The Riches of His Glorious Inheritance in the SaintsWeek 14

Westminster Larger Catechism Q57-90

[Q87-90: Resurrection and Final Judgment]

Coming Up After the WLC…

• Why Johnny Can’t Sing Hymns… (1 & 8 Feb)

• An Overview of God’s Redemptive History in the Old Covenant – OT Survey (15 Feb – 4 May)

“For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, 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, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe,…”(Eph 1:15-19)

Our theme for the next several weeks:

Question Topic Week  

57, 58 The benefits of redemption & how applied 1 10/13/2013

59, 60 Who are the recipients? 2 10/20/2013

  Justification and Sanctification: What’s the difference?Dr. David Van Drunen

  10/27/2013

61-63 The Visible Church 3 11/3/2013

64-65 The Invisible Church 4 11/10/2013

66-68 Union with Christ 5 11/17/2013

66-68 Effectual Call 6 11/24/2013

69-71 Communion in Grace with Christ – Justification 12/1/2013

72-73 Justifying Faith 7 12/8/2013

74 Communion in Grace with Christ – Adoption 8 12/15/2013

75-78 Communion in Grace with Christ – Sanctification 9 12/22/201379-81 Perseverance and Assurance of Believers 10 12/29/2013

82-83 Communion in Glory with Christ – in this life 11 1/5/2013

84-87 Communion in Glory with Christ – after death 12 1/12/2014

88-89 Resurrection and Final Judgment 13 1/19/2013

Where are we going?

Remember Q65?

Q. 65. What special benefits do the members of the invisible church enjoy by Christ?

A. The members of the invisible church by Christ enjoy union and communion with him in grace and glory.

Union and communion with Christ in grace and glory

• Union with Christ: the mystical, but real bond– Done in effectual calling– Who are effectually called?

• Communion in grace with Christ:– Justification

• By the instrument of faith– Adoption– Sanctification

• Imperfection of sanctification• Repentance• Assurance

Q. 82. What is the communion in glory which the members of the invisible church have with Christ?A. The communion in glory which the members of the invisible church have with Christ, is in this life, immediately after death, and at last perfected at the resurrection and day of judgment.

• Three phases:– In this life– Immediately after death– Perfected on resurrection & judgment day

Q. 83. What is the communion in glory with Christ which the members of the invisible church enjoy in this life?A. The members of the invisible church have communicated to them in this life the firstfruits of glory with Christ, as they are members of him their head, and so in him are interested in that glory which he is fully possessed of; and, as an earnest thereof, enjoy the sense of God’s love, peace of conscience, joy in the Holy Ghost, and hope of glory; as, on the contrary, sense of God’s revenging wrath, horror of conscience, and a fearful expectation of judgment, are to the wicked the beginning of their torments which they shall endure after death.

• But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. (Ephesians 2:4-10)

• The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me. Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world. (John 17:22-24 ESV)

• For it was fitting that he, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering. (Hebrews 2:10 ESV)

Glory for us … NOW• For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not

worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope 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. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. (Romans 8:18-22, ESV)

• For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified. (Romans 8:29-30, ESV)

The contrast…

To the invisible church:

• Sense of God’s love

• Peace of conscience• Joy in the Holy Ghost

• Hope of glory

To the wicked:

• Sense of God’s revenging wrath

• Horror of conscience• Fearful expectation of

judgment• Beginning of torments

Q. 84. Shall all men die?A. Death being threatened as the wages of sin, it is appointed unto all men once to die; for that all have sinned.And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him. (Hebrews 9:27-28 ESV)

Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come….For if, because of one man's trespass, death reigned through that one man, … (Romans 5:14, 17)

About death…

• Are there any exceptions to the rule that all men must die?– Enoch (Gen5:24)– Elijah (2Ki 2:11; Heb 11:25)– Believers alive at Christ’s return (1 Cor 15:51-52; 1 Thess 4:16-

17)

• Is there an exception to the rule that all men have sinned?

• Is death to be regarded as ‘normal?’– The Faith of evolution– Eastern religions– Biblical/Christian faith: The last enemy to be destroyed is death.

(1 Corinthians 15:26, ESV)

About death…

• What does the universality of death show?– The universality of sin

• Will science ever overcome death?• To what extent should a Christian go to avoid death /

prolong life?– “You shall not murder.” (Exodus 20:13, ESV)

• Teaches not to actively take life unjustly• Also, to preserve life (WSC Q61-70; WLC Q131-140)

– “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” (Philippians 1:21, ESV)

How do we deal with end of life issues…?In an age of scientific advancement and specialization, many Christians turn to medical professionals to direct them in stewardship of their bodies. While in many ways the advancements of medical science are a blessing, they are also largely driven by a secular mindset that, though it appears compassionate and to proclaim hope, is actually often subversive of genuine compassion and our hope in Christ.

In Compassionate Jesus, Christopher Bogosh calls Christians to examine the pervasive “prolong life at all costs” mentality against biblical principles of care and compassion that are rooted in Christ. This is a call to enter into medical situations trusting in God’s sovereign care and the power of prayer. It is hoped that this book will begin a long-needed discussion among Christians about how we relate to modern medicine, encouraging us to allow the gospel to inform the way we engage the healthcare system.

1. The Certainty and Reality of Death

2. The Penalty for Sin

3. Three Kinds of Death: Spiritual — Physical — Eternal

4. The Christian Still Subject to Physical Death

5. The Christian Attitude Toward Death

6. Comments by John Calvin

7. Every Person’s Life a Completed Plan

8. Making Preparation for Death

9. What Happens at Death

10. Christians Not to Sorrow As Those Who Have No Hope

11. Prayers for the Dead

12. Burial or Cremation?

Section on Physical Death:

Q. 85. Death being the wages of sin, why are not the righteous delivered from death, seeing all their sins are forgiven in Christ?

The real question:

• Why do Christians have to experience death?– Didn’t Christ pay the penalty for sin? Isn’t it a contradiction to say

that the Christian must now die?– Could not God ‘translate’ the Christian as He did Enoch and

Elijah?

• What deliverance then do Christians have from death?– The sting and curse of it are removed.

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.”

“O death, where is your victory?

O death, where is your sting?”

The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 15:54-57, ESV)

Death … an expression of God’s LOVE?• Death is the release from sin; the gateway to paradise

The righteous man perishes, and no one lays it to heart;

devout men are taken away, while no one understands.

For the righteous man is taken away from calamity; he enters into peace;

they rest in their beds who walk in their uprightness. (Isaiah 57:1-2, ESV)

And I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” “Blessed indeed,” says the Spirit, “that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them!” (Revelation 14:13, ESV)

Precious in the sight of the Lord

is the death of his saints. (Psalm 116:15)

And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.” (Luke 23:43, ESV)

For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. (Philippians 1:21-23, ESV)

Q. 85. Death being the wages of sin, why are not the righteous delivered from death, seeing all their sins are forgiven in Christ?

A. The righteous shall be delivered from death itself at the last day, and even in death are delivered from the sting and curse of it; so that, although they die, yet it is out of God’s love, to free them perfectly from sin and misery, and to make them capable of further communion with Christ in glory, which they then enter upon.

The state of believers immediately after death…• What parts or division of man is assumed?

– Soul and body (bipartite – not tripartite or unitary)

• Can we say that they enter into “soul sleep?” – Parable of the rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31)– To the thief on the cross: “And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with

me in Paradise.” (Luke 23:43, ESV)

• What is the condition of their soul after death?– But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly

Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, (Hebrews 12:22-23, ESV)

• What about believers’ bodies?– In a “waiting state”

For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. (1 Cor 15; 1 Thess 4:14ff)

But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. (1 Corinthians 15:20, ESV)

Contrast the death of the unbeliever….

There is an essential difference between the decease of the godly and the death of the ungodly. Death comes to the ungodly man as a penal infliction, but to the righteous as a summons to his Father's palace. To the sinner it is an execution, to the saint an undressing from his sins and infirmities. Death to the wicked is the King of terrors. Death to the saint is the end of terrors, the commencement of glory. —Charles Spurgeon

Q. 86. What is the communion in glory with Christ, which the members of the invisible church enjoy immediately after death?A. The communion in glory with Christ, which the members of the invisible church enjoy immediately after death, is, in that their souls are then made perfect in holiness, and received into the highest heavens, where they behold the face of God in light and glory, waiting for the full redemption of their bodies, which even in death continue united to Christ, and rest in their graves as in their beds, till at the last day they be again united to their souls. Whereas the souls of the wicked are at their death cast into hell, where they remain in torments and utter darkness, and their bodies kept in their graves, as in their prisons, till the resurrection and judgment of the great day.

QUESTINS?COMMENTS?MUSINGS?

Q. 87. What are we to believe concerning the resurrection?A. We are to believe, that at the last day there shall be a general resurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjust: when they that are then found alive shall in a moment be changed; and the selfsame bodies of the dead which were laid in the grave, being then again united to their souls forever, shall be raised up by the power of Christ. The bodies of the just, by the Spirit of Christ, and by virtue of his resurrection as their head, shall be raised in power, spiritual, incorruptible, and made like to his glorious body; and the bodies of the wicked shall be raised up in dishonor by him, as an offended judge.

• How many resurrections are there?– “… a general resurrection of the dead,…”

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

• The hour: …. A single, definite time• All are raised: … all who are in the tombs• Both classes: … resurrection of life … resurrection of judgment

• Other prominent view rejected: Dispensational (The “Left Behind” series of fictional books by La Haye)

• What type of body will it be?– The same, but different - transformed:

But someone will ask, “How are the dead raised? With what kind of body do they come?” You foolish person! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. And what you sow is not the body that is to be, but a bare kernel, perhaps of wheat or of some other grain….

So is it with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable. It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power. It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body.(1 Corinthians 15:35-44, ESV)– Note the characteristics of Christ’s resurrection body (Luke

24:39)

Q. 88. What shall immediately follow after the resurrection?A. Immediately after the resurrection shall follow the general and final judgment of angels and men; the day and hour whereof no man knoweth, that all may watch and pray, and be ever ready for the coming of the Lord.

• How soon after the resurrection will the judgment take place?– Imediately

“Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. And he has given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man. Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment.” (John 5:25-29, ESV)

• Other prominent view rejected: Dispensational (The “Left Behind” series of fictional books by La Haye)

• What is the Christians attitude to be toward the coming judgment?– It is certain– The timing is unknown (Matt 24:36)– It is imminent (could happen at any time):

Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. (Matthew 24:42, ESV)

“But watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a trap. For it will come upon all who dwell on the face of the whole earth. But stay awake at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.” (Luke 21:34-36, ESV)

Q. 89. What shall be done to the wicked at the day of judgment?A. At the day of judgment, the wicked shall be set on Christ’s left hand, and, upon clear evidence, and full conviction of their own consciences, shall have the fearful but just sentence of condemnation pronounced against them; and thereupon shall be cast out from the favorable presence of God, and the glorious fellowship with Christ, his saints, and all his holy angels, into hell, to be punished with unspeakable torments, both of body and soul, with the devil and his angels forever.

• What is the meaning of the prophecy that they shall be set on Christ’s left hand?

• “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats….” (Matthew 25:31-32 ESV)– A separation (it is binary) – no in-between!– A place and condition of condemnation

• What is the ‘evidence’ against the wicked?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. (Revelation 20:12, ESV)

• Is Hell a place or a condition?And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. (Matthew 10:28, ESV)– It includes the body, thus is a place

• What are two extreme views in opposition to the doctrine of the punishment of the wicked?– Universalism – NO ONE is punished?– Annihilationism – They go to ‘nothing-ness’ or are ‘burned up’ or

‘cease to exist.’

And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” (Matthew 25:46, ESV)

• Does this mean that God is NOT loving?By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world. (1 John 4:17 ESV)

“…for our God is a consuming fire.” (Hebrews 12:29, ESV)

“For the Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God. (Deuteronomy 4:24, ESV)

Q. 90. What shall be done to the righteous at the day of judgment?A. At the day of judgment, the righteous, being caught up toChrist in the clouds, shall be set on his right hand, and there openly acknowledged and acquitted, shall join with him in the judging of reprobate angels and men, and shall be received into heaven, where they shall be fully and forever freed from all sin and misery; filled with inconceivable joys, made perfectly holy and happy both in body and soul, in the company of innumerable saints and holy angels, but especially in the immediate vision and fruition of God the Father, of our Lord Jesus Christ, and of the Holy Spirit, to all eternity. And this is the perfect and full communion, which the members of the invisible church shall enjoy with Christ in glory, at the resurrection and day of judgment.

• What is the condition of the righteous to be?– Acknowledged and acquitted: (Mat 10:32)– Received into heaven (Mat 25:34,46)– Freed from all sin (Eph 5:27)– Freed from all misery (Rev 14:13)– Filled with joy (Ps 16:11)– Enjoying the company of saints and angels (Heb 11:22-23)– In the Lord’s presence – a direct (immediate) vision of God

(1 John 3:2 and 1 Cor 13:12)

Remember the FIRST Catechism Question?

The Shorter Catechism:• What is the chief end of man?

– Man’s chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever.

Compare the Larger Catechism:• What is the chief and highest end of man?

– Man’s chief and highest end is to glorify God, and fully to enjoy him forever.

…and this is the perfect and full communion, which the members of the invisible church shall enjoy with Christ in glory, at the resurrection and day of judgment.