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August 23, 2005
Ch. XXI. Q. 123. The Consummation
THE final consummation of Christ's work includes (a) His quickening of the dead, at the end of the world; (b) His return in glory to judge mankind; (c) His distribution of creatures to their final habitations; (d) His final establishment of the kingdom of heaven and the Church triumphant.1
2. Our Lord did not declare the time of His coming again, except that it would be unexpected, although heralded by signs above, and by distress on earth. At the sound of the last trump, the dead are to rise with their bodies, and all men are to be assembled in flesh to meet Christ as their Judge.
3. He will appear in the clouds in glory; and, as Son of Man will sit in judgment, dispensing everlasting rewards and penalties, according to the deeds done in the body, as estimated with infallible discernment in their relation to personal character.
4. Having sent all creatures to the places prepared for and suited to them, Christ will render up His Kingdom to the Father — not as ceasing to be Lord of all, but — as displaying the mediatorial and representative nature of His rule as Image of God to creatures and as our High Priest before the Father.2
5. Henceforth there will be a new world3 — apparently not a destruction of the physical order, so much as its transfiguration into something higher. In this new order all creation will clearly minister to the consummated plan of God in Jesus Christ. Even the wicked will be unable to do otherwise than to minister to the divine purpose. Perhaps they will also share, according to their reduced capacity, in the benefits of divine goodness.4
1 Cf. Qq. 163, 165, in vol. III for fuller treatment and refs. on this subject.
2 Dan. vii. 13-14; 1 Cor. xv. 24-28. Rich. Hooker, Eccles. Polity, VIII. iv. 6; A.P. Forbes, Nicene Creed, pp. 241-243, 248-250; P.G. Medd, §200 and note xvii.; R.W. Dale, Atonement, pref. of 7th Ed., pp. xxxii.-xxxvii.
3 Revel. xxi. 1-5. Cf. Isa. Ixv. 17; Ixvi. 22; 2 St. Pet. iii. 13.
4 P.G. Medd, §§175-176, 178, 194-195; M.F. Sadler on Revel. xxi. 1-5.
Posted by AKMA at August 23, 2005 03:57 PM