There we go. We've seen that there's an intermediate state after death, a state between the point of death and the return of Christ, where we exist in soul form.
So our bodies remain on earth, but we go either to heaven, if you're a believer, hell, if you're an unbeliever, in soul form.
And then everyone is resurrected after that, believer and unbeliever, and then it's the final state.
And that's how eternity will be forever, never to change again.
And for the believer, that's living in the new creation, in our physical, resurrected, perfected bodies.
And for the unbeliever, it's eternity, body and soul in hell.
And so we've been following this timeline, but we've skipped something, haven't we?
Something critical. How do we get from this stage over here, this intermediate state or just life on earth, how do we get from this to the final state of new creation or hell?
Well, today, we're coming to the missing gap in the middle.
And we're going to find out what triggers all this final state.
And we'll see it's the return of Christ and judgment day.
That's our focus today.
We're going to peer into the future and see what will happen to the world and to us and to the church and to all people when Christ returns.
And the first thing to see is this.
The return will mean the end of this age.
So we're going to look at the first point today.
The return means the end of this age.
So cast your mind back a few weeks ago to our session on heaven.
Where is Christ now?
Christ is in heaven, isn't he?
So in Acts 1, he ascended into the heavenly realm bodily.
Do you remember?
Where are my pens?
There we go.
You can see this at the bottom.
So you remember God created all things.
So this is going to be small.
All things, all creation.
And then you have heaven.
It's one realm of creation.
Hell is another.
And then you just have the universe.
That's the visible universe.
All other things.
That's where we live.
And so Christ is in heaven right now.
Bodily.
He's ruling from there over all creation.
He's growing his church.
He's bringing his kingdom.
He's sustaining atoms from this realm.
And he's enthroned in heaven right now.
But what is promised as soon as he ascends into heaven?
Look at Acts 1 verse 11.
This Jesus who was taken up from you into heaven will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.
As soon as he goes, Jesus promises he will return to this earth.
And when he does, the Bible tells us that his second coming, so remember his first is Christmas, right?
That's his first coming.
But his second coming, when he comes down from heaven, that will bring a close to this age.
So look at what the disciples asked Jesus in Matthew 24.
They're asking about the end times.
What will be the sign of your coming and the close of this age?
The Bible speaks of two ages.
I've added to our diagram here.
I hope it's not complicated, but it's just getting fuller.
So the Bible speaks of two ages.
History is split into two ages.
This age and the age to come.
And you hear that language a lot through the Bible.
I've got some verses there, Matthew 12, Luke 18, Ephesians 1.
You often hear this, this age and the age to come language.
And the age to come refers to this final state.
Can you see it matches up with this final state here?
You have the age to come.
This is how eternity will be.
And so it's marked, for the believer, it's marked by perfection and eternal life.
It's the new creation that this is the age to come.
And so from now until that point, things run as they are.
So life as we know it, which is, how is it marked?
How is this life marked?
It's marked by sin and death and opposition to God.
Imperfection.
We are in this age.
Okay?
So remember, even if you go to heaven or hell, that earth still continues.
Life as we know it still continues.
And all of that together, that is this age.
And so because it's marked by sin, Paul calls it in Galatians 1, the present evil age.
It's an evil age.
And so this is how you can think of history.
It's split into two parts.
This age and the age to come.
But what triggers the age to come?
How do we get from this current present evil age to the age to come?
Well, the Bible says it's the return of Christ that closes this age and begins the age to come.
So look at these passages I've written, I've got there for you.
Matthew 24.
What will be the sign of your coming and of the close of the age?
The second coming and the close of this age go together.
They are one event together.
And look at 2 Thessalonians 1.
Christ's return marks the end of evil and persecution and injustice.
And it's the point.
It's the long-awaited relief for the church.
And look at 2 Peter 3.
The coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved,
and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn.
But according to his promise, we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.
Christ's return triggers the purification of this current creation.
That's what the fire is referring to.
It's not talking about being incinerated.
It's talking about being purified.
And his return, it marks the commencement and transformation, the beginning of the new creation.
And look at 1 Corinthians 15.
In Christ shall all be made alive.
Remember, this is the resurrection.
But each in his own order.
Christ the firstfruits.
Christ's return triggers the resurrection.
At his second coming, we will all be raised from the dead.
And so there is a point in history when something cataclysmic will happen to the universe and to life as we know it.
Christ will return, bring a close to this age, wrap things up, and then he will begin the final state.
History is wrapped up and a new history begins.
A few mic checks.
There we go.
And what we need to realize is this will be a real physical event in history.
So remember Acts 1 again.
It's promised Jesus will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.
How did Jesus go up into heaven?
He was taken up physically, wasn't he?
He had a physical body visibly taken up.
The disciples saw him.
And he will return physically and visibly from the realm of heaven to this planet.
That's why the language of this event is not only called the coming or the second coming, but it's also called his revealing or his appearing.
There's a real emphasis in the Bible that this will be a public, visible event for every living creature to see.
It's something they must see.
And it will be an awesome sight.
So just listen to 2 Thessalonians 1.
When the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus,
they will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might.
When he comes on that day to be glorified in his saints and to be marveled at among all who have believed.
Although heaven itself, the realm of heaven, it isn't actually kind of in the clouds up there.
He could well appear from the clouds above.
1 Thessalonians 4 says he's going to descend from the air.
And he's going to come in all his glory.
With his army of angels surrounding him.
And he will visibly appear in the full revelation of his glory and power.
It's Christmas time, isn't it?
When Christ first came, how did he come?
He came in a manger, didn't he?
In all humility.
His glory was veiled.
You can look at that little baby in a manger, but you wouldn't be able to tell that, oh, this is the glorious king of the universe.
But when he comes a second time, there is no veil.
And there will be no doubt about his glory.
And he could actually well be shining in his glory as he appears.
And when he does it, he will raise the dead.
Believer and unbeliever, do you remember last week, it's all will be raised from their graves.
He will transform creation and bring an end to life as we know it.
And so for the Christian, this is the day of relief for the church.
This is the day when all our troubles and sorrows will end.
And so it's what we're all longing for.
This is the deep desire of the Christian for Christ to return.
I mentioned this a few days ago in the Tuesday lunchtime service.
So don't answer if you were there.
But who knows what the final prayer in the Bible is?
I'll give you a clue.
It's Revelation 22.
Last chapter of the Bible.
Anyone know what the final prayer is?
Come Lord Jesus.
And that's no surprise.
When Jesus comes, what happens?
Sin ends.
Bodies resurrected.
Pain gone.
Death wiped out.
New creation begins.
The Bible paints it as an awesome day.
But it will be a wonderful day for the Christian.
It's a day of Christian hope.
History is heading somewhere, building up to something.
And there is going to be a climax, a resolution, a finale.
And it's this.
It's the return of Christ.
But let me ask, when will this be?
We know this is to come.
This is going to be an event in history.
But when?
Well, this is the second thing to see.
The timing.
The return.
The timing.
So when will this second coming be?
Well, here's the answer.
Write this down.
We don't know.
Okay.
Right.
Let's pray.
No.
We don't know.
So look at these passages.
Mark 13.
But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows.
Not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.
If you're going to ask, why not the Son?
Come back in the summer.
I'm going to do Sunday school on Christ.
So we'll answer it there.
Luke 12.
The Son of Man is coming.
And an hour you do not expect.
Acts 1.
It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority.
And the Bible repeatedly tells us that Jesus is going to come like a thief in the night.
So think about that.
What time does a thief break into a house in the night?
What's the time?
What time?
You don't know, do you?
That's the point.
It's a surprise.
It's sudden.
It's something you can't predict.
If it was, then the thief wouldn't come in, right?
Just like the second coming.
Now, the Bible does say that there will be signs and events in the build-up to the return.
But we're going to get onto that next week.
But even then, I'll give you a little sneak peek.
Even then, even with then, we still don't know.
We won't necessarily know if we're in those signs and events.
And so we don't know.
But we need to realise this.
It is a real date.
It's a coming event in history.
So if you have an iPhone, probably any smartphone,
if you have an iPhone, on your calendar,
if you zoom out to the year,
you can scroll down to the future years.
And I once scrolled.
I use my time really wisely.
I once scrolled all the way to the year 5,000.
Don't ask me how long that took.
And I could have kept going.
I think I just got a bit bored.
You could have kept going.
It's kind of built into the programme.
Which means, if you think about it,
in your iPhone,
there is a date in your calendar app
where you can click on add event
and you can type in Christ return.
And if I ask you to,
do you want to repeat, just say no.
You don't want to repeat that.
So we don't know when,
but it is real.
It is coming.
And that's why we should always live
like it could come any moment.
We should never think that we have time.
Now is the time to repent.
Don't delay anymore.
But also,
the return is going to trigger something else.
It triggers the final state.
But something must happen
at the beginning of the final state.
The return of Christ
triggers judgment day.
And this is the third thing to see.
Judgment day.
The return of Christ means judgment day.
So when Christ returns,
we've seen it's going to trigger the resurrection.
And we know,
think back to last week,
we know that includes
every single human being.
It's the resurrection of the just
and the unjust.
But it will not be the case
that people will be raised
and instantly sent to hell
or they can instantly run around
in the new creation.
No.
At first,
there will be judgment.
And I want us to read Matthew 25.
This is a key text
about the return of Christ.
Turn to Matthew 25,
verse 31.
We can't cover everything in this.
But this is a really helpful insight
into judgment day.
Matthew 25,
this will be 831
of the church Bibles.
Matthew 25,
31 to the end.
This whole chapter
is Jesus talking about
the end of the age,
the second coming.
We get a peek
into the final judgment here.
So Matthew,
chapter 25,
verse 31.
When the Son of Man
comes in his glory
and all the angels with him,
then he will sit
on his glorious throne.
Before him will be gathered
all the nations
and he will separate people
one from another
as a shepherd separates
the sheep from the goats
and he will place
the sheep on his right
but the goats on his left.
Then the king will say
to those on his right,
come you who are blessed
by my father,
inherit the kingdom
prepared for you
from the foundation
of the world.
For I was hungry
and you gave me food.
I was thirsty
and you gave me drink.
I was a stranger
and you welcomed me.
I was naked
and you clothed me.
I was sick
and you visited me.
I was in prison
and you came to me.
Then the righteous
will answer him saying,
Lord, when did we see you
hungry and feed you
or thirsty
and give you drink?
And when did we see you
a stranger
and welcome you
or naked and clothe you?
And when did we see you
sick or in prison
and visit you?
And the king
will answer them,
Truly I say to you,
as you did it
to one of the least
of these my brothers,
you did it to me.
Then he will say
to those on his left,
depart from me,
you cursed,
into the eternal fire
prepared for the devil
and his angels.
For I was hungry
and you gave me no food.
I was thirsty
and you gave me no drink.
I was a stranger
and you did not welcome me.
Naked and you did not
clothe me.
Sick and in prison
and you did not visit me.
Then they also
will answer saying,
Lord, when did we see you
hungry or thirsty
or a stranger
or naked or sick
or in prison
and did not minister to you?
Then he will answer them
saying,
Truly I say to you,
as you did not do it
to one of the least of these.
You did not do it to me.
And these will go away
into eternal punishment
but the righteous
into eternal life.
I just want us
to see a few things
from this.
The first is this.
When Christ returns,
he will raise up all humans,
everyone that has ever lived,
and he's going to gather us
all together.
Did you see that?
Gather all the nations
before him.
And this could well be
physically gathered
into one place
because we're going to be
resurrected,
standing in our resurrected bodies
and seeing Christ
visibly in front of us.
We don't know exactly
kind of how it will play out
but whatever it looks like,
every believer
and unbeliever
will be gathered
in some way
before him.
And second,
Christ will judge
every human.
Did you see?
He will sort out
who are the saved
and who are the not saved.
Those who are his sheep
whom he loves
and shepherds
and laid his life down for,
he's going to put
to his right.
And those who are the goat,
who never knew him,
who never belonged to him,
who never loved him,
he will put to his left.
Those whose sins
are forgiven
by believing the gospel
and those who rejected
the gospel.
He will judge
by separating them.
And this is why
we say in the Apostles' Creed,
but we're going to say it later,
I believe in Jesus Christ
that he shall come
to judge the living
and the dead.
This is what we mean.
It's this day,
judgment day.
And so he will publicly
and openly announce
who are the truly justified
and who are the damned.
And from there,
he will bring every Christian
into the eternal life
of the new creation
and every unbeliever
he will send to hell.
And it also seems like
he's going to send demons
and the devil
to hell along with him,
if you remember our session
on hell.
So look at Jude 6.
And the angels
who did not stay
within their own position
of authority
but left their proper dwelling,
he has kept
in eternal chains
under gloomy darkness,
currently in hell,
until the judgment
of the great day.
And so he's going to judge
them on those days,
on that day.
And in Revelation 20,
the devil was thrown
into the lake of fire
and suffered,
tormented day and night
forever and ever.
So the devil
and demons,
fallen angels,
are going to hell
along with the unbeliever.
And so when Christ returns,
we need to realise
that there will be
a day of judgment
and on that day
all evil will be purged
and wiped out
from this creation.
And so it's no wonder
that this point
of judgment day
coincides with the beginning
of the new creation.
You need to destroy
the germs
in order to have
a clean house,
don't you?
Well, you need judgment
in order to have
the new creation.
Well, this is why,
and this is why
Christ's return,
this is why
it's our comfort.
We know
that we will be saved
on that day
and we know
every wrong
will be made right.
Every sin
and crime
and evil
that was done
behind closed doors
and no one
ever knew about it.
All those sins
that never got punished
in this life,
all those crimes,
all those unsolved mysteries,
it will be judged.
No sin
will remain
uncovered
on that day.
And for every
injustice,
we know
for every injustice
in this life
that there will be
final justice.
And when is it?
It's on this day.
And the third thing
we need to see
is that this seems
to all occur
on a day.
So the question
of how long
will this take?
Well, this event
is often referred
to as a day.
So you've got
the day of judgment,
Matthew 10,
the great day
of their wrath,
Revelation 6,
the coming
of the day of God
to Peter.
Well, sometimes
it's just called
the day.
1 Corinthians 3.
And so this could
well occur
within the span
of a day,
kind of an actual
judgment day.
But we're not
entirely certain.
Sometimes it's
referred to as
the hour of his return.
So we're not
entirely sure
the exact length.
But the impression
we get is this,
that the resurrection
and judgment
are linked together.
They occur
at the same time.
And the judgment
will be
a climactic
historical event.
Not a
drawn out
process
where some
people kind of
get judged
first and then
some run around
the new creation
but then they're
brought back
and then they
have to go to hell.
It's not going
to be a process
like that.
No, judgment
is the first
thing that happens
in the final state.
And the fourth
thing to see is
that this will
be public.
Right now,
the world
doesn't know,
doesn't acknowledge
that Jesus is king.
that they don't
know that they
should bow to him.
We tell them
in the gospel,
we plead with them,
but Jesus
isn't acknowledged
in this world.
But on this day,
when he returns
and all the nations
are gathered
before him,
everyone who
mocked him
or ignored him
or persecuted him,
they will see him
face to face
and they will
finally realize
who is king.
Now,
they won't
worship him
at that point
but they will
know
who is the
real king.
And so,
the return of Christ
means judgment day.
But what will
that judgment
be like?
What will Christ
say and do
on that day?
How will he
judge these things?
And what does it
mean for the
believer to be
judged on that day?
If Christ has
already paid for
our sins,
if we're going
to be resurrected
along with the
unbeliever and
we're all going
to stand before
the judgment
seat of Christ,
what does that
mean if our sins
have already
been paid for?
Well,
what we need
to see next
is this.
Judgment day
means that
Christ will
dish out
different degrees
of punishment
and rewards.
And I want
to finish with
this and we
can stop for
questions at
the end.
So,
judgment and
rewards.
So,
the language
the Bible
uses is that
we will be
judged,
every human,
believer and
unbeliever,
we will be
judged according
to our works.
So,
look at these
verses.
And before we
dive into this,
if you feel
I'm heading in
an uneasy
direction,
don't worry,
I'm not going
that way,
let me assure
you,
your sins
are paid
for by
Christ.
The judgment's
already been
determined for
you in Christ,
okay?
But I want us
to see this,
just let's see
what the Bible
says.
So,
Romans 2
verse 6,
he will render
to each one
according to
his works.
2 Corinthians
5,
for we must
all appear
before the
judgment seat
of Christ,
all of us,
so that each
one may receive
what is due
for what he
has done
in the body,
whether good
or evil.
Romans 14,
for we will
all stand
before the
judgment seat
of God,
so then each
of us will
give an
account of
himself to
God,
an explanation
for what we
have done.
And Revelation
20,
I saw the
dead,
great and
small,
standing before
the throne,
and books
were opened.
Then another
book was opened,
which is the
book of life,
and the
dead were
judged by
what was
written in
the books
according to
what they
had done.
Let's just
see here that
there is a
link between
what we have
done in this
life and
how Christ
will treat
us on
judgment
day.
So the
books will
be opened,
this is the
book of God's
knowledge,
right?
God will
recall everything
we have
done,
every word,
thought,
deed,
intention of
our hearts.
And we're
going to be
consciously aware
of it because
we will have
to give an
account,
an explanation.
We don't
know how
that will
work,
we can't
really even
guess,
like is it
going to be
a video or
are we just
going to
mentally
recall it?
We don't
know,
but this
will happen.
And Christ
will treat
us in a
way linked
to all that
we have
done,
judged
according
to our
works.
Now,
to see what
this means,
let's break
this down.
Let's just
focus on the
unbeliever
first,
okay?
This means
the more
severe your
sin,
the worse
the punishment
you will
experience in
hell.
Now,
all sin
deserves hell,
even the
smallest,
slightest,
but there
seems to be
different
degrees of
punishment in
hell.
So,
Jesus even
tells a
parable
about this,
Luke 12,
and that
servant who
knew his
master's
will,
but did
not get
ready or
act according
to his
will,
will receive
a severe
beating.
But the
one who
did not
know and
did what
deserved a
beating will
receive a
light beating.
Everyone to
whom much
was given
of him,
much will
be required,
and from
him to
whom they
entrusted
much,
they will
demand the
more.
there seems
to be a
punishment in
hell in
accordance with
someone's
sins.
So,
the worst
the sin,
the worst
the experience
in hell.
But also,
there seems
to be a
link between
knowledge of
the gospel
and the
severity of
the punishment.
punishment.
So,
the one who
knows the
master's will,
this is the
gospel.
In Matthew
13,
when Jesus
is talking
about the
parables,
this knowledge,
this responsibility,
it's the
gospel,
essentially.
So,
the one who
knows the
master's will,
the gospel,
but ignores it,
will suffer more
than someone who
has never been
told the gospel.
Both sinners,
both guilty,
but different
degrees of
punishment.
which is a
sobering reality,
isn't it?
It should make
us all think,
okay,
now I know
the gospel,
what am I
going to do
with it?
But that's
Jesus' point
in these
parables.
And so,
if we try to
map it onto
this,
there's going to
be a temporary
punishment in
hell,
in the
intermediate
state,
but after
judgment,
there's going
to be full,
specific,
body,
and soul
punishment
according to
an unbeliever's
works.
Okay,
but what about
us?
What about
the church?
If we're going
to be a part
of this
judgment,
and we are
sinners,
what will that
mean for us?
Well,
it'll mean this,
and this is the
first thing,
and I really
want you to
remember this
one.
first,
when Christ
opens those
books on
that day,
our sins
won't be in
there.
They have
already been
written into
Christ's book
and already
judged on the
cross.
He remembers
our sin
no more.
There's no
condemnation.
We are
completely
covered in
Christ's
righteousness.
And so,
on that day,
our sins
will be
publicly
declared
forgiven.
The whole
world will
see that we
are justified,
but when
Christ moves
us to his
right hand
and calls
us his
sheep,
he will
say,
yes,
these are
the ones
I've
died for.
All their
sins are
covered.
They are
my sheep.
And so,
right now,
we already
know what
the outcome
of judgment
day is for
us.
There's no
doubt of
your salvation
on that day.
It will all
be because of
Christ,
his cross
and his
righteousness,
you will be
saved on
that day,
that there
is no
condemnation
now or
ever.
But at
the same
time,
we will
be judged
according to
our works,
but in a
good way.
Christ
will see
our good.
He will
see our
good Christian
works,
that the
love we had
for him,
the love
that we had
for each
other,
the fruit
of faith.
He will
see that
and he
will say
those works
show you
that you
are mine.
That's the
fruit of a
saved life.
All those
works,
that life
can only
come from
faith.
And so,
we won't be
saved because
we've done
good enough.
Christ won't
be like,
okay,
how much
good have
you done
in this
life?
Okay,
now you're
saved.
No,
we'll not
be like
that.
We're only
saved by the
blood of
Christ,
but our
works will
be evidence
in Christ's
scales to
show that we
are saved by
his righteousness,
not our
own.
But also,
it seems like
we will have
different rewards
in the new
creation.
I could
spend a lot
of time on
this,
but I'll
have to be
quite quick.
The parable
of the
miners in
Matthew 25
and the
parable of
the talents
in Luke
19,
in both
these parables,
the servant
who is given
a lot and
does a lot
with it,
so given
God's will,
given the
gospel and
does a lot
with it,
is given a
greater reward
by their
master.
So one
servant gets
to rule
over five
cities,
but the
one who
did a lot
with what
the master
gave him,
they're going
to rule
over ten
cities.
And Galatians
6 talks about
reaping what
we sow.
Our works
are going to
have a payoff
in the new
creation.
1 Corinthians 15
talks about
different degrees
of glory.
And so in
the new
creation,
there seems
to be
different
degrees of
glory.
So let's
be clear,
everyone will
be glorious
and perfect,
but there
will be
different
rewards for
different
Christians
linked to
the fruitfulness
of their
life,
to what
they've done
with the
gospel that
they've been
given.
So think of
it like this
way,
we're all
going to
have full
cups in
the new
creation,
right?
If you
all have
a cup,
and when
it's full,
you're perfect,
you're joyful,
you are so
satisfied.
we're all
going to
have full
cups,
but everyone's
cup will be
a different
size.
We won't
feel lacking
in any way,
but it will
be different.
And we
don't know
what that
will look
like,
what that
degrees of
glory will
be like,
maybe ruling
over more or
less land in
the new
creation,
I don't
know,
maybe you
have a
house closer
to the throne
of God,
I don't know.
But it
does say
here,
your faithfulness
to Christ,
your faithfulness
to Christ,
it won't be
ignored on
that final
day.
Your
perseverance
and your
labours and
your sacrifices
for the
kingdom,
it won't
go unnoticed.
And it
may not be
the big
names of
the church
who are
going to
be rewarded
with those
great rewards
in heaven.
That
faithful
missionary
family from
the 19th
century,
who nobody's
heard of,
and their
ministry never
boomed,
and they
think that
they achieved
nothing in
this life,
but they
were so
faithful and
loving and
persevered and
went through
so much for
Christ and
lost so much
for him,
but loved him
all the way
through,
it's people
like that who
will probably
be given
much in the
new creation.
And let's
be clear,
this isn't
salvation by
works,
okay?
Even these
rewards are
by God's
grace.
God doesn't
need to bring
us into the
new creation,
and he certainly
doesn't need to
give us degrees
of glory,
no.
He doesn't
need to do
this.
And so think
of this,
this is an
encouragement for
us.
In the best
way possible,
our works will
follow us into
the new creation,
our sins will
be forgotten,
the old will
pass away,
but your
faithful
labours,
they will
be graciously
rewarded in
heaven.
And so this
life still
matters for
the Christian.
And on that
final day,
when Christ
moves us over
to his right
hand and
calls us his
sheep,
we will know
that we are
only standing
there because
Christ on the
cross won this
eternal life for
us.
and in
all his
grace,
he will say
to us the
words that we
all long for,
well done,
good and
faithful servants.
Welcome to
the new
creation.
I'll stop
there and
open up to
questions.
Thank you.