Doctrinal Statement

of

Kenneth Alford

Ordination Council

Puyallup Community Baptist Church

March 2, 1989

1:15 p.m.

Table of Contents

DOCTRINAL STATEMENT Title Page............................................................................ 1

Table of Contents................................................................................................ 2

I.    WHAT I BELIEVE ABOUT SCRIPTURE.................................................................. 3

II.   WHAT I BELIEVE ABOUT GOD........................................................................... 4

III.  WHAT I BELIEVE ABOUT ANGELS, DEMONS, AND SATAN........................................ 6

IV.  WHAT I BELIEVE ABOUT MAN........................................................................... 7

V.   WHAT I BELIEVE ABOUT SIN............................................................................ 8

VI.  WHAT I BELIEVE ABOUT SALVATION.................................................................. 9

Assurance....................................................................................................... 9

Election.......................................................................................................... 9

Faith............................................................................................................ 10

Grace........................................................................................................... 10

Justification................................................................................................... 10

Mercy........................................................................................................... 10

Reconciliation................................................................................................. 10

Redemption.................................................................................................... 11

Regeneration.................................................................................................. 11

Repentance................................................................................................... 11

Sanctification................................................................................................. 11

VII. WHAT I BELIEVE ABOUT CHURCH..................................................................... 13

VIII. WHAT I BELIEVE ABOUT LAST THINGS............................................................. 15

The Second Coming of Christ............................................................................. 15

The Marriage Supper of the Lamb (Rev. 19:1—9).................................................. 16

The Resurrection(s)......................................................................................... 16

The Judgments............................................................................................... 16

The Millennium................................................................................................ 18

The Eternal State........................................................................................... 19

IX.  WHAT I BELIEVE ABOUT CREATION.................................................................. 20

X.   WHAT I BELIEVE ABOUT SEPARATION............................................................... 21

XI.  WHAT I BELIEVE ABOUT AUTHORITY................................................................ 22

I. WHAT I BELIEVE ABOUT SCRIPTURE

The Bible is the only divinely—authored book given to man. It constitutes the only infallible authority for the Christian’s faith and practice (Mt 5:18, 24:34: Jn 10:35, 16:12, 13, 17:17; I Cor 2:13; II Tim 3:15—17; II Pe 3:15—16: Heb 4:12). It is composed of sixty six books written by men as they were controlled by the Holy Spirit of God (II Pe 1:19—21). The original documents were totally inerrant, infallible, and God—breathed in every word and detail. God “spoke” in His written word by superintending the human authors, making full use of their personalities, vocabularies, and backgrounds, without allowing their depravity to yield mistakes in the original manuscripts (II Tim 3:16; Isa 30:8; II Pe 1:19—21). This principle, called in­spiration, does not apply to translations or copies, but the believer can firmly rest in the fact that not the slightest aspect of God’s Word will pass away without fulfillment (Mt 5:18).

There is but one true interpretation of any scriptural verse or passage, though applications may be several in number. The proper method of hermeneutic involves seeking to understand the author’s intent, as indicated by literal, grammatical, historical, cultural, and sometimes typical, symbolical and prophetical facets of given passages in their immediate and extended contexts. Even with these indicators the Bible can only be understood by the illuminating aid of the Holy Spirit (I Cor 2:10—16; Jn 16:13—14; Eph 1:17—18).

II.        WHAT I BELIEVE ABOUT GOD

There is only one true God (Deut 6:4; Is 45:5—7; Jms 2:19; I Co 8:4; Mk 12:28—33; 10:18; I Tim 2:5). He alone is an infinite, eternal, perfect,and metaphysically independent spirit in whom all things have their source, support, and end” (A.H. Strong — Ps 90:2; 139:7—12; Job 26:7,11,13,14; Jn 4:24; Jn 1:1—3). He can never be and never has been anything less than God. He cannot act contrary to His nature, which is completely Holy. This means that He cannot condone sin (Hab 1:13; Is 1:13; II Tim 2:13; Titus 1:2). Everything God does is right. He requires no justification for His actions and is subject to no one other than Himself (Ps 103:19; Pin 9:14—21; Is 45:5). The Scriptures reveal the following attributes (distinguishable characteristics) of God:

A.    Immutability (Unchangeableness) — Mal 3:6; Jms 1:17

B.    Omniscience (All—Knowing) — Dan 2:20—21; Jn 21:17

C.    Omnipotence (All—Powerful) — Job 42:2; Jer 32:27

D.    Omnipresence (Everywhere Present) — Ps 139:7—9

F.    Sovereignty (Right of Authority) — Ps 103:19; Eph 1:11

F.    Holiness (Special Purity) — Rev 15:4; I Jn 1:5

G.    Goodness (Benevolent) — Ex 34:6; Zech 9:17

H.    Justice (Righteous in and of Self) — Pm 3:21—28

I.    Love (Does Best for Children) — I Jn 4:8, 19

J.    Mercy (Revoking Deserved Penalty) — Ps 136:1; Ex 33:19

K.    Grace (Bestowing Undeserved Goodness) — Eph 2:8—9; Pin 4:4—5

L.    Faithfulness (Reliability) — Deut 7:9; II Tim 2:13

M.   Patience (Ability to Wait Tolerantly) — Nab 1:3; Ps 145:8; II Pe 3:9

N.    Jealousy (Insulted by Idolatry) — Ex 20:3—6; Deut 32:21; Ex 34:14

0.    Wrath (Punishment of Sin) — Ps 7:11; Rev 6:16

P.    Infinity (Without Limits or Bounds) — Ps 90:2; Job 11:7—9

Q.   Spirituality (Not Composed of Matter) — Jn 4:24; I Tim 1:17

R.    Veracity (Agreement Between Nature and Actions) — Deut 32:4; Tit 1:2

God eternally exists in three distinct persons. These persons each merit worship as God (Acts 17:24—29; I Co 8:6; Rev 19:10; Is 48:16; Mt 3:16—17; Jn 14:16—17; 15:26; Mt 28:19; II Co 13:14). The three persons, namely, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, are each clearly called God (Rm 1:7; Heb 1:8; Acts 5:3—4, respectively).

God the Father is the absolute highest ruler over all. What He has created is subject to Him. He is sovereign in creation, providence, and redemption (Ps 103:19; Job 1:6; Rm 11:33). Even the Son and the Holy Spirit within the Trinity subject themselves to Him, though they are co—eternal and co—equal with Hi~ii (in 14:26, 14:16—L7, 14~28).

God the Son is known in history as Jesus, the Christ. He is that member of the Godhead who became human for the purpose of dying vicar­iously for the descendants of the first Adam. His substitutionary death occurred after He had lived a sinlessly perfect life, during which He upheld every aspect of God’s moral law (Jn 8:46; II Co 5:21; Heb 4:15; I Pe 2:22; I Jn 3:5). He was totally man (Lk 2:42, 52) and totally God (Jn 20:28) simultaneously. He came into the human family through a miraculous begetting process in which the Holy Spirit “over­shadowed” Mary. She conceived the Christ child, carried Him to term, and delivered Him in the unprecedented and unrepeated event called “the virgin birth”. He is the promised seed of the woman (Gen 3:15; Is 7:14; Lk 1:35; Jn 1:14) and the “Alpha and Omega” (Rev 1:8). The Scriptures make it clear that Jesus was separate from sin (Jn 8:46; II Co 5:21; Heb 4:15; I Pe 2:22; I Jn 3:5).

God the Holy Spirit was sent by the Father and the Son as the comforter of Christ’s followers (Jn 14:16—17, 26, 28). He is un­deniably a person since He can be obeyed (Acts 10:19—21), resisted (Acts 7:51), grieved (Eph 4:30), reverenced (Ps 51:11), blasphemed (Lk 12:10), and lied to (Acts 5:4—5). He has the attributes of deity: omniscience (I Co 2:11—12), omnipresence (Ps 139:11), omnipotence (Job 33:4), holiness (Lk 11:13), wisdom (Is 40:14). His actions re­flect deity as well, in that, He was involved in creation (Gen 1:2), inspiration (II Pe 1:21), and begetting Christ (Lk 1:35). The Holy Spirit relates to the Christian by regenerating him (Jn 3:5—6; Titus 3:5), baptizing him (I Co 12:13), indwelling him (Rm 5:5; 8:11; I Co 2:12; 6:19—20; Rm 8:9; Jude 19), sealing him (Eph 1:13; 4:30), filling (controlling) him (I Th 5:19; Acts 4:31; 7:55; 13:19; 18:25), aiding him in victory over sin (Bin 8:26), and endowing him with spiritual gifts (I Co 12:11).

III.      WHAT I BELIEVE ABOUT ANGELS, DEMONS, AND SATAN

Angels are personal beings created by God to act as His messengers (it Pet 1:12; Lk. 2:13—14; Heb. 1:1,6,7; Rev. 5:11; Jude 6). They were created to serve and worship their creator, and since they are creatures, it is not proper that they should be worshipped in any manner themselves (Ps. 148:2—5; Col. 1:16; Mt. 4:11; Rev. 20:1; Ex. 20:3—5; Mt. 2:13; Lk. 1:19). As God’s servants, angels have an order of rank among their number, with Michael, the Archangel, being the chief (Rev. 12:7; Is. 6; Ex. 10; Eph. 6:12).

Demons are those angels which rebelled against God, under the leader­ship of Satan (Mt. 12:24; 25:41; Rev. 9:1—11; Job 1:6—7). Consequently, they now serve Satan by doing his bidding, especially in influencing believers and mankind in general (I Tim. 4:1; II Tim. 2:26; II Cor. 4:4). Demons shall one day be cast into the Lake of Fire (Rev. 20:10; Jude 6).

Satan is the most prominent and powerful being among the fallen angels. He accuses the brethren before God (Job 1:9—10; Rev. 12:10) and he hinders believers in their Christian service and growth (Eph. 4:26—27). Therefore, it is clear that he is the personal enemy (adversary) of the redeemed, and, in turn, God Himself (Eph. 2:2; 6:11; I Pet. 5:8; Rev. 20:3; Mt. 4:1—11; 25:41). He is the deceitful, evil, mighty god of this age, but he is neither omnipresent nor almighty (Mt. 12:24; Rev. 20:10; 12:7; II Cor. 4:3—4). He is the author of sin and the root of sin’s introduction to the human race (Gen. 3:1—15; Jn. 8:44). He was, of course, defeated by Christ’s death and resur­rection and is destined for eternity in the Lake of Fire prepared for him and his angels (Rm. 16:20; Rev. 20:10).

IV.       WHAT I BELIEVE ABOUT MAN

Man was created in the very image of the only true God. This image was not carried in man s physical appearance, since God is spirit (Jn 4:24), but, the similarity is borne in man s mental, moral, and spiritual qualities. Man was created to use his intel­ligence in exercising dominion over the earth and animals (Gen 1:26— 28). He was charged with responsibility for his actions and choices, and, accordingly, he was given commands and prohibitions which could be meaningful only to a morally responsible creature (Gen 2:16—17). As well, Adam spiritually reflected God: created in innocence, he was holy in nature, righteous in conduct, and communing with God regularly before he partook of the forbidden fruit (Gen 1—3).

Adam willfully transgressed God’s commands and fell from a sin­less state. Consequently, Adam’s descendants, having been in Adam seminally at the time of the fall, are separated from God, and are sinners by both nature and conduct. Therefore they are rightly con­demned in God’s presence (Em 3:10; 3:23; 5:12—19 Ps 14:2—3).

Mankind still carries God’s image after the fall, though not perfectly, and the desecration of that image in any fashion is sin. This includes acts such as homosexuality, abortion, euthanasia, and racial degradation (Gen 1:27; Ps 139:13; Gen 9:6; James 3:9).

Man is composed of material and immaterial parts. It seems that the immaterial portion can be differentiated, but not separated, into the soul and the spirit. The soul cannot go one place at the body’s death and the spirit another. This aids in understanding the all—inclusive value attributed to a man’s soul (Mt 16:26), the fact that the totality of a man’s being consists of body and soul (Mt 10:28), and the idea that a man’s spirit represents his entire non—material composition ( I Co 5:5; Ecc 3:21). The soul/spirit aspect of man can be lain open by the Word of God, but they are no more separated than marrow is from the bones of joints (Heb 4:12).

The unregenerate man is not spiritually born (Jn 3:3—8) and he is unable to discern spiritual things (I Co 2:14).

V.        WHAT I BELIEVE ABOUT SIN

Sin is the failure to comply with God’s directives (I Jn 3:4). Any­thing which is contrary to the Almighty’s commands due to unbelief, dis­obedience, or negligence is sin (Jn 16:9; Km 5:19; Jms 4:17). The fact that God commands His creatures makes sin possible. If God expected no compliance, sin could not exist --  it would not be a living reality (Rm 7:8). God does expect obedience, however, and therefore, because of Adam’s failure, sin is an innate force within man’s natural state that manifests itself in an individual’s life when that person, knowingly or ignorantly, transgresses the law of God (Rm 7:19—20; Lev 4:2; Rm 5:12, 19).

Sin is a product of fulfilling a wrong fleshly desire. Man wants to sin because he has a sin nature. The “want” itself is not sin but the satisfying of that “want”, in thought or attitude as well as deed, is (Jms 1:14—15; Mt 5:28).

Because of sin humanity faces a stark penalty (Rm 6:23; Gal 3:10—11; Rev 20:11—15). Man in and of himself is unable to glorify God (Rm 3:23). Every descendant of Adam lives a life that, in its natural state, is destined for wrath (Rm 5:12; Ep 2:3). Mankind is as bad off as he can be since sin mars every aspect of his being and prevents him from pleasing God (Rm 8:7—8).

Only God has the authority to release man from the penalty of sin (Mk 2:5—7). His chosen agent for freeing His creatures is Jesus Christ (Jn 1:29). Jesus atisfied the penalty for sin by taking the world’s punishment on the cross and shedding His literal blood to the point of complete physical death (Heb 9:22; I Jn 2:1—2; Ph 2:8; Rm 5:8—10).

Sin in the life of the believer hinders his fellowship with God (Ps 66:18; Jn 15:7). Fellowship is restored through truthfully acknowl­edging sin before God and forsaking it (Ps 51:1—12; I Jn 1:9).

VI.       WHAT I BELIEVE ABOUT SALVATION

Salvation is God’s selective act of rescuing rebellious sinners from their own deserved damnation. That rescue is performed in accordance with an ndividual’s whole—hearted reliance upon the redemptive work of Christ alone (Jn 3:18, 36; Rm 1:20; Eph 2:8—9; Rm 3:20—21; 10:9—10, 13; Titus 3:5). Christ lived a sinlessly perfect life, submitted Himself obediently to death on the cross, fulfilled a brief three day interment, and overcame death in His bodily resurrection so that we might be delivered from otherwise certain condemnation (Heb 4:15; Ph 2:8; I Co 15:4; Jn 3:18, 36).

Complete righteousness is necessary for entrance into Heaven (Rev 21:27; I Co 6:9—10; Gal 5:19—21). The plight of humanity is that no one apart from Christ is truly righteous (Rm 3:10; 3:23) and no one can be declared righteous on the basis of his own good works (Rm 7:8; Rm 3:20—24; Eph 2:8—9; Titus 3:5). Mankind, therefore, faces punishment for his sin since he cannot under his own righteousness enter into Heaven (Hab 1:13; Jn 3:16, 18, 36). Jesus however, by dying and being resurrected in our behalf, has made it possible for those who trust in Him to be declared righteous, be reconciled with God, and thereby receive eternal life (Romans 3:24—28; 4:25; 5:1, 6, 9—10, 18—19; 6:23).

Many terms are associated with salvation and an alphabetical list of some of these terms follows.

Assurance

The person who truly trusts in Christ is assured of salvation and cannot return to a lost condition. Salvation is guaranteed by God’s promise (Jn 5:24; Rm 8:1, 28—39), God’s safe keeping of the believer (Jude 24; I Pe 1:5, Jn 17:9-11; 10:25—30), God’s grace (Eph 2:8—9; Em 3:26—27, 4:14—16), His unconditional purposes (Eph 1:5), the intercessory ministry of Christ (Rm 8:34, 5:9—10; Hebrews 7:24), the obedience of Christ to the Father’s will (Jn 6:37—40), Christ’s redemptive work (Eph 5:25—27; Heb 5:9; I Pe 3:18), and the abiding presence of the Holy Spirit (Eph 4:25—5:3).

Election

In light of man’s totally depraved state, our merciful God acted in eternity past, in accordance with His omniscience, to efficaciously and unconditionally call certain individuals out of the world of lost humanity and into the folds of salvation. This Election is consistent with man’s being responsible to believe and repent because it comprehends all the means associated with the achieved end (Acts 15:18; I Pe 1:2; Jn 15:16; Rm 11:5; I Co 1:26—27, 29; Eph 1:4, 7; Rm 9:6—16; Jn 6:44—65; 7:37—38).

Faith

Saving Faith is God—given, whole—hearted reliance upon the true Savior, Jesus Christ, for pardon from sin and entrance into Heaven (Eph 2:8—9; Jn 1:12; Jn 5:24; Acts 16:31; Jn 3:16).

Grace

Grace is the undeserved favor God demonstrates toward mankind in salvation. It is God’s grace that provides the many benefits offered to the redeemed (Pm 4:4, 5:20—6:1, 3:24; Gal 2:21; Eph 2:5,8; II Tim 1:9; Gal 1:6; Titus 3:5—7; Jn 1:17; Acts 15:11; Heb 13:9).

Justification

God acts judicially in salvation by declaring righteous the one who believes in Jesus Christ (Em 3:26; Pin 8:33). God does this solely on the grounds of the righteousness imputed to the believer by virtue of Christ’s vicarious death and resurrection (Co 2:14; Rm 4:5—6, 25; 5:9; Gal 2:16; I Co 1:30; II Co 5:21).

Mercy

Mercy is God’s release of mankind from the deserved penalties for sin (Mt 18:21—35; James 3:17). Propitiation

Christ Himself appeased God’s requirement that sin be punished when He received judgment on the cross. Christ’s sacrificial payment rendered God favorably—inclined or propitious toward sinful men (Pm 3:25; Heb 9:5; I Jn 2:2; 4:10; Lk 18:13).

Reconciliation

Reconciliation is God’s act of removing the barriers by which man has alienated himself from God (Rm 5:10—11; II Co 5:18—20).

Redemption

Christ, having died in payment for the world’s sins, has bought the entire human race, which has been enslaved by sin. Those who respond to the effectual call of God (the elect) are redeemed, or “bought out” of the “slave—to—sin” market, and no possibility remains of them ever being resold. Those who do not respond are left in their bondage to sin and never receive the benefits of redemption (II Pe 2:1; Rev 5:9; II Co 6:19; 7:23; Gal 3: 10—13; 4:5; I Pe 1:18— 20; Titus 2:14; Mt 20:28; Mk 10:45; Heb 9:12, 15; I Tim 2:6).

Regeneration

Regeneration refers to the spiritual re—making of an individual who puts his trust in Christ. At the point of accepting Christ, a person experiences, in a spiritual sense, a new birth — the beginning of a new life in Christ (Jn 3:1—8; II Co 5:17; I Jn 3:9; 5:1; I Pe 1:23). The newly born Christian is “placed as a son” in God’s family and becomes an heir to Heaven (Adoption — Rm 8:15—17; Gal 4:1—6; Eph 1:5).

Repentance

Bound up with faith, and inseparable from it, is “a thorough change in a man’s heart from sin and toward God” (Unger) . This is called repentance. Repentance contains godly sorrow because of sin (II Co 7:9—10), forsaking of sin (Mt 3:8; Acts 26:20; Heb 6:1), and turning toward God to do His bidding (Acts 26:20; 9:6).

Sanctification

Those who are saved are “set apart” from sin and to God. This is called sanctification and involves four aspects: (1) Preparatory sanctification, which refers to the ministry of the Holy Spirit in one’s life, convicting a person of sin prior to salvation and preparing him for obedience at the time of conversion (I Th. 2:13—14; Cal. 1:15—16; I Pet. 1:2; Jer. 1:5); (2) Positional sanctification, which refers to the unalterable position to which a believer is set in Christ as viewed by the Father (I Cor. 1:2; 6:11; Heb. 10:10, 14); (3) Progressive sanctification, which refers to the ministry of the Holy Spirit using the Scriptures in a believer~ s life, as that Christian struggles against his sin nature, doing what is right and becoming increasingly more holy (Jn. 17:17; I Pet. 1:15—16; Ps. 119:9); and (4) Perfect sanctification, which refers to the state to which the believer will be set when Christ appears and the redeemed are completely conformed to His image (I Jn. 3:2; Eph. 5:25—27; Phil. 1:6).

VII. WHAT I BELIEVE ABOUT CHURCH

The word “church” is used two ways in Scripture. The Universal Church, or the church which is His body, is composed of all believers from the day of Pentecost to the rapture (Acts 2:1—21, 38—47; I Cor. 15:15—47; I Thess. 4:13—18; I Cor. 12:12—13). Christ Himself is the head of this body (Eph.1:22, 4:15; Col. 1:18); it is His espoused bride (II Cor. 11:2; Eph. 5:23— 32; Rev. 19:7—8); and it is separate from the chosen nation, Israel (I Cor. 10:32; Eph. 3:1—6, 5:32). Membership in the Universal Church is neither guaranteed nor denied on the basis of denominational affiliation, nation­ality, or social status (Acts 11:1, 15—18). The Local Church is an auton­omous, regularly meeting, organized assembly of baptized believers (Heb. 10:25; I Cor. 11:18—20; Acts 15:19—31; 20:28; I Cor. 5:4—7, 13; I Pet. 5:1—4), whose purposes include fellowship (Acts 2:42; Gal, 6:2), edification (Eph. 4:11—16; Rom. 12; I Cor. 12), evangelism (Acts 2:42—47) worship (Acts 2:42; Eph. 3:20—21; Rev. 2:4), administering the ordinances (Acts 2:38, 42, 42), monetary giving (I Cor. 16:2), and discipline (I Cor. 5:1—5).

The Local Church has two biblically designated offices, namely, pastor and deacon. The pastor is the higher office of spiritual leadership and the Scriptures also refer to him as elder or bishop (Acts 20:17, 28; I Pe 5:1—2; Tit 1:5,7). A church may have more than one man qualified for and called to pastoral ministry, but nowhere in any of God’s leadership structures is there ever an economical or functional equality between leaders. One leader is always at the apex and carries the major responsibility. This is true in the family (Eph. 5:23), the angelic realm (Rev. 12:7), human government (Rom. 13:1—4), the trinity (Jn. 13:16, 14:28), and likewise, the human leadership of the local church (Tit. 1:5—9; Heb. 13:17; I Tim. 3:2—7; Rev. 2:1). Deacons are lay leaders appointed by the local church to assist in the work of the Church’s affairs. They are meant to allow the pastoral leadership more time to invest in prayer and the ministry of the Word (Acts 6:1—4). Deacons ought to be well—grounded in Christian principles and empowered by the Holy Spirit (ITim. 3:8—12; Acts 6:3, 8, 10; Acts 7:59—60).

The Local Church also has two ordinances committed to it: Baptism and the Lord’s Supper (Acts 2:38—42). Christian Baptism (by immersion) is a form of public testimony by which a believer emblematically shows his faith in the crucified, buried and risen Savior as well as that believer’s union with Christ in death to sin and resurrection to new life (Rom. 6:1—11; Acts 8:36—39). Baptism is a necessary step of obedience for the Christian (Mt. 28: 19—20; Acts 10:48). The Lord’s Supper is also an act of obedience, whereby the Christian in proper standing, by symbolic means, commemorates the death of the Redeemer, fellowships with the Redeemer’s people, and anticipates the Redeemer’s second coming (I Cor. 11:23—26; I Cor. 10:16, 17).

The Church has a sphere of authority separate from that of human govern­ment. Both were instituted by God and meant to be distinct from each other (Mt 22:21; Acts 5:29).

Each member of the Church is responsible before God for his actions (Rm. 14:5, 12). No one believer has the right to assert his personal convictions on another (I Co. 11:1). As well, each believer is a priest unto God for His praise (I Pe. 2:9).

As a Baptist I adhere to the following distinctives:

Biblical Authority (II Pe. 1:21; II Tim. 3:16—17)

Autonomy of the Local Church (Mt. 18:17; Acts 6:3—4)

Priesthood of All Believers (I Pe. 2:9)

Two Ordinances (Baptism by immersion—(Acts 2:41; Communion—I Co. 11:23—30)

Individual Sole Liberty (Rm. 14:5, 12; Jn. 2:17; Acts 5:29)

Separation of Church and State (Mt. 22:1)

Two Offices (Pastor—Acts 20:28; I Tim. 3:1—7; Deacon—I Tim. 3:13)

Saved Church Membership (Acts 2:47)

VIII.    WHAT I BELIEVE ABOUT LAST THINGS

Last things will occur on personal and cosmic levels. Personal Last Things are those occurrences which complete a person’s destiny and Cosmic Last Things affect the world of men at large and are those occurrences which will fulfill the prescribed destiny of the created order in general.

On the personal level, every individual, because of his relation to Adam, faces physical death as a result of sin (Gen. 2:17, 3:19; Rm. 5:12, 6:23; Heb. 9:27). At physical death a person experiences a temporary separation of his material and immaterial parts (Lk. 23:46; Acts 7:59; James 2:26; I Cor. 15:16, 22—24; Rev. 20:12—13; Jn. 5:28—29; Dan. 12:2). The material parts undergo decay (Con. 3:19) while the immaterial part(s) are introduced to an intermediate state of consciousness, apart from the body, but not without sensation (Lk. 16:19—31). During the intermediate state, the believer is in the presence of God (II Cor. 5:8; Lk. 23:43; Ph. 1:23), awaiting a resurrected body at Christ’s coming (I Cor. 15:23), and the unredeemed sinner is experiencing torment in Hades (Lk. 16:23—28), awaiting the resurrection to the White—Throne judgment and subjection to the second death in the Lake of Fire (Rev. 20:12—15).

On the cosmic level, events revealed reach far into the future and man’s discussion of them is easily speculative. These events should be discussed, however, since the Scriptures do provide many pieces to the prophetic puzzle. Among the events which should be discussed are the following:

The Second Coming of Christ

This two—stage occurrence spans a period of at least seven years and is the next item on the biblio-historical agenda. The first phase of Christ’s second advent is called the Rapture and the second phase is termed the Revelation or the Glorious Appearing of the Lord. The Rapture refers to that imminent act of Christ in which He resurrects deceased members of His Church, bodily transforms those believers who are still alive, and then translates, or “catches up”, the entire group to meet Him in the air (Jn 14:3; II Th. 2:1; Rm. 8:23; 13:11; Phil. 3:14; I Th. 4:13—18; I Cor. 15:51—54; I Pe. 5:1).

The Second Coming is completed by the Revelation of Christ, when He will arrive on the earth to execute judgment and establish the Millennial Kingdom (Rev. 19:11—20:4; Acts 1:11; Mt. 24:29—31; II Th. 1:7; Mt. 25:31—46; Acts 15:16; Rm. 11:26).

The Marriage Supper of the Lamb (Rev. 19:1—9)

Near the end of the Tribulation but before the second phase of s return, comes the permanent union of Christ with His Church. We are told that the Church is the Bride of Christ and that the Church will appear with Christ in glory at His return (Ep.5:25—27; Col. 3:4). This glorious return at the end of the Tribulation displays the saints of Heaven dressed in clean, white linen accompanying Christ (Rev. 19:14; Jude 14). The clean white linen is given to the Bride at the Marriage Supper (Rev. 19:8). Therefore the supper must occur before the Tribu­lation’ s end.

The Resurrection(s)

I Corinthians 15:22—24 lists an order in which all people will be resurrected from the dead. The first rank consisted of Christ Himself, Who was the firstfruits. He was the first one Who rose from the dead with a changed body, and came to be no longer subject to death. The second rank will consist of those who are Christ’s at His coming, the redeemed. They include the Church at the Rapture (I Th.4:13—18), the two witnesses at the middle of the Tribulation

(Rev. 11:11—12), the Old Testament saints at the Tribulation’s end (Dan. 12:1—2), and the Tribulation martyrs (Rev. 20:4). This second class partakes in the first resurrection (Rev. 20:5—6). The final rank of the resurrection order involves those who will be raised unto damnation at the Great White Throne judgment following the Millennium (I Jn. 5:29; Acts 25:14; I Cor. 15:24).

The Judgments

The future holds at least these judgments:

The Bema Seat

Coming after the Rapture but before the Marriage of the Lamb, the Bema Seat of Christ is the judgment during which the deeds of believers are reviewed. Though some censure is involved, this is not a penal judgment, but rather, deals with the rewards of believers. (II Cor. 5:9—10; Rm. 14:10; I Cor. 4:5).

The Tribulation

At some point after the Rapture begins the Tribulation, also known as Daniel’s Seventieth Week and the time of Jacob’s trouble. This is a seven year period marked by judgment upon the world (Rev. 3:10) and judgment upon Israel (Jer. 30:7). A prominent world leader will come to the surface during this time and will be used of Satan to deceive many (Rev. 13:2; II Tb. 2:8—12).

The Judgment of Living Gentiles

After the Second Coming, the Lord will make a physical separation in the Valley of Jehoshaphat, regarding the heathen nations. The issue of attention will be the manner in which these people treated the Jews, Christ’s brethren, during the Tribulation. (Since Scripture elsewhere shows that salvation is not by works, the way one treats the Jews in the Tribulation

must be indicative of his saved or lost condition). The goats, consisting of unrighteous anti-Semites, will be divided to the King’s left hand, from the Sheep, either to enter directly into the Lake of Fire, or to await this final judgment in Hades. The Sheep, lovers of Christ’s brethren, will enter the Kingdom and eternal life (Joel 3; Mt. 25:31—46).

The Judgment of Living Israel

Occurring at about the same time as the judgment of living gentiles will be the judgment of those Jews who made it through the Tribulation. The rebels will be purged to await judgment at the final throne. (Ez. 20:33—39).

The Judgment of Satan and His Angels

Satan and his rebellious angels will eventually be cast into the Lake of Fire. They will not be annihilated but will suffer. This judgment occurs before the Great White Throne. (Rev. 20:10; I Cor. 6:3; Mt. 25:41)

The Great White Throne Judgment

There will be a judgment of the wicked dead after the Millennial reign (Rev. 20:7). All unredeemed persons will be resurrected from death to face a trial and condemnation. At this time Hades will be merged with the Lake of Fire  (Rev. 20:11—15).

The Millennium

The Second Coming of Christ will usher in a literal 1,000 year reign of Christ upon the Earth. This time will be characterized by social, political, and economical justice with peace and prosperity (Is. 2:4, 32:5, 40:4, 65:21—22, Jer. 31:28—30, Ps. 73, Zech. 9:7,10). Christ will rule over the world from Jerusalem (Zech. 14:9). Old and New Testament Saints will rule with Him (Rev, 20:6, I. Cor 6:2). During this decade of centuries Satan will be bound in the bottomless pit (Rev. 20:1—6). Evil will be greatly restrained and righteousness will prevail upon the earth as it has not since the fall of man (Is, 65:20; Is. 2, 9, 11:4—5). Satan will be released to lead a final revolt and experience a final defeat. This millennial kingdom will merge with the eternal state (I Cor. 15:24—28, Rev. 22:3—5; 3:21).

The Eternal State

The Millennium will merge into the Eternal State. A new heaven and earth will be established (Rev. 21:1; II Pe. 3:10—13), The curse on the ground which came because of Adam’s sin will be removed (Rev. 22:3; Gen. 3:17) and moral conditions in the dwelling place of the redeemed will be void of any impurity whatsoever (Rev. 21:10; 24~ 22:3—4: 21:27; I Cor. 15:34—35).

The damned of mankind will experience the second death and suffer punishment in the Lake of Fire (Mt. 25:4; Rev. 20:10).

IX.       WHAT I BELIEVE ABOUT CREATION

God created the universe, its inhabitants, and its laws in six, literal, 24 hr. days (Gen. 1—3; Ex 20:11). It was created without imperfection in that it was good (Gen 1:4, 10, 12, 18, 21, 25, 31). As a result of manes sin, God cursed the ground, and the universe became abnormal (Gen 3:17—19, 5:29). Since that time creation has progressively worsened rather than improved.

All things are held intact at this moment by Christ (Col 1:17).

One day the created order will be corrected (Rev 21:1).

X.        WHAT I BELIEVE ABOUT SEPARATION

The Bible teaches that the Christian is to be separate from all unrighteousness: namely, that which is considered an unfruitful work of darkness (Ep 5:11), those brethren who walk disorderly (II The 3:6), those individuals who are unbelievers and unclean (II Cor 6:14—17), teachers who consent not to the wholesome words of Christ (I Tim 6:3,5), that which is considered iniquity (II Tim 2:17—19), and those who cause contrary doctrinal divisions and offenses (Rmn 16:17, 18; II Jn 10, 11).

This does not mean that Christians are to have no contact with unbelievers. To do this, Paul says, would require that we go out of this world (I Co 5:9—10). It would make void the command for wives of unbelieving, yet content, husbands not to send those men away (I Co 7:12—13). It would render senseless the idea of a Christian eating what an unbeliever sets before him (I Co 10:27). And, further­more, it would negate going into all the world and being witnesses unto the uttermost part of the earth (Mt 28: 19—20; Acts 1:8).

The Bible also teaches that in resisting the devil, believers are to ‘draw nigh” unto God (Jms 4:7—8). Hereby it is seen that accomplishing biblical separation requires withdrawing allegiance from sin and giving it to God. If a person separates himself from many worldly associations and practices, and yet does not grow close to God in his heart, then he has not achieved separation (Mt 15:8). Likewise, the man who claims to love God and yet caters to fleshliness has come no closer to biblical separation than his legalistic counterpart (I Jn 2:15—16). Scripture teaches that spirit and flesh are to be cleansed from filthiness, but holiness is to be perfected in the fear of God. (II Co 7:1).

XI.       WHAT I BELIEVE ABOUT AUTHORITY

There is no authority that is not subject to God (Jn 19:11; Jn 6:44; Pr 19:21, 21:1; Is 46:9—11; Dan 2:20—21; 4:35; Acts 2:23; 4:28; 15:13—18). He has declared His Son to be the pre—eminent authority over all of His created order (Col 1:15—18).

Within the realm of things created, God has ordained other authorities. In the family, the husband is to have authority over the wife and other family members (Eph 5:22—24, 6:1; Col 3:18—20). In the Church, leaders are to have authority as those who watch for the souls of the congregation (I Th 5:12—13; Heb 13:7, 17). In civil government, authority has been granted to civil leaders for reasons of administration and restriction of evil (Rom 13:1—7; I Pe 2:13—15; Mt 22:21).

Authority given by God is to be respected by those who have it and those who are under it. Those who have it are to respect it as coming from God and are to use it for the building up of followers (II Co 10:8). For husbands this means loving their wives (Ep 5:25); for fathers it means “not provoking their children to wrath” (Ep 6:4); for church leaders it means feeding God^’s flock, taking oversight as examples and not out of impure motives (I Pe 5:1—3); and for civil leaders it means giving God his rightful glory (Acts 12:23), being a terror to evil works (Rm 13:3), and giving praise to those who do well (I Pe 2:14). Those who are under authority are to obey it in whatever sphere it affects them. This is seen clearly when authority is recog­nized as coming from God.

Authorities are not to be obeyed when they conflict with the commands of God (Acts 5:29).