to be back and in a weekend that doesn't look like it's going to have snow in it. That's wonderful. Even though I'm from Michigan and we pride ourselves on how cold it is there and how snowy it is there, I've lived in Kentucky too long to not appreciate snow-free weekends. Anyway, I told Mr. Atkins that if I don't succeed, like I hope to succeed in this men's conference, you may get the two messages back during the men's conference by itself. Because what I want to do is really kind of ambitious. I want to cover the three basic issues having to do with the basic structure of eschatology in the Bible. I want to do that in three messages, whereas when I lecture on it, I usually do it in ten or twelve lectures. So that's why you might have reason to fear that you could be here a long time. But I hope that's not the case. It's not my purpose for it to be the case. What we're going to talk about is, this evening, the two ages. And then we're going to talk about the general judgment in the first session tomorrow morning. And then we're going to talk about the coming kingdom in Revelation 20. And I have, before, done the two ages in one session. I've done the general judgment in one session. I've never done Revelation 20 in one session, so that could get interesting. But at any rate, that's my hope. And I'm going to deal with these things because I think these are the pivotal issues to help us understand the basic structure of redemptive history. And I think first among those things is the issue of understanding the biblical doctrine of what I have called the two ages. And so my impossible dream this evening is to try to give you an overview of the biblical system of last things in one message. I guess you'll have to decide if I succeed in that. This is going to be a popular overview of the subject. I'm not going to take the time to stop every time there's an if, and, or, but, and there are a lot of them, to answer those things. If you want to see at least some of the ifs, ands, and buts answered, you're going to have to read the chapters on this subject in End Times Made Simple. So this evening I want to begin by talking about the biblical terminology of the two ages. The biblical terminology of the two ages. And I have just three things to say by way of introduction to the biblical terminology of the three ages. The first thing I want to tell you is the key word in this terminology. And it is the Greek word aion, which comes into English often as aeon, and is often translated in the Bible age. Now, the meaning of this Greek word is not really in doubt. It means age, a long period of time, an era, or an eon. But the point I want to emphasize here is that this word often has not only a time, but also a space reference. It's both a temporal and a spatial word. It is actually a place. It designates a place in time. not just a period of time, but a place in time. It could be translated, therefore, world age. And you can see this from some of his pivotal usages in the New Testament. Galatians 1.4 speaks of how Christ died to deliver us from this present evil age. There you see that it's both a time and space word, because it's not an evil age in heaven, it's an evil age here on earth. Similarly, in the passage read already this evening, Luke 20, verse 35, Jesus speaks of those who are considered worthy to attain to that age. Well, what does that mean? Does it mean the wicked cease to exist in the age to come, in the future? Of course it doesn't mean that. The Bible teaches plainly, and tragically for those who will experience it, the doctrine of eternal punishment. But you see, the age to come is not only a place in time, but it's a place in space. And so not everyone inherits the world age to come. Similarly, in Hebrews 1-2, the Bible teaches that God the Father, through His Son as His instrument, created what is translated often in our Bibles, worlds, but can also be translated ages. that through His Son, God the Father, created the ages. And again, the idea is world ages. It's not just a time reference, it's a space reference as well. It's a world age. So the basic meaning of the key word in this terminology is clear. The Bible's own system is to contrast this world age with the world age to come. Now by using this unique word to refer to both the present life and the future life of the believer, an important fact is made clear. The Bible views future eternal existence of God's people as an endless existence in an age, a place in space and time. To put it differently, the Bible views eternity as the age to come. As creatures, we will always live in space and time. Whatever people mean by entering eternity, they must not, they ought not to mean, if they're biblical Christians, that somehow we escape space and time. The old hymn that says, when the trumpet of the Lord shall sound and time shall be no more, if that's taken literally, is simply mistaken. Time does not cease. Our existence in the future is an existence in space and time. It is an existence in the age to come. But then I want to say something just briefly about the usage of this terminology. There are 18 places, I want you to think about that a second, in the New Testament where this terminology, or a distinctive part of this terminology, this age and the age to come, We're going to notice many of those passages in the following study. I'm not going to take the time to turn to all of them right here. Furthermore, many parallel phrases kind of increase this number because these other phrases used in the New Testament are parallel and kind of expand on this terminology. The New Testament speaks not only of this age, but of this time, the consummation of the age, this world, or cosmos, and it also speaks of the economy to come. The way in which this phraseology permeates the New Testament assures us that in this terminology of this age and the age to come, we have touched the beating heart of the biblical scheme of redemptive history and eschatology in particular. Now how are we going to treat this Well, I want to look at, as you can see from your notes, the basic scheme of the two ages, and then the enhanced scheme of the two ages, and under both these points, I'll open them up with three propositions. So, first of all, then, the basic scheme of the two ages. Proposition 1. This age and the age to come, taken together, exhaust all time, including the endless time of the eternal state. And the easiest way to see this is by comparing two passages in the Gospels that are familiar. Look at, first of all, at Matthew 12 and verse 32. Matthew 12 and verse 32. Where we read, whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven him. Whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, now notice the occurrence of the phrase, the phrase we're talking about, either in this age or in the age to come. Now what does it mean not to be forgiven either in this age or in the age to come? Is there perhaps some other time in which you might be forgiven if you're not forgiven in this age or in the age to come? You're already answering that question, no, and you should be because of the parallel passage in Mark 3 Mark 3 and verse 29, please turn there. Mark 3 and verse 29. Truly I say to you, verse 28, all sins shall be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they utter. But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin. What does it mean not to be forgiven in this age or in the age to come? It means never to be forgiven, because this age and the age to come exhaust all time, including the endless time of the eternal state. Now, as we go on in the New Testament, there are other passages that suggest this. For instance, Mark 10.30 reads this way, But that he shall receive a hundred times as much now in the present age Houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and farms, along with persecutions. And in the age to come, eternal life. The implication is here that the age to come is eternal, because in it we inherit eternal life. And again, another passage, and to this one you might want to turn, is 1 Timothy 6, verses 17 to 19. 1 Timothy 6, 17 to 19. Instruct those who are rich in this present world, your Bible may read, but the word is I own, this present age, not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy. Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation, your Bibles may read, for the future, The word is Zuluri, the coming, it means the coming one, and refers to the age to come. Throwing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the coming one, the future, so that they may take hold of that which is life indeed. Now the passage teaches us that there are true riches and eternal life in the future age. And this is contrasted with the temporary life and uncertain riches of the present age. The implication is that these two ages exhaust all conceivable human conditions. The age of temporary riches and the age of permanent, eternal riches exhaust all the ideas about riches that we can conceive. The implication is that this age and the age to come exhaust all human history. unto the endless time of the eternal state. The conclusion has to be this. There's no period of human history before this age. It began with the beginning of human history, with what I'll call the creation-fall complex. There's no period between this age and the age to come. The one follows the other immediately. And there's no period after the age to come, because it is eternal. Proposition 2. This age and the age to come are qualitatively different states of human existence and qualitatively different periods in the history of the world. Now here I want you to turn to the passage read in your hearing already this evening. That passage is Luke chapter 20, and here I want you to focus attention on the pivotal verses for our purposes, and those are verses 34 to 36. Of course, the theme, as you heard it this evening, is the whole subject of the resurrection and what shall be in the time of the resurrection. Verse 33, In the resurrection, therefore, which one's wife will she be? For all seven had married her. Jesus said to them, The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage. But those who are considered worthy to attain that age and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry nor are given in marriage, for they cannot even die anymore, because they are like angels and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection." Now, the interesting thing about this passage is what I've tried to place in your notes for you. And that's the way it contrasts the different conditions that apply to this age and the age to come. And it's plain in the passage, and I feel almost a little foolish trying to explain it to you, but here it goes. This age is an age of marriage. In this age, people marry and are given in marriage. Jesus then says that in the age to come, there is no marriage. They neither marry nor are given in marriage. This age is an age of death and dying. But in the age to come, they cannot die anymore because they are sons of God being sons of the resurrection. This age is an age of natural men. I mean by that phrase, unresurrected men. Men who are soulish men, to use Paul's terminology in 1 Corinthians 15. But that's contrasted with the fact that in the age to come, it's an age which is inhabited only by resurrected men. They are sons of God being sons of the resurrection. And of course, the fourth contrast is really clear then as well. Righteous and wicked men coexist in this age. It's a fact of experience. It's a fact of the Bible. But in the age to come, there are no wicked men. Because those who are counted worthy to attain to that age are sons of God being sons of the resurrection. Now, this passage reminds us, and you may want to turn to this parallel passage, of the parable of the tares in Matthew 13. There are several very interesting comparisons to be made between this passage and the parable of the tares. Matthew 13, and we'll just read the interpretation of the parable of the tares found in verses 36 to 43. Maybe people in Virginia know what tares are, but in case you don't, tares are weeds. Anyway, then he left the crowds and went into the house and his disciples came to him and said, explain to us the parable of the tares of the field. And he said, the one who sows the good seed is the son of man, and the field is the world. And as for the good seed, these are the sons of the kingdom. And the tares are the sons of the evil one. And the enemy who sowed them is the devil. And the harvest is the end of the age. And the reapers are angels. So just as the tares are gathered up and burned with fire, so shall it be at the end of the age. The son of man will send forth his angels. And they will gather out of his kingdom all stumbling blocks. And those who commit lawlessness will throw them into the furnace of fire. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, and the righteous will shine forth as the son in the kingdom of their father. He who has ears, let him hear." Here again, we see two of the contrasts as we contrast the period of sowing, as it's called here in the parable of the wheat and weeds, with the period of harvest, as it's called here in this parable. In the period of sowing, mixed wheat, sons of the kingdom, and tares, sons of the evil one, exist together in the world. But in the period of harvest, they're only the wheat because the angels of the Lord come forth and they separate the tares from the wheat and cast them into a furnace of fire. But then the other contrast that's clear here in parallel to Luke 20 is that in this age you have, in the period of sowing, to use the terminology again, you have men in a natural condition, but in the period of harvest you have only men in a glorified condition. You say, where do you get that from? Well, I get it from the passages quoted in Matthew 13, 43. If it's not clear enough on the surface of things that when the righteous shine forth as the son of the kingdom of their father, they are resurrected men, you simply need to turn to the Old Testament passage which Jesus is quoting. It's Daniel 12, 1 and 2, and it's a reference to the resurrection of the dead. Proposition 3. This age and the age to come are divided by the judgment of the wicked, the resurrection of the righteous, and the second coming of Christ, which end this age and inaugurate the age to come. something like massive support for this proposition in the New Testament. I'm only going to give you a sampling of what might be said here. Luke 20 verse 35 teaches that attaining to that age is equivalent to attaining to the resurrection of the dead. It's clear, indisputable. The resurrection is the door out of this age and into the age to come. What it means to attain to that age to be considered worthy to attain to that age is to be resurrected from the dead. When, however, does the resurrection occur? It occurs according to the uniform and pervasive teaching of the New Testament at Christ's return. Do I need to remind you of the passage? 1 Corinthians 15, 22, those who are Christ's that is coming. In verse 23, 50 to 55 of that same chapter. 1 Thessalonians 4, 16, and on and on and on we could go. But then another argument for this dividing line between this age and the age to come can be gleaned from the passage in Matthew 13 that we were just looking at. Matthew 13, 39-43 refers, as we have seen, to the same event as Luke 20, 35. It's clearly a reference to the judgment of the wicked and the resurrection of the righteous. And again, we know that both those events, according to the Gospel of Matthew itself, occur at the second coming of Christ. Matthew 24, 30 and 31 speak of Christ's coming and gathering His elect from one end of heaven to the other. Matthew 25, 31 speaks of a time when the Son of Man comes in His glory and all His only angels with Him, and when all the nations stand before Him and they are judged. Yes, it is the judgment of the wicked and the resurrection of the dead that separate this age from the age to come. In the age to come, as we have seen, we receive eternal life as God's people. Do I need to tell you, of course, the New Testament speaks of eternal life in two different ways. There is a sense, of course, that by faith, when we believe in Christ, we right now already receive eternal life. But in other passages of the New Testament, it's clear that eternal life is a reference to the life of the resurrection, Mark 10.30, we've already seen. Matthew 25, 31 and 46 speaks of how when Christ comes in His glory and all His angels with Him, there is this judgment and at the end of this judgment the righteous go away into what? Eternal life. Eternal life. So in the age to come we receive eternal life and this occurs at Christ's second coming. We can turn to other passages, Titus 2, 11-13 clearly implies that the Second Coming consummates this age and brings in the age to come in its fullest. The passage reads, 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, looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus. Our hope in this present age is the appearing of Christ which brings the age to come. Here then are three plain truths about this age and the age to come. First, this age and the age to come taken together exhaust all time, including the endless time of the eternal state. This means that there is no period between this age and the age to come. Two, this age and the age to come are qualitatively different states of human existence in qualitatively different periods in the history of the world. There is the clearest contrast between them according to Luke 20, verses 34 to 36. And three, this age and the age to come are divided by the judgment of the wicked and the resurrection of the righteous. These events conclude this age and inaugurate the age to come. And these three plain truths require three plain applications. Three plain truths, three plain applications. The first is summed up in the word simplicity. How does the Bible present its eschatology in terms of two ages? Not three, not seven, not ten, Not 21. No, only two ages. There could not be a simpler eschatology. Earl was telling me a story that confirmed this on the way. Apparently one of his teachers at Piedmont Bible College, just to make sure I get the story right, Earl, was taking a quartet with him, I guess you were seeing at this debate, I don't know why you would have a quartet singing at a debate, but there you go, at Covenant College. And on the way, the man from their Bible college, the dispensationalist, told the quartet, now you've got to be careful, guys, because when you get there, the man's going to present his amillennial view, and it's going to seem really simple. Yes, it is. That's the first word, simplicity. The second word is similarity. The essence of premillennialism Oh, there I've used the word. Let me say that I was raised by godly premillennialists. I'm no way on earth saying that premillennialists aren't Christians or anything like that. I'm not saying they're not Christians. I'm just saying they're wrong. The essence of premillennialism is that there is a thousand year earthly reign of Christ after his second coming and before the eternal state. According to every form of premillennialism, this is the meaning of Revelation 20, 1-10, that we'll look at tomorrow morning. Upon any premillennial interpretation of that passage, unresurrected evil men inhabit the millennial period along with unresurrected righteous men after the return of Christ. That's what the passage says on a premillennial reading. That's what the passage must say on a premillennial reading. But is that possible? The answer is absolutely not, from what we have seen. Is the biblical doctrine of the two ages consistent with this view, this view which is essential to premillennialism? No, the doctrine of the two ages confronts premillennialism with an insoluble dilemma. There are only two places you can put the millennium, either in this age or in the age to come. It can't go in this age because this age comes before the coming of Christ. It can't go in the age to come because in the age to come there are no unresurrected evil men in the world. And so, because no wicked men, in an unresurrected condition remain of that age, there are only righteous men in a resurrected condition, and since there is no intermediate or other period beside the two ages, premillennialism cannot be reconciled with the two-age scheme basic to biblical eschatology. Third S, Supernaturalism. Biblical eschatology involves an emphatic supernaturalism No gradual process can bring the fulfillment for which the Bible teaches us to hope. The theory of evolution is of no help. There can be no evolution into the age to come. There is no naturalistic or materialistic explanation for the glory that shall be revealed, even the improvements in men and the world wrought by the preaching of the Word of God. will never by themselves transform men into the glory of the resurrection. Biblical hope is and must be, frankly, supernatural in character. Only almighty, divine, and supernatural intervention can ever bring about the glory of the age to come. You see, it's what the parable of the wheat and weeds makes so clear. You can plant that field, but until the farmer comes back, there will be no harvest. Only almighty, divine, and supernatural intervention can ever bring about the glory of the age to come that is the Christian hope. Well, that's the basic scheme, but I want to come down and talk about the enhanced scheme of the two ages. Now, what am I doing here? Well, think of it this way. The United States uses high-tech spy satellites to keep watch on the missile bases of potential adversaries like China. The larger pictures show the entire base, but those larger pictures may be computer-enhanced or magnified to show particular details of interest in one small section of the missile base. They can focus down and down and down until they see that bald-headed Chinaman down there, right? Well, similar to this lecture, I'm attempting to look in a little more detail at the biblical scheme of the two ages. The enhancement of the biblical doctrine of the two ages, this magnification of what's going on here, may be again presented via three propositions or assertions. Proposition one. This age is and always will be an evil age." This age is and always will be an evil age. This bears some scripture turning. Look at Luke 16.8. Luke 16.8. And his master praised the unrighteous manager because he had acted shrewdly. For the sons of this age are more shrewd in relation to their own kind than the sons of light." Notice the contrast between those whom Jesus calls the sons of this age and those whom he calls the sons of light. Turn your Bibles to Mark 10 and verse 30, passage we've already referred to. Verse 29. Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or farms for my sake and for the gospel's sake, but that he will receive a hundred times as much now in this present age Houses, and brothers, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and farms, along with persecutions. And in the age to come, eternal life. See what the passage says. In this age, we must expect to leave house, brothers, sisters, mother, father, children, for Christ's sake and for the gospel's sake. We must expect persecutions. Only in the age to come is there the glory of the eternal life. Look at Romans 12 too. And do not be conformed to this ion. That's the Greek. will be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect." Here, Paul can call Christians to a holy life by telling them not to be conformed to this world age. What is the implication? This world age is, and always will be, evil. 2 Corinthians 4. In whose case, the God of this age, the God of this world age, has blinded the minds of the unbelieving, so they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. Satan is the God of this age, and therefore it is and always will be evil. Look at Galatians 1.4, which is perhaps the classic passage on this subject. Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for our sins so that He might rescue us from this present evil age according to the will of our God and Father. It is and always will be until Jesus returns and causes it to pass into the age to come, an evil age. Last passage, Ephesians 2.2. And you were dead, verse 1 says, in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to The Greek reads, the age of this cosmos, the age of this world. According to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience, among them we too all formerly lived in the lust of our flesh, indulging to the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. What does it mean to walk as a son of disobedience. It means to walk according to the ion of this cosmos, the age of this world. This age is and always will be evil. Now let me just summarize what we've seen. Luke 16.8 speaks of evil men as the sons of this age and contrasts them with the sons of light. Mark 10.30 teaches that those who have left all for Christ must always expect persecutions in this age. As long as this age lasts, then, persecution will be the lot of the true Christian. Romans 12, 2 is Paul's exhortation to Christians not to be conformed to this age. Such language plainly assumes that this age will always be an evil age. 2 Corinthians 4, 4 asserts that Satan is the god of this age. It's therefore necessarily evil. Galatians 1.4 is Paul's description of this age as a present evil age from which the elect are redeemed by the death of Christ. Ephesians 2.2 describes the former wicked lives of Ephesian believers as walking according to the age of this world. Such passages as these presuppose and assume that this present age is and always will be evil. If this were not the case, there might come a day when the persecution of Christians would cease, when it would not be wrong to be conformed to this age, when Satan would not be its God, when Paul's description of it as evil would cease to be true, and when one could walk according to the age of this world and be righteous. But all this would defy the plain implications of the New Testament. Now, maybe I'm going to stomp on some toes here, but I have to tell you this. There's an unavoidable problem here with what is sometimes called post-millennialism. Now, post-millennialism can mean a lot of things to a lot of different people. I have to say here that I'm talking about systematic post-millennialism. I'm talking about that post-millennialism which teaches, according to some of its primary exponents, both in this century, the last century, and in the 1700s, I'm talking about that post-millennialism, that systematic post-millennialism that teaches that good triumphs over evil in this age, that righteousness and peace in this age overcome unrighteousness and hatred and lead to a great golden age of peace and prosperity and righteousness before Jesus comes back. Now, that's what I mean by post-millennialism, and I'm telling you that these passages present an unavoidable an inevitable problem for such post-millennialism. When the Bible assumes that this age that ends only with the second coming of Christ is and always will be evil, it teaches something that contradicts a distinguishing feature of what I will call systematic post-millennialism. Proposition 2. This age is in its last days. Wow, you're getting around to that. I believe this age has been in the last days since 1969 or since 2004, 2005 or something like that. No, that's not the perspective I'm teaching here. A number of passages that use the two-age terminology plainly convey that this age is in its last days, has been since the resurrection of Christ. Look up the term last days like I did for my wife one day this last week. She sits there having her devotions while I'm trying to have mine and she says, where does the term last days occur in the New Testament? So I looked it up on BibleWorks and there it was, five or six passages where the exact English phrase last days occurs in the New Testament. all of them referring to the period of time that began with the resurrection of Christ. Look it up yourself. That's what it says. 1 Corinthians 2.6 stresses, by its use of the present tense, the fact that this age is in its last days. Yet we do speak wisdom among those who are mature, a wisdom, however, not of this age, nor of the rulers of this age, who, during the present tense, are passing away. This is parallel with the statement of 1 John 2.17. And the world is passing away, and also its lusts. But the one who does the will of God abides forever. Compare verse 8 of the same chapter. On the other hand, I am writing a new commandment to you which is true in him and in you, because the darkness is passing away, and the true light is already shining. The same implications present in Hebrews 9.26. Otherwise, he would have needed to suffer often since the foundation of the world. But now, once, at the consummation of the ages, he has been manifested to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. And likewise, 1 Corinthians 10.11 says, now these things happened to them as an example, and they were written for our instruction upon whom the ends of the ages have come." Since the coming of Christ and His resurrection, this age has been in its last days. It's in the process of passing away. Further evidence for this assertion will be amassed as the study proceeds. It's popular in some quarters to ridicule those Christians who continually declare that we are in the last days. Of course, such declarations are often intended in ways that are profoundly contrary to the meaning of the New Testament. Nonetheless, there is a danger in ridiculing those who misunderstand the New Testament at this point and teach extremist views of the imminence of Christ's return. We ourselves must ourselves take care not to lose a sense of the nearness of Christ's return. because this world is passing away and it's lost. Only the one who does the will of God will abide forever. Well, that's Proposition 2. Proposition 3. The great realities of the age to come have broken into and are already operative in this age. Hebrews 6. Verses 4-6. Please turn there. Hebrews 6, verses 4-6. I hope you haven't been distracted because I've turned you already to one of the key passages on the unpardonable sin of the New Testament. And now I'm turning you to the other of the two great passages. I do think that what we're going to be saying right now provides at least some light as to what the unpardonable sin is. though that's not exactly in the track we're following this evening. The emphasis of the New Testament that most strikingly supplements or enhances our understanding of the two-age structure of redemptive history is that the great realities of the age to come have in some sense broken into and become operative in this age. The clearest passage here is Hebrews 6, verses 4 to 6. For in the case of those who have once been enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the age to come. And then they have fallen away. It's impossible to renew them again to repentance, since they again crucified to themselves the Son of God, and put Him to open shame." Now the term powers here, is one of the technical terms often used in the New Testament for miracles. Wonders, signs, works, and powers, in the plural, are the New Testament words for miracle. In fact, if you search the word miracle in your English Bibles and with your software, you're going to find that there really isn't an exact Greek equivalent for the word miracle. It's contained in the four ideas of wonders, powers, works, and signs. One of those words is, however, used here. It's the word powers. Often refers to miracles in the New Testament. And thus the reference here is to the miraculous sign gifts that accompany the preaching of the gospel at the beginning of the gospel age. These sign gifts announce the coming of the kingdom and the breaking in of the age to come. There is then in the presence of these sign gifts an announcement of the inauguration of the age to come. The age to come, then, in some sense, we can call the reign of Christ. Since the reign of Christ has already begun, Hebrews 2.9, Ephesians 1.21, the age to come must, in a certain sense, also have begun. Other New Testament emphases support this assertion. We've already seen that the age to come is the age of resurrection. but the apostles preached in Jesus the resurrection of the dead, Acts 4.2. And so you can see that there is this sense in which there is a shadow cast back from the age to come into this age, the shadow of the glory of the resurrection. Christ is the first fruits, then those who are Christ and His coming. In another sense, you can think of the age to come as equivalent to the new creation. And of course, we know that though the new heavens and new earth await the second coming of Christ, yet in another sense, if any man is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old things passed away. New things have come. And as Paul says elsewhere, Galatians 6.15, for neither is circumcision anything, nor uncircumcision but a new creation. And so we have what has often been called by New Testament scholars and rightly called, I think, the overlapping of the ages. Yes, this age continues. Yes, the age to come is not broken in its fullness, but there is this heavenly shadow cast over this age. It is the shadow of the glory of the age to come. Let me see if I can illustrate this for you. I see a few men here who might be young fathers, or might be looking forward to being fathers. Maybe you're married, you don't have children yet. I have something to tell you. Think of a young couple who are married and looking forward to having children. After several years, they become serious about having children, but month after month bring no results. Finally, after a trip to the doctor, the glorious day comes, the wife comes home and says, honey, we're pregnant. Well, that's great news. The future has come. But has it? A week goes by and nothing much changes. Because there's still that long period of gestation before they can hold in their arms the little one. Of course, there are growing signs. that something is happening. Baby's room is painted, well, after they know, either pink or blue, of course. And Daddy's nervousness increases as the great day draws near. Mommy's tummy grows increasingly larger, but despite all this, there's no visible reality. cooing baby to hold in their arms. It's even so, this is what I'm saying, with the age to come and the Kingdom of God. The age to come has, in a certain way, in a certain sense, come in certain subtle but significant ways, but it has not come in outward glorious reality. Just as there's an overlapping of the ages in the history of this family, so there is in the history of the world. And the point is this, right now, Right now, history is pregnant with the age to come. The general perspective of the biblical doctrine of the two ages, and especially the overlapping of the two ages, is enormously important for all sorts of things besides prophecy. As Earl and I talked on the way over here, I told him that one of the things that dawned on me with regard to the importance of what we're talking about tonight And what we're talking about this weekend is that the Bible is a story. And you know what's true of stories? Always true of stories. Can't possibly not be true of stories? Everything depends on the way the story ends. That's why eschatology is important. And it's important because it tells the end of the story and tells us what the rest of the story means. And it's significant. The overlapping of the ages, this system, explains so much about the two-stage character of salvation. Ever wonder why the Bible says we were saved and we're going to be saved? Why the Bible says we have eternal life but we are going to receive eternal life? Why the Bible teaches that we are adopted sons of God, but we look forward to the redemption of our bodies, the adoption? Ever wonder why the kingdom of God has come, but not yet come? I can go on, right? Ever wonder why we have justification, but we look forward to the demonstration of that justification in the judgment of the last day? Why all of this? because of the overlapping of the ages. There is an overlapping of this age and the age to come. One of the many practical implications of this for Christians is something that's widely or was widely forgotten in the evangelical world, and I think still is, and that's the fact that between being saved now and being saved then, there is the necessity for the perseverance of the saints. There's this necessity of walking that narrow way that leads to life. Thus the exhortation comes in Hebrews to Christians who have received Christ as their rest, that they must be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fail through following the same example of disobedience. Hebrews 4.11. There it is. We have received rest. Jesus is our rest. Yes, Matthew chapter 11, 25 to 30, it's clear. But there is a rest that remains for the people of God. A rest to which, and this is the whole point of Hebrews, you know that Hebrews 3 and 4 is not evangelistic, it's addressed to professing believers, right? It's not calling them to initial faith in Christ. It's calling them to persevere to the end and inherit the eternal rest. That's what it's calling them to. And by the way, this is what's wrong with anti-sabotarianism. They think you've got the whole rest now, and you don't. There is a rest that remains for the people of God. A rest to which we must persevere. You know, if we got the whole rest, the anti-sabbatarian that thinks there's no Sabbath, no Christian Sabbath for the Christian today might be right. But that's not true. The way they read Matthew 11 and Hebrews 4 and put them together is simply wrong. Hebrews 4 is not talking about the rest we received by faith when we were justified. It's not talking about that. It's talking about perseverance to the end. So, That's interesting. There's an eternal rest out there after Christ comes back. There was a rest for the Old Testament people of God, but there's no rest of any kind, O Sabbath, for the Christian right now. Does that make any sense to you? It doesn't make any sense to me. The whole climate, the whole eschological structure of the Bible is contrary to the whole anti-sabbatarian position. Well, you got that for free, didn't you? I've talked to well-known anti-sabotarians, and this is the way they interpret Hebrews 4. They interpret it as referring to the rest that we received by faith when we first received Christ. I've talked to PhDs that say that, and they're just indescribably wrong and misguided. I know what I'm talking about here. And you see, when we see that Hebrews 4 is talking about the rest that remains for the people of God, when we see that it's talking about the the inheritance, the eternal rest to which the people of God in the wilderness were persevering, then we have an understanding of where the Church is and of redemptive history that's simply contrary to the whole mishmash of anti-sabbatarian understanding. Anyway, I'll get off that subject. The second thing we learn here from the overlapping of the ages is that it explains so much about the life of the Christian. It explains so much about the life of the Christian. We were all taught, maybe not all of us, I certainly was, to seek experiences which would, in principle, deliver us from the tension of living in the period of the overlapping of the ages. We were taught to seek a higher life, a deeper life, a victorious life, a second blessing, a baptism of the Spirit, all of those things, in effect, being the means of taking us out of the contradiction, sorrow, and trial of this age. But all of that's contrary to the eschatology of the Bible and the two-age system and the overlapping of the ages. We live in the overlapping of the ages. There's only one way to get out of it. Die. Or be here when Christ comes back. Otherwise, you're living in the overlapping of the ages. That means you're going to be pulled, you're going to be pulled by the age to come and pulled by this age. It means there's going to be tension. It means there's going to be trial. It means there's going to have to be perseverance over obstacles. Because you live, you live in the overlapping of the ages. Fountain Top experiences are wonderful. But we must beware of the mountaintop syndrome. In this age, the valley always comes back. The trials never entirely go away. God is merciful. His grace is sufficient. He promises to be with us in trial. He tells us that the trials are leading someplace good. Experience works hope. Yes, all true. But this age for the Christian means trial. It means persecution. It means it's not going to be easy to live the Christian life. It means there are going to be challenges to your faith and that's never going to end. Not until Jesus returns. And the overlapping of the ages also explains so much about the future of the church. We must not look for a golden age before Christ returns. That's a denial of the character of the sage. Now we must not be pessimilennialists either and see nothing but apostasy and for the visible church. We must not conclude from this pessimilennialism that we should all join in little conventicles and celebrate the Lord's table and huddle ourselves away from the world until Jesus returns. That's nonsense too. We live in the overlapping of the ages. The Church is enlivened by the powerful realities of the age to come that have already broken into the world with the first advent of Christ. Those who have told God's people that they should not polish brass on the sinking ship of the Church are no friends of the work of Christ in the world. They weaken the hands of true Christians in their God-ordained labor to build the Church of Christ You say, you sound like a post-millennialist now. No, no, I'm really optimistic about the church, I'm just not optimistic about the world. I'm optimistic about the church growing throughout the world. I'm not optimistic about the world becoming Christian. Both the gloomy pessimist and the starry-eyed optimist having balanced views of the future prospects of the church. The right view is right there in the parable of the wheat and weeds. Both will grow together until harvest. That's what the great farmer said. Let both grow together until harvest. Don't go out with those folks that want to root up the weeds. at the end of their rifles, no. On the other hand, don't think that the fact that the weeds grow means that the wheat won't. You see, this is what people have done time and time again. If the weeds are growing, then there's only the withering of God's church to look forward to. Nonsense. Jesus said that both will grow together until harvest. I think there's a deep logic to that. Actually, I think the growth of both the wheat and the weeds is provoked by what's going on on the other side. But that's a different subject. The point I'm saying is this. We need not join the club of pessimilennialists, nor the club of the systematic postmillennialists. We need not be dreary Eeyores of pessimists. We need not be the puddle-glum pessimists, but we must not be the optimists that look at the world through rose-colored glasses, and we must remember what Jesus said. We must remember what Jesus said. Let both grow together to harvest. Both will grow. The church will grow. The church will grow. The gospel will spread. This gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world, and then the end shall come. But it will be preached to all the nations, and a great multitude whom no man can number will be saved. But it'll happen in the face of constant and perpetual opposition until Jesus returns. Let's pray. Father, we do thank you and praise you. For your mercy and grace, we give you thanks. For the Word of God, the entrance of your words gives light. Grant light to us, we pray. We ask these things in Jesus' name. Amen.