Our Destiny

M. Horton Stanley

Description

God creates in Genesis, Christ brings salvation in the Gospels ;. but then what? In Dr. Stanley M. Horton's book, Our Destiny: Biblical Teachings on the Last Things, you'll discover what's in store for God's people and the answers to other eye-opening questions about the end times. Dr. Horton examines the prophesied last things, blessed hope of the believer, consummation of God's plan, and related Tribulation topics from a distinctly Pentecostal view. Featuring study questions at the end of each chapter, your study and discussion on these Revelation topics will reach a new level of depth and understanding. You'll also hear the unique perspectives from famous theologians such as Tertullian, Tillich, Whitby, Schweitzer, Papias, Origen, Moltmann, Metz, Luther, Kant, Irenaeus, Eusebius, and Augustine. Chapter topics include:Death and the Intermediate StateResurrection and RaptureThe TribulationThe Time of the RaptureMillennial ViewsThe Millennial KingdomThe Final JudgmentThe Final State of the WickedThe Final State of the RighteousExplore what God has planned for His creation and the glorious events Christians have to look forward to!

Sujets

• Bibles
• Philosophie et théologie
• Theology
• Christianity
• Bible

Informations

• Publié par: Logion Press
• Date de parution: 01 janvier 1996
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781607311683
• Langue: English

Extrait

By the same author
BIBLE DOCTRINES: A PENTECOSTAL PERSPECTIVE
THE BOOK OF ACTS
READY ALWAYS
THE ULTIMATE VICTORY: AN EXPOSITION OF THE BOOK OF REVELATION
WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS ABOUT THE HOLY SPIRIT

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE: NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®; NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.
6th Printing 2016
© 1996 by Gospel Publishing House, Springfield, Missouri 65802. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means-electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise without prior written permission of the copyright owner, except brief quotations used in connection with reviews in magazines or newspapers.
Logion Press books are published by Gospel Publishing House.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Horton, Stanley M. Our destiny : biblical teachings on the last things I Stanley M. Horton. p. em. Includes bibliographical references and indexes. ISBN: 978-088243-246-5 1. Eschatology. 2. Eschatology-Biblical teaching. I. Title. BT821.2.H67 1995 236-dc20 95-31343
Printed in the United States of America
Cover by Prodigy Pixel, Springfield, Missouri ( www.prodigypixel.com )
Contents
Preface
Introduction: Good News
The Gospel
Substitutes for Truth
The God of Hope
The Covenanting God
A Blessed Hope
1. Death and the Intermediate State
Life and Death
Old Testament Teaching
New Testament Teaching
Other Views of the Afterlife
2. Resurrection and Rapture
Resurrection in the Old Testament
Resurrection in the New Testament
Preparation by the Holy Spirit for Resurrection and Rapture
A Needed Warning
Other Theories of Jesus’ Return
Two Aspects of Christ’s Second Coming
The Judgment Seat of Christ
The Wedding Supper of the Lamb
3. The Tribulation
The Kingdom Brought in Through Judgment
An Overview of History
Seven Years of Tribulation
The Abomination That Causes Desolation
The Wrath of God and the Lamb
Interpretations of the Book of Revelation
John’s Visions
The Antichrist
Armageddon
4. The Time of the Rapture
Posttribulationists
Midtribulationists
Pretribulationists
Looking for Christ’s Coming
The Present Kingdom
The Kingdom to Come
5. Millennial Views
Three Views
Early Millennialism
The Rise of Amillennialism
The Rise of Postmillennialism
The Rise of Dispensationalism
Liberal Views
Key Issues for Premillennialists
6. The Millennial Kingdom
Old Testament Prophecies
The Reality of the Coming Kingdom
Believers Judging and Reigning with Christ
7. The Final Judgment
Satan Released
The Necessity of Judgment
The Certainty of Judgment
The White Throne Judgment
Other Judgments
Serious Warnings
8. The Final State of the Wicked
God’s Holy Wrath
The Destiny of the Lost
Other Views
9. The Final State of the Righteous
Complete Fulfillment
The New Heaven and New Earth
The New Jerusalem
The Eternal Ages to Come
A Glorious Fulfillment
Glossary
Selected Bibliography
Scripture Index
Subject Index
Preface
Teaching about the prophesied last things and the blessed hope of the believer in Christ has been my privilege and joy over a period of forty-six years. Faith in Christ involves trust, obedience, and expectation. These have been made more and more important to me as the Holy Spirit continues to work in my life and ministry. It is with my students in mind, who are serving God all over the world, that I write. May they and the ones to whom they minister be encouraged as they read and study what the Bible says about the last things.
In line with the usage of both the KJV and the NIV, “Lord” is used in capitals and small capitals where the Hebrew of the Old Testament has the personal, divine name of God, Yahweh. 1
In quoted Scripture, words I wish to emphasize are highlighted with italics.
For easier reading, Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek words are all transliterated with English letters.
A few abbreviations have been used:
Gk.: Greek
Heb.: Hebrew
Lat.: Latin
KJV: King James Version
RSV: Revised Standard Version
LXX: The Septuagint, a Greek translation of the Old Testament made in Alexandria, Egypt, during the two centuries before Christ.
Williams: The New Testament in the Language of the People (Charles B. Williams)
My special thanks go to Dr. Zenas Bicket, Dr. Edgar Lee, and Dr. Jesse Moon for reading the manuscript and making valuable suggestions. Special thanks also to Glen Ellard and his editing staff at Gospel Publishing House and to all who assisted in preparing this book.
________________________
1 The Hebrew wrote only the consonants Y HWH , Later traditions followed the New Latin J HVH and added vowels from the Hebrew for “Lord” to remind them to read Lord instead of the divine name. This was never intended, however, to be read “Jehovah.”
Introduction: Good News
T HE G OSPEL
The word “gospel” means “good news.” The central fact of this good news Peter gave on the Day of Pentecost: “God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of the fact. Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear. For David did not ascend to heaven, and yet he said, ‘The Lord said to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet”’” (Acts 2:32-35). It is good news not only that Jesus rose from the dead, but also that He is at God the Father’s right hand in the place of authority, interceding for us: He “speaks to the Father in our defense” (1 John 2:1). From the throne He keeps pouring out the Holy Spirit upon believers to give us help and power. He is also waiting for the time when God will say it is enough and send Him back victorious over all His enemies (Heb. 10:13).
Peter gave the further good news that the promise of the Holy Spirit’s outpouring was not just for the Day of Pentecost, but for all who repent and are baptized, “‘You will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call’” (Acts 2:38-39).
The call, however, is not just to come to Christ and receive forgiveness and power. Peter pleaded, “‘Save yourselves from this corrupt generation’” (Acts 2:40). That plea is even more necessary today. We live in a world where the future seems to be more and more uncertain. The great scientist Albert Einstein, after World War II, pointed out that fear among nations was increasing, as were starvation, injustice, territorial conflicts, and power politics. 1 In spite of all the current peace efforts, this is still true. Fallen human nature has not changed. John the Baptist called unrepentant unbelievers a “brood of vipers” (Matt. 3:7). Jesus called them hypocrites, dogs, pigs, blind guides, full of greed and self-indulgence, belonging to their father, the devil (Matt. 7:5-6; 23:24-25,28; John 8:44). He sent His apostles out “like sheep among wolves” (Matt. 10:16). Peter wrote of
those who follow the corrupt desire of the sinful nature and despise authority. Bold and arrogant, these men are not afraid to slander celestial beings; yet even angels, although they are stronger and more powerful, do not bring slanderous accusations against such beings in the presence of the Lord. But these men blaspheme in matters they do not understand. They are like brute beasts, creatures of instinct, born only to be caught and destroyed, and like beasts they too will perish. … Their idea of pleasure is to carouse in broad daylight. … With eyes full of adultery, they never stop sinning; they seduce the unstable; they are experts in greed—an accursed brood! (2 Pet. 2:10-14).
Jude adds that they “are grumblers and faultfinders; they follow their own evil desires; they boast about themselves and flatter others for their own advantage …; scoffers who will follow their own ungodly desires … who follow mere natural instincts and do not have the Spirit” (Jude 16,18-19). As Pastor Guy Duty wrote, “The diseased moral mind sinks lower and lower in the moral scale.” 2
THE ONLY GOOD NEWS LEFT
Nevertheless, most people of the world still want to hope for the best, even though today’s media give us very little hope, very little good news. In fact, the gospel, God’s “good news,” is about the only really good news left. This good news looks to the past, the present, and the future. It is good news that God, who created all things through Jesus Christ (John 1:3), loves everyone in the world and desires to share His blessings and fellowship with each of us. It is good news that Jesus died for all, and His death put into effect a new covenant that offers not only salvation and fellowship with God through Jesus, but also the gift of the Holy Spirit and the sure hope of Christ’s return and our sharing in eternal glory (Rom. 8:9-10,23-24; 15:13; 2 Cor. 3:8,11-12; Eph. 3:16-19; Col. 1:17; 1 Pet. 4:14). It is good news, too, that in spite of the corruption in this world, whenever people repent and turn to God their sins will be wiped out and times of refreshing will come from the Lord. The Greek indicates that we can have these seasons of refreshing, these times of mighty spiritual revival, right up to the time Jesus comes back to earth again.
This good news gives meaning to life today. We can still affect our world for Christ. We can still expect to see Pentecostal outpourings and thousands saved and added to the Church, as is actually happening in many parts of the world even now. We can and must be “the salt of the earth,” having a seasoning and preserving effect on those around us. We can and must be “the light of the world,” letting our “light shine before men, that they may see [our] good deeds and praise [our] Father in heaven,” as Jes