The Last Things

What you'll learn

Explain what Scripture teaches about death, the intermediate state, the return of Christ, the resurrection of the body and the final judgement.
Describe the new creation and defend the doctrine of eternal punishment against annihilationism and universalism.
Summarise the four main millennial views fairly and explain why the hope of Christ's return shapes Christian living now.

The doctrine in one sentence

Jesus Christ will return personally, bodily and visibly to raise the dead, judge the world in righteousness and make all things new, so that believers will dwell with God in glory forever and the unrepentant will be justly punished forever. Theologians call this area eschatology, from the Greek eschata, 'last things'.

Eschatology is often reduced to charts and arguments about the end-times calendar. Those questions have their place, and we will meet them below. But the Bible's main purpose in speaking about the future is to give hope, courage and holiness to God's people now (1 Thess 4:18; 2 Pet 3:11-14; 1 John 3:2-3). An apologist needs both: confident clarity on the central truths and humility on the secondary ones.

One more framing point: the 'last days' began with Christ's first coming (Acts 2:16-17; Heb 1:2). We live between the 'already' and the 'not yet'. The kingdom has already come in Christ, sin and death are already defeated at the cross and empty tomb, yet we wait for the consummation when every enemy is put under his feet (1 Cor 15:24-26).

What is the Bible's main purpose in speaking about the future, and what does it mean to live between the 'already' and the 'not yet'?Show answer

Scripture's main purpose is to give hope, courage and holiness to God's people now (1 Thess 4:18; 2 Pet 3:11-14; 1 John 3:2-3), not merely to supply end-times charts. The last days began with Christ's first coming: the kingdom has already come in him and sin and death are already defeated at the cross and empty tomb. Yet we still wait for the consummation, when every enemy is put under his feet (1 Cor 15:24-26).

hope, courage, holiness now
last days began with Christ
already: kingdom come, death defeated
not yet: consummation awaited

Death and the intermediate state

Death is not natural in the sense of how things were meant to be; it is 'the last enemy' (1 Cor 15:26) and the wages of sin (Rom 6:23). But for the believer, its sting has been removed (1 Cor 15:55-57).

What happens when a Christian dies? The body returns to the dust, but the soul does not cease to exist or fall into unconscious sleep. It goes immediately to be with Christ. Jesus promised the thief, 'today you will be with me in paradise' (Luke 23:43). Paul says that to be 'away from the body' is to be 'at home with the Lord' (2 Cor 5:8), and that to depart is to 'be with Christ, for that is far better' (Phil 1:23). The souls of the martyrs are conscious and speaking in heaven (Rev 6:9-11).

This is called the intermediate state: the time between death and the resurrection. It is blessed but not yet final, because God made us embodied creatures and our salvation includes the body. The Westminster Shorter Catechism captures the balance beautifully: the souls of believers 'do immediately pass into glory', while their bodies, 'being still united to Christ, do rest in their graves till the resurrection' (Q37).

When Scripture speaks of believers 'falling asleep' (1 Thess 4:13-14), it describes how death looks from the outside (the body at rest, awaiting waking), not the soul's condition. This matters because soul sleep is taught by Jehovah's Witnesses and Seventh-day Adventists. The unbelieving dead are also conscious, awaiting judgement (Luke 16:22-24, though the parable's details should not be pressed too far). Rome's doctrine of purgatory, a place of further purification, has no basis in Scripture: Christ's work is sufficient, and believers go straight to be with him (Heb 10:14).

What is the intermediate state, and why is it described as blessed but not yet final?Show answer

It is the time between death and the resurrection. A believer's soul goes immediately to be with Christ (Luke 23:43; 2 Cor 5:8; Phil 1:23), which is far better. But it is not final, because God made us embodied creatures and our salvation includes the body; as WSC Q37 says, souls pass into glory while bodies, still united to Christ, rest in their graves till the resurrection.

between death and resurrection
soul immediately with Christ
salvation includes the body
WSC Q37

How would you answer someone who says the Bible's language of 'falling asleep' proves soul sleep?Show answer

When Scripture speaks of believers falling asleep (1 Thess 4:13-14), it describes how death looks from the outside, the body at rest awaiting waking, not the condition of the soul. Other texts show the soul conscious with Christ: 'today you will be with me in paradise' (Luke 23:43) and the martyrs' souls speaking in heaven (Rev 6:9-11). So the soul does not fall into unconscious sleep.

sleep describes the body from outside
Luke 23:43
Rev 6:9-11
soul conscious with Christ

The return of Christ

The return (parousia) of Christ is the next great event in God's plan, and the New Testament returns to it again and again. It gives signs that characterise the whole age between the comings (wars, false teachers, persecution, the gospel preached to the nations: Matt 24; 2 Tim 3:1-5), but it never gives a date. Every group that has set dates has been proved wrong; the Jehovah's Witnesses' history (1914, 1925, 1975) is a sobering example. Our task is not to calculate but to be ready, faithful and busy with the Master's work (Matt 24:45-51; 25:14-30).

The return itself will be:

Personal: 'this Jesus' (Acts 1:11), not merely a spiritual influence or an invisible presence.
Bodily and visible: he will come 'in the same way as you saw him go into heaven' (Acts 1:11); 'every eye will see him' (Rev 1:7). This rules out the Watchtower teaching of an invisible return in 1914.
Glorious and public: 'with power and great glory' (Matt 24:30), with a cry of command and the trumpet of God (1 Thess 4:16).
Unexpected: 'concerning that day and hour no one knows' (Matt 24:36); he comes like a thief in the night (1 Thess 5:2).
Certain: delay is not denial. The Lord is patient, not wishing any to perish (2 Pet 3:8-10).

List the features of Christ's return given in the section, and explain how the New Testament's teaching answers those who set dates.Show answer

Christ's return will be personal ('this Jesus'), bodily and visible ('every eye will see him'), glorious and public, unexpected, and certain (Acts 1:11; Rev 1:7; Matt 24:30, 36; 2 Pet 3:8-10). The New Testament gives signs characterising the whole age but never a date, and Jesus said no one knows the day or hour. Every date-setter has been proved wrong, such as the Jehovah's Witnesses with 1914, 1925 and 1975, so our task is not to calculate but to be ready and faithful.

personal, bodily, visible, glorious
unexpected but certain
no one knows the day
be ready, not calculate

The resurrection of the body

Christianity does not teach the escape of souls from bodies into an eternal spiritual realm. That is closer to Greek philosophy. It teaches the resurrection of the body: 'all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgement' (John 5:28-29; see also Dan 12:2; Acts 24:15).

Our resurrection is modelled on and guaranteed by Christ's. He is the 'firstfruits' (1 Cor 15:20-23), the first sheaf of a harvest that is coming. His risen body was physical: it could be touched, it ate fish, it bore the marks of the nails (Luke 24:39-43; John 20:27). Yet it was also transformed and glorified. So our bodies will be the same bodies, raised and changed: 'what is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable. It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory' (1 Cor 15:42-43). A 'spiritual body' (1 Cor 15:44) does not mean a body made of spirit, but a body fully animated and governed by the Holy Spirit.

This truth dignifies the body now. What we do with our bodies matters (1 Cor 6:13-20). It also answers the hopeless grief of the world: we grieve, but not 'as others do who have no hope' (1 Thess 4:13). At a Christian funeral we bury a body that will be raised.

How does the Christian hope of resurrection differ from the idea of souls escaping from bodies, and what does Paul mean by a 'spiritual body'?Show answer

Christianity does not teach that souls escape bodies into a spiritual realm, which is closer to Greek philosophy; it teaches the resurrection of the body (John 5:28-29). Our resurrection is modelled on Christ's physical yet glorified body: the same bodies, raised imperishable and in glory (1 Cor 15:42-43). A 'spiritual body' (1 Cor 15:44) is not a body made of spirit but a body fully animated and governed by the Holy Spirit.

not escape from the body
resurrection of the same body
modelled on Christ's body
spiritual body = governed by the Spirit

The final judgement

After the resurrection comes the judgement. 'It is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgement' (Heb 9:27). Christ himself will be the judge (John 5:22; Acts 17:31), and every person will stand before him (2 Cor 5:10; Rev 20:11-15). The judgement will be perfectly just: according to truth, according to what each has done, and according to the light each has received (Rom 2:5-16).

How can believers face that day without fear? Because the verdict has already been declared. Those who are in Christ are justified, and 'there is therefore now no condemnation' (Rom 8:1; John 5:24). At the judgement believers will be 'openly acknowledged and acquitted' (WSC Q38). Their works will be revealed, not as the ground of their acceptance but as the evidence of God's grace in them, and God will graciously reward faithfulness (Matt 25:31-40; 1 Cor 3:12-15).

The final judgement is good news in another way: it means that evil will not have the last word. Every injustice that was never punished in this life will be dealt with. Christians do not need to take revenge (Rom 12:19), and sceptics who say that a good God would not allow evil to go unchecked are right: he won't.

How can believers face the final judgement without fear, and what role will their works play?Show answer

The verdict has already been declared: those in Christ are justified, and there is now no condemnation (Rom 8:1; John 5:24). On that day believers will be openly acknowledged and acquitted (WSC Q38). Their works will be revealed not as the ground of their acceptance but as evidence of God's grace in them, and God will graciously reward faithfulness.

verdict already declared
no condemnation
openly acquitted
works as evidence, graciously rewarded

Hell and eternal punishment

This is the hardest doctrine in the Bible, and an apologist should handle it with tears rather than relish. Jesus spoke about hell more than anyone else in Scripture. He described it as 'the outer darkness' with 'weeping and gnashing of teeth' (Matt 8:12), 'unquenchable fire' (Mark 9:43-48) and 'eternal punishment' (Matt 25:46).

Two alternatives are popular today. Annihilationism (or conditional immortality) teaches that the wicked are eventually destroyed and cease to exist. It is held by Jehovah's Witnesses, Seventh-day Adventists and some evangelicals, such as John Stott, who held it tentatively. Universalism teaches that all will finally be saved. The historic Reformed view, held by the great majority of the church through history, is that the punishment of the unrepentant is conscious and everlasting.

Why? First, Matthew 25:46 places 'eternal punishment' and 'eternal life' side by side with the same Greek adjective (aionios): if the life is everlasting, so is the punishment. Second, Revelation 14:11 and 20:10 speak of torment 'forever and ever' with 'no rest, day or night'. Third, the judgement is according to works, with degrees of punishment (Luke 12:47-48), which fits conscious experience rather than simple non-existence. Fourth, universalism contradicts Jesus' clear teaching that some will not enter the kingdom (Matt 7:13-14, 21-23; John 3:36).

Why is it eternal? Because sin is committed against an infinitely holy God, and because the lost never cease to be sinners: there is no repentance in hell. And the deepest reality of hell is not merely pain but separation from the blessed presence of God (2 Thess 1:9). This doctrine is the measure of what Christ endured for us on the cross and the reason evangelism is urgent. 'Knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade others' (2 Cor 5:11). The apologetic case on hell and the justice of God is taken further in the Hard Questions module.

What reasons does the section give for believing that the punishment of the unrepentant is conscious and everlasting rather than annihilation or universal salvation?Show answer

Matthew 25:46 places 'eternal punishment' and 'eternal life' side by side with the same adjective (aionios), so if the life is everlasting so is the punishment. Revelation 14:11 and 20:10 speak of torment forever and ever with no rest. Degrees of punishment (Luke 12:47-48) fit conscious experience rather than non-existence, and universalism contradicts Jesus' teaching that some will not enter the kingdom (Matt 7:13-14; John 3:36).

Matt 25:46: same word aionios
Rev 14:11; 20:10
degrees of punishment
some will not enter

Why is hell eternal, what is its deepest reality, and how should an apologist handle this doctrine?Show answer

It is eternal because sin is committed against an infinitely holy God and because the lost never cease to be sinners; there is no repentance in hell. Its deepest reality is not merely pain but separation from the blessed presence of God (2 Thess 1:9). An apologist should handle it with tears rather than relish, seeing it as the measure of what Christ endured for us and the reason evangelism is urgent (2 Cor 5:11).

sin against infinite holiness
no repentance in hell
separation from God's presence
with tears; urgency for evangelism

The new heavens and the new earth

The Christian hope is not floating on clouds. It is a renewed, physical creation 'in which righteousness dwells' (2 Pet 3:13). Creation itself 'will be set free from its bondage to corruption' (Rom 8:19-23). In Revelation 21-22 the holy city comes down from heaven to earth, and the climax is this: 'the dwelling place of God is with man' (Rev 21:3). There will be no more death, mourning, crying or pain (21:4); the nations will walk by its light (21:24); and God's servants 'will see his face' (22:4).

Theologians call that last promise the beatific vision: the unspeakable joy of seeing and knowing God in Christ. This is what we were made for. The Westminster Shorter Catechism's first answer, that man's chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy him forever, reaches its fulfilment here (see Q38: 'made perfectly blessed in the full enjoying of God to all eternity').

This hope shapes ordinary life. Our labour in the Lord is not in vain (1 Cor 15:58). Work, art, justice and care for creation matter because God is renewing, not discarding, his world.

How does the Christian hope differ from 'floating on clouds', and why does it matter for ordinary work?Show answer

The Christian hope is a renewed, physical creation where righteousness dwells (2 Pet 3:13; Rom 8:19-23), with God dwelling with his people on earth (Rev 21:3) and his servants seeing his face, the beatific vision. Because God is renewing rather than discarding his world, our labour in the Lord is not in vain (1 Cor 15:58), and work, art, justice and care for creation matter.

renewed physical creation
God dwells with man
beatific vision
God renews, not discards, so work matters

The millennium: four views

Revelation 20:1-6 speaks of a thousand years in which Satan is bound and the saints reign with Christ. Christians who agree on everything above disagree on how to read this passage. Learn the four views first; the next section shows how to hold your own with charity.

Amillennialism: the thousand years is a symbolic picture of the present age between Christ's first and second comings. Satan is bound so that he cannot stop the gospel going to the nations (Matt 12:29), and the saints who have died reign with Christ in heaven. Christ returns once, followed by one general resurrection and judgement. Held by many Reformed theologians (for example Anthony Hoekema, Kim Riddlebarger).
Postmillennialism: through the Spirit-empowered spread of the gospel, the world will be largely Christianised in a long golden age before Christ returns. Held by many Puritans and by Jonathan Edwards and B. B. Warfield, and today by some Reformed pastors (for example Jeff Durbin's Apologia Church).
Historic premillennialism: Christ returns before a literal (or long) earthly reign, after a time of tribulation the church passes through. Held by early fathers such as Irenaeus, by George Eldon Ladd, and today by John Piper.
Dispensational premillennialism: Christ comes for his church (the rapture, 1 Thess 4:16-17) before a seven-year tribulation, then returns with his saints to reign on earth for a thousand years, when God's promises to national Israel are fulfilled. Developed in the 1800s by John Nelson Darby, popularised by the Scofield Reference Bible, and taught by Dallas Theological Seminary and by pastors such as John MacArthur (1939-2025).

What is the difference between amillennialism and postmillennialism?Show answer

Amillennialism takes the thousand years as a symbolic picture of the present age between Christ's comings, with Satan bound so he cannot stop the gospel going to the nations, the departed saints reigning with Christ in heaven, and one return followed by one general resurrection and judgement. Postmillennialism expects that, through the Spirit-empowered spread of the gospel, the world will be largely Christianised in a long golden age before Christ returns.

amil: present age, symbolic
Satan bound for the gospel's spread
postmil: golden age before return
both common among Reformed

How do historic premillennialism and dispensational premillennialism differ?Show answer

Both expect Christ to return before an earthly millennial reign. Historic premillennialism, held by Irenaeus, George Eldon Ladd and John Piper, holds that the church passes through the tribulation before Christ returns. Dispensational premillennialism, developed by Darby in the 1800s and taught by John MacArthur (1939-2025), holds that Christ comes for his church in the rapture before a seven-year tribulation, then returns to reign for a thousand years, when God's promises to national Israel are fulfilled.

both: return before the millennium
historic: church through the tribulation
dispensational: rapture before tribulation
dispensational: promises to national Israel

Holding the millennium debate with charity

Among Reformed churches, amillennialism and postmillennialism are the most common, with historic premillennialism also well represented (Spurgeon held it, and John Piper holds it today). Dispensational premillennialism has been very influential in evangelicalism and is held by many faithful pastors and scholars. Its holders reach it by reading prophecy with a consistently literal method and by taking God's promises to Israel to require a future fulfilment for Israel as a nation (Rom 11:25-29). Most Reformed theologians do not accept its sharp distinction between Israel and the church (see Lesson 8 and Lesson 10), but they should represent it accurately and never mock it.

The timing of the rapture (the 'catching up' of believers to meet the Lord, 1 Thess 4:17) is debated too. Pre-tribulationists expect it before the tribulation; mid- and post-tribulationists place it later, and post-tribulationists identify it with Christ's visible return. Amillennialists and postmillennialists also see it as part of the one visible return. All agree that Christ will come personally and visibly and that believers will meet him.

In conversation with outsiders, keep the focus on what all orthodox Christians confess together: Christ will come again, bodily and visibly, to raise the dead and to judge the living and the dead. None of the four views is a test of orthodoxy. Believers on every side share the same gospel and the same hope.

Why do dispensationalists hold their view, and how should a Reformed Christian speak about it?Show answer

Dispensationalists read prophecy with a consistently literal method and take God's promises to Israel to require a future fulfilment for Israel as a nation (Rom 11:25-29). Most Reformed theologians do not accept its sharp distinction between Israel and the church, but the view is held by many faithful pastors and scholars. A Reformed Christian should represent it accurately and never mock it, because it is an in-house debate among believers who share the gospel.

consistently literal reading of prophecy
promises to national Israel
Reformed disagree on Israel and church
represent accurately, never mock

What do all the millennial and rapture views hold in common, and what should you focus on with outsiders?Show answer

All agree that Christ will come again personally, bodily and visibly, that believers will meet him, and that he will raise the dead and judge the living and the dead. None of the views is a test of orthodoxy, and believers on every side share the same gospel and hope. With outsiders we keep the focus on that shared confession rather than on the end-times calendar.

personal, visible return
resurrection and judgement
not a test of orthodoxy
focus on shared confession

Where others depart

Jehovah's Witnesses teach Christ's invisible return in 1914, soul sleep, annihilation of the wicked, and two classes of the saved (144,000 in heaven, the great crowd on a paradise earth) (Jehovah's Witnesses module). Latter-day Saints teach three degrees of glory (celestial, terrestrial, telestial) and eternal progression (Latter-day Saints module). Roman Catholicism teaches purgatory (CCC 1030-1032) (Catholicism module). Islam teaches that Jesus will return before the Day of Judgement, but as a Muslim prophet, and that judgement weighs deeds on scales (Islam module). Secularism denies any judgement or afterlife, which leaves the world's injustices permanently unanswered (Secularism module).

Why does secularism's denial of judgement and afterlife leave a problem that the Christian doctrine answers?Show answer

If there is no judgement or afterlife, the world's injustices remain permanently unanswered, and wrongs never punished in this life simply stand. The Christian doctrine that Christ will return to judge means evil will not have the last word. (Other departures in the section include JW soul sleep and an invisible return in 1914, LDS degrees of glory, and Rome's purgatory.)

secularism: no judgement
injustices permanently unanswered
Christ's judgement answers evil

Key texts

Philippians 1:21-23: To depart is to be with Christ, 'far better': the soul's conscious blessedness after death.
Acts 1:11: 'This Jesus' will come in the same way he went: a personal, bodily, visible return.
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18: The dead in Christ will rise; we grieve with hope. The classic comfort passage.
1 Corinthians 15:20-26, 42-44: Christ the firstfruits; the resurrection body imperishable and glorious; death the last enemy.
John 5:28-29: All the dead will be raised, some to life and some to judgement.
Matthew 25:31-46: The Son of Man judges the nations; 'eternal punishment' and 'eternal life' stand side by side (v. 46).
2 Corinthians 5:8-10: Away from the body, at home with the Lord; all must appear before the judgement seat of Christ.
Revelation 21:1-5: New heavens and new earth; God dwells with his people and wipes away every tear.
Romans 8:18-23: Creation itself will be set free; we wait for the redemption of our bodies.

Objections and answers

Try answering each one yourself before you open the response.

“How could a loving God send anyone to hell forever? That sounds like a monster.”Show a response

That's a serious question, and I don't want to answer it glibly. First, Scripture says God takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked (Ezekiel 33:11), and Jesus wept over those who rejected him. Hell is not God being cruel but God being just. We rightly want judges who punish evil; a judge who shrugged at cruelty wouldn't be loving. Second, sin is not small, because it is rebellion against an infinitely holy God, and those in hell never stop rebelling. Third, and most importantly, God's love is shown precisely here: rather than ignore justice, he sent his Son to bear the judgement himself for everyone who trusts him (Romans 5:8). The cross shows how seriously God takes both justice and love. Can I ask what you think should happen to evil if there is no judgement?

“Doesn't the Bible just say the wicked are destroyed? Destruction means they stop existing.”Show a response

It's a fair reading of some words in isolation, and some good evangelicals have held it. But look at how Scripture uses the language. In 2 Thessalonians 1:9 the 'eternal destruction' is described as being 'away from the presence of the Lord', which assumes ongoing existence. In Matthew 25:46 Jesus uses the same word, aionios, for 'eternal punishment' and 'eternal life'; we can't make one everlasting and the other momentary. Revelation 14:11 speaks of 'no rest, day or night' forever. And Jesus teaches degrees of punishment (Luke 12:47-48), which fits conscious experience, not simple non-existence. So 'destruction' in Scripture means ruin, loss of everything good, not ceasing to be.

“Christians have predicted the end of the world for 2,000 years. Why should anyone take it seriously?”Show a response

You're right that many have set dates, and every one was wrong. But Jesus himself said no one knows the day or hour (Matthew 24:36), so the date-setters disobeyed him. Their failures actually confirm his words. The New Testament also predicted that scoffers would say, 'Where is the promise of his coming?' (2 Peter 3:3-4), and explains the delay: God is patient, giving people time to repent (3:9). The certainty of Christ's return doesn't rest on calendars but on his resurrection. Acts 17:31 says God 'has fixed a day on which he will judge the world... by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.' The empty tomb is the down payment on the promise.

“Heaven sounds boring to me. Sitting on clouds playing harps forever? I'd rather have a good life now.”Show a response

Honestly, if that were the Christian hope, I would find it boring too. But it is not what the Bible teaches. The final hope is not floating on clouds but a new heavens and a new earth 'in which righteousness dwells' (2 Pet 3:13): a real, physical, renewed creation, where creation itself is set free from decay (Rom 8:19-23). We will have resurrected bodies, not ghostly existence. There will be no more death, mourning or pain (Rev 21:4), and the nations will walk by the light of the holy city (Rev 21:24). Above all, God's people 'will see his face' (Rev 22:4). Everything good you love in this life, friendship, beauty, meaningful work, is a small foretaste of that. The question is not whether you would trade a good life for a dull one. It is whether you want the good life now to be only the trailer, or the whole thing.

“If Christians go straight to be with Christ when they die, why does the resurrection of the body even matter?”Show a response

It is a good question, because many Christians speak as though going to heaven at death is the end of the story. Scripture says it is wonderful, but not final. To depart and be with Christ is 'far better' (Phil 1:23), yet God made us embodied creatures, and our salvation includes the body. Death is still 'the last enemy' (1 Cor 15:26), and God will not leave it holding our bodies. Christ himself rose bodily, ate fish and showed his wounds, and he is the firstfruits of the harvest (1 Cor 15:20-23). The Shorter Catechism says our bodies, still united to Christ, rest in their graves till the resurrection (Q37). That is why what we do with our bodies matters now (1 Cor 6:13-20), and why at a Christian funeral we grieve, but not as those without hope (1 Thess 4:13).

Written task

A colleague whose father has just died asks you, 'Do you really believe there's anything after death?' Write a 300-400 word response that you could say gently in person. Explain the Christian hope of being with Christ at death, the resurrection of the body and the new creation, grounded in Scripture, and show how this hope rests on Jesus' own resurrection. Then write two sentences explaining how you would handle the topic of judgement honestly but with compassion in this conversation.

Hand this in to Mr Scott. He will look for:

Compassionate, appropriate tone for someone grieving
Accurately explains the intermediate state, bodily resurrection and new creation with Scripture
Grounds the hope in Christ's resurrection (e.g. 1 Cor 15:20; Acts 17:31)
Handles judgement truthfully without being harsh or evasive
Clear, concise and free of speculation about secondary end-times questions