THE
DOCTRINE OF CHRIST'S RETURN
THE FINAL JUDGEMENT
Although
we may have many questions concerning the events surrounding Christ’s return,
the doctrine that God wants us to teach consists of what the Bible explicitly
says, not man-made explanations and ideas (Jeremiah 23:28). Far too often
popular writers wind up teaching opinions that they, or others, have dreamed up
instead of faithfully presenting what the Bible says. Therefore, as you read
the following verses, pay close attention to what the words actually say, while
submitting to God’s authority by rejecting and correcting any opinions you have
that contradict those words (Isaiah 8:20).
CHRIST
WILL RETURN
Acts
Matthew
2Timothy 4:1 Jesus Christ… will judge the living
and the dead at his appearing.
Acts 24:15 There will be a
resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked.
John 5:28-29 All
who are in the graves will hear his voice, And will come forth.
Revelation 1:7 And
every eye will see him, and also those who pierced him.
Matthew 24:30 Then all the tribes of the earth will
mourn, and they will see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with
power and great glory.
2Thessalonians 2:8-9 The Lord Jesus… will destroy [the
wicked one] with the brightness of his coming: Even him, whose coming is
after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders.
John
John
John
[Comment: From
these verses we learn that: 1- Christ will return in glory; 2- He will judge
both the living and the dead at His appearing; 3- All who are in the graves
will rise; 4- This will take place on the last day.]
EVERYONE
WILL BE JUDGED BY HIM
Matthew
2Timothy 4:1 Jesus Christ… will judge the living
and the dead at his appearing.
Acts 17:31 Because he [God] has appointed a day, when he
will judge the world in righteousness by the man he has appointed; having given
all men assurance of this, by raising him from the dead.
2Corinthians 5:10 For we must all appear before the
judgement seat of Christ; so that each may
receive the things done in the body, according to everything he has
done, whether good or evil.
2Peter 3:7 But the heavens
and the earth, that now exist, have by the same word been reserved for fire,
being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.
Psalm 50:3-6 Our God will come, and will not keep
silent: a fire will devour before him, and a mighty tempest will rage
around about him. He will call to the heavens above, and to the earth, that he
may judge his people. Gather my saints to me; those who have made a
covenant with me by sacrifice. And the heavens will declare his righteousness:
for God himself is judge.
John
[Comment: These
verses tell us that when Christ appears: 1- All men, the entire world, both
believers and unbelievers will be judged; 2- They will account for everything
they have done (good or evil), including every idle word that they speak. 3- On
the day (singular) of judgement the world will be
destroyed by fire.]
THE
DAY OF JUDGEMENT
John 5:28-29 All who are in the graves will hear
his voice, And will come forth; those who have done good, unto the
resurrection of life; and those who have done evil, unto the resurrection of
damnation.
Matthew 25:31-46 Then he will sit upon the throne of
his glory: And before him all nations will be gathered: and he will
separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the
goats: And he will set the sheep at his right hand, but the goats on
the left. Then will the King say to those at his right hand, Come, you
blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the
foundation of the world… Then he will say also to those at the left hand,
Depart from me, you cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and
his angels… And they will go away into everlasting punishment: but the
righteous into life eternal.
Revelation 20:11-15 Then I saw a great white throne, and him who sat upon it, from whose presence the
heavens and earth fled; and there was no place for them. And I saw the dead,
small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book
was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged
according to what they had done, as it was written in the books. And the sea
gave up the dead that were in it; and death and hell gave up the dead that were
in them: and everyone was judged according to their works. And death and hell
were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whoever was
not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.
Revelation 21:1,2 & 27
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the
first earth had passed away; and there was no longer any sea. And I John saw
the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God
out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.… And nothing that
is unclean or defiles will ever enter it, nor those
who do what is abominable, or deceitful: but only those who are written in
the Lamb’s book of life.
[Comment: These
verses tell us that: 1- All who are in the graves (both believers and
unbelievers) will rise when Christ returns; 2- Both sheep and goats (believers
and unbelievers) will be present at the judgement; 3-
Those who are not found written in the Lamb’s book of life (unbelievers) will
be cast into the lake of fire; 4- But those who are written in the Lamb’s book
of life (believers) will inherit the kingdom prepared for them, and live with
God in a new heavens and a new earth.]
Romans 8:1 There is therefore now no
condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh , but after the Spirit.
1John
John 5:24 Truly, truly, I say unto you, Whoever hears
my word, and believes him who sent me, has everlasting life, and will not come
into condemnation; but has passed from death to life.
Romans 10:4 For Christ is the end of the law
for righteousness to everyone who believes.
[Comment: These
verses tell us that because it is faith in Christ, not obedience to the law,
that makes us righteous before God; when it is time to account for "every
idle word," those who seek righteousness by the law will be condemned, but
no sin will be imputed to those who trust in Christ.]
[Note: Whenever
the Bible describes the final judgement, it speaks of
believers and unbelievers standing together before the judgement
seat. And the Bible specifically tells us that Christ will raise
up believers on "the last day," not before the last day. (John 6:39,
40, 44, 54, Acts 24:15)]
THE
LAST DAY
2Peter 3:10 But the day of the Lord will come as a
thief in the night; in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and
the elements will melt with intense heat, and the earth and everything in it
will be burned up.
Isaiah 34:4 All the heavenly
bodies will dissolve, and the heavens will be rolled together like a scroll.
Revelation 21:1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new
earth: for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away.
Revelation
John
Luke
[Comment: These
verses mean just what they say. The words, "My kingdom is not of this
world" mean exactly that. And, the words, "of his kingdom there will
be no end" tell us that once He does begin to reign (over the new heavens
and the new earth) that reign will never end.]
LET'S
STICK WITH THE FACTS
The fact that
Christ said He will raise up believers "on the last day," tells us that
the rapture and resurrection of believers will take place on the last day
(1Thessalonians
The fact that it
will happen "on the "last day," tells us it cannot take place
before the end, or before seven years of tribulation (John
The fact that judgement will take place "on the last day" tells
us that it will take place on the same day that Christ raises believers from
the dead (compare John
The fact that,
"The Father judges no man, but has committed all judgment to the Son (John
And, the fact that
the Bible says, "Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is
none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved,"
tells us that no one was ever saved by works in the past, and no one will ever
be saved by works in the future (Acts 4:12).
God
expects His church to teach what the Bible says, not human opinion and
conjecture. For that reason, our doctrine must be the bare words of Scripture,
not an explanation of it. "The whole Christian doctrine is revealed in
Scripture passages that need no exegesis, but are an open book alike to the
learned and the unlearned." ("Christian Dogmatics",
by Francis Pieper, Vol. 1, pg. 347)
Gary Ray Branscome