A Healthy Path to Eschatology

Just an hour ago I sat down with a cup of coffee to do my morning devotions and out of no where I knew what I needed to blog about. There was no split in the clouds and a light shining down on me as a I read the Bible. However, my personal reading came from 2 Thessalonians 1:5-12 where Paul teaches us about Jesus returning. I had a post lined up to be fine tuned then published but I realized that one more introductory post was needed.

Eschatology (theology of last things) is so big, it is so much more than a rapture and millennium. It is a thread that is interwoven from Genesis 1:1 to Revelation. Obviously some portions of scripture have clearer and fuller explanations than others yet no section is utterly void of it. However, not only is it vast but it has a lot of baggage. There is arguably no other area of doctrine that has as much tradition ( unhealthy tradition that is; we will discuss healthy tradition later) and emotion tied up in it. Because of this I want to put forward what I think would create a very helpful path for us as we journey further on in this discussion of what the Bible teaches about the last days.

Pastors Paul and John

Together these two men wrote just under half of the New Testament. Both of them were pastor-missionaries. It is helpful for us to see how they wrote on the topic of eschatology, namely the resurrection and judgement. Let’s take a few examples from Paul first. When he writes of the resurrection of Christ and its connection to the future resurrection he does so in a way so as to guide the church in Corinth as a pastor guides his congregation. There in the church at Corinth some were teaching that there was no resurrection. Paul writes to address this and does refute the falsehood, but with a motive of guarding the hope of the Christians there. In similar fashion he writes to the Thessalonians to correct a misunderstanding that was weighing them down regarding Christ’s return. His motive was to encourage and reestablish their hope. In short Paul’s writing on this doctrine was done so that the people of God may be built up and flourish in their faith.

Now to Pastor John. Much could be said and will be said of his writings in future blogs, but for now we can turn our attention to his role as the author of Revelation. Now regardless of your understanding of the book (yes, there are several views …but more on the various views later). What we know and agree on is that John was writing of things to come so as to embolden the churches. For their spiritual good he, as a pastor, is writing to them to give hope.

Therefore, we see from some of the most explicit writings regarding God’s plan for the end, even in latter parts of Isaiah, an overarching theme of giving the people of God hope. The men who wrote, the prophets and apostles, did this as pastors encouraging the people to remain faithful to God. Eschatology must first be pastoral, encouraging, and emboldening.

Conclusion

Such an approach is really vital to the topic of eschatology. We meditate on it from scripture out of love for God because he is the main character of every text and the whole book. We discuss “last things” with brethren in love and because we love the church. It is a doctrine like all others that should be decisive and not divisive. Eschatology determines how we live now and what we anticipate. The only large divisions it should create is when a particular teaching is put forward which contradicts the primary issues of the gospel. For the most part the areas that brethren differ on should have no impact on healthy fellowship. May God give us grace to engage this diamond of the scriptures in a way which honors his name.

More than Two Applications

1. Consider how to obey what is written. Let us be cautious not to turn this topic into a discussion that never puts on action. I know it can be easy to sit with brethren and discuss this and not be impacted by it in the least. We reason over the scriptures without receiving from the scriptures how we ought to live based on what is to come. As with all scripture let us seek obedience for if our understanding fails to show itself “profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for instruction which is in righteousness. That the man of God may be complete, furnished completely unto every good work.” If it does not meet that goal then our understanding or heart or both are out of step. May our study of “last things” embolden and encourage obedience.
2. Eschatology is not synonymous for debate. If you are like me you may tend to have a knee-jerk reaction in your thinking when you hear the word “eschatology”…DEBATE!! This is a theology so much more useful than honing our skills of argumentation. It was not given for that. It is meant to give hope. If needed, and it is with me, we need to repent where we have abused and misused God’s word. This is not how pastors Paul and John navigated the theology of what was to come. Be discerning so as to approach and handle these things as the apostles did.
3. Keep the main thing the main thing: salvation, resurrection, and judgement. In weeks to come we will see how in the study of “last things” there have been predominate topics throughout the last 2,000 years while others have been put on the bottom shelf. The teachings found in scripture as pertain to the end focus on the finality of God’s work to save, the resurrection of mankind, and the judgement to come. If we are intent to discern what these eschatological passages are teaching about these three things we will do well. On the flip side we will benefit greatly if we allow the robust texts which explain salvation, resurrection, and judgement to inform our theology of “end times” we be on a good path.
4. Give weight to what has weight: passages not verses. Out of love for God’s word and the ambition to not mislead others let us do the hard work of reading and meditating on lengthy passages which address such topics as the resurrection and judgement and return of Jesus. This will do far more benefit to our comprehension of this doctrine while also benefiting our souls as meditation always does. Do not get me wrong, this is not to say that verses are without use. But let us be sure that we utilize the verses that have surrounding verses (context) that give reason for our use of them.
5. Are you encouraged? When you are all done with that conversation, debate, or social media exchange did it leave you with a renewed reality of contentment in Christ. Do you leave the conversation with a desire for godly living. Have you been emboldened to share your faith. Do the periodic or regular conversations on these things contribute to your sanctification. If these or the like are void in and after your conversations then it is time to go back to the drawing board. Go back to the text not to seek the right answer but the weight of the grace and love, holiness and righteousness of God on your heart and life.