The End of the World
Are you ready for the END? what
will transpire at that time? What will happen to you? How does judgment
work for a Christian who is already forgiven?
The End of the World
By Dr. William Ames
1. So far we have
considered the administration of the covenant before the end of the
world. In that end, the application which has only been begun in this
life will be perfected.
2. Then the end of
calling will be reached by all who are called, for we are called to the
eternal glory of God, 1 Peter 5:10. In this the end of faith, or the
salvation of souls, is also said to be contained, 1 Peter 1:9.
3. That declaration of
justification and redemption which is shown in their effects will then
be completed; in this life the faithful are said only to await
redemption, Luke 21:18; Rom. 8:23; Eph. 1:14.
4. Then all the adopted
will enter into the possession of their inheritance; in this sense the
faithful in this life are said to wait for adoption, Rom. 8:23.
5. Then the image of
God will be perfected in all the sanctified. Eph. 5:27, That he might
present the church to himself glorious, not having spot or wrinkle or
any such thing, that she might be holy and without
fault.
6. Then finally the
glory and blessedness hoped for will shine forth in all fullness, not
only in the soul but also in the very body. Phil. 3:21, He shall
transfigure our humble body that it may be made conformable to his
glorious body.
7. Because the state of
the church then will be one of perfection and not of edification, the
ministry, sacraments, and discipline together with the instituted
churches themselves will cease, and the mystical church will remain in
immediate communion with God.
8. Hence the end of the
world should be awaited with all longing by all believers. Phil. 3:20;
Titus 2:13, We expect the savior, Jesus Christ. Expecting that blessed
hope and that glorious coming of the glory of the great Cod and our
savior.
9. This final
perfection of administration requires the coming and personal presence
of Christ himself, Acts 10:42.
10. The second coming
of Christ will be like the first in that it shall be real, visible, and
apparent. Acts 1:11. But it will be dissimilar in that: First, it will
be attended with greatest glory and power. Matt. 24:30; Titus 2:13;
second, it will dispense the greatest terror among the ungodly and the
greatest joy among the godly, 2 Thess. 1:7-10.
11. Two events, the
resurrection and the last judgment, will finally distinguish between the
godly and the ungodly, 2 Cor. 5:10.
12. Resurrection
relates to what has fallen. Because man fell from life by the separation
of soul from body, it is necessary for his rising again that the same
soul be reunited to the same body and that the same man exist in the
restored union of the two.
13. That such a
resurrection is possible for God appears from the fact that the
restoration of a man requires no more power than was manifested in his
first creation. Phil. 3:21, According to that effectual power whereby he
is able to subdue all things to himself.
14. That the
resurrection will actually come about cannot be surely demonstrated by
any natural reason, a priori or a posteriori — it is properly a matter
of faith.
15. Neither the nature
of the soul nor of the body can be the cause of resurrection, for the
forming again and raising of the body out of dust is against the
accustomed course of nature, for when nature is completely destroyed it
is not wont to be restored. The inseparable union of the soul with the
body by which man becomes immortal is beyond the powers of nature.
16. Therefore, the
raising of the dead properly belongs to Christ, (eanthropos), the
God-man. The operating principle is Christ's divine omnipotence by which
it may be easily accomplished, even in an instant.
17. The role of the
angels will not properly be to raise the dead, but to gather the parts
to be raised and to assemble the saints when raised.
18. Although all will
be raised by Christ, it will not all happen in one and the same way. The
resurrection of the faithful is to life and is accomplished by virtue of
the union which they have with Christ who is their life (Col. 3:4; 1
Thess. 4:14) and by the operation of his quickening Spirit which lives
in them. Rom. 8:11, He . . . shall also quicken your mortal bodies by
his Spirit dwelling in you. But the resurrection of the others is
through that power of Christ by which he will execute avenging justice.
19. Therefore, the
resurrection of the faithful is from the life of Christ as the beginning
of their own life as the fruit and effect. It is, therefore, called the
resurrection of life. The raising up of the others is from the sentence
of death and condemnation, which leads to true death and condemnation,
and is, therefore, called the resurrection of condemnation, John 5:28,
29.
20. The last judgment
is exercised by Christ as king, for the power of judging is part of the
office of a king.
21. For the faithful,
it comes from grace and is a function of the kingship of grace essential
in Christ the mediator. For the ungodly it
is, strictly speaking,
a function only of power and dominion, granted by the Father for a
certain perfection of mediation, but not essential to it.
22. The sins of the
faithful will not come into judgment. In this life they are covered and
taken away by the sentence of justification; the last judgment will be a
confirmation and manifestation of that sentence. It would not be right
that they should again be brought to light.
23. The place of this
judgment will be in the air, 1 Thess. 4:17.
24. The day and year of
it is not revealed in Scripture and, therefore, cannot be fixed by
men.
25. The sentence, to be
carried out immediately, will be to eternal life or death, according to
the works that have preceded.
26. The sentence to
life for the elect will be given according to their works, not as
meritorious causes but as effects testifying to the true causes.
27. The sentence to
death for reprobates will be given according to their works as true
causes.
28. Christ, (theanthropos),
the God-man, is the judge—a deputy, as it were—but because of his
divine authority and power, upon which depends the strength of the
sentence, he is the principal judge.
29. The faithful will
also judge with Christ, assisting not consulting, approving by their
judgment and will as well as by a comparison of their life and works.
30. Judgment will be
rendered not only on wicked men but also on evil angels. The raising up
and judging of wicked men by Christ no more argues the universal
redemption of such men than it does that of devils.
31. The fire that is
destined to purge and renew the world will not precede the judgment but
shall follow.
32. Purgatory is no
more necessary before the day of judgment than after. Since, by
confession of the papists themselves, it will not exist afterwards, it
does not exist before.
33. The elements will
not be taken away, but changed.
34. After the day of
judgment Christ will remain king and mediator forever. |
