Christian Hope and Destiny

1
Christian Hope and Destiny

• David Cox
• Southampton Christadelphians
• Quotations from English Standard Version

2
Expressions of hope

• For whatever was written in former days was
  written for our instruction, that through
  endurance and through the encouragement of the
  Scriptures we might have hope. (Rom 154)
• having the eyes of your hearts enlightened,
  that you may know what is the hope to which he
  has called you, what are the riches of his
  glorious inheritance in the saints, (Eph 118)

3
Expressions of hope

• we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of
  the love that you have for all the saints,
  because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of
  this you have heard before in the word of the
  truth, the gospel, (Col 14-5)
• 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.
  (1Th 413)

4
Expressions of hope

• Let us hold fast the confession of our hope
  without wavering, for he who promised is
  faithful. (Heb 1023)
• Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus
  Christ! According to his great mercy, he has
  caused us to be born again to a living hope
  through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the
  dead, (1Pe 13)

5
The teaching of the Lord Jesus

• For God so loved the world, that he gave his only
  Son, that whoever believes in him should not
  perish but have eternal life. (John 316)
• For this is the will of my Father, that everyone
  who looks on the Son and believes in him should
  have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the
  last day. (John 640)

6
Where will you go when you die?

• Heaven
• Hell
• Purgatory
• Paradise
• ?

• The afterlife
• Happy hunting ground
• Valhalla
• Nirvana
• ?

7
The immortality of the soul

• Widespread idea
• Important to feel that there is more to life
• But what does God promise us?
• What does the Bible say?

8
Jesus ascends to heaven

• he presented himself alive after his suffering
  by many proofs, appearing to them during forty
  days and speaking about the kingdom of God. 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. (Acts 11-3,9)
• 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. (Acts
  110-11)

9
Why will Jesus return?

• Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the
  dead, how can some of you say that there is no
  resurrection of the dead? But if there is no
  resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ
  has been raised. And if Christ has not been
  raised, then our preaching is in vain and your
  faith is in vain. (1Cor 1512-14)
• The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the
  cornerstone of Christian belief.

10
Why will Jesus return?

• But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead,
  the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
  For as by a man came death, by a man has come
  also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam
  all die, so also in Christ shall all be made
  alive. But each in his own order Christ the
  firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong
  to Christ. (1Cor 1520-23)
• The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the
  cornerstone of Christian hope.

11
Why will Jesus return?

• Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom
  to God the Father after destroying every rule and
  every authority and power. For he must reign
  until he has put all his enemies under his feet.
  The last enemy to be destroyed is death. (1Cor
  1524-26)
• The Christian hope is that the risen Lord will
  return to the earth.
• He will establish Gods kingdom on the earth.

12
The promised kingdom

• It shall come to pass in the latter days that the
  mountain of the house of the LORD shall be
  established as the highest of the mountains, and
  shall be lifted up above the hills and all the
  nations shall flow to it, and many peoples shall
  come, and say Come, let us go up to the
  mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of
  Jacob, that he may teach us his ways and that we
  may walk in his paths. For out of Zion shall go
  the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
  (Isa 22-3)
• For all nations.

13
The promised kingdom

• He shall judge between the nations, and shall
  decide disputes for many peoples and they shall
  beat their swords into ploughshares, and their
  spears into pruning hooks nation shall not lift
  up sword against nation, neither shall they learn
  war anymore. (Isa 24)
• Brings peace to the whole earth.

14
The promised kingdom

• And his delight shall be in the fear of the LORD.
  He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or
  decide disputes by what his ears hear, but with
  righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide
  with equity for the meek of the earth and he
  shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth,
  and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the
  wicked. (Isa 113-4)
• A kingdom of justice.

15
The promised kingdom

• Since all these things are thus to be dissolved,
  what sort of people ought you to be in lives of
  holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening
  the coming of the day of God, according to his
  promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new
  earth in which righteousness dwells. (2Pe
  311-13)
• A kingdom of righteousness.

16
The promised kingdom

• The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the
  leopard shall lie down with the young goat, and
  the calf and the lion and the fattened calf
  together and a little child shall lead them. The
  cow and the bear shall graze their young shall
  lie down together and the lion shall eat straw
  like the ox. The nursing child shall play over
  the hole of the cobra, and the weaned child shall
  put his hand on the adders den. They shall not
  hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain for the
  earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD
  as the waters cover the sea. (Isa 116-9)
• The natural balance of creation restored.

17
The promised kingdom

• The last enemy to be destroyed is death. (1Cor
  1526)
• A kingdom of everlasting life.
• But why bother with this if heaven is the place
  of reward?

18
Immortality

• Immortal soul is not a Bible phrase
• 500 references to soul in AV
• 6 references to immortal (all in NT)
• Never connected
• Same word is translated life 150 times

19
The soul

• If a soul commit a trespass, and sin through
  ignorance, in the holy things of the LORD
  (Lev 515 AV)
• The soul who sins shall die. (Eze 1820 AV ESV)
• The soul cannot be immortal!
• If anyone commits a breach of faith and sins
  unintentionally in any of the holy things of the
  LORD, (Lev 515 ESV)

20
The soul

• Soul living body, person, creature
• then the LORD God formed the man of dust from
  the ground and breathed into his nostrils the
  breath of life, and the man became a living
  creature (AV soul). (Gen 27)
• Body breath of life living soul
• Remember also your Creator in the days of your
  youth, before the dust returns to the earth as
  it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave
  it. (Ecc 121-7)

21
The state of the dead

• Remember also your Creator in the days of your
  youth, before the evil days come and the years
  draw near of which you will say, I have no
  pleasure in them before the dust returns to
  the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to
  God who gave it.(Ecc 121-7)
• The soul (life, breath) is a part of Gods
  life-sustaining power

22
The state of the dead

• But he who is joined with all the living has
  hope, for a living dog is better than a dead
  lion. For the living know that they will die, but
  the dead know nothing, and they have no more
  reward, for the memory of them is forgotten.
  Their love and their hate and their envy have
  already perished, and forever they have no more
  share in all that is done under the sun. (Ecc
  94-6)

23
The state of the dead

• For in death there is no remembrance of you in
  Sheol who will give you praise? (Ps 65)
• What profit is there in my death, if I go down to
  the pit? Will the dust praise you? Will it tell
  of your faithfulness? (Ps 309)
• Is your steadfast love declared in the grave, or
  your faithfulness in Abaddon? (Ps 8811)
• The dead do not praise the LORD, nor do any who
  go down into silence. (Ps 11517)
• For Sheol does not thank you death does not
  praise you those who go down to the pit do
  not hope for your faithfulness. (Isa 3818 ESV)

24
The state of the dead

• Brothers, I may say to you with confidence about
  the patriarch David that he both died and was
  buried, and his tomb is with us to this day.
  For David did not ascend into the heavens, (Acts
  229-36)
• Heaven is not the place of reward
• David sleeps in the dust and awaits resurrection

25
Our destiny

• The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he
  commands all people everywhere to repent, because
  he has fixed a day on which he will judge the
  world in righteousness by a man whom he has
  appointed and of this he has given assurance to
  all by raising him from the dead. (Acts 1730-31)
• There is a day appointed by God when Jesus will
  return to judge the world

26
Our destiny

• I worship the God of our fathers, believing
  everything laid down by the Law and written in
  the Prophets, having a hope in God, that there
  will be a resurrection of both the just and the
  unjust. (Acts 2414-15)
• The judgement will distinguish between the just
  and the unjust

27
Our destiny

• Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the
  first resurrection! Over such the second death
  has no power, but they will be priests of God and
  of Christ, and they will reign with him for a
  thousand years. Then Death and Hades were
  thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second
  death, the lake of fire. And if anyones name was
  not found written in the book of life, he was
  thrown into the lake of fire.(Rev 206,14-15)
• The reward for the just is eternal life
• The condemnation for the unjust is eternal death
  (oblivion)

28
Our destiny

• Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the
  first heaven and the first earth had passed away,
  and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city,
  new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from
  God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
  And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying,
  Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man.
  He will dwell with them, and they will be his
  people, and God himself will be with them as
  their God. He will wipe away every tear from
  their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither
  shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain
  anymore, for the former things have passed away.
  (Rev 211-4)
• The ultimate reward for the just is eternal
  citizenship of a newly perfected world

29
Our destiny in summary

• Paul in hope of eternal life, which God, who
  never lies, promised before the ages began (Tit
  12)
• waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of
  the glory of our great God and Saviour Jesus
  Christ, (Tit 213)
• so that being justified by his grace we might
  become heirs according to the hope of eternal
  life. (Tit 37)

30
Our destiny in heaven?

• because of the hope laid up for you in heaven.
  Of this you have heard before in the word of the
  truth, the gospel (Col 15)
• Not in heaven but waiting to be revealed from
  heaven
• A hope that is guaranteed because of this

31
Our destiny what shall we do?

• And Peter said to them, Repent and be baptized
  every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for
  the forgiveness of your sins, and you will
  receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the
  promise is for you and for your children and for
  all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our
  God calls to himself. (Acts 238-39)
• May the God of hope fill you with all joy and
  peace in believing, so that by the power of the
  Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. (Rom 1513)