Theology - Last Things & Other Questions (WCF 32-33; WSC #37-38; WLC #84-85, 87-90) Flashcards
What happens to believers at death? Defend your answer with Scripture proofs.
WSC #37: The souls of believers are at their death made perfect in holiness, and do immediately pass into glory; and in their bodies, being still united in Christ, do rest in their graves, till the resurrection. (Lk 23:43; 2 Cor 5:6-8; 1 Thes 4)
* Lk 23:43…”today you will be with me in paradise”
* 2 Cor 5:6-8…”as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord…we would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord”
What happens to unbelievers at death? Defend your answer with Scripture proofs.
They are cast into hell.
WCF 32.1: And the souls of the wicked are cast into hell, where they remain in torments and utter darkness, reserved to the judgment of the great day. Besides these two places, for souls separated from their bodies, the Scripture acknowledgeth none.
* Jude 6-7…”the apostate angels…these he has kept in darkness, bound with everlasting chains for judgment on the great Day”
* 1 Pet 3:19…”through whom also he went and preached to the spirits in prison”
* Rev 14:9-11…”they will be tormented with fire and sulfur…and the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever…”
* The Sermon on the Mount (Mt 5-7) uses strong language and warnings against the unrighteous being cast into hell.
Who will be raised to life at the last day?
- The unjust and the just alike…
- WCF 32.3: The bodies of the unjust shall, by the power of Christ, be raised to dishonor: the bodies of the just, by his Spirit, unto honor; and be made conformable to his own glorious body.
- Jn 5:28-29…”a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice and come out—those who have done good to the resurrection of life and resurrection of judgement for unbelievers
Who will be judged at the last day? Defend your answer with Scripture proofs.
The apostate angels and all persons who have walked the earth.
WCF 33.1: God hath appointed a day, wherein he will judge the world, in righteousness, by Jesus Christ, to whom all power and judgment is given of the Father. In which day, not only the apostate angels shall be judged, but likewise all persons that have lived upon earth shall appear before the tribunal of Christ, to give an account of their thoughts, words, and deeds; and to receive according to what they have done in the body, whether good or evil.
* Jude 6-7…”the apostate angels…these he has kept in darkness, bound with everlasting chains for judgment on the great Day”
* Jude 14-16…”see, the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of his holy ones to judge everyone, and to convict all the ungodly…”
By whom will they be judged? Defend your answer with Scripture proofs.
The Lord Jesus Christ.
WCF 33.1: God hath appointed a day, wherein he will judge the world, in righteousness, by Jesus Christ, to whom all power and judgment is given of the Father. In which day, not only the apostate angels shall be judged, but likewise all persons that have lived upon earth shall appear before the tribunal of Christ, to give an account of their thoughts, words, and deeds; and to receive according to what they have done in the body, whether good or evil.
* Acts 17:31…”he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead”
* WSC #28: Christ’s exaltation consisteth in his rising again from the dead on the third day, in ascending up into heaven, in sitting at the right hand of God the Father, and in coming to judge the world at the last day. (Acts 2:33-34; Heb 1:3)
Will any receive a second chance? Defend your answer with Scripture proofs.
No, man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment.
* Heb 9:27…”just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment”
* Jn 8:24…”I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am the one I claimed to be you will indeed die in your sins”
What practical use is the doctrine of the final judgment? Include Scripture proofs.
- It deters men from sin. (Jude 14-16)
- It consoles the godly facing adversity
- It shakes off carnal security (the end is coming) (1 Thess 4; 2 Thess 3)
- Creates a watchfulness and anticipation (parable of the lamps)
- Hope for rewards in heaven! (Matt 5:12 rejoice and be glad for your reward in heaven is great
- WCF 33.3: As Christ would have us to be certainly persuaded that there shall be a day of judgment, both to deter all men from sin; and for the greater consolation of the godly in their adversity: so will he have that day unknown to men, that they may shake off all carnal security, and be always watchful, because they know not at what hour the Lord will come; and may be ever prepared to say, Come Lord Jesus, come quickly, Amen.
- 2 Cor 5:10ff…”we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body…since then, we know what it is to fear the Lord, we try to persuade men…”
When will Christ return? Defend your answer with Scripture proofs.
- No one knows but the Father.
- Mt 24:36-43…”no one know the day or the hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father…therefore keep watch because you do not know on what day your Lord will come…”
What will heaven be like?
- New heavens and new earth (restored)…heaven will be an actual place.
- Christ ascended into heaven, which can only mean that he went from one place to another.
- It is described as the house of our Father, with many mansions (Jn 14), and this description would hardly fit a non-place, a condition.
- Moreover, believers are said to be within and unbelievers without. Scripture gives us reason to believe that the righteous will not only inherit heaven but an entire new creation. (Rev 21)
Is there a hell? Defend your answer with Scripture proofs.
Yes.
* The Sermon on the Mount mentions hell often. (Mt 5-7)
* Mt 18:8-9…”it is better for you to enter life maimed or crippled than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into the eternal fire of hell…”
* Mt 13:40-42…”as with weeds that are pulled up and burned with fire, so it will be at the end of the age…everything that causes sin and all who do evil…will be thrown into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth”
What is “annihilationism?” Evaluate it biblically.
The teaching that the reprobate are destroyed completely (annihilated) after the judgment, rather than having to face eternal punishment.
* Vocabulary of ‘destruction’—can only at times appear to support annihilationism, but it makes no sense when the grand scope of the Bible is taken into account. Only makes sense if taken in isolation.
* Hell-fire imagery—speaks of the pain of the wicked, not of their total consumption.
* God’s justice—sin against an infinite God demands and eternal punishment; Christ, in his divine nature, offered up an eternal sacrifice for the sins of the elect; the reprobate, however, must suffer the eternal wrath of God that they are due
* Universalist passages—universalists and annihilationists have to argue that the last three chapters of the Bible are not a picture of the final state since these chapters reject both views
* Conditional immortality—human beings are immortal because the Bible clearly teaches everlasting damnation for the wicked and everlasting life for the righteous. The condition being faith. There is no such thing as eternal believers and non-eternal unbelievers.
What is your view of the millennium? Briefly defend your view from Scripture.
Amillennialism
* There is not sufficient ground for belief in a literal millennium that will last for a thousand years.
* This position advocates that after Christ’s second coming the final judgment and the eternal state will be ushered in
* The end times (1000 year reign of Christ) already begins with his Incarnation (the kingdom of heaven has arrived; Christ has all authority cf. Matt 28:16-20) but is not yet consummated (inaugurated eschatology)
* This position sees the number 1000 as symbolic for a long period of time, or of “completeness,” specifically referring to Christ’s work and victory.
Postmillennialism
* Christ will return after the millennium.
* The 1000 are years of peace on the earth that come about as a result of Christian’s preaching and teaching. Their work in the world will bring many conversions, reducing evil to a minimum.
* After this period of the Church’s greatness, Christ will come again, the dead will rise, and God will conduct the final judgment.
Premillennialism
* Christ will return, literally set up an earthly kingdom, and rule for 1000 years.
* Christ’s return will be preceded by an increasingly evil world with more wars, famines, and earthquakes. This will come about because of the preaching of the Gospel to all peoples, by the appearance of the Antichrist and by the great tribulation. Christ will then come, after these things, to set up his kingdom and reign with the saints for 1000 years, also binding Satan for those 1000 years.
* Jews will come to Christ in large numbers and will again take an important place in God’s kingdom.
* After the millennium, Satan is unbound and evil will again cause rebellion, but God will crush it.
* After this time, God will raise unbelievers for eternal judgment in hell and create a new heaven and new earth for believers.
What does the Bible teach about the Holy Spirit’s work in the Old Testament?
The Holy Spirit in the Old Testament as an agent in creation, a giver of life, revealed God’s Word, and enabled his people to live and walk in his ways (much like he does in the New Testament)
* Shaping creation (Gen 1)
* Revealing God’s message through prophets (carrying them along 2 Pet 1:21)
* Eliciting faith, repentance, obedience, and righteousness
The only visible difference is the New Testament describes the Spirit’s work as an indwelling.
What is the Holy Spirit’s function today? Is it different than the past?
It is the same as was the case for the New Testament believers.
* Generation of life, preparing men for office, inspiration of Scripture, formation and increase of the church, teaching and guiding the church, granting us the blessings of Christ:
* Regeneration, conviction of sin, adoption, fruits of the Spirit, repentance, etc.
What happened at Pentecost? How does this relate to the church today?
The Spirit was poured out to indwell the church, empowering the apostles with courage and memory of all that Jesus said and taught. Not only did this allow for the infallible Scriptures of the New Testament, but also provided the bold proclamation of the gospel to the people of all tribes, tongues, and nations.
The outpouring of the HS was a fulfillment of OT/John the Baptist/Jesus (Acts 2:1-41)
* God’s outpouring of the Spirit was not divorced from the rest of God’s R-H work
* It was foreseen in the OT (Jer 31:31-37), but was purposed not for charismatic, miraculous displays in and of themselves, but that the indwelling Spirit would create a people who have God’s law written on their hearts and love and follow Him
* What does Pentecost mean to the Jews?
* * First-fruits of the harvest, this was the first-fruits of the work of Christ
* * Connection between the giving of the law and Pentecost, signifies that God is writing his law on the hearts of the people for the purpose of godliness and love
* The giving of the law came 50 days after Passover
* The giving of the Spirit came 50 days after the Crucifixion
