What Happens at the End of the Story

So far in this series, I have looked at what the Bible has had to say about the past and present. But what about the future? What happens at the end of the story?

There are several significant ways that people have come to understand the end of this age and the beginning of the age to come. What I will express here is my own perspective, which does not necessarily align with any major school of thought. But I hope it will get you to think more about what lies ahead.

At My Death

What lies at the end of the story has two perspectives. The first is my own experience, especially if the Lord’s return is delayed much longer. I will die, and my body will return to the dust from which it came (Eccl. 3:20). And then what?

While the details of this are not crystal clear, the Scripture does give us some information. Jesus told the repentant thief on the cross that they would be together in Paradise that very day (Luke 23:42). In Philippians 1:23, Paul expressed confidence that he would be with the Lord at his death. And in 2 Corinthians 5:8, Paul expressed that to be away from the body was to be at home with the Lord.

So, while I do not know the details of what that will be like, I can have confidence that I will be with the Lord. Not in a state of unconsciousness, but awake and rejoicing in my Lord.

At Jesus’ Return

The Bible is clear that Jesus is returning (Acts 1:11, Matt. 24:29-31, 1 Thess. 4:13-17). And many things will happen when he does. Many people have drawn up detailed and, in my mind, highly fanciful descriptions of the events around Jesus’ return. And there are many ways people interpret the signs Jesus gave and what they find in Revelation and other apocalyptic passages from the prophets.

But, in the end, we really won’t know until he actually returns. Then, we will be able to look back at it and maybe laugh at how wrong we all were.

But what can we know?

It Will Be Unexpected

It will not happen when we expect it (Matt. 24:36, Acts 1:7, 1 Thess. 5:1-3). Many people throughout history have tried to predict when Jesus would return. They have all been wrong. And many more will try—up until Jesus finally returns. And they will all be wrong as well.

Others try to read the signs of the time and believe that Jesus will return soon (Matt. 24:3-8). And that has been going on throughout the last 2000 years. But so far, all those who have read the signs of an imminent return have been wrong.

The truth is that we do not know when he will return. We should live as if it could be at any moment. But realizing that it could be another 2000 years. Jesus will return when the time is right, not according to our calculations.

A General Resurrection of Believers

Much of the emphasis on Jesus’ return focuses on what it means for believers. Matthew 24:31 tells us that when Jesus comes back, he will gather his elect from around the world. 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17 tells us that when Jesus returns, the dead in Christ will be resurrected, and those still alive will join them in a welcoming committee. 1 Corinthians 15:50-56 focuses on our resurrection when Jesus returns. And 1 John 3:2 tells us that when Jesus returns, we will be like him.

The grave is not the end. Our end is to be clothed with bodies that are imperishable, glorious, powerful, and spirit-oriented (1 Cor. 15:42-44). And our end involves an eternity with the Lord (1 Thess. 5:17).

A New Heaven and Earth

The return of Jesus will be the most dramatic event in human history. The earth we live on now is good; it is God’s creation. But it is temporary and will not endure (2 Cor. 4:18). And it is groaning to be set free from its bondage to corruption (Rom. 8:22). This world, as it now exists, is not a suitable habitation for what we will become when Jesus returns.

2 Peter 3:10-13 tells that the current heaven and earth will be destroyed by fire and that there will be a new heaven and earth where righteousness dwells. Revelation 21:1-4 tells us much the same. The current heaven and earth will pass away. There will be a new heaven and earth. And God will dwell with us.

While the details of our future home are sparse, it will be eternal without the turmoil and stress of the current creation.

Judgment Day

But there is a more somber aspect to the Lord’s return. Many have lived and died apart from faith in Jesus—or at least belief in the revelation of God available to them. What awaits them is judgment.

2 Thessalonians 1:7-10 describes this as “the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might.” And Matthew 13:40-43 describes this as being thrown “into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

Many other passages express much the same thing in various ways. Jesus often refers to Gehenna, usually translated as hell, as a place of torment where the fire does not go out, and the worm does not die.

Many today describe the punishment of unbelievers as Eternal Conscious Torment. While this can certainly be supported in the Scripture, I believe Conditional Immortality is a better-supported view. This view holds that humanity, in our natural state, does not have eternal existence. That is something that only comes by being born anew of the Spirit.

For the unbeliever—one not born of the Spirit—their ultimate fate is simply to pass out of existence, likely after a period of punishment. I do believe that is what Scripture teaches. But it also solves for me a question of why. Why would God punish people with conscious torment for eternity? Yes, he could. But why? What does it accomplish? How does that fit into the concept of a new heaven and earth at the end of this age?

A Completed Creation

Much happens when Jesus returns. But what is the end result? I believe it is no coincidence that the Bible begins and ends with the same picture: an Edenic paradise.

Genesis 2 paints a picture of humanity living in harmony with creation and with God. And Revelation 21-22 paints a similar picture of a redeemed humanity living in harmony with the new creation and with God. Many of the descriptive details differ, but the message is the same. And the good creation of Genesis 1 becomes the perfect creation in Revelation 21-22. What the beginning of Genesis pictures becomes our reality.

Coming Up

I am planning on one more post in this series. A post that will attempt to wrap up what I believe the story of the Bible is all about.

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