THE LAST JUDGMENT
… Then all men will personally appear before this great Judge, both men and women and children, that have been from the beginning of the world to the end thereof, being summoned by the voice of the archangel and by the sound of the trumpet of God. For all the dead shall be raised out of the earth, and their souls joined and united with their proper bodies in which they formerly lived. As for those who shall then be living, they shall not die as the others, but be changed in the twinkling of an eye, and from corruptible become incorruptible. Then the books (that is to say, the consciences) shall be opened, and the dead judged according to what they shall have done in this world, whether it be good or evil. Nay, all men shall give an account of every idle word they have spoken, which the world only counts amusement and jest; and then the secrets and hypocrisy of men shall be disclosed and laid open before all …

J. A. Schep: “In John 20:17 Jesus says to Mary: ‘Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended unto the Father’ … We take the present imperative with me in its usual meaning signifying ‘the breaking off of an action already in progress’ (C. K. Barrett). With R. C. H. Lenski we probably should translate: ‘Stop clinging to me’ … Jesus did not mean to say that his resurrection-body was too glorious to make touching permissible, which would conflict with Matthew 28:9, Luke 24:39, and John 20:27 … Most probably, Jesus’ words were based on the way in which Mary clung to him; he discerned that she would not let him go again, that she wished everything to continue as before. In this respect her laying hold of Jesus was different from that of the other women (cf. Matt. 28:9). Hence Jesus tells Mary that she is mistaken. She must cease clinging to him, trying to keep him always with her. Jesus is about to ascend to the Father and from then on the fellowship with him will be of a different sort” (The Nature of the Resurrection Body [Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1964], p. 136). 

This issue of the Covenant Reformed News deals with the topic of cremation.

THE LAST JUDGMENT
… Then all men will personally appear before this great Judge, both men and women and children, that have been from the beginning of the world to the end thereof, being summoned by the voice of the archangel and by the sound of the trumpet of God. For all the dead shall be raised out of the earth, and their souls joined and united with their proper bodies in which they formerly lived. As for those who shall then be living, they shall not die as the others, but be changed in the twinkling of an eye, and from corruptible become incorruptible. Then the books (that is to say, the consciences) shall be opened, and the dead judged according to what they shall have done in this world, whether it be good or evil. Nay, all men shall give an account of every idle word they have spoken, which the world only counts amusement and jest; and then the secrets and hypocrisy of men shall be disclosed and laid open before all …

Prof. David J. Engelsma: “The message that the Reformed church proclaims, according to article 37 of the Belgic Confession, to believer and unbeliever alike, is that physical death is not the end. For the believer, this is a message of hope and comfort, especially in circumstances of persecution and suffering. For the wicked, this message is warning. It shatters the self-delusion of the ungodly that this life is all that there is to human existence, itself a notion of despair. The reality of physical death explains the sheer pessimism of much of contemporary philosophy, as well as the underlying pessimism of the drug culture among the youth in Western society. Apart from the gospel of the resurrection of the dead unto eternal life of those who believe in the risen Jesus Christ, human life is utterly hopeless and therefore vanity” (The Belgic Confession: A Commentary, vol. 2, pp. 355-356).

THE LAST JUDGMENT
… Then all men will personally appear before this great Judge, both men and women and children, that have been from the beginning of the world to the end thereof, being summoned by the voice of the archangel and by the sound of the trumpet of God. For all the dead shall be raised out of the earth, and their souls joined and united with their proper bodies in which they formerly lived. As for those who shall then be living, they shall not die as the others, but be changed in the twinkling of an eye, and from corruptible become incorruptible. Then the books (that is to say, the consciences) shall be opened, and the dead judged according to what they shall have done in this world, whether it be good or evil. Nay, all men shall give an account of every idle word they have spoken, which the world only counts amusement and jest; and then the secrets and hypocrisy of men shall be disclosed and laid open before all …

I Corinthians 15:42-44

THE LAST JUDGMENT
… Then all men will personally appear before this great Judge, both men and women and children, that have been from the beginning of the world to the end thereof, being summoned by the voice of the archangel and by the sound of the trumpet of God. For all the dead shall be raised out of the earth, and their souls joined and united with their proper bodies in which they formerly lived. As for those who shall then be living, they shall not die as the others, but be changed in the twinkling of an eye, and from corruptible become incorruptible. Then the books (that is to say, the consciences) shall be opened, and the dead judged according to what they shall have done in this world, whether it be good or evil. Nay, all men shall give an account of every idle word they have spoken, which the world only counts amusement and jest; and then the secrets and hypocrisy of men shall be disclosed and laid open before all …

THE LAST JUDGMENT
… Then all men will personally appear before this great Judge, both men and women and children, that have been from the beginning of the world to the end thereof, being summoned by the voice of the archangel and by the sound of the trumpet of God. For all the dead shall be raised out of the earth, and their souls joined and united with their proper bodies in which they formerly lived. As for those who shall then be living, they shall not die as the others, but be changed in the twinkling of an eye, and from corruptible become incorruptible. Then the books (that is to say, the consciences) shall be opened, and the dead judged according to what they shall have done in this world, whether it be good or evil. Nay, all men shall give an account of every idle word they have spoken, which the world only counts amusement and jest; and then the secrets and hypocrisy of men shall be disclosed and laid open before all …

David J. Engelsma: “It is helpful in explaining this change to know that the Greek word that the KJV translates as natural in 1 Corinthians 15:44-46 is literally soulish. The distinction in the passage is between a body that is animated merely by the soul and a body that is animated by the spirit. A body that is animated merely by the soul is fitted to live an earthly life. This was Adam in paradise. Had Adam not fallen, this would have been the life of the human race. A body that is spiritual is a body that is fitted to live a higher, better, more glorious life—a heavenly life. This is the higher, better, more glorious life of the body that Jesus acquired for himself by his death and resurrection. His bodily life is spiritual because his body is spiritual in nature. It is still a real, substantial, genuinely human body, but its substance is not ‘soulish’ but spiritual. Sharing in the quality of his body in the resurrection, the elect too will undergo the change from their formerly ‘soulish’ bodies to spiritual bodies. They will be fitted to live the new, different, better, more glorious heavenly lives” (The Church’s Hope: The Reformed Doctrine of the End – The Coming of Christ [Grand Rapids, MI; RFPA, 2022], p. 129)

THE LAST JUDGMENT
… Then all men will personally appear before this great Judge, both men and women and children, that have been from the beginning of the world to the end thereof, being summoned by the voice of the archangel and by the sound of the trumpet of God. For all the dead shall be raised out of the earth, and their souls joined and united with their proper bodies in which they formerly lived. As for those who shall then be living, they shall not die as the others, but be changed in the twinkling of an eye, and from corruptible become incorruptible. Then the books (that is to say, the consciences) shall be opened, and the dead judged according to what they shall have done in this world, whether it be good or evil. Nay, all men shall give an account of every idle word they have spoken, which the world only counts amusement and jest; and then the secrets and hypocrisy of men shall be disclosed and laid open before all …

Charles Hodge on I Corinthians 15 in A Commentary on 1 & 2 Corinthians:

[1] “The Resurrection of the Dead. In treating this subject the apostle first proves the fact of Christ’s resurrection, vs. 1-11. He thence deduces, first, the possibility, and then the certainty of the resurrection of his people, vs. 12-34. He afterwards teaches the nature of the resurrection, so far as to show that the doctrine is not liable to the objections which had been brought against it, vs. 35-58″ (p. 308).

[2] “Nature of the resurrection body, vs. 35-58. Having proved the fact of the resurrection, the apostle comes to illustrate its nature, or to teach with what kind of bodies the dead are to rise. It seems that the great objection against the doctrine [of the general resurrection] in the minds of his readers rested on the assumption that our future bodies are to be of the same nature with those which we now have [cf. v. 35]; that is, natural bodies consisting of flesh and blood, and sustained by air, food and sleep. Paul says this is a foolish assumption. Our future bodies may be material and identical with our present bodies, and yet organized in a very different way” (p. 341).

THE LAST JUDGMENT
Finally, we believe, according to the Word of God, when the time appointed by the Lord (which is unknown to all creatures) is come, and the number of the elect complete, that our Lord Jesus Christ will come from heaven, corporally and visibly, as He ascended, with great glory and majesty to declare Himself Judge of the quick and the dead, burning this old world with fire and flame to cleanse it.
Then all men will personally appear before this great Judge, both men and women and children, that have been from the beginning of the world to the end thereof, being summoned by the voice of the archangel and by the sound of the trumpet of God. For all the dead shall be raised out of the earth, and their souls joined and united with their proper bodies in which they formerly lived. As for those who shall then be living, they shall not die as the others, but be changed in the twinkling of an eye, and from corruptible become incorruptible. Then the books (that is to say, the consciences) shall be opened, and the dead judged according to what they shall have done in this world, whether it be good or evil. Nay, all men shall give an account of every idle word they have spoken, which the world only counts amusement and jest; and then the secrets and hypocrisy of men shall be disclosed and laid open before all …

THE LAST JUDGMENT
… Then all men will personally appear before this great Judge, both men and women and children, that have been from the beginning of the world to the end thereof, being summoned by the voice of the archangel and by the sound of the trumpet of God. For all the dead shall be raised out of the earth, and their souls joined and united with their proper bodies in which they formerly lived. As for those who shall then be living, they shall not die as the others, but be changed in the twinkling of an eye, and from corruptible become incorruptible. Then the books (that is to say, the consciences) shall be opened, and the dead judged according to what they shall have done in this world, whether it be good or evil. Nay, all men shall give an account of every idle word they have spoken, which the world only counts amusement and jest; and then the secrets and hypocrisy of men shall be disclosed and laid open before all …

For more on several topics mentioned in this audio, read these short articles from the Covenant Reformed News:

Relics and Elisha’s Bones (1) 
Relics and Elisha’s Bones (2)

Was Ishmael Saved?
Was Hagar Saved?
Objections to the Salvation of Ishmael and Hagar Answered

What Is “the Body of Moses” in Jude 9?
Satan’s Arguments Regarding the Translation of Moses’ Body

THE LAST JUDGMENT
… Then all men will personally appear before this great Judge, both men and women and children, that have been from the beginning of the world to the end thereof, being summoned by the voice of the archangel and by the sound of the trumpet of God. For all the dead shall be raised out of the earth, and their souls joined and united with their proper bodies in which they formerly lived. As for those who shall then be living, they shall not die as the others, but be changed in the twinkling of an eye, and from corruptible become incorruptible. Then the books (that is to say, the consciences) shall be opened, and the dead judged according to what they shall have done in this world, whether it be good or evil. Nay, all men shall give an account of every idle word they have spoken, which the world only counts amusement and jest; and then the secrets and hypocrisy of men shall be disclosed and laid open before all …

Apostles’ Creed: “I believe … the resurrection of the body.”

Nicene Creed: “I look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come.”

Athanasian Creed: “At whose coming all men shall rise again with their bodies.”

THE LAST JUDGMENT
Finally, we believe, according to the Word of God, when the time appointed by the Lord (which is unknown to all creatures) is come, and the number of the elect complete, that our Lord Jesus Christ will come from heaven, corporally and visibly, as He ascended, with great glory and majesty to declare Himself Judge of the quick and the dead, burning this old world with fire and flame to cleanse it …
Therefore we expect that great day with a most ardent desire, to the end that we may fully enjoy the promises of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus (Rev. 22:20).

New Testament Texts on the End (Termination and Goal)

Matthew 13:39: “the enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels.”

Matthew 13:40-43: “As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world. The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.”

Matthew 13:49: “So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just.”

Matthew 24:3: “And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?”

Matthew 24:6: “And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.”

Matthew 24:13: “But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.”

Matthew 24:14: “And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.”

Matthew 28:20: “teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.”

I Corinthians 1:7-8: “So that ye come behind in no gift; waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall also confirm you unto the end, that ye may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

I Corinthians 15:23-28: “But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming. Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. For he hath put all things under his feet. But when he saith all things are put under him, it is manifest that he is excepted, which did put all things under him. And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all.”

II Corinthians 1:13-14: “For we write none other things unto you, than what ye read or acknowledge; and I trust ye shall acknowledge even to the end; As also ye have acknowledged us in part, that we are your rejoicing, even as ye also are ours in the day of the Lord Jesus.”

I Peter 4:7: “But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer.”

Revelation 1:8: “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.”

Revelation 21:6: “And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.”

Revelation 22:12-13: “And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.”

Cornelis Venema on Christ’s future bodily coming as the goal and consummation of all things:

“… the great centrepiece of biblical expectation for the future. All lines of history converge in the event of Christ’s triumphant return from heaven to conclude his mediatorial reign (I Cor. 15:28) and demonstrate his kingly rule over all things for the sake of the church” (The Promise of the Future [Edinburgh: Banner, 2000], p. 87).

“… the great centrepiece of biblical hope and expectation for the future. All of the other subjects that will demand our attention are like so many points on the circumference of a circle, each related in its own way to what lies at the centre. Whether the topic is the nature or timing of the millennium, the ‘signs of the times’, the resurrection of the body, the final judgement, or the final state, each finds its focus and meaning in relation to this great and impending event which consummates the present epoch in the history of redemption” (The Promise of the Future [Edinburgh: Banner, 2000], pp. 79-80).

For more, listen to or watch “The End That Is Coming” (Matthew 24:1-14) by Prof. Brian Huizinga.