Episode 12: Get Ready for Forever

Special Guest – Dr. Robert Saucy

Trinity Broadcasting Network

Seven Last Things

1. The Last Bad Guy

The worst person that our world will ever come up with is the Antichrist.  The apostle Paul calls the Antichrist the “man of sin” and the “lawless one” (2 Thess. 2:1-2).  John writes about “the spirit of the antichrist” (1 John 4:3).
 

2. The Last Big Test

The Great Tribulation will be a seven-year period of time that will come at the end of the age and feature a time of terrible world calamities. There are three views on the timing of the Tribulation:

• Pre-tribulation – Christ will return for His followers before the tribulation.
• Mid-tribulation – Jesus will return in the middle of the tribulation, before things get really bad.
• Post-tribulation – Christ waits to return until the time is through,
  
   
3. The Last Disappearing Act
   
   This is the Rapture of the church, a glorious event when Christ will take His followers up to meet Him in the skies, and from there to heaven to always be with Him (1 Thess. 4:16-18).
   
    
4. The Last Power and Glory

This is the Kingdom of God, a future kingdom that will be established when Christ returns.
 

5. The Last Verdict

This refers to the final judgment for all people.  Believers will appear before the judgment seat of Christ for rewards, not punishment (2 Cor. 5:10).  Unbelievers will appear before the Great White Throne (Revelation 20:11-15).
 

6. The Last Worst Place
    

This is hell, a real place of outer darkness and “eternal punishment” (Matt. 25:30,46).

7. The Last Best Place

This is heaven, a real place of unimaginable beauty (Rev. 21:2-5)

Signs of the Times

So when is all of this supposed to happen? In a sense, we are already in the last days. Jesus talked about some signs in Matthew 24:2-28:

• Jerusalem would be destroyed (this happened in 70 A.D.)
• Christians would be persecuted (this has always been the case)
• The Gospel would be preached around the world

All the signs have been fulfilled. Jesus could return at any time!  Jesus said He would come when people least expect it, but only the Father knows the time 9Matt. 24:44).

How should we live?

We need to watch and wait (Matt. 24:2), we need to remain faithful as we tell others about Jesus, and we need to have the confidence that God has it all in control!

About Our Special Guest

Dr. Robert Saucy is one of the world’s most respected theologians.  He is the Distinguished Professor of Systematic theology at Talbot School of Theology, where he has taught for more than 40 years.  His interests lie in ecclesiology, eschatology, and kingdom theology.  His book, The Church in God’s Program, is a standard text in colleges and seminaries nationwide.  Dr. Saucy has written several other books and has been a contributor to many popular Bible commentaries.

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