810. How Will It All End?

Welcome to The Daily Platform from Bob Jones University in Greenville, South Carolina. The school was founded in 1927 by the evangelist Dr. Bob Jones Senior's intent was to make a school where Christ would be the center of everything, so he established daily chapel services today.

That tradition continues with fervent biblical preaching from the University Chapel platform today on The Daily Platform work, including a study series entitled return of the King which is been a study of the second coming of Christ. The message today will be preached by seminary professor Dr. Dan Oleg or from Revelation 22 and the title of his message is how will it all end. Good morning, how are you want to talk about something good today with Debbie encouraging Revelation 22 plays in the last chapter of the book Revelation 22. Throughout this semester. As you know, for our doctrinal series. We been looking at the return of the King. The fact that Jesus is coming again, and all of the circumstances that are attendance on that. There's a lot of events that are associated with that coming. And let me just review for us what we've heard this semester.

Dr. Horne started this off by talking about why the second coming matters and it certainly does and will have more to say about that this morning Dr. Newton meditated with us on the return of Christ.

What what is the Kings returned like and how should we respond to Dr. Crockett talked about signs of the times, and 88 reasons why Jesus might not come back in 2019.

Dr. Reamer's talked about the future of Israel in the plan of God.

Dr. Ormiston with him for some reason, students often confuse me and for the life of me I can't figure out why he discussed the judgments in the book of Revelation and emphasize the fact that you and I if we are born again will not experience those judgments. Dr. Bennett gave us the big picture from Psalm two. The vindication of the sun against the slots of the rulers of this world. Dr. Stice talked about the millennial kingdom from Revelation chapter 20 and Dr. Horne talked about various views of that millennial kingdom that are common in conservative Bible believing Christianity. It is my distinct privilege to come toward the end of the series.

And to think with you about how this all ends and how we should respond to that how we should live in light of the return of the King.

So I asked the question to start with how will it all end.

How will it all and I think it's very interesting that the Bible talks a lot about the kingdom about the millennium, the thousand years Christ ruling on earth the throne of his father David in Jerusalem Rod of righteousness, and all of the things that will accompany that kingdom. The natural peace the lion will lie down with the lamb, the child will play in the den of the serpent.

All kinds of social peace will beat our swords into plowshares and there is a sculpture commemorating that verse in front of the United Nations, of all places. I have a hunch that if they knew where the statue came from. They want to take it down but were told the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord. When Jesus reigns as the waters cover the sea. There will be righteousness on the earth.

Let justice roll down like waters.

The prophet says and righteousness like a mighty stream when a lot of things about the millennium that kingdom. But the Bible says almost nothing about what comes after that about the eternal state. What will heaven be like now I know that Randy Alcorn wrote a whole book about that. But the fact is that the Scripture gives us very little to actually work with and most of that information is confined to the last couple of chapters of the book you are at Revelation 22. If you cast your gaze back on chapter 21 you see some reference to how this period is going to begin. Verse one John sees a new heaven and a new earth.

Verse three the tabernacle of God is with man. What is happening.

Okay God's moving in with us. He's is taking up dwelling among us as he did in a sense visually in the tabernacle and the pillar of fire and the pillar of cloud was suspended over the holy of holies there, as he did visually in Solomon's Temple on the glory of the Shekinah glory came and filled the holy of holies at Solomon's dedication of that building. God will take up residence with us. He will live among us.

He did that, of course, briefly in the person of the son who walked among us, more correctly, walked among our ancestors long ago but now that will become the norm.

God will live here among us. He will be our neighbor. He will be our king. He will be in our present were told in verse four, there will be no death or sorrow or pain will that'll be different. We are remembering today. The family of Dr. hey, who has been promoted to glory and the fact that that is a promotion does not lessen the damage that his departure does to those he loves. It doesn't lessen the sorrow yes we sorrow not as others who have no hope. But we do sorrow. There will be any more pain and that'll be a good thing when I was much younger I had some wisdom teeth removed and that explains a lot. I suppose in the course of that surgery a nerve as it is very common in nerve in my face was damaged and for some time after that until the nerve recovered.

I was numb on one side of my face which makes Kissing a bit of a challenge all say but that's over now, lest you worry about me. Well, sometimes the absence of pain is a bad thing. Sometimes you need pain will this won't be like that the pain will be gone and that will be a good thing, and all of those things will be true because as John tells us in verse eight of chapter 21. There will be no sin.

There will be no curse the consequences. The effects of our sin and our devotion to our sin will be removed from creation and as I commented to someone the other day.

Not only will our sins be gone nuked but the smoking crater in the blood. It left behind won't be there either. The consequences will be gone there will be great press prosperity. He tells us at the end of the chapter numbers 24, there will be commerce there will be prosperity there will be light and then John brings us to our passage for the day. Let me read the first few verses of chapter 22 and he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb in the midst of the street event on either side of the river, was there the tree of life which have 12 manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations and there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and his servants shall serve him and they shall see his face and his name shall be, and therefore heads, and there shall be no night there and they need no candle, neither light of the sun for the Lord God giveth them light and they shall reign forever and ever.

And he said unto me, these sayings are faithful and true. So what do we have what we have at the end of it all. I think we could distill this description down into a couple of simple ideas. First of all we will have perfect fellowship with God. God will be glorious. He will be on the throne, the Lamb will be at his side and were told in the previous chapter that there's no son or moon in this new heaven or Newark because we don't need one anymore. The father and the Lamb will be the light of the place.

The light of the city, the new Jerusalem.

Apparently the light of the whole planet because there's no son, the light has to come from somewhere. That's, that's a lot of light.

That's a lot of glory for us to bask in. That is a lot of warmth and comfort and joy. I've noticed since I turned about 40. The world is getting darker by the day. The lights and all the buildings around here are getting dimmer like I need more light all the time, hold my glasses were never going to face that problem there will be plenty of light. How bright is that light when Jesus was transfigured during his earthly ministry. Before Peter and James and John the evangelist writes that his clothes were brighter than any laundry could brighten them and imagined brilliant white. We have yet to create a perfect white on this earth color experts will tell you I just when you think that something is why you hold another sheet of paper up next when we go it's yellow. This is white and then there are other pieces of paper that are brighter yet, we still haven't got there brighter than any laundry could whiten them were told that Paul was blinded by that light on the Damascus Road had to be led into town and sat and thought and prayed for three days reorienting his life after the experience of that brilliant light realizing that everything he had believed was fundamentally wrong. Bright enough to blind us were told in Revelation chapter 1 that John, who was can I say this reverently, Jesus best friend, certainly one of the three best friends that he had closer than his own family. John the one who was with him at some of the most intimate moments of his life. The transfiguration, for example, the one who at the Last Supper was sitting right next to him so close that when Jesus said, you know, one of you is going to betray me.

Peter always the inquisitive one motions to John and says, ask, and John just leans over and said and Jesus said to give him a piece of bread.

That's how close John was one of the gospel writer says he was leaning on him at the meal, and John, Jesus best earthly friend sees him in Revelation chapter 1 and falls in his feet overwhelmed with what you see how bright will that likely how bright will it be we will have perfect fellowship with our God. All of the barriers that separate us now our sin no prayers really hard for me I know about you.

Some people seems like they just can pray I don't understand that prayer is work for me and there are days when it's time to pray and you know the time of day when I study my Bible and pray.

Actually on Bible faculty I get studied Bible all day long and get paid for it.

That's awesome. Anyway, when it's time to pray. There are days that because of my sin. I just don't want to really want to see you right now want to talk to you right now that's all going to go we're never gonna feel that way again. Other barriers the distance now. Yes, God is everywhere and Christ is with us. Christ in us the hope of glory. Paul says the spirit is with us and in us. He indwells us. But their invisible and I don't know about you, but part of what makes prayer hard for me is it's really hard for me to talk to somebody that doesn't appear to be there physically isn't is invisible will not barriers. Kennedy gone how bright is that light all barriers that come between us and God will be removed and we are going to enjoy the open and intimate and personal presence of the entire Godhead. That's how it will all end perfect fellowship with God and because of that, I would suggest that there's another characteristic of our life in the eternal state. And that is perfect service, perfect service, there's a there's a a statement back in Revelation chapter 15 verse four which is all nations will come and worship before you service can mean worship your reasonable service. Paul says in verse in Romans 12 12 perfect worship today we gather to worship in our churches and were distracted again were distracted in our hearts were distracted by our sin were distracted by the perfectly legitimate responsibilities that we have that we can't help thinking about ACS is coming in next week.

There are several of us here who are responsible for various areas of the competition that had my attention for the last few days you get distracted by the things and not bad. They're just distracting and so your singing and you realize uniting thinking about what you're singing you thinking about the other stuff were distracted in our worship were divided in our worship were divided by language were divided by culture where divided by politics shouldn't be, but we are all of those will be gone all of them will be out of the way. There's a little line in the passage I read today in verse three that you might've missed. To me it just jumps off the page.

Verse three and his servants shall serve him. Our eternity is going to be characterized by perfect service which includes worship.

Yes, but it includes work service, things to do. I'm glad for harpists and I'm glad they'll be there on clouds playing harps, but I'm not a harpist cuts can have other things for me to do and he's going to have prepared me and equipped me perfectly and pulled down all the flaws and eradicated all of difficulties and I'm to be able to serve him perfectly is going to give me stuff to do and you to and it's it's gonna be things that we couldn't possibly have done here, but he's going to give us those things and were going to excel in those things would be awesome were going to be a student's everything's going to succeed his servants shall serve him. So what we do in the meantime very quickly. Let me give you three thoughts from the Scripture.

What would do in the meantime number one anticipate anticipate with constant confidence. Paul says to Titus, looking for that blessed hope of the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ. Hope in the Bible you heard this often from your Bible teachers and probably from other teachers as well hope it is not wistfulness. Hope is not. I hope so. In in this the biblical language hope is confident expectation. It's how you felt the Monday before spring break. This is going to happen.

Baby and I just can't wait. It's how those abuse seniors whose grades are close. It's how you're thinking about commencement. I'm a graduate and this is not happen and I can't wait.

I realize some of your not all that sure will pray for you don't finish well you can do this.

It's how those of you who are engaged are anticipating your wedding and your marriage. This is gonna happen is all set. We got the church without the preacher we got the reception venue. We got the caterer got the musicians can anticipate with confidence and a prayer this morning, your promises are yes and amen yes they are. This is going to happen. A second way to prepare.

I would suggest is to endure with patients. James says, be patient, therefore, brethren under the coming of the Lord's establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord… Endure being patient isn't just an attitude it's an action you endure. You bear up under the pressure you pick up the load and you keep going. Years ago I did a lengthy bicycle trip that involved coming through the Berkshires in Massachusetts and then the Smokies in North Carolina and you know when you're when you're paddling a pill. You just gotta keep pedaling if you stop you'll never get started again. You just gotta keep putting 1 foot down after the other. Keep that up endure with patient becoming the Lord draws nigh, so did it again.

Leave it all on the field bear up under the pressures integrity is for Paul describes the things he suffered for Jesus and then he says our light affliction, which is but for a moment works in us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. Persevere endure with patients and finally occupy with diligence. Jesus told a parable about a master who went away and left his servants with things to invest and he said on his departure occupy till I come. The about the master's business orient your life toward his calling. Whether what his calling for you is in the arts or the sciences or the humanities or whatever orient your life toward his calling, because the king is coming.

Let's bring even so, Lord Jesus, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen my listening friend. Can I ask you a question. Have you received the crucified resurrected Jesus as your own personal savior.

No doubt God is speaking to your heart. There's a knock on the door of your heart and he's asking to come in. Would you personally individually right now call upon the name of the Lord ask Jesus to be your savior for whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. Let me urge you to do that right now. May God bless you. You been listening to a sermon preached by Dr. Dan Allender seminary professor at Bob Jones University. This concludes our study series of the second coming of Christ. We trust that this is been a blessing in your life.

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