The Final Article on Eschatology

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Well greetings and salutations I get to say that one more time during our study of the confession and so We will consider the last article and then to Will end by reading the conclusion as they Close out the confession And certainly I would Assume you would agree me.
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It's it's appropriate to end with this article because it really is the The way in which you conclude your statement of faith In other words a statement of faith opened if you remember the confession it opened up with the being and person of God and his Attributes and his purposes and his plans and his sovereignty in the person of Christ And and it worked its way through and now we come to the final article in the final article speaks of the final resurrection or if you would or as I would like you I would think about it the Consummation of all that God had purpose to do and so again is certainly an appropriate Conclusion because it really is the the conclusion of the Bible in other words the confession I believe in many ways follows the cost that that we see in the scriptures.
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And so It's really dealing with the reality That that shall come upon everyone and and not just Every group but everyone right everyone everyone that has ever had the breath of life Throughout all history whether whether the evolutionists would be right which is not to say we've been here 400 million years and and all these other philosophies and beliefs about Different things that the reality is whoever is made in the image of God and has had the breath of life shall come to the final day and that ought to be a very sobering thought to us and it is appropriate that the confession would close in that sense with both an exhortation and a warning And so as we think about it tonight I want us to think about that in that context because as often as we quote And I'm gonna read a bunch of scripture tonight.
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I think on particularly in this article.
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It's better Let's scripture speak for themselves.
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So I will read a lot of scripture to you just to Support what's being said, but I think we repeat often what it says in Hebrews But I'm not certain matter of fact I know we don't really have a good understanding or the understanding that we should when it says it's a pointer for a man wants to die and After that comes the judgment.
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And again, I believe if we really knew the weight of that It would it would radically change our every thought and every action and That you and I as we grow in the in the grace and in the knowledge of the Son of God That that ought to become more of a reality To us and it had ought to have more of an effect on us that every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess And here's the thing if you think about it it doesn't matter where you are on the The train of end times in other words if you if you think about all true Christians Regardless whether they're pre-millennial post-millennial on millennial Primo the pre-trib mid-trib Partial preterist full preterist, you know zombie and what is all kinds of things out there There's one common factor, isn't there? There is a final day Whether it's a thousand years or this that or the other thing every single true child of God knows at some point there's going to be a final day a final resurrection a Finality to all that this world has Presented to us all that this world has had presented to us by God.
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And so again, it's a subject that covers every single Soul whether they are unbeliever or believer Let me just read this to you.
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It's a little monthly, but I'm sure you will will agree It's I think it's appropriate for the time that that every single child of God believes that there is a final day It says this When the Son of Man comes in his glory and all the holy angels with him He will sit on the throne of his glory All the nations will be gathered before him and he will separate them one from another as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats And he's set the sheep on the right hand, but the goats on the left And the king will say to those on the right hand come you blessed of my father inherit the kingdom prepared for you From the foundation of the world where I was hungry.
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You gave me food.
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I was thirsty.
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You gave me drink I was a stranger and you took me and I was naked and you clothed me I was sick and you visited me.
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I was in prison and you came to me And the righteous will answer him saying Lord When did we see you hungry and feed you or thirsty and give you drink? When did we see you a stranger and take you in or naked and clothed you or when did we see you sick or in? Prison and come to you and the king will answer and say answer them assuredly I say unto you and as much as you did it to one of the least of my brethren you did it to me Then he will also say to those on the left hand Depart from me you cursed into everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels For I was hungry and you gave me no food.
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I was thirsty.
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You gave me no drink I was a stranger did not take me and naked and you did not clothed me sick and in prison and you did not visit me And they then they also will answer saying Lord When did we see you hungry or thirsty or stranger or naked or sick or in prison and did not minister you and he will answer Them saying assuredly I say unto you and so much as you did it not to one of the least of these You did it not to me and these will go away into everlasting punishment but the righteous into eternal life now those words are Absolutely inclusive Those on the right hand and those on the left and brothers and sisters.
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There's only two kinds of people Those that will be on the right hand of Jesus and those that will be on the left hand of Jesus And so again that thought of it's a point for a man wants to die and then and then comes the judgment or as these Brothers lay out here and let me read the article to you at this point article 52.
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There shall be a resurrection of the dead both of the just and the unjust and Everyone shall give an account of himself to God that everyone may receive the things done in his body According to what he what he has done Whether it be good or bad The reality or another reality is this that the Lord Jesus Christ alone is going to be the one Who handles that judgment? Right, and he has been given the authority.
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He has been given the position Therefore God has what highly exalted him and given him a name which is above every name That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow those in heaven Those on earth those under the earth and that every tongue should confess That Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father In that day in that final resurrection regardless of how when it takes place there will be that meeting of Every single nation every single person who's ever had the breath of life and the Lord Jesus Christ will be the one Who brings either life or judgment and my friends that is a It ought to be a consuming thought I've often thought of that saying and I've probably mentioned it and probably many of you know it You know that saying that says when all is over and time has passed Only what's done for Christ will last and in that day and you could certainly Read 1st Corinthians 3 if you wanted to look at that and consider that but It's so important for us to understand that Reality, and that's the very reality that many people don't understand Right for if they truly understood it they would repent But it's still again Denial of truth ignorance of truth rejection of truth doesn't change the truth The truth is always the truth There is a final day.
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There is a judgment.
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There will be a resurrection and Every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess as I said that Jesus is Lord But I want to just take a moment and try to Break it out.
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If you will with two different thoughts and The first thought is this well, let me pose it as a question just To ask you this and That is will the believer Will the child of God? Will he ever come into judgment? Yes No Maybe so How many yeses how many no's Does it depend on how I define judgment, okay, I Believe that it does depend on how you define judgment, right? And that's the first point I want to make Because I will say read to you the words of Jesus where Jesus said most assuredly I say to you in John 5 he who hears my word and believes in him who sent me has everlasting life and shall not Come into judgment, but has passed from death into life most assuredly I say to you The hour is coming and now is when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live So there's explicit language that the child of God the believer shall not come into judgment, huh Okay, but it's dependent on how you define judgment Because again, I was let me suggest this or not suggested.
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Let me read this to you What a preference what a preface this that that does not mean What Jesus said that the child of God the believer shall not come into judgment But it's passed from death to life does not mean that we shall not all appear before the judgment seat of Christ Now if you don't understand or define judgment, it could be very confusing.
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Okay, who's right Jesus? Well, Jesus must be right Paul must be wrong because Paul's the one that says that let me read this to you And this is in Romans 14 as I live Paul quotes says the Lord every knee shall bow To me and every tongue shall confess and then Paul says so then each of us shall give account of himself to God Therefore let us not judge one another anymore But rather resolve this not to put a stumbling block or a cause to fall in our brother's eyes so Does it not depend on how we define judgment? And I bet here I will set you set forth what I believe I do not believe that the child of God comes into judgment in the sense of being separated from God But I do believe I know it will be that the child of God will give an account of what he has done With what he has been entrusted with To put things in their proper perspective and I believe that's what Paul is stating in Romans 14 And it is not a contradiction that there is Not a contradiction between there is judgment and there isn't judgment one is a judgment for life and one is a judgment to death and that again it Very often we can get hung up if we do not understand what is being said in the Word of God by the context by the narrative and By the the emphasis that that's being placed at that particular point.
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So again When they when the brothers read this and it's interesting they do quote from Romans 14 That there shall be a resurrection of dead both of the just and the unjust and everyone and they're including in my understanding they're including everyone the just and the unjust and Everyone Shall give an account of himself that everyone may receive the things done in his body According to what he has done whether it was good or bad and and if I understand this correctly Good is faith in Christ Bad is no faith in Christ And then there are those things that accompany salvation and that's where I believe you and I will give an account that More to at more as a way in which God is glorified and we are Continually sanctified and prepared for what lies ahead for us so that so guess what? None of us get away We shall all appear up here for the judgment seat of Christ To those remember what Jesus said to whom much has been given what? Much is expected and then and then you can go to the other extreme and say to the servant who knew the Lord's will and didn't Do it shall be what? beaten with few stripes So so there's there's almost There's this reality of of being right on both ends of it even in the separation there is an understanding to be had that Some will receive the greater judgment even as Jesus said it would be more tolerable in a day of judgment for for Sodom and Gomorrah and for those of Capernaum Again, I'm not trying to confuse.
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I'm Trying to work through what is the reality that's laid out in the Word of God? So just think about that the unjust All those who have not fled to Jesus for refuge Is that not what? continually Tears at our own hearts About the ones that God has entrusted to us in the ones we have relationships with and the ones that that are our Responsibility our children our grandchildren our relatives our parents whatever station of life.
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Is that not the thing? Ultimately that keeps us up at night Is that our own Could perhaps be those Who go out and be separated from Christ through all eternity? It's a horrible thought Because in that day, there's no negotiations There will be no conversations Every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess It won't be what so many people have distorted into saying well, it'll be a day of reckoning and Everybody has to meet their maker.
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Somebody told me that the other day.
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Well, you know, everybody has to meet their maker But it really was in the context of well, you know They've done some good and they've done some bad and hopefully the good will outweigh the bad There's no conversation there is no negotiation It's either entering the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world depart from me.
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I never knew you you workers of iniquity that is the way this confession will end and it ends on a thought that I think you and I should seek to Keep it on minds Revelation 20 says this.
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I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it From whose faith faced the earth and the heaven fled away And there was found no place for them and I saw the dead small and great standing before God and books were open and Another book was open which is the book of life and the dead were judged according to their works By the things which were written in the books and the sea gave up the dead who were in it and death and Hades Delivered up to dead were in them and they they were judged each according to his works and death and Hades Was cast into the lake of fire.
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This is the second death and Anyone not found in the written anyone not found written in the book of life Was cast into the lake of fire friends that final resurrection will be a day of inexpressible joy and of Eternal horror and again that is That truth is not for the light-hearted But it's for the child of God And you and I should be Provoked by it humbled by it Challenged by it prodded by it bow before it Long for it to come long for it never to come Depending on where a person lies Whether on the right hand of left, but that resurrection will come It will be the final consummation of the purposes of God and it will continue Without end And as much as you and I can seek to contemplate How all what all that means we can But it will be a day of consummation and I wanted to mention that to you and I wanted to And the brothers don't quote it in here But I wanted to have you think about it will be the consummation of the purpose of God That will then usher in God's eternal purposes for us whatever those may be right And I wanted to read this to you and it's in first Corinthians and think about it from this standpoint that that day begins Well that day both ends and begins Something it ends something Before and it begins something after it but now Christ has risen from the dead and Has become the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep for since my man came death My man also came the resurrection of the dead for as an Adam will die even so in Christ also be made alive But each one in his own order Christ the first fruits After with those who are Christ that is coming then comes the end When he delivers the kingdom of God to the father When he puts an end to all rule and all authority and all power for he must reign Excuse me.
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He must reign till he has put all enemies under his feet and the last enemy that will be destroyed is death For he has put all things under his feet But when he says all things are put under him it is evident that he who put all things under him is accepted Now when all things are made subject to him that being the Sun then the Sun himself Will also be subject to him who put all things in under him that God may be all in all There is a there's a day coming when the consummation of God's purposes since the creation in the beginning of this world will be Brought to its finality and then God will be all in all Then as I said The sheep shall carry on with him for all eternity and the goat shall be separated from him for all eternity it is a it is a Again, as I said, it is the most delightful thought as the most dreadful thought And that's where in many ways we need the balance of of the Spirit of God to give us the grace To know both the terror of the Lord and the love of God So as I as I conclude I wanted to read this last statement and it's the basically the last statement in the Bible It says behold I am coming quickly My reward is with me To give to everyone according to his work.
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I am the Alpha and the Omega The beginning in the end the first and the last Blessed are those who do his commandments that they may have the right to the tree of life That they may enter through the gates into the city but outside our dogs and saucers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters and whoever loves and practices a lie and I Jesus Have sent my messenger to testify to you of these things in the churches I am the root in the offspring of David the bride in the morning star and the spirit and the bride say come And let him who hears say come And let him who thirsts come And whoever desires let him take the water of life What a day it will be What a Final day it will be and To you and to to me and to those who look to Christ.
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We have nothing but Anticipation and hope and a sure anchor and and and our future is The sufferings in his present times Paul says and not to be compared with the glory that shall follow But so is the opposite The glories of this present time and the and the toys and the shiny objects and and all the things that allure men They're not to be compared with the suffering that shall come In that day.
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I didn't mean to stop preaching, but I can't help it.
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It's just true It's just true so how appropriate again that the brothers would end on such a thought of the final resurrection and again Don't matter pre mill post mill our mill Saw mill, whatever you want to be still a final day Still a judgment believe it shall never come into judgment as far as being separated But the every knee shall bound confess and everyone shall give an account of himself And knowing that should provoke us.
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So before we we close out the confession.
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I do want to read the conclusion as Is laid out here So, let me just read this to you This is what the brothers have laid out.
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Thus we desire to give unto Christ that which is his and unto all lawful authority that which is their due and To owe nothing to any man, but love to live quietly and peaceably as it become its Saints Endeavoring in all things to keep a good conscience and to do unto every man of what judgment whatsoever as We would that they should do unto us that as our practices.
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So it may prove us to be a prove us to be a conscionable quiet and harmless people No ways dangerous or troublesome to you in society and to labor and to work with our hands that we might not be chargeable to any But to give to him that needeth both friends and enemies Accounting it more excellent to give than to receive and also we confess that we know but in part That we are ignorant of many things Which we desire and seek to know And if any man shall do us that friendly part to show us from the Word of God That which we see not we shall have cause to be thankful to God and them But if any man shall impose upon us anything that we see not to be commanded by our Lord Jesus Christ We should in his strength rather embrace all reproaches and tortures of men To be stripped of all outward comforts and if it were possible to die a thousand deaths Rather than to do anything against the least tittle of the truth of God or against the light of our own conscience If any shall call what we have said heresy Then do we with the Apostles acknowledge that after the way they call heresy Worship be we the God of our fathers disclaiming all heresies rightly so called because they are against Christ and to be steadfast and Unmovable always abounding in the obedience of Christ as knowing that our labor shall not be in vain in the Lord Arise Oh God Plead not plead thine own cause remember how foolish man Blasphemy dally.
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Oh, let not the oppressed return ashamed But let the poor and the needy praise thy name Come Lord Jesus come quickly Amen, I hope we've enjoyed the confession.
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I've hope we've learned.
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I hope it's provoked us.
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I hope we will Stand by it again, our ultimate authority is the Word of God and Jesus Christ is the rock on which we stand and yet God has been pleased for over 400 years and even though we went into some sort of some periods of obscurity and and Lost some of its luster and and others have adopted other confessions along the way.