Sunday, October 30, 2016 - WHAT SHALL THE END BE?
Pastor Roger C. Marcos
Oct. 30, 2016p>
When Voltaire, the famous infidel, lay dying, he summoned the physician and said, "Doctor, I will give you all I have to save my life six months."
The Doctor said, "You can't live six hours."
Then said Voltaire. "I'll go to Hell and you'll go with me. What Shall the End Be?
Heaven and Hell- called the place where the end result is not a chance it’s a choice.
This will be the most important question when the end of our time comes! Our eternal salvation depends upon the answer. To reflect upon the end often serves as a preventive to wrong doing. It may also serve to do that which is right.
What Is More Important? To have a good start to life or a good ending? Obviously the end is more important than the beginning.
The Bible is filled with stories of men who began well and messed up in the end. The most tragic of all is Solomon who had everything going for him but ended making a total mess of his life.
Whether the end is better than the beginning or worse than the beginning depends on us. What shall the end be? It’s a very important question for all of us to consider its look like choosing life or death. There is an old saying
: "All good things must come to an end." Actually, all things, whether good or bad, will come to an end.
"What Shall the End Be?" is a question found in 1 Pet. 4:17-18.
17 For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, What Will Be The End of those who do not obey the gospel of God? 18 Now “If the righteous one is Scarcely saved, where will the ungodly and the sinner appear?” NKJV
What does “Scarcely” Mean? The Greek word molis translated “scarcely” means “hard”, “with much work”, “not easily”, “with great difficulty”
"What shall the end be of them that obey not the Gospel of God?"
Let's look what the Bible Says About the End.
I. THE CERTAINTY OF THE END. Certainty: a fact that is definitely true or an event that is definitely going to take place.
Judgment- Noah’s the flood, (God put them on the Ark) 11 spices in Jericho, (Before the fall of the wall God move them out) and even lot’s family- (Before the destruction of the City God told them what to do)
The End of All Things Is Near, 1 Pet. 4:7. Therefore be Serious and Watchful in Your Prayers.
“End of the World” 2 Pet. 3:10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up.
A. The BIBLE Plainly Speak of An Ultimate End. All descendants of Adam must die because the wages of sin is death. Methuselah lived 969 years, he too died Gen. 5:27.
B. It Will Be The End of Something.
1. The Faithful Christian.
End of Suffering and Trial. 2 Cor. 4:17 And this small and temporary trouble we suffer will bring us a tremendous and eternal glory, much greater than the trouble.
2. The Unfaithful Christian.
The end of God’s patience Rom. 10:21But regarding Israel, God said,
“All day long I opened my arms to them, but they were disobedient and rebellious.
The End of God’s Exhortation. Rom. 12:1; Eph. 4:1 Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God.
3. The Unbeliever and Disobedient.
End of An Opportunity to Be Saved. Rev. 3:20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.
Turn at my rebuke; Surely I will pour out my spirit on you;
I will make my words known to you. 24 Because I have called and you refused, I have stretched out my hand and no one regarded,
25 Because you disdained all my counsel, And would have none of my rebuke, 26 I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your terror comes, 27 When your terror comes like a storm, And your destruction comes like a whirlwind, When distress and anguish come upon you.
28 “Then they will call on me, but I will not answer; They will seek me diligently, but they will not find me. Pro.1:23-28 NKV
II. THE TIME OF THE END. No one knows.
Our Attitude Toward The End.
1. Must Not Deny There Will Be An End. 2 Pet. 3:3-4 First of all, you must understand that in the last days some people will appear whose lives are controlled by their own lusts. They will make fun of you 4 and will ask, “He promised to come, didn't he? Where is he? Our ancestors have already died, but everything is still the same as it was since the creation of the world!
2. Must Realize The End is Nearer Than It Has Been. Rom. 13:11 You must do this, because you know that the time has come for you to wake up from your sleep. For the moment when we will be saved is closer now than it was when we first believed.
III. THE IMPORTANCE OF THE END.
A. Because The End Will Be the Beginning of Something Else.
Time Will End, But Eternity Will Begin. Rev. 10:6 and took a vow in the name of God, who lives forever and ever, who created heaven, earth, and the sea, and everything in them. The angel said, “There will be no more delay!
Physical Existence Will End, But Spiritual Existence Will Begin. 1 Cor. 15; 2 Cor. 5:1 For we know that when this tent we live in-our body here on earth-is torn down, God will have a house in heaven for us to live in, a home he himself has made, which will last forever.
19 If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable. The Last Enemy Destroyed
20 But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. 1 Cor. 15:20-22
Earth Will End, But Heaven or Hell Will Begin. Matt. 25:46 “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”
B. For the Saved, It Will Be the Beginning Of:
A New Life With Christ. Phil. 1:23 I am pulled in two directions. I want very much to leave this life and be with Christ, which is a far better thing
Rev. 21:4- ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.
A New Life of Supernal Joy. Matt. 25:21 “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’
C. For the Lost it Will Be the Beginning Of:
1. Eternal Separation from God. Rom. 6:23 The Bible says; For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might. 2 Thes. 2:9
“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. Mathew 25:41
Lk. 16:23 In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side.
CONCLUSION:
WHAT SHALL BE MY END?
17 For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, What Will Be The End of those who do not obey the gospel of God? 18 Now “If the righteous one is Scarcely saved, where will the ungodly and the sinner appear?” NKJV 1Pet. 4:17-18
A father on his deathbed called his sons. They gathered around him and to one he said, "Good night, son," and to the other he said, "Good-bye, son." The second boy noticed the difference and asked his father, "Dad, why did you say 'good night' to my brother and 'good-bye' to me?" The dear old man who loved both of them said, "Son your brother is a Christian; I will meet him in the morning of eternity. So it is just 'good night' to him. But you, son, are not a Christian. I will never meet you again unless you change. It is good-bye, son, throughout all eternity." (Author Unknown)
God bless.