Friday, December 06, 2013
I didn't write this, I wish I had, someone did their homework
This is my attempt to describe the major eschatological views held by
the church. One thing that dawned on me as I undertook this project is
the fact we are passionate about our views - often to the point of
speaking harsh words toward those who hold different ones.
Many of us have accused those who don't share our views of "denying the truth of the bible". I think such accusations are unnecessary and untrue. All of the views presented here are biblical. The differences are not a matter of "right" or "wrong". They are a matter of which passages we choose as foundations for our creeds and which we ignore. As Heather Goodman said, "It's not what you teach, it's what you emphasize". The differences in eschatology are merely differences in emphasis and modes of interpretation.
There are different ways in which the bible can be read and understood. One is the literal approach, in which we take most passages to be literally true. Some of the bible is understood to be metaphorical, figurative or symbolic in meaning. Our differences in eschatology come from the differences in which passages we take to be literal and which we take to be figurative. The differences between Literal and Figurative interpretation lead to different eschatological views.
Another difference concerns historical events. One group believes that most or all of the prophetic passages concerning destruction and God's wrath have already taken place while others see them as future. These differences make us Futurist, or Historicist in our views.
Points of difference include the fulfillment of prophetic passages from the Old Testament, the fulfillment of prophetic passages from Christ's discussion about the end of the age, His return to the earth, the role of Christians in reigning on the earth, the role of the nation of Israel in God's plan and the bodily resurrection.
Another point is the apparent contradictions in scripture that describe God's future plans for the nation of Israel and His eternal purposes for the Gentile church. Simultaneous classifications of people groups and seemingly contradictory purposes of God are a great stumbling block to those who want to understand the Scriptures in unambiguous terms. Trying to resolve this ambiguity has caused much of the division in the church. We should not be afraid to consider what (at present) appear to be contradictory views. This dynamic tension between different ideas is the source of great understanding about the depth of God's wisdom and knowledge. We cannot unlock God's mysteries without being willing to investigate such paradoxes and apparent anomalies.
The best example of this was the apparently mutually exclusive views of the Christ as a suffering servant and a conquering savior. The Jews could not resolve these two opposing views, and chose the more convenient one over the other, less attractive, view, when in fact both were true. Other examples include faith vs. works, grace vs. the law, and predeterminism vs. free will.
The hermeneutic method held by an individual will greatly affect their interpretation of prophetic passages and consequently their eschatological scheme. Hermeneutical styles differ and act as the lens through which our understanding of scripture is perceived.
Historicism
Historicism says that Biblical prophecies provide us with a broad view of history, as well as an explanation of the religious significance of historical events. Historicists attempt to identify prophetic passages with major events in history.
Futurism
In Futurism, parallels are drawn with historical events, but most prophecies refer to events, which have not been fulfilled, but will take place at the end of the age and the end of the world. Most prophecies will be fulfilled during a global time of chaos known as the Great Tribulation and afterwards.
Idealism
In Idealism, the events described in prophecy are neither past, present, nor future, but are representative of larger ideals and principles. With this view, prophecy deals with the ongoing struggle between the forces of light and darkness, and the ultimate triumph of good over evil. Its message is purely a spiritual one, an allegory of the spiritual path, which is equally relevant in all ages and for all people.
Supersessionist
Supersessionism is the belief that the New Covenant in Christ supersedes, or replaces, the Old Covenant with Israel. It comes in at least two forms: covenant theology and kingdom theology. It was the predominant teaching of the church until the rise of dispensationalism in the 19th century.
Covenant Theology
In covenant theology there are two primary covenants; the covenant of law and the covenant of grace. Under the covenant of law, mankind (represented under Adam) failed to live as God intended and stood condemned. But the covenant of grace was made between the Father and Son, to agree that Christ would live an acceptable substitutionary life on behalf of, and as a covenantal representative for, those who would sin but would trust in Christ as their substitutionary atonement, which bought them into the covenant of grace. The Covenant of Grace applies to all who trust Christ for their salvation, covers Jews and Gentiles alike.
Kingdom-Dominion theology
Dominion or Kingdom theology takes the view that the church is to engage in establishing God's kingdom rule here, in the earth during their lifetime. Dominionism takes the command God gave to Adam (to subdue and rule over the earth) as a literal mandate that was never revoked. They see the church as kings, priests and ambassadors of God, sent to destroy the kingdom of darkness and advance the kingdom of righteousness in preparation for the return of their King, Jesus who will ultimately rule with them.
Figurative/Idealist
The idealist view takes a purely figurative approach to interpreting scripture. The idealist does not believe that "end times" passages should be interpreted literally to any degree. They instead see such scriptures as a general portrayal of the fight between good and evil with warnings and illustrations that encourage the Christian to live righteously. The idealist view is associated with amillennialism, which states that there is not a literal 1,000 year reign of Christ on earth, but rather that Christians are currently reigning with Christ in a figurative sense as we strive to bring about justice and righteousness in the world.
Literal/Historicist
This view holds that end times prophecy has been in the process of fulfillment since the time of Christ. It sees fulfillments through historical events over the past 2,000 years, and typically does not hold to a final tribulation period, a specific person as the antichrist, or the special role of national Israel as distinct from the church.
Literal/Pre-millennial
The pre-millennial (futurist) views all hold that most of end times prophecy has yet to be fulfilled and that Christ's second coming is followed by a literal thousand-year reign with the resurrected saints on the earth. The differences within the pre-millennial approach are primarily in the timing of the rapture of the Church. The pre-millennial view can thus be further broken down into pre-tribulation, mid-tribulation, pre-wrath, and post-tribulation.
Pre-tribulation/Dispensationalism
Adherents to this view approach interpretation to scripture literally, generally rejecting typological and allegorical methods, i.e - Biblical references to Israel mean ancient and modern Israel. One of the main tenets of Dispensationalism is the strict dichotomy that exists between Israel and the New Testament Church. This is denied by Covenant Theologians. A dispensationalist would claim that none of the prophecies pertaining to Israel are or will be fulfilled in or by the New Testament Church. Covenant Theologians would claim that some of the prophecies pertaining to Israel are, will, or may be fulfilled in or by the New Testament Church.
In this view, history is divided into typically seven "dispensations" where God tests man's obedience differently. The periods are described as innocence, conscience, civil government, promise, Mosaic law, grace, tribulation, and millennium.
The present Church dispensation concerns Christians (mainly Gentiles) and is a parenthesis to God's main plan of dealing with and blessing his chosen people the Jews. Because the Jews' rejected Jesus, Jewish sovereignty over the promised earthly kingdom of Jerusalem and Palestine was postponed from the time of Christ's first coming until prior to or just after his Second Coming when most or all Jews will embrace him.
Pre-millenialism teaches that there will be a literal reign of Jesus on the earth for 1,000 years, preceded by a time of judgment as foretold in scripture especially in the book of Revelation. They see most of the events of Revelation as future. Because they believe that God does not judge the righteous with the wicked, adherents believe the church will be removed from the earth at some point in the process and be spared the judgment. The removal is usually referred to as the "rapture".
Pre-tribulation adherents believe that the rapture will be followed by a great tribulation of seven years' duration during which Antichrist will arise and battle of Armageddon will occur. Then Jesus will return visibly to earth and re-establish the nation of Israel; the Jewish temple will be rebuilt at Jerusalem. Christ and the people of Israel will reign in Jerusalem for a thousand years, followed by last judgment and a new heavens and new earth.
Mid-tribulation
The mid-tribulation view is similar to the pre-trib, exept on the issue of when the rapture occurrs. This view is based on the assertion that the tribulation is actually the three and one-half year Great Tribulation, and that it commences with the revealing of the Antichrist midway through the seven year peace treaty he has made with Israel. At that point the church is raptured in order to escape the Great Tribulation, which is taken to be God's wrath.
Pre-wrath
The pre-wrath view says that the church will experience some of the Great Tribulation period after the mid-point of Daniel's seventieth week, when antichrist is revealed. This would include the natural and man-caused disasters, or wrath, but then the church will be taken out just prior to the wrath of God aimed at the unrepentant. In this view God's wrath includes only the trumpet and bowl judgments, which occur after the sixth seal.
Post-tribulation
The post-tribulation view sees a single second coming of Christ. It says that the church will be kept by God's grace through all of Daniel's seventieth week, and the saints will be given their glorified bodies in order to meet Christ as he comes to earth to defeat the antichrist at Armageddon and establish his millennial reign in Jerusalem.
Literal/Preterist
The preterist view holds that most of the events of the book of Revelation were fulfilled in the first century AD, and that many prophetic details relate to the fall of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. This view leads to postmillennialism, which says we are currently living in a non-literal millennium that began with the destruction of Jerusalem and the ascendance of the Church Age. Preterists believe the Church is in the final Kingdom period, where believers are actively working toward dominion over the world by the establishment of God's kingdom. The two main schools of preterist thought are commonly called partial preterism and full preterism.
Full Preterism
Full preterists believe that the second coming of Christ occurred after the fall of Jerusalem in 70 AD, because Jesus said, ‘This generation will not pass away until all these things take place.’ (Matthew 24:34) That promise included His second coming. They also point to the promises of Christ’s second coming as been "soon" in the book of revelation.
Full preterists argue that Matthew 16:28 is to be taken literally. In that passage Jesus said, “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." The preterist places the second coming of Christ in the first century and precludes a physical second coming of Christ.
Partial Preterism
Partial preterism holds that most eschatological prophecies, such as the destruction of Jerusalem, the Antichrist, the Great Tribulation, and the advent of the "Day of the Lord" were fulfilled either in 70 A.D. or during the persecution of Christians under the Emperor Nero. Some identify "Babylon the Great" (Revelation 17-18) with the Roman Empire. They generally identify Nero as the Beast, while his mark is often interpreted as the stamped image of the emperor's head on every coin of the Roman Empire. However, others believe the Book of Revelation was written after Nero committed suicide in 68 AD and identify the Beast with another emperor. The Second coming of Christ and the resurrection of the dead, however, have not yet occurred in the partial preterist system.
Summary
As you can see, there are a wide variety of views on eschatology. There are many other views I didn't mention. Some are extensively detailed and some leave many things open for discussion. Perhaps you've found that you identify with more than one view. I'd encourage you to consider the strengths and weaknesses in all of them and weigh each carefully.
Many of us have accused those who don't share our views of "denying the truth of the bible". I think such accusations are unnecessary and untrue. All of the views presented here are biblical. The differences are not a matter of "right" or "wrong". They are a matter of which passages we choose as foundations for our creeds and which we ignore. As Heather Goodman said, "It's not what you teach, it's what you emphasize". The differences in eschatology are merely differences in emphasis and modes of interpretation.
There are different ways in which the bible can be read and understood. One is the literal approach, in which we take most passages to be literally true. Some of the bible is understood to be metaphorical, figurative or symbolic in meaning. Our differences in eschatology come from the differences in which passages we take to be literal and which we take to be figurative. The differences between Literal and Figurative interpretation lead to different eschatological views.
Another difference concerns historical events. One group believes that most or all of the prophetic passages concerning destruction and God's wrath have already taken place while others see them as future. These differences make us Futurist, or Historicist in our views.
Points of difference include the fulfillment of prophetic passages from the Old Testament, the fulfillment of prophetic passages from Christ's discussion about the end of the age, His return to the earth, the role of Christians in reigning on the earth, the role of the nation of Israel in God's plan and the bodily resurrection.
Another point is the apparent contradictions in scripture that describe God's future plans for the nation of Israel and His eternal purposes for the Gentile church. Simultaneous classifications of people groups and seemingly contradictory purposes of God are a great stumbling block to those who want to understand the Scriptures in unambiguous terms. Trying to resolve this ambiguity has caused much of the division in the church. We should not be afraid to consider what (at present) appear to be contradictory views. This dynamic tension between different ideas is the source of great understanding about the depth of God's wisdom and knowledge. We cannot unlock God's mysteries without being willing to investigate such paradoxes and apparent anomalies.
The best example of this was the apparently mutually exclusive views of the Christ as a suffering servant and a conquering savior. The Jews could not resolve these two opposing views, and chose the more convenient one over the other, less attractive, view, when in fact both were true. Other examples include faith vs. works, grace vs. the law, and predeterminism vs. free will.
The hermeneutic method held by an individual will greatly affect their interpretation of prophetic passages and consequently their eschatological scheme. Hermeneutical styles differ and act as the lens through which our understanding of scripture is perceived.
Historicism
Historicism says that Biblical prophecies provide us with a broad view of history, as well as an explanation of the religious significance of historical events. Historicists attempt to identify prophetic passages with major events in history.
Futurism
In Futurism, parallels are drawn with historical events, but most prophecies refer to events, which have not been fulfilled, but will take place at the end of the age and the end of the world. Most prophecies will be fulfilled during a global time of chaos known as the Great Tribulation and afterwards.
Idealism
In Idealism, the events described in prophecy are neither past, present, nor future, but are representative of larger ideals and principles. With this view, prophecy deals with the ongoing struggle between the forces of light and darkness, and the ultimate triumph of good over evil. Its message is purely a spiritual one, an allegory of the spiritual path, which is equally relevant in all ages and for all people.
Supersessionist
Supersessionism is the belief that the New Covenant in Christ supersedes, or replaces, the Old Covenant with Israel. It comes in at least two forms: covenant theology and kingdom theology. It was the predominant teaching of the church until the rise of dispensationalism in the 19th century.
Covenant Theology
In covenant theology there are two primary covenants; the covenant of law and the covenant of grace. Under the covenant of law, mankind (represented under Adam) failed to live as God intended and stood condemned. But the covenant of grace was made between the Father and Son, to agree that Christ would live an acceptable substitutionary life on behalf of, and as a covenantal representative for, those who would sin but would trust in Christ as their substitutionary atonement, which bought them into the covenant of grace. The Covenant of Grace applies to all who trust Christ for their salvation, covers Jews and Gentiles alike.
Kingdom-Dominion theology
Dominion or Kingdom theology takes the view that the church is to engage in establishing God's kingdom rule here, in the earth during their lifetime. Dominionism takes the command God gave to Adam (to subdue and rule over the earth) as a literal mandate that was never revoked. They see the church as kings, priests and ambassadors of God, sent to destroy the kingdom of darkness and advance the kingdom of righteousness in preparation for the return of their King, Jesus who will ultimately rule with them.
Figurative/Idealist
The idealist view takes a purely figurative approach to interpreting scripture. The idealist does not believe that "end times" passages should be interpreted literally to any degree. They instead see such scriptures as a general portrayal of the fight between good and evil with warnings and illustrations that encourage the Christian to live righteously. The idealist view is associated with amillennialism, which states that there is not a literal 1,000 year reign of Christ on earth, but rather that Christians are currently reigning with Christ in a figurative sense as we strive to bring about justice and righteousness in the world.
Literal/Historicist
This view holds that end times prophecy has been in the process of fulfillment since the time of Christ. It sees fulfillments through historical events over the past 2,000 years, and typically does not hold to a final tribulation period, a specific person as the antichrist, or the special role of national Israel as distinct from the church.
Literal/Pre-millennial
The pre-millennial (futurist) views all hold that most of end times prophecy has yet to be fulfilled and that Christ's second coming is followed by a literal thousand-year reign with the resurrected saints on the earth. The differences within the pre-millennial approach are primarily in the timing of the rapture of the Church. The pre-millennial view can thus be further broken down into pre-tribulation, mid-tribulation, pre-wrath, and post-tribulation.
Pre-tribulation/Dispensationalism
Adherents to this view approach interpretation to scripture literally, generally rejecting typological and allegorical methods, i.e - Biblical references to Israel mean ancient and modern Israel. One of the main tenets of Dispensationalism is the strict dichotomy that exists between Israel and the New Testament Church. This is denied by Covenant Theologians. A dispensationalist would claim that none of the prophecies pertaining to Israel are or will be fulfilled in or by the New Testament Church. Covenant Theologians would claim that some of the prophecies pertaining to Israel are, will, or may be fulfilled in or by the New Testament Church.
In this view, history is divided into typically seven "dispensations" where God tests man's obedience differently. The periods are described as innocence, conscience, civil government, promise, Mosaic law, grace, tribulation, and millennium.
The present Church dispensation concerns Christians (mainly Gentiles) and is a parenthesis to God's main plan of dealing with and blessing his chosen people the Jews. Because the Jews' rejected Jesus, Jewish sovereignty over the promised earthly kingdom of Jerusalem and Palestine was postponed from the time of Christ's first coming until prior to or just after his Second Coming when most or all Jews will embrace him.
Pre-millenialism teaches that there will be a literal reign of Jesus on the earth for 1,000 years, preceded by a time of judgment as foretold in scripture especially in the book of Revelation. They see most of the events of Revelation as future. Because they believe that God does not judge the righteous with the wicked, adherents believe the church will be removed from the earth at some point in the process and be spared the judgment. The removal is usually referred to as the "rapture".
Pre-tribulation adherents believe that the rapture will be followed by a great tribulation of seven years' duration during which Antichrist will arise and battle of Armageddon will occur. Then Jesus will return visibly to earth and re-establish the nation of Israel; the Jewish temple will be rebuilt at Jerusalem. Christ and the people of Israel will reign in Jerusalem for a thousand years, followed by last judgment and a new heavens and new earth.
Mid-tribulation
The mid-tribulation view is similar to the pre-trib, exept on the issue of when the rapture occurrs. This view is based on the assertion that the tribulation is actually the three and one-half year Great Tribulation, and that it commences with the revealing of the Antichrist midway through the seven year peace treaty he has made with Israel. At that point the church is raptured in order to escape the Great Tribulation, which is taken to be God's wrath.
Pre-wrath
The pre-wrath view says that the church will experience some of the Great Tribulation period after the mid-point of Daniel's seventieth week, when antichrist is revealed. This would include the natural and man-caused disasters, or wrath, but then the church will be taken out just prior to the wrath of God aimed at the unrepentant. In this view God's wrath includes only the trumpet and bowl judgments, which occur after the sixth seal.
Post-tribulation
The post-tribulation view sees a single second coming of Christ. It says that the church will be kept by God's grace through all of Daniel's seventieth week, and the saints will be given their glorified bodies in order to meet Christ as he comes to earth to defeat the antichrist at Armageddon and establish his millennial reign in Jerusalem.
Literal/Preterist
The preterist view holds that most of the events of the book of Revelation were fulfilled in the first century AD, and that many prophetic details relate to the fall of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. This view leads to postmillennialism, which says we are currently living in a non-literal millennium that began with the destruction of Jerusalem and the ascendance of the Church Age. Preterists believe the Church is in the final Kingdom period, where believers are actively working toward dominion over the world by the establishment of God's kingdom. The two main schools of preterist thought are commonly called partial preterism and full preterism.
Full Preterism
Full preterists believe that the second coming of Christ occurred after the fall of Jerusalem in 70 AD, because Jesus said, ‘This generation will not pass away until all these things take place.’ (Matthew 24:34) That promise included His second coming. They also point to the promises of Christ’s second coming as been "soon" in the book of revelation.
Full preterists argue that Matthew 16:28 is to be taken literally. In that passage Jesus said, “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." The preterist places the second coming of Christ in the first century and precludes a physical second coming of Christ.
Partial Preterism
Partial preterism holds that most eschatological prophecies, such as the destruction of Jerusalem, the Antichrist, the Great Tribulation, and the advent of the "Day of the Lord" were fulfilled either in 70 A.D. or during the persecution of Christians under the Emperor Nero. Some identify "Babylon the Great" (Revelation 17-18) with the Roman Empire. They generally identify Nero as the Beast, while his mark is often interpreted as the stamped image of the emperor's head on every coin of the Roman Empire. However, others believe the Book of Revelation was written after Nero committed suicide in 68 AD and identify the Beast with another emperor. The Second coming of Christ and the resurrection of the dead, however, have not yet occurred in the partial preterist system.
Summary
As you can see, there are a wide variety of views on eschatology. There are many other views I didn't mention. Some are extensively detailed and some leave many things open for discussion. Perhaps you've found that you identify with more than one view. I'd encourage you to consider the strengths and weaknesses in all of them and weigh each carefully.
# posted by Gene @ 5:47 AM 
