End Time Insights

Jesus Christ fulfills God’s promise to bless all nations through His Covenant with Abraham. There is salvation in No Other Name . Foundational to the biblical doctrine of redemption is the Covenant that God made with Abraham, and with his “ seed ” after him, including the promises to bless all nations and to grant the Patriarch innumerable descendants. But how and when are the nations blessed? And who is Abaham’s “ seed ” destined to inherit the promises?

Salvation includes the resurrection of believers and the New Creation, both of which will occur when Jesus arrives from Heaven . Central to the doctrine of salvation is  redemption . God will not abandon what He first created. The term ‘redemption’ signifies the recovery of that which was lost. The universe has been enslaved and condemned to decay and death by sin. In God’s redemptive plan, however, the end state of the things and creatures rescued by Him will not simply be restored. They will be vastly superior to their original state, and this is epitomized by the promised bodily resurrection.

The Good News of Jesus Christ and his victory over death offers hope, life, and salvation to men and women of every nation . God's covenant promises to Abraham were never limited to the nation of Israel or the small territory of Canaan. Jesus declared that “ all authority in Heaven and on Earth is given to me, therefore, Go! Make disciples of all nations! ” He sent his disciples to announce his Lordship and Salvation “ to the ends of the Earth ” - To every nation and people. The Promise of the Abrahamic Covenant to bless all nations through the Patriarch’s “ seed ” is coming to fruition through the Nazarene.

The saints will be assembled before Jesus on the Last Day, and the wicked will be collected for judgment and cast from his presence . On the Last Day, the righteous and the unrighteous are “ gathered ” before Jesus, the former for vindication and salvation, and the latter for condemnation. This event is linked in the New Testament to Christ’s “ arrival ” at the end of the age. On that day, he will resurrect the dead, judge the dead and living, terminate the “ Last Enemy, Death ,” and consummate the Kingdom of God. After that, “ God will be all in all .”

The Thessalonians began to serve the Living God and to wait eagerly for His Son’s arrival from Heaven – 1 Thessalonians 1:8-10. The saints in Thessalonica responded to the preaching of the Gospel by turning from “ idols to serve the living and true God .” Their life orientation changed radically because of their new faith in the Gospel, and their allegiance to Jesus Christ. Rather than a comfortable life in Macedonia, they chose a path that guaranteed opposition and persecution.

Jesus summoned his disciples to proclaim the Good News of his Kingdom to every inhabited corner of the Earth . The Gospel of Jesus Christ is not about reforming society or governments. His message summons all men to repent and join a radically new social order and political reality, the  Kingdom of God . His message is contrary to the political ideologies of the present world order. It subverts mankind’s philosophies, political ideologies, and popular beliefs.

Paul responded to false teachings about the resurrection of believers in his second letter to Timothy. Certain voices in the Church were denying this essential truth. “ God did not give us a spirit of fear but of a sound mind ,” including our anxieties about death. Jesus overcomes death and gives life “ through the Gospel .”

Paul prepared his readers in Philippi for one of his letter’s main themes: Going on to “ perfection ” in Jesus. Bodily resurrection must take place for the consummation of this process. This will occur when Jesus appears “ on the clouds of Heaven .” What God began in the Philippians at their conversion He would continue to perform until “ the Day of Christ .”

The biblical faith is forward-looking and foundational to its doctrine of salvation is the future resurrection of the righteous dead. That event will also mark the arrival of the New Creation. The New Testament links this to two events. First, the past Resurrection of Jesus. Second, his future arrival at the end of the age. Our salvation remains incomplete without our resurrection.

In his Letter to the Romans , Paul presents his most detailed explanation of the Gospel. His purpose was to deal with conflicts between Gentile and Jewish members of the Assembly and prepare the ground for taking the Gospel to the West. In doing so, he touched on key topics, including death, redemption, the Law, resurrection, and New Creation.

The vision of the “ Son of Man ” in the Book of Revelation is preceded by “ greetings ” from the “ One who is, who was, and who is coming ,” the “ Seven Spirits before His Throne ,” and from Jesus Christ, the “ Faithful Witness ” and the “ Firstborn of the Dead .” In his death, he gave faithful testimony, and God vindicated his sacrifice by raising him from the dead.  Moreover, his resurrection is the precedent for the future resurrection of his followers, therefore, he is the “ Firstborn of the Dead ,” the first of many over whom the “ Second Death has no power . ”

The Good News announced by Jesus of Nazareth offers salvation and life to men and women of every nation and people . After his resurrection, Jesus declared: “ All authority in heaven and on earth is given to me, therefore, go and make disciples of all nations !” He then sent his disciples to announce his salvation to the “ ends of the Earth .” The Era of Salvation commenced with his Death and Resurrection; therefore, his life-giving message must be announced to all men in every nation . The Messiah of Israel has achieved life and deliverance from bondage for his people!

Jesus means ‘Yahweh saves.’ In this Man of Nazareth, the Salvation promised by the God of Abraham and Israel has arrived for all men . The child carried by Mary was “ begotten of the Holy Spirit .” The angel instructed Joseph to name the child ‘Jesus’: “ Call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins .” His name pointed to the saving act of God for humanity that was about to unfold. Men and women would behold the long-promised  Salvation of Yahweh  in Jesus of Nazareth.

In his  Letter to the Romans , Paul describes in detail the message of salvation that he proclaims among the nations. He declares that it is the “ power of God for salvation ” to all men who accept it. Due to humanity’s sin, two forces are at work in the world -  Righteousness  and  Wrath . In Jesus of Nazareth, God has provided the solution to humanity’s desperate plight and made it available to all men through the “ faith OF Jesus Christ .”

Paul provided the Assembly in Thessalonica with instructions on how believers must live in anticipation of the “ Day of the Lord .” It will not overtake them since they “ are not in darkness .” They are the “ Sons of Light ” and the “ Sons of the Day .” Unlike the unrighteous of this fallen age, the watchful believer who lives in the light of the Gospel will not be caught off guard by that Day’s sudden arrival.