Much of tonight’s topic has to do with eschatology (end times). This is a topic that is both fascinating and frustrating for many. Fascinating for obvious reasons – we all want to know what’s going to happen. Frustrating because the subject can become an obsession distracting Christians from their actual mission of making disciples. Doubly so because it can cause deep conflict between Christians.
Ask Anything April – Session 3
presented 24 April 2019
AUDIO
Presentation Notes
Introduction to Eschatology (End Times)
- Challenges to understanding the End Times
- Revelation is prophetic and specifically says it is apocalyptic
- These terms refer to genres of writing with standard expectations, structures, and terms (just as we have genres like mystery, biography, poetry, science fiction, and fantasy with standard expectations, structures, and terms)
- These genres use very vivid visual images with frequent use of symbols
- Some are explained, like lampstands that represent churches in Revelation 1
- Many others aren’t clearly explained
- Some are familiar images from throughout Scripture, so we can interpret easily, but many are unfamiliar, so there’s debate
- Most other primary writings on End Times are also prophetic and apocalyptic, e.g. Daniel and Ezekiel, so likewise challenging to interpret
- As interpreters, we must discern how deep the symbolism runs and what it refers to. What’s a symbol and what’s real? This is where good Christians have disagreed for 2,000 years.
- Our interpretation of these passages must be consistent with other passages on the End Times, particularly some of those which are more clear – Matthew 24-25 and 1 Thessalonians 4
- Scripture won’t contradict itself. Once all is said and done, it will all make perfect sense
- Until then, I urge grace and openness toward the work of good Christians who happen to disagree with our interpretation of the End Times
- In other words, hold your interpretation loosely, while holding onto the bottom line of the End Times tightly
- Jesus will return, Jesus will be victorious, Jesus will judge everyone, believers will be physically resurrected, believers will reign forever in a new heaven and new earth free of all suffering and death.
- From our previous discussion on theological triage, “Christians who affirm the bodily, historical, and victorious return of the Lord Jesus Christ may differ over timetable and sequence without rupturing the fellowship of the church.”
- My Advice
- Think through your position, but don’t obsess
- Some of these passages appear to be intentionally obscure
- Focus on the clear mission of the church – making disciples!
- Don’t even try to figure out times and dates – Jesus said we can’t!
- Live prepared for all things, including Christ’s immediate return as well as His far-distant return. Then you can be happy and serve Christ well.
- Then it doesn’t really matter who’s right!
- Four Major Schools of Interpretation (along with 3 schools of thought about Christ’s millennial reign described in Revelation 20: 1-6)
- Based on how to interpret Revelation’s visions and how they relate to historical events of church history since the 1st century
- Historicism
- View events of Revelation 4-20 as symbolically describing the events of church history since the 1st century
- Revelation is prophecy (from the perspective of the author) which has been fulfilled across 19 centuries
- Chapters 4-20 cover the patristic, medieval, reformation, and modern church eras
- The millennial rule of Christ will come
- Then the second coming of Christ will occur (this is called postmillennialism which I’ll discuss in a minute), the bodily resurrection of the dead, the last judgment, the new heaven and the new earth
- This is probably working too hard to force the visions to match the historical events
- Preterism
- Believes some or all of the events in Revelation already happened in the 1st century with the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD and/or the decline and fall of the Roman Empire
- Revelation is prophecy (from the perspective of the author) that was quickly fulfilled within 10-300 years
- Some view Revelation’s visions as being non-sequential. Rather they are seen as a cycle covering the same events repeatedly from different perspectives – that could be correct.
- Full preterism is unbiblical – it denies the bodily resurrection as well as the return of Jesus
- Partial preterism views those particular events as being in the future, so it is acceptable theologically. There are some modern-day partial preterists.
- Preterism largely depends on what most believe to be an incorrect dating of the authorship of Revelation to before the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD
- Early church history dates Revelation to the mid-90s, long after Jerusalem’s destruction
- The strength of preterism is that it takes seriously that John’s audience was a 1st century audience with real problems and needs, i.e. that Revelation wasn’t just written for us today. It also handles well some events that complicate other interpretations, like the fall of the Roman Empire.
- It’s often associated with postmillennialism – that the world will get better and better through the gospel, eventually experiencing a 1,000 year golden age while Jesus reigns in heaven, followed by rebellion, and the return of Christ
- Postmillennialism was popular in the late 1800s when people thought mankind was progressing to become better and better. World War I killed that illusion and postmillennialism basically died along with it. It really didn’t have scriptural support, it was just conceited and wishful thinking.
- Futurism
- Views the events of Revelation 4-22 as describing specific future events for the world relative to us today
- Revelation is prophecy which still has not been fulfilled – which is somewhat problematic, because it doesn’t make the letter very useful to the 1st century churches to which it was addressed
- Revelation 1-3 are written to the 7 churches, then 19+ centuries pass before anything happens. That’s weird!
- Usually associated with premillennialism
- Jesus will return in power and glory to defeat the beast and false prophet
- He will literally reign over the world for 1,000 years, during which time Satan is bound and has no power
- 2 major sub-flavors – both is they minimize writing difficult things off as symbolism (we can be too quick to do so)
- Dispensational premillennialism
- For many of you, it’s your default programming from the conservative evangelical or fundamentalist church
- “Left Behind”
- There will be a secret “rapture” of the church where current Christians are taken to heaven
- There will be 7 years of miserable tribulation on earth
- Then the 2nd coming of Christ, Armageddon
- Then the 1,000 year reign
- Then the general resurrection of the remaining dead, the last judgment, and the new heaven and new earth
- Problem – this concept was invented in the 1800s – nobody believed this for 18 centuries!
- Problem – A rapture before the tribulation doesn’t particularly match up with the words of Jesus in Matthew 24: 3-31
- Problem – There really isn’t any Scripture that clearly teaches a secret rapture
- My opinion – This feels a lot like wishful American thinking about skipping the bad stuff in the end times
- Historical or Classical Premillennialism
- So called because many early church fathers believed this
- There will be tribulation
- Then the 2nd coming when believers will be taken to heaven
- Armageddon, the 1,000 year reign
- Then the general resurrection of the remaining dead, the last judgment, and the new heaven and earth
- Dispensational premillennialism
- Idealism
- Views visions in Revelation as symbolic of conflict between Christ and His church vs. Satan and his conspirators from the time of the Apostles onward until the 2nd coming of Christ
- Views events in Revelation as recapitulation -> cycles addressing the same events from different perspectives (e.g. the 3 sets of judgments each of which seems to climax in the end of all things)
- Revelation isn’t a literal sequence of historical events (past or future) but a recurring set of symbolic struggles
- Usually view the millennial reign of Jesus as already happening, rather than at a specific time
- Christ will return after his ongoing reign that has already been much longer than a thousand years – a thousand years is just a figurative number representing a long time
- The millennium is describing Christ’s present reign from heaven and the advance and suffering of the church for the past 2,000 years
- What is Jesus doing right now according to Scripture? Reigning!
- So we’re in the thousand years now in this view
- Strengths – this accurately accounts for Jesus present rule, makes good sense of some of the cosmic battle described in Revelation that really appears to be describing Satan’s fall and the birth of Jesus, and accounts for the last 19 centuries of church highs and lows.
- Problems – it’s “too symbolic” – it becomes vague and general with no real application; it’s too quick to dismiss a plain reading of Scripture as symbolic
SPECIFIC QUESTIONS
Mark 13: 32, “But of that day or that hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” If Jesus is the incarnate Word (John 1: 14), how can there be things He does not know?
- Great question: how can Jesus, who is God in the flesh, who is one with the Father, not know when the End will be???
- People have wrestled with this for centuries!
- Council of Chalcedon in 451 AD settled the orthodox understanding of Jesus and His divinity and relationship with God the Father
- I don’t know if it will help you in the slightest…
- It affirms that Jesus is one person and one substance with God the Father, and yet that He has two natures – one human and one divine – in perfect union, but also distinct.
- So it could be that His human nature did not know, while His divine nature did know, and that in teaching like this, He spoke from His human nature.
- Or, Philippians 2: 5-11 – Jesus voluntarily chose not to know. Though fully God, He chose not to know this, at least when He walked the Earth.
- I lean toward this – that Christ’s exercise of omniscience was self-limited at the incarnation, as in Luke 2: 52
Can someone get saved after the Rapture happens? If so, will God use these people to bring others to Christ during this time? Is God hoping that some do not get saved now? Instead is He waiting till after the Rapture so He can use them?
- If there is a rapture…
- Yes you can get saved after the Rapture. Because all believers would be raptured, but clearly many, many believers are sealed in Revelation 7:9-13. And in other passages, believers are clearly put to death.
- Yes, God would be using that new generation of Christians to bring many to Christ during the first part of the tribulation until the final hardening occurs beyond which nobody will come to faith (Revelation 9: 20-21). Taking the mark of the beast described in Revelation 13 is an irrevocable decision.
- God doesn’t hope, God wills. If there will be a Rapture then in God’s good and sovereign will, He already knows who won’t accept Christ until after the Rapture and He will absolutely use them!
- If there isn’t a rapture…
- People can choose Christ until they die or until the Last Judgment, which may or may not be separated from Christ’s return by the Millennium.
When we go to heaven, when will we be judged? Will it be immediate, or after the Rapture? Do we have any Biblical reference that tells us if it will be in front of all those in Heaven or just God?
- We will all be judged at or after the return of Jesus. The good news is that for believers in Christ, we will definitely be judged “Not Guilty” because of Christ’s sacrifice.
- Jesus is both the judge (John 5: 25-29, 2 Timothy 4: 1) and our defense attorney (1 John 2: 1-2). This is a very good deal for us!
- The when goes back to that timetable – will it be after the Millennium or when Christ returns? That depends on your school of eschatology!
- Descriptions of the judgment itself – will it be “public”?
- Revelation 20: 11-15 – verse 12 sounds public
- Matthew 25: 31-33 – likewise seems public
- Romans 14: 10-12 – doesn’t answer the question, but a really good reminder!