The Final Note
Jesus will return at the “end” of the present age with great power and glory. All the “tribes of the Earth” will see him when he appears on the “clouds of Heaven” and “gathers his elect.” His “arrival” or ‘Parousia’ will be followed by the judgment of the ungodly, both celestial and terrestrial upheaval, the resurrection and vindication of the righteous, the New Creation, and the termination of death itself. Thus, it will be an event of GREAT FINALITY.
For example, in the parable of the Wheat
and the Tares, humanity is divided before him into two groups - The just
and the unjust. The “wheat” is gathered in the “barn,” while the
“tares” are tied into bundles and burned. The wheat represents the “sons
of the kingdom,” and the tares symbolize the “sons of the Evil One”
who sowed the “tares.” The “harvest” is at the “end of the age”
- (Matthew 13:24-30).
 |
| [Photo by Graham Holtshausen on Unsplash] |
The parable of the Sheep and Goats portrays
the time when all nations are gathered before Jesus for judgment. This
event follows his arrival from Heaven:
- “Then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory.” The “sheep” inherit the “kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world,” but the “goats” are cast into "everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels” - (Matthew 25:31-46).
In both parables, one group receives
everlasting life and the other “everlasting punishment.” There is no
third group or alternative, and no neutral state - (Matthew 25:31-46).
In his ‘Olivet Discourse,’ Jesus declared
that when the “Son of Man comes” he will be accompanied by his
angels. All nations will mourn, and he will send his angels to “gather
together his elect from one end of heaven to the other” - (Matthew
24:29-31).
ACCORDING TO PAUL
In his first Letter to the Thessalonians,
Paul describes how at his “arrival” the righteous dead will be raised, and
together with those saints who remain alive on the Earth, the entire Assembly will
“meet him in the air” as he descends from Heaven – (1 Thessalonians
4:13-18).
The appearance of Jesus will be heralded by
“the voice of an archangel and the trumpet of God.” From that point,
believers will be with him “forevermore.” Instead of “wrath,” God
has appointed them to obtain salvation through the Lord.
In contrast, for the wicked his arrival
will mean the “Day of the Lord,” an event that will include “sudden
destruction” on the unprepared, and “they will in no way escape.” Hence,
that same day will bring salvation to the faithful but destruction to the unrepentant
men and women of the Earth - (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, 5:1-7).
In his second letter to the Thessalonians, the
Apostle writes that the righteous will be vindicated when Jesus is “revealed
from heaven with his angels,” but the persecutors of the Assembly and all “who
do not obey the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ” will pay the ultimate
penalty, “Everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord.”
On that day, the Nazarene will be “glorified in his
saints.” Once again, we see that the righteous are saved and vindicated while
the wicked are condemned when he arrives - (2 Thessalonians 1:5-10).
Paul labels this event the “arrival”
or “Parousia’ of Jesus, the “Day of the Lord,” and the “Revelation
of Jesus from Heaven.” Regardless of which term is applied, on that day, he
will gather his saints and judge their persecutors, including the “Man of Lawlessness”
- (2 Thessalonians 2:1-9).
To the Corinthians, Paul described how on
that day the righteous dead will be resurrected, the Kingdom of God will be consummated,
and the “last enemy, Death” will cease. All this he places under the
term “end” (“then comes the
end”) when the saints inherit the Kingdom and receive “immortality”
- (1 Corinthians 15:20-57).
PER PETER & JOHN
The Apostle Peter links the final judgment
of the wicked, the dissolution of the existing created order, and the arrival
of the New Creation to the “arrival” or ‘Parousia’ of Jesus. All
the described events will occur on the “Day of God” - (2 Peter 3:3-13).
The Book of Revelation also
connects the judgment of the wicked to the coming of Jesus. On that day, “Every
eye will see him,” and, “All the tribes of the earth will wail because
of him” – (Revelation 1:7).
The “Day of the Lord” will be the
day of His “Wrath” against the wicked. It will be characterized by great
celestial and terrestrial upheaval, and the victory of the “Lamb” will
culminate in the New Heavens and New Earth – (Revelation 1:7, 6:12-17,
11:15-19, 16:12-21, 19:17-21).
The New Testament tells a consistent story.
The “arrival” of Jesus will mean the final judgment, the resurrection of
the dead, the gathering of all his saints to him, terrestrial and celestial
upheaval, the consummation of God’s kingdom, the cessation of death, the final
overthrow of all God’s enemies, and the New Creation wherein righteousness
prevails forevermore. that day will
end on a grand note of finality.
RELATED POSTS:
Comments
Post a Comment
We encourage free discussions on the commenting system provided by the Google Blogger platform, with the stipulation that conversations remain civil. Comments voicing dissenting views are encouraged.