The Conditionalist Faith of Our Fathers, vol. 1

V. Apostles’ Descriptions Agree With Christ’s

The basic harmony between Christ’s eschatology and that pictured by Paul and John is impressive. In His prophetic discourse of Matthew 24, answering the disciples’ inquiry as to “the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world” (Matthew 24:3), Christ leads His listeners up to His “coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory” (Matthew 24:30), and declares: CFF1 223.2

“And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect [eklektous, chosen] from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other” (Matthew 24:31). CFF1 223.3

1. SECOND ADVENT USHERS IN “DAY OF THE LORD.”

And now observe how Paul’s description agrees with that of Christ: CFF1 223.4

“For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent [phthano, “to precede”] them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord” (1 Thessalonians 4:15-17).

And this is presented by Paul in immediate connection with the transcendent scenes of the “day of the Lord.” CFF1 223.5

“The day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they [the wicked] shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, ... and they shall not escape” (1 Thessalonians 5:2, 3). CFF1 224.1

2. SECOND ADVENT IS DAY OF SEPARATION

Christ further describes the momentous events at His coming in these words in the parable of the talents. Note them again in greater detail: CFF1 224.2

“When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: and before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: and he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left” (Matthew 25:31-33). CFF1 224.3

And the King’s sentence from the throne, to those on His left, will be: CFF1 224.4

“Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire [to pur to aionion, age-lasting fire], prepared for the devil and his angels.” “And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal” (Matthew 25:41, 46).

But mark that “everlasting punishment” is not everlasting punishing, but is eternal in results, and is analogous to the “eternal judgment” of Hebrews 6:2 (not eternal judging), “eternal redemption” of Hebrews 9:12 (not eternal redeeming), “eternal salvation” of Hebrews 5:9 (not eternal saving). That is, it is the eternal effect of an act. The act here in Matthew 25:46 is an act of punishment, as in Matthew 3:12, where “he will burn up [katakausei, “consume entirely”] the chaff with unquenchable fire.” CFF1 224.5

3. ETERNAL RESULTS OF FINAL REAPING

The harvest, or reaping time, tersely pictured by Christ, is portrayed in full by John in Revelation 14. Note it: CFF1 224.6

“And I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son of man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle. And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to him that sat on the cloud, Thrust in thy sickle, and reap: for the time is come for thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe. And he that sat on the cloud thrust in his sickle on the earth; and the earth was reaped. And another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle. And another angel came out from the altar, which had power over fire; and cried with a loud cry to him that had the sharp sickle, saying, Thrust in thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth; for her grapes are fully rape. And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God” (Revelation 14:14-19). CFF1 224.7

First, the second advent of the Son of man is pictured, then the garnering, or gathering, of the ripened harvest of the golden grain of earth. Finally comes the climax—the gathering of the ripened clusters of grapes of wrath for casting into the “great winepress of the wrath of God” (Revelation 14:19). Thus are the transactions of the great “day of the Lord” portrayed by John. CFF1 225.1

There are consequently two distinct developments, or phases: First, the gathering of the righteous, represented by the fully ripened grain; and second, the gathering up of the wicked, as fully ripe grapes, which are cast into the wine press of the fury of His wrath. Thus they are brought to an utter end. That is John’s elaboration of Jesus’ basic prophecy. CFF1 225.2

Now let us turn to Christ’s portrayal of man’s condition in death, pictured as a “sleep.” In this He is strongly buttressed by Paul. CFF1 225.3