The Last Things*
by I. Howard Marshall
Contents:
The prophets of
Israel were men who were profoundly affected by the evil and
injustice which they saw rampant everywhere in the world. They saw
that even the people of Israel were sinners in the sight of God,
and they interpreted the various disasters which overtook them as
evidence of God's judgment upon his people. They were perplexed by
the problem of the suffering of the innocent and the prosperity of
the wicked. They longed for peace and security to be established
in the world. In these problems and questionings they were
sustained by their faith in Yahweh as the God of history, and they
believed that one day he himself would intervene in history to set
up his kingly rule among men and to establish truth, justice and
love among men. They looked to a day when Jerusalem would be the
centre of a peaceful world, in which the offspring of David would
rule the nations and bring salvation to all men. In short, they
believed that God would personally intervene in the last days to
establish his rule (Isaiah 9:1–7; 11:1–9; Micah 4:1–7).
In due time God sent his Son, Jesus the Messiah, to inaugurate his
kingly rule among men. Jesus proclaimed that the kingly rule of
God was beginning in a new way, and indeed there was plenty of
evidence for those with the eyes to see it that in Jesus God was
intervening in the life of the world. The coming of Jesus was
attended by signs and wonders which caused people to say, "God has
visited his people" (Luke 7:16), and after his death and
resurrection the Holy Spirit was poured out upon the church (cf.
Joel 2:28–32), thus continuing the action of God. Jesus called men
to enter the kingdom of God, and his disciples proclaimed the same
good news of salvation by faith in him.
The new era promised in the Old Testament had in fact arrived. It
did not, however, mean that the old era came to an end. The gospel
message was not universally received, and sin and death continued
to hold sway. The present era, since the coming of Jesus, is a
period of transition or overlap. The old age has been judged and
is doomed to end, and the new era has already arrived for those
who acknowledge its presence and power by faith. Christians thus
live as members of the new era in the midst of the old era. God
has mercifully provided this "interval" before he makes a final
end of the old era, so that all men may have the opportunity of
hearing the gospel and becoming citizens of the new era (Mark
13:10; 2 Peter 3:9).
From all this it emerges that the "last things" have already
begun. God's promises concerning the End began to come to
fulfilment in Jesus, and the powers of the future are already at
work. The coming of Jesus is the proof that God will one day bring
the old era to a full end, and it is on the basis of what God has
already done that Christians look forward with confidence to the
completion of his purpose.
God has begun his reign! That is the meaning of the first coming
of Jesus. But we do not yet see all things in subjection to him
(cf. Hebrews 2:8). The Christian hope is that God who has begun to
rule in Jesus Christ will one day rule openly over all men. The
present interim period will come to an end. The era of evil will
cease, and God will establish a new heaven and a new earth
characterized by righteousness. He will judge all mankind and
those who submit to his rule will become citizens of the new
Jerusalem, the city of God, and reign with him for ever. All this
will be accomplished through a second coming of Jesus as the
Saviour and Judge of all mankind.
Such is the prospect, seen against the background of biblical
prophecy and the preliminary fulfilment in Christ. Now we must
fill in the details.
The Christian hope
is centred on the return of Jesus. What he began at his first
coming can be completed only by his second coming. As Christian
salvation finds its centre and source in him, so the Christian
hope looks forward to him as the fulfilment of all its
expectations. The one who came in humility must come again in
glory and be openly vindicated before all the world. In one sense
there is nothing more to be revealed. The first coming of Jesus
brought the full and complete revelation of God and the
once-for-all act of atonement for the sin of the world. Nothing
more can be added to this final revelation of God. Hence the
second coming of Jesus in one sense brings nothing new. It merely
consummates what has already been begun. The Jesus who is to come
is the one whom we already know as our Judge and Saviour.
Although the fact of Jesus" return is clearly and abundantly
taught in the New Testament, the details of what is going to
happen are far from clear, and nobody should attempt to be
dogmatic about them. So stupendous an event as the winding up of
human history can be described only in symbolical and metaphorical
language, just as we can speak of creation or of the nature of God
or of the incarnation only in symbolical language. The symbols are
not meant to be taken literally: the description of a Figure with
a sharp sword coming out of his mouth, for example, is clearly
absurd if taken literally, but if taken to signify the powerful
character of his utterances it makes good sense (Revelation 1:16).
Taken for what they really are, namely symbols, they tell us the
important principles which are involved in the future events.
Unfortunately, Christians find it hard to resist the temptation to
press the details into tidy schemes, and as a result there has
been much unwarranted speculation about the second coming, and
Christians have often come into sharp conflict when defending
their rival interpretations of ambiguous evidence. It is better to
admit our ignorance of the details and to concentrate our
attention on the unambiguous centralities and their spiritual
implications.
Jesus himself spoke clearly of his second coming as the Son of man
to be the arbiter of human destiny (Matthew 25:31ff.; Mark 8:38;
13:26; 14:62). He indicated that his coming would be preceded by
various events – the rise of false saviours, the persecution of
his people and the increase of human wickedness (Mark 13:1–25; cf.
2 Thessalonians 2:3-12; 2 Timothy 3:12f.), but he said quite
plainly that nobody can calculate the date of his coming (Luke
17:20f.; Acts 1:7) and that only the Father knows when it will be
(Mark 13:32). In fact there has scarcely been any period when
there have not been false saviours, persecution of the church and
the growth of wickedness, and one might be tempted to say that the
coming of Jesus could happen at anytime. The early church
certainly believed this, and urged its members to be ready for an
event which might take them quite unawares.
Consequently, teaching about the second coming is generally
accompanied by exhortations to believers to live a holy life in
preparation for that day (Acts 3:19–21; Philippians 3:20f.; 4:5;
Colossians 3:4f.; 1 Thessalonians 1:9f.; 2 Timothy 4:1f.; Hebrews
9:28; 1 Peter 1:7; 1 John 2:28; Revelation 1:7). Men must not sit
and idly wait for the day, but live in a manner befitting servants
awaiting the arrival of their master (cf. Luke 12:35-48). This of
course does not mean that Christians are serving an absent Lord
and that their motive for doing good should be fear of his coming
and catching them unawares. The picture in the parables of
servants awaiting the return of their master must not be pressed
too far. For we live continually in the presence of the Master and
enjoy his fellowship daily. If Jesus is absent from our sight, he
is nevertheless spiritually present with us, and we do nothing
that would interrupt that fellowship.
Although the coming of Jesus cannot be calculated in advance,
there is nevertheless fairly clear teaching that it will be
preceded by the final effort of evil to overcome God. Paul speaks
of a figure who tries to usurp the place of God (2 Thessalonians
2:3-12), and antichrist (although Paul does not use that word).
John states that there are many antichrists already at work in the
world (1 John 2:18), but this does not exclude the coming of a
final upsurge of evil against God. If we are to take seriously the
descriptions in Revelation of a final conflict (Revelation
19:11-21; 20:7-10), these point in the same direction, although
some scholars think that here John is simply portraying in
particularly graphic and concrete terms the conflict which is
always taking place between good and evil, God and Satan. It is
wisest to admit that we do not know precisely what will happen.
What we do know is that no matter how great the power of evil, it
cannot finally overcome the power of God. Evil will certainly be
defeated.
One passage in the New Testament describes a reign of Christ and
his people for a thousand years (i.e. a millennium) (Revelation
20:1-6). Its meaning has given rise to considerable debate, and
three main views have been put forward, known as pre-, post- and
a-millennialism. Pre-millennialism is the view that the second
coming of Jesus precedes his reign with his people (including dead
Christians who have been resurrected) on the earth for a period of
a thousand years, after which will follow the general resurrection
of the dead, the day of judgment and the life of heaven. This view
is often associated with the belief that some of the Old Testament
prophecies about the people of Israel will find fulfilment during
this period. Post-millennialism is the view that the second coming
follows the ultimate triumph of the gospel in the world, this
period of triumph being the millennium. A-millennialism is the
view that the description in Revelation 20 is symbolical and that
it refers to the entire period of Christ's rule beginning with his
ascension and exaltation.
Each of these views is stoutly defended by its adherents. The
first is held by dispensationalists, the second was held by some
of the Puritans and is maintained by their contemporary followers,
and the third is held by some of the Reformed tradition in
theology. Where equally scholarly interpreters of Scripture differ
from one another, it is best not to be dogmatic. For what it is
worth, the present writer thinks that the millennium is simply one
of the many pictures used in Scripture to describe the life of
heaven, and that it is wrong to press Revelation 20:1-6 too
literally to refer to a distinct period between the second coming
and the judgment. Some scholars think that it makes a lot of
difference to our present Christian conduct and hope whether we
accept one view or another. But to say this is surely to ignore
the fact that on all views the central expectation is of the
coming of Jesus, and, provided that he is at the centre of our
Christian hope, the details are relatively unimportant.
The important thing, accordingly, is to recognize that the second
coming is the coming of Jesus as Judge and Saviour. The New
Testament speaks sometimes of God and sometimes of Christ as Judge
(Romans 14:10ff.; Philippians 2:10f.). This is because God acts in
judgment through Christ to whom he has committed the authority to
judge (John 5:22; Acts 17:30f.). At his coming Christ will judge
everybody according to his works and words (Matthew 12:36f.;
Romans 2:5-11; 2 Corinthians 5:10). The fact that judgment is said
to be on the basis of what we have done is not, of course, a
denial of the principle of justification by faith, since the
evidence of faith is the good works which it produces (Galatians
5:6), and only those who have put their faith in Christ can
perform works acceptable to God (cf. Hebrews 9:14). The judgment
involves everybody, Christians and non-Christians alike. In the
case of believers there will be reward or loss according to the
way in which they have used the talents and opportunities
entrusted to them (Matthew 25:14-30; 1 Corinthians 3:12-15).
Christ's coming as Judge is also and supremely his coming as
Saviour. His people will be set free from sin and corruption to
become like him. They will no longer be harassed by temptation and
they will be made perfectly holy (Philippians 3:21; 1
Thessalonians 3:13; 1 John 3:2). They will take their seats at his
table and reign with him forever (Matthew 8:11; Lk. 22:30;
Revelation 22:5).
The second coming
of Jesus is accompanied by the resurrection of dead believers to
join him (1 Thessalonians 4:14-16). The state of the dead before
the resurrection is presented in various ways in the Bible. In the
Old Testament it appears to be the common fate of all the dead to
be in Sheol or the grave. While there are some inklings of hope of
resurrection (Daniel 12:2) or of transfer to the presence of God
(Psalm 73:24), in general the Old Testament writers lacked the
fuller revelation brought by Christ. If the parable of the rich
man and Lazarus is to be taken literally (which is not certain),
we may be entitled to deduce from it that a separation already
exists between believers and unbelievers, the former being at
peace and the latter in torment. But we must be careful about
pressing the details of this or any parable. We should not, for
example, want to apply the picture of the ruler gloating over the
execution of his enemies before his very eyes (Luke 19:27) to God.
We get a clearer picture from Paul who knows that after death he
will be with Christ (Philippians 1:23) and speaks of those who
sleep by Jesus (1 Thessalonians 4:14). The penitent thief was
promised that he would go to paradise with Jesus (Luke 23:43), and
the martyr Stephen saw Jesus standing in heaven to receive him
(Acts 7:55-59). All this suggests that death ushers a Christian
into the presence of Christ. Nevertheless, there are indications
that this is not a final or complete state. The fate of the
unrighteous is not described at all. We have to be content to
leave the whole matter in the hands of God.
At the second coming of Christ two events take place. On the one
hand, those who died as believers in Christ are raised from the
dead and join his triumphal entourage (1 Thessalonians 4:14-17; 1
Corinthians 15:23, 51-57). On the other hand, those believers who
are still alive at his coming are brought into his presence to
meet him as he comes (1 Thessalonians 4:17). All who participate
in this event, both the resurrected dead and the living, are
transformed by the power of God and receive a new body. Since
physical flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God and
immortality, Christians receive a new "spiritual" body (1
Corinthians 15:44). Just as a seed "dies" and gives place to a
plant which is organically related to it but very different in
appearance, so our present physical bodies will give place to new
and perfect spiritual bodies fit for the life of heaven
(Philippians 3:20f.). What this means is beyond our comprehension,
since the concept of heaven itself is unimaginable, but we may
perhaps draw an analogy from the transfigured and resurrected
glorious body of Jesus (Mark 9:2f.; Luke24:39). The significance
of the point is that Christians do not look forward merely to the
survival of an immaterial soul – with the consequence that the
present physical body and its life are ultimately of no
significance. There is a real continuity between our present
physical bodily life and our future spiritual bodily life.
Salvation is concerned with the whole person and not merely with a
part of it. The life of heaven is to be a continuation on a more
grand and glorious scale of life in Christ on earth.
Those who are not members of Christ's people naturally do not
share in the glorification which characterizes the resurrection of
Christians. There is, however, a resurrection of the unrighteous
so that they may appear before God and Christ on the day of
judgment (Matthew 25:41ff.; John 5:28f.; Acts 24:15; Revelation
20:11-15). The judgment which has already been passed on them in
this life is ratified (John 3:18f.).
Those who are judged in this way are those who have refused the
gospel of Jesus Christ and remained in their sins. They are not
fit to enter into the heavenly presence of God and of Christ, and
therefore they are excluded from the presence of God (2
Thessalonians 1:9). This fate is described as eternal punishment
(2 Thessalonians 1:9) or as a lake of fire where there is eternal
punishment (Revelation 20:10, 15). Opinions differ as to whether
this means eternal conscious torment or annihilation. The question
is again one of how far the biblical imagery used to describe the
after-life is to be taken literally. Those who adopt the latter
alternative stress that it in no way minimizes the severity of
divine judgment on the wicked, annihilation being a fate
sufficiently dreadful in itself. Nor does its view deny that the
wicked do have to appear before God and bear his judgment. There
is no suggestion that annihilation takes place at the same point
as physical death.
A particular problem is raised by the fate of those who have never
heard the gospel and had the opportunity of freely responding to
it. The New Testament does not speculate much on this matter. It
is much more concerned to place before the church its solemn
responsibility to preach the gospel to all men, so that all may
have the opportunity of enjoying the blessings of salvation in
this life and in the hereafter. Nevertheless, there are hints that
the heathen will be judged according to how they have responded to
the light which they have had. There are some grounds for holding
that men whose way of life was such that they would have accepted
Christ if they had had the opportunity to do so will be saved at
the last day, because the sacrifice of Christ avails for them also
(Matthew 25:31ff.; Romans 2:12-16). We can safely entrust them to
the great mercy and utter justice of God who desires that all men
should be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth (1 Timothy
2:4).
To affirm this is not the same thing as saying that all men will
eventually be saved. Some people think that although the Bible
contains numerous warnings about the possibility of the wicked
being cast into hell, nobody will in fact finally be sent there:
the mercy of God is such that he would not consign any person to
hell, and the power of his love is such that all men must
eventually respond to it, even if that response comes only after
some kind of purgatorial suffering. The fact that Christ is said
to have preached to the spirits in prison (1 Peter 3:19f.; cf.
4:6) is sometimes adduced in support of this view, although this
is not what the passage implies: it speaks rather of the
proclamation of Christ's victory over all forces arrayed against
him.
Two things must be said about this view. First, there is no
suggestion in the New Testament of any kind of purgatorial
suffering after the completion of which a person may reach heaven:
such a suggestion would imply that salvation depends upon human
acceptability to God rather than upon the finished work of Christ.
A person's fate in the next life depends upon his response to
Christ in this life (Luke 12:8f.; 2 Corinthians 6:1f.). Second, we
must distinguish between the universal offer of God's mercy and
universal acceptance of that offer. The universal availability of
divine grace is clearly taught in the New Testament (John 3:16).
But universal acceptance of grace is not taught. Jesus clearly
stated that not all will be able to enter the kingdom of God (Luke
13:23f.). Nobody, therefore, can presume on the mercy of God to
save them despite a life of sin and impenitence, and the church
cannot evade its evangelistic responsibility by claiming that God
will save everybody in the end anyhow. The doctrine of
universalism inevitably weakens the moral and spiritual
responsibility of men and blunts the evangelistic and missionary
fervour of the church. It has no support in Scripture and a false
soft-heartedness should not blind us to what is taught there: the
awful responsibility of accepting the gospel in this life.
With the day of
judgment comes the end of the present world system, corrupted as
it is by sin and evil (Romans 8:19-23). The old era comes to a
final end, and it is replaced by a new era. A new heaven and a new
earth come into being, and since they are righteous they are
eternal (2 Peter 3:13). The new home of redeemed men and women is
spoken of as a new Jerusalem, for it is the holy city to which the
earthly, sinful Jerusalem points. Sin and sorrow pass away, and
eternal bliss is the lot of God's people. The old is finished and
all things become new.
It is possible to concentrate attention on the various pictures
used to describe the future life of believers – the great banquet,
the heavenly city, the river of life with its fruit-bearing trees
– and to miss the reality to which they all point: the life of
heaven is heavenly life because it is life with God and Jesus. The
fellowship between man and his Creator, which was broken by sin,
is now fully restored. God's presence among his people is no
longer confined to his temple, as in the imagery of the Old
Testament (but see also Isaiah 57:15), or to his unseen presence
among believers (Matthew 18:20); he is visibly in the midst of
them, and they can see his face. Both the Father and the Son are
the light of the new Jerusalem, and the Spirit of God summons men
to enter the city (Revelation 22:17). Thus, finally, redeemed men
and women enter into that fellowship of love which binds Father,
Son and Holy Spirit together, and the holy love of God becomes
final and full and victorious reality (1 Corinthians 13:13). God
is at last all in all (1 Corinthians 15:28).
1. "If
for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all men most
to be pitied" (1 Corinthians 15:19): discuss.
2. If Christians are merely "strangers and pilgrims"
in this world, how far should they participate in its life? Should
they simply concentrate on preparing themselves and other people
for the after-life? If not, why not?
3. Discuss whether the different forms of
millennialism make any difference to the present Christian lives
of those who hold them.
4. "In a universe of love there can be no heaven
which tolerates a chamber of horrors, no hell for any which does
not at the same time make it a hell for God" (J.A.T. Robinson):
how would you answer this criticism of the New Testament doctrine
of the final destiny of the wicked?
5. If heaven is not rightly pictured in terms of
figures dressed in nightgowns, sitting on clouds and playing
harps, what sort of pictures can we use to express its true
character?
* From: Chapter 8, A Pocket Guide to New Testament
Theology by I. Howard Marshall,
© 2000 I. Howard Marshall.
Website: www.BiblicalTraining.org.
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