Condensed Theology

A Primer in Systematic Theology

Eschatology
What does the Bible teach about last things?

Review

Review

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 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 in righteousness, and glorify the creation.

Review

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 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 returns that we will know that the climax has occurred.

Review

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, 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 and await their consummation at the end of the age.

Review
Last weeks lecture undermined one of the key principles of eschatology: Eschatology is supposed to be understandable!

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 a whole is difficult to understand, but simply that there are some texts related to last things that do not avail themselves of easy interpretation.

Review
A key principle of Bible interpretation is that the clear passages of Scripture take precedence over the obscure ones for establishing doctrine. This will sometimes mean that you will not be able to understand a particular passage, except for what it cannot mean. Let me give you a simple example:

Review

1 Cor 15:29: Otherwise, what will those do who are baptized for the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why then are they baptized for them? 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 baptized for our dead friends so that they can enjoy the benefits of salvation.

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 the New Testament regarding eschatology.

Review

Because of the relative obscurity of Revelation 20 and Daniel 9 to the rest of the Bibles teaching on eschatology you need to know two things:

First, ones interpretation of the end times does not depend upon them; no essential doctrine ever depends on obscure passages of the Bible. Second, the average reader will be able to exclude certain interpretations of the passages; namely, the ones that do not square with the rest of the Bibles teaching on eschatology.

Review
So I will not follow the procedure of laying out the various interpretations of the passages and explaining and refuting them. Instead, this lecture will merely show you that certain interpretations cannot obtain for these passages of Scripture on the basis of what we have already learned in the Bible on the end times.

Review
The Great Tribulation

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 to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince there will be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; it will be built again, with plaza and 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 the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. And its end will come with a flood; even to the end there will be war; desolations are determined. And he will make a firm covenant with the 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 abominations will come one who makes desolate, even until a complete destruction, one that is decreed, is poured out on the one who makes desolate.

Review: The Great Tribulation

Some people suggest that this passage teaches that there is a seven-year period of time in our future during which national Israel and the rest of the world left behind after the secret return of Jesus will experience suffering like the world has never seen. During the Tribulation Period, men and women may come to saving faith in Christ. At the end of this seven-year period, Jesus will return again in open, obvious fashion to set up an Israeli kingdom on earth.

Review: The Great Tribulation

Here are some of the problems with this interpretation: It does not take into account that the apocalyptic sections of Daniel are not meant by the author to be read as if they are literal descriptions of future events (as opposed to figurative ones). The Bible teaches that Christians will undergo tribulation throughout this present age in waves of varying intensity that will climax before the Second Coming of Christ. Christians will not be spared this tribulation. The Bible teaches that it is impossible to quantify the chronological length of the tribulation for the people of God.

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 in its faith connection to Abraham in the church.

Review
The Millennium

Review: The Millennium

Read Revelation 20:1-11

Review: The Millennium

There are four major suggestions regarding this passage of Scripture.

Dispensational Premillennialism Historic Premillennialism Postmillennialism Amillennialism

Review: The Millennium

The Dispensational Premillennial suggestion for Revelation 20 is that after Jesus second Second Coming, he restores the nation of Israel to the land of Palestine to rule the Gentile nations with a rod of iron. The length of time of this national restoration is exactly 1,000 years (ordinary chronological years). During that time of restoration, believing Israel will celebrate Passover, the Feast of Booths, and make sacrifices in a rebuilt Temple. Moreover, people will be able to die and become (Jewish) Christians. Satans activity will be completely curtailed from any evil activity until a brief unspecified period of time near the end of the 1,000 years. There will be two physical resurrections: one at the beginning of the millennium and the other at the end. The one at the beginning is for those who were martyred during the Great Tribulation; the one at the end is for those who died during the Millennium and for all the unrighteous.

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 (Rev 20:3). It does not take into account that apocalyptic is not meant by 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 are fulfilled already in the present heaven and will be fulfilled (not yet) in the new world.

Review: The Millennium

Here are some more:

The Bible teaches that the feasts, liturgies, and sacrifices have been made obsolete by the work of Jesus; therefore, there will never again be a reinstitution of temple worship, etc. The Bible teaches that when Jesus returns he will resurrect the just and the unjust; therefore, no one may 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 you mean, 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.

The Millennium
Historic Premillennialism

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 promises to Israel. The length of time of this restoration is 1,000 years (ordinary chronological years) for some, and a symbolic expression of 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 until a brief unspecified time near the end of the 1,000 years. There will be two physical resurrections: one at the beginning of the millennium and the other at the end. The one at the beginning is for believers who have died and for those who remain alive at Jesus Second Coming; the one at the end is for all unbelievers and for those who become Christians during the millennium.

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).

Historic Premillennialism

Here are some more:

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

all Historic Premillenialists believe that the millennium refers to Jesus reign over the present earth. According to Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology (Zondervan, 1994), 1111, himself an Historic Premillennialist, Historic Premillennialists differ over whether the renewed earth will begin in the millennium or the [sic.] eternal state.

Historic Premillennialism

Here are some more:

The Bible teaches that when Jesus returns he will resurrect the just and the unjust; therefore, no one may 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 you mean, 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.

The Millennium
Postmillennialism

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 this present age. The length of time of this restoration is great, as symbolized by the figure of 1,000 years. During that time, which is gradually being ushered in (even as we speak), society will more and more function according to Gods standardsuniversal 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 incomplete curtailing of his evil activity until the nations are tested immediately prior 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 the return of Christ.

Postmillennialism

Here are some problems with this interpretation:

Although the gospel is progressing, evil is progressing simultaneously. The Bible teaches that the land promises to Israel are fulfilled already in the present heaven and will be fulfilled (not yet) in the new world. The Bible teaches that Christ returns to renew the world; he does not return to a world already renewed.

The Millennium
Amillennialism

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 the end of this time, Satan will be released to deceive the nations, bringing in the climax of the tribulation of this age. Jesus will return to consummate his reign by resurrecting and judging the living and the dead and by regenerating the 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 of the saints in heaven who are now reigning with Jesus.

Amillennialism
Satans activity is described as being bound from deceiving the nations (Rev 20:3) so the gospel may proliferate; it is not an absolute curtailing of his activity. The first and second resurrections are spiritual and physical respectively; thus there is only one physical resurrection at the return of Christ.

Amillennialism

What is commendable about this interpretation is that it does not violate any clear teaching of Scripture regarding Last Things; rather, it coheres beautifully with the Bibles teaching.

The Millennium
Final Remarks

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 the kingdom of God is decidedly Christian and not Jewish in its orientation (they all read the Bible backwards). In addition, Historic Premillennialism and Amillennialism really differ significantly only over the relationship between Revelation 19 and 20.

Do the events of Revelation 20 happen after the events of Revelation 19, or do the events of Revelation 20 recapitulate the events of Revelation 19? If you say that Revelation 20 is after Revelation 19, you are a Premillennialist. If you say that it is a recapitulation of Revelation 19, you are an Amillennialist. The other differences we mentioned are secondary to this one.

The New World

The New Heavens and the New Earth

The New World

The Old Testament Hope

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 and rejoice 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 in My people; And there will no longer be heard in her The voice of weeping and the sound of crying. No longer will there be in it an infant who lives but a few days, Or an old man who does not live out his days; For the youth will die at the age of one hundred And the one who does not reach the age of one hundred Will be thought accursed. They will build houses and inhabit them; They will also plant vineyards and eat their fruit. They will not build and another inhabit, They will not plant and another eat; For as the lifetime of a tree, so will be the days of My people, And My chosen ones will wear out the work of their hands. They will not labor in vain, Or bear children for calamity; For they are the offspring of those blessed by the LORD, And their descendants 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 lamb will graze together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox; and dust will be the serpent's food. They will do no evil or harm in all My holy mountain, says the LORD.

The Old Testament Hope

Isa 66:22-23: For just as the new heavens and the new earth Which I make will endure before Me," declares the LORD, "So your offspring and your name will endure. And it shall be from new moon to new moon And from sabbath to sabbath, All mankind will come to bow down before Me," says the LORD.

The New World

Characteristics

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 land of 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 he would be heir of the world was not through the Law, but through the righteousness 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 heirs of the same promise; for he was looking for the city which has foundations, 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 they went out, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; for He has prepared a city for them.

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 the people of the saints of the Highest One; His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all the dominions will serve and obey Him. Matt 25:34: Then the King will say to those on His right, Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. Matt 26:29: But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Fathers kingdom. Rev 22:5: And there will no longer be any night; and they will not have need of the light of a lamp nor the light of the sun, because the Lord God will illumine them; and they will reign forever and ever.

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 the field; 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 seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, And you shall bruise him on the heel. To the woman He said, I will greatly multiply Your pain in childbirth, In pain you will bring forth children; Yet your desire will be for your husband, 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 about which I commanded you, saying, You shall not eat from it; Cursed is the ground 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 heaven and 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 any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away. Rev 22:2b-3a: On either side of the river was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds 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.

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 the former things will not be remembered or come to mind. Matt 19:28: And Jesus said to them, Truly I say to you, that you who have followed Me, in the regeneration when the Son of Man will sit on His 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 to futility, 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 first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea.

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, that you who have followed Me, in the regeneration when the Son of Man will sit on His glorious throne, you also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. Acts 3:21: whom heaven must receive until the period of restoration of all things about which God spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from ancient time.

Characteristics of the New World

It brings about the renewal of the whole earth; it is cosmic in scope.

Therefore the new heavens and new earth do not mean the rejection and replacement of the present heavens 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 the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned uplooking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat! 2 Per 3:6: through which the world at that time was destroyed, being flooded with water.

Characteristics of the New World

It brings about the renewal of the whole earth; it 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 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. For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now. Our present bodies will be glorified, not exchanged for glorified bodies. And just like us, the creation is not waiting to die, but to be reborn.

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 and a new earth in glorified corporeal bodies makes it clear that our eternity will not be spent in a disembodied, non-corporeal, non-earthly condition. The new world is the consummation of our eternal life. On that new earth, therefore, we hope to spend eternity, enjoying its beauties, exploring its resources, and using its treasures to the glory of God (Anthony Hoekema, The Bible and the Future [Eerdmans, 1979], 274).

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 everlasting possession; and I will be their God. Rom 4:13: For the promise to Abraham or to his descendants that he would be heir of the world 1 Cor 15:28: When all things are subjected to Him, then the Son Himself 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, and they 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; they will see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads. And there will no longer be any night; and they will not have need of the light of a lamp nor the light of the sun, because the Lord God will illumine them; and they will reign forever and ever.

Conclusion

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 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 in righteousness, and glorify the creation.

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 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 returns that we will know that the climax has occurred.

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 the return of Jesus Christ. Through our relationship with Christ we experience the blessings of our future life now in the present time and await their consummation at the end of the age.