Focusing on Justification, Sanctification - and the Future
By Steven J. Hogan
~ A Saturday Morning Post #380 ~
I have been a Christian for over 54 years, and a pastor for 46 of them. When I was a teaching pastor, I focused on our 3-part salvation, the past, present, and future, that God justifies, sanctifies, and glorifies. This is what the New Testament writers did. “I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (Phil. 1:6). “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.” Titus 2:11-13
Over the years, I have observed that most churches do not talk very much about the future. They evangelize – they speak about how we are to be saved from our sins; they disciple – they share how we are to live for Christ; and this is good, and is to be commended. But they talk very little about the hope we have – the glorious future that God has planned out for His children.
This neglect, this imbalance, is not right. As Christians, we must know the Scriptures that speak of our hope. We must find out what God says about the end-times, Christ’s coming, and the kingdom ages. All this – our past justification, present sanctification, future glorification, and the ages that follow – is critically important for our relationship with God, our spiritual growth, and our effectiveness as Christians. We must grasp the truths of Dan. 9, Matt. 24, Lk. 21, Rom. 11, 1 Th. 4-5, 2 Th. 1-2, Revelation, etc., and pass them on to others, to both saved and lost. And pastors must preach the word of God in view of Christ’s appearing and kingdom. 2 Tim. 4:1-2
I’ve been writing posts about our future since Jan. of 2017, and I retired from being a pastor in April of 2025. Since then, my ministry has been to focus on the future. Without question, we are living in the end-times, and the truths about God’s plans for the years ahead are always on my heart. “Fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (1 Pet. 1:13). My prayer for all believers, especially pastors, is that they clearly understand our 3-part salvation and the kingdom ages, and teach it to others. “Go, therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Matt 28:19-20
In the past few months, my posts were primarily on the timing of Christ’s coming, that it occurs after the revealing of the Antichrist, after great tribulation, before God’s wrath, sometime during the 2nd half, the last 3½ years, of Daniel’s 70th week. But today I am writing out a number of topics that have nothing to do with the timing of His coming.
God gives us a great deal of information about the future that does not at all relate to when Christ comes back. The different subjects I have listed out are of immense importance for every believer. Whether you are a pastor, elder, deacon, or lay person, you need to understand these vital lessons. I am convinced you will find them to be instructive, strengthening, and motivating.
Each of these subjects is followed by supporting verses, and in most cases, by posts (P) and / or articles (A) that I have written. I am sure you will find some topics of greater interest, of greater need than others. Ask God to show you which subjects are most needful to you, your family, your friends, and your church. Then study them out and share with others what you have learned.
* Jesus Christ is coming again!!! Matt. 24:27; Heb. 10:37; Rev. 22:7, 12, 20. P. 1, A. 4, A. 62.
* Reasons why Jesus is coming again – Jn. 14:1-3, 1 Th. 4:18, 2 Th. 2:6-10. P. 77, A. 6, A
* The church age is coming to an end! Matt. 24:3-31, 24:42-44; Heb. 10:25. P. 63, P. 66
* What happens when the church is raptured? Matt. 24:31, 1 Th. 4:16-18. P. 5, P. 75, P. 154, A. 2
* Seeing Jesus for the first time! Job 19:25-27, Ps. 27:4, 1 Jn. 3:1-3. Rev. 7:9-12. A. 14
* Your glorious hope as a Christian – 1 Cor. 15:42-44, 1 Th. 4:18, Heb. 12:22-24. P. 178, A. 12
* The tremendous blessings and benefits of hope – Rom. 15:13, 1 Jn. 3:2. P. 112, P. 115, P. 177
* The hope you need when you lose a loved one – 2 Cor. 4:14; 1 Th. 2:19-20, 4:14-18. A. 14
* Your brand-new glorified body – Lk. 20:34-36, 1 Cor. 15:42-44, 2 Cor. 5:1-8. P. 268, A. 14
* “To live is Christ and to die is gain.”Jn. 14:1-3, Ph. 1:21, Rev. 21:4-8. P. 115-116
* What happens before the church is raptured? Matt. 24:3-30, Rev. 6:1-17. P. 60, P. 70
* What happens after the church is raptured? Matt. 25; Rev. 7-9, 15-16, 20-22. A. 1, A. 48
* A Christian’s death day is better than his birth day! Eccl. 7:1, Phil. 1:21, Rev. 21:4-8. P. 116
* Why do Christians die? Ps. 116:15, Acts 13:36, Rom. 8:29-30, Ph. 1:21, Heb. 12:22-24. P. 340, A. 19
* Why do non-Christians die? Ps. 1:6; Matt. 25:41, 46; Rom. 6:23a; Rev. 11:14-15. P. 28, P. 82
* What Christians should know before they die – Rom. 5:2, 15:13; 1 Cor. 15:42-44; Rev. 21:4-8. A. 7
* The day of the Lord – woe, woe, woe!!! Is. 13:6-13, Rev. 8-9, 16. P. 15, P. 254-255
* Tell your children and grandchildren about the future – Ps. 71:14-18, 78:5-7; Matt. 24. A. 38
* Living for God in a wicked world – Is. 6:3-8, Eph. 4:17-32, 1 Pet. 1:13-19. P. 87, A. 46
* Living for God in weakness and in pain – Job 1:21; Rom. 8:23; 2 Cor. 1:3-11, 4:16-18, 12:9-10. P. 87
* Rewarded in heaven for your earthly work – 1 Cor. 3:7-8, Col. 3:23-24, Rev. 22:12. P. 281, A. 48
* Your friends on earth will be your friends in heaven – Lk. 16:9; 1 Th. 2:19-20, 4:13-17. A. 14
* Revelation takes us from this age to the kingdom ages. Rev. 6 – Rev. 20. P. 97
* Primary themes in the book of Revelation – Rev. 1-22. A. 9
* Revelation 2-3 – end-times’ lessons for the church. P. 145
* More end-times’ lessons for the church – Lk. 18:8, Eph. 6:12-18, Ph. 3:7-21. A. 49-50
* God’s plans for the Jews – Gen. 12:1-3; Is. 60-66; Rom. 11:24-27, 15:7-12. P. 181, P. 183, A. 31-33
* The relationship of the Jews to Christians – Lk. 21:20-28, Rom. 15:7-12, Rev. 21:12-14. P. 184
* The devil lies about Christ’s coming – 2 Th. 2:3, 1 Tim. 4:1-2, 2 Pet. 3:3-4, Rev. 22:18-19. P. 127
* Amillennialism is a lie from the devil. Ps. 72, 2 Th. 2:1-4, Rev. 20. P. 259, A. 22, 23, 24, 26, 28
* Keys to preaching God’s word – 2 Tim. 2:15, 3:16-17, 4:1-2. P. 352, 354
32. Preaching the gospel of the kingdom – Matt. 4:23, 13:1-52, 24:15; Mark 1:14-15. P. 94, P. 341
* Understanding your 3-part salvation – Rom. 8:28-30, Col. 3:1-4, Tit. 2:11-13, Rev. 1:5-8. P. 338
* Christians experience great tribulation. Jn. 16:32-* Acts 14:22, 2 Cor. 4:16-18. P. 57-59, P. 358
* Enduring to the end of your life or the end of the age – Matt. 24:13, 1 Cor. 1:8. P. 47, P. 245, P. 283
* What to do in the calm before the storm – Lk. 3:4, 1 Pet. 1:13-16. P. 12, P. 172, A. 38, A. 40
* God is judging the United States. Is. 5, Jer. 5, Rom. 1:18-34. P. 39, P. 343-347
* The Antichrist, that devilish dictator – Dan. 8:23-26, Rev. 13:4-8. P. 42, P. 78-79, P. 193; A. 30
* The sobering lessons of Babylon – Gen. 19:1-29, 1 Pet. 3:13-16, Rev. 18. P. 215-217, P. 277, A. 46
* Hell and the lake of fire – Matt. 5:27-30, 25:41, 25:46; Lk. 16:19-31. 2 Th. 1:7-10; Rev. 20:14-15
* God’s kingdom on earth and in heaven – Ps. 145:10-13; Matt. 6:10, 33; Rev. 21-22. P. 91, P. 95
* What you should understand about the millennial kingdom – Pss. 67, 72, 96; Rev. 20. P. 96, P. 135
* Truth and error about Christ’s coming and the future – Matt. 24:4-5, 11; 2 Th. 2:1-3. P. 127
* The order of end-time events – Matt. 24:4-31, 2 Thess. 2:1-10, Rev. 6-7. P. 125, P. 362
* Matthew 24 – the most important prophecy chapter in the Bible – P. 62, P, 356, A. 11
What a great time to be alive – and it’s the time God planned out for you! Might you realize the significance of these last years before Christ’s coming, before you see your Savior and King. I pray that you know what God wants you to do, and then do it (Matt. 24:45, Mark 13:34). “To Him who loves us and released us from our sins by His blood – and He has made us to be a kingdom, priests to His God and Father – to Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen. Behold, He is coming with the clouds and every eye will see Him.” Rev. 1: 5-7