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All right, you can turn to chapter 
32 in your copy of the Confession. If you don't have one, there 
are several in that blue basket up on top of the refrigerator. 
Coming to the end of the Confession, it shouldn't surprise us that 
the emphasis is upon eschatology, which simply means the study 
of or the doctrine of last things. So I'll read chapter 32, and 
then we'll proceed. Paragraph one, 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 angel shall be judged, but likewise 
all persons that have lived upon the 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. The end of God's appointing 
this day is for the manifestation of the glory of his mercy in 
the eternal salvation of the elect and of his justice in the 
eternal damnation of the reprobate who are wicked and disobedient. 
For then shall the righteous go into everlasting life and 
receive that fullness of joy and glory with everlasting reward 
in the presence of the Lord. but the wicked who know not God 
and obey not the gospel of Jesus Christ shall be cast into everlasting 
torments and punished with everlasting destruction from the presence 
of the Lord and from the glory of his power. 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 ever be prepared to say, 
Come, Lord Jesus, come quickly. Amen." Well, this particular 
chapter is intimately connected to chapter 31. And while there 
is the Day of Judgment in chapter 31, the accent, rather, in chapter 
31 is on the intermediate state, what happens to people when they 
die. If they're believers, their souls go to be present with the 
Lord. If they're unbelievers, they're cast off into Hades or 
hell. And then chapter 32 focuses primarily on that Day of Judgment. And it's interesting because 
there's no discussion of the Millennium, there's no discussion 
of the Antichrist, there's no discussion of the signs of the 
times. It is a very brief and compact statement, again, focusing 
primarily on the Day of Judgment. This is a consensus document. 
The confessions of faith, the creeds of the church have been 
consensus documents. That means they were designed 
to bring people together. They weren't designed necessarily 
to keep out otherwise orthodox persons. They were designed to 
keep out the heretics. If you look at Nicaea and Chalcedon, 
if you didn't subscribe to that, the way it was spelled out, you 
were considered a heretic and the church wanted no truck with 
you. But with reference to these confessions, they're broad enough 
or ambiguous enough so that persons from different eschatological 
positions could still subscribe to this particular confession 
of faith. I think that's why it doesn't 
get into all of those particular details, but we will deal with 
those particular details at the conclusion of the study today 
because I think it occupies our minds a lot in this present evil 
age in terms of the various disputes and debates over millennial positions. But remember, just by way of 
introduction from last time, Definition, the Greek word eschaton 
simply, or the eschatology means the study of or doctrine of last 
things. Individual eschatology, what 
happens to a person when they die, deals specifically with 
death, the intermediate state, and then the day of judgment. 
Cosmic eschatology, the particulars involve the rule of Christ, the 
resurrection, the final judgment, and the eternal state. So there's 
a bit of a difference, obviously some overlap there. And then 
in terms of the significance of our studies with reference 
to eschatology, I think on the one hand, persons give too much 
to it and neglect other things that the Bible teaches. And then 
on the other extreme, persons give no attention to it whatsoever. 
And that's simply not a good practice. I don't want to condemn 
anybody or anathematize anybody. But there is first a wealth of 
data in the Bible. I think I cited Voss last time 
that eschatology precedes soteriology in the garden, promise of being 
in the presence of God Almighty even before the eventuality of 
sin and the promise of God to save by Jesus Christ. As well, 
the impact on ethics. And we see that at the end of 
paragraph 3, 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 ever be prepared to say, come Lord Jesus, come 
quickly. As well, you can turn to 1 John 
chapter 3, where I think this ethical dimension of a consideration 
of Christ's coming again in glory should impact the present conduct 
of the believer. So in 1 John chapter 3 and verse 
1 it says, for we shall see him as he is. 
And everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself just 
as he is pure." So again, the idea being that a contemplation 
of the future in terms of the return of Jesus Christ ought 
to impact the present with reference to our moral conduct. Everyone 
who has this hope in him purifies himself just as he is pure. As 
well, a study of eschatology affords hope for the believer. 
We see that in this particular confession, chapter 32, as well. As well, the terror for unbelievers. 
It's good to preach the eventuality of a coming judgment day and 
what will happen to the wicked subsequent to that, hopefully 
to rouse them from their security, their carnal security, and call 
them to faith and repentance in the Lord Jesus Christ. And 
then finally, it's a recognition of God's redemptive plan, sort 
of a macrocosmic view. What is forfeit in the garden 
is restored by the last Adam in the book of Revelation. And 
as I mentioned yesterday at the theology study, in Genesis 1 
to 3, as Bavinck says, it's programmatic for the rest of the Bible. As 
Beal says, everything subsequent to Genesis 1 to 3 comments or 
expounds upon Genesis 1 to 3. So what we find in terms of Genesis 
1 to 3, subsequent to that, we see culmination and fruition 
in the book of Revelation in the latter chapters. So it's 
a good way to not only look at particular trees in the forest, 
but to fly over and get a good view of the entirety of the forest, 
to see God at work, to appreciate Christ's statement in Matthew 
16 that He will build His church, and the gates of Hades shall 
not prevail against it. So, as we look at the Confession 
in chapter 32, there are three paragraphs. The first, the concept 
of the Day of Judgment in paragraph 1. Secondly, the goal of the 
Day of Judgment in paragraph 2. And then thirdly, the practical 
relevance of the Day of Judgment in paragraph 3. So, it's pretty 
simple. As I said, it's constructed in 
such a way as to leave out no millennial position holders which 
there is one exception, which we'll notice again at the end 
of our study this morning. But first of all, in terms of 
the concept of the Day of Judgment, notice the fact of the Day of 
Judgment. There's no argument, there's 
no proof, there's no baseless assertion. It simply picks up 
what Scripture tells us. God hath appointed a day wherein 
He will judge the world in righteousness by Jesus Christ. And here you 
can turn to the book of Acts, As the confession appeals to 
Acts chapter 17, Paul at Mars Hill or at the Areopagus is preaching 
to pagan philosophers and he makes this abundantly clear. 
And in Acts 17 in verse 31, well verse 30, Truly, these times 
of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere 
to repent, because He has appointed a day on which He will judge 
the world in righteousness by the man whom He has ordained. 
He has given assurance of this to all by raising him from the 
dead. So, that's precisely what confession 
is asserting here. God hath appointed a day wherein 
He will judge the world in righteousness by Jesus Christ. It's a simple 
declaration picking up many streams of biblical teaching. Now, in 
terms of the author of the Day of Judgment, God. In terms of 
the agent, it's the Lord Jesus Christ, as we see here in chapter 
32 and as we see in Acts 17 and verse 31. Now, with reference 
to the agency of Jesus Christ, it's not the way that I pick 
up a pencil and write on a piece of paper, or better, the way 
that I use my computer as an instrument to type up notes. 
Rather, with reference to the agency of Jesus Christ, I'll 
quote from John Webster. He is speaking in the context 
of creation, creation out of nothing, but I think it applies 
here, too. He says, nor is the Son a mere 
instrument through whom the Father works. Father and son act by 
the same principle, the simple divine essence. And I think it's 
speaking specifically to the mediatorial reign of our Lord 
Jesus Christ, according to the hypostatic union. And here you 
can turn to John chapter five, where Jesus highlights these 
God befitting tasks that have been entrusted to him. John five, 
verses 28 and 29. You'll notice he specifically 
refers to judgment. If we think about judgment, the 
judgment of all mankind everywhere, that is a concept that is uniquely 
fitted to God Almighty. And so Christ says that this 
has been entrusted to Him. Again, not according to His divinity, 
but according to His humanity, specifically as the mediator, 
the God-man. Notice in John 5, 28, do not 
marvel at this, for the hour is coming in which all who are 
in the graves will hear His voice. and come forth, those who have 
done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done 
evil, to the resurrection of condemnation." So the Lord Jesus 
speaks there specifically concerning the last day. He says elsewhere 
in Matthew 28, 18 and Acts 10 that He has absolute authority, 
comprehensive authority over all things. So these God-befitting 
tasks are predicated of the Son, such that He brings this to fruition 
on that day of judgment. And then as we move on in the 
confession, we see the activities of the day of judgment. First, 
the judgment of apostate angels. Notice after that opening statement, 
it goes on to say, to whom all power and judgment is given of 
the Father, Matthew 28, other passages, in which day not only 
the apostate angels shall be judged. When Dr. Dolezal is here 
in April, you can ask him about this particular clause. As far 
as I know, we've got evidences of this in the Scriptures, and 
I do have some thoughts on it, but I don't want to get too far 
afield here. 1 Corinthians chapter 6 and verse 
3, 2 Peter 2.4 and Jude 6 speak of the judgment of the apostate 
angels. But then the confession moves 
on to men. But likewise, all persons that have lived upon 
the earth shall appear before the tribunal of Christ. So all 
men everywhere, not just the covenant community, not just 
the elect of God, not just those who are saved, but the saved 
and the unsaved, the elect and the reprobate, all men will be 
summoned before the Lord of glory to give an account of deeds done 
in the body, whether good or ill. Notice, the confession picks 
that up. "...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." That's a pretty 
terrifying statement if you press down into it a bit. Thoughts, 
words, and deeds. In other words, it's a comprehensive 
judgment. It's not just the externals that 
we've maintained or conducted through our lives, but it's also 
the internal. So, their thoughts. Now, you've 
probably heard me say this ad nauseum. The government should 
never be about policing or judging men's thoughts. Thought crime 
was a horror depicted by Orwell in 1984. That's not something 
that we should wish upon civil government, where they police 
the thoughts of individuals, where they put you in prison 
or the gulag for wrong thing. But God most high will judge 
our thoughts. Notice as well their words, and 
here you can turn to Matthew chapter 12. Again, passages that 
if we take them into consideration and we meditate upon them should 
affect us in the way that we think and in the way that we 
speak. And in Matthew 12, 36, Jesus 
says, That's idle words, not blasphemous words, not God-hating 
words, but rather idle words. I would imagine all of us can 
have a bit of a shiver at the thought of being judged for our 
idle words, let alone the things that we have said that are absolutely 
ungodly and condemnable. So thoughts, words, and then 
deeds. You can turn to 2 Corinthians 
5. 2 Corinthians 5, where the language of the apostle is picked 
up specifically in our confession. 2 Corinthians chapter 5. Specifically at verse 9, Therefore 
we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well-pleasing 
to Him. For we must all appear before 
the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the 
things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether 
good or bad. Again, this contemplation or 
meditation or declaration concerning the future provokes in the apostle 
a present response. Notice in verse 11, knowing therefore 
the terror of the Lord, we persuade men. but we are well known to 
God, and I also trust are well known in your consciences. If 
in fact it is the case, as the apostle declares under inspiration 
of the Spirit, that there is going to be this general judgment 
of all men, that we will all stand before the judge of all 
the earth and give an account for our thoughts, our words, 
and our deeds, whether good or ill, for Paul, that caused him, 
contemplating the terror of the Lord, to persuade men. So if 
we reject or disavow the very notion of a day of judgment and 
the impending doom of unbelievers, it's going to practically restrict 
our evangelistic fervor. It's going to practically restrict 
that desire to call sinners to faith and repentance. So you 
see frequently these links between a consideration of the future 
and then present conduct. Again, eschatology in the Bible 
isn't given primarily so that we can debate who the Antichrist 
is, or who we can debate, you know, is it awe or priest or 
pre or post with reference to the millennium. Now, brethren, those aren't bad 
things to discuss, but that's not where the focus lies in Holy 
Scripture. The future should affect the 
present, and this is what our confession is saying. So then 
it goes on to say, with reference to the disposition of this, 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. Now, the Bible doesn't get into 
the logistics. The Bible doesn't spell out in 
detail what that last day is going to look like. I mean, it 
does in Matthew 25, that Christ returns, he separates the nations, 
the way that a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. The 
sheep on the one hand, the goats on the other hand, reception 
for them and rejection for the others. But in terms of how it's 
going to be, I don't know. That it's going to be, I do know 
because the Bible declares it. So with reference to the particulars, 
for the righteous, are all our thoughts, are all our words, 
are all our deeds going to be revealed? And then we get that 
blessed, you know, reminder that Christ paid it all? I don't know. 
But with reference to the reality, the scripture sets it forth unequivocally. So then secondly, notice the 
goal of the Day of Judgment. The goal of the Day of Judgment. 
Paragraph two, the end of God's appointing this day is for the 
manifestation of the glory of his mercy in the eternal salvation 
of the elect and of his justice in the eternal damnation of the 
reprobate who are wicked and disobedient. So the goal of the 
Day of Judgment is Godward first and foremost. It's not about 
you and I primarily enjoying the blessedness of heaven. That 
is certainly a corollary, and that is certainly a blessing, 
and that is certainly something we ought to keep in mind, but 
with reference to the issue, it's about God. For of him, and 
through him, and to him are all things. To whom be glory forever. Amen. The Bible is conspicuously 
God-centered. Now, in its God-centeredness, 
those who have been redeemed by Jesus Christ benefit. They 
are blessed. They enjoy bliss and happiness 
and all those sorts of things. But specifically here, we see 
that the end of God's appointing this day is for the manifestation 
of the glory of His mercy. and then specifically in the 
eternal salvation of the elect, and then of his justice in the 
eternal damnation of the reprobate who are wicked and disobedient. 
And here you can turn to Romans chapter 9. Romans chapter 9, 
the apostle highlights this. Remember the context, the apostle 
is dealing with ethnic Israel. If what Paul is saying is true 
in terms of justification by faith alone, if what Paul is 
saying is true is that salvation doesn't proceed along ethnic 
lines, if what Paul is saying is true concerning God's comprehensive 
sovereignty, then what about ethnic Israel? And so chapters 
9 to 11, that's what he's dealing with. Where does ethnic Israel 
lie with reference to God's redemptive plan? And in chapter 9 specifically, 
the emphasis is upon God's sovereignty. It's upon election. It's upon 
God's sovereign grace. And so in 9.22, well, backing 
up to verse 19, This is a response to verse 14. I've told you before that Paul, 
in Romans, is countering various objections that he had heard. 
Most likely, he had heard them in the back of the synagogue, 
after having preached justification by faith alone, in Christ alone. In Romans 6, 1, he says, what 
shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that 
grace may abound? May it never be. Paul's not making 
that up. No doubt in the back of a synagogue 
he heard, and perhaps with a finger wagged in his face, well if what 
you're saying is true, then it really doesn't matter how men 
live. If they go out and sin, they've got the blood of Christ 
that does apply to them. So Paul says this is never an 
argument so that we can continue in sin. He points to our redemptive 
benefit in the Lord Jesus Christ through the waters of baptism 
in Romans chapter 6. You died with Him. You've been 
raised with Him. Therefore, no longer let sin 
reign in your members. Do not present your members as 
instruments of unrighteousness. But here in Romans chapter 9, 
in answering this particular issue, is there unrighteousness 
with God? Notice, certainly not. And so 
Paul here doubles down on predestination and on sovereignty and election. Notice that he doesn't capitulate 
and say, well, I think I better reformulate my argument. I better 
shape it in a way that's more appealing to men. No, he goes 
right to the book of Exodus, verse 15. We'll continue on from 
here. I will have mercy on whomever 
I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whomever I 
will have compassion. And then unequivocally, verse 
16, So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, 
but of God who shows mercy. In other words, anybody that's 
ever saved by God, it's according to His sovereign grace and the 
redeeming work of our Lord Jesus Christ in His life, death, and 
resurrection. He then says in verse 17, for 
the scripture says to the Pharaoh, for this very purpose, I have 
raised you up that I may show my power in you and that my name 
may be declared in all the earth. Brethren, that's a pretty showstopper, 
a pretty showstopping statement right there. What was Pharaoh's 
purpose in life? Well, it was to manifest the 
very sovereign power of God Almighty. Verse 18, therefore, he has mercy 
on whom he wills and whom he wills, he hardens. You will say 
to me then, again, here's the objectors, why does he still 
find fault for who has resisted his will? In other words, if 
God is absolutely sovereign in the way that you're presenting 
him, how can he still find us at fault? How can he, in good 
conscience, hold me culpable and responsible when he's the 
one that's absolutely sovereign? So Paul's first response is, 
you just need to shut your mouth with reference to that sort of 
a thing. I'm trying to make it sound as nice as I can, but that's 
what Paul says. Verse 20, But indeed, O man, 
who are you to reply against God? Will the thing formed say 
to him who formed it, Why have you made me like this? Does not 
the potter have power over the clay? Notice, from the same lump. God wasn't working with two lumps, 
the really good ones and the really bad ones. So the really 
good ones he predestines unto eternal life, and the really 
bad ones he reprobates. No, it's the same lump, but according 
to the good pleasure of God, some are purposed for salvation 
and some are purposed for destruction. And Paul says that this is the 
divine right. This is God's absolute prerogative. Does not the potter have power 
over the clay from the same lump to make one vessel for honor 
and another for dishonor? And then to our point here, notice 
in verse 22, what if God, wanting to show his wrath and to make 
his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels 
of wrath, note the language, prepared for destruction? and 
that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels 
of mercy which he had prepared beforehand for glory, even us 
whom he called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles. As he says also in Hosea, I will 
call them my people who are not my people, and her beloved who 
is not beloved. And it shall come to pass in 
the place where it was said to them, you are not my people, 
there they shall be called sons of the living God. So the confession 
is basically parroting Paul or imitating Paul at this point. 
The day of judgment will manifest the great mercy of God toward 
the elect in terms of salvation. It will manifest the judgment 
of God and the justice of God in the consigning of the reprobate 
unto everlasting judgment or punishment. And then notice in 
chapter 11, chapter 11 in the book of Romans, After having 
dealt with these issues and after having silenced his objectors, 
Paul brings it to conclusion in chapter 11 at verse 33. Oh, 
the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of 
God! How unsearchable are his judgments and his ways past finding 
out! In other words, he's inscrutable, 
he's incomprehensible to all of us excepting himself. It doesn't 
mean we don't have true knowledge of God, but we don't have true 
knowledge of God the way that God has true knowledge of God. 
And then he goes on to invoke some Old Testament passages. 
Verse 34, "...for who has known the mind of the Lord, or who 
has become His counselor, or who has first given to Him, and 
it shall be repaid to Him. For of Him and through Him and 
to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen." So I 
get what Paul is saying here, is that we may not be able to 
successfully answer every question and every issue that the objectors 
raise. Paul has done great work in having 
done so in chapters 9 to 11, but when it comes to eschatology, 
when it comes to the final judgment of the reprobate, there are some 
terrifying things associated with that. And certainly persons, 
if they've got a little Paul in them, will say, well, that's 
not fair that God, the absolutely sovereign one, didn't foreordain 
me unto eternal life, and now I'm consigned to everlasting 
judgment. Well, I think Romans 9, 11 to 
33 kind of silences that as well. conducts himself according to 
his sovereign will and according to his purposes. As well, for 
him to show mercy to one sinner is an abundant display of his 
graciousness and kindness. He owes no man anything. He is 
never beholden to the creature. There is nothing in us that bespeaks 
that there's a debt to be paid. The only debt to be paid is eternal 
judgment in the fires of hell for our rebellion against God. 
So when you get into these discussions concerning eschatology or when 
you get in discussions concerning the Last Judgment with unbelievers, 
they will get upset. If you've never had that conversation, 
they will get upset. They will say things like, that 
doesn't sound fair, that doesn't seem right. Well, that's exactly 
the kind of stuff that the apostle is dealing with here in the Book 
of Romans to silence the objectors and to encourage the people of 
God. But with reference to the confession, that's the emphasis. The end of God's appointing this 
day is for the manifestation of the glory of His mercy in 
the eternal salvation of the elect and of His justice in the 
eternal damnation of the reprobate who are wicked and disobedient. So that's the goal with reference 
to God. The confession goes on in paragraph 
2 to tell us the goal with reference to the significance of the Day 
of Judgment for man. Notice, for then shall the righteous 
go into everlasting life and receive that fullness of joy 
and glory with everlasting reward in the presence of the Lord. 
So we see something of that in the intermediate state. The body 
dies, the soul departs, and is present with the Lord. But on 
that day of judgment, the bodies will be raised, reunited with 
the soul. And again, the logistics definitely 
elude me how that's all going to happen. What about those who 
were cremated? What about those who got exploded? 
What about all those particular things that are difficult to 
explain? That it's going to happen, Scripture teaches, unequivocally. 
How God does it, that's between God and Himself. So that we will 
enjoy blessedness bodily. And this is why I said last time, 
when we considered chapter 31, we are not Gnostics. It's not 
the case that it's only the soul that benefits. It's not the case 
that the physical body is a necessary evil just to house our souls 
for a time. The Christian faith confesses, 
I believe in the resurrection of the dead. God is not anti-body, 
God is not anti-nature, God is not anti-physical. He made it, 
and he made it good. God's issue, God's problem, God's 
war is not against the body, but it's against the sin. And 
so the resurrection of the dead, body and soul, is another illustration 
that we are not Gnostics. We do not confine ourselves only 
to matters concerning spirit. Not that spirit is unimportant, 
but body will be raised from the dead. And then it goes on 
to highlight what the wicked will get. So the righteous go 
into everlasting life. They receive the fullness of 
joy. They shall be in the presence of the Lord, which is the sum 
and substance of eternal life. It's not the gates of pearl and 
the streets of gold. It's that we're with Emmanuel 
in Emmanuel's land. And it goes on to highlight with 
reference to the wicked. But the wicked who know not God 
and obey not the gospel of Jesus Christ shall be cast into everlasting 
torments and punished with everlasting destruction from the presence 
of the Lord and from the glory of his power. You can turn to 
2 Thessalonians chapter 1 for another illustration of what 
a consideration of the future ought to produce or promote in 
the present. And here the apostle, the confession, 
is just simply picking up his language from 2 Thessalonians 
chapter 1. Notice in verse three, we are 
bound to thank God always for you brethren, as it is fitting, 
because your faith grows exceedingly, and the love of every one of 
you all abounds toward each other, so that we ourselves boast of 
you among the churches of God for your patience and faith in 
all your persecutions and tribulations that you endure. He acknowledges 
the Christian life is hard. The Christian life is punctuated 
by afflictions and hardships and persecutions. He sounds exactly 
like the Lord Jesus in John 15 to 16. If the world hates you, 
know that it hated me first. This is your lot. Paul says in 
2 Timothy 3, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will 
suffer persecution. So he's not saying here, well, 
you know, you just think you're having persecutions, you just 
think you're having difficulties. No, he acknowledges that. He 
goes on in verse 5 to say, which is manifest evidence of the righteous 
judgment of God, that you may be counted worthy of the kingdom 
of God, for which you also suffer. Now notice in verse 6, since 
it is a righteous thing with God to repay with tribulation 
those who trouble you and to give you who are troubled rest 
with us when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his 
mighty angels in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who 
do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of 
our Lord Jesus Christ. These shall be punished with 
everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and 
from the glory of His power, when He comes in that day to 
be glorified in His saints, and to be admired among all those 
who believe, because our testimony among you was believed." So you 
see, He is speaking to a group of people that are afflicted 
and persecuted. And one of the ways that he encourages 
them is to consider the fact that when the Lord Jesus is revealed, 
they are going to be brought into that state of bliss, blessedness, 
and the eternal enjoyment of their Savior. But another thing 
that he says to encourage them is that it's righteous with God 
to pay back with tribulation those who are presently afflicting 
you. So in other words, brethren, the apostle speaks imprecatorily 
with reference to the judgment of the godless as a means of 
encouragement for the people of God. If you turn to the book 
of Revelation, in Revelation chapter 6, you get another view 
of this. Revelation chapter 6. We can't 
say, well, you know, Paul's writing to human beings on earth, and 
that may be appropriate in that context, but it's certainly not 
appropriate in the heavenly context. Well, we've got the heavenly 
context in Revelation chapter 6 at verse 9. When he opened 
the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who 
had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony which 
they held. And they cried with a loud voice, 
saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, until you judge and 
avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth? It's intriguing. The answer is not, you shouldn't 
think about that. You shouldn't expect any retribution 
from God. You should just enjoy your heart 
plucking. You should just enjoy this disembodied 
state and the bliss that goes along with it. That's not the 
response. Then a white robe was given to 
each of them. And it was said to them that 
they should rest a little while longer until both the number 
of their fellow servants and their brethren, who would be 
killed as they were, was completed. And then Revelation 19, Revelation 
chapter 19. Again, just showing that there 
is the comfort for the elect in terms of what they'll possess 
in the eternal state, but there's also that promise to the elect 
that the godless, the antichrist, those who are rebellious and 
rejecting, those who have persecuted and targeted the church of the 
Lord Jesus Christ, they will be punished. Justice is not bad. Justice is good. And for the 
saint of Christ, as we image Christ, justice and a longing 
for it is not frowned upon in Scripture. So after the judgment 
of the whore and the false prophet, notice the response in Revelation 
19 to that. After these things I heard a 
loud voice of a great multitude in heaven saying, Alleluia! Salvation and glory and honor 
and power belong to the Lord our God. For true and righteous 
are His judgments, because He has judged the great harlot who 
corrupted the earth with her fornication, and He has avenged 
on her the blood of His servants shed by her. Again they said, 
Alleluia! Her smoke rises up forever and 
ever. And the 24 elders and the four 
living creatures fell down and worshiped God, who sat on the 
throne saying, Amen, Alleluia. Then a voice came from the throne 
saying, Praise our God, all you his servants, and those who fear 
him, both small and great. And I heard as it were the voice 
of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters, and as 
the sound of mighty thundering, saying, Alleluia, for the Lord 
God omnipotent reigns. So we marvel not only at the 
mercy of God and the salvation of the elect, but we marvel at 
the justice of God in the damnation of the reprobate. And so the 
Confession picks up these streams of thought to tell us that with 
reference to the goal of the Day of Judgment, Primarily, it's 
Godward to manifest those things, and then manward to receive those 
things, and if you are in the first category, to appreciate 
them and delight in them. The wicked don't. The wicked 
will continue to blaspheme in hell. They'll continue to resist 
and reject. And so all of this manifests 
God's mercy and God's justice. And then finally, the practical 
relevance of the Day of Judgment in paragraph three. It underscores 
once again the certainty of the Day of Judgment. Paragraph three, 
as Christ would have us to be certainly persuaded that there 
shall be a Day of Judgment. And then it draws from this certain 
practical implications. Again, the future should affect 
the present. What we contemplate concerning 
the day of judgment should get into our blood in the way that 
we live in the here and now. Notice, to deter men from sin. To deter men from sin. The gospel 
of our Lord Jesus Christ and justification by faith alone 
is not to be treated the way that the ungodly treat it. Shall 
we continue in sin that grace may abound? May it never be. We're not to present our members 
as instruments of unrighteousness. We are to obey and glorify God 
Almighty. And as the people of God, we 
ought to walk carefully before the Lord. We ought to pursue 
those things that are pleasing in His sight. We ought to recognize 
that this future day of judgment functions well as a deterrent 
from sin. Notice then, as well, to console 
the godly in adversity, and for the greater consolation of the 
godly in their adversity. Paul says that we engage in momentary 
light afflictions presently, but they will give way to an 
exceeding weight of glory on the day of judgment. It's not 
a promise of pie in the sky to tell a suffering saint everything 
is going to get better. That's biblical truth. Everything 
is going to get better. In Emmanuel's land, there's no 
more hunger, there's no more thirst, there's no more pain, 
there's no more sorrow, there's no more death. at the sight of 
a grieving widow or widower. We know that reality is difficult, 
I can only imagine, but with reference to the consolation 
of the godly, they have departed, they're present with the Lord, 
and when we get to that eternal state, there will be no more 
separation or breach by death. So it consoles the godly in their 
adversity. And if we take what Paul says 
in 2 Thessalonians 1, we see what John says in Revelation 
6 and 19, there is that imprecatory element for the people of God 
to realize that the God-hating degenerates, the rebel sinners, 
the confederate of mutinous men against Yahweh and against his 
Christ, they will ultimately be cut off. That is to console 
the godly in their adversity as well. We may not see justice 
for these criminals on this side of the Day of Judgment, but we 
will most certainly see justice for criminals on that side of 
the Day of Judgment. That is consolation, brethren. 
That is encouragement for the people of God suffering under 
oppressive regimes. Notice as well the reference 
to the secrecy of the day. and for the greater consolation 
of the godly in their adversity, so will He have that day unknown 
to man. He doesn't publish it in Revelation 
23. There is no Revelation 23. By the way, get your affairs 
in order, because on, you know, what was it, May 21st, 2001, 
when did camping suppose? Was it 2012, I think? Actually, 
it was 1994 first, and then I think it was revised to either 2011 
or 2012. I remember it was May 21st, because that's Rebecca's 
birthday. And I thought, well, I'll get 
out of buying a gift if camping is right. Just kidding. I'm just 
kidding. But there's no statement or declaration 
in terms of it's going to be on this day. Get your affairs 
in order and make sure you're right with God through faith 
in our Lord Jesus Christ. It doesn't do that. We are to 
live in light of its coming, and we are to live in light of 
its reality, and that goes on to say 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 ever be prepared to say, 
Come, Lord Jesus, come quickly, amen. So in conclusion, with 
reference to this particular chapter in the Confession, as 
I said, it doesn't deal with a lot of the issues and a lot 
of the details and a lot of the questions that we have when it 
comes to studies in eschatology. So by way of conclusion of our 
study, as I said, I wanted to touch at least on some of those 
details. But before that, we need to see 
and appreciate the accountability of man to God. Man is always 
responsible to and accountable before God. There is no man out 
there, no woman, no boy, no girl, no ethnic group. Everybody is 
ultimately accountable to God. As well, the confessional statement 
regarding hell. The confession affirms the doctrine 
in the eternal damnation of the reprobate. Again, a difficult 
concept. Psychologically, it is hard to 
wrap one's mind around eternal conscious torment for sinners 
in the age to come. Theologically and philosophically, 
no problem whatsoever. But as you speak to somebody 
about it, remember that psychology is a real thing. And by that 
I don't mean lay on the couch and I want to sort of investigate 
your brain. I don't mean that. The study 
of the soul. It troubles people. It perplexes people. And understanding 
that will hopefully temper the way that we present that doctrine, 
you know, so that we're not vicious meanies triumphing over their 
coming demise, but we see them, knowing the terror of the Lord, 
we persuade them to faith and repentance in the Lord Jesus 
Christ. The Confession describes the end of the wicked. They shall 
be cast into everlasting torments and punished with everlasting 
destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory 
of His power. And the Confession attributes 
this to the justice of God. It is right with God to punish 
evildoers. I don't know why that's a debatable 
topic. I feel like it's right as an 
image-bearer of God that the civil government punish evildoers. If a pedophile goes before a 
court tomorrow, I hope he's found guilty and that he is punished 
for his crimes. That is to image God. We are 
to love people. We are to have mercy to people. 
We are to be gracious to people. We are to be compassionate to 
people. But that's not all of God's perfections. There is justice. There is righteousness. There 
is holiness. There is retribution. And again, 
not us taking our guns and going out and slaying the wicked, but 
learning to give place to wrath. In fact, you can turn to Romans 
12 in terms of a practical expression of that from the Apostle. He 
segues in to God's wrath in history via the civil government in Romans 
13. The backdrop is, or the context 
is, Romans chapter 12. Notice in verse 17, Notice he doesn't say, do not 
avenge yourselves, because the whole concept of vengeance is 
terrible. The whole concept of vengeance 
is not in accordance with the Christian man. No, he says, give 
place to wrath. How do we give place to wrath? 
May I suggest the Psalms of David? Pray them? Sing them? Rejoice 
in them? May I suggest 2 Thessalonians 
1, Revelation 6, Revelation 19? This is the way that the people 
of God give place to wrath. Now, I'm not saying there was 
a guy on Wellington who cut me off, so Lord, please terminate 
with extreme prejudice the guy who bears license plate, whatever 
it is. That's not what I'm suggesting. 
But there is in the God-fearing man and woman a desire for God's 
justice and vindication and his avenging justice. You cannot 
read the Psalms of David without seeing that. Psalms ascribed 
to Asaph, I think it's 7411, take your hand from your bosom 
and destroy them. Now, we could go the route of 
some interpreters and say, with one of them in particular, the 
Psalms of David that have an imprecatory nature are beneath 
the prayers of the people of God. I completely reject that 
concept. I believe the prayers of David 
are the prayers of our Lord Jesus Christ. And I would never suggest 
that those are beneath us. So the apostle says, give place 
to wrath. Vengeance is mine. I will repay, 
says the Lord. And in the context, if you continue 
into Romans chapter 13, notice there's no adversative, but now 
I'm starting a brand new topic. No, verses 1 to 7 flow naturally 
from the context in Romans chapter 12. What's one of the other ways 
we give place to God's wrath? We recognize the function and 
the role of the civil magistrate. Notice in verse 1 of chapter 
13, So Paul is saying, don't avenge yourselves. Don't take 
your gun and start shooting people down like you're Charles Bronson. 
No, let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. 
Actually, Charles Bronson didn't do that in reality. There was 
a series of movies when I was growing up where he did that 
as an actor. I don't want to sully his name or reputation. For there is no authority except 
from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. 
Therefore, whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance 
of God. Those who resist will bring judgment on themselves. 
For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you 
want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will 
have praise from the same. For he is God's minister to you 
for good. But if you do evil, be afraid. 
For he does not bear the sword in vain, for he is God's minister 
and avenger to execute..." Note that language, wrath. So giving 
place to wrath in the imprecatory Psalms and singing, but give 
place to wrath in a recognition that it's the function and role 
of the civil government to execute the justice of God in a civil 
polity. It's not up to us as private 
individuals. Note the explanation in verse 
4, for he is God's minister, literally God's deacon. We have 
ecclesiastical deacons who serve the church of God, who serve 
the poor, who do their calling within the context of the church. 
And then there are civil deacons. And their function, primarily, 
is to wield the sword, to punish criminal offenders in a civil 
polity, and to defend that civil polity from foreign invaders. 
He says, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil. And I think we should supply 
works there. The civil government doesn't 
execute wrath on those who think evil. Because if they do that, 
we're all in big, big trouble. But they do punish evil works, 
or they're supposed to. Now, in terms of millennialism, 
millennialism, you've probably heard that word before. If you 
haven't, welcome to the 21st century and the Reformed and 
evangelical world. Typically, we describe or we 
deal with eschatology under the heading of millennialism. And 
as you might imagine, millennial simply means 1,000. And the millennial 
is seen, or the millennium, rather, is seen in Revelation chapter 
20. We have this reference to 1,000 years. And I don't know, 
I haven't done the historical research, how that became the 
keyhole by which we looked at every other text in scripture 
to interpret eschatology. But nevertheless, it's where 
we are. So there are three positions when we talk about millennialism. There is first premillennialism. And this is the belief that Christ 
will return to Earth and then set up a period of his earthly 
reign for 1,000 years. So pre obviously means before. So Jesus comes and then sets 
up this millennial kingdom. There are distinctions here. 
as you might imagine. That's one good thing Christians 
do, they divide and divide and divide and divide and divide 
and further divide. It's not enough anymore to say, 
I'm a Christian. I have to say, I'm a Christian of the Baptist 
variety, of the Reformed Baptist variety, with reference to the 
Second London Confession. And that's not even good enough 
anymore. Full subscription or strict subscription, right? And 
that's not bad. I'm not suggesting that distinctions 
and nuancing is necessarily bad. But with reference to premillennialism, 
there are two varieties. First, we would call it historic. premillennialism. And this position 
goes way back into the early church. I think it's overworked 
that the early church was premillennial. I think that's pushing too hard. 
But was there premillennialism in the early church? Yes. The 
second variety is called dispensational premillennialism. And dispensationalism 
is a system of biblical interpretation. And I think it's very important 
that we understand that. It's not just eschatology with 
dispensationalism. It's a hermeneutic. It's a way 
to read the scripture. So it's a system of biblical 
interpretation and of theology which divides God's working into 
different periods, or dispensations, which he administers in different 
ways. As I said, it affects more than 
just eschatology. Now, the non-negotiable thing 
that distinguishes dispensationalism is what's called the Jew-Gentile 
distinction. So in the historic premillennial 
version, you don't find a distinction between Jews and Gentiles. In 
the dispensational version of premillennialism, you do find 
a distinction amongst the Jews and the Gentiles. Now, what drives 
that? Well, as best I can tell, is 
that they don't think that the promises of God made to Old Covenant 
Israel are fulfilled in the church. They think that there is a place 
for ethnic Israel in the future to receive all those promises 
of God that were made in the Old Testament. Now the contrast 
in terms of interpretation or hermeneutic between dispensationalism 
would be covenant theology, or basically what Reformed theology 
holds to. That what we find is that Jesus 
is the true Israel of God, John 15.1. He tells us as much. I am the true vine. That language 
of vine is applied to Old Covenant Israel, typically in contexts 
that are judgmental in nature. They're going to be judged because 
they're not functioning as the vine of God was designed to function. So Jesus is the vine. He is the 
true vine. And the church in him benefits 
or participates in all of the blessings that he has secured. 
So that old covenant prophecies are fulfilled in Jesus and the 
church. So that's the distinction between 
Reformed theology or covenant theology and dispensationalism. 
Dispensationalism has a plan for ethnic Israel in the future. So at least older versions of 
dispensationalism taught that the Gentile church was a parentheses 
in God's plan. I understand that most dispensationalists 
today would not use this language, but just a broad thumbnail sketch. 
that when Jesus came, this is the original variety, he offered 
the kingdom to the Jews, the Jews rejected it, so then Jesus 
turned his attention to the Gentiles. Once the Gentile church phase 
is over, they're raptured out of the world, then God's plan 
with reference to the Jews will start again. So that's what distinguishes 
between a historic premillennialist and a dispensational premillennialist. It is this Jew-Gentile distinction. So two varieties of premillennialism. The second version is called 
postmillennialism. If pre means before, post means 
after. So Jesus comes after the millennium. And it's the eschatological approach 
which simply maintains that. So postmillennialism, in contrast 
to premillennialism, Jesus comes after the millennium. You're 
probably all thinking inside, well, what's the millennium? 
That is where we're going to end. That's the crucial key to 
this whole process of figuring out what is the significance 
behind these millennial positions. But again, just a bit of a category. 
As you might imagine, two distinctions within post-millennialism. There's 
one version, we might call it historic. It's usually associated 
with the Puritans. There was a book written by Ian 
Murray called the Puritan Hope. Some have called it Puritan Hope 
post-millennialism. And basically what it maintains 
is that prior to the return of our Lord Jesus Christ, there 
will be benefit from the gospel, not that every person and every 
nation will be converted unto Jesus, but that there will be 
great outpourings of the Spirit, there will be great revival, 
there will be great additions to the church of the Lord Jesus 
Christ, such that when He returns at the end of or on that final 
day, He presents that millennial kingdom or that kingdom unto 
His Father. Then there's what's called theonomic post-millennialism. And that's simply the word theonomy 
means God's law. So this was popularized in the 
probably 60s and 70s by what were called Christian reconstructionists. And the three main guys were 
Roussos, John Rush Dooney, Gary North, his son-in-law, and then 
a man by the name of Greg Bonson. So they took up the cause of 
postmillennialism. But because they had a view of 
God's law, theonomy, they married those two concepts together. 
And so there are a bit of distinctions, or some distinctions, between 
a historic postmill and a theonomic postmill. And again, the idea 
here is not to get into every jot and tittle, but just to give 
you an idea of what's going on. And then the final one is amillennialism. The word ah means no. Basically, 
it's a privative, it's a negation. And this is the eschatological 
view that there will be no period of earthly reign of Christ either 
before or after his second coming. Also known as realized millennialism, 
which conveys the idea that the millennium is the period between 
the first and second advent of Christ. So those are the positions. And as I said, with reference 
to the millennium, that's the key sort of concept for one to 
define. So both Pre and Post see it as 
Jesus' earthly reign. Pre sees it in connection with 
his coming, setting up his kingdom, and then reigning. Post sees 
that earthly reign as going on similarly to the amillennialists 
in this church age, or the time frame between the first and the 
second coming of Jesus. And at the end of that, he comes 
and presents that kingdom unto his father. Amillennialism, again, 
it's not the concept necessarily that there's no millennial, but 
they disagree with this period of great earthly reign where 
there's benefit all over the place in a pre or post sort of 
a mindset or concept. Now, with reference to the millennium, 
if you're going to ask me my opinion, we don't have time today. And where I fall out in these 
particular things, just want to give you these things to think 
about. The final thing is, how do people interpret the book 
of Revelation? That's a huge issue. That's a 
huge issue. And essentially there are four 
ways to approach the book of Revelation. There's what's called 
the historicist approach, or view, wherein Revelation surveys 
the whole of church history. Historicism is a method of interpretation 
in Christian eschatology. which associates biblical prophecies 
with actual historical events and identifies symbolic beings 
with historical persons or societies. It has been applied to the Book 
of Revelation by many writers. So for instance, we move through 
the Book of Revelation, and there we see Charlemagne, and there 
we see this emperor, and there we see this particular incident 
that occurred in world history. That's historicism. It is interpreting 
the Book of Revelation based on the movement in history as 
persons have witnessed it. One that is similar but different 
is called the idealist, or we might say the spiritual or symbolic 
view. This is the position I would 
suggest of most of the amillennialists that you'd be familiar with today. 
It's kind of the same approach, but instead of tying specific 
historical events into specific revelation texts, It's rather 
those things are types or rather those things are illustrations 
of or symbolize what we see in the book of Revelation. And interestingly, 
probably one of the best commentaries that I know of on the book of 
Revelation is G.K. Beale. And he would be an amillennialist 
and he would be an idealist. So take that for what it's worth. 
And I'm not necessarily, I endorse his position. I'm just saying, 
in terms of scholarship and work and exegesis, I mean, it's that 
thick. Not that that makes a book good. 
Phone books are that thick, too. But nevertheless, he has done 
a lot of work in that. So historicism and idealism, 
similar but different. Historicism sees concretely in 
the Book of Revelation Charlemagne, for instance. Idealists see cycles, 
history, good, evil, cosmic events played out in the Book of Revelation 
and things that we see having done or having moved about in 
history. The next is futurism, and futurism 
is precisely what it sounds like. It is to interpret the bulk of 
revelation as taking place in the future. This is the favorite 
position of dispensationalism because of their future view 
of inclusion of God's blessing upon the ethnic Israel Futurism 
is the way that dispensationalism handles the book of Revelation. 
And then the final position is preterism. And preterism simply 
means past tense. It's the view that the bulk of 
the book of Revelation has already happened. It took place in the 
destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70. In other words, John was 
writing about what Jesus had taught on in Matthew 24 and in 
Mark 13 and in Luke 21. So Jesus spoke the Olivet Discourse 
in those Synoptic Gospels, and those of us who take a preteristic 
view understand that John amplifies the little apocalypse from Matthew 
24 into the big apocalypse in Revelation. And again, not that 
everything written there has already taken place in AD 70. 
That would be called hyper-preterism, too much preterism, to say that 
everything that happens in the Book of Revelation was associated 
with AD 70 is to go too far. So orthodox preterism or sane 
preterism. Partial preterism, that's the 
word I was looking for. Sane makes sense, too, I think. 
But those are the positions. Those are how persons investigate 
or read the book of Revelation. So a lot of times, it's what 
you already believe about eschatology. It's what you already think concerning 
the end that affects the way that you read the book of Revelation. So that's why I say hermeneutics, 
or interpretation is the more important issue to consider when 
it comes to matters of eschatology, when it comes to matters of millennialism 
and interpretative methods with reference to revelation. So hopefully 
that's a ballpark and we can conclude there. So I'll pray. 
Our Father in heaven, we thank you for our confession and its 
simplicity and the fact that it focuses upon that day of judgment 
and the practical implications of us considering these things. 
Help us, Father, to think these ways as well. Help us to be alert. Help us to be watchful and prayerful. 
Help us, those who have this hope, to keep ourselves pure, 
even as He is pure. We ask now that you would bless 
our time of public worship, receive it, and be glorified in it. And 
we pray through Christ the Lord. Amen.