What about Unbelievers Part One

What about Unbelievers? Part One

A couple of you asked an insightful question after the last two messages on the return of Christ and end of the age. The question is basically--What about unbelievers at the second coming of the Lord Jesus? The question is asked because it is not really addressed in 1 Thessalonians.

Remember how the Apostle did not want them to be ignorant on the topic of what will happen to those who have died in the Lord when Jesus returns. Paul wrote to answer that particular question at the end of Chapter 4 and wrote some more things about the time of the return in the beginning of Chapter 5.

Paul did not intend to tell the Thessalonians everything there was to tell them about the doctrines of the end times, commonly called eschatology. He merely answered their question in order to give them comfort about the dead and the living and then went on to give more comfort and to build them up in the faith with the positive aspects of Christ's return as it affects them.

So, to answer the question about the unbeliever, we need to go to some other text or texts. Please turn over to Matthew 24. This text is another one that is often misused and made to say a number of things that it does not.

Many years ago, we were trying to help an older man plant a Reformed Baptist Church in Hubbardston. The man functioning as the pastor had a lot of baggage from decades of ministry in Evangelical churches on the Fundamentalist side of the continuum.

One Sunday afternoon, the topic of the return of Jesus came up. I asked him if there were any scriptures that teach about a two-stage return of Jesus like we find in Dispensational, pretribulational, premillenialism. He brought me to  this passage. I asked him where the two stages were found. He mentioned one verse and them added the other is here in my notes. A two-stage return of Jesus does not rise naturally from any text of scripture. But a one time return harmonizes with so many scriptures it is hard to avoid. All I want to do this morning is to walk through the text and make comments at some important points. My purpose it to encourage believers with God's mercy and to encourage those who do not yet believe with the reality of divine judgment that is waiting for all.

Remember Heb 9:27-- And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment….

It is an appointment all of us will keep regardless of our lot in life and standing in the world. Presidents and popes, the poor and outcast will all stand before God in judgment--actually, it is the Lord Jesus Christ who will represent the Godhead.

Jesus took the disciples for a walk down to the Mount of Olives--the place in Jerusalem where he will return.

Along the way, Jesus Predicts the Destruction of the Temple. They were walking right in the Temple Courts. The stones where right there. What an object lesson it was.

We read:

Matthew 24 Then Jesus went out and departed from the temple, and His disciples came up to show Him the buildings of the temple.

Do you get the scene? Then Jesus takes the initiative to ask a question….

 ² And Jesus said to them, “Do you not see all these things? Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down.”

That massive structure will be destroyed to the point where all the stones will be torn down and useless. It would take great power to do that. Did the disciples perceive that Jesus had that power available to him to make that come to pass? Did they understand. They seem to realize it would be cataclysmic. They come up with a series of three questions that they want to ask Jesus to answer.

³ Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, (Question #1)“Tell us, when will these things be? (Question #2) And what will be the sign of Your coming, (Question #3) and of the end of the age?”

Three questions come out of Jesus' teaching ministry generally considered and the words of Jesus about the temple asked to him on that day.

So, the rest of the chapter and even into Chapter 25, including the parables, are the answers of Jesus to those three questions. If we don't understand which question Jesus is answering at any one point, we might misapply it to a different question. We may try to make it answer a question it was never intended to answer and miss the question for which it was given.

                                                                       

Jesus lays a foundation for the future--some will come saying they are Jesus Christ returning.

⁴ And Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you. ⁵ For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. ⁶ And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all^[a] these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.

It is amazing to see how many false Christs and false messiahs there have been in the history of the world. The reality of the internet makes is possible for us to search out this idea with just a few keystrokes and the links we find to other key words and phrases. I stopped counting at 100. There are more. Some of those are institutionalized for mental illness. But, many have functioned in the world drawing a following to themselves. It is a remarkable subject to study. There were a couple that overlapped Jesus' time and space. This was a sign, but a cryptic one. Note the last sentence--Don't be troubled, these things have to happen. It is the natural course of events as we live in the fallen creation. These things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. The answer to Question 1.

The text continues with more things that will come to pass. As time passes, these things are the beginning of sorrows.

 ⁷ For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences,^[b] and earthquakes in various places. ⁸ All these are the beginning of sorrows.

This is often taken as the first sign something is about to happen in God's prophetic calendar. I have heard many people in my lifetime hear about wars, especially in the Holy Land, and right away think the end is beginning. This also happens with a cluster of earthquakes, the breakout of famine and what is translated here as pestilences (an outbreak of the plague or other maladies that effect large numbers). The nations rising up against others is a sign of only the beginning of the end. However, this happens so often throughout history it might be difficult to discern what nations are to be a part of this prophecy.

Since the 4th Century, Christian thinkers have thought the large conflicts in the Christian world were about to usher in the end or at least the beginning of the end.

After this beginning, still perhaps a ways away, Jesus says,

⁹ “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake.

We don't like to think in these terms. But, if this prophecy about the return of Jesus is still yet future, it will include the likes of us. This is what may happen.

However, there may be times in this age when this has already happened. Specifically, I'm referring to the siege of Jerusalem by the Romans in AD 67 and lasted until 70 when the stormed in and finally took the city.

When people read the accounts of the fall of Jerusalem they get utterly disgusted at what the Jews were reduced to in their "Holy" City. Read Josephus and his accounts some time. Then go back and read this section of Matthew. It is an eye-opener.

Since these things show only the beginning of sorrows, it is reasonable and plausible that Jesus words refer to what would come to pass in a little less than forty years.

But, this animosity can also be understood as lasting throughout this age until the Lord returns and the end of the age is ushered in. They will continue to deliver you up to tribulation is a legitimate reading of the verse.

Disciples will turn on other believers: 

 ¹⁰ And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another.

It is shameful, but does this go on today? Do believers take needless offense with other believers? Is there a lack of long-suffering among church goers? Yes!

Do people betray one another and act in ways that are opposed to love? Yes, they do. This shows us we are still getting closer to the return of Jesus.

Like I mentioned before, it is amazing to see and understand how many false-teachers and false-prophets there really are. Often the prophecies are like Christian horoscopes that are so general they fit almost everyone.

I had an American friend while studying at Oxford. He was also a doctoral student. He went to a somewhat charismatic fellowship in the City. He told me how one day an old man came up to him with a prophecy. The prophecy said, "Greg, don't neglect your family." Greg took it to heart. Now, any and every doctoral student, by nature of the studies, had to spend long hours reading and writing as well as a dozen other things required by the rigors of study and university life.  There are not enough hours in the week to do all that needs to be done. Telling someone to not neglect there family is something that will always be true of all students. The prophecy, when you break it down, isn't really special, but ordinary advice a discerning person could give to almost anyone in Oxford. There are many so-called prophets in our day. And, a lot of people are arguing that prophets in the New Testament don't have to be 100% accurate. They need to argue that position because many prophecies have not come true. I know because people have prophesied about things that I would do and they have not come to pass.

 ¹¹ Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many.

This has always been the case. Just about every cult leader saw themselves as being a prophet. It is a means to control people. They act as if they know what you are thinking. Many people are false-prophets and the exercise of a teaching ministry makes them false-teachers. There are cults and denominations today that were started by men and women in this category. Over time, they become more mainstream when they ought to be marginalized--Mormonism is becoming more and more mainstream.

The test continues:

 ¹² And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold.

This has always been true. We find people in the NT who oppose the doctrine of the Apostles and Jesus. They throw off God's Law to act as Libertines. Once the gospel is put away, all one has is themselves and what they can generate. Most fall into some sort of works righteousness and antinomianism. They lose whatever love they were thought to have. Those are the beginning of the end.

THERE IS THE GOOD NEWS

 ¹³ But he who endures to the end shall be saved.

Whether we are close to the coming of the Lord or not, don't give into your flesh, don't give into peer pressure whether you are young or old, seek to please the Lord and honor him as you cheerfully endure.

Note the length of the endurance---to the end. That should have special meaning in a section where Jesus is answering questions about the END of the age. At no point can you afford to stop enduring. That is activity inconsistent with Christian Character.

Luke 9:62-- But Jesus said to him, “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” That is what Jesus says. We soften the actions of people and call them backslidden. The lack of endurance, when one stops following in faith, it shows they have turned back to their old way of life and are unfit for the kingdom of heaven.

Amid great tribulation, keep on enduring by God's strength and the Spirits assistance.

More good news!

 ¹⁴ And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.

This gospel, including these words that might be scary to some, will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.

Can we speed up the end of this age by sending more missionaries to the four corners of the earth? There are missionary societies that exist because they believe that very thing. It will be a means God will use to reach the lost and dying, but it will not speed up anything. God knows the day and the hour. We can't slow it down by sloth or speed it up by unguided zeal. God uses the ordinary processes which include sending missionaries to raise up indigenous people all over the world.

When all of the elect have been called and sanctified to the point God has ordained for each one of them, when all of the churches He has purposed to call together are to the point of maturity God works in them, then the end will come. I think the implicit point is this--there are too many things for one mind to consider at the same time in order to "know" when Jesus will return and when the age will end.

Yet, the preaching of the gospel throughout the whole world is a sign that the end is closer, not perhaps imminent, but beyond the beginning stages. 2,000 years of history has moved the prophetic clock--we just don't know how much.

The end illustrated in narrative form--a recapitulation

The Great Tribulation

¹⁵ “Therefore when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’^[c] spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place” (whoever reads, let him understand), ¹⁶ “then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.¹⁷ Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house. ¹⁸ And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes.¹⁹ But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! ²⁰ And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath. ²¹ For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be.²² And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened.

For whose sake shall the history of the earth be directed? The elect's sake. Endure suffering, patiently wait for the coming of the Lord, it will be his means to deliver you. We don't know when it will be, but it will be unexpected.

Liars, liars and more liars

²³ “Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There!’ do not believe it. ²⁴ For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. ²⁵ See, I have told you beforehand.

And more attempts to pull you away:

²⁶ “Therefore if they say to you, ‘Look, He is in the desert!’ do not go out;or ‘Look, He is in the inner rooms!’ do not believe it. ²⁷ For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. ²⁸ For wherever the carcass is, there the eagles will be gathered together.

The Coming of the Son of Man

²⁹ “Immediately after the tribulation of those days [the days in which these things are happening] the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.

 ³⁰ Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. ³¹ And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. (1 Thess 4 and 5)

No One Knows the Day or Hour

³⁶ “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven,^[e] but My Father only. ³⁷ But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. ³⁸ For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, ³⁹ and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.

 ⁴⁰ Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left.

 ⁴¹ Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left.

⁴² Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour^[f] your Lord is coming.

⁴³ But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. ⁴⁴ Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.

The end of the answer to Question 2 with other items mixed in for clarity.

Then there is A Series of Parables to Illustrate the end, then more direct teaching on Question #3: Next week:

The Son of Man Will Judge the Nations Chap 25

Matthew 25:³¹ “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy^[c] angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. ³² 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. ³³ And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. ³⁴ Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: ³⁵ for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; ³⁶ I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’

³⁷ “Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? ³⁸ When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? ³⁹ Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ ⁴⁰ And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did itto one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’

⁴¹ “Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: ⁴² for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; ⁴³ I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.’

⁴⁴ “Then they also will answer Him,^[d] 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?’ ⁴⁵ Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ ⁴⁶ And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”