conditions we create are all temporary. We should work for things that have eternal value.
► Read the statement of beliefs together at least two times.
Statement of Beliefs
Jesus will return as he promised, resurrecting believers of the past, and taking all believers to reign in his kingdom. Every person will be raised from the dead to face judgment for his works. He will either be granted eternal reward or sentenced to eternal punishment. God’s kingdom will come fully, and God will reign eternally.
Lesson 14 Assignments
(1) Passage Assignment: Each student will be assigned one of the passages listed below. Before the next class session, you should read the passage and write a paragraph about what it says about the subject of this lesson.
Daniel 2:31-45
Matthew 25:31-46
1 Corinthians 15:51-58
2 Peter 3:1-14
Revelation 20:11-15
(2) Test: You will begin the next class with a test over Lesson 14. Study the test questions carefully in preparation.
(3) Teaching Assignment: Remember to schedule and report your out-of-class teaching times.
Lesson 14 Test
(1) What are four necessary truths about final events given in biblical prophecy?
(2) What will happen to Christians when Jesus returns?
(3) How should we wait for the coming of Jesus?
(4) Why is the doctrine of the resurrection necessary?
(5) We must know about the judgment to understand what four things?
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