Matthew 25:31-46 · 2 Peter 3:1-18 · 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 · Hebrews 9:27 · Revelation 21:1-27 · Romans 6:23
The End
This sermon examines the biblical teaching on Christ's return, judgment, heaven, and hell, calling believers to live with urgency and gratitude for God's gift of eternal life.
Judgment
This life will not last. This world will not last. Peter writes in 2 Peter that the day is coming when this world will be destroyed. What we see is temporary; what we don’t see is eternal. We know that the physical will not last. Knowing this to be the case, today we are going to briefly review the subject about the end of this world. Paul writes in 1 Thessalonians 4:13ff that there will be no doubt about the end of time. When Christ returns the entire world will know it. We do not know when this day will be, but we do know that when Jesus returns, time will be no more. As our reading this morning reminds us, the return of Jesus means that judgment follows. As the Hebrew writer says in Hebrews 9:27: Man is destined to die once and after that to face the judgment.
Christians often wonder about this judgment scene. Sometimes we wonder if it will be a time for embarrassment as all our sins are laid out for the whole world to hear and see; sometimes we wonder if the judgment will be a time of fear and trembling. Both of those ideas speak to our misunderstanding about our relationship with God. Both of those ideas speak to our erroneous belief that our relationship with God is based on how well we have done. Without a doubt the judgment will be a time of great reverence—a time when every knee will bow in worship to Jesus. But for the Christian the judgment will be a time of assurance and confidence. Both the text in 1 Thessalonians and our reading this morning suggest that our judgment will be one in which we are welcomed into the presence of Jesus.
God is not going to fuss at us. He isn’t going to say “You should have known better.” According to Matthew, the words will be “welcome.” Now will everyone know what we have done? As a teenager I used to think that maybe the entire population will watch as my sins are stated one by one for all to know. But if that is the case, what does that say about the promise of God to forgive our sins and remember them no more? Further I would say that such a thought reflects our tendency to wear masks and pretend that we are okay so that people will like us. Such a fallacy says little for our faith in our fellow man or our understanding of grace, mercy, and forgiveness. It still demonstrates that we are living according to deeds rather than trusting God. We need to change the way we think about our relationship with God and each other rather than being concerned about what people will know on judgment day.
As the song says, “What a day it will be.” Let’s sing songs reflecting our assurance about the judgment and our confidence in being with Jesus forever and ever. For the Christian Christ’s return will be a day of joy and a day to look forward to.
Heaven and Hell
The images for heaven are found primarily in Revelation 21. It is described as a place of immense beauty and perpetual joy. What is most notable about heaven is what is absent as well as what is present in it. Things which will be absent include: tears, sorrow, death, pain, darkness, ungodly people, sin, temples, the sun or moon, and the curse from Adam’s sin. Things present include: the saints, the river of the water of life, healing fruit, the Lamb of God, worship, the wedding feast of the Lamb and the bride, and the unveiled face of God. Heaven is where Christ is. It is the eternal communion with him and all others who know him as Lord and Savior. One of the greatest joys of heaven is knowing that it will never end. The last enemy, death, will be no more. Spiritual immortality will be ours.
Hell, on the other hand, is grim and terror laden. Almost all the teaching we have on hell comes from the lips of Jesus. The one who spoke so freely and eloquently of love also spoke clearly about hell. The Bible describes hell as a place of outer darkness, a lake of fire, a place of weeping and gnashing of teeth, a place of eternal separation from the blessings of God, a prison, a place of torment. These symbolic representations do not do justice to the reality of hell. Symbols never tell the full story. Thus, a lake of fire as bad as that sounds is not an adequate symbol of how dreadful it will be.
Some minimize hell by stating that it is separation from God. To those who do not love God being separated from him seems to be a welcome thing. But the Bible does not say this. We are told that hell is reserved for the devil and his angels. Such a statement says that someone else is in charge of hell and that would be God. Therefore, hell will be the eternal justice and wrath of God meted out to those whose place is there. Hell will not be a cruel place for it is impossible for God to be cruel. Cruelty involves inflicting punishment which is more severe or harsh than the crime. Cruelty is unjust. God is incapable of inflicting unjust punishment. No innocent person will ever suffer at His hand.
Just like heaven, hell is eternal. It will not stop. In our reading the same word is used to describe punishment as life. Punishment implies pain. There will be no escape. No relief. No amount of pleading with God will bring an end to hell. Hell will not be a place any of us will want to be.
Application
There are two lessons I want to leave with you. First, these things will happen. Peter tells us in 2 Peter 3:3ff that thinking that Jesus will not ever return has been the world’s thinking even as little as 30 years after he ascended to the Father. With the passage of almost 2000 years, it is little wonder that people even those who profess to know Christ live in a worldly stupor. We live as if there reality of Christ’s return seems to be for another generation. The urgency of Christ’s return seems to have been a previous view but one which doesn’t exist now.
The truth is that if we truly believed that Christ was returning this week, we might say something to a friend about being ready, we might even change some things about our own lives. But one thing would change—a sense of anticipation. Being prepared in judgment—don’t lose your focus.
Second, we are all deserving of hell. Not a single person here deserves heaven. According to Romans 6:23, eternal life is God’s gift to us. It isn’t a matter of choosing whether we spend eternity with God in heaven enjoying his blessings or an eternity with God in his fullness of wrath. Hell is what we deserve for we have all sinned against God. We have all turned our backs on him. We have all chosen to ignore him. But God in his infinite and intense love reaches out to us. Will you take his hand? Will you accept his gift of eternal life?
Follow Jesus
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