LESSON 17

The Last Things

Scripture Reading: I Corinthians 15:20–28; 51–54; Revelation 21:1–5

Main Dines of Reformed Doctrine is a series written by Rev. John H. Piersma, pastor of the Bethany Chrisitan Reformed Church of South Holland, Illinois. This series, concluded in this issue, was designed specifically for church societies, study groups, and all others interested. Two lessons have appeared each month. A hearty thank-you is extended to Rev. Piersma for his informative and significant contributions on matters of such great importance.

Our last lesson in this series is devoted to what is regarded as the most interesting of all Christian teachings: the doctrine of the last things. On these matters there is great divergence of opinion, to which we will pay some attention. The subjects we deal with are: the intermediate state (between our death and Christ’s return), the return of Christ, the resurrection of the dead, and the last judgment.

The Intermediate State

It is when He returns that Christ will consummate the work of redemption in this world. But many believers will have died during the course of the ages, and these must wait for their final g]orification with Christ. We are talking about that period between their death and Christ’s return when we discuss the intermediate state.

Among the heathen we often find a belief in the immortality of the soul. In the Christian church this expression has often been taken over uncritically. It has often been argued that the persistent conviction that man‘s life does not end with the grave “proves” the immortality of the soul—which is an unwarranted conclusion, of course. That only proves that man has a strong desire to escape death‘s seeming oblivion.

Scripture leaves nothing to doubt so far as the continued existence of man after death is concerned. Man’s existence does go on forever. But it says of God that He alone has immortality (I Tim. 6:16). Scripture never says that the soul as such is immortal. It does say that “this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality” (1 Cor. 15:33). Believers, one and all, will attain immortality. By our sin we died, which means that we are out of fellowship with God, and that therefore we must go through and out of this life under the sentence of death. That, according to Scripture, is the first death. That is followed, so far as unbelievers are concerned, with the second death, the eternal judgment and punishment (Rev. 20:14).

Believers. on the other hand ,are saved from death and will come into the condition described as “not possible to sin or die,” That is their immortality. Or, negatively, their deliverance from the possibility of death, and, positively, their everlasting life in Christ. The Belgic Confession (Art. 37) does say that unbelievers “shall become immortal,” but this article adds immediately that this is only to make possible their existence “in the eternal fire which is prepared for the devil and his angels.” In Article 19 of the Belgic Confession immortality is spoken of in the true sense of the blessed life. It speaks of the fact that Christ “has by His resurrection given immortality to the same,” that is to our human nature. That is in perfect agreement with Scripture. Paul says in II Timothy 1:10 that our Savior Jesus Christ has “abolished death, and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.” Similarly, in Romans 6:8, 9, “But if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him; knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death no more hath dominion over him.”

Scripture says little about the intermediate state, which means that we know only a little about the details of life after death before the Lord returns. Perhaps the most familiar passages are Luke 23:42, 43 (“And he said, Jesus, remember me when thou comest in thy kingdom. And he said unto him. Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in Paradise”) and Philippians 1:23 “But I am in a strait betwixt the two, having the desire to depart and be with Christ; for it is very far better”). The Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19–31) does offer some suggestions on this subject. It must be remembered, however, that this is a parable, which does not in the slightest detract from or minimize the obvious teaching of this passage, but does mean that we must see it in terms of the universal, eternal truth conveyed by the figures and comparisons of the story. So when the Book of Revelation speaks of the souls under the altar (6:9) we must keep in mind the visionary character of that book. On the basis of data found in Scripture we can assume the following so far as the intermediate state is concerned:

1. The believer goes immediately (Heidelberg Catechism, Lord‘s Day XXII:57) upon his death to Christ. This conviction is not embarrassed by the Scriptural mention of death as a kingdom or realm providing one reads this as something analogous to “the animal kingdom” or “the plant world,” rather than as a place. The Christian gospel comforts its believers by declaring that they will not go into “the sea of forgottenness,” but that Christ will remember them as He remembered the thief on the cross! Animists (heathen peoples) and some who believe in preexistence (and post-existence, too) think of death as the occasion on which the sou! begins to float in the air above the grave, or to inhabit a shadowy world of vague and indefinite character waiting to inhabit some other body. These are idle and vain speculations. 2. The believer not only goes immediately to Christ, but he also enters upon a consciously real and intimate relationship with Him. The idea of sou! sleep must be rejected. 3. The believer at his death experiences an immediate and perfect sanctification. He appears before God without blemish and without spot, having been “loosed from (his) sins by his blood” (Rev. 1:5). The idea of purgatory as a place of cleansing following death (Roman Catholicism) is heathenish. 4. The believer does not experience something parallel to physical development and maturation after this life. We ought not to think of our children as children should they be taken by death. They and all others live a life of glorious fulfillment, which does not mean that there is no progress or change in any sense, but that it is not the change from infancy to adulthood. Still less ought we to think of our children in heaven as little angels!

The Return of Christ

There are signs which precede the Second Coming of our Lord, and these are:

1. Wars, rumol’s of wars, famines and earthquakes in all kind of places (Matt.ff. 24:6, 7). (Please note that the Bible tens us that although these are harbingers of the Great Return, “the end is not yet.” Signs of the times do indicate that there will be a return of Christ as our glorious Judge, but they do not give anyone firm basis for predictions as to the day or the hour of that awesome event.)

2. The gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world for a testimony unto all nations (Matt 24:14). 3. There will come a great apostasy or falling away from the faith (II Thess. 2:3) and a great tribulation which threatens the salvation of all, even the elect! (Matt. 24:21, 22). 4. The coming of the antichrist. The classic passage on the antichrist (II Thess. 2:1–12) speaks of “the man of sin . . . the son of perdition.” This gives every appearance of being an individual person, even though his coming is preceded and prepared by history’s various anti-christian movements and leaders. If we put this in the light of Revelation 13:1–10 which speaks of “the beast which comes up out of the sea” in a strange and impressive royal garb, and to whom the dragon gives “his power, and his throne, and great authority,” we gain the impression of one who will stand as the head of the whole world. Interestingly enough, this idea of one-world government is often mentioned in our time as the only hope for a peaceful and lasting international society.

A large and influential movement in our time and on our continent is the one known as premillenarianism or chiliasm. Most of our fundamentalist and Baptist friends are committed to this interpretation of biblical prophecy. It stands in contrast with a-millennialism and post millennialism. L. Berkhof summarized this well when he wrote:

On the basis of Revelation 20:1–6 some believe that there will be a millennial (thousand year, JHP) kingdom of Jesus Christ, either before or after His second coming. Others, however, deny that Scripture warrants the expectation of such a millennial kingdom in any sense of the word. Consequently, there are three theories with respect to this matter, namely, the a-millennial, the post–millennial, and the premillennial theory. The first is purely negative and therefore does not call for any separate discussion. It is the view adopted in this work, and holds that the second coming of Christ, the general resurrection of the dead, and the final judgment all synchronize; and that therefore the present spiritual kingdom of God passes right over into the eternal kingdom of Jesus Christ.*

Post-millennarians teach that the second coming of Christ will follow upon a special thousand-year period in this gospel age, a period which will be marked by a widespread allegiance to Christ and His kingdom. The Scriptural emphasis upon the apostate character of the end-time (Luke 18:18b) plus its insistence upon the catastrophic rather than gradual introduction of the new world (Heb. 12:26, 27) has, we feel, made post–millennnrianism generally unacceptable to Reformed Christians.

Pre-millennialism holds that Christ, when He first returns, will raise up all those who have died in faith, will convert the Jews on a wide scale, will bring them back to the Holy Land, will set up anew the nation life of the Jews, only in far greater glory and power, and will then rule this kingdom with His saints for a thousand years.

This view Tests upon the idea that the old covenant continues during this New Testament dispensation, this “Age of the Church,” but its existence is an underground reality which will come to its rightful destiny when it goes into the millennium as described above. Then that old covenant will be re-established not only, but will also come into its own. Some teach that this was the intended purpose of Christ’s first coming, a purpose which was interrupted by rejection of our Savior by the Jews and His death on the Cross.

For premillennarianism there is a double return of our Savior. The first (often presented as invisible) will take place at the end of this Age of the Church. He will then take His church, both the living and the resurrected dead saints, into a glorious celebration of the wedding supper of the Lamb. During a period of tribulation on earth the Jews will be converted and brought back to Palestine. At the end of this period of tribulation Christ will come down to earth and judge the nations. Satan will be bound, antichrist de· strayed, and the millennium ushered in during which Israel will rule over the nations in the Name of Christ. Then the Temple will be rebuilt according to the vision of Ezekiel 40–47. This will be the fulfillment of all the promises to Israel found in the Old Testament. At the end of the thousand-year period (the millennium) satan will be loosed, the battle between believers and unbelievers will rage, and Christ will “return” a second (third?) time to bring all things to the end. In this “day” unbelievers will be resurrected to face the judgment before God’s throne. And, finally, the church will be transferred to heaven while Israel remains forever on earth.

We offer the following observations on these things:

1. Scripture teaches that Christ will return only once more (Acts 3:20, 21, “and that he may send the Christ who hath been appointed for you, even Jesus, whom the heavens must receive until the times of restoration of all things, whereof Cod spake by the mouth of his holy prophets that have been from of old” (Cf. Heb. 9:28).

2. The Old Testament is fulfilled in the New (see the entire Book of Hebrews, especially 8:13, “In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old. But that which is becoming old and waxeth aged is nigh unto vanishing away”). 3. Especially the idea of the restoration of the ceremonial service with its shadowy character is quite unacceptable. 4. The promises given to Israel have been and arc fulfilled in Israel’s greatest Son, Jesus Christ (Gal. 3:16, “Now to Abram were the promises spoken, and to his seed. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ”). From this we can see that it is valid to say that these promises to the church (we presume “a holy catholic church,” that is, one in all ages) are fulfilled in Christ. Scripture can therefore apply to the church one of Israel’s most unique and peculiar designations, “a royal priesthood” (1 Pet. 2:9).

5. The covenant of God was opened up to all peoples at Pentecost. In Romans 11 the heathen are ingrafted into the olive tree of the people of the covenant. Israel thereby becomes one of the many nations of the world, no more and no less. For that reason Paul may declare unequivocally that God has not broken His covenant with Israel (Rom. 11:1, 29). Nor does Israel have a peculiar role to play in the history of the kingdom of God. When Romans 11:26 says: “and so all Israel shall be saved” please note that it does not say: and after that (the hardening that has befallen Israel) all lsrael shall be saved. There is no evidence here for a mass conversion of Jews toward the end of the world. Surely anyone might hope for the salvation of many people, but our sure faith is that in the elect who come to salvation throughout the ages all spiritual Israel are indeed saved.

The Resurrection of the Dead

Scripture speaks much more fully about the complete restoration of man in the resurrection from the dead than it does about the intermediate state. Unbelievers shall also be raised, but this will be unto shame and increase of judgment (Dan. 12:2, “And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt”). Their resurrection will not mean an escape from the realm of the dead but a being consigned to everlasting forgottenness (Ps. 88:12; Eccl. 8:10; Heb. 6:10).

The blessed resurrection of the believer is a fruit of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is a gracious restoration of all the relationships wherein they were created. It will then become evident that their lives were not lived in vain (I Cor. 15:58, “Wherefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labor is not vain in the Lord”).

Believers will be raised bodily. This does not mean, however, restoration of precisely the same material. Even during this life there is, we are told, a complete change of substance every seven years although the continuity of our existence remains undisturbed. So there will also be a very real continuity between this body and the next. In I Corinthians 15:44 we read: “It [our present earthly body, JHP] is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body,” or, more literally, it is sown a psychical body; it is raised a pneumatical body. This means that there is a different principle of organization in the bodies of believers before and after the resurrection. The first was created to respond in terms of its created perfection to the Creator and His creation. The second is re-created to respond to the same God as Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, and that in terms of the new life wrought by the Holy Spirit (pneumatical is a word derived from pneuma, spirit).

We believe that the pneumatical body will be a material body, but that its fundamental principle of organization and operation will be found in its orientation to the Holy Spirit of God. That body will be like the glorious body of Christ (Phil. 3:21, “who shall fashion anew the body of our humiliation, that it may be conformed to the body of his glory, according to the working whereby he is able even to subject all things unto himself”).

The Last Judgment

The last judgment is described by Christ in Matthew 25:31–46. This judgment has to do with our works, not as the meritorious cause of our salvation but as fruits of faith. For believers the last judgment cannot be an occasion of anxious doubt as the outcome or verdict but only a public vindication and justification of their faith and its testimony.

The biblical truth of everlasting punishment, awesome as it is, rests upon such irrefutable evidence as Matthew 25:46, “And these shall go away into eternal punishment: but the righteous into eternal life,” and II Thessalonians 1:9, “who shall suffer punishment, even eternal destruction from the face of the Lord and from the glory of his might.” The counter argument that “everlasting” or “eternal” does not always mean in Scripture simple temporal, unlimited duration has some merit, but that obviously does not hold in the case of Matthew 25:46 because of the very plain contrast between “eternal punishment” and “eternal life.” Surely one may not modify the one without similarly modifying the other! We ought also to take note of such biblical expressions as “for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched” (Isa. 66:24; cr. also Mark 9:43, 48). We must reject therefore:

1. all hypothetical universalism, which teaches that there is a possibility of conversion for all men after death; 2. absolute universalism, which teaches that all creatures, including the devils, will sometime be saved; 3. the doctrine of “conditional immortality” which holds that only believers will continue to exist after this life.

In the end at the last judgment the earth will go through fire (II Pet. 3:10, “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall be dissolved with fervent heat, and the earth and the works that are therein shall be burned up”). When God brings the new heavens and the new earth this will not be a different creation (anabaptism) but a recreation. that is, a purifying and re-ordering of the existing creation in terms of the new Head of that creation, our Redeemer, Jesus Christ. Heaven and earth will then be re-united. The New Jerusalem (Rev. 21:1, 2) which will come down out of heaven to earth is not primarily the church but the new, glorious life of perfect fellowship, the ultimate, complete, heavenly city.

To help with discussion:

1. Someone has said that God has not told us much about the intermediate state (between death and final glory) because He wishes to emphasize the need for faith in Christ and the motive of serving His glory rather than personal enjoyment of the future life. Do you agree? Do you feel that our knowledge of life immediately after death is inadequate for our comfort and encouragement? Is some kind of “soul sleep” a possibility for us as Reformed Christians?

2. Paul says in II Corinthians 5:3 that “we shall not be found naked” after “the earthly house of our tabernacle be dissolved” (vs. 1). Do you think that this applies to the intermediate state? What does the difference between nakedness and being clothed refer to?

3. How should we think of our loved ones who have departed to be with the Lord so far as their present existence is concerned? Will we recognize them when we get to heaven? Are they consciously serving and enjoying the Lord? Should we despise this life in preference for the next? Is it never justifiable for a believer to long for deliverance from this life?

4. How should we relate spiritually to the Second Coming of Christ (cf. I Cor. 4:18)? Why do we seem to neglect this great biblical doctrine in comparison with some other Christians? Is it really possible for a healthy, vigorous Christian to pray, “Come Lord Jesus, yea, come quickly?”

5. The Reformed churches have condemned dispensationalism (the division of history into separate ages, each with its own plan of salvation) but not chiliasm (the teaching that there will be a special thousand-year reign of Christ in earth before the End); why? 6. Why does Scripture say that we need not know about the exact or even approximate dates of Christ’s return, etc.? (Cf. I Thess. 5:1). 7. Is the current existence of the Israeli nation really consistent with the predictions of the premillenarians? What effect would our adoption of the preferential attitude toward Jews have on our mission efforts (for example, Rev. Bassam Madany on the Arab broadcast of the Back to God Hour) to people of Arabian descent? 8. If we are to gain resurrection, Christ–like bodies at the time of His return, what kind of bodies do saints in glory have now? Why is it impossible for the God of the Covenant to allow any of His human creatures to be annihilated or to go out of existence? 9. What does the Heidelberg Catechism offer as comfort in connection with the last judgment? Cf. Lord‘s Day XIX:52.