condensed theology, lecture 51, eschatology part 7

8/6/2019 Condensed Theology, Lecture 51, Eschatology Part 7

1/56

Condensed Theology

A Primer in Systematic Theology


2/56

Eschatology

What does the Bible teach aboutlast things?


3/56

Review


4/56

Review Redemption history is understood to unfold in

two successive ages: this present age and theage to come. This present age, characterized by sin and

death and that which is temporal and transient

will come to an end. The Second Coming of Jesus to the earth will

mark the end of the age. When he comes he will resurrect the just and

unjust, judge the believing and unbelieving inrighteousness, and glorify the creation.


5/56

Review In the time between his first and second

comings, the church will continue to prospereven while it and the creation face trouble. The trouble of the time between his first and

second comings will come to a climax

immediately before his return. When the climax will occur is impossible to

know. Whether we are in the midst of the climax is also

impossible to know; it is only when Jesus returnsthat we will know that the climax has occurred.


6/56

Review Jesus Second Coming will usher in the age to come, an

age characterized by righteousness and life and thatwhich is permanent and everlasting.

The age to come has been inaugurated by the person,ministry, and work of Jesus Christ in his life, death,

burial, resurrection, and ascension. We await the consummation of the age to come with the

return of Jesus Christ.

Through our relationship with Christ we experience the

blessings of our future life now in the present time andawait their consummation at the end of the age.


7/56

Review

Last weeks lecture undermined one of the

key principles of eschatology:

Eschatology is supposed to be

understandable!


8/56

Review When it comes to eschatology, there are

two truly difficult passages to understand: Dan 9:24-27

Rev 20:1-11

This does not mean that eschatology as awhole is difficult to understand, but simplythat there are some texts related to last

things that do not avail themselves of easyinterpretation.


9/56

Review

A key principle of Bible interpretation is

that the clear passages of Scripture takeprecedence over the obscure ones forestablishing doctrine.

This will sometimes mean that you will notbe able to understand a particular

passage, except for what it cannotmean. Let me give you a simple example:


10/56

Review 1 Cor 15:29: Otherwise, what will those do who

are baptized for the dead? If the dead are notraised at all, why then are they baptized forthem?

No one knows what this means. But based on what Scripture clearly teaches

elsewhere, we can say what it cannot mean.

For example, it cannot mean that we can be baptizedfor our dead friends so that they can enjoy thebenefits of salvation.


11/56

Review

So heres what I really want you to know

regarding Dan 9:24-27 and Rev 20:1-11.

These passages are not as obscure as 1

Cor 15:29; nevertheless, They are obscure

At least, they are more obscure than other

teaching we have seen from the rest of theNew Testament regarding eschatology.


12/56

Review Because of the relative obscurity of Revelation

20 and Daniel 9 to the rest of the Biblesteaching on eschatology you need to know twothings:

First, ones interpretation of the end times does notdepend upon them; no essential doctrine everdepends on obscure passages of the Bible.

Second, the average reader will be able to exclude

certain interpretations of the passages; namely, theones that do not square with the rest of the Biblesteaching on eschatology.


13/56

Review So I will not follow the procedure of laying

out the various interpretations of thepassages and explaining and refutingthem.

Instead, this lecture will merely show youthat certain interpretations cannot obtainfor these passages of Scripture on the

basis of what we have already learned inthe Bible on the end times.


14/56

Review

The Great Tribulation


15/56

Review: The Great Tribulation Dan 9:24-27: Seventy weeks have been decreed for your people

and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to make an end of sin,

to make atonement for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness,to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy place.So you are to know and discern that from the issuing of a decree torestore and rebuild Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince there will beseven weeks and sixty-two weeks; it will be built again, with plazaand moat, even in times of distress. Then after the sixty-two weeks

the Messiah will be cut off and have nothing, and the people of theprince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. And itsend will come with a flood; even to the end there will be war;desolations are determined. And he will make a firm covenant withthe many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put a

stop to sacrifice and grain offering; and on the wing of abominationswill come one who makes desolate, even until a completedestruction, one that is decreed, is poured out on the one whomakes desolate.


16/56

Review: The Great Tribulation Some people suggest that this passage teaches

that there is a seven-year period of time in ourfuture during which national Israel and the restof the world left behind after the secret return of

Jesus will experience suffering like the world hasnever seen. During the Tribulation Period, menand women may come to saving faith in Christ.

At the end of this seven-year period, Jesus willreturn again in open, obvious fashion to set upan Israeli kingdom on earth.


17/56

Review: The Great Tribulation Here are some of the problems with this interpretation:

It does not take into account that the apocalypticsections of Daniel are not meant by the author to beread as if they are literal descriptions of future events(as opposed to figurative ones).

The Bible teaches that Christians will undergotribulation throughout this present age in waves of

varying intensity that will climax before the SecondComing of Christ. Christians will not be spared thistribulation.

The Bible teaches that it is impossible to quantify the

chronological length of the tribulation for the people ofGod.


18/56

Review: The Great Tribulation Here are some more:

The Bible teaches a visible, obvious, unmistakable,

apparent return of Jesus Christ. The Bible teaches a single return of Jesus Christ, not

multiple returns.

The Bible teaches that once Jesus returns there is no

longer any hope of salvation for anyone. The Bible teaches that the hope of Israel is not in its

existence as a national, political, ethnic people, but inits faith connection to Abraham in the church.


19/56

Review

The Millennium


20/56

Review: The MillenniumRead Revelation 20:1-11


21/56

Review: The Millennium There are four major suggestions

regarding this passage of Scripture. Dispensational Premillennialism

Historic Premillennialism

Postmillennialism

Amillennialism


22/56

Review: The Millennium The Dispensational Premillennial suggestion for Revelation 20 is

that after Jesus secondSecond Coming, he restores the nation of

Israel to the land of Palestine to rule the Gentile nations with a rod ofiron. The length of time of this national restoration is exactly 1,000years (ordinary chronological years).

During that time of restoration, believing Israel will celebratePassover, the Feast of Booths, and make sacrifices in a rebuiltTemple.

Moreover, people will be able to die and become (Jewish)Christians.

Satans activity will be completely curtailed from any evil activity untila brief unspecified period of time near the end of the 1,000 years.

There will be two physical resurrections: one at the beginning of themillennium and the other at the end. The one at the beginning is forthose who were martyred during the Great Tribulation; the one at theend is for those who died during the Millennium and for all theunrighteous.


23/56

Review: The Millennium Here are some of the problems with this

interpretation: There is ample evidence in Scripture that Revelation 19

and 20 are parallel versions of the same events.

Revelation 20 relativizes the binding of Satan, teaching

that it entails that he does not deceive the nations (Rev20:3).

It does not take into account that apocalyptic is not meantby the author to be read as if it is a literal description of

future events (as opposed to a figurative one).

The Bible teaches that the land promises to Israel arefulfilled already in the present heaven and will be fulfilled(not yet) in the new world.


24/56

Review: The Millennium Here are some more:

The Bible teaches that the feasts, liturgies, and sacrifices havebeen made obsolete by the work of Jesus; therefore, there willnever again be a reinstitution of temple worship, etc.

The Bible teaches that when Jesus returns he will resurrect thejust and the unjust; therefore, no one may die after his return.

The Bible teaches that when Jesus returns he will judge theworld, believing and unbelieving; therefore, no one may sin afterhis return (unless by sin you mean, rebel against God while inhell).

The Bible teaches that there is no hope for salvation after Jesus

returns. The Bible teaches that at the end there will be one physical

resurrection, not multiple resurrections.


25/56


26/56

Historic Premillennialism The Historic Premillennial suggestion for Revelation 20 is that after

the Second Coming of Christ (described at the end of Ch 19), Jesus

will reign over this earth as it is now in fulfillment of Gods promisesto Israel. The length of time of this restoration is 1,000 years(ordinary chronological years) for some, and a symbolic expressionof a long time for others.

During that time of restoration Christ will reign over the whole earth,ushering in unprecedented peace and righteousness.

Satans activity will be completely curtailed from any evil activity untila brief unspecified time near the end of the 1,000 years.

There will be two physical resurrections: one at the beginning of themillennium and the other at the end. The one at the beginning is forbelievers who have died and for those who remain alive at Jesus

Second Coming; the one at the end is for all unbelievers and forthose who become Christians during the millennium.


27/56

Historic Premillennialism Here are some of the problems with this

interpretation: There is ample evidence in Scripture that

Revelation 19 and 20 are parallel versions of

the same events.

Revelation 20 relativizes the binding of Satan,teaching that it entails that he does not

deceive the nations (Rev 20:3).


28/56

Historic Premillennialism Here are some more:

The Bible teaches that the land promises toIsrael are fulfilled already in the presentheaven and will be fulfilled (not yet) in thenew world.Not all Historic Premillenialists believe that the

millennium refers to Jesus reign over the presentearth. According to Wayne Grudem, Systematic

Theology (Zondervan, 1994), 1111, himself anHistoric Premillennialist, Historic Premillennialistsdiffer over whether the renewed earth will begin inthe millennium or the [sic.] eternal state.


29/56

Historic Premillennialism Here are some more:

The Bible teaches that when Jesus returns he willresurrect the just and the unjust; therefore, no onemay die after his return.

The Bible teaches that when Jesus returns he will

judge the world, believing and unbelieving; therefore,no one may sin after his return (unless by sin youmean, rebel against God while in hell).

The Bible teaches that there is no hope for salvation

after Jesus returns. The Bible teaches that at the end there will be one

physical resurrection, not multiple resurrections.


30/56

The Millennium

Postmillennialism


31/56

Postmillennialism The Postimillennial suggestion for Revelation 20 is that it teaches

that Christ will return at the end of the millennium, which represents

the victory of the gospel over the individuals and institutions of thispresent age. The length of time of this restoration is great, assymbolized by the figure of 1,000 years.

During that time, which is gradually being ushered in (even as wespeak), society will more and more function according to Godsstandardsuniversal peace and righteousness will be its lasting

outcome (for 1,000 years). Satans activity becomes less and less significant as the gospel

proliferates, indicating a progressively greater, and yet incompletecurtailing of his evil activity until the nations are tested immediatelyprior to Christs return, when the devil will be finally overthrown by

the Lord Jesus. The first and second resurrections are spiritual and physical

respectively; thus there is only one physical resurrection at thereturn of Christ.


32/56

Postmillennialism Here are some problems with this interpretation:

Although the gospel is progressing, evil is progressingsimultaneously.

The Bible teaches that the land promises to Israel arefulfilled already in the present heaven and will befulfilled (not yet) in the new world.

The Bible teaches that Christ returns to renew theworld; he does not return to a world already renewed.


33/56

The Millennium

Amillennialism


34/56

Amillennialism The Amillennial suggestion for Revelation 20 is that it

presents a snapshot of this present (evil) age, an age

during which Jesus is reigning on Davids throne. At theend of this time, Satan will be released to deceive thenations, bringing in the climax of the tribulation of thisage.

Jesus will return to consummate his reign by resurrectingand judging the living and the dead and by regeneratingthe world in the fulfillment of Gods promises to Israel.The length of time of this present evil age is signified by

the figure of 1,000 years, which signifies the victory ofthe saints in heaven who are now reigning with Jesus.


35/56

Amillennialism Satans activity is described as being

bound from deceiving the nations (Rev20:3) so the gospel may proliferate; it isnot an absolute curtailing of his activity.

The first and second resurrections arespiritual and physical respectively; thus

there is only one physical resurrection atthe return of Christ.


36/56

Amillennialism What is commendable about this

interpretation is that it does not violate anyclear teaching of Scripture regarding LastThings; rather, it coheres beautifully with

the Bibles teaching.


37/56

The Millennium

Final Remarks


38/56

The Millennium: Final Remarks It is important to note that Historic Premillennialism,

Postmillennialism, and Amillennialism have something

very significant in common; they all believe that thekingdom of God is decidedly Christian and not Jewish inits orientation (they all read the Bible backwards).

In addition, Historic Premillennialism and Amillennialism

really differ significantly only over the relationshipbetween Revelation 19 and 20. Do the events of Revelation 20 happen afterthe events of

Revelation 19, or do the events of Revelation 20 recapitulate theevents of Revelation 19?

If you say that Revelation 20 is after Revelation 19, you are aPremillennialist. If you say that it is a recapitulation of Revelation19, you are an Amillennialist. The other differences wementioned are secondary to this one.


39/56

The New World

The New Heavens and

the New Earth


40/56

The New World

The Old Testament Hope


41/56

The Old Testament Hope Isa 65:17-25: For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; And the

former things will not be remembered or come to mind. But be glad andrejoice forever in what I create; For behold, I create Jerusalem for rejoicing

And her people for gladness. I will also rejoice in Jerusalem and be glad inMy people; And there will no longer be heard in her The voice of weepingand the sound of crying. No longer will there be in it an infant who lives buta few days, Or an old man who does not live out his days; For the youth willdie at the age of one hundred And the one who does not reach the age ofone hundred Will be thought accursed. They will build houses and inhabit

them; They will also plant vineyards and eat their fruit. They will not buildand another inhabit, They will not plant and another eat; For as the lifetimeof a tree, so will be the days of My people, And My chosen ones will wearout the work of their hands. They will not labor in vain, Or bear children forcalamity; For they are the offspring of those blessed by the LORD, And theirdescendants with them. It will also come to pass that before they call, I will

answer; and while they are still speaking, I will hear. The wolf and the lambwill graze together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox; and dust will bethe serpent's food. They will do no evil or harm in all My holy mountain,says the LORD.


42/56

The Old Testament Hope Isa 66:22-23: For just as the new heavens

and the new earth Which I make willendure before Me," declares the LORD,"So your offspring and your name will

endure. And it shall be from new moon tonew moon And from sabbath to sabbath,All mankind will come to bow down beforeMe," says the LORD.


43/56

The New World

Characteristics


44/56

Characteristics of the New World It consummates the land promises to Israel.

Gen 17:8: I will give to you and to your descendants after you, the landof your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting

possession; and I will be their God.

Rom 4:13: For the promise to Abraham or to his descendants that hewould be heir of the world was not through the Law, but through therighteousness of faith.

Heb 4:9 So there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God. Heb 11:9-10, 14-16: By faith he lived as an alien in the land of promise,

as in a foreign land, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, fellow heirsof the same promise; for he was looking for the city which hasfoundations, whose architect and builder is God.14For those who say

such things make it clear that they are seeking a country of their own.And indeed if they had been thinking of that country from which theywent out, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, theydesire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is notashamed to be called their God; for He has prepared a city for them.


45/56

Characteristics of the New World It consummates the kingdom of God.

Dan 7:27: Then the sovereignty, the dominion and the greatness

of all the kingdoms under the whole heaven will be given to thepeople of the saints of the Highest One; His kingdom will be aneverlasting kingdom, and all the dominions will serve and obeyHim.

Matt 25:34: Then the King will say to those on His right, Come,you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom preparedfor you from the foundation of the world.

Matt 26:29: But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vinefrom now on until that day when I drink it new with you in MyFathers kingdom.

Rev 22:5: And there will no longer be any night; and they will nothave need of the light of a lamp nor the light of the sun, becausethe Lord God will illumine them; and they will reign forever andever.


46/56

Characteristics of the New World It consummates the reversal of the effects of our fall into sin. Gen 3:14-17: The LORD God said to the serpent, Because you have done

this, Cursed are you more than all cattle, And more than every beast of thefield; On your belly you will go, And dust you will eat All the days of your life;

And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seedand her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, And you shall bruise him onthe heel. To the woman He said, I will greatly multiply Your pain inchildbirth, In pain you will bring forth children; Yet your desire will be for yourhusband, And he will rule over you. Then to Adam He said, Because you

have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree aboutwhich I commanded you, saying, You shall not eat from it; Cursed is theground because of you; In toil you will eat of it All the days of your life.

Rev 21:1, 4: Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heavenand the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea4and He

will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be anydeath; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the firstthings have passed away.

Rev 22:2b-3a: On either side of the river was the tree of life, bearing twelvekinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were

for the healing of the nations. There will no longer be any curse.


47/56

Characteristics of the New World It brings about the renewal of the whole earth; it is cosmic

in scope.

Isa 65:17 "For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; And theformer things will not be remembered or come to mind.

Matt 19:28: And Jesus said to them, Truly I say to you, that you whohave followed Me, in the regeneration when the Son of Man will sit onHis glorious throne, you also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the

twelve tribes of Israel. Rom 8:19-21: For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for

the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected tofutility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope that

the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into

the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 2 Pet 3:13: But according to His promise we are looking for new

heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells.

Rev 21:1: Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the firstheaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea.


48/56

Characteristics of the New World It brings about the renewal of the whole earth; it

is cosmic in scope. This renewal is just thata renewal.

Matt 19:28: And Jesus said to them, Truly I say to you, thatyou who have followed Me, in the regeneration when the Son

of Man will sit on His glorious throne, you also shall sit upontwelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

Acts 3:21: whom heaven must receive until the period ofrestoration of all things about which God spoke by the mouth

of His holy prophets from ancient time.


49/56


is cosmic in scope. Therefore the new heavens and new earth do not

mean the rejection and replacement of the presentheavens and earth, but its restoration. 2 Pet 3:10, 12:

But the day of the Lord will come like a thief,in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and theelements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earthand its works will be burned uplooking for and hasteningthe coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens

will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt withintense heat!

2 Per 3:6: through which the world at that time wasdestroyed, being flooded with water.


50/56


is cosmic in scope. This renewal is correlated in Scripture with the

resurrection of our bodies Rom 8:20-22: For the creation was subjected to futility, not

willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope thatthe creation itself also will be set free from its slavery tocorruption into the freedom of the glory of the children ofGod. For we know that the whole creation groans andsuffers the pains of childbirth together until now.

Our present bodies will be glorified, not exchanged forglorified bodies.

And just like us, the creation is not waiting to die, but to bereborn.


51/56

Characteristics of the New World It ushers in a new corporeal existence for

redeemed humanity. The fact that we are headed to a new heavens anda

new earth in glorified corporeal bodies makes it clearthat our eternity will not be spent in a disembodied,non-corporeal, non-earthly condition. The new worldis the consummation of our eternal life.

On that new earth, therefore, we hope to spendeternity, enjoying its beauties, exploring its resources,

and using its treasures to the glory of God (AnthonyHoekema, The Bible and the Future[Eerdmans,1979], 274).


52/56

Characteristics of the New World Its climactic and ultimate feature is the presence of God. Gen 17:8: I will give to you and to your descendants after you, the land

of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlastingpossession; and I will be their God.

Rom 4:13: For the promise to Abraham or to his descendants that hewould be heir of the world

1 Cor 15:28: When all things are subjected to Him, then the SonHimself also will be subjected to the One who subjected all things to

Him, so that God may be all in all. Rev 21:3: And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, Behold, the

tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, andthey shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them.

Rev 22:3-5: There will no longer be any curse; and the throne of God

and of the Lamb will be in it, and His bond-servants will serve Him; theywill see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads. And there willno longer be any night; and they will not have need of the light of a lampnor the light of the sun, because the Lord God will illumine them; and

they will reign forever and ever.


53/56

Conclusion


54/56

Conclusion Redemption history is understood to unfold in

two successive ages: this present age and the

age to come. This present age, characterized by sin and

death and that which is temporal and transientwill come to an end.

The Second Coming of Jesus to the earth willmark the end of the age.

When he comes he will resurrect the just and

unjust, judge the believing and unbelieving inrighteousness, and glorify the creation.


55/56

Conclusion In the time between his first and second

comings, the church will continue to prosper

even while it and the creation face trouble. The trouble of the time between his first and

second comings will come to a climaximmediately before his return.

When the climax will occur is impossible toknow.

Whether we are in the midst of the climax is also

impossible to know; it is only when Jesus returnsthat we will know that the climax has occurred.


56/56

Conclusion Jesus Second Coming will usher in the age to come, an

age characterized by righteousness and life and that

which is permanent and everlasting. The age to come has been inaugurated by the person,

ministry, and work of Jesus Christ in his life, death,burial, and ascension.

We await the consummation of the age to come with thereturn of Jesus Christ.

Through our relationship with Christ we experience theblessings of our future life now in the present time andawait their consummation at the end of the age.

condensed theology, lecture 51, eschatology part 7

Documents