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The doctrine of eschatology involves a lot of details, and they’re important. Libraries full of books have been written to discuss and examine the details of God’s prophetic drama. In fact, we are going to examine many of these details in part 8.

Evans, Tony. Theology You Can Count On (p. 1184). Moody Publishers. Kindle Edition. 

A Perspective to Gain 

Peter also had something to say about the way prophecy ought to promote holy living:

 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. Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God. (2 Peter 3:10-12a) Peter said a day is coming when your house, your car, the clothes in your closet, and the money in your bank will burn. The malls at which you shop for your clothes will burn. The earth as we know it is going to melt away. So a good understanding of prophecy can give us a reference point for living.

Evans, Tony. Theology You Can Count On (pp. 1177-1178). Moody Publishers. Kindle Edition. 

 PROPHECY PROMOTES WORSHIP AND PRAISE  

When he came to the end of Romans 11, Paul was concluding a complex discussion of God’s plan for Israel. We’ll have a lot to say about Israel in this study of future events, because Israel is so key to the unfolding of prophecy. Here I just want to touch on a few highlights as we see how Paul concluded this section.  

Evans, Tony. Theology You Can Count On (p. 1180). Moody Publishers. Kindle Edition. 

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PROPHECY REVEALS GOD’S CHARACTER  

The second reason prophecy is important is that it reveals to us the character of God. When you understand God’s program, you get to know more about Him. The prophet Isaiah made a powerful statement of God’s character and knowledge as it relates to His prophetic program:   

Evans, Tony. Theology You Can Count On (p. 1175). Moody Publishers. Kindle Edition. 

PROPHECY HELPS AUTHENTICATE THE BIBLE  

One of the questions people often ask is how we Christians can claim that the Bible is true as opposed to any other holy book. What makes the Bible distinct from other writings that claim to be from God?  

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The grace of God also trains us in how to live the victorious Christian life. Paul says, "For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age" (Titus 2:11-12).  

Israel’s Rejection Not Total 

I say then, has God cast away His people? Certainly not! For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. 2 God has not cast away His people whom He foreknew. Or do you not know what the Scripture says of Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel, saying, 3 “Lord, they have killed Your prophets and torn down Your altars, and I alone am left, and they seek my life”? 4 But what does the divine response say to him? “I have reserved for Myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.” 5 Even so then, at this present time there is a remnant according to the election of grace. 6 And if by grace, then it is no longer of works; otherwise grace is no longer grace. [a]But if it is of works, it is no longer grace; otherwise work is no longer work.

God’s mercy is distinct from His grace in that grace means giving a person something he doesn’t deserve, while mercy is identifying with someone’s misery. 

According to Ephesians 2:4-5: "God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved)."  

Evans, Tony. Theology You Can Count On (p. 183). Moody Publishers. Kindle Edition. 

Romans 5 contrasts the first Adam with the last Adam (Christ). Paul says, "Just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned" (v. 12). In other words, "In Adam all die" (1 Corinthians 15:22). We will die because Adam sinned. We were "in Adam" when he sinned. Adam was our titular head; that is, he was our representative.

Loving Others 

That’s the beautiful thing about admitting "I can’t love so-and-so." You are absolutely right. You can’t, but that’s not the question. The question is, Can God love this person? Then you’d better get hooked up with Him. 

In 1 John 4:19-20, John concludes, "We love, because He first loved us. If someone says, ’I love God,’ and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen." Anyone who says he loves God and can’t love others is lying through his two front teeth. You can’t be consumed with God and not love other sinners. He doesn’t like what they do, but He loves sinners. 

When you get consumed by the love of God, it overflows you and spills out onto others. If God has poured His overflowing love into your heart, others can’t help getting hit by the splash.  Evans, Tony. Theology You Can Count On (p. 177). Moody Publishers. Kindle Edition. 

The Love of God

Everyone wants to be loved. Love is the crying need of the human heart. But when you ask people to define love, they hem and haw, trying to come up with words that work. For some it’s a fuzzy feeling in the pit of the stomach. For others, it’s a deep caring. For others, it’s excitement over something they value highly. 

The concept of love has been so used, abused, and misused today that you can put almost anything under it and it will work. That’s because most people are desperately looking for love in all the wrong places. They know they need it, they know they’ve got to have it, but where to find it and how to know it’s authentic, that’s another question.  

Evans, Tony. Theology You Can Count On (p. 170). Moody Publishers. Kindle Edition. 

ESCAPING GOD’S WRATH  A choice must be made. Anyone who goes to hell goes by his or her choice, not because God is an ogre. God made hell for Satan and his angels, not for people, the Bible says (Matthew 25:41). His justice demands payment for sin, but in His mercy He provided a substitute to take our punishment for us. This is good news! God’s system of justice allows for a substitute. That’s why 1 Thessalonians 1:10 says Jesus "delivers us from the wrath to come." According to Romans 5:8-9:   God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. You are not saved by attending church, by being a nice person, or by doing good in the community. You will be saved from the wrath to come only by the eternal provision of Jesus Christ.  Evans, Tony. Theology You Can Count On (p. 166). Moody Publishers. Kindle Edition. 

GOD’S WRATH DISPLAYS HIS JUSTICE IN ETERNITY  

We see God’s wrath executing His justice in history right now, but this is not the end of it. The wrath of God will continue in eternity: "But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God" (Romans 2:5).  Evans, Tony. Theology You Can Count On (p. 163). Moody Publishers. Kindle Edition. 

 Sermon by Dr. Tony Evans 

Sermon by Dr. Tony Evans

A discussion from the men about "What has FBC Meant to Us" Our panelists: Deacon Arnold Davidson, Deacon Clyde Steverson, Teacher Maurice Lytle, Deacon Al Washington.