It is Finished

 Intro: Welcome to the final week of our series, “On the Edge of Eternity.”

This series has been a short overview of eschatology, the study of the end times. 

Previously we have examined what the Scriptures teach regarding: the Rapture of the Church — the Rise of the Antichrist —  the Saints at the Judgment Seat of Christ and the Marriage Supper of the Lamb — The 7-Year Tribulation — The 2nd Coming of Christ — The Battle of Armageddon 

Today as we conclude our series, let’s examine what Scripture teaches about the Millennial Reign of Christ, The Great White Throne Judgment, The Lake of Fire, The New Heavens and New Earth and the New Jerusalem.

As an overview, we have purposefully left out some information.

Scripture never teaches believers to look for the Antichrist, the Mark of the Beast or any other prophetic end-time occurrence.

Scripture simply teaches us to look for Jesus.

Our focus in this series is NOT to get everyone to agree exactly on “what happens when.”

Our focus, rather, is to remind us as the New Testament Church that… “MARANATHA!” 

(Greek word meaning… “Rejoice!  Jesus Is Coming!)

Revelation 22:7 NLT “Look, I am coming soon! Blessed are those who obey the words of prophecy written in this book.”

Revelation 16:17 NLT Then the seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air. And a mighty shout came from the throne in the Temple, saying, “It is finished!” 

After the last bowl of judgment a mighty shout from the throne in heaven declares, “It is Finished!” (Part 4 - Complete Control)

This marks a point of completion. 

The time of tribulation is coming to an end.

At Armageddon, Satan and his evil followers will be dealt with so that Christ can usher in a thousand years of righteousness and peace on earth.

All of God’s covenants and promises in Scripture have pointed to one event:

Revelation 19:11-16 NLT Then I saw heaven opened, and a white horse was standing there. Its rider was named Faithful and True, for he judges fairly and wages a righteous war. 12 His eyes were like flames of fire, and on his head were many crowns. A name was written on him that no one understood except himself. 13 He wore a robe dipped in blood, and his title was the Word of God. 14 The armies of heaven, dressed in the finest of pure white linen, followed him on white horses. 15 From his mouth came a sharp sword to strike down the nations. He will rule them with an iron rod. He will release the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty, like juice flowing from a winepress. 16 On his robe at his thigh was written this title: King of all kings and Lord of all lords.

It has been God’s plan from the beginning to restore what Satan polluted.

God's plan was completed at the Cross.

John 19:28-30 NLT Jesus knew that his mission was now finished, and to fulfill Scripture he said, “I am thirsty.” 29 A jar of sour wine was sitting there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put it on a hyssop branch, and held it up to his lips. 30 When Jesus had tasted it, he said, “It is finished!” Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

The plan was accomplished at the Cross and will be fully achieved when evil is removed from the face of the earth and every living being recognizes Jesus Christ as The King of Kings. 

The Millennial Reign of Christ.

The Millennial Reign of Christ is not symbolic, it is a literal thousand years.

The first order of business in the new kingdom is removing the tempter. Satan is confined in the Abyss as his temporary punishment. This means he does not have any evil influence over nations or people for a thousand years.

The world will now experience a thousand years of peace.

Revelation 20:1-7 NLT Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven with the key to the bottomless pit and a heavy chain in his hand. 2 He seized the dragon—that old serpent, who is the devil, Satan—and bound him in chains for a thousand years. 

3 The angel threw him into the bottomless pit, which he then shut and locked so Satan could not deceive the nations anymore until the thousand years were finished. Afterward he must be released for a little while.

4 Then I saw thrones, and the people sitting on them had been given the authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their testimony about Jesus and for proclaiming the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or his statue, nor accepted his mark on their foreheads or their hands. They all came to life again, and they reigned with Christ for a thousand years.

5 This is the first resurrection. (The rest of the dead did not come back to life until the thousand years had ended.) 

6 Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection. For them the second death holds no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him a thousand years.

7 When the thousand years come to an end, Satan will be let out of his prison. 

In the first seven verses of chap. 20, the term “thousand years is used 6 times. This shows the importance placed upon this event. The term is in no way figurative, but it is a literal thousand years of Christ reigning with His saints. The seal on the pit ensures that Satan will not be able to deceive anyone during this time. We are also told that when the thousand year reign is finished, then Satan will once again be let loose upon the earth.

The Judgment of the Nations (Matthew 25:31-46)

When the armies of the nations are destroyed at Armageddon, the populace of the nations will still be intact, and will be judged at the Judgment of the Nations. The goat nations will go immediately into hell, but the nations judged as sheep nations will become subjects of the Millennial Kingdom. The judgment, which will decide if a nation is a sheep or a goat, is based upon that nation’s treatment and heart for the Jew during the Tribulation period.  (Isa. 2:1-2; Zech. 14:16-21; Rev. 11:15; 20:1-10)

The Millennial Reign of Christ will be quite an awesome Kingdom. Many attributes of the Kingdom are revealed in the Scriptures.

Revelation 20:7 NLT When the thousand years come to an end, Satan will be let out of his prison. 

Satan is released from the bottomless pit. WHY?

Two reasons: 1) Each one must personally receive Christ in order to attain everlasting life, and it will be true also of the Millennial subjects.  Since the fall of man way back in the garden, humanity has had the option of following the dictates of our fallen nature or by faith trusting in the Lord. The real test comes when there is a choice before us.

Free-will. God wants our love for Him to come from our heart, not because there are no other choices.

2) This is God’s way of showing mankind that even under a perfect society, with no needs, and under the rule of the Lord Jesus Christ; without redemption and change of nature, humans cannot resist the temptation of sin. 

Human nature is not changed by the near-perfect conditions of the Millennium.

For 1,000 years people will live under the perfect rule of Christ. The release of Satan will reveal the true heart of many.

Keep in mind that even though there are many who are deceived, a vast number do not follow Satan.

Revelation 20:7-10 NLT When the thousand years come to an end, Satan will be let out of his prison. 8 He will go out to deceive the nations—called Gog and Magog—in every corner of the earth. He will gather them together for battle—a mighty army, as numberless as sand along the seashore. 9 And I saw them as they went up on the broad plain of the earth and surrounded God’s people and the beloved city. But fire from heaven came down on the attacking armies and consumed them.

10 Then the devil, who had deceived them, was thrown into the fiery lake of burning sulfur, joining the beast and the false prophet. There they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

 

Vs. 10 Satan is confined to his final destination, the Lake of Fire.

Never again will Satan tempt, trouble, or deceive.

The stage is set for the New Heavens and the New Earth. 

The Great White Throne Judgment

Attention now turns to those who died without accepting Christ as their Savior.

Revelation 20:11-13 NLT And I saw a great white throne and the one sitting on it. The earth and sky fled from his presence, but they found no place to hide. 12 I saw the dead, both great and small, standing before God’s throne. And the books were opened, including the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to what they had done, as recorded in the books. 

13 The sea gave up its dead, and death and the grave gave up their dead. And all were judged according to their deeds.

 

Following the final defeat of Satan and those he deceived, John describes a great white throne. The throne is literal and the white indicates absolute righteousness and justice of the judge. (Ps. 45:6-7; 96:10-13; John 7:24; Acts 17:31; 2 Tim. 4:8)

The location of the throne is not revealed, but it will be somewhere in the vast heavenlies. That it would be located somewhere other than the earth, or the material universe is understood, because these will be experiencing a renovation by fire while the final judgment of the lost is taking place. 

(Rev. 20:11-15; 2 Peter 3:7-13; Heb. 1:10-12; 12:25-29)

12 I saw the dead, both great and small, standing before God’s throne. And the books were opened, including the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to what they had done, as recorded in the books. 

We see the lost of all ages stand before the awesome majesty of a Holy God of judgment. The judgment is based upon a stack of books that contain every deed, every word, and even every thought of the individuals now being weighed in judgment. 

(Matt. 12:36-37; Mark 4:22; Luke 12:2-3; 1 Cor. 4:5)

This judgment is not to determine whether Heaven or Hell is the final destiny of those being judged. It is judgment to prove that Hell is the deserved destiny.

Each person freely chose either God’s wrath or God’s love.

Each individual is given the opportunity to accept God’s grace in his or her lifetime. Once each life ends, the possibility of redemption is gone.

The real test of the White Throne Judgment — regardless of what the books reveal, the final test is having one’s name in the Book of Life.

No doubt many good moral people will be proven to have been as good and moral as natural flesh can possibly be, but the final test is the name in the Book of Life?

This will be a time of personal pleading to God. They will not be able to justify themselves though they will try. (Matt. 7:22-23)

The Lake Of Fire

Revelation 20:14-15 NLT Then death and the grave were thrown into the lake of fire. This lake of fire is the second death. 15 And anyone whose name was not found recorded in the Book of Life was thrown into the lake of fire.

The Bible describes the final destiny of the lost as terrible beyond imagination. It is “outer darkness” for those who choose to love darkness rather than light. (John 3:19-20; Matt. 22:13)

In that darkness there will be “weeping and gnashing of teeth.” That is, there will be frustration and remorse as the lost continually suffer the wrath of God and as they think of all the sin and wrong in a life that could have been blessed by God but was wasted by their own choices. (Matt. 8:12; 22:13; 25:30; Luke 13:28; Rom. 2:8-9; Jude 13)

The destiny of the lost is described as a “fiery furnace.” (Matt. 13:42-50) where the fire by its very nature is unquenchable and never goes out. (Mark 9:43; Jude 7)

It causes eternal loss, or everlasting destruction (2 Thess. 1:9) and “the smoke of their torment will rise forever and ever.” (Rev. 14:11; 20:10)

Vs. 14 The statement that death and hell is cast into the Lake of Fire certainly has reference to the inhabitants, but it is more correct to understand that the locales of death and hell are “transferred” to the Lake of Fire. The abode of Hades which has been in the heart of the earth all these centuries is moved to a permanent location of the Lake of Fire. The new earth will not be a place for any remnant of death, not even in its center.

At the end of the Great White Throne Judgment, John sees the destruction of the old earth and heavens and He sees a new heaven and a new earth.

The New Heaven and New Earth

Revelation 21:1-8 NLT Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared. And the sea was also gone. 2 And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.

3 I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. 4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.”

5 And the one sitting on the throne said, “Look, I am making everything new!” And then he said to me, “Write this down, for what I tell you is trustworthy and true.” 6 And he also said, “It is finished! I am the Alpha and the Omega—the Beginning and the End. To all who are thirsty I will give freely from the springs of the water of life. 7 All who are victorious will inherit all these blessings, and I will be their God, and they will be my children.

8 “But cowards, unbelievers, the corrupt, murderers, the immoral, those who practice witchcraft, idol worshipers, and all liars—their fate is in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.”

The New Jerusalem 

(Rev. 21:9-22:5)

Revelation 21:9-10 NLT Then one of the seven angels who held the seven bowls containing the seven last plagues came and said to me, “Come with me! I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.” 10 So he took me in the Spirit to a great, high mountain, and he showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God. 

It’s dimensions:

• Shines with the glory of God, and is like that of a very precious jewel, like jasper, clear as crystal.

• 1,400 miles wide, 1,400 miles long, 1,400 miles high.

• Walls of jasper.

• Streets of pure gold (as transparent glass).

• 12 Gates of pearl (each one from a single pearl). [Tribes]

• City Wall has 12 foundation stones. [Disciples] 

• No sun or moon for light — no more night, they will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. 

• The River of Life flows from God’s throne down the middle of the great street of the city.

• There is no Temple/church in the New Jerusalem, instead we have the very presence of His glory and the majestic face to face fellowship of His very person.

• AND WE WILL REIGN FOREVER AND EVER!

My prayer for each of you is that the messages in this series would create in you a desire for holiness and living a life to please God and upon your entrance into eternity, be prepared to receive your just reward for your life of commitment to God.

My prayer is also that this series would create in each of you a burden for lost friends, family members, neighbors and coworkers.

People get ready, Jesus is coming!

Revelation 22:7 NLT “Look, I am coming soon! Blessed are those who obey the words of prophecy written in this book.”

Revelation 22:12-13 NLT “Look, I am coming soon, bringing my reward with me to repay all people according to their deeds. 

13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.”

Revelation 22:20 NLT He who is the faithful witness to all these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon!” Amen! Come, Lord Jesus!

Ghosts of Christmas Past 3

Christmas, for many it’s the most wonderful time of the year. For others, it’s a painful reminder of the past.

What if THIS CHRISTMAS, you say good-bye to the Ghosts of Christmas Past and allow God to restore the Joy of Christmas?

For the past few weeks we have been uncovering a few Ghosts of Christmas Past that have a tendency to steal the Joy of Christmas.

Expectations:

Unreasonable expectations cause us to miss the true meaning of Christmas.

Perfect tree, present, family, meal, party, outfit.

We believe that to truly have the perfect Christmas everything has to be just that, perfect.

But perception comes with a cost. Our pursuit of perfection steals the actual meaning of Christmas. Unrealistic expectations of the perfect Christmas steal the joy, meaning and value of Christmas.

Materialism – Instead of focusing on the meaning of Christmas you’re stuck on the money of Christmas.

Have to one up last years gift.

Struggling financially but ashamed to tell family you cant afford to buy gifts.

Don’t want to sound cheap, but truthfully you can’t afford to buy gifts.

Looking back and thinking, “If only this had happened we would have had the perfect Christmas. This year we are doing things right so we can have the perfect Christmas.

When your expectations are wrong, you miss what Christmas is really about.

Video: A Charlie Brown Christmas – Linus’s Speech

Christmas is about Jesus. The night Jesus was born in Bethlehem, a small group of shepherds were quietly tending their flocks. Nothing seemed different about this night from any other night. But what was about to happen would forever change the lives of those shepherds and people throughout the ages. The world would never be the same after the events of this night in the Judean Desert.

That night in Bethlehem teaches us three things about Christmas:

Luke 2:1-14 NKJV

1. Christmas is about Love.

Luke 2:1-7 NKJV

And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. ² This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria. ³ So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city.

⁴ Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, ⁵ to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child. ⁶ So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. ⁷ And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

John 3:16 NIV For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

The entire reason for Christmas is God’s love for us!

Isaiah 7:14 NIV Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.

The Man and the Birds – by Paul Harvey

The man to whom I'm going to introduce you was not a scrooge, he was a kind decent, mostly good man. Generous to his family, upright in his dealings with other men. But he just didn't believe all that incarnation stuff which the churches proclaim at Christmas Time. It just didn't make sense and he was too honest to pretend otherwise. He just couldn't swallow the Jesus Story, about God coming to Earth as a man.

"I'm truly sorry to distress you," he told his wife, "but I'm not going with you to church this Christmas Eve." He said he'd feel like a hypocrite. That he'd much rather just stay at home, but that he would wait up for them. And so he stayed and they went to the midnight service.

Shortly after the family drove away in the car, snow began to fall. He went to the window to watch the flurries getting heavier and heavier and then went back to his fireside chair and began to read his newspaper. Minutes later he was startled by a thudding sound...Then another, and then another. Sort of a thump or a thud...At first he thought someone must be throwing snowballs against his living room window. But when he went to the front door to investigate he found a flock of birds huddled miserably in the snow. They'd been caught in the storm and, in a desperate search for shelter, had tried to fly through his large landscape window.

Well, he couldn't let the poor creatures lie there and freeze, so he remembered the barn where his children stabled their pony. That would provide a warm shelter, if he could direct the birds to it. Quickly he put on a coat, galoshes, tramped through the deepening snow to the barn. He opened the doors wide and turned on a light, but the birds did not come in. He figured food would entice them in. So he hurried back to the house, fetched bread crumbs, sprinkled them on the snow, making a trail to the yellow-lighted wide open doorway of the stable. But to his dismay, the birds ignored the bread crumbs, and continued to flap around helplessly in the snow. He tried catching them...He tried shooing them into the barn by walking around them waving his arms...Instead, they scattered in every direction, except into the warm, lighted barn.

And then, he realized that they were afraid of him. To them, he reasoned, I am a strange and terrifying creature. If only I could think of some way to let them know that they can trust me...That I am not trying to hurt them, but to help them. But how? Because any move he made tended to frighten them, confuse them. They just would not follow. They would not be led or shooed because they feared him.

"If only I could be a bird," he thought to himself, "and mingle with them and speak their language. Then I could tell them not to be afraid. Then I could show them the way to safe, warm...to the safe warm barn. But I would have to be one of them so they could see, and hear and understand." At that moment the church bells began to ring. The sound reached his ears above the sounds of the wind. And he stood there listening to the bells pealing the glad tidings of Christmas. And he sank to his knees in the snow.

John 1:14 NIV The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

1 John 4:8-10 NIV Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. ⁹ This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. ¹⁰ This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.

The whole purpose for Christ coming to earth was to be the atoning sacrifice making a way for man to be right with God.

In order for Him to be the complete sacrifice, He had to be fully committed. It would have meant very little for Christ to just appear out of Heaven and say, “I’m here for you, nail me to the cross, I’m willing to die.”

Instead we see Him lying in the manger… He was man and He was God. He came to confront every trial and temptation. He came to show us the way to the Father. We trust Him with all we have because He is God, and we love Him because we know that He came as a baby in a manger.

2. Christmas is about Joy.

Luke 2:8-11 NKJV

Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. ⁹ And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. ¹⁰ Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. ¹¹ For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.

The angel said great joy! Really?

For many people Christmas doesn’t bring “great joy”. Instead many find themselves feely lonely, depressed, bitter, angry and the list goes on. For many Christmas is just a reminder of past hurts, failures and losses.

But the angel said, “I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all people.”

In this one statement we can see three reasons to celebrate Christmas:

“I bring you” – shows us Christmas is personal. God cares about you!

“good news of great joy” – everything about Christmas is positive.

“that will be for all people.” – it’s universal. Christmas is a time for everyone, everywhere to celebrate.

No matter who you are, where you been or what has happened. Christmas is a universal time to celebrate.

The good news of great joy is that Christ our Savior, Immanuel has come.

Joy – [Grk] Chara – calm delight – the exaltation that arises from a sense of God’s mercy that has been communicated to our soul by the forgiveness of our sins.

1 Peter 1:8 NIV Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy,

Joy is not based on personal circumstances.

Philippians 4:4 NIV Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!

Joy is “a constant delight in God.”

1 Thessalonians 5:16 NIV Rejoice always.

3. Christmas is about Peace.

Luke 2:12-14 NKJV

And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.”

¹³ And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying:

¹⁴ “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”

Isaiah 9:6 NIV For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Jesus would not only teach the way to peace but would also empower us to live lives of peace.

Is peace on earth really possible?

Philippians 4:6-7 NIV Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Colossians 3:15 NIV Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.

The reality is that there will never be peace on earth until…

Nations – Communities – Families – Individual lives.

We won’t have peace until the Prince of Peace reigns in our hearts.

The key to unlocking the peace of God in your life is living and enjoying one day at a time, accepting what cannot be changed instead of worrying about it, trusting in God’s loving care and wisdom, and surrendering to His plan for your life.

Romans 15:4, 13 For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.

¹³ May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

When we trust the promises of God, when we live a life of love, joy, and peace, then God is glorified.

Set your expectations on Jesus to provide love, joy and peace.

When expect others things to bring love, joy and peace, we are setting ourselves up to be disappointed.

The events of Christmas don’t bring love, joy and peace, only Jesus brings true love, joy and peace.