Eschatology
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Overview
Overview
What Is It?
What Is It?
“Escato” and “Lovgo” roughly meaning Last, End, or Final and Study of
The study of Final Things in the Bible.
~The doctrine of eschatology deals with personal issues such as death and the intermediate state as well as themes with a more general or corporate focus. These focuses would be on things like… the return of Christ, resurrection, judgment, tribulation, the millennial kingdom, and the eternal state. ~
~Books such as Revelations, Daniel, Thessalonians, Ezekiel, Isaiah, and even Matthew deal with issues concerning the end of days.~
Why Study It?
Why Study It?
1. The Bible devotes a major portion of it’s writing to it.
1. The Bible devotes a major portion of it’s writing to it.
According to “The Encyclopedia of Biblical Prophecy” by J. Barton Payne, there are 1,239 prophecies in the Old Testament and 578 prophecies in the New Testament for a total of 1,817. These prophecies are contained in 8,352 of the Bible’s verses. Since there are 31,124 verses in the BIble, the 8,352 verses that contain prophecy constitute 26.8 percent of the Bible’s volume.
Many of the verses included in that percent are yet to be fulfilled IN THE FUTURE!!!”
Out of the 216 chapters found in the New Testament, did you know there are 318 references to the Second Coming of Christ? That means if you were to omit passages about prophecy, you would have to remove one out of every thirty verses in the New Testament. You would also have to skip 23 of the 27 New Testament books, which mention prophecy. For every prophecy about the birth of Christ, there are eight about His Second Coming. In light of prophecy’s prominence, can we really say, “Well, prophecy is just not relevant”?
Dr. David Jeremiah
2. Hebrews tells us we must grow on in our understanding of it as mature believers.
2. Hebrews tells us we must grow on in our understanding of it as mature believers.
Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed.
Yet among the mature we do impart wisdom, although it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to pass away. But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory.
3. It instills in us a Blessed Hope as we go about our lives here on earth.
3. It instills in us a Blessed Hope as we go about our lives here on earth.
But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,
waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ,
For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.
4. Protects us from future deceptions.
4. Protects us from future deceptions.
And Jesus answered them, “See that no one leads you astray. For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray.
But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope.
Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we ask you, brothers, not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by a spirit or a spoken word, or a letter seeming to be from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come.
5. We are commanded to comfort and encourage each other with thoughts pertaining to the end of times.
5. We are commanded to comfort and encourage each other with thoughts pertaining to the end of times.
For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words.
For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him. Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.
6. So that we may be aware, ready, and vigilant for the Lord’s return.
6. So that we may be aware, ready, and vigilant for the Lord’s return.
He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!
But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief. For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness. So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, are drunk at night. But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation.
Conclusive Thoughts:
Some Christians treat prophecy as a purely intellectual pursuit with no practical applications. If we just walk away and feel smarter than what we started, or we have a pile of manuscripts and can boast of our academic studies, what difference does that make? The book of Revelation is not only for understanding - it is for application. It’s possible to get on a prophetic kick that is so future minded that we forget that for each prophetic message, there is a present day application.
For instance, if you are aware of Christ’s imminent return, that will impact your desire to witness to others about the Gospel. If we take prophesy seriously, it will affect the way we live. Some of the most energetic people I know in the church have been transformed by their study of prophecy. They’re ministry oriented, reaching out to the lost because they understand what will happen in the future. Prophecy is intensely practical - it is the driving force behind evangelism and righteous living.
In chapter two of the book of Revelation, you will notice a phrase that is repeated over and over: “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” In today’s vernacular, it might translate into, “if the shoe fits, wear it.” Prophecy has a practical application for every Christian.
Dr. David Jeremiah
But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.
Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.
Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace. And count the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him, as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters. There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures. You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.
Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace.
“And behold, I am coming soon. Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.”
How to Study It?
How to Study It?
1. Begin with an Understanding of Revelation
1. Begin with an Understanding of Revelation
Meaning
Meaning
A·po·kaʹly·psis (apocalypse), means “Uncovering” or “Disclosure.” This name indicates the meaning of Revelation—it uncovers matters that had been hidden and discloses events that would happen long after it was written.
Outline
Outline
Write therefore the things that you have seen, those that are and those that are to take place after this.
“Instructions to John from the Lord Jesus were to….”
Write the things which you have seen (Chap. 1) = PAST
Write the things which are (Chap. 2-3) = PRESENT
Write the things which shall be hereafter (Chap. 4-22) = FUTURE
*This is a chronological book meaning the events take place in order.
2. Understand the Views of Interpretation
2. Understand the Views of Interpretation
Preterist- views the prophecies of the book as having been fulfilled in the early history of the church.
Historicist- understands the book as portraying a panorama of the history of the church from the days of John to the end of Time, still being fulfilled today.
Idealist/symbolic- considers the book a pictorial unfolding of great principles in constant conflict, without reference to actual events
Futurist- views most of the book (ch.4-22) as prophecy yet to be fulfilled, viewpoint believed by our church, based on the principle of interpreting the text LITERAL.
3. Be Familiar with Key Terms (Quick Reference)
3. Be Familiar with Key Terms (Quick Reference)
Advent: This term comes from a Latin word meaning “arrival, presense.” It corresponds to the Greek Parousia (coming or presence), or epiphaneia (manifestation, appearance), or apolkalupsis (revelation, unveiling). This is a theological term used of Christ’s appearances on earth-His first and second coming. Includes the Lord’s birth, life, death, resurrection, and ascension.
Times of the Gentiles: This is an expression used by our Lord in Luke 21:24 of the period of Gentile domination over Israel when Israel has no king on the throne of David. It began in 586 BC with the captivity of Judah under Nebuchadnezzar and will continue until the return of Christ to earth.
Fullness of the Gentiles: This refers to the completion of God’s purpose in the church age during which time God is calling out from among the Gentiles a people for His name, namely the Church (Acts 15:14; Eph. 1:22-23; Rom. 11:7-32)
Rapture: The term comes from a Latin word meaning “a carrying off, a transport, or a snatching away.” It is described primarily in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 and 1 Corinthians 15:50-54. It is the event in which God snatches away all believers from the earth in order to make way for His righteous judgement to be poured out on earth.
Tribulation: This term is used by most theologians to refer to Daniel’s 70th week, the seven-year period of unprecedented trouble that will occur on earth through a series of divine judgments to be poured out on the entire earth (Dan. 12:1; Rev. 6-19; Matt. 24:21, 29).
Judgment Seat of Christ: Term describes that event when believers will be brought into an examination before the Son of God (1 Cor. 3:9-15, 2 Cor. 5:10; Rom. 14:10).
Millennium: Means a thousand years and refers to the promise of Scripture that Christ would reign on earth for a thousand years. It not only is about Christ’s 1,000-year reign, but also the fulfillment of all Old Testament hopes and expectations associated with the kingdom of God on peace- peace, no war, perfect, Israel and Jerusalem center of the earth etc.… (Is. 2:1-4; 9:7; 11:2; Rev. 20)
Great White Throne Judgment: Often called, the “final judgment,” the great white throne judgment follows the millennial reign of Christ. Its purpose is not to determine whether one is saved or not, but rather to pass judgment on the works of the unsaved to demonstrate their unrighteousness and short-coming of God’s standard of holiness. The sentence is the second death; eternal separation from God in the lake of fire (Rev. 20:11-15).
4. Have a Resource List
4. Have a Resource List
Carfrey, Daniel R. The Mysterious Disappearance. Xulon Press, 2008.
“Bible Questions Answered|GotQuestions.org, 1 April 2002, http://gotquestions.org
Grudem, Wayne A. Bible Doctrine. Zondervan, 2014.
MacArthur, John F. Because the Time is Near. Moody Publishers, 2007
Pentecost, J. Dwight. Things to Come. Zondervan, 2010.
Ryrie, Charles C. Basic Theology. Moody Publishers, 1999.
Ryrie, Charles C. What You Should Know about the Rapture. Moody Publishers, 1981.