I. The Great Supper
II. The Parallel Passages
III. The Eschatological Events

I. The Glorious Vision
II. The Victorious Warrior
III. The Heavenly Armies

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 …

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 …

Dean Davis: “[Christ’s coming] is the hub, the central element of the Consummation, the core eschatological event that brings all the others to pass in quick succession” (The High King of Heaven [Enumclaw, WA: Redemption Press, 2014], p. 596).

Prof. David J. Engelsma: “That Jesus will return on or with the clouds (Matt. 24:30; 26:64; Rev. 1:7) is often misunderstood, as though this were a general description of the manifestation of his glory at his return. The clouds then are more or less ordinary clouds. The reference, however, is to a special cloud, thus signifying a particular glory. The clouds are the effulgence of the special cloud that in the Old Testament rested upon the tabernacle (Ex. 40:34-48); that led Israel through the desert (13:21); and that rested upon the mercy seat in the tabernacle (Lev. 16:2). It is the bright cloud that overshadowed Jesus, Moses, and Elijah on the mountain and out of which the voice of God sounded, ‘This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him’ (Matt. 17:5). This cloud is special. It is the cloud that is the shining forth of the glorious being of God himself. It is the presence of God with his people in the most visible manifestation of this awesome being possible for humans, other than his presence in Jesus, of course. As names by an extra-biblical source, it is the ‘Shekinah-cloud.’ That Jesus comes in the clouds of heaven therefore signifies as Jesus himself explained, that he comes ‘with power and great glory’ (Matt 24:30). That power and great glory will be the power and glory of God himself in the fullest manifestation of the divine power and glory possible to humans. Jesus’ coming is a coming with this power and glory; on this power and glory; attended by this power and glory” (The Church’s Hope: The Reformed Doctrine of the End, vol. 2, “The Coming of Christ” [Jenison, MI: RFPA, 2022], p. 106).

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 …

Louis Berkhof: “Several terms are used to denote this great event [i.e., our Lord’s bodily return], of which the following are the most important: (1) apocalupsis (unveiling), which points to the removal of that which now obstructs our vision of Christ, I Cor. 1:7; II Thess. 1:7; I Pet. 1:7, 13; 4:13; (2) epiphaneia (appearance, manifestation), a term referring to Christ’s coming forth out of a hidden background with the rich blessings of salvation, II Thess. 2:9; I Tim. 6:14; II Tim. 4:1, 8; Tit. 2:13; and (3) parousia (lit. presence), which points to the coming that precedes the presence or results in the presence, Matt. 24:3, 27, 37; I Cor. 15:23; I Thess. 2:19; 3:13; 4:15; II Thess. 2:1-9; Jas. 5:7, 8; II Pet. 1:16; 3:4, 12; I John 2:28″ (Systematic Theology [Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, repr. 1996], p. 695).

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 …

Dean Davis: “[T]here is a fulsome list of texts from the Didactic New Testament (i.e., the Gospels, the Book of Acts, and the Epistles) touching on the Parousia and the Consummation … God has planned a single, Christ-centered Consummation for the end of the present evil age, when, at the Lord’s one Parousia, he raises the dead, judges the world in righteousness, destroys the present earth and its works by fire, and creates new heavens and a new earth, the eternal home of the redeemed” (The High King of Heaven [Enumclaw, WA: Redemption Press, 2014], p. 671).

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 …

W. J. Greer: “It was characteristic of the saints of the Old Testament that they looked for the consolation of Israel, Christ’s first coming. Now ‘this is pinned as a badge to the sleeve of every true believer, that he looketh for and longeth for Christ’s (second coming.’ The New Testament keeps this great event constantly before our minds and urges it on our attention, that we may be active, earnest, patient, joyful and holy” (The Momentous Event, p. 11).

THE LAST JUDGMENT
…
And therefore the consideration of this judgment is justly terrible and dreadful to the wicked and ungodly, but most desirable and comfortable to the righteous and the elect; because then their full deliverance shall be perfected, and there they shall receive the fruits of their labor and trouble which they have borne. Their innocence shall be known to all, and they shall see the terrible vengeance which God shall execute on the wicked, who most cruelly persecuted, oppressed, and tormented them in this world; and who shall be convicted by the testimony of their own consciences, and, being immortal, shall be tormented in that everlasting fire which is prepared for the devil and his angels.

But on the contrary, the faithful and elect shall be crowned with glory and honor; and the Son of God will confess their names before God His Father and His elect angels; all tears shall be wiped from their eyes; and their cause, which is now condemned by many judges and magistrates as heretical and impious, will then be known to be the cause of the Son of God. And for a gracious reward, the Lord will cause them to possess such a glory as never entered into the heart of man to conceive.

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).

THE LAST JUDGMENT
…
And therefore the consideration of this judgment is justly terrible and dreadful to the wicked and ungodly, but most desirable and comfortable to the righteous and the elect; because then their full deliverance shall be perfected, and there they shall receive the fruits of their labor and trouble which they have borne. Their innocence shall be known to all, and they shall see the terrible vengeance which God shall execute on the wicked, who most cruelly persecuted, oppressed, and tormented them in this world; and who shall be convicted by the testimony of their own consciences, and, being immortal, shall be tormented in that everlasting fire which is prepared for the devil and his angels.
But on the contrary, the faithful and elect shall be crowned with glory and honor; and the Son of God will confess their names before God His Father and His elect angels; all tears shall be wiped from their eyes; and their cause, which is now condemned by many judges and magistrates as heretical and impious, will then be known to be the cause of the Son of God. And for a gracious reward, the Lord will cause them to possess such a glory as never entered into the heart of man to conceive.
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).

THE LAST JUDGMENT
…
And therefore the consideration of this judgment is justly terrible and dreadful to the wicked and ungodly, but most desirable and comfortable to the righteous and the elect; because then their full deliverance shall be perfected, and there they shall receive the fruits of their labor and trouble which they have borne. Their innocence shall be known to all, and they shall see the terrible vengeance which God shall execute on the wicked, who most cruelly persecuted, oppressed, and tormented them in this world; and who shall be convicted by the testimony of their own consciences, and, being immortal, shall be tormented in that everlasting fire which is prepared for the devil and his angels.
But on the contrary, the faithful and elect shall be crowned with glory and honor; and the Son of God will confess their names before God His Father and His elect angels; all tears shall be wiped from their eyes; and their cause, which is now condemned by many judges and magistrates as heretical and impious, will then be known to be the cause of the Son of God. And for a gracious reward, the Lord will cause them to possess such a glory as never entered into the heart of man to conceive.
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).