Part 1: Restored Creation and the Day of the Lord

A. The Ultimate Hope of the Scriptures
But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which
righteousness dwells. 14 Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be
found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace. (ESV 2 Pet. 3:13-14)
Behold, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered,
nor will they come to mind. 18 But be glad and rejoice forever in what I will create, for I will
create Jerusalem to be a delight and its people a joy. 19 I will rejoice over Jerusalem and take
delight in my people; the sound of weeping and of crying will be heard in it no more. (NIV Is.
65:17-19)

B. The Restoration of All Things
Repent therefore…
20 that He may send
Jesus Christ, who
was preached to you
before, 21 whom
heaven must receive
until the times of
restoration of all
things, which God
has spoken by the
mouth of all His holy
prophets since the
world began. (NKJV
Acts 3:19-21)
I tell you the truth,
at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have
followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29 And everyone
who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake
will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life. (NIV Mt. 19:28-29)

C. The Resurrection of the Dead
For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory
that is to be revealed to us. 19 For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the
sons of God.
20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and
obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation
has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. 23 And not only the creation, but
we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for
adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.
24 For in this hope we were saved. (ESV Rom.
8:18-24)
Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He
does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.
25 Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour
is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who
hear will live.
26 For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in
himself. 27 And he has given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man. 28 Do
not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice 29 and
come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to
the resurrection of judgment. (ESV Jn. 5:22-29)

A. The Primary Unifying theme of the Scriptures
Wail, for the day of the LORD is near; it will come like destruction from the Almighty. 7
Because
of this, all hands will go limp, every man’s heart will melt… 9
See, the day of the LORD is
coming—a cruel day, with wrath and fierce anger—to make the land desolate and destroy the
sinners within it.
10 The stars of heaven and their constellations will not show their light. The
rising sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light. 11 I will punish the world for its
evil, the wicked for their sins. I will put an end to the arrogance of the haughty and will humble
the pride of the ruthless… 13 Therefore I will make the heavens tremble; and the earth will
shake from its place at the wrath of the LORD Almighty, in the day of his burning anger. (NIV Isa.
13:6-13)
The LORD says to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your
feet.” 2
The LORD will extend your mighty scepter from Zion; you will rule in the midst of your
enemies…
5
The Lord is at your right hand; he will crush kings on the day of his wrath.
6
He will
judge the nations, heaping up the dead and crushing the rulers of the whole earth. (NIV Ps.
110:1-6)
The earth reels like a drunkard, it sways like a hut in the wind; so heavy upon it is the guilt of its
rebellion that it falls– never to rise again. 21 In that day the LORD will punish the powers in the
heavens above and the kings on the earth below. 22 They will be herded together like prisoners
bound in a dungeon; they will be shut up in prison and be punished after many days. 23 The
moon will be abashed, the sun ashamed; for the LORD Almighty will reign on Mount Zion and in
Jerusalem, and before its elders, gloriously. (NIV Isa. 24:20-23)
The great day of the LORD is near—near and coming quickly… 15 That day will be a day of wrath,
a day of distress and anguish, a day of trouble and ruin… 18 Neither their silver nor their gold will be able to save them on the day of the LORD’s wrath. In the fire of his jealousy the whole
world will be consumed, for he will make a sudden end of all who live in the earth. (NIV Zeph.
1:14-18)
The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and
dreadful day of the LORD…
3:2 I will gather all nations and bring them down to the Valley of
Jehoshaphat. There I will enter into judgment against them…
12 Let the nations be roused; let
them advance into the Valley of Jehoshaphat, for there I will sit to judge all the nations on every
side. (NIV Joel 2:31-3:12)
See, the day is coming, burning like an oven, when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be
stubble; the day that comes shall burn them up, says the LORD of hosts, so that it will leave
them neither root nor branch… 5
Lo, I will send you the prophet Elijah before the great and
terrible day of the LORD comes. (NRSV Mal. 4:1-5)
And if anyone will
not receive you or
listen to your words,
shake off the dust
from your feet when
you leave that house
or town. 15 Truly, I
say to you, it will be
more bearable on
the day of judgment
for the land of
Sodom and
Gomorrah than for
that town. (ESV Mt.
10:14-15)
But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath
against yourself for the day of God’s wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed. (NIV
Rom. 2:5)
Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be
revealed. 8
He will keep you strong to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our
Lord Jesus Christ. (NIV 1 Cor. 1:7-8)
If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, 13 his
work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with
fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man’s work. (NIV 1 Cor. 3:12-13)

In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy… 6
being confident of this, that he who
began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. (NIV Phil.
1:4-6)
God is just: He will
pay back trouble to
those who trouble
you 7
and give relief
to you who are
troubled, and to us
as well. This will
happen when the
Lord Jesus is revealed
from heaven in
blazing fire with his
powerful angels. 8
He
will punish those
who do not know
God and do not obey
the gospel of our
Lord Jesus. 9
They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence
of the Lord and from the majesty of his power 10 on the day he comes to be glorified in his holy
people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed. (NIV 2 Thess. 1:6-10)
In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view
of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: 2
Preach the Word… 8
Now there is in
store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me
on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing. (NIV 2 Tim.
4:1-8)
But by His word the present heavens and earth are being reserved for fire, kept for the day of
judgment and destruction of ungodly men… 10 the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which
the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat,
and the earth and its works will be burned up. (NASB 2 Pet. 3:7-10)
Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one
another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching. (NIV Heb. 10:25)
And the angels who did not keep their positions of authority but abandoned their own home–
these he has kept in darkness, bound with everlasting chains for judgment on the great Day. (NIV
Jude 1:6)
Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of
the Lamb, 17 for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand? (ESV Rev. 6:16-17)

Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay everyone for what he has
done.
13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.” (ESV
Rev. 22:12-13)

B. Defining History’s Orientation
Anyone who speaks a
word against the Son
of Man will be
forgiven, but anyone
who speaks against
the Holy Spirit will
not be forgiven,
either in this age or in
the age to come…
36 I
tell you that men will
have to give account
on the day of
judgment for every
careless word they
have spoken. (NIV Mt.
12:32-36)
The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage, 35 but those who are considered worthy
to attain to that age and to the resurrection from the dead neither marry nor are given in
marriage, 36 for they cannot die anymore, because they are equal to angels and are sons of
God, being sons of the resurrection. (ESV Lk. 20:34-36)
God put this power to work in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his
right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion,
and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the age to come. (NRSV Eph.
1:20-21)
For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. 12 It teaches us to say “No”
to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this
present age,
13 while we wait for the blessed hope—the glorious appearing of our great God
and Savior, Jesus Christ. (NIV Tit. 2:11-13)
Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain
riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy. 18 Let them do good, that
they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, 19 storing up for themselves a good
foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life. (NKJV 1 Tim. 6:17-19)

C. The Context of the Cross
And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up,
15 that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.
16 For God so loved the world, that he
gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. (ESV Jn.
3:14-16)
You see, at just the
right time, when we
were still powerless,
Christ died for the
ungodly.
7
Very rarely
will anyone die for a
righteous man, though
for a good man
someone might possibly
dare to die. 8
But God
demonstrates his own
love for us in this: While
we were still sinners,
Christ died for us.
9
Since we have now
been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him!
(
NIV Rom. 5:6-9)
Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to
save sinners—of whom I am the worst. 16 But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in
me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for
those who would believe on him and receive eternal life. (NIV 1 Tim. 1:15-16)
For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and
pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. 4
But
when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, 5
he saved us, not because
of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of
regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, 6
whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus
Christ our Savior, 7
so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the
hope of eternal life. (ESV Tit. 3:3-7)
Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment,
28 so Christ was sacrificed
once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin,
but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him… 10:12 But when this priest had offered
for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God. 13 Since that time he
waits for his enemies to be made his footstool,
14 because by one sacrifice he has made perfect
forever those who are being made holy. (NIV Heb. 9:27-10:14)