Eschatology Flashcards
What are the Last Days? Are we in them?
The Last Days is the time when the Spirit is poured out. Yes and no. we are in them, but it is only the beginning and its fullness has not yet come. Not all of it has been fulfilled.
How does the Bible use “Last Days?”
Acts 2:17
Heb 6:4
Rom 8:22-23
“The Eternal time that comes”
The last days have begun yet not all of it has been fulfilled
Values of studying Eschatology
Understanding God's cosmic purposes Helps us reassess our values Motivation for Holiness Motivation for Witness Motivation for Worship
What is the role of Christ in the “last days?”
Think in terms of prophetic anticipation, earthly ministry (1st advent), inauguration, and 2nd advent.
Christ inaugurated the last days. He is the fulfillment of the OT Prophetic Anticipation of it.
His earthly ministry was to establish that the Kingdom of God was at hand
He inaugurated it by sending the Holy Spirit
And will complete it with his return.
Old Testament Prophetic Anticipation of the Last Days
The expectation of the coming Redeemer-Messiah.
Furthermore, this coming redeemer - the anointed Messiah - would also take the preeminent role in the coming Kingdom of God. The prophets looked forward to the day when God’s rule would be fully experienced, not just by Israel, but by the whole world.
The New Covenant
The restoration of Israel.
The outpouring of the Holy Spirit
The Creation of a New Heavens and New Earth
Because of Jesus’ coming, the NT writers express a clear consciousness that
they are already living in the ‘last days.’
Mark 1:14-15; Gal 4:4; Heb 9:26.
Yet and not yet
How is Christ the centerpiece of eschatology?
Jesus Christ is the Eschatological Hope of All Creation
Rev 1:8, 17; 2:8; 21:6; 22:13.
- Scripture calls Jesus Christ “the first and the last.”
- Because Jesus Christ is “the last” he has already inaugurated the last days.
- Because Jesus Christ is “the last” he will yet consummate the last days.
Jesus Christ as “the First and the Last” Means Nothing Less than the Future of all Humanity Hangs on his Authority.
What is death (scope, nature, duration, etc.)? Is there an intermediate state? How would you defend this?
Death is an unnatural division between the soul and the body.
This is a temporary state before the resurrection.
Death is final and there is no reincarnation/ second chance.
There appears to be an intermediate state where our soul waits to be reunited with the body. Believer are with the Lord but still lacking a physical body and still in this unnatural division.
What are the three different views on the millennium? Where are the major arguments for and against each?
- Post-millennialism
Christ will return after the Millennium. Slowly the entire world will become Christianized and will be ready for Christ’s return. The only thing the New Heavens & New Earth is missing is Jesus.
For: Great Commission, Parables of Growing Kingdom.
Against: Great commission does not promise mass conversion, Ignores passages of many who refuse the gospel or of the few that do believe.
- Amillennial View
1,000 years not literal but describes the time between Christ 1st and 2nd coming. The age began at Pentecost and ends at Christ’s glorious return.
For: Only one passage about Millennium, Bible only teaches 1 resurrection, no purpose for a millennium, sinners and new body believers living together is weird, Christ’s return will be to finalize everything.
Against: How many times does the bible need to say something for it to be true? The reading is not confusing, you are making it confusing.
- Premillennial view
The Millennium will begun after Christ’s return.
For: OT text that are best fulfilled in a inbetween state. Narrative flow of Rev 19-20 demands a 1,000 year reign.
Against: All arguments that support A-mill
What is preterism? What are the major arguments for and against preterism?
This view holds that most of what we find in Revelation in terms of prophecy, including the return of Christ, happened before 70 AD.
Christ’s Kingdom is here now.
For:
Matt. 24:34
Matt. 10:23
Against:
It’s stupid, just look around.
Explanation of how everything is fulfilled
Be able to differentiate between historic premillennialism and dispensational premillennialism.
Historic:
Post-Trib, Pre Mill
Dispensational:
Pre/Mid - Trib, Pre-Mil
What is the biblical doctrine of eschatological rewards?
Cash Money
Greater reward for greater faithfulness
Rom 14:10-12; Matt 25:31-46; Luke 19:17-19.
Matt 6:5-6. – what is the point if everybody gets the same thing)
What is the nature of hell (extent, duration, characteristics)?
Eternal conscious torment
Extent: All unbelievers and demons. Its experience is conscious.
Duration: Eternal
Characteristic: Just recompense for rebellion against God, Sucks, horrific.
What is the nature of heaven?
What heaven is
When heaven is
Rev 21:1-5
Rev 22:1-5
1. Heaven is a place that is real and eternal.
2. Heaven is where God’s presence abides fully.
3. Heaven is where God’s peace pervades forever
4. Heaven is where our Prize will be enjoyed forever
5. Heaven is an expansive plurality of peoples who gather together in worship.
- The emphasis on a new heavens and a new earth is important because it helps us grasp the full dimensions of God’s redemptive program (cf., Christ’s work as “King”).
- The work of Christ is not just to save individuals. It is also to reverse the effects of the fall and curse placed upon the whole creation (see Rom 8).
- “Paradise Lost” will become “Paradise Regained.” God will not be satisfied until the entire universe has been purged of all the results of man’s fall.
Know the arguments for and against annihilationism.
-Arguments for annihilationism
Biblical references to the destruction of the wicked implies that they will non longer exist after they are destroyed – hence cessation of existence. Even the imagery of fire suggests that which devours, consumes, and utterly destroys.
Phil 3:19; 1 Thess 5:3; 2 Thess 1:9; 2 Pet 3:7.
- The Greek word commonly translated “forever” ( aivwn/ ) should be translated “age.” It does not necessarily mean “forever.” And even if it is, one does not necessarily have to hold to eternal self-conscious punishment. If the wicked suffer conscious pain for a period of time, and then are annihilated without hope of restoration, their punishment can still rightly be said to be “eternal.”
- An eternal hell full of conscious torment is inconsistent with the love and justice of God
- A continuing punishment seems inconsistent with the view of a new heavens and new earth, created to reflect God’s glory. Won’t creatures in God’s new universe mar the perfection of heaven?
-Response to Annihilationism
We must not drive certain words in such a way as to lose the overall context/teaching of Scripture on the nature of final judgment of unbelievers.
-Destruction texts
Phil 3:19; 1 Thess 5:3; 2 Thess 1:9; 2 Pet 3:7
In the hands of annihilationists they imply cessation of existence. But this is hardly the case. They are committing what I will call the fallacy of limited semantic range.
-The word groups that undergird the term “destroy” or “destruction” have a semantic range. The context is crucial in determining the meaning of a word - how it is being used in a sentence.
Sometimes it means “destroy” as in cessation of existence. At other times, it does not.
(Matt 9:17; 26:8). Wineskin, Alabaster jar
-In 1 Cor 5:5, you are to deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the
-Forever language
Yes, it may mean “age.”
the parallelism of Heaven to Hell in Matt 25:46 is decisive.
-Fire language
Metaphorical language
Rev 14:10-11. he Rev 20:10-15; Matt 25:41-46.
-Will a continuing hell mar the glories of heaven?
No doubt, while evil remains unpunished it takes away from the glory of God. But should we not acknowledge that when God punishes evil and triumphs over it, the glory of his justice, righteousness, and power to triumph over all opposition will be seen? At the same time, the depth of the riches of God’s mercy will also be revealed.
-What of the issue of justice and fairness? Is eternal conscious punishment unjust?
Judgment must first and foremost be seen as retributive.
It must always be seen in light of the person against whom we have sinned, Why is hell eternal? Because we have sinned against God!
-We have to see this in light of the cross. When we think of what was necessary in order to save us, then is it really hard to believe in the eternality of punishment?
Furthermore, is annihilationism really a punishment at all, since there would be no consciousness of pain? Think of Cross
Why annihilated after purging? Why not heaven?
What does Eschatology have to do with the Gospel?
Eschatology provides is the final promises of the Gospel.
