Lecture Ten—Eschatology: Consummation of All Things

The term “eschatology” comes from two Greek terms e[scato" and lovgo" meaning (roughly speaking) “last,” “end,” or “final” and “word,” “matter” “thing,” respectively. Theologically speaking, then, the term eschatology refers to “things pertaining to the end of history and the consummation of God’s kingdom.” It concerns both personal eschatological issues such as death and the intermediate state as well as themes with a more general or corporate focus. The latter would include such topics as the return of Christ, resurrection, judgment, tribulation, the millennial kingdom, and the eternal state. IA. Personal Eschatology 1B. The Meaning of Physical Death 1C. The Subjects—Hebrews 9:27 2C. A Purely Materialist View 3C. A Christian Materialistic View 4C. Another Christian View: Man as a Unified, But Composite Being 2B. The Meaning of Spiritual Death 1C. The State—Ephesians 2:1 2C. The Fruit of Spiritual Death—Ephesians 4:17-19 3C. The Ultimate End: Second Death 1D. Revelation 21:8 2D. Revelation 20:6 3B. The Ultimate Cause of Physical and Spiritual Death 1C. 1 Corinthians 15:21 2C. Genesis 2:17, 23-24; 5 4B. The Existential Problem of Death 1C. Acts 8:2 2C. Philippians 2:27 3C. 1 Thessalonians 4:13 4C. Hebrews 4:15 5C. 1 Corinthians 15:55-57 5B. The Nature of the Intermediate State (Zwischenzustand) 1C. Unconscious Limbo/Soul Sleep (e.g., S. D. Adventists./Jehovah Witnesses) 1D. The Use of 1 Thessalonians 4:13-15 2D. Luke 16:19-31 2C. Purgatory (R.C.) 1D. 2 Maccabees 12:42-45 2D. Matthew 5:26; 12:32 3D. 1 Corinthians 3:15 4D. 2 Timothy 1:18 5D. The Need for Personal Faith in This Life—cf. John 8:24 3C. Instantaneous Resurrection (F. F. Bruce; W. D. Davies) 1D. 2 Corinthians 5:1-10 2D. A Presupposition of Anthropological Monism? 4C. Christians Go To Be with God, But Await Resurrection Bodies 1D. 2 Corinthians 5:8-9 2D. 1 Thessalonians 5:10 3D. Luke 23:43 4D. Unbelievers 1E. Luke 16:23-24 2E. John 5:28-29 3E. Matthew 25:46 IIA. Corporate Eschatology 1B. The Return of Christ: Areas of General Agreement 1C. It Is Certain, Though Day Unknown 1D. Acts 1:11 2D. 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 3D. Hebrews 9:28 4D. Revelation 22:12 (22:20) 5D. Philippians 4:5; James 5:8; 2 Peter 3:10; 1 John 3:2-3 2C. The Source: Jesus’ Teaching 1D. Matthew 24:3; 24:30 2D. John 14:3 3D. Revelation 1:7 3C. The Specific Timing 1D. Matthew 24:36 2D. Matthew 24:36-25:30 4C. It Will Be Personal and Visible to All 5C. It Will Be Magnificent 1D. Comparison with First Coming 2D. Matthew 24:23 3D. Matthew 24:27-28 6C. He Will Come As Judge and Savior 1D. Mark 13: Judgment and Salvation 2D. Luke 21: Judgment and Salvation38 3D. The Wicked in Matthew 24-25 4D. The Righteous in Matthew 24-25 2B. The Return of Christ: Areas of Difference among Evangelicals 1C. Texts Relating to the “Imminent” Return of Christ 1D. Matthew 24:40-50 2D. Luke 12:40 2C. Texts Relating to Events Preceding Christ’s Return 1D. Matthew 24:14 2D. Matthew 24:21 3D. 2 Thessalonians 2:3 4D. Romans 11:25-32 5D. Matthew 24:4-14 3C. Liberalism and Its Answer 4C. Prophetic Foreshortening 1D. Revelation 22:12—“soon” 2D. Hebrews 10:17—“in a little while” 5C. Berkhof’s Position39 6C. Grudem’s Response40 7C. A Dispensational Response 8C. An Experiential Approach and Response 9C. All Preceding Events Have Occurred 3B. The Nature and Timing of the Rapture 1C. The Nature of the Rapture: 1 Thessalonians 4:17 2C. The Timing of the Rapture 1D. Pre-Tribulational Rapture 2D. Partial Tribulational Rapture 3D. Mid-Tribulational Rapture 4D. Post-Tribulational Rapture 5B. The Nature of the Millennium 1C. Postmillennialism (P. M.) 1D. Statement of Position 2D. Proponents of Position 1E. Eusebius of Caesarea (AD 260-340) 2E. Origen41 (185-254) 3E. Theodore Beza (1519-1605) 4E. John Owen (1616-1683) 5E. Isaac Watts (1674-1748) 6E. Jonathon Edwards (1703-1758) 7E. A H. Strong (1836-1921) 3D. Strengths and Weaknesses of Position 1E. God’s Power and Sovereignty 2E. God’s Provision in Christ and the Spirit 3E. The Gradual Growth of the Church Outlined in Jesus’ Parables 4E. No Point Really Establishes P. M. in Contrast to Another System 5E. The Church Is Characterized by Suffering not Worldwide Triumph42 6E. The Experience of History43 2C. Historic Premillennialism 1D. Statement of the Position 2D. Proponents of the Position 1E. The First Three Centuries of the Church 2E. The Alexandrian Church 3E. Augustine’s (350-430) Amillennialism and the Medieval Period 4E. The Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries 3D. Strengths and Weaknesses 1E. The Exegesis of Revelation 20:4-6 and e[zhsan 2E. The “One Passage” Critique 3C. Dispensational Pre-Millennialism 1D. Statement of the Position 2D. Proponents of the Position 1E. J. N. Darby (1800-1882) 2E. John F. Walvoord 3E. J. Dwight Pentecost 4E. Charles C. Ryrie 5E. Darrell L. Bock 6E. Craig L. Blaising 3D. Strengths and Weaknesses 1E. Recognition of Structural Discontinuities Between the Testaments 2E. A Future for National Israel 3E. Two Peoples of God? 4E. The Davidic Covenant and the Presence of the Kingdom Now 3C. Amillennialism 1D. Statement of the Position 2D. Proponents of the Position 1E. Augustine (354-430) 2E. Martin Luther (1483-1546) 3E. John Calvin (1509-1564) 4E. Abraham Kuyper (1837-1920) 5E. Hermann Bavinck (1854-1921) 6E. Louis Berkhof (1873-1957) 3D. Strengths and Weaknesses 1E. Many Passages Affirm Amill Scheme 2E. The Binding of Satan in Revelation 20 3E. The Symbolic Nature of the Book of Revelation 4E. The Church Replaces Israel 5E. The Amill Reading of Revelation 20 Is Strained 6E. OT Promises Envision an Earthly Kingdom (cf. 1 Cor 15:24; Rev 5:10; 12:5) 7E. The Binding of Satan Did Not Occur at Christ’s Return as Many Amill’s Argue 8E. The Probability of Progressive Revelation within the NT Canon 9E. The Church and Israel in God’s Plan 6B. Resurrection, Judgment, and The Eternal State 1C. The Resurrection of All People 1D. Daniel 12:2 2D. John 5:28-29 2C. The Judgment of All People 1D. Acts 17:31 2D. Revelation 20:11-15 3C. The Doctrine of Heaven and the Eternal State 1D. A State or Place? 2D. A Look at Revelation 21-22 4C. The Doctrine of Hell 1D. Liberal Views 2D. Traditional View: Eternal Conscious Suffering 2D. Conditional Immortality -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 38 It appears that Luke has a focus on AD 70 (21:20-24), but one can hardly suggest that such verses as 21:27, 35 are not looking to the grand eschaton. And, what happened in AD 70 could, theoretically anyway, be repeated at a later date. 39 Berkhof, Systematic Theology, 695-703. 40 Grudem, Systematic Theology, 1095-1105. 41 Gentry, “Postmillennialism,” 15. He cites the work of Donald G. Bloesch, Essentials of Evangelical Theology: Vol. 2: Life, Ministry, and Hope (San Francisco: Harper and Row, 1979), 192 and Philip Schaff, History of the Christian Church, 5th ed. (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, rep. n.d. [1910]), 2:591, cf. 122. 42 See Robert Strimple, “An Amillennial Response to Kenneth L. Gentry, Jr.,” in Three Views on the Millennium and Beyond, ed. Darrell L. Bock (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1999), 63-66. 43 Blaising, “Premillennial Response,” 75.