The Ethical Purpose of New Testament Eschatology

This was originally delivered as a lecture to an undergraduate Bible Doctrines class at Bob Jones University in the early 2000s.

1. Introduction

Disclaimers

(1) Don’t Misunderstand Me: It is my desire to sound a note that is often neglected, or at least not often emphasized. Anytime you attempt something like this, you run the risk of misunderstanding. People may assume that you don’t think the other side or truth is important. E.g., when Paul emphasized grace, he anticipated his readers thinking that he was belittling works. But he wasn’t. So please don’t misunderstand me today. I’ll do my best to be clear, and you do your best to understand what I am stressing without assuming that I’m against the other. 

(2) Still Learning: I am still very young and in my formative years, so I am still working through a number of these issues. I don’t come to you today as an authority on the issues at hand, nor do I claim to have all the answers. 

(3) May Not Be Able to Answer: Along with number two, I need to be careful in what I express to you today. I have an obligation to the university not to teach something contrary to what they require, so if you ask a question, I may choose not to answer it. If I attempt to answer it, please understand that all the views expressed are my own and not necessarily reflective of the university, and that my views are subject to change.

Summary

Recent Popularity: Eschatology has become a very popular subject in our day. Many books are being written. Though not quite as common now, it was not uncommon before for hundreds of people to gather for big prophecy conferences. The Niagara and Sea Cliff Bible conferences were probably the most well known. Dr. Shelton mentioned at Bible conference that he is often asked to speak on eschatology. (1) Why all the attention on this subject? Why not have Christology conferences or bibliology or soteriology conferences? Why eschatology? (2) Is this a good thing?1

Theoretical/Speculative Focus: What is the first thing that comes to your mind when we introduce the subject of eschatology? Our attention is almost exclusively drawn to charts and timing and details and chronology. Our thoughts go to issues like the millennium, the tribulation, and the rapture, and when Christ will return. And while Scripture does each of these to some degree, working out a detailed understanding of these things is not the reason for the eschatological portions of the Bible—at least not the main reason. All of these theoretical and often speculative questions are at best secondary. It is my contention that the primary or ultimate purpose of the Scripture’s teaching on the last things is to help Christian’s live godly lives.

So when they had come together, they were asking Him, saying, “Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?” ⁷ He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority; ⁸ but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”

Acts 1:6–8

Thesis: The eschatological teaching of Scripture is not intended so much to reveal the future to the church as it is to prepare the church for the future and to sustain the church in the present.

Neglect of the Religious/Ethical: It is this subject that often gets neglected. The details get exalted to the place of primary importance, and we miss the forest for the tree. [Let me just clarify here from that start that I’m not suggesting that we not pay careful attention to every portion of God’s Word. We’ll talk more about this shortly.] Back to my point: The average book on eschatology demonstrates our preoccupation with speculative matters. Most studies of eschatology are unfortunately totally backwards. Priority is given to theory rather than practice. But God has revealed what He has about the future for ethical, not theoretical, reasons. Yet the majority of attention given to this subject is consumed with the timing and details rather than striving to live in light of the blessed hope. E.g., Paul Benware devotes only a portion of his four-page introduction in his 350-page book to the ethical purpose of prophecy. Understanding End Times Prophecy: A Comprehensive Approach (Chicago: Moody, 1995), 11–14. While hundreds of books have been written on prophecy from a theoretical standpoint in order to argue about positions on this or that issue, as far as I am aware not a single book has been written on the ethical purpose of prophecy.

Isn’t Theology Necessary for Proper Practice? Sure all practice is based on right theology, but there is a difference between the essentials, i.e., the clear parts of eschatology, and the non-essentials, the intentionally unclear parts. We’ll come back to this point as well. But let me develop a point here about the relationship between theology and religion or ethics (i.e., faith and practice, creed and conduct, etc.).

Theology as the Foundation for Christian Practice

(1) Romans 12:1–2

Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. ² And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

Romans 12:1–2

(2) Romans 6:1–23

What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? ² May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it? ³ Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? ⁴ Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. ⁵ For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection, ⁶ knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin; ⁷ for he who has died is freed from sin. ⁸ Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, ⁹ knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again; death no longer is master over Him. ¹⁰ For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. ¹¹ Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus. ¹² Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts, ¹³ and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. ¹⁴ For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace. ¹⁵ What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? May it never be! ¹⁶ Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness? ¹⁷ But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed, ¹⁸ and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. ¹⁹ I am speaking in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness, resulting in further lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness, resulting in sanctification. ²⁰ For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. ²¹ Therefore what benefit were you then deriving from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the outcome of those things is death. ²² But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you derive your benefit, resulting in sanctification, and the outcome, eternal life. ²³ For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 6:1–23

(3) Ephesians 4:1–7

Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, ² with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, ³ being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. ⁴ There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; ⁵ one Lord, one faith, one baptism, ⁶ one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all. ⁷ But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift.

Ephesians 4:1–7

(4) Colossians 3:1–14

Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. ² Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. ³ For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. ⁴ When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory. ⁵ Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry. ⁶ For it is because of these things that the wrath of God will come upon the sons of disobedience, ⁷ and in them you also once walked, when you were living in them. ⁸ But now you also, put them all aside: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech from your mouth. ⁹ Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices, ¹⁰ and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him– ¹¹ a renewal in which there is no distinction between Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and freeman, but Christ is all, and in all. ¹² So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; ¹³ bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you. ¹⁴ Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity.

Colossians 3:1–14

So a proper understanding of eschatological truth is essential for proper Christian living. But what just what is that truth that we must know?

Essentials and Non-essentials of Eschatology2

Historic Creeds and Confessions

Apostles’ Creed

I believe in God the Father, Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth
And in Jesus Christ, his only begotten Son, our Lord
Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary
Suffered under Pontius Pilate; was crucified, dead and buried; He descended into hell
The third day he rose again from the dead
He ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty
From thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead
I believe in the Holy Ghost
I believe a holy catholic church; the communion of saints
The forgiveness of sins
The resurrection of the body
And the life everlasting. Amen. 

Apostles’ Creed

Nicene Creed (325)

I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible.

And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all worlds; God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God; begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father, by whom all things were made.

Who, for us men for our salvation, came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the virgin Mary, and was made man; and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate; He suffered and was buried; and the third day He rose again, according to the Scriptures; and ascended into heaven, and sits on the right hand of the Father; and He shall come again, with glory, to judge the quick and the dead; whose kingdom shall have no end.

And I believe in the Holy Ghost, the Lord and Giver of Life; who proceeds from the Father and the Son; who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified; who spoke by the prophets.

And I believe one holy catholic and apostolic Church. I acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins; and I look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.

Nicene Creed (325)

Athanasian Creed (450–600)

Whosoever will be saved, before all things it is necessary that he hold the catholic faith; Which faith except every one do keep whole and undefiled, without doubt he shall perish everlastingly.

And the catholic faith is this: That we worship one God in Trinity, and Trinity in Unity; Neither confounding the persons nor dividing the substance. For there is one person of the Father, another of the Son, and another of the Holy Spirit.

But the Godhead of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit is all one, the glory equal, the majesty coeternal. Such as the Father is, such is the Son, and such is the Holy Spirit. The Father uncreated, the Son uncreated, and the Holy Spirit uncreated. The Father incomprehensible, the Son incomprehensible, and the Holy Spirit incomprehensible. The Father eternal, the Son eternal, and the Holy Spirit eternal. And yet they are not three eternals but one eternal. As also there are not three uncreated nor three incomprehensible, but one uncreated and one incomprehensible. So likewise the Father is almighty, the Son almighty, and the Holy Spirit almighty. And yet they are not three almighties, but one almighty. So the Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God; And yet they are not three Gods, but one God. So likewise the Father is Lord, the Son Lord, and the Holy Spirit Lord; And yet they are not three Lords but one Lord. For like as we are compelled by the Christian verity to acknowledge every Person by himself to be God and Lord; So are we forbidden by the catholic religion to say; There are three Gods or three Lords. The Father is made of none, neither created nor begotten. The Son is of the Father alone; not made nor created, but begotten. The Holy Spirit is of the Father and of the Son; neither made, nor created, nor begotten, but proceeding. So there is one Father, not three Fathers; one Son, not three Sons; one Holy Spirit, not three Holy Spirits. And in this Trinity none is afore or after another; none is greater or less than another. But the whole three persons are coeternal, and coequal. So that in all things, as aforesaid, the Unity in Trinity and the Trinity in Unity is to be worshipped. He therefore that will be saved must thus think of the Trinity.

Furthermore it is necessary to everlasting salvation that he also believe rightly the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ. For the right faith is that we believe and confess that our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is God and man. God of the substance of the Father, begotten before the worlds; and man of substance of His mother, born in the world. Perfect God and perfect man, of a reasonable soul and human flesh subsisting. Equal to the Father as touching His Godhead, and inferior to the Father as touching His manhood. Who, although He is God and man, yet He is not two, but one Christ. One, not by conversion of the Godhead into flesh, but by taking of that manhood into God. One altogether, not by confusion of substance, but by unity of person. For as the reasonable soul and flesh is one man, so God and man is one Christ; Who suffered for our salvation, descended into hell, rose again the third day from the dead; He ascended into heaven, He sits on the right hand of the Father, God, Almighty; From thence He shall come to judge the quick and the dead. At whose coming all men shall rise again with their bodies; and shall give account of their own works. And they that have done good shall go into life everlasting and they that have done evil into everlasting fire.

This is the catholic faith, which except a man believe faithfully he cannot be saved.

Athanasian Creed (450–600)

Belgic Confession (1561)

ARTICLE XXXVII: The Last Judgment

Finally, we believe, according to the Word of God, when the time appointed by the Lord (which is unknown to all creatures) is come and the number of the elect complete, that our Lord Jesus Christ will come from heaven, corporally and visibly, as He ascended, with great glory and majesty to declare Himself Judge of the living and the dead, burning this old world with fire and flame to cleanse it.

Then all men will personally appear before this great Judge, both men and women and children, that have been from the beginning of the world to the end thereof, being summoned by the voice of the archangel, and by the sound of the trump of God. For all the dead shall be raised out of the earth, and their souls joined and united with their proper bodies in which they formerly lived. As for those who shall then be living, they shall not die as the others, but be changed in the twinkling of an eye, and from corruptible become incorruptible. Then the books shall be opened, and the dead judged according to what they shall have done in this world, whether it be good or evil. Nay, all men shall give account of every idle word they have spoken, which the world only counts amusement and jest; and then the secrets and hypocrisy of men shall be disclosed and laid open before all.

And therefore the consideration of this judgment is justly terrible and dreadful to the wicked and ungodly, but most desirable and comfortable to the righteous and elect; because then their full deliverance shall be perfected, and there they shall receive the fruits of their labor and trouble which they have borne. Their innocence shall be known to all, and they shall see the terrible vengeance which God shall execute on the wicked, who most cruelly persecuted, oppressed, and tormented them in this world, and who shall be convicted by the testimony of their own consciences, and shall become immortal, but only to be tormented in the eternal fire which is prepared for the devil and his angels.

But on the contrary, the faithful and elect shall be crowned with glory and honor; and the Son of God will confess their names before God His Father and His elect angels; all tears shall be wiped from their eyes; and their cause which is now condemned by many judges and magistrates as heretical and impious will then be known to be the cause of the Son of God. And for a gracious reward, the Lord will cause them to possess such a glory as never entered into the heart of man to conceive.

Therefore we expect that great day with a most ardent desire, to the end that we may fully enjoy the promises of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. AMEN. Amen, come, Lord Jesus. Rev. 22:20.

ARTICLE XXXVII: The Last Judgment, Belgic Confession (1561)

Westminster Confession of Faith (1646)

CHAP. XXXII: Of the State of Men after Death, and of the Resurrection of the Dead

1. The bodies of men, after death, return to dust, and see corruption: (Gen. 3:19, Acts 13:36) but their souls, which neither die nor sleep, having an immortal subsistence, immediately return to God who gave them: (Luke 23:43, Eccl. 12:7) the souls of the righteous, being then made perfect in holiness, are received into the highest heavens, where they behold the face of God, in light and glory, waiting for the full redemption of their bodies. (Heb. 12:23, 2 Cor. 5:1,6,8, Phil. 1:23, Acts 3:21, Eph. 4:10) And the souls of the wicked are cast into hell, where they remain in torments and utter darkness, reserved to the judgment of the great day. (Luke 16:23–24, Acts 1:25, Jude 6–7, 1 Pet. 3:19) Beside these two places, for souls separated from their bodies, the Scripture acknowledgeth none.

2. At the last day, such as are found alive shall not die, but be changed: (1 Thess. 4:17, 1 Cor. 15:51–52) and all the dead shall be raised up, with the self-same bodies, and none other (although with different qualities), which shall be united again to their souls for ever. (Job 19:26–27, 1 Cor. 15:42–44)

3. The bodies of the unjust shall, by the power of Christ, be raised to dishonour: the bodies of the just, by His Spirit, unto honour; and be made conformable to His own glorious body. (Acts 24:15, John 5:28–29, 1 Cor. 15:43, Philip. 3:21)

CHAP. XXXII: Of the State of Men after Death, and of the Resurrection of the Dead, Westminster Confession of Faith (1646)

CHAP. XXXIII: Of the Last Judgment

1. God hath appointed a day, wherein He will judge the world, in righteousness, by Jesus Christ, (Acts 17:31) to whom all power and judgment is given of the Father. (John 5:22,27) In which day, not only the apostate angels shall be judged, (1 Cor. 6:3, Jude 6, 2 Pet. 2:4) but likewise all persons that have lived upon earth shall appear before the tribunal of Christ, to give an account of their thoughts, words, and deeds; and to receive according to what they have done in the body, whether good or evil. (2 Cor. 5:10, Eccl. 12:14, Rom. 2:16, Rom. 14:10,12, Matt. 12:36–37)

2. The end of God’s appointing this day is for the manifestation of the glory of His mercy, in the eternal salvation of the elect; and of His justice, in the damnation of the reprobate, who are wicked and disobedient. For then shall the righteous go into everlasting life, and receive that fullness of joy and refreshing, which shall come from the presence of the Lord: but the wicked, who know not God, and obey not the Gospel of Jesus Christ, shall be cast into eternal torments, and be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of His power. (Matt. 25:31–46, Rom. 2:5–6, Rom. 9:22–23, Matt. 25:21, Acts 3:19, 2 Thess. 1:7–10)

3. As Christ would have us to be certainly persuaded that there shall be a day of judgment, both to deter all men from sin; and for the greater consolation of the godly in their adversity: (2 Pet. 3:11,14, 2 Cor. 5:10–11, 2 Thess. 1:5–7, Luke 21:27–28, Rom. 8:23–25) so will He have that day unknown to men, that they may shake off all carnal security, and be always watchful, because they know not at what hour the Lord will come; and may be ever prepared to say, Come Lord Jesus, come quickly. Amen. (Matt. 24:36,42–44, Mark 13:35–37, Luke 12:35–36, Rev. 22:20)

CHAP. XXXIII: Of the Last Judgment, WESTMINSTER CONFESSION OF FAITH (1646)

Essentials or Fundamentals of Eschatology

1. Return of Christ: Visible, Bodily3, Unknowable
2. Rapture of the Saints and Resurrection of the Dead
3. Judgment of the wicked
4. Rewarding of the righteous
5. New recreated universe (on earth, not in heaven)
6. Eternal blessed and eternal destruction

Nonessentials or Non-Fundamentals of Eschatology

1. Nature and Timing of the Second Advent
   1. Nature: One or two comings
   2. Timing: Pre-, mid-, or posttribulational
2. Nature and Timing of the Millennium
   1. Nature: Spiritual or Physical
   2. Timing: Present, Future (postmills, premills, eternal state)
3. Nature and Timing of the Tribulation
   1. Nature: Literal or symbolic
   2. Timing: past, present, or future; literal seven years

Do the Non-essentials Matter? Does it matter when the rapture is? Does it matter if there is actually a future, literal, seven-year period of unprecedented tribulation? Does it really matter when Christ will come back?

Quote by Benware:

Understanding the individual events of the Tribulation and how they relate to the whole is not easy. It is not always clear how the various personalities, judgments, events, and battles fit together. Our task in fitting all these things together would have been made easier if the apostle John had concluded the Revelation with some sort of chart. (Imagine the difference if he had left us just one overhead transparency!) But, since such is not available, we must attempt to plot the events of the Tribulation in a manner that seems to fit with what has been revealed through the apostles and prophets.

Benware, 255

It is my present conviction that coming to a rapture or millennial position is not a necessity, and it may even be advantageous not to.4 Curiosity about the future usually hinders rather than helps one fulfill the ethical demands of eschatological passages. A believer may believe all the clear elements of NT eschatology and obey the commands associated with them without having any idea when the millennium is.

Example of Charles Spurgeon

According to Dennis Michael Swanson in “Charles H. Spurgeon and Eschatology: Did He Have a Discernible Millennial Position?”:

2. Presuppositions

It is important to consider some larger issues that influence one’s approach to the whole of Scripture. Everyone comes to the Bible with a variety of assumptions, many of which are hermeneutically determinative. Most people unconsciously regard those assumptions as givens when seeking to understand what God has revealed about the future. One’s view of Scripture in general has great bearing on eschatological considerations. In addition, everyone approaches Scripture with a certain hermeneutical methodology. It is essential to identify, evaluate, and continually refine these presuppositions.

Bibliological Presuppositions

Sufficiency of the Scriptures: What God has revealed in the Scriptures He wants His people to know. What He has omitted God’s people must consider to be of less importance (from the standpoint of what is necessary for life and godliness). Deuteronomy 29:29 perfectly expresses this balance: “The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our sons forever.” At the outset of eschatological study, it is essential to acknowledge these two categories. Consequently, what Scripture addresses must set the boundaries for eschatological discussion, not human curiosity. While Scripture is certainly totally sufficient, it is at the same time limited. God has chosen to reveal and conceal based on what He has determined would be for His highest glory and our highest good.

Perspicuity of the Scriptures: Another important consideration is the fact that the Scriptures are perspicuous. This was one of the battle cries of the Reformation, i.e., that the average Christian could understand God’s Word and was not dependent on the church to interpret it for him. As good and necessary an observation as this was, it has often been misunderstood and abused. The Scripture is not equally clear on all points. Level of clarity is directly corollary to level of importance and consequent certainty and dogmatism. The fact that Scripture addresses something does not mean that God intends for us to figure it out.5 This perspective should govern all eschatological pursuits.

Scripture’s Silence and/or Clarity and Importance: There is a direct correlation between Scripture’s clarity and what is important for us to believe and obey.

Scripture’s Silence and/or Clarity and Dogmatism: There is a direct correlation between Scripture’s clarity and our dogmatism about its teaching.

Undue dogmatism: The clash of convictions sometimes led to harsh tones and vitriolic tracts (Three Views, 33).

Lewis Sperry Chafer of Dallas Theological Seminary wrote a former student who had changed his view of the Rapture:

You will find yourself very shortly being avoided by all your classmates, by all the faculty and by all the alumni of the institution which has meant so much to you.

Three Views, 33

C. I. Scofield, addressing the Wilmington [Delaware] Bible Conference in 1913, called posttribulationism a deceiving and destructive opponent of the pretribulation Rapture:

It seems to have been a prime object of Satan to confuse the minds of God’s people about that Blessed Hope, anything to turn their eyes away from expecting him. Well, our Lord said it would be so. . . . I don’t think that the enemy of the Blessed Hope is now so much postmillennialism, but it is rather posttribulationism.

Three Views, 26

Gaebelein said,

The most important and vital doctrine . . . in the New Testament, the imminency of the coming of the Lord. . . . With His help we will make that blessed Hope very prominent.

Three Views, 23

Hermeneutical Presuppositions

The subject of hermeneutics is too often glossed over or oversimplified in eschatological studies. But in many ways the choice of a hermeneutical approach will govern exegesis and consequently one’s position. I find most convincing the approach which (1) allows for the breadth of hermeneutics that the writers of the NT employed and seeks to interpret the OT in light of the New, (2) allows for some adaptation to the variety of literary styles in the Scripture, and (3) interprets the unclear portions of Scripture in light of the clear.

NT Priority: The consistently literal hermeneutic does not allow for much of what takes place in apostolic interpretation. Premillennialists often will concede this point. Clearly the writers of the NT saw fulfillment in passages where someone expecting a strictly literal fulfillment never would have.6 But they quickly point out that Peter, Paul, and the others had supernatural guidance to interpret the OT which we do not have. Therefore, we must interpret literally. But this does not necessarily follow. The fact that we lack the guarantee that our interpretations are accurate does not render such a hermeneutical approach illegitimate, nor does it legitimize the strictly literal approach. In fact, the literal approach suffers from the same criticism.7 Premillennial interpreters differ on far more points than they would like to admit.8

Genre Sensitivity: The premillennial hermeneutic gives insufficient attention to the variety of types of literature in the Scripture. Clearly one cannot read Paul the same way he would read the parables of Jesus or the Revelation of John. Most premillennialists will acknowledge this to a certain degree, but still they maintain the necessity of interpreting every portion of Scripture in the same way, literally.9 Hermeneutics must adapt to genre.

Analogy of Scripture: Finally, while every passage of Scripture should be allowed to speak on its own terms, it is essential to acknowledge that Scripture’s meaning is only rightly understood in its context. That means that a passage of Scripture cannot stand alone; interpretation must factor in the larger canonical and redemptive-historical contexts. It also means that the clearer passages must be given priority over the less clear when dealing with apparent contradictions.

3. Teleological Analysis of Key Passages

John 14:1–6

“Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. ² “In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. ³ “If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also. ⁴ “And you know the way where I am going.” ⁵ Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, how do we know the way?” ⁶ Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.

John 14:1–6

1 Corinthians 15:1–58

Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, ² by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. ³ For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, ⁴ and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, ⁵ and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. ⁶ After that He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some have fallen asleep; ⁷ then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles; ⁸ and last of all, as to one untimely born, He appeared to me also. ⁹ For I am the least of the apostles, and not fit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. ¹⁰ But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove vain; but I labored even more than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God with me. ¹¹ Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed. ¹² Now if Christ is preached, that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? ¹³ But if there is no resurrection of the dead, not even Christ has been raised; ¹⁴ and if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is vain, your faith also is vain. ¹⁵ Moreover we are even found to be false witnesses of God, because we testified against God that He raised Christ, whom He did not raise, if in fact the dead are not raised. ¹⁶ For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised; ¹⁷ and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins. ¹⁸ Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. ¹⁹ If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied. ²⁰ But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep. ²¹ For since by a man came death, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead. ²² For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive. ²³ But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, after that those who are Christ’s at His coming, ²⁴ then comes the end, when He hands over the kingdom to the God and Father, when He has abolished all rule and all authority and power. ²⁵ For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet. ²⁶ The last enemy that will be abolished is death. ²⁷ For HE HAS PUT ALL THINGS IN SUBJECTION UNDER HIS FEET. But when He says, “All things are put in subjection,” it is evident that He is excepted who put all things in subjection to Him. ²⁸ When all things are subjected to Him, then the Son Himself also will be subjected to the One who subjected all things to Him, so that God may be all in all. ²⁹ Otherwise, what will those do who are baptized for the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why then are they baptized for them? ³⁰ Why are we also in danger every hour? ³¹ I affirm, brethren, by the boasting in you which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily. ³² If from human motives I fought with wild beasts at Ephesus, what does it profit me? If the dead are not raised, LET US EAT AND DRINK, FOR TOMORROW WE DIE. ³³ Do not be deceived: “Bad company corrupts good morals.” ³⁴ Become sober-minded as you ought, and stop sinning; for some have no knowledge of God. I speak this to your shame. ³⁵ But someone will say, “How are the dead raised? And with what kind of body do they come?” ³⁶ You fool! That which you sow does not come to life unless it dies; ³⁷ and that which you sow, you do not sow the body which is to be, but a bare grain, perhaps of wheat or of something else. ³⁸ But God gives it a body just as He wished, and to each of the seeds a body of its own. ³⁹ All flesh is not the same flesh, but there is one flesh of men, and another flesh of beasts, and another flesh of birds, and another of fish. ⁴⁰ There are also heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the glory of the heavenly is one, and the glory of the earthly is another. ⁴¹ There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for star differs from star in glory. ⁴² So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown a perishable body, it is raised an imperishable body; ⁴³ it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; ⁴⁴ it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. ⁴⁵ So also it is written, “The first MAN, Adam, BECAME A LIVING SOUL.” The last Adam became a life-giving spirit. ⁴⁶ However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural; then the spiritual. ⁴⁷ The first man is from the earth, earthy; the second man is from heaven. ⁴⁸ As is the earthy, so also are those who are earthy; and as is the heavenly, so also are those who are heavenly. ⁴⁹ Just as we have borne the image of the earthy, we will also bear the image of the heavenly. ⁵⁰ Now I say this, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. ⁵¹ Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, ⁵² 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 will be changed. ⁵³ For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality. ⁵⁴ But when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, “DEATH IS SWALLOWED UP in victory. ⁵⁵ “O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR VICTORY? O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR STING?” ⁵⁶ The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law; ⁵⁷ but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁵⁸ Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.

1 Corinthians 15:1–58

1 Thessalonians 4:13–18

But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope. ¹⁴ For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. ¹⁵ For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. ¹⁶ For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. ¹⁷ Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. ¹⁸ Therefore comfort one another with these words.

1 Thessalonians 4:13–18

1 Thessalonians 5:1–11

Now as to the times and the epochs, brethren, you have no need of anything to be written to you. ² For you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night. ³ While they are saying, “Peace and safety!” then destruction will come upon them suddenly like labor pains upon a woman with child, and they will not escape. ⁴ But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that the day would overtake you like a thief; ⁵ for you are all sons of light and sons of day. We are not of night nor of darkness; ⁶ so then let us not sleep as others do, but let us be alert and sober. ⁷ For those who sleep do their sleeping at night, and those who get drunk get drunk at night. ⁸ But since we are of the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet, the hope of salvation. ⁹ For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, ¹⁰ who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep, we will live together with Him. ¹¹ Therefore encourage one another and build up one another, just as you also are doing.

1 Thessalonians 5:1–11

2 Thessalonians 1:1–12

Paul and Silvanus and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: ² Grace to you and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. ³ We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brethren, as is only fitting, because your faith is greatly enlarged, and the love of each one of you toward one another grows ever greater; ⁴ therefore, we ourselves speak proudly of you among the churches of God for your perseverance and faith in the midst of all your persecutions and afflictions which you endure. ⁵ This is a plain indication of God’s righteous judgment so that you will be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which indeed you are suffering. ⁶ For after all it is only just for God to repay with affliction those who afflict you, ⁷ and to give relief to you who are afflicted and to us as well when the Lord Jesus will be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire, ⁸ dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. ⁹ These will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power, ¹⁰ when He comes to be glorified in His saints on that day, and to be marveled at among all who have believed—for our testimony to you was believed. ¹¹ To this end also we pray for you always, that our God will count you worthy of your calling, and fulfill every desire for goodness and the work of faith with power, ¹² so that the name of our Lord Jesus will be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

2 Thessalonians 1:1–12

2 Thessalonians 2:1–17

Now we request you, brethren, with regard to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, ² that you not be quickly shaken from your composure or be disturbed either by a spirit or a message or a letter as if from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. ³ Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, ⁴ who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God. ⁵ Do you not remember that while I was still with you, I was telling you these things? ⁶ And you know what restrains him now, so that in his time he will be revealed. ⁷ For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way. ⁸ Then that lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming; ⁹ that is, the one whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders, ¹⁰ and with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved. ¹¹ For this reason God will send upon them a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false, ¹² in order that they all may be judged who did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in wickedness. ¹³ But we should always give thanks to God for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth. ¹⁴ It was for this He called you through our gospel, that you may gain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. ¹⁵ So then, brethren, stand firm and hold to the traditions which you were taught, whether by word of mouth or by letter from us. ¹⁶ Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father, who has loved us and given us eternal comfort and good hope by grace, ¹⁷ comfort and strengthen your hearts in every good work and word.

2 Thessalonians 2:1–17

Titus 2:11–14

For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, ¹² instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, ¹³ looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, ¹⁴ who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.

Titus 2:11–14

While it may be grammatically questionable whether or not Paul intended us to understanding our eschatological expectation as a means for proper conduct, it is certain true that a proper perspective on eschatology, i.e., the Lord’s coming, is at least consistent with and should promote a rejection of ungodliness and worldliness and an embracing of sober, righteous, and godly living.

James 5:1–11

Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries which are coming upon you. ² Your riches have rotted and your garments have become moth-eaten. ³ Your gold and your silver have rusted; and their rust will be a witness against you and will consume your flesh like fire. It is in the last days that you have stored up your treasure! ⁴ Behold, the pay of the laborers who mowed your fields, and which has been withheld by you, cries out against you; and the outcry of those who did the harvesting has reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth. ⁵ You have lived luxuriously on the earth and led a life of wanton pleasure; you have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. ⁶ You have condemned and put to death the righteous man; he does not resist you. ⁷ Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious produce of the soil, being patient about it, until it gets the early and late rains. ⁸ You too be patient; strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near. ⁹ Do not complain, brethren, against one another, so that you yourselves may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing right at the door. ¹⁰ As an example, brethren, of suffering and patience, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. ¹¹ We count those blessed who endured. You have heard of the endurance of Job and have seen the outcome of the Lord’s dealings, that the Lord is full of compassion and is merciful.

James 5:1–11

2 Peter 3:1–18

This is now, beloved, the second letter I am writing to you in which I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder, ² that you should remember the words spoken beforehand by the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior spoken by your apostles. ³ Know this first of all, that in the last days mockers will come with their mocking, following after their own lusts, ⁴ and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation.” ⁵ For when they maintain this, it escapes their notice that by the word of God the heavens existed long ago and the earth was formed out of water and by water, ⁶ through which the world at that time was destroyed, being flooded with water. ⁷ But by His word the present heavens and earth are being reserved for fire, kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men. ⁸ But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day. ⁹ The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance. ¹⁰ But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up. ¹¹ Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, ¹² looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat! ¹³ But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells. ¹⁴ Therefore, beloved, since you look for these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, spotless and blameless, ¹⁵ and regard the patience of our Lord as salvation; just as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given him, wrote to you, ¹⁶ as also in all his letters, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which the untaught and unstable distort, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction. ¹⁷ You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, be on your guard so that you are not carried away by the error of unprincipled men and fall from your own steadfastness, ¹⁸ 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.

2 Peter 3:1–18

1 John 3:2–3

Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is. ³ And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.

1 John 3:2–3

This lecture is also available as a Google Doc.

1.  The subject of the “end times” has been a major topic in theological discussion throughout the last century. Yet now, even more than ever, the church is consumed with the future. The early church devoted the bulk of its efforts to defending and properly formulating theology proper. The Reformers dealt largely with soteriology. This present stage in the history of the church is taken up with eschatology. It is certainly a good thing for the people of God to examine the Scriptures and learn what God has revealed about all subjects, but often curiosity about the future draws people to their favorite popular author rather than to the Bible. While the term eschatolatry may be an overstatement in some cases, surely the church is treading on dangerous grounds when its preoccupation with the end yields undue dogmatism, division within the body, and failure to fulfill its present kingdom mission. What God has intended for the encouragement and sanctification of His people, they have used for their detriment. In spite of these grave errors and dangers that accompany this subject, it is important and necessary to come to conclusions on the essentials of biblical eschatology. [↩]
2. This terminology is imprecise and used for lack of better categories—at least that I had time to think of. Fundamentals and non-fundamentals may be better. [↩]
3. Acts 1:9–11: “And after He had said these things, He was lifted up while they were looking on, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. 10 And as they were gazing intently into the sky while He was going, behold, two men in white clothing stood beside them. 11 They also said, ‘Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven.’” [↩]
4. Dr. Reimers argues that it is a necessity for being able to properly fulfill the purpose of these passages. It is my present conviction that it may distract from rather than assist obedience to its ethical obligations. [↩]
5. John’s Revelation makes the big picture clear while veiling the details behind the imagery. It is difficult to argue that God choose symbolism to reveal rather than conceal the specifics of end time events. The graphic language of Revelation is not used for its precision. Had God intended to give a chronological unfolding of future events, He surely would have chosen a different literary style. [↩]
6. For example, a literal hermeneutic would not have identified John the Baptist as the fulfillment of Mal 4. But Jesus did (Mt 11:14; 17:12). In spite that, some premillennialists still maintain a literal fulfillment sometime in the future. A strictly literal hermeneutic would also not lead one to see Mt 2:15 as the fulfillment of Hos 11:1, Acts 2 as the fulfillment of Joel 2, Acts 15 as the fulfillment of Amos 9, or Heb 8 as the fulfillment of Jer 31. In fact, though the NT speaks in terms of fulfillment and the natural reading of the NT passage would lead one to that conclusion, many premillennialists deny real fulfillment and maintain that a literal fulfillment still awaits, in spite of the fact that there is absolutely no indication in the NT that these were anything less than the fulfillment of these prophecies. It is essential to allow the NT to interpret the OT, rather than forcing the literal interpretation of the OT onto the New. [↩]
7. This raises an important point on the presuppositional level, i.e., that God intends for believers to be able to come to relatively certain and objective understanding of every passage of Scripture. Premillennialists regard the greater subjectivity that accompanies a hermeneutic that abandons a strict literalism as a great weakness and the fact that a literal hermeneutic leads one to a greater level of certainty in regard to the meaning of a passage as a clear indication of superiority. But this assumes too much. That fact that the apostles interpreted the OT in the way they did is good indication that there are other passages that are best interpreted that way. If one chooses to interpret those passages literally, he may have a more certain understanding than the one who interprets them less literally, but of what value is that if he has missed their intended meaning and interpreted them incorrectly (!)? A desire for certainty where God has not provided it leads to errors, both on the hermeneutical level and on the textual level. E.g., the KJV-only position offers a more certain position about what God’s words are and even the proper translation of those words, but what they gain certainly does not outweigh the losses! [↩]
8. See Darrell Bock’s helpful and honest evaluation of hermeneutics in his two articles: “Evangelicals and the Use of the Old Testament in the New: Part 1,” Bibliotheca Sacra 142:568 (July 1985): 209-20; “Evangelicals and the Use of the Old Testament in the New: Part 2,” Bibliotheca Sacra 142:567 (October 1985): 306-16. See also his closing summary in Three Views on the Millennium and Beyond (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1999), 279–309. [↩]
9. Paul Benware grossly misrepresents the issues when he argues that the strictly-literal hermeneutic is the only approach that does not make Scripture “putty in the hands of the interpreter” (21). [↩]