Theological Foundations Series

Four Facts About the Future, and Why They Matter Today

Jesus is Coming Back!

Acts 1:6-11, So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. But you will received power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”

Jesus will Judge Everybody Who’s Ever Lived

Matthew 16:27, “For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done.” 

Revelation 20:11-13, “Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and the books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of then, according to what they had done.”

The Faithless Will Spend Eternity in Hell, Under God’s Wrath

Revelation 21:8, “As for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”

The Faithful Will Spend Eternity in the New Heavens and the New Earth Under God’s Blessing

Revelation 20:11-15, “Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.”

REVIEW

1. Jesus is Coming Back.
2. Jesus will Judge Everybody Who’s Ever Lived.
3. The Faithless will spend eternity in Hell Under God’s Wrath.
4. The Faithful will spend eternity in the New Heavens and the New Earth Under God’s Blessing.

The facts of the future are fuel for faithful living today. 

Some Examples:

• 1 Thessalonians 4:13, “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.” – ability to grieve in hope over the death of fellow believers.
• Philippians 3 & 4 -> the certain coming of our Saviour Jesus Christ is a motivation for us to “stand firm in the Lord.”
• 1 Corinthians 15 -> Paul cites a confident hope of being resurrected and fully reunited with Lord as the reason why he’s willing to live out a life of faith and ministry that puts him in “danger every hour,” and uses this same hope to encourage us to ‘abound’ in the work of the Lord.
• 2 Peter 3:14, our hope of Heaven is God-given motivation for us to live spotless, unblemished, peaceful lives since we “are waiting for these” things.