The
term "eschatology" simply means the
"last things" of a given issue. Biblical
eschatology involves the "last things" God did to complete His
plan of redemption and salvation. It typically includes such
concepts and events as the Second Coming of Christ, the
resurrection of the dead, the Day of Judgment and the end of
the "world" (or
age).
Some
Christians believe these events will occur in the future when
the physical universe will be destroyed. Others believe Christ
will return to earth to reign for 1,000 years, then
the "end of time" will come. Still others believe many
prophetic events already have been fulfilled but others are
soon to occur. These views share a pessimistic outlook of the
future and an escapist mentality for
Christians (escape from this earth and its problems). But is
this what biblical eschatology is all about?
Contrary to popular belief, the Bible is not concerned
with the destruction of the universe nor with the end of time.
In fact, the phrase "end of time" is never used in the Bible.
The focus of eschatology was never the elimination of
humanity, but rather the spiritual reconciliation of humanity
to God.
The
Scripture does mention "the time of the end" (Daniel 11:35; 12:4, 9), a time
when God finally would complete His covenant of eternal life,
which He "promised before time began" (Titus 1:2). "And
this is the promise that He has promised us -- eternal
life.... and this life is in His Son" (1 John 2:25; 5:11).
Eschatology is about the establishment through Christ
of an "everlasting covenant" between God and His people (Ezekiel 37:26-28;
Hebrews 8:7-13;
13:20), a
"better covenant" founded on "better promises" than the
fleshly covenant of Abraham (Hebrews
8:6).
The
"last days" in the Bible were not the last days of the
universe but the last days of sin's power to separate people
from God: "The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin
is the law" (1 Corinthians 15:56). When the
law passed away in the A.D. 70 destruction of
Jerusalem,
sin's power was destroyed, the "last days" were ended, and
God's salvation in Jesus was consummated. Christ had completed
His atoning work "in heaven itself" (Hebrews 9:24-28).
Likewise, although the Bible contains invaluable
historical information, it is not about the history of
humanity. Instead, the Bible details the history of human
redemption -- the story of how God tirelessly pursued a
relationship with people, His highest creation. This He did by
providing a way to atone for sin.
The
establishment of the everlasting covenant in
Christ and the removal of sin and death (separation from God)
is the focus and purpose of biblical eschatology, not the
destruction of planet earth.
God
wants a relationship with us. Consider how Scripture describes
this present reality: "Behold, the
tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them,
and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be with
them and be their God. And God shall wipe away every tear from
their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor
crying; and there shall be no more pain, for the former things
have passed away" (Revelation
21:3-4).
These promises are not mere glimpses of heaven after
biological death. They describe the spiritual relationship
with God available to believers right now. Through Christ's
atoning work, which destroyed the grip of sin and death, God
completed in the first century His plan of salvation once and
for all. The materials and information offered on this web
site will enable you to gain a deeper understanding of this
spiritual victory accomplished in Christ.
This
consistent interpretation of Bible prophecy and "last days"
events is taking hold in churches across
America
and around the world, bringing the Old and New Testaments
together in perfect harmony and lifting Jesus up as the Savior
of humanity. This biblical approach, we call "Covenant
Eschatology" or the Transmillennial® view is not new; it has
existed since the days of the apostles. It simply has not
grapped the headlines like the doomsday views, such as those
of modern teachers like Hal Lindsey, Jerry Falwell or Pat
Robertson.
Covenant Eschatology places "last days" events in their
proper context and time frame (the first century) and shows
how God meticulously fulfilled all Bible prophecy before that
generation passed away, restoring His Presence with His people
forevermore, "world without end" (Ephesians
3:21).
Most
Christians are unaware that the New Testament describes the
events of the Second Coming, the Resurrection of the Dead, or
the end of the world as imminent
events that were to occur before the first generation
of Christ's followers passed away. While this subject has been
brought to the surface by scholars since Albert Schweitzer's
day (1906), the majority of Bible teachers today rarely
explain or even mention these "problem" passages in their
sermons or Bible classes. This selective attention on the part
of systematic theology has contributed to a growing
misunderstanding among Christians of the Bible's teaching on
eschatology.
In
1831, the American preacher William Miller
(1782-1849), originlly a Baptist convert, became persuaded
from his Bible studies that the Second Coming of Christ would
occur sometime around 1843. For twelve years, thousands of his
followers prepared for the event, convinced that Miller had
uncovered truth hidden for centuries.
When
1843 came and went, Miller identified
Mar. 21,
1844, as the exact date for the event.
Unfortunately, nothing happened. He then named Oct. 22, 1844. It
also came and went.
Obviously, these inaccurate predictions seriously
damaged the Miller movement. Many became disillusioned with
Miller's teachings and left, but some devoted members
continued to follow him. These devotees later grew into the
Seventh-Day Adventists.
The
"end of the world" frenzy of the 19th century also spawned the
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the Mormons), the
Jehovah's Witnesses, the Christadelphians, and countless other
"last days" groups. In recent times, the "frenzy" has
continued with the teachings of Heaven's Gate cult leader,
Marshall Applewhite, Harold Camping (author of "1994?"), Edgar Whisenant (author of "88
Reasons Why the Rapture will be in 1988"), Hal Lindsey, Pat Robertson,
Dwight Pentecost and Jack Van Impe.
This
"frenzy" continues to flourish today because of modern
misconceptions about the purpose of these prophetic events and
the time frame for their occurrence (the first century). These
events must be interpreted in light of their Old Testament
roots (Luke 24:44;
Matthew
5:17-19). They are the
fulfillment of God's covenant promise (eternal life) to the
fathers of
Israel.
Many
Christians today believe Jesus gave no indication as to when
His Second Coming would occur. This belief is based primarily
on Matthew
24:36 in which Jesus states,
"But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of
heaven, but My Father only."
Interestingly, however, this statement follows a list
of specific "time indicators" (Matthew 24:4-26)
that Jesus gave to His disciples so that THEY could know when
the time was "near." These events were to happen within their
own generation (Matthew
24:33-34). Although the disciples were not allowed
to know the exact "day and hour," they could know that the
Second Coming and "the end of the world [age]" (Matthew 24:3)
would happen in their lifetime.
Jesus clearly affirmed to his disciples that the events
surrounding His Second Coming -- even the Second Coming itself
-- would occur before their generation passed
away (Matthew 24:34).
This was not the first time Jesus had given such a clear "time
indicator." Earlier he had spoken of his Second Coming and its
associated Day of Judgment, proclaiming that some standing
there with Him would live to see it: "For the Son of Man will
come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He
will reward each according to his works. Assuredly, I say to
you, there are some standing here who shall not taste
death till they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom" (Matthew
16:27-28).
These Scriptures and others like them (Matthew 10:23; Luke 21:25-32;
Matthew
26:64; Revelation 1:1; 3,
7; Revelation 22:7, 10,
12) have caused tremendous problems for
Bible interpreters. Why? Because they clearly depict Jesus
teaching that His Second Coming would occur within the first
century, more than twenty centuries ago.
The
ramifications of this are clear: either Jesus did return in
the first century -- and modern concepts about the
nature of His return are erroneous -- or Jesus was
not the Son of God nor the Messiah of prophecy.
The
self-proclaimed atheist Bertrand Russell made use of this
obvious conclusion in his work Why I Am Not A
Christian: "I am concerned with Christ as He appears in
the Gospel narrative as it stands, and there one does find
some things that do not seem very wise. For one thing, He
certainly thought that His second coming would occur in clouds
of glory before the death of all the people who were living at
that time. There are a great many texts that prove it.... That
was the belief of His early followers, and it was the basis of
a good deal of His moral teaching" (page 16).
Russell used the New Testament's "imminent" texts
as "proof" that Jesus could not be the Son of God. And modern
Christianity, in general, has not been able to answer
adequately such objections from athiests and non-Christians.
Believers today must address directly the vast
misunderstanding that exists within the realm of Christianity
regarding Christ's eschatological teachings.
Fortunately, Christ did keep His promise to come within
the first-century generation. Christ's Second Coming occurred
spiritually -- the way He intended it -- at the A.D. 70 destruction of
Jerusalem.
This highly verified historical event signified that sin
finally had been atoned forever and that all Christians from
generation to generation could live eternally -- on earth and
in heaven -- without separation from God.
Although this concept of the Second Coming may seem
foreign to some, the beauty and consistency of this view are
explained more thoroughly in our quarterly journal and in
various articles contained in the Magazine section of this web
site.
Time Statements of New Testament
Writers
The apostles and first-century believers
-- living after the death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus
-- obviously expected Christ's return in their own lifetimes.
This was probably because of the explicit time indicators
Jesus gave them. Every single New Testament writer expressed
belief that he was living in the "last days" and that Christ's
return was imminent in his time.
The
apostle Paul told the Corinthians that the "ends of the ages"
had come upon them (1 Corinthians 10:11). He told
the Romans that "the night is far spent, the day is at hand"
(Romans 13:12). He told the
Philippians that "the Lord is at hand" (Philippians 4:5).
He told the Thessalonians:"We who are alive and remain until
the coming of the Lord ..." (1 Thessalonians 4:15). Other "time
indicators" from Paul include 1 Corinthians
7:31; 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11; and
2 Thessalonians
2:7.
The
apostle Peter similarly proclaimed this idea, writing in his
first epistle that "the end of all things is at hand" (1 Peter 4:7),
and he called his days "these last times" (1 Peter 1:20). In his sermon to the
people at the Beautiful Gate, he told the crowds that "all the
prophets, from Samuel and those who follow, as many as have
spoken, have also foretold these days" (Acts
3:24).
James, the
brother of Jesus, wrote in his only New Testament letter that
"the coming of the Lord is at hand" and "the Judge is standing
at the door!" (James
5:8-9). In this context, he exhorted the
first-century saints to "be patient" as a farmer patiently
waits for rain (James
5:7-8).
The
writer of Hebrews made clear the times and seasons then
occurring, calling them "these last days" (Hebrew 1:2). He
later added that "the Day" was approaching in their time (Hebrews 10:25) and "yet a very
little while, and He who is coming will come and will not
delay" (Hebrews 10:37).
Perhaps most emphatic was the apostle John, the writer
of three epistles, the fourth gospel, and the Book of
Revelation. John made clear his belief that the "last hour"
was occurring in his lifetime: "Little children, it is the
last hour; and as you have heard that the Antichrist is
coming, even now many antichrists have come, by which we know
that it is the last hour" (1 John
2:18). He affirmed that the
prophecies of the Book of Revelation would "shortly take
place" and that "the time is near" (Revelation 1:1,
3). At the end of Revelation, John recorded the
angel's command not to seal up the words of the prophecy of
the book, "for the time is at hand" (Revelation 22:10). By
contrast, Daniel was told nearly five centuries earlier to
"seal the book until the time of the end" (Daniel 12:4, 9).
Apparently, that "time of the end" had come in John's
day.
The sheer number of these "imminent" passages
demonstrates that the first-century saints expected the end of
the age to occur in their own time. And they were inspired by
the Holy Spirit to write such things. And they were not
disappointed. Rather than living in the last days, we live in
the first days of New Creation, the age where God has promised
to make all things new. Living each day in the fullness of
God's time, for he is with
us!
