I've just been on a student conference, where the speaker took us back to Scripture to encourage us to live in the light of the end times. I'm still smarting from the old joke, 'If you don't know what eschatology means, it's not the end of the world', but the students seemed to appreciate it.
What struck me is that Jesus is very clear about the physical nature of our resurrection: new bodies, new heavens, new earth, a city, meeting Jesus in the air, the throne, seeing God as he really is. Do I believe Jesus's promises about Heaven? Yes. Then Heaven exists, and I'm going there to be with Jesus for eternity. The physical decay that we see all around us drives us to hope in the physical perfection and eternal security that is ours in Christ. I'm so looking forward to Heaven. At the same time, however, the Holy Spirit also convicted me of the physical horror of Hell, and the deep terror of meeting God without a Saviour. The lake of fire, the gnashing of teeth, the worm that never dies. Do I believe Jesus's promises about Hell? Yes. Then Hell exists, and by the grace of Jesus, I have been plucked from the fire.
Judgement in song
Gospel presentations like Christianity Explored and Two Ways to Live have served us well in teaching the 'bad news' of judgement alongside the good news of penal substitution, because it is essential to know from what we have been saved.
