THE FINAL JUDGMENT

Revelation 20 describes the final judgment. Only the wicked will be there. Only one verdict will be pronounced—guilty. Only one result will be declared—Hell. It does not matter if the sinner was rich or poor, all classes of every race of all time will be indicted. The Beast and False Prophet were cast into the lake of fire at Christ’s return. Now, after the Millennium and a final uprising, Satan is cast in to join them. Finally, all sinners are summoned to court and sentenced. 

To appear at that judgment is to have no hope. All that will be determined is the reading of all the crimes to determine the degree of punishment deserved.  Books will be opened that document every sin ever committed. Another Book—the Book of Life that contains all who have been born again and had their sins forgiven will be opened and those whose names are absent will be cast into the lake of fire. This is the “second death.” These are already dead in trespasses and sins, and now will die eternally—that is separated from God’s goodness and grace forever. They did not want Jesus and thus never have Him who is Eternal Life.

Think about the Judge on His seat. 

This speaks of HIS GLORY for it is “a GREAT white throne,” that He sits upon (emphasis added). God is great and there is none like Him. His greatness is incomparable and thus His glory is indescribable. It is the essence of all God is—the radiance of His Person. 

This also points to HIS PURITY as it is “a great WHITE throne,” where the Judge presides (emphasis added).  God is declared, “Holy, holy, holy,” an indication of His chief attribute. God is utterly pure and just. It is the expression of all God is—the righteousness of His Person.

Further, it conveys HIS SOVEREIGNTY for this is “a great white THRONE,” where He abides. He reigns over all—absolute Master of the Universe and every molecule it contains. Nothing happens but by His permission and all that occurs moves to what He has predetermined.  It is the end of all God does—the royalty of His Person.

Is your name in the Book of Life?  If it is, then Heaven will be your home. You have no fear of judgment, for Christ bore your judgment on the cross. All your sins have been blotted out by the blood. 

If your name is blotted out of the Book of Life, then Hell will be your home. You will face a fearful judgment, for you rejected the forgiveness Christ offered. All your sins will be declared and the justice of your sentence pronounced.  Call upon Jesus today—before it is too late!

THE STUBBORNNESS OF SINFULNESS

Trumpets of terror will sound in the future time of tribulation coming on the earth. When the Lamb opens the seventh seal, seven trumpet judgments are unleashed. The first four are described in Revelation 8. The fifth and sixth are presented in chapter 9. The final three are so terrible as to be called, “woe.” Indeed, when the angel sounds the seventh trumpet, seven bowls of wrath will be poured out on the earth as that final woe, (Rev. 16). 

Of all the horrors pictured here, I don’t know that anything is worse than what we are told in Revelation 9:20-21, “But the rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands, that they should not worship demons, and idols of gold, silver, brass, stone, and wood, which can neither see nor hear nor walk. And they did not repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts.”

This is the stubbornness of sinfulness!  Despite the torment and terror that generation of rebels against God will experience, they will still not bow to Christ. The pain of the plagues will lead them to curse God in fury and not to call upon Him for forgiveness. They had rather remain in their sin, than repent and be saved. Such is the utter depravity of the human heart. 

Recently, I was in the hospital after surgery and in such intense pain—unlike any I have experienced—so that I was screaming. I was unashamedly calling on the Lord to deliver me, and thankfully He did!  But, that is the inclination of a regenerate heart—a repentant and contrite one. But, for the wicked, they seethe with rage and are fixed in rebellion.

Certainly, to die without Christ is to die without hope. The heart-breaking tragedy, however, is that some—as those described in Revelation 9–have already fixed their fate. They are sinners today, they will be sinners tomorrow, and even when cast into Hell, they will seethe with stubborn sinfulness and rage against God. For Hell is defined as not only a place of sorrow, where there is weeping, but a place of anger, where there is gnashing of teeth.

There is urgency to our evangelism. The longer sinners rebel and reject the Gospel, they may come to the place where it is not that God would not save them, but their hearts are so hardened that they will not repent.

I think of Paul’s witness to the Roman governor, Felix and his wife, Drusilla, as the Apostle was on trial. “And after some days, when Felix came with his wife Drusilla, who was Jewish, he sent for Paul and heard him concerning the faith in Christ. Now as he reasoned about righteousness, self-control, and the judgment to come, Felix was afraid and answered, ‘Go away for now; when I have a convenient time I will call for you.’ ” (‭‭Acts‬ ‭24‬:‭24‬-‭25‬‬).  Though under conviction for his sin, Felix refused to repent, and so far as we know his procrastination would bring him to perdition!

Let us call people to decision!  I realize it is not our task to emotionally manipulate someone to mouth a prayer they do not mean from a heart that has not surrendered to Christ. But, neither is it right that we should not call people to salvation today, for tomorrow may never come, and even if it does, the conviction they feel tomorrow may not be as intense as what is known today. 

The Word of God that is preached this Lord’s Day will have an effect. Its power will either draw sinners who will receive it, or drive them farther away, if they reject it.

Later, when Paul would appear before King Agrippa, and a new governor, Festus, we have this account of Paul’s urgency and the king’s intransigency. “But he said, ‘I am not mad, most noble Festus, but speak the words of truth and reason. For the king, before whom I also speak freely, knows these things; for I am convinced that none of these things escapes his attention, since this thing was not done in a corner. King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know that you do believe.’ Then Agrippa said to Paul, ‘You almost persuade me to become a Christian.’ And Paul said, ‘I would to God that not only you, but also all who hear me today, might become both almost and altogether such as I am, except for these chains.’ ” (Acts‬ ‭26‬:‭25‬-‭29‬‬)

To be almost saved is to be altogether lost!

DEAD, BUT NOT DORMANT

“Low in the grave He lay, Jesus my Savior! Waiting the coming day, Jesus my Lord!” So, tomorrow, we will sing and celebrate, “Up from the grave He arose, with a mighty triumph o’er His foes!” 

Yet, what of that in-between time, when His body was sealed in the sepulcher?  Peter tells us that though His crucified body was in a tomb, His spirit was very much alive and active, (1 Pet. 3:18). Christ was dead, but not dormant.

The Bible does not teach, “soul sleep.”  Paul said, “We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord,” (2 Cor.‬ ‭5‬:‭8‬‬).  Neither was Jesus in a state of unconsciousness between His death and resurrection. 

The Old Testament term for the world of the dead is Sheol and the New Testament word is Hades. According to the story our Lord told of the rich man and Lazarus in Luke 16:19-31, there were two areas where the souls of the dead would dwell: “torment” for the wicked and “Abraham’s bosom” (figurative language for “paradise”). Recall that Jesus promised the dying thief, “today you will be with Me in Paradise,” (Lk. 23:43). Thus, when Jesus died physically, He was alive spiritually—closing His eyes on Calvary, He opened them in Paradise. He was dead, but not dormant.

What did He do during that time?  We know that in Sheol/Hades there is “a great gulf fixed,” so that none can cross over from perdition to paradise or vice versa, (Lk. 16:26), yet they can converse as we hear the rich man in torment crying out to “Father Abraham,” for a drop of water to be brought to him by Lazarus, (Lk. 16:24) and Abraham responds to him with the impossibility of that. They communicate with each other. Jesus was spiritually in paradise with the repentant thief that very day as He promised. He was there and “preached to the spirits in prison,” (1 Pet. 3:19). 

This was not an evangelistic sermon. The decision of where we will spend eternity is made in this lifetime—with no “second chance” after death. It was in this case a proclamation “to the spirits in prison, who were formerly disobedient…in the days of Noah.”  In torment, these fallen demons were locked away in a special prison. Peter would add this in his second epistle, “For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment;” (2:4). The Greek word for “hell” is Tartarus, the name of that special compartment in torment for these wicked demons to be imprisoned. 

Jude speaks of them also, “And the angels who did not keep their proper domain, but left their own abode, He has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day;”(Jude‬ ‭1‬:‭6‬‬).

It is my understanding that these demons in some fashion inhabited human form and were used by Satan—the Prince of Demons—to corrupt the human race by sexual relations with human women in Noah’s day, (cf. Gen. 6:1-8). The Serpent had been told after he seduced Adam and Eve in the Garden, “ ‘And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel.’ ” (Gen.‬ ‭3‬:‭15‬‬). If the Devil could corrupt “the daughters of men,” (Gen. 6:1), then there would be no seed of woman to crush his head!  It would have worked, “But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD,” (Gen. 6:8).

Satan persisted in attempts to fully corrupt the nation of Israel and thus no Messiah would be born. Yet, God always had a remnant of believers. Even, when Messiah came, the Devil tempted Jesus in the wilderness. Yet, Christ remained sinless and on the cross, though the Seed of woman had His heel bruised—the Lord’s suffering and physical death—by that means, crushed the Serpent’s head!

So, Christ descended into the realm of the dead and proclaimed His victory over the Devil and his demonic hordes!

As bad as this sermon was for the imprisoned demons, it was glorious for the people of God in paradise. You see, the Old Testament saints were saved by faith in Christ just like we are—Abel, Noah, Abraham, Moses, and all the redeemed (cf. Heb. 11).  They were saved by looking ahead to Christ’s atoning work on the cross, whereas we look back to it. Those saved in the Old Testament were saved by “the lay-away plan.”  You know how you find a Christmas gift for someone, so you don’t want it reserved. It is put in lay-away, until the price is paid, and then you possess it. So, the Old Testament saints went to paradise, or “Abraham’s bosom,” so to speak, until Christ would pay the price of their redemption. After His resurrection, and His ascension, He would empty that compartment in Hades and take the souls of those Old Testament believers to Heaven and into the presence of the Father. “Therefore He says: ‘When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, And gave gifts to men.’ (Now this, ‘He ascended’—what does it mean but that He also first descended into the lower parts of the earth? He who descended is also the One who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.)” (Eph. ‭4‬:‭8‬-‭10‬‬). 

He was dead, but not dormant!

THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD REJECTED

So many reject the Light because of an obstinate darkness.

“The Pharisees therefore said to Him, ‘You bear witness of Yourself; Your witness is not true.’ Jesus answered and said to them, ‘Even if I bear witness of Myself, My witness is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going; but you do not know where I come from and where I am going. You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one. And yet if I do judge, My judgment is true; for I am not alone, but I am with the Father who sent Me. It is also written in your law that the testimony of two men is true. I am One who bears witness of Myself, and the Father who sent Me bears witness of Me.’ Then they said to Him, ‘Where is Your Father?’ Jesus answered, ‘You know neither Me nor My Father. If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also.’” (John 8:13-19).

The darkness of unbelief is a stubborn thing.

 “And He said to them, ‘You are from beneath; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.’” (‭‭John‬ ‭8:23-24‬)

 At last, these who spurned the Light and sought the darkness committed the sin for which there is no forgiveness. ‘Then the Jews answered and said to Him, “Do we not say rightly that You are a Samaritan and have a demon?’” (John‬ ‭8:48‬)

Christ offered Himself as their King, and they would cry, “We have no king but Caesar!” (19:15).  Jesus demonstrated the credibility of His claims by the miracles He performed, but they attributed it to the power of Satan.  Their obstinate darkness would take them into outer darkness.  That is how Jesus described hell—a dark pit of torment where the light of life is shut off—a second death; a place where the light of love is shut out—away from God’s gracious presence.

I beg you—don’t reject the Light of the World!

GOD IS JUST TO PUNISH THE SINNERS WITH WRATH

We are all sinners. It is the nature with which we are born and is reinforced by the rebellious choices we make in disobeying God. All of us deserve the wrath of God and He would not be unjust to condemn us all. God in His grace and mercy, however, has made provision in the cross of Christ for sinners to be saved.

Who will be condemned?  “in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (2 Thess.1:8)

They are “those who do not know God.”  Now, they may know about God, but do not know Him personally. Here is how Jesus described the saved, “And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.” (‭‭John‬ ‭17:3‬)

The condemned are also “those who do not obey the gospel.” The Gospel is faith in the death, burial and resurrection of Christ that will save us.  We obey when we receive Christ as Lord and Savior.

Some think God will not cast sinners into hell because God is love.  But, His love means He hates sin.  Love cannot be coerced, so a loving God will not force us to love Him back.  A good judge must punish criminals or he is evil.

What is the punishment?

There will be painful tribulation, “since it is a righteous thing with God to repay with tribulation those who trouble you,” (2 Thess.1:6). Even as they have made the people of God suffer, the wicked will reap what they have sown. The punishment fits the crime.

There will be infernal retribution, “in flaming fire,” (2 Thess.1:8a). This is hell—the Lake of Fire.  “And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.” (Rev.20:15‬).

There will be eternal destruction, “These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord,” (2 Thess.1:9). A million years later, the wicked will still be in hell, and a trillion trillion, and forever.

But, you don’t have to go there. Call upon the name of the Lord, and you will be saved (Rom.10:13).

RETRIBUTION OR REST?

“since it is a righteous thing with God to repay with tribulation those who trouble you, and to give you who are troubled rest with us when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (‭2 Thessalonians‬ ‭1:6-8‬‬)

We are going to spend eternity somewhere—heaven or hell. We can receive retribution, paying the price for what we have earned as we experience the justice and wrath of God, or we can enter rest, because Christ paid the price for us in suffering the wrath and justice demanded in His death on the cross.

What is the “rest” Paul mentions here?  This is how it is described in Revelation 14:13, “Then I heard a voice from heaven saying to me, ‘Write: “Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.“‘ ‘Yes,’ says the Spirit, ‘that they may rest from their labors, and their works follow them.’”

This eternal rest is heaven—the everlasting home of the saints.  It is the place where we will abide in the presence of God in the fullness of His glory, where we will worship Christ and see Him face to face, where we will be united with loved ones gone before us, and where there will be no sin, no sorrow, no sickness—no more.

What a day that will be!  Give praise to God who sent His Son to die that we might live, to suffer the punishment we merit so we can have His merits by faith and enter His rest!

THE JUSTICE AND WRATH OF GOD

“in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power,” (2 Thessalonians 1:8-9)

What percentage of sermons yesterday focused on the wrath of God? Less than 1%? That is just a guess, of course. One thing I am confident of—there were not many.

Among books written for the church world, you will find many categories devoted to favorite authors, best sellers, family life, Bible study, spiritual growth, and such. Rightfully so. But, you are not going to find many books on the wrath of God.

If you are listening to popular Christian songs, how many even mention the wrath of God?  A few, but they are the exception.

Candidly, it is not something I enjoy thinking about. I find no pleasure in preaching on the subject. But, if I am going to be faithful to Christ and to my call, I cannot neglect the topic. Did you realize that Jesus said more about hell than He said about heaven?

Yet, most preachers shun the topic and many Christians are uncomfortable discussing it.  If we are going to have a proper understanding of God then we can’t avoid it.  So, the justice and wrath of God will be our focus in this week’s study. May God use this truth to drive us to our knees in repentance and disturb us concerning those without Christ, so that we share the Gospel with them.

THE END: The Great White Throne Judgment

Read Revelation 20:11-15.

All who are summoned to the Great White Throne Judgment are lost. There is no hope. No other court of appeal.  The only One who could have pled for us—Jesus Christ—has been rejected by these sinful souls.

Every wicked person who has died will be raised in an indestructible form and brought before Holy God. Their new body is designed for their eternal abode. As the righteous are fitted for heaven, they will be designed for hell. They did not want Jesus on earth, and they will not have Him for eternity. Salvation was rejected and now the consequences of that choice will be felt.

You see, a person who dies in sin now, does not go to the final hell—the lake of fire. They descend to Hades, and the realm of suffering, to await the final judgment when Hades will be emptied.

Why?  Because when we die we do not die—our influence lives on. Hitler is suffering in Hades, and yet his final punishment has not come. That’s because many still follow his hateful ways, and so judgment is accumulating for which he will ultimately suffer. God is just in all his ways.

Books will be opened and the crimes of every sinner will be read as the indictment of them. Every wicked thought, vile passion, filthy word, evil deed will be recounted. Then the Book of Life will be opened and their name will not be found.

“Guilty!” That is the verdict pronounced.

Here is the choice: you can have your name written in the Book of Life and the record of your sins expunged by faith in Christ or you can have your name blotted out of the Book and your sins declared because you reject Christ. There is no other option.

CHRIST’S REIGN: Ruling in Majesty

Read Revelation 20.

When Jesus taught His disciples to pray, “Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven,” He was not teasing us. There is literally a time coming when Christ will return and bring the Kingdom of God to earth and the will of God to be done for a thousand golden years. Jesus will sit on the throne of global dominion and rule in majesty.

The Millennium—the thousand year reign of Christ on earth—means that Satan will be bound (v.1-3). When the Serpent slithered into Eden, paradise was lost. Then paradise is regained as he is chained and cast into the bottomless pit.

It will be a time when saints will be enthroned (v.4-6). The people of God will be delegated areas of responsibility during the Millennium. The church—raptured from earth and glorified—returns with Christ to reign. Then the Tribulation martyrs are raised, as well as the Old Testament saints, so all the people of God reign with Christ.

There will be people who survive the horrors of the Tribulation, who bowing to Christ, will be welcomed into the Millennium. These will have children as earth is repopulated. As wonderful as the conditions—Christ reigning and Satan removed—these must still deal with their fallen nature, and sadly some will rebel and face the consequences.  In fact, when Satan is released, many will follow him (v.7-10). That rebellion is quickly crushed and Satan joins the Beast and False Prophet in Hell.
It is then time for all the wicked dead to be raised and judged (v.11-15). They will be given bodies suited for their eternal state of torment—the second death, in dying and being unable to die as they are cast into the lake of fire.

Paradise or punishment?  Where will you spend eternity?

GLORIFICATION: AN OLD TESTAMENT PERSPECTIVE

Read Job 19:23-27 and Daniel 12:1-3.

There are three tenses in salvation.  There is salvation from sin’s penalty, a past experience of justification when a believer has come to faith in Christ.  There is salvation from sin’s power, a present experience of sanctification as a believer lives by faith in Christ.  There is salvation from sin’s presence, a promised experience when a believer’s faith becomes sight. It is the third dimension we will focus on this week: glorification.

We begin with an Old Testament perspective from Job and Daniel.  Because revelation is progressive—that is, God discloses truth in an increasing way as one moves through the Scripture—there is not as much about the promised glory of the resurrection and our life in heaven found in the Old Testament. The teaching, while not fully developed, is there, however.

What a hope it was for Job!  Imagine all this man suffered. He lost everything—except for the hope of glory!  Yet, he expected an existence where he would have a new body, in a new place, where he would not feel the pain and heartache of this world. He would not be a ghost, floating around, as he speaks of “my flesh” and “my eyes” being with God and seeing God.  The resurrection body will be a different type of body and yet a real body.

Daniel says more about the resurrection.  He points to the timing—in the last days of earth’s history and the return of Christ.  He writes of “many,” because this refers to “your people”—Daniel’s fellow Israelis—who will be raised following “a time of trouble,” meaning the seven year Tribulation Period. There are actually a series of resurrections—Christ being the firstfruits, then the dead in Christ at the Rapture, and now these Old Testament saints at His return to earth to reign. Lastly, the wicked will be raised.  The righteous will be raised with bodies suited for Heaven and the wicked with bodies designed for Hell, but for all people everlasting existence, somewhere, destined for reward or retribution.

Where will you spend eternity?

WHEN ALL HELL BREAKS LOOSE

 

Then the fifth angel sounded: And I saw a star fallen from heaven to the earth. To him was given the key to the bottomless pit.  (Revelation 9:1)

From time to time, someone will say to me, “I’m going through hell!”  They are suffering and I sympathize, but they are wrong.  The horrors of hell are far beyond anything we know in this world.  There is coming a day, however, when the world gets a foretaste of hell.  Because people reject the heaven God offers, He will give them the hell they deserve.

When we come to the eighth chapter of Revelation, six seals have been opened on the scroll, and this brings the climactic opening of the seventh seal.  Beneath the seventh seal is written the decree of seven trumpets of judgment that are to be sounded.  Four of these terrible outpourings of wrath are described in that chapter.  The last three will be so horrible that they are called the three “woes.”  We will consider two of these woes that come with the fifth and sixth trumpet blasts, as detailed in Revelation 9.

All hell breaks loose when the lid to the bottomless pit is lifted.  That abyss is the present prison of some extremely evil spirits.  They have been imprisoned there since they nearly led the human race into total annihilation in the days of Noah (2 Pet.2:4-5; Jude 6).  They are pressing against the prison door even now—straining with all their might—hordes of hell longing to be free from their torment that they might unleash torment on the world again.  That key is at last handed over to the star fallen from heaven (v.1).  Jesus holds the keys for He is Lord of all (Rev.1:18), but now He will allow Satan to take the key and loose his minions.

Out boils the smoke of the abyss (v.2).  The result is that the sun is darkened and the air is defiled.  The demons take on the form of monstrous locusts (v.3-12).  Throughout Bible history, the swarms of locusts were a sign of God’s judgment.  Those brought devastation to vegetation, but these will spare the grass and strike the godless (v .3-6).  Their mission is to inflict unbearable pain to all who do not have the seal of God (that is—the 144,000 witnesses and those converted by their testimony).  Sinners will scream—insane with pain—yet, be unable to die.  The duration of this affliction will be five months (v.7-12).  Even the demons’ form will be frightening and fiendish.

After the sounding of the fifth trumpet and the first woe which ascend from below the earth, the sixth trumpet signals the second woe that descends from above the earth (v.13-21).  The altar, meant to be a place of forgiveness for those who receive Christ, will become the source of fury for those who reject Him (v.13-15).  If we do not accept the sacrifice of Jesus to pay the price for our sins, then we will have to pay the debt ourselves!  Fallen angels are chained, but in that day loosed.  These are bound up at the Euphrates River—Babylon—which is the polluted fountain of all false religion.  They will be in the vanguard of an army 200 million strong (v.16-19).  These will gather for the great jihad against Israel, perhaps this army is Russia and her Muslim allies (see Ezek.38-39).  The most remarkable thing is that people still will not repent (v.20-21)!  Their hearts are so hard; they had rather suffer this hell than submit to heaven!

SNATCHED FROM THE FIRE

 

Is this not a brand plucked from the fire? (Zechariah 3:2b)

This is one of my favorite pictures of salvation portrayed in the Old Testament.  It was how John Wesley described the preservation of his life and ultimately of his soul.

Wesley was about six years old, when a fire broke out in his house, and he was stranded in an upper room of the burning building.  Two neighbors barely got him out before the roof caved in and John would have died in the flames.  He would later refer to himself as, “a brand plucked out of the fire.”

John and his brother Charles became great evangelists.  From them the Methodist church began.    John never forgot how God saved him and saw it as an illustration of the sinner’s rescue from the flames of hell.  The result has been untold multitudes won to Christ from this Gospel ministry.

Let’s examine this text that a grateful John Wesley loved so dearly.  Then, it ought to be that gratitude to God will rise in us also, and though we may never have the impact Wesley had, we can be moved by God’s deliverance of us, to a desire to see others snatched from the fire.

This text paints a picture of REBUKING (Zech.3:1-2a).  Joshua as High Priest was a representative of the nation of Israel.  Satan stands there, pointing an accusing finger and levels the charges against him.  But, God rebukes Satan and makes provision for Joshua—and thus, by extension to all those whom God has chosen.  Our sins are hidden under the blood of Christ!  So, when Satan begins to try to dredge up the dirt of our past, and name our sins, just say, “What sins are you talking about?  They are gone, old Devil!  May the Lord rebuke you!”  The Accuser has no answer to that.

Our text also provides a portrait of RESCUING (Zech.3:2b).  We are a dry limb that is engulfed in flames, about to be consumed, snatched from the fire.  Hell would have been our final destination—the Lake of Fire our everlasting place of torment—had not God reached out the hand of grace and saved us!  Every child of God can take John Wesley’s self-description as his or her own.  I am a burning stick snatched from the fire!

Then Zechariah also paints from his palette of truth a word about REMOVING (Zech.3:3-4a).  Joshua stood there, dressed in filthy robes, defiled and disqualified from entering the presence of the Lord.  That was the spiritual condition of the nation—soiled by sin.  It is also an accurate description of any who are outside of salvation.  God has removed the filthy robe I was wearing.  He has bathed me in Christ’s cleansing fountain—washed in the blood of the Lamb. 

On the Biblical canvas, we also see a portrayal of ROBING (Zech.3:4b-5).  If our soiled attire was removed that is good, but not good enough!  We are moreover clothed in the righteous robe of Christ!  On Heaven’s golden streets, we will stroll among those dressed in white linen.

The final word picture is one of RESIDING (Zec.3:6-7).  God invites Joshua in.  He is given access to God’s courts, and by implication to abide in the presence of the Almighty.  Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” (John 14:6) That way is open.  The truth is clearly presented.  The life is offered.  Have you been snatched from the fire?

THE HOPE OF THE COMING OF CHRIST: WHAT GOD WILL BE FOR US

“I will be his God and he shall be My son.” (Revelation 21:7) 

Our future hope is rooted in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

If we have such a relationship GOD WILL BE OUR FATHER.  This is the promise of sonship (Rev.21:3,7).  The question may be asked, “Aren’t we already God’s children, when we trust in Jesus?”  Of course—but there is more to come!  Look at this:  “Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.”  (1 John 3:2)   It is the difference between a little child and an adult child coming into his inheritance.  At salvation, we are born into God’s family, and then in sanctification we grow to look like our Father, until in glorification we become heirs with our Elder Brother, Jesus (Heb.2:11)!

This relationship with Christ also means GOD WILL BE OUR COMFORT. This is the promise of solace.  “And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” (Rev.21:4)    The key phrase is, “no more,” as in never again! 

·        No more tears.  Even Jesus wept.  But after His resurrection He asked Mary, “Why are you weeping?”   God will reach over and dry our eyes in that joyful place called Heaven!

·        No more tombstones.   Cemeteries are against zoning ordinances in heaven!

·        No more trials.  All sorrow and suffering will be forever over.

·        No temptation.  We won’t even have the capacity to sin.  Imagine, never grieving God again!

Furthermore our relationship with Christ means GOD WILL BE OUR FOUNTAIN.  This is the promise of satisfaction.  “And He said to me, ‘It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts.’” (Rev.21:6)  Jesus identifies Himself as the Alpha and Omega—first and last letters of Greek alphabet—the A-Z and everything in between!  God will be our all in all—the satisfaction of the thirst of our soul!  Augustine noted, “Our hearts are restless, until they can find rest in you.”

Each of us will spend eternity somewhere.  If you are not going to abide in heaven, you will dwell in hell.  Here are surely the most grievous words of Scripture:

Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them.  And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books.   The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works.  Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.  And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.

Is your name written in the Book of Life?  If not, I beg you to trust in Jesus today!