Sunday Night Theology: Eschatology

One Essential Truth:

Jesus is returning to judge the world and rescue His people!

This is what ALL Christians believe! We agree on the most important things!

Two Pitfalls:

An Unhealthy Dogmatism

Liberty University, church in Evansville, Indiana

“Not going to Pawkwasawn!”

Is there anything in eschatology about which we should be dogmatic?

PBC Statement of Faith—We believe Jesus will return to earth to judge all people and to rule and reign with His people forever. At Christ’s return, all people will be resurrected to give account of their lives before God. Believers in Christ will be resurrected to everlasting blessedness and joy in God’s presence. Unbelievers will be resurrected to judgment and everlasting conscious punishment. The ultimate hope of all creation, and the final state of all that now exists, is the new heaven and new earth in which righteousness dwells.

What is present that we must we believe?

What is missing that we can agree to disagree about?

An Unhealthy Apathy

Panmillenialist—it’ll all pan out in the end!

Not wrong to be unsure about your view, but it is wrong to ignore eschatology altogether

Often when the Bible wants to encourage Christians, it reminds them of eschatology!

1 Peter 1:3-7—Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

Colossians 1:3-5—We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel

Hebrews 10:24-25—And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

If we ignore eschatology we’re ignoring much of the hope that the Bible intends for us to cling to.

If we ignore eschatology, we’re ignoring much of the Bible!

Three Main Interpretive Lenses:

There are actually more, we’re just covering the main views

The Preterist View

From the Latin word preter, which means past

Technically there are two types of preterism: full preterism and partial preterism

Full preterists believe that Jesus returned in A.D. 70 and we are now living in the new heavens and the new earth. This is a heresy.

Partial preterists believe that most of the eschatological writings in Scripture are referring to A.D. 70. But they do believe Jesus is still coming.

R.C. Sproul, Jay Adams

The Futurist View

Futurists believe that most of the eschatological writings in Scripture are referring to future events.

John MacArthur, David Jeremiah, John Piper, Al Mohler, Left Behind novels, etc.

The Spiritualistic/Idealistic View

Not saying this view is more spiritual. This view is sometimes called the spiritual view because it tends to look for a spiritual fulfillment for much of the eschatological writings rather than a literal fulfillment.

This is my view, and it is shared by faithful Bible teachers like Kevin DeYoung, J.I. Packer, Augustine, and most of the Reformers.

Four Main Views of the End

Revelation 20:1–10—Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain. And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, and threw him into the pit, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he might not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were ended. After that he must be released for a little while. Then I saw thrones, and seated on them were those to whom the authority to judge was committed. Also I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection! Over such the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for a thousand years. And when the thousand years are ended, Satan will be released from his prison and will come out to deceive the nations that are at the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them for battle; their number is like the sand of the sea. And they marched up over the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, but fire came down from heaven and consumed them, and the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

Painting with broad brushstrokes. Not necessarily every person will hold to every aspect of these views exactly as I’m presenting here, but these are summaries of the basic beliefs of these views.

Dispensational Premillennialism

Sometimes called “pretribulatoinal premillennialism,” which is not the best name since there are actually multiple views within this position about the tribulation

SHOW CHART

Second Coming: Second Coming in two phases; Rapture of church; second coming to earth 7 years later.

Resurrection: 1. Church at Rapture; 2. Old Testament/Tribulation saints at Second Coming; 3. Unbelievers at end of Millennium.

Judgments: 1. Believers' works at Rapture; 2. Jews/Gentiles at end of Tribulation; 3. Unbelievers at end of Millennium.

Tribulation: Varies, but most believe the church is raptured prior to Tribulation.

Millennium: At Second Coming Christ inaugurates literal 1,000-year Millennium on earth.

Israel and the Church: Complete distinction between Israel and church. Distinct program for each.

Adherents: John MacArthur, David Jeremiah, Norman Geisler, John Hagee, Tim LaHaye, Charles Ryrie, Chuck Smith, Charles Swindoll, Jck Van Impe

Postmillennialism

SHOW CHART

Second Coming: Single event; no distinction between Rapture and Second Coming; Christ returns after Millennium.

Resurrection: General resurrection of believers and unbelievers at second coming of Christ.

Judgments: General judgment of all people when Christ returns.

Tribulation: Tribulation is experienced in this present age. Could intensify near the end.

Millennium: Present age blends into Millennium because of progress of gospel.

Israel and the Church: Believers in Christ are the true Israel. No separate programs for Israel and church.

Adherents: Jonathan Edwards, George Whitefield, most of the Puritans, Keith Mathison, Kenneth Gentry, Douglas Wilson

Classical Premillennialism

Sometimes called historic premillennialism

SHOW CHART

Second Coming: Rapture and Second Coming simultaneous; Christ returns to reign on earth.

Resurrection: Resurrection of believers at beginning of Millennium. Resurrection of unbelievers at end of Millennium.

Judgments: Judgment at Second Coming. Judgment at end of Tribulation.

Tribulation: Posttribulation view: church goes through the future Tribulation.

Millennium: Millennium is both present and future. Christ is reigning in heaven. Millennium not necessarily 1,000 years.

Israel and the Church: Some distinction between Israel and church. Future for Israel, but church is spiritual Israel

Adherents: Charles Spurgeon, Francis Schaeffer, D.A. Carson, Al Mohler, Wayne Grudem, Tom Schreiner, John Piper

Amillennialism

SHOW CHART

Second Coming: Single event; no distinction between Rapture and Second Coming; introduces eternal state.

Resurrection: General resurrection of believers and unbelievers at second coming of Christ.

Judgments: General judgment of all people when Christ returns.

Tribulation: Tribulation is experienced in this present age. Could intensify near the end.

Millennium: No literal Millennium on earth after second coming. Kingdom present in church age.

Israel and the Church: Believers in Christ are the true Israel. No separate programs for Israel and church.

Adherents: Sam Storms, Kevin DeYoung, Mark Dever, Martin Luther, John Calvin, Augustine

Mark Dever—The Lord Jesus Christ prayed in John 17:21 that we Christians might be one. Of course all true Christians are one in that we have his Spirit, we share his Spirit, we desire to live out that unity. But that unity is supposed to be evident as a testimony to the world around us. Therefore, I conclude that we should end our cooperations together with other Christians (whether near-ly in a congregation, or more at length in working together in missions and church planting and evangelism and building up the ministry) only with the greatest of care, lest we rend the body of Christ for whose unity he’s prayed and given himself. Therefore, I conclude that it is sin to divide the body of Christ—to divide the body that he prayed would be united. Therefore for us to conclude that we must agree upon a certain view of alcohol, or a certain view of schooling, or a certain view of meat sacrificed to idols, or a certain view of the millennium in order to have fellowship together is, I think, not only unnecessary for the body of Christ, but it is therefore both unwarranted and therefore condemned by scripture.