2012-3-13 06:45
| CHAPTER XI ESCHATOLOGY I. THE MILLENNIAL VIEWS Amillennialism Literallya-millennial-ism is the belief that there is no millennium, this is,the politic reign of Christ, but there will be the final judgmentright after his return, this is, his second coming. Amillennialism isnot a firm theory but a reaction to the millennium in the aspect ofliteral interpretation of the book of Revelation. Amillennialismholds the recapitulation view to interpret each session in chapters4-20 as a recapitulation of the same period instead of successiveperiods before the return of Christ. Postmillennialism Literallypost-millennial-ism is the belief that the return of Christ will takeplace after an extended period of time of the spiritual reign ofChrist through the preaching of the gospel. The length of theextended period of time is unknown. It is a optimistic view that mencan get better, rather than getting worse (cf 2 Thess. 2:2-12; 2 Tim.3:1-5), and all the world will eventually be ready for the reign ofChrist (Matt. 24:14; 28:19). Premillennialism Literallypre-millennial-ism is the belief that the return of Christ will occurright before his physical thousand-year reign on earth. It is basedon the literal interpretation of the book of the Revelation. Thecataclysm out of the wrath of God over the sin of man in chapters4-19 is the successive event light before the millennium. Accordingto chapter 20, the political kingdom of Christ and his saints will beset up on earth for a thousand years. There will be two resurrectionsrespectively at the beginning and end of the millennium, and thejudgment according to what they have done will be held at the secondresurrection. II. THEBASIS FOR PREMILLENNIALISM The Concept of the Kingdom of God The kingdom of God refers to the reign of God. The term of "kingdomof God" does not appear in the Old Testament, but the concept ofhis rule is prevalent in the Old Testament (Psalms 47:2; 103:91; Dan.4:17, 25-37). The mediatorial kingdom is the theocracy of Israel, thechosen people of God. God used Israel to demonstrate his rule onearth over the nations as well as Israel. The term, the kingdom ofGod, begins to be introduced in the Gospels (Mark 1:15; 4:26-32; Luke6:20; cf Matt. 5:3; 3:2; 4:17). The concept of the kingdom of Godwill not be fulfilled until Christ comes to rule on earth some timein the future. TheBiblical Covenants Thebiblical covenants include four key ideas: promise, graciousredemption, administrative dispensation,and vassal treaty. There are five covenants which God made with hiscertain people in the Bible: Noahic, Abrahamic, Mosaic, Davidic, andNew. The Noahic is made with Noah and all the creatures on earth(Gen. 6:18; 8:20; 9:9-17), the Abrahamic with Abraham and hisdescendants concerning land, descendants and blessing (Gen. 12:1-3;13:14-18; 15:18; 17:1-27), the Mosaic with the nation Israelconcerning theocracy (EX. 19:1-25; 31:12-17), the Davidic with Davidconcerning the perpetuation of the Davidic throne (2 Sam. 7:16; cf. 2Sam. 23:5; 2 Chron. 13:5; Psalm 89:3-34; 132:12), and the Newcovenant to replace the Mosaic covenant (Jer. 31:31-34;Ezra 36:16-38; Joel 2:21-2; Matt. 26:28). God is faithful to hiscommitment and promises regardless of human violations of thecovenants, and the earlier four biblical covenants will not bechanged, but they will be fulfilled in the New covenant as madeoriginally. III. THE DISPENSATIONS An Outline of the Biblical Dispensations Adispensation is the administration or economy in which God works outhis redemptive purpose on a certain selected group of people. Thereare seven dispensations in traditional view. The Innocence lasts fromthe creation of Adam to the Fall, the Conscience from the time ofCain and Abel to the flood, the Human Government from the tower ofBabel to the exodus from Egypt, the Law from the Sinai covenant tothe beginning of the church, the Church or Grace from the ascensionof Christ to the rapture of the saints, and the Millennium from thereturn of Christ to the final judgment. Nevertheless, there are threecategories of dispensations in the dispensationalist view: Law,Church and Kingdom (Eph. 1:10; 3:2, 9). The Essence of Dispensationalism Thereare three principles in dispensationalism. (1) The literalinterpretation is applied consistently to the text of the Bible. (2)Israel is separated from the church distinctly. (3) Personalsalvation is the unifying purpose of God in human history.Furthermore, in each dispensation there are a new governinginstitution of man under God's sovereignty, a new responsibility ofman to God, and a new revelation of God to man. VI. THERAPTURE OF THE CHURCH VariousViews Theterm rapture comes from Latin translation of the Greek word in 1Thessalonians 4:17 which refers to the carrying away of the churchand the resurrection of the dead believers. There are four differentviews among dispensationalists regarding the timing of the raptureand the seven-year tribulation. Pre-tribulationalRapture. Pre-tribulational rapture is a view that the secondcoming of Christ is believed to have two phases: before and aftertribulation. In the first phase the church will be removed from earthinto the air and meet with Christ before the tribulation (1 Thess.1:10; 4:16-17; 5:9), and in the second phase Christ with his saintswill come down to earth immediately after the tribulation, and rule(Rev. 20:1-4; cf. 20:7-9). Mid-tribulationalRapture. Like pretribulational rapture, mid-tribulationalrapture holds the two-phase theory of the second coming of Christ,but the first phase happens in the middle of the tribulation, Thisis, the church will remain on earth for three and a half years untilthe tribulation gets intensive. Pre-wrathRapture. Like mid-tribulational rapture, pre-wrath raptureholds that the church will be taken within the tribulation.Nevertheless, it divides the seven-year tribulation into three parts:"the beginning of sorrows" of Matthew 24:8 for three and ahalf years (the first forty two months), the great tribulation fortwenty one months (the first half of the second three and a halfyears), and "the day of the Lord" or the outpouring ofGod's wrath for the rest twenty one months. The church is takenbefore the day of the Lord. Post-tribulationalRapture. Post-tribulational rapture is a view that the churchwill experience the tribulation on earth, and Christ will come downto his church at the end of the tribulation (cf. 2 Thess. 2:6-8).There is no real rapture in this view. TheBiblical Position The biblical evidence supports the pre-tribulational rapture. Though thechurch suffers tribulations through history (Matt 24:21; John15:18-21; Acts 8:1; 2 Thess. 1:4-7; 2 Tim. 3:12), the "tribulation"of the end of time will the most intensive in history (Matt.24:21-22; 2 Thess. 2:1-4). The church is absent in the tribulationand God's wrath (Rev. 4-19). Christ promised the church atPhiladelphia that he will keep it from the trial of the whole world(Rev. 3:10). The pre-tribulational rapture is based on literal andconsistent interpretation of both the book of Revelation and theseventieth week of Daniel. Therefore, before the tribulation at theend of time come (2 Thess. 2:2-3), Christ will return, gather hispeople (1 Thess. 4:15-17; 5:9-10) and later defeat the Antichrist (2Thess. 2:8). The church will be taken up in the end of the church age(1 Cor. 1:7-8; 1 Thess. 4:15-17; Tit. 2:13) and not experience thewrath of God (Isa. 2; Jer. 30:7; Ezek. 20:27; 1 Thess. 5:9). V. THE TRlBULATION After the rapture of the church, the tribulation will begin and last forseven years (Dan 9:27). It will become more intensive at the secondhalf of seven years (Matt. 24:9, 21, 29; Rev. 7:14)when Antichrist makes the covenant (Dan. 9:27). It will be worldwide(Rev. 3:20) in history. It is followed by the return of Christ (Matt.24:9, 21, 29; Rev. 7:14). Itcomes along with three successive series of divine judgments: theopening of seven seals, the blowing of seven trumpets, and theout-pouring of seven bowls (Rev. 6-19). The second three and a halfyears is the great tribulation (Matt. 24:21; Dan. 9:27; Rev. 12:14;11:2; 13:5). At theend of the tribulation Satan will be chained for a thousand years(Rev. 20:2), and the millennial kingdom of Christ will start. Thepurpose of the tribulation is to punish the wickedness of man, purify' the nation of Israel (Dan. 12; Rev. 7), and bring all creationhumble to Christ. VI. THE MILLENNIUM How It Will Begin Atthe end of tribulation the millennium will launch with the return ofChrist and he will overpower Anti-Christ and his armies (Rev.19:11-21). Satan will be bound for a thousand years while Christ is reigning (Rev. 20:4). The millennium will begin abruptly (Matt.24:40-41; Rev. 20:2, 3). GeneralDescription Themillennium is a time of peace, justice and spiritual welfare (Is.2:4; 32:1; 35:1-7). Christ is the physical king over the earth on thethrone of David (Dan. 2:35; 7:14), and reigns with his saints for athousand years (Rev. 20:4-6). The city of Jerusalem is the center ofthe government (2 Sam. 7:16; Ps. ~9:20-37; Is. 2:3; 11:1-16). God'spromises and covenants to Abraham, the nation Israel, and David willbe fulfilled. However, some will not receive Christ, and there willbe a final rebellion at the end of the millennium. Closing Events Inthe end of the millennium Satan will be released and take alarge-scale rebellion with the unregenerate against Christ (Rev.20:7-9), but they will be defeated immediately. There will be aresurrection of unbelievers and the final judgment following thedefeat. Satan and his followers will be judged to the lake of fire(Rev. 20:9, 10, 11-15). Then it enters the final eternal state. VII. GENERALESCHATOLOGY Death and the Intermediate State Thereare two types of death in the Bible: spiritual death and physicaldeath. Physical death is the cessation of life in the physical body,or the separation of the soul from the body (Eccl. 12:7; Matt. 10:28;Luke 12:4-5; James 2:26). Spiritual death is the separation of aperson from God. There are two kinds of spiritual death: the loststate and the eternal state. People in the lost state are those whodo not know God or believe in God (Eph. 2:1, 5; Col. 2:13), andpeople in the eternal state are those who, after generalresurrection, receive the eternal punishment to separate from Godeternally (Rev. 20:12-14; 21:8). Theintermediate state is the status of a person between the physicaldeath and the resurrection. The Bible implies that the dead believersimmediately go to a place of joy (Luke 23:43) but the unbelievers toa place of torment (Luke 16:19-31; Phil. 1:19-26), and a person inthe intermediate state may have a corporeal form (1 Sam. 28:10-16). TheVarious Resurrections Thereare three resurrections in the Bible. The first is the one ofbelievers in Christ at pre-tribulation rapture (Is. 26:19; 1 Thess.4:15-16; 1 Cor. 15:51-52; Rev. 20:4-5). The second is the one of theOld testament saints and tribulation saints at the end of themillennium (Dan. 12:1-3; Rev. 20:4). The last is the one ofunbelievers at the end of the millennium (Rev. 20:12-15). TheVarious Judgments There are two judgment after this life: one for believers in Christ and onefor the rest of people. All of people are judged according to whatthey had done. However, the believers will be rewarded by Christaccording to their stewardship (2 Cor. 5:10; cf. 2 Tim. 4:6-8; James1:12), but the others by the great white throne according to the bookof life (Rev. 20:12-15; cf. Matt. 19:28; 1 Cor. 6:2-3). The Eternal State Theeternal state is the place of a person where to dwell permanently. Itis based on the personal earthly relationship to Christ (Rev. 20:4;21:8). The eternal state of the believers is the life in heaven, aphysical and joyful place, with God (Rev. 21:3; 22:3); the eternalstate of the unbelievers outside the book of life is the life inhell, a physical place of torment (Rev. 20:10, 14-15; 21:8, 27). Theage of the eternal state begins with the new creation which issimilar to the inceptive condition of the previous one (Rev. 21:1-4;22:1-2; cf. Gen. 3:8-14). |
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