Author: Calleen Hough

An indestructible life

Jesus knew beforehand what was going to happen to him after he was crucified and his dead body was placed inside a tomb to rot. The Jews didn’t believe that Jesus was their Messiah and wanted him to prove to them that God had sent him as he claimed. They asked Jesus, “What sign do you show us for doing these things?” (John 2:18). A sign is something that designates or distinguishes someone, and in Jesus case is, “a sign by which the divine power in majesty is made known, a supernatural event or act, a token, wonder, or miracle by which the power and presence of God is manifested, either directly or through the agency of those whom He sends” (G4592). John 2:19-22 tells us that, “Jesus answered them, ‘Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. The Jews then said, ‘It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?’ But he was speaking about the temple of his body. When therefore he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the Scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken.”

The Scripture that the disciples believed was Psalm 16:10, which states, “For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your holy one see corruption.” The latter part of this verse was quoted by Paul when he was preaching the gospel at Antioch. Paul said:

“Brothers, sons of the family of Abraham, and those among you who fear God, to us has been sent the message of this salvation. For those who live in Jerusalem and their rulers, because they did not recognize him nor understand the utterances of the prophets, which are read every Sabbath, fulfilled them by condemning him. And though they found in him no guilt worthy of death, they asked Pilate to have him executed. And when they had carried out all that was written of him, they took him down from the tree and laid him in a tomb. But God raised him from the dead, and for many days he appeared to those who had come up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are now his witnesses to the people. And we bring you the good news that what God promised to the fathers, this he has fulfilled to us their children by raising Jesus, as also it is written in the second Psalm,

‘You are my Son,
    today I have begotten you.’

And as for the fact that he raised him from the dead, no more to return to corruption, he has spoken in this way,

‘I will give you the holy and sure blessings of David.’

Therefore he says also in another psalm,

‘You will not let your Holy One see corruption.’

For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep and was laid with his fathers and saw corruption, but he whom God raised up did not see corruption. Let it be known to you therefore, brothers, that through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, and by him everyone who believes is freed from everything from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses. Beware, therefore, lest what is said in the Prophets should come about:

‘Look, you scoffers,
    be astounded and perish;
for I am doing a work in your days,
    a work that you will not believe, even if one tells it to you.’”

As they went out, the people begged that these things might be told them the next Sabbath. And after the meeting of the synagogue broke up, many Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who, as they spoke with them, urged them to continue in the grace of God. (Acts 13:26-43)

Paul identified an important distinction between Jesus and King David. Paul made it clear that after David died he “was laid with his fathers and saw corruption, but he whom God raised up did not see corruption” (Acts 13:36-37). The Greek word that is translated corruption, diaphthora (dee-af-thor-ahˊ) simply means decay (G1312). The fact that Jesus died and because of his resurrection, his body never had a chance to decay, was something that Paul wanted his listeners to understand.

Paul indicated that everyone who believes in Jesus is freed from everything from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses and then pointed his Jewish listeners to a prophecy in the book of Habakkuk that God used to answer Habbakuk’s complaint about the Jews’ corrupt lifestyle. God said, “Look among the nations and see; wonder and be astounded. For I am doing a work in your days that you would not believe if told” (Habakkuk 1:5). Paul didn’t quote this Scripture verbatim. Instead, Paul adapted it to his audience, emphasizing the applicability of it to their situation. A scoffer is someone who is opposed to seeing things from God’s perspective, a person who spurns the truth of God’s word. Paul said the scoffer would be astounded and yet would perish, meaning the scoffer would understand the implications of Jesus’ resurrection and would choose to reject him and go to hell.

The unbelievable thing that God did in Habakkuk’s day was to have his people taken into captivity in Babylon. After that prophecy was fulfilled, Jeremiah wrote a letter to the exiles and told them, “For thus says the LORD: When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will visit you, and I will fulfill to you my promise and bring you back to this place. For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for your welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope” (Jeremiah 29:10-11). God brought the Jews back to their land and fulfilled his promise to give them a Messiah. Jesus’ resurrection three days after his crucifixion was evidence that God’s plan of salvation had accomplished what he intended it to. Hebrews 7:16-17 tells us that after his resurrection, Jesus became a priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek, by the power of an indestructible life.

Paul described Jesus’ indestructible life as immortality. Paul said flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable (1 Corinthians 15:50), meaning that an indestructible life involves an unending existence and therefore it is not subject to decay (G861/862). Paul went on to say, “For this perishable body must put on the imperishable and this mortal body must put on immortality” (1 Corinthians 15:53), and then, he concluded, “When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: ‘Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? Oh death, where is your sting’” (1 Corinthians 15:54-55). Jesus’ miraculous victory over sin and death resulted not only in an indestructible life for him, but also for everyone who accepts him as their Savior. Paul concluded, “The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:56-57).

Turning back

The Apostle Paul said at the end of his life that he had fought the good fight, he had finished his course (2 Timothy 4:7). Not all Christians make it to the end of their course. Jesus said in his explanation of the Parable of the Sower that when tribulation or persecution comes into a person’s life, some fall away (Matthew 13:21). The Israelites were notorious for wanting to turn back after they had been delivered from slavery in Egypt. Shortly before they crossed the Red Sea, it says in Exodus 14:10-12, “When Pharaoh drew near the people of Israel lifted up their eyes, and behold the Egyptians were marching after them, and they feared greatly. And the people of Israel cried out to the LORD. They said to Moses, ‘Is it because there are no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us in bringing us out of Egypt? Is not this what we said to you in Egypt: “Leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians”? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.’” When they reached the Promised Land, the people rebelled again. It says in Numbers 14:1-4:

Then all the congregation raised a loud cry, and the people wept that night. And all the people of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron. The whole congregation said to them, “Would that we had died in the land of Egypt! Or would that we had died in this wilderness! Why is the Lord bringing us into this land, to fall by the sword? Our wives and our little ones will become a prey. Would it not be better for us to go back to Egypt?” And they said to one another, “Let us choose a leader and go back to Egypt.”

God responded to the Israelites lack of faith by making them wander in the wilderness for forty years. The LORD said the people had rejected the land that he wanted to give them and would therefore be punished for their sin (Numbers 14:32, 34). God said, “And your children shall be shepherds in the wilderness forty years and shall suffer for your faithlessness, until the last of your dead bodies lies in the wilderness” (Numbers 14:33). Later, the Israelites were sent into captivity for seventy years because they were not willing to repent and turn to God for forgiveness (Jeremiah 25:1-14).

Hebrews 6:4-6 focuses on the problem of turning back after a person has made a profession of faith. It states:

For it is impossible, in the case of those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, to restore them again to repentance, since they are crucifying once again the Son of God to their own harm and holding him up to contempt.

“This much-debated passage likely discusses unbelievers who have ‘fallen away’ (v. 6) by consciously rejecting the spiritual enlightenment they have received (v. 4). They had experienced a taste of God’s goodness (v. 5) and may even have been part of the assembly. They had given intellectual assent to the truth of Christianity, but their apostasy demonstrated that their professed faith was not genuine. In turning away from the sacrifice of Christ, perhaps to return to the Judaism they previously espoused, they rejected the only means of salvation that God has provided. Their deliberate apostasy was so severe that they could not be ‘restored’ (anakainizein [344]) to repentance. Judas Iscariot is an example of one who, although outwardly associated with the things of the Lord, ultimately chose to turn away” (note on Hebrews 6:4-6).

Restoring someone to faith after they have turned back is impossible because unbelief is a conscious decision to reject the truth of God’s word. The person understands the gospel and knows that it is true, but doesn’t want to repent and seek God’s forgiveness. The person’s decision is made evident by their behavior such as when Judas Iscariot betrayed Jesus for thirty pieces of silver (Matthew 26:14-16). Hebrews 6:7-8 explains, “For land that has drunk the rain that often falls on it, and produces a crop useful to those for whose sake it is cultivated, receives a blessing from God. But if it bears thorns and thistles, it is worthless and near to being cursed, and its end is to be burned.”

The Apostle James warned believers against hearing the word of God and not doing what it tells us to. James said, “But be doers if the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For is anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing” (James 1:22-25). Perseverance is the ability to stay near to God even when he is disciplining us or testing our faith. Jesus said that we must abide in him if we want to be able to produce fruit and receive God’s blessing. He stated, “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever abides in me, and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. By this is my Father glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples” (John 15:4-8).

Being made perfect

Jesus told his followers that they “must be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:48), but he didn’t teach them how to achieve perfection. When a rich young man asked him what good deed he must do to have eternal life, Jesus’ response indicated that keeping the Ten Commandments wasn’t enough. Jesus said, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come follow me” (Matthew 19:17-21). Selling your possessions and giving to the poor might not be that difficult for some people, but for the rich young man it went against everything he had been doing to live what he thought was a perfect life. It says in Matthew 19:22, “When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he had great wealth.”

Ephesians 4:13 tells us that perfection is about reaching spiritual maturity and that the standard we will be measured against is “the stature of the fullness of Christ.” A description of spiritual maturity can be found in Hebrews 5:14 where it says, “But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.” The Greek word that is translated trained, gumnazo (goom-nadˊ-zo) is translated “exercised” in the King James Version of the Bible. Gumnazo also appears in Hebrews 12:11, which states, “For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasurable, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.” Discipline is one of the key elements of being made perfect. Hebrews 12:7-8 explains that God is treating us as his children when he disciplines us and that we should see discipline as a normal part of Christian living.

Hebrews 5:8 tells that Jesus “learned obedience through what he suffered.” Jesus experienced excruciating pain while he was dying on the cross. It was not something that he wanted to do. The night before his crucifixion, Jesus prayed that he would not have to go through with it. Matthew tells us, “And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, ‘My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me, nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will” (Matthew 26:39). Doing his Father’s will was of supreme importance to Jesus. He told his disciples, “I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me” (John 6:38). Jesus never waivered in his commitment to give his life as a ransom for many (Matthew 20:28). It says in Hebrews 4:15 that “we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.”

Hebrews 5:10 indicates that Jesus was designated by God as “a high priest after the order of Melchizedek.” Melchizedek met Abraham when he was returning from the defeat of Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him (Genesis 14:17). Abraham “gave Melchizedek a tithe because, as priest of God Most High, Melchizedek was a representative of God” (note on Genesis 14:18-20). Hebrews 7:3 tells us that Melchizedek “is without father or mother or genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but resembling the Son of God he continues a priest forever.” Because of the resemblance of Melchizedek to Christ, the brief encounter between he and Abraham was the foundation of messianic prophecy (Psalm 110:4, cf. Hebrews 5:6, 10; 7:1-28).

The end result of Jesus being made perfect was that he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him (Hebrews 5:9). Salvation in the Christian sense “is deliverance from sin and its spiritual consequences and admission to eternal life with blessedness in the kingdom of Christ” (G4991). Jesus said, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 7:21). Paul told the believers in Thessalonica that the will of God is your sanctification (1 Thessalonians 4:3). The Greek word that is translated sanctification, hagiasmos (hag-ee-as-mosˊ) “refers not only to the activity of the Holy Spirit in setting man apart unto salvation and transferring him into the ranks of the redeemed, but also to enabling him to be holy even as God is holy (2 Thessalonians 2:13).

It says in Hebrews 10:14 that by a single offering Jesus “has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.” Even though it might seem like you are still in the process of being made perfect, this Scripture indicates that Jesus’ death on the cross made you perfect for all time. When Jesus was confronted by some Pharisees who told him Herod was going to kill him, Jesus responded with a remark about being made perfect. Jesus said to them, “Go and tell that fox, Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow and the third day I finish my course” (Luke 13:32). Paul echoed Jesus’ statement, not long before he was martyred. Paul told Timothy in his last letter to him, “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith” (2 Timothy 4:7, KJSB). Keeping the faith and being made perfect go hand in hand because you cannot be partially saved, either you are, or you aren’t. Paul said, “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9). The end result, being made perfect, doesn’t depend on us, it depends on Christ’s finished work on the cross.

God’s rest

One of the Ten Commandments that God gave the Israelites after they were delivered from slavery in Egypt was directly related to his creation of the world. The fourth commandment is the longest and most detailed of the Ten Commandments and the Israelites’ braking of this commandment resulted in them being taken into captivity in Babylon. The LORD told the Israelites to:

“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.” (Exodus 20:8-11)

The Hebrew word that is translated Sabbath, shabbath (shab-bawthˊ) means “intermission” (H7676). “The purpose of the Sabbath was rest for all God’s people; its basis was found in God’s cessation from work at Creation (Exodus 20:11; cf. Exodus 31:17); and Israel’s historic experience of forced labor in Egypt (Deuteronomy 5:15). Unfortunately, God’s people chose to utterly desecrate the Lord’s Sabbaths (Ezekiel 20:13, 16, 20). The high point of the religious year for Israel was the Day of Atonement which the author described as a Sabbath of Sabbaths (Leviticus 16:31; 23:32), a Sabbath of rest. Every seventh year was described as a Sabbath to the Lord or, using the same term employed for the Day of Atonement, a Sabbath of Sabbaths (Leviticus 25:4). During this time the land was to remain unplowed; thus, the land itself was to enjoy its Sabbaths (Leviticus 25:6; 26:34). When Israel was in exile, God remembered the land, giving it rest, so that it was refreshed by lying fallow for seventy years (Leviticus 26:34, 35, 43); enjoying its Sabbath that Israel had not observed (2 Chronicles 36:21).

Although the Sabbath rest was intended to be a physical cessation from work (Exodus 20:9), there were spiritual implications that were not well understood until Jesus came and died for the sins of the world. The Sabbath rest was a temporary earthly rest that pointed to a rest that is spiritual and eternal (note on Hebrews 4:1, KJSB). Jesus invited the crowds who were listening to his teaching to “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28) and he promised them, “you will find rest for your souls” (Matthew 11:29). The reason why the Israelites were not able to enter into God’s rest was because of their unbelief (Hebrews 3:18). It says about the Israelites in Hebrews 4:2, “For good news came to us just as to them, but the message they heard did not benefit them, because they were not united in faith with those who listened.” Faith is “reliance upon Christ for salvation” and is “the means of appropriating what God in Christ has for man, resulting in the transformation of man’s character and way of life” (G4102).

The Bible differentiates between the kind of work that humans are able to do, works of the flesh (Galatians 5:19), and the work that God does. It says in Hebrews 4:9-10, “So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, for whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from his.” The Sabbath rest mentioned in this Scripture is figuratively referring to “the quiet abode of those who will dwell with God in heaven” (G2663). God’s rest is entered into when a person stops attempting to get to heaven based on his own merit. It says in Hebrews 4:11 that we should strive to enter God’s rest, “so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience.” The Greek word that is translated disobedience, apeitheia (ap-iˊ-thi-ah) means “disbelief” or an “unwillingness to be persuaded” (G543). Striving to enter God’s rest means that we are making every effort to believe the gospel of Jesus Christ, which states, “by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9).

The sort of disobedience or disbelief that caused the Israelites to fall was their reliance on false prophets rather than the word of God. It says in Hebrews 4:12-13:

For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

Our minds are an open book with respect to the word of God. The word of God is able to discern the thoughts and intentions of our hearts (Hebrews 4:12). When Jesus was on the earth, he was able to read people’s minds, he not only knew what they were thinking (Matthew 9:4), but he also knew what emotions they were experiencing (John 16:6). Because nothing is hidden from his sight, Jesus is qualified to be our advocate (1 John 2:1) and to determine who is saved and who is not (Matthew 25:31-46). Only those who have not gone astray in their hearts and know the way, and the truth, and the life will enter God’s rest. “As it is said, ‘Today if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion…For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 3:15).

God’s sovereignty

God is sovereign and yet human beings are responsible and held accountable for what they do. Paul discussed this in Romans chapter 9 and concluded his discussion with a statement about faith that suggests the intersection between God’s sovereignty and human responsibility is the act of placing one’s faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul stated about Israel’s unbelief:

What shall we say, then? That Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness have attained it, that is, a righteousness that is by faith; but that Israel who pursued a law that would lead to righteousness did not succeed in reaching that law. Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as if it were based on works. They have stumbled over the stumbling stone, as it is written,

“Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense;
    and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.” (Romans 9:30-33)

The Scripture that Paul quoted is from Isaiah 28:16 and was also quoted by Peter in his first letter, which was addressed “To those who are elect exiles of the Dispersion” (1 Peter 1:1). This Scripture is also referenced in Psalm 118:22, which is about God’s steadfast love enduring forever. Peter talked about believers being living stones, a holy people that belong to God, “who were called out of darkness into his marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:9). Peter said:

So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation—if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.

As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. (1 Peter 2:1-5)

Speaking of the Dispersion of the Jews, the LORD told Jeremiah that he would restore Israel. He said, “Therefore, behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when it shall no longer be said, ‘As the LORD lives who brought up the people of Israel out of the land of Egypt,’ but ‘As the LORD lives who brought up the people of Israel out of the north country and out of all the countries where he had driven them.’ For I will bring them back to their land that I gave to their fathers” (Jeremiah 16:14-15). The purpose of the Dispersion was to put an end to Israel’s idolatry (Jeremiah 16:19-20). God said, “Therefore, behold, I will make them know my power and my might, and they shall know that my name is the LORD” (Jeremiah 16:21).

God’s power is signified by an open hand which represents his authority or right of possession (H3027). Speaking of the children of Abraham and of Jacob whom he would redeem, God said they were “the work of my hands” (Isaiah 29:23). God used the demonstration of a potter reworking clay to illustrate his sovereignty to the prophet Jeremiah. Jeremiah 18:1-11 states:

The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: “Arise, and go down to the potter’s house, and there I will let you hear my words.” So I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was working at his wheel. And the vessel he was making of clay was spoiled in the potter’s hand, and he reworked it into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to do.

Then the word of the Lord came to me: “O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter has done? declares the Lord. Behold, like the clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel. If at any time I declare concerning a nation or a kingdom, that I will pluck up and break down and destroy it, and if that nation, concerning which I have spoken, turns from its evil, I will relent of the disaster that I intended to do to it. And if at any time I declare concerning a nation or a kingdom that I will build and plant it, and if it does evil in my sight, not listening to my voice, then I will relent of the good that I had intended to do to it. Now, therefore, say to the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem: ‘Thus says the Lord, Behold, I am shaping disaster against you and devising a plan against you. Return, every one from his evil way, and amend your ways and your deeds.’”

The people of Judah did not listen to God and were taken into captivity (Jeremiah 39:1-10). Jeremiah prophesied their response to God’s warning when he stated, “But they say, ‘That is in vain! We will follow our own plans, and will every one act according to the stubbornness of his evil heart’” (Jeremiah 18:12).

God’s sovereignty counteracts the stubbornness of an evil heart by placing the person into a position of submission. The Babylonians ruthless treatment of the Jews made them realize that they needed God’s protection and could not prevail against their enemies without his help. The book of Hebrews contains several warnings about trying to circumvent God’s sovereignty. Hebrews 2:1-3 states, “Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. For since the message declared by angels proved to be reliable, and every transgression or disobedience received just retribution, how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation?” A second warning deals directly with the problem of the stubbornness of an evil heart. It states, “Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called ‘today,’ that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we have come to share in Christ if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end” (Hebrews 3:12-14).

Paul tells us in Romans 14:11-12 that we will all stand before the judgment seat of Christ and that each one of us will give an account of himself to God. God’s sovereignty makes it necessary for us to conform our will to his because eventually, every knee will have to bow to his authority and have to accept his rulership over our lives. Isaiah 46:8-13 states:

“Remember this and stand firm,
    recall it to mind, you transgressors,
    remember the former things of old;
for I am God, and there is no other;
    I am God, and there is none like me,
declaring the end from the beginning
    and from ancient times things not yet done,
saying, ‘My counsel shall stand,
    and I will accomplish all my purpose,’
calling a bird of prey from the east,
    the man of my counsel from a far country.
I have spoken, and I will bring it to pass;
    I have purposed, and I will do it.

“Listen to me, you stubborn of heart,
    you who are far from righteousness:
I bring near my righteousness; it is not far off,
    and my salvation will not delay;
I will put salvation in Zion,
    for Israel my glory.”

God is able to declare the end from the beginning and when he says he will do something, we can be certain that it will happen. That is why salvation is not a gamble or something that we have to worry about. God said, “my salvation will not delay” (Isaiah 46:13). What that means for unbelievers and for those who are hardened by the deceitfulness of sin is that today salvation is available to them, but God’s gift of salvation may not be available tomorrow because ample warning has already been given to everyone. Hebrews 3:15-19 states, “As it is said, ‘Today if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.’ For who were those who heard and yet rebelled? Was it not all those who left Egypt led by Moses? And with whom was he provoked for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness? And to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest, but to those who were disobedient? So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief.” God is not turning people away or trying to keep certain people out of heaven. People are not getting saved because they have stubborn hearts and don’t want to submit themselves to God’s sovereignty.

Submission to God

Paul explained in his letter to the Romans that it was Adam’s disobedience that caused sin and death to come into the world (Romans 5:12). Paul indicated that Adam “was a type of the one who was to come” (Romans 5:14). What Paul meant by a type of the one who was to come was that Adam showed us by example how substitution works in God’s plan of salvation. Paul  stated, “Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous” (Romans 5:18-19). Jesus’ obedience was in a sense undoing the result of Adam’s disobedience. Obedience requires compliance or submission to the authority of another person (G5218). Jesus told his followers that he came down from heaven not to do his own will, but the will of his Father and then, said the will of his Father was “that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life” (John 6:38-40).

Jesus’ submission to God involved him humbling himself to the point that he was willing to do something that no one else could, die for the sins of the world. Paul talked about Jesus’ example of humility in his letter to the Philippians. Paul said that believers should:

Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:3-11)

Jesus was looking to the interests of others when he became obedient to the point of death. Jesus explained his motive for doing this when he told his disciples, “Greater love has no one than this, that someone would lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13).

Jesus never waivered in his commitment to submit himself to his Father’s will, but on the night before his death, Jesus asked God to spare him from the suffering that was ahead. Matthew tells us, “And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, ‘My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me, nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.’ And he came to his disciples and found them sleeping. And he said to Peter, ‘So could you not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.’ Again, for the second time, he went away and prayed, ‘My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done.’ And again he came and found them sleeping for their eyes were heavy. So, leaving them again, he went away and prayed for the third time, saying the same words again” (Matthew 26:39-44). Even though Jesus was human, he was not subject to the same human nature that caused his disciples to fall asleep instead of praying for him (Hebrews 7:25). Jesus exists as “one person with two distinct natures, fully divine, and fully human without any mixture of the two” (The Doctrine of Jesus Christ, The Standards of Doctrine of the Association of Certified Biblical Counselors). Hebrews 4:15 states, “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.”

Jesus’ perfect submission to God resulted in his Father putting everything in subjection to him. Hebrews 2:7-8 states, “You made him for a little while lower than the angels; you have crowned him with glory and honor, putting everything in subjection under his feet. Now in putting everything in subjection to him, he left nothing outside his control.” The fact that at a predetermined point in the future nothing will be outside of Jesus’ control is why “at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:10-11). The writer of Hebrews tells us that Jesus partook of the same things that all humans do so “that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery” (Hebrews 2:14-15).

Submission to God as opposed to lifelong slavery to the devil due to fear of death is a choice that each individual must make. Paul encouraged people to accept God’s free gift of salvation because it releases them from the law of sin and death (Romans 7:1-6). Paul stated, “But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man’s trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many. And the free gift is not like the result of that one man’s sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brought justification. For if, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:15-17).

God’s character

“John’s gospel is the only one that begins with a discussion of the eternal existence of Jesus Christ rather than the time he appeared on earth” (note on John 1:1-17). John stated, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made” (John 1:1-3). Speaking of Jesus, John went on to say, “No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known” (John 1:18). We are told in Hebrews 1:3 that Jesus “is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power.” The Greek word that is translated the exact imprint, charakter (khar-ak-tarˊ) is where the English word character comes from in the sense of a letter of the alphabet being engraved on a stone tablet. The idea behind this is that even though we can’t see God, we can see the mark that he made on the world through the life of his Son Jesus Christ. The writer of Hebrews indicated that the mark that Jesus made was “purification for sins,” after which, “he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs” (Hebrews 1:3-4).

Jesus making purification for sins helps us to understand the nature of God with respect to his attitude toward sinners. Jesus said that he “came not to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28). A ransom is “’loosing-money,’ i.e. price paid for redeeming captives.” It is used metaphorically in Matthew 20:28 and Mark 10:45, “for the ransom paid by Christ for the delivering of men from the bondage of sin and death” (G3083). Jesus said that he came to give his life as the ransom for many and told his disciples that his motivation for doing so was his love for them. Jesus said, “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13). Jesus also told a man named Nicodemus that “God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). Eternal life is equivalent to entrance into the Kingdom of God. Jesus explained, “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him” (John 3:17).

The mark Jesus made on the world is still having an effect 2000 years later. People are still getting saved as they place their trust in Christ’s redeeming work on the cross. The supremacy of God’s Son is expressed in Hebrews 1:8-9 where it says:

“Your throne, O God, is forever and ever,
    the scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your kingdom.
You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness;
therefore God, your God, has anointed you
    with the oil of gladness beyond your companions.”

This passage indicates that Jesus loved righteousness and hated wickedness during his life on earth. The Greek word that is translated righteousness here is dikaiosune (dik-ah-yos-ooˊ-nay), which means, “doing alike to all, justice, equity, impartiality.” With regard to character, dikaiosune means “being just as one should be” (G1343).

Dikaiosune is used in the expression, “to count or impute as righteousness” (Romans 4:3, 5, 6, 9, 22; Galatians 3:6; James 2:23, all quoted from Genesis 15:6) and is “spoken of the righteousness which is of (ek [1537], out of) or through (dia [1223]) faith in Christ, i.e. where faith is counted or imputed as righteousness” (G1343). Imputing righteousness has to do with reasoning, the mental faculty or motive behind God declaring sinners innocent, free from the penalty of their sin. God is able to impute righteousness because Jesus paid the penalty for sin on behalf of everyone. Each individual who accepts Christ’s payment, the free gift of salvation that is offered to all people (Romans 5:15-18), will be saved from the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed and God will render to each one according to his works (Romans 2:5-6).

God’s righteous character demands that sin be atoned for. “Paul concluded that since all men are guilty, they cannot be ‘justified’ by their own personal character or conduct (Romans 3:20). Justification is a legal term signifying that the demands of justice have been satisfied, and there is no longer a basis for condemnation (Romans 8:1). The justified transgressor no longer stands guilty or deserving of punishment” (note on Romans 3:19, 20). The writer of Hebrews warned his readers against neglecting the salvation that God offers to everyone. He said, “Therefore we must pay closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. For since the message declared by angels proved to be reliable, and every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution, how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation?” (Hebrews 2:1-3). To neglect salvation means that you have no interest in eternal life and are not concerned about the spiritual consequences of your sin. If that is the case, then God’s just retribution is deserved and will be carried out at the appropriate time (Matthew 25:31-46).

Day of the Lord

“The day of the Lord holds an important place in prophecy. Old Testament prophets declared that it signaled judgment for Israel. Several prophets referred to it as God’s day of judgment upon individual nations, such as Babylon, Egypt, Edom, and others. Zechariah 14:1-4 explains that the events pertaining to Christ’s second advent are included in the day of the Lord” (note on 1 Thessalonians 5:2). This passage states:

Behold, a day is coming for the Lord, when the spoil taken from you will be divided in your midst. For I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle, and the city shall be taken and the houses plundered and the women raped. Half of the city shall go out into exile, but the rest of the people shall not be cut off from the city. Then the Lord will go out and fight against those nations as when he fights on a day of battle. On that day his feet shall stand on the Mount of Olives that lies before Jerusalem on the east, and the Mount of Olives shall be split in two from east to west by a very wide valley, so that one half of the Mount shall move northward, and the other half southward. (Zechariah 14:1-4)

Paul’s focus on the day of the Lord in his first letter to the Thessalonians was in the context of Christ’s return (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). Paul said that it “will come like a thief in the night” (1 Thessalonians 5:2). If the day of the Lord began after Christ’s second advent, “it could not come as a ‘thief in the night,’ unexpected and unheralded, since that particular advent is accompanied by signs (Matthew 24:30, 31). Consequently, the only way these events could occur unexpectedly would be for them to begin immediately after the rapture of the church. The day of the Lord, therefore, is that extended period of time when God will deal with Israel after the rapture of the church. It will continue through the second advent and the millennial age, which precedes the creation of the new heaven and new earth. God will actively intervene throughout the time period to punish sin” (note on 1 Thessalonians 5:2).

Isaiah’s prophesy about the day of the Lord made it clear that the Lord will establish his exalted position on the earth (Isaiah 2:11) and he will at that time rid the world of all idol worship (Isaiah 2:20). Isaiah said:

For the Lord of hosts has a day
    against all that is proud and lofty,
    against all that is lifted up—and it shall be brought low…
And the haughtiness of man shall be humbled,
    and the lofty pride of men shall be brought low,
    and the Lord alone will be exalted in that day.
And the idols shall utterly pass away.
And people shall enter the caves of the rocks
    and the holes of the ground,
from before the terror of the Lord,
    and from the splendor of his majesty,
    when he rises to terrify the earth. (Isaiah 2:12-19)

The title used in Isaiah 2:12, LORD of Hosts refers to God’s position of leadership over both human and heavenly armies and therefore, signifies Christ’s intention of conquering the world when he returns to earth. Isaiah’s statement, “And the haughtiness of man shall be humbled; and the lofty pride of man shall be brought low” (Isaiah 2:17) suggests that mankind’s usurping of God’s authority is the main driver behind God’s use of force to regain control of the world that he created and which rightfully belongs to him.

Jesus’ disciples and others whom he taught did not completely understand the purpose of the day of the Lord, nor did they initially comprehend the reason for the removal of Christians before it began. Jesus used parables to describe the events that were going to take place (Matthew 21:33-22:14) and only explained certain details to his twelve apostles before his death (Matthew 24:15-31). On one occasion, Jesus responded to a question from the Pharisees about when the kingdom of God would come by telling them it had already arrived. Then, Jesus told his disciples what to expect at the time of his second coming. Jesus said:

“The kingdom of God is not coming in ways that can be observed, nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘There!’ for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you.”

And he said to the disciples, “The days are coming when you will desire to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it. And they will say to you, ‘Look, there!’ or ‘Look, here!’ Do not go out or follow them. For as the lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one side to the other, so will the Son of Man be in his day. But first he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation. Just as it was in the days of Noah, so will it be in the days of the Son of Man. They were eating and drinking and marrying and being given in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. Likewise, just as it was in the days of Lot—they were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building, but on the day when Lot went out from Sodom, fire and sulfur rained from heaven and destroyed them all—so will it be on the day when the Son of Man is revealed. On that day, let the one who is on the housetop, with his goods in the house, not come down to take them away, and likewise let the one who is in the field not turn back. Remember Lot’s wife. Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will keep it. I tell you, in that night there will be two in one bed. One will be taken and the other left. There will be two women grinding together. One will be taken and the other left.” And they said to him, “Where, Lord?” He said to them, “Where the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.” (Luke 17:20-37)

Paul’s statement that the Lord would come like a thief in the night (1 Thessalonians 5:2) echoed Jesus’ sentiment that people will be caught off guard in the days of the Son of Man (Luke 17:24). Jesus compared the initiation of the day of the Lord to the days of Noah and the days of Lot when God destroyed everyone. Paul said, “While people are saying, ‘There is peace and security.’ Then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape” (1Thessalonians 5:3).

Unlike the Jews who were warned about the sudden destruction that was awaiting them in the day of the Lord, believers in Christ welcomed Jesus’ return and expected the day of the Lord to be a time of great celebration. Paul described the event as a moment of immediate transformation that would result in immortality. Paul said, “I tell you this, brothers, flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed” (1 Corinthians 15:50-52). The Greek word that is translated changed, allasso (al-lasˊ-so) means “to make different…to change for the better” (G236). Allasso also appears in Hebrews 1:11-12 where the final destruction of the earth is described. Quoting from Psalm 102:25-27, the writer states, “You, Lord, laid the foundation of the earth in the beginning, and the heavens are the work of your hands; they will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment, like a robe you will roll them up, like a garment they will be changed.”

“God did not intend for the earth to be eternal…the most graphic account of the end of the entire physical universe is found in 2 Peter 3:10” (note on Genesis 8:21-22). Peter’s account of the day of the Lord focused on the destruction of the ungodly. Peter said scoffers will come in the last days, “following their own sinful desires. They will say, ‘Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation. For they deliberately overlook this fact, that the heavens existed long ago, and the earth was formed out of water and through water by the word of God, and that by means of these the world that existed was deluged with water and perished. But by the same word the heavens and the earth that now exists are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly” (2 Peter 3:3-7). Peter cautioned believers to not overlook the fact that God’s timing is not the same as ours. Peter said, “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance” (2 Peter 3:9).

Peter concluded his discussion of the day of the Lord by refocusing his readers’ attention from the bad news to the good news of Christ’s return. Second Peter 3:11-13 states, “Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, waiting and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.” Revelation 21:1 tells us that a new heaven and new earth will be created after the great white throne judgment (Revelation 20:11-15). “The new heaven and the new earth are not duplicates of the heaven and earth that now exist. The word ‘new’ is a translation of the Greek word kainon (2537), which means ‘qualitatively new.’ To some, this suggests that the new earth will be as the current earth was at its creation” (note on Revelation 21:1-22:5). The connection between believers being changed (allasso, 1 Corinthians 15:51) and the earth being changed (allasso, Hebrews 1:12) suggests though, that there will be at least one difference between the current earth and the new one. The new earth will be imperishable. Paul said, “When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: ‘Death is swallowed up in victory’” (1 Corinthians 15:54).

Rapture of the Church

Not long before his death, Jesus established the fact that he would return to earth at some point in the future. Jesus told his disciples, “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also” (John 14:1-3). Although Jesus assured his followers that he would come back for them, the timing of Christ’s return was not revealed to them. Jesus said:

But concerning that day and hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only. For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left. Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one left. Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. Therefore you must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. (Matthew 24:36-44)

Jesus described the future rapture of believers in terms of being taken or left. The Greek word that is translated taken, paralambano (par-al-am-banˊ-o) means “to receive near i.e. associate with oneself (in any familiar or intimate act or relation); (by analogy) to assume an office” (G3880). Paralambano is the word Jesus used when he said, “I will come again and will take you to myself” (John 14:3). Paralambano is derived from the words para, which means “immediate vicinity or proximity” (G3844), and lambano, which means “to take” (G2983).

Jesus encouraged his followers to stay awake because they did not know when he would return. In his parable of the ten virgins, Jesus indicated that the ten virgins represented the kingdom of heaven and explained that because the bridegroom was delayed the virgins became drowsy and slept (Matthew 25:1-5). Jesus had previously identified himself as the bridegroom (Matthew 9:15; John 3:29) and indicated in his parable of the ten virgins that the bridegroom’s return was linked to the marriage feast (Matthew 25:10). The marriage feast represents the physical union of Christ with his church. This event takes place in Revelation 19:7. Immediately following this event, Revelation 19:11-21 tells us that Jesus will return to the earth and will “strike down the nations and he will rule them with a rod of iron” (Revelation 19:15). Revelation 19:16 states, “On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.”

Revelation 19:9 suggests that those who participate in the marriage supper of the Lamb will receive God’s favor in ways that others do not. This may have been why the “Thessalonian believers were concerned that those believers who had already died would miss Christ’s coming. Paul assured them that those who had died would be be caught up to meet the Lord just like those who are alive at his coming (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18)” (Introduction to the First Letter of Paul to the Thessalonians). Paul stated:

But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words. (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18)

Paul used the term fallen asleep or koimao (koy-mahˊ-o) in the Greek to refer to those who had died after believing in Christ. Paul was referring to the body being asleep, not the soul (note on 1 Thessalonians 4:15). Paul explained in his letters to the Corinthians that the believer’s body is a temporary home that will be replaced by an eternal one when the rapture occurs (2 Corinthians 5:1-5). Paul said, “We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality” (1 Corinthians 15:51-53).

Paul indicated that the rapture of the church will take place in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye (1 Corinthians 15:52). Paul also stated that “the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God (1 Thessalonians 4:16). This critical transition will not only signal the end of the age of grace but will also usher in the great tribulation and the beginning of God’s judgment of the world. This time period is known as the Day of the Lord. Paul said, “Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers, you have no need to have anything written to you. For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, ‘There is peace and security,’ then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape” (1 Thessalonians 5:1-3). The sudden shift from God’s grace being freely offered to judgment and destruction will catch everyone off guard and will result in a great multitude from every nation turning to Christ and the final harvest of the earth (Revelation 7:14; 14:14-20).

Christ’s Return

The Old Testament prophecies that predicted the birth of Jesus Christ also talked about a time when Christ would return to the earth and rule over all people and kingdoms. Differentiating between the events of Christ’s first and second coming is sometimes difficult because of an intersecting event that ties these two time periods together, what Jesus referred to as “the last day” (John 12:48) and also as, “the day of judgment” (Matthew 12:36). Matthew, John, Peter, and James, the brother of the Jesus, all referred to Christ’s return in their writings and linked the topic of judgment to this event. Jesus taught his disciples about his second coming in his Sermon on the Mount. This lesson was prompted by a question from his disciples. Matthew 24:3 states, “As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, ‘Tell us, when will these things be and what will be the sign of your coming and the end of the age?’” Jesus’ response made is sound is if his second coming might happen within his disciples’ lifetime. Events that were going to take place over thousands of years were condensed into a short synopsis of the key indicators of Christ’s return. Jesus told them:

“See that no one leads you astray. For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are but the beginning of the birth pains.

Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake. And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” (Matthew 4-14)

One of the key indicators that Jesus identified as a sign of his second coming was people being led astray. Jesus said, “See that no one leads you astray…they will lead many astray…And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray” (Matthew 24:4-11). False prophets will not only be a problem in the last days. There were many false prophets in the Old Testament who were trying to keep the people of Israel from realizing that they were going to be taken into captivity. The LORD told Jeremiah, “The prophets are prophesying lies in my name. I did not send them, nor did I command them or speak to them. They are prophesying to you a lying vision, worthless divination, and the deceit of their own minds” (Jeremiah 14:14). Leading someone astray involves an intentional effort to misguide a person in the course that they are taking. The Greek word translated lead astray, planao (plan-ahˊ-o) is translated as deceive in the King James Version of the Bible. It means, “to (properly cause to) roam (from safety, truth, or virtue)” (G4105).

Jeremiah’s message about the day of judgment had to do with the people’s refusal to repent. Jeremiah said, “They have made their faces harder than rock; they have refused to repent” (Jeremiahs 5:3). Repentance is associated with the process of conversion which requires one to turn away from sin and to turn toward God. “The process called conversion or turning to God is in reality a re-turning or a turning back again to Him from whom sin has separated us, but whose we are by virtue of creation, preservation and redemption” (H7725). Because the people refused to repent, Jeremiah warned them about the impending disaster for Jerusalem and included a warning about false prophets. Jeremiah said, “An appalling and horrible thing has happened in the land: the prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests rule at their direction: my people love to have it so, but what will you do when the end comes” (Jeremiah 5:30-31). The end that Jeremiah was referring to was not the people of Jerusalem going into captivity. God said, “But even in those days, declares the LORD, I will not make a full end of you” (Jeremiah 5:18). When the end does comes, Micah prophesied that Christ will gather the remnant of Israel and set them together like sheep in a fold, and their king will pass on before them, “the LORD at their head” (Micah 2:12-13).

Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians dealt with a concern that those believers who had already died would miss Christ’s return (Introduction to the First Letter of Paul to the Thessalonians). Paul mentioned Christ’s return when he conveyed his longing to see the Thessalonians and also in his discussion of Timothy’s encouraging report. Paul asked, “For what is our hope or joy or crown of boasting before our Lord Jesus at his coming? Is it not you?” (1 Thessalonians 2:19). Paul wanted the Thessalonians to know, “the same Jesus who ascended to heaven will come again (Acts 1:11) at the end of the age (Matthew 24:3)” (note on 1 Thessalonians 2:19). Paul went on to say, “Now may our God and Father himself, and our Lord Jesus, direct our way to you, and may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, as we do for you, so that he may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints” (1 Thessalonians 3:11-13). Paul indicated that the Lord Jesus will bring all the saints who have died with him when he returns. The Greek word hagios (hagˊ-ee-os) is “spoken of those who are purified and sanctified by the influences of the Spirit, a saint. This is assumed of all who profess the Christian name” (G40).

Peter talked in detail about the day of judgment in his second letter. Peter introduced the topic by making reference to the predictions of the Old Testament prophets (2 Peter 3:2) and the commandment of Jesus in which he stated that it was not for the apostles “to know the times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority” (Acts 1:7). Peter said, “The heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly” (2 Peter 3:7), and then, explained that the delay of Christ’s return is to allow more time for people to be saved. Second Peter 3:8-10 states:

But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.

Jesus’ second coming will ignite a series of events that will conclude with God creating a new heaven and a new earth (Revelation 21). Peter argued that because this was how everything is going to end, we should be living lives of holiness and godliness, eagerly awaiting Christ’s return (2 Peter 3:11-12). Although Christ’s “authority is not readily discerned by the world at the present time, it will be made visible by his apokalypsis (G602), or ‘revelation’ (2 Thessalonians 1:7). The power and glory that Christ possesses will then be unveiled and disclosed to the world” (note on 1 Thessalonians 2:19).