An Introduction to Eschatology

This morning, we are going to be doing something a little different than usual. Rather than have a traditional message based on a passage of Scripture, we are going to be doing a theology lesson. Specifically, we are going to be talking about eschatology, which is the study of the end times. The term comes from the Greek word “éschatos” which means “last” or “final.”

We just finished a portion in 1 Thessalonians that talks about the rapture, and Lord willing, we will continue soon into chapter 5, which continues dealing with the end times.

Eschatology is probably the least known area of theology for most Christians. That could be because there is an air of mystery surrounding it. You might think it’s too scary, or too intimidating, or too confusing to study on your own. But I want to tell you that that’s not true. Eschatology doesn’t always have easy answers, but that doesn’t mean it’s a fruitless pursuit.

So, as a way of helping us all today, I want to give you, if you will, an introduction to eschatology. I want to help you on your journey as you continue filling in your understanding of the end times.

I won’t be turning to many of the passages I mention, but I think most of them will be familiar to you, and you can make a note of them if you’d like to look them up later.

Obviously, eschatology brings up a lot of questions, and you will get a variety of answers, but I’d like to begin by asserting the things that Christians should agree on. I think that’s a helpful starting place, and then we can talk about the disagreements.

What doe Christians agree on when we talk about the end times? Let me give you seven agreements, and I’m going to give them to you pretty fast, so get ready.

Number 1, our first agreement is the authority of Scripture. The authority of Scripture. Second Timothy 3:16 tells us that all Scripture is breathed out by God. The word “Scripture” means the things that are written. What was produced by the prophets and the Apostles ultimately came from God Himself. Therefore, it is true and authoritative, and we have faithful translations today in many languages.

So, when it comes to the end times, this is our starting place. We don’t get to invent the story however we like, we need to get it from Scripture. I hope that’s obvious to you. It’s a fundamental belief in theology. We get our doctrine from Scripture.

Number 2, we all agree on the sovereignty of God. The sovereignty of God. By that, I mean that God is in charge and in control of everything that is happening and that will happen. That doesn’t mean He approves of it all in a moral sense, but nothing is outside His power. He has a plan, and this world is moving right along with it. We might not like how it’s going. We might wish we had more information, but that doesn’t take anything away from the sovereign power and authority of God.

First Timothy 6:15 says that the appearing, or the coming, of our Lord Jesus Christ is something which he will display at the proper time—he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords. Nobody bumps God off His sovereign throne.

A third agreement is return of Christ. The return of Christ. On the day that Jesus ascended back to heaven, Acts 1:11 tells us that two angels said to the disciples, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”

Our Lord will physically return to earth one day. That’s what the angels said, and that’s what the rest of the New Testament teaches. Jesus will physically come again one day.

Number 4, Christians should agree on the resurrection of the dead. The resurrection of the dead. We touched on that last week when we learned about the rapture in 1 Thessalonians 4. That spoke of a time when the Christians who had died would be raised in a glorified body. In John 5:28, Jesus says, “An hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and come out.”

There are debates about when exactly that will happen in relation to other events, and whether or not it will happen at the same time, but everyone who accepts the Bible as God’s authority accepts that the dead will be raised. And what happens after they are raised? Those are the next two agreements.

Agreement number 5 is the judgment of sinners. And agreement number 6 is the reward of the saints. The judgment of sinners and the reward of the saints.

Finishing the statement in John 5, Jesus says, all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment.

There will be an eternal reward for those whom Christ has saved. And for those who have rejected Him, there will be an eternal punishment.

Number 7, the final agreement is the response of humanity. The response of humanity. Eschatology is not supposed to be some detached, intellectual doctrine. It’s supposed to affect your life right now. You are supposed to live in light of the end. If you don’t surrender to Christ, you should live in fear of coming judgment . If you have repented of sin and trusted in Christ, that should produce hope and holiness.

So, once again, all faithful Christians will agree on the authority of the Bible, the sovereignty of God, the return of Christ, the resurrection of the dead, the judgment of sinners, the reward of the righteous, and the response of humanity. This is basic Christianity. This is what Jesus taught, and this is what the church has believed ever since it began.

Even if you feel like you aren’t sure about what the timeline is supposed to look like, you can be certain of these areas. And there’s enough there to study and apply on your own.

Turn to Revelation 22 with me. The final chapter of the Bible. Despite all the disagreements between Christians regarding eschatology, we should all have the same response when it comes to the end of this world. In Revelation 22:20, John is recording the words of Christ, and he writes this. Revelation 22:20—

He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.” And then John adds, “Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!” That should be the heart of every Christian. Come, Lord Jesus.

Back up a little more, and you will see verse 7 of Revelation 22, in which Jesus says, “Behold, I am coming soon. Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.” Jesus wants His followers to know and to respond to the truth concerning the end of this world.

What does the end look like? What will eternity look like for believers and for sinners? Jump back with me to Revelation 21, verse 1. Revelation 21, and I am going to read verses 1-8.

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. [2] And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. [3] And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. [4] He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

[5] And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” [6] And he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. [7] The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son. [8] But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”

This is where the world is heading. This is the eternal state of joy and judgment for the redeemed saints and for the unforgiven sinners. Again, every Christian you talk to should accept that, otherwise, there’s a big problem in their view of the Bible.

But despite what we agree on, most of you know that there is a lot concerning end times that Christians don’t agree on. And that’ll be our next topic. Let’s go from our agreements to our disagreements.

We all agree that there will be an eternal state of joy and judgment, but the disagreement comes when we try to figure out how that comes about. How do we go from life as we know it today into the eternal state?

For the agreement portion of the message, I gave you seven points. For the disagreement portion, I’m only going to give you one. And this one principle, I believe, helps set the course for the other decisions you make concerning the end times.

The way I see it, the primary disagreement is this, and I’m going to frame it as a question: How literal, or how direct, do you believe the end-times passages should be interpreted? How literal, or how directly should we interpret end-times passages?

The academic term for this is hermeneutics, which means the principles you use to interpret Scripture. The way I see it, the dividing issue, when it comes to end-times prophecies, is a hermeneutical one.

Some might say it’s a little oversimplistic to put it that way, but I think there are two main ways to approach the end times. You can have a system that leans toward taking eschatological passages at face value, or you can have a system that allows those passages to be interpreted in a non-literal way. To me, that’s the basic difference.

When you come to end-times passages, like Revelation, or the second half of Daniel, or the prophets in the Old Testament, will you take a more literal understanding of what’s being said? Or do you believe they can be taken in a non-literal way? That’s the question. And I want to give you a couple of the major examples so you can see what this looks like.

Before I do that, though, I want to give you two clarifications. Number 1, I am speaking for myself here, okay? I am not speaking on behalf of a denomination, or even on behalf of the elders. I am going to share my personal position on this issue because as a pastor, I want to help you understand the issue, and I want to be faithful to my convictions.

Second, you need to understand that many of the disagreements I’m going to talk about are not about heresy or false teaching. It’s okay with me if you end up disagreeing with my position.

In fact, I have pastor-friends who have different views, and I’m grateful to God for them and their ministries, and I’m grateful to partner with them for the glory of God. So, I’m not trying to disparage anyone by sharing my own views on these kinds of issues. If this were an easy topic, we’d have much less disagreement.

So, with those two clarifications, let me show you what this hermeneutical divide looks like with some examples. Let’s go back one more chapter to Revelation chapter 20. Revelation chapter 20. Let me read it first. Revelation 20:1-6.

Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain. [2] And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, [3] and threw him into the pit, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he might not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were ended. After that he must be released for a little while.

[4] Then I saw thrones, and seated on them were those to whom the authority to judge was committed. Also I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. [5] The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended. This is the first resurrection. [6] Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection! Over such the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for a thousand years.

What are we supposed to make of this vision? It starts with the word “then,” which indicates that this was the very next vision John received. But should that also be taken to mean that John is describing events that are yet to come? That’s an important question.

John also says that this period will last 1,000 years. That’s why we call it the millennium, or the millennial kingdom. Somehow, in John’s vision, he understood the passing of time. But should this period in his vision be taken literally in terms of how it relates to the end times? Is John describing a literal 1,000-year period? That’s another important question.

John also says that during this time Satan is bound in a pit. We all agree that that’s what John saw. But does that vision indicate some literal binding of Satan that will take place with a pit and a lid and a chain? Or can we understand this as something more symbolic describing some restriction on Satan’s activity? Those are the kinds of questions that people disagree about.

I am on the side that believes we should interpret John’s visions more literally than symbolically. I don’t mean that there aren’t any symbols here, but I mean that the symbols connect to actual events or beings or periods of time. In general, unless there is a compelling reason not to apply the vision more directly to events, that’s what I’m going to do. That’s the side of the spectrum I fall on.

So, when I read about a 1,000-year kingdom in which Satan is bound and confined to a pit, I compare that with what the Bible says about Satan ruling the earth today; I compare that with what Peter says about Satan being like a roaring lion seeking to devour, and it doesn’t seem to me like this is a present day reality.

I also see the phrase “1,000 years” being used 6 times between verses 2 and 7, and I think that that matters. I think this refers to a literal thousand-year period. You can disagree with me; that’s okay. But that is the view I take.

I also go back to Revelation 6–18, and I read about what many refer to as the Great Tribulation. I read about the vast number of people who will die. I read about cataclysmic events like the sun being darkened and islands disappearing, and the world trembling in fear hoping to die. I read about a third of the earth being burned, a third of the earth’s ships being destroyed, and a third of the earth’s rivers turning to poison.

Because I take that as a literal and direct reference to global events, I do not believe we are in the Great Tribulation yet. I think we are in the onramp, so to speak. I think we can see previews of those kinds of things, but what we see now is not the fulfilment of Revelation 6–18. They are not happening to the degree described in the Bible, which I take literally.

Others, however, see passages like the Great Tribulation or the millennial kingdom, and they think they can be applied to either something that has already happened or is happening today.

Some people think that what Israel experienced in AD 70, when the Romans decimated the city and starved people to death, is what the Great Tribulation is describing. In other words, they don’t apply it globally, but to the nation of Israel at that time.

Others believe that the Great Tribulation describes what the church is experiencing right now while we live in a hostile world. So, someone in that camp isn’t going to interpret the plagues literally in every sense. Instead, what they see is a general description of pain and tribulation for Christians.

Those who take that view will also do something similar with the millennial kingdom. They see that as a description of the victory of the Christian life and the victory of the church.

Basically, some see Great Tribulation and the millennial kingdom as general descriptions of two ongoing realities in the church. They describe tremendous pain because of the world’s hatred of Christ, but also a great victory as the gospel continues to spread.

I agree with those truths, generally, but I don’t think that’s what Revelation 4–20 is talking about. Again, it’s okay if you believe that, but you are not giving the passage a literal and direct fulfilment.

Does that difference in interpretation make sense to you? Either you interpret the visions more literally, or you understand them as general truths which don’t have to connect literally to specific world events. This is the fundamental disagreement.

Because I take a more literal approach to interpretation, I believe that Revelation is describing a series of sequential events. There will be a Great Tribulation, which you can read about in Revelation 6-18. That will be followed by the glorious return of Christ to the earth, followed by a literal millennial kingdom, followed by a final battle and then the eternal state.

The reason I think the millennial kingdom is literal is because that allows for the fulfilment of Old Testament prophecies which describe a time in which there is still sin in the heart of man, but there is a global prosperity with Israel at the center.

For example, Isaiah 65:19 says that God will rejoice in Jerusalem. The city is going to be restored. And verse 20 says that the young man shall die a hundred years old. If you take that literally, it can’t be referring to life today, since living to be 100 years old is not young. And it’s can’t be a reference to the eternal state, because there won’t be any death in the eternal state.

So, I take that to be a reference to the millennial kingdom, when God fulfills the promises He made to Israel. I think the Old Testament presentation of God’s kingdom has not yet come to pass in its full sense. Israel is still waiting for it.

There’s an interesting note in the opening verses of Acts, where it says that Jesus appeared to His disciples after the Resurrection over a period of 40 days, and He was speaking to them about the kingdom of God. That’s what it says in verse 3. Then in verse 6, is says that the disciples asked Jesus, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” That tells me that the disciples expected a literal fulfilment of the Old Testament promises.

Jesus doesn’t correct any of their thinking, He simply tells them that it’s not for them to know the times or the seasons that the Father has fixed. In the meantime, their job is to proclaim the message as His witnesses.

Now, if we take the order described in Revelation as the outline, where does that put the Rapture? I told you last week that I’d tell you where I stand on the issue. So, let me close with that discussion.

There is nothing in any biblical passage that specifically tells us when the Rapture will take place. Some say it will take place before the Tribulation. Others say it’ll happen somewhere in the middle, and other think it happens at the end.

I am in the category of people that believe that the Rapture will take place before the beginning of the Tribulation. And here are the arguments for that view.

Number 1, the Bible describes the return of Christ as something that can happen at any moment, but it also says that His return will come with some accompanying signs. Those statements seem to be at odds with one another. Jesus told His disciples that they should look for the signs of His coming, but He also told them to be ready at any time. How do you reconcile those things?

Well, placing the Rapture before the Great Tribulation allows for both realities to be true. Christ will come in the air to rescue His church at some unspecific time, and then He will come all the way to earth after the tribulation. The downside here is that it can make it seem like you get a third coming of Christ, but I just think of it as a second coming in two phases.

A second argument for a pretribulation rapture is that the Bible promises that we will be spared from the wrath of God. I believe the Tribulation is an expression of God’s judgment on the world, so it makes sense that we won’t be here for it.

First Thessalonians 5:9 says, “For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

There is also Revelation 3:10 when Jesus promises the church of Philadelphia, “I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world, to try those who dwell on the earth.”

A third argument for a pre-tribulation rapture is the fact that the word “church” is not used at all in Revelation 4-20. It’s used plenty of times in the first three chapters, but then, once the tribulation starts, the word isn’t used.

I think that makes sense because the tribulation is no longer dealing with the church. God removes the church, and He goes back to finish what He promised to Israel. There is going to be a purging in Israel, but then there will be a national revival. And through Israel, many people are going to come to faith in Jesus Christ.

More than any other subject, eschatology never really seems to run out of questions. Every time someone gives an answer, it can produce more questions and more variations of the positions. So again, as we wrap up our time, I simply want to repeat what I said at the beginning of our time.

Whatever your theological position is about how we move into the eternal state, know that Jesus intends you to live in light of it. We might have our disagreements now, but once we see how it all works out, no one is going to be gloating about how correct their viewpoint was. We will all be worshiping God and our Lord Jesus Christ because He has saved us forever.