Resurrection and Amillennialism

The end is now!… and not yet.Realistic Hope for Everyday Christian Life

Lesson 5 – The Day of the Lord

Resurrection and

Amillennialism

Day of the Lord or

Judgment DayEschatology

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Gen. 2:16-17 - 16 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, "You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”

Adam and Eve rightly expected the swift and terrible justice of God.

Thus, they hide from the sound of God’s coming in the Spirit of the Day.

Delay of Final Judgment in the Garden

But, Adam and Eve did not experience sin’s full consequences after the fall.

They were exiled, cursed, and judged, but not fully and finally. The curse was restrained.

They would experience death, but not the second death. They would experience exile from God’s presence, but not permanent exile.

In addition to a common curse on all his Creation, God would show common grace toward all his Creation.

Hence, Mat. 5:44-45 - 4 But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.

Common grace = God’s non-redemptive grace towards everyone.

Delay of Final Judgment

“Common grace was introduced to act as a rein to hold in check the curse on mankind and to make possible an interim historical environment as the theater for a program of redemption. By reason of the common curse there would be natural and social evils, destructive earthquakes in various places and devastating wars of nations rising against nations, so that man’s civilization and man himself would be threatened with total extinction. But the restraining hand of God’s common grace would temper the common curse until the redemptive history had run its full course and the appointed hour of the parousia had come.” – Meredith Kline, Kingdom Prologue, pg. 155


The Final Judgment is postponed so that man’s history would be a redemptive history and not just a history of judgment.


Judgment Day

Gen. 3

Day of the Lord

Common Grace = postponement of judgment

Amos 5:18-20 – 18 Woe to you who desire the day of the LORD! Why would you have the day of the LORD? It is darkness, and not light, 19 as if a man fled from a lion, and a bear met him, or went into the house and leaned his hand against the wall, and a serpent

bit him. 20 Is not the day of the LORD darkness, and not light, and gloom with no brightness in it?

The Day of the Lord

God is not some capricious heathen God taking vengeance in an unbridled and normless way.

“The working of God’s wrath is the realization of the curse he has attached as sanction to his holy law.” – Herman Ridderbos, Paul: An Outline of his Theology, pg. 109.

Gal. 3:10 - 10 For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, "Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.”

• God is a God of justice!

The Wrath of God and His Judgment.

Rom. 6:23 - 23 For the wages of sin is death…“Death is the fully developed fruit of sin. It is the

just sentence of God (Rom. 5:12ff., 18) and at the same time the ‘natural’ and inner consequence of sin; it is that at which sin, as it were, aims and in which it achieves its triumph (Rom 5:21); it is fruit that one reaps when he sows to the flesh (Gal. 6:8; Rom 7:5)… Death is thereby not only a punishment that puts an end to life, but a condition in which the destiny of life outside of Christ is turned into its opposite.” – Herman Ridderbos, Paul: An Outline of his Theology, pg. 112

The Wrath of God and His Judgment

It is already being revealed!Rom. 1:18-19 18 For the wrath of God is revealed

from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. 19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them.

There are no real atheists. Everyone knows God. They don’t just know about

God, they know God personally. He is the Covenant Lord of Creation, and every man bears his image. Thus every man has a covenant consciousness.

The Wrath of God and His Judgment.

The consequences of sin are already being worked out in the living dead!

Eph. 2:1-3 - And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience-- 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body

and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.

Already and Not Yet Judgment

“In addition to the future, however, sin brings forth death already in this life… Thus death works itself out in the sinful life of man… This ‘dying’ is not to be taken as introspection, acquiring an eye for guilt and punishment, but the sin-ruled condition of his existence, which can be called dying because it is cut off from the true life for God (Rom. 6:11ff.), because it is a life for death (Rom. 6:16).” - Herman Ridderbos, Paul: An Outline of his Theology, pg. 113.

Already and Not Yet Judgment

Christ’s first coming was to save.But it also is the beginning of the final judgment! Luke 3:16-17 - 16 John answered them all, saying,

"I baptize you with water, but he who is mightier than I is coming, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. 17 His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.“

Jesus comes to clean house!

Already and Not Yet Judgment!

John 3:18-20 - 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. 19 And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. 20 For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed.

The current judgment is either a turning in repentance to Christ, or a rejecting of him and being hardened in sin and unbelief against him.


Parables are a sign of judgment against unbelief.Mat. 13:10-17 - 10 Then the disciples came and

said to him, "Why do you speak to them in parables?" 11 And he answered them, "To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. 12 For to the one who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. 13 This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.


Mat. 13:10-17 - 14 Indeed, in their case the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that says: "'You will indeed hear but never understand, and you will indeed see but never perceive. 15 For this people's heart has grown dull, and with their ears they can barely hear, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn, and I would heal them.‘ 16 But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. 17 For truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.

God’s word never returns void. It always accomplishes its purpose. But sometimes that purpose is judgment!


But in the New Testament the Day of the Lord is something for Christians to look forward to!

But Why!??!

Day of the Lord

The Day of the Lord is through and through a time of Judgment.

Rev. 20:11-13 - 11 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.12 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.13 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.

This is scary! How could any sinner find hope in such a thought!

Judgment Day

What is justification?Justification is a judicial act! It is a declaration of

righteousness by God as a holy and righteous judge.It is the opposite of a sentence of condemnation.“For Judaism the essence of divine justification lay

in that it would take place in the future and in the heavenly judgment; that the whole of life consisted precisely in preparation for this… Looked at from this point of view justification is a matter still hidden with God, about which no one can obtain certainty any earlier than in the great judgment of God itself.” - Herman Ridderbos, Paul: An Outline of his Theology, pg. 164.

Already/Not Yet Justification?

But for Christians justification is already present!Rom. 8:1 - There is therefore now no condemnation

for those who are in Christ Jesus.“…the ‘now’ there is nothing less than eschatological

in its force; it is the ‘now’ of eschatological realization.” – Richard Gaffin, “Justification and Eschatology,” Justified in Christ, pg. 1.

The verdict of “not guilty, but righteous,” which God will pronounce on judgment day, has already been pronounced for those who have been united to Christ by faith!

Rom. 5:1 - Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Already/Not Yet Justification?

“Late medieval Roman Catholicism left the future verdict at the final judgment the ever anxious and uncertain outcome of the Christian life. In contrast, the Reformers grasped that the verdict belonging at the end of history, has been brought forward and already pronounced on believers in history, and so constituting the certain and stable basis for the Christian life, provides unshakable confidence in the face of final judgment.” - Richard Gaffin, “Justification and Eschatology,” pg. 1.

Already/ Not Yet Justification

Already Justified

Judgment Day

You have already received

God’s final verdict of

“righteous” in Christ

2 Cor. 5:21 - 21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

1 Pet. 2:24 - 24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.

Rom. 3:23-25 - 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith.

How are we already Justified?

Christ’s death was a substitutionary atonement.

The wrath of God and the death our sins deserve was poured out on Christ at the cross.

What we deserve to receive on Judgment Day because of our sins, Christ received for us at the cross.

He was a substitute for us.Our sin was judicially counted

(imputed) to him.

How are we already justified?

Already Justified

Judgment Day

The Cross was

Judgment Day for Christ

Rom. 4:24-25 – “It (righteousness) will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.”

What does Christ’s resurrection have to do with our justification?

Wait there’s more!

1 Tim. 3:16 - Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness: He was manifested in the flesh, justified by the Spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory.

When was Christ justified?Why would Christ need to be justified?

Resurrection and Justification

Rom. 1:1-4 - Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, 2 which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures, 3 concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh 4 and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord,

Christ’s resurrection is a declaration of his Sonship, that is to say it is his justification or his vindication as God’s righteous Son in whom he is well pleased.


“As long as he remained in a state of death, the righteous character of his work, the efficacy of his obedience unto death remained in question, in fact, was implicitly denied. Consequently, the eradication of death in his resurrection is nothing less than the removal of the verdict of condemnation and the effective affirmation of his (adamic) righteousness.” – Richard Gaffin, Resurrection and Redemption, pgs. 121-122.

That is to say Christ’s resurrection was a declaration of his righteousness. It was his justification.


By our union with Christ, just as his death to sin on the cross is our death to sin, his declaration of righteousness in the resurrection is our declaration of righteousness.

Hence, Rom. 4:24-25 – “It (righteousness) will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.”


Is our justification still future in some sense?Yes.Gal. 5:5 - For through the Spirit, by faith, we

ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness.

How?We have already received God’s verdict of

righteousness in Christ’s death and resurrection, by our union with him, but we have not yet appeared before his great judgment throne to be acquitted of our sin and declared righteous in Christ.

Not Yet Justification?

Our doctrinal standards teach this.Westminster Shorter Catechism Q&A 38:Q:What benefits do believers receive from

Christ at the resurrection?A: At the resurrection, believers being raised

up in glory, shall be openly acknowledged and acquitted in the day of judgment, and made perfectly blessed in the full enjoying of God to all eternity.

Not Yet Justification?

“If believers appear at the final judgment as already resurrected bodily, then they will appear there as already openly justified.” Richard Gaffin, “Justification and Eschatology,” Justified in Christ, pg. 21.

Hence, Col. 3:3-4 - 3 For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

1 John 3:2 - Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.

We look forward to the Day of the Lord because it will be our vindication and the open revelation of our status as God’s righteous sons in Christ and we will then come into full possession of our inheritance of eternal life!

Our Resurrection and Justification

“Premillennialists believe that when Jesus comes, he will raise the dead in two stages. First, he will raise some to participate whit him in the millennial kingdom. After the Millennium (the thousand year period) is over, he will raise the rest of the dead and institute the Final Judgment. Then will come the final and eternal destinies of the saved and the lost.” – Craig Blaising, “Premillennialism,” Three Views on the Millennium and Beyond, pg. 157.

Millennium?

Premillennial Timeline

Second Comin

gMillenni

al Kingdom

Final Judgmen

tNew

Heavens and the

New Earth

But, the big question is this:Does Scripture teach that Judgment Day,

Christ’s second coming, and the resurrection of both the saved and unsaved coincide?”

Yes it does!

Millennium?

“Not only does the New Testament not teach a future millennial kingdom following Christ’s return, the New Testament rules out an earthly millennial kingdom following Christ’s return, because the New Testament reveals clearly that the following events are all concurrent; that is, all will occur together in one cluster of end-time events, one grand dramatic finale of redemptive history: the second coming of Christ, the resurrection of believers (and the “change” of living believers, 1 Cor. 15:51), the resurrection of the unjust, judgment for all, the end, the new heaven and new earth, and the inauguration of the final kingdom of God, the blessed eternal state of the redeemed.” – Robert Strimple, “Amillennialism,” Three Views on the Millennium and Beyond, pg. 100.

Millennium?

John 5:28-29 - 28 Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice 29 and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment.

Jesus is speaking here of the resurrection of the saved and the unsaved as one single event.

The Second Coming and the Judgment

1 Thes. 5:2-4 - 2 For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. 3 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. 4 But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief.

Paul is speaking of judgment day and he clearly sees it as a day that will come in a single surprising moment for believer and unbeliever alike, that is when Christ returns.


2 Thes. 1:5-10 - 5 This is evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are also suffering-- 6 since indeed God considers it just to repay with affliction those who afflict you, 7 and to grant relief to you who are afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels 8 in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. 9 They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might, 10 when he comes on that day to be glorified in his saints, and to be marveled at among all who have believed, because our testimony to you was believed.

Paul clearly understands the judgment of unbelievers to occur here at Christ’s second coming and not after a millennium.


2 Pet. 3:1-7 - This is now the second letter that I am writing to you, beloved. In both of them I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder, 2 that you should remember the predictions of the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior through your apostles, 3 knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires. 4 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.” 5 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, 6 and that by means of these the world that then existed was deluged with water and perished. 7 But by the same word 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 Pet. 3:8-10 - 8 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. 9 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. 10 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.

Peter clearly sees the coming of Christ (v.4) to be coordinated with the Day of the Lord and the final Judgment (v.10).


Even the book of Revelation itself coordinates the Judgment with Christ’s second coming!

Rev. 22:12-13 - 12 "Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay everyone for what he has done.

13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.


Rom. 8:18-23 - 18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. 19 For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. 20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. 23 And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.

The Second Coming, the Resurrection, and the New Creation.

This is contrary to what Dispensational Premillennialism believes.

“After the second advent of Christ, the millennial kingdom will be set up in fulfillement of all the promises given in both Testaments and particularly those contained in the Abrahamic and Davidic covenants.” – Charles Ryrie, Dispensationalism, pg. 64.

Ryrie is wrong! We have already seen that the Abrahimic covenant finds its fulfillment in the New Creation, not in a millennial kingdom.


“At Christ’s coming, not a millennium later, “the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay” and come to enjoy a glory that is likened to “the glorious freedom of the children of God.” - Robert Strimple, “Amillennialism,” Three Views on the Millennium and Beyond, pg. 106.

“The Old Testament does not teach a future millennial kingdom of Christ. Uniformly the Old Testament prophets speak of the Messiah’s everlasting kingdom and its everlasting blessings.” - Robert Strimple, “Amillennialism,” Three Views on the Millennium and Beyond, pg. 100.

Gen. 17:7-8, 48:4; 2 Sam 23:5; 1 Chron. 16:17-18; Ps. 105:10-11; Isa. 45:17; 55:3; 61:7-8; Jer. 32:40; 50:4-5; Ez. 16:60; 37:26; Dan. 4:3, 4:34, 7:14, 7:27, 12:2.


If the Abrahamic covenant and the Davidic covenant had their fulfillment in a millennial kingdom they would not be everlasting!

Why?Because the millennium is not everlasting in the

premillennial scheme. It ends at the jugdement!Creation is renewed along with us at the resurrection, and

then the Abrahamic and Davidic covenants will reach their fulfillment as the Lamb reigns in God’s royal city which descends from heaven.

Hence, 2 Pet. 3:13 - But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.

We are not waiting for a millennial kingdom but for a new heavens and earth in which righteousness dwells.


1 Cor. 15:22-26 - 22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. 23 But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. 24 Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. 25 For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy to be destroyed is death.

And when is death destroyed?1 Cor. 15:54 - 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.“

The last enemy to be destroyed is death, and that will happen at the resurrection when Christ destroys the rest of his enemies as well in Judgment.

The Resurrection and the End

Amillennial TimelineSecond Coming,

the Resurrection, and the Final

JudgmentNew

Heavens and the

New Earth

This Present Evil Age

What do we do with Rev. 20 then?We have two basic options:

1. We can perform exegetical andhermeneutical contortions.

• That is we can try to make the overwhelming majority of passages which we have seen apparently coordinate the second coming, the resurrection, the judgment, and the coming of the new Creation as one grand dramatic finale of redemptive history bend to fit a “literal” interpretation of the one single passage in the entire Bible which talks about a millennium in a book of symbolic apocalyptic imagery to separate the second coming from the Day of Judgment.

What about Rev. 20?

Or…2. We can interpret Revelation chapter 20 the way we interpret the rest of the book of Revelation, symbolically.

• That is we interpret it as symbolic apocalyptic imagery of a Gospel reality and not a “literal” temporary earthly millennial kingdom.

• To this we shall turn next lesson.

What about Rev. 20?

Resurrection and Amillennialism

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