What is Eschatology? Eschatology is the study of the last things. By last things we mean the rapture of the Church, the second coming of Christ, the resurrection of the dead, the glorification of believers’ bodies, the judgement, heaven, hell, the new heavens and new earth, the eternal state of everyone who has ever lived, etc. There has been much agreement by all Christians in all ages concerning eschatology, but there are differing views concerning some of the particulars. The most disagreed upon particulars of eschatology are the timing of second coming of Christ, as well as the thousand year reign of the saints with Christ that is mentioned in Revelation 20.
We are not going to evaluate all of the agreed upon points of doctrine concerning eschatology, but rather the disagreed upon points. Therefore let me say this at the outset: please do not lose sight of the agreement that Christians have as we evaluate the disagreements. Jesus will return; unrepentant sinners will be damned for eternity in hell; saints will be glorified and live forever with Jesus and like Jesus, enjoying the beauties of God’s excellencies for all eternity in supreme holiness and happiness. On these points all true believers agree.
I. THE FOUR MAJOR VIEWS.
The four major eschatological views are known as Dispensational Premillennialism, Historic Premillennialism, Amillennialism, and Postmillennialism. These are so named based on when they think the second-coming of Christ will happen. Will the second coming happen after the millennium? or before the millennium? or is the thousand year reign figurative rather than literal?
II. THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST.
Every Christian believes Christ will come again. This is a core tenet of the faith. The apostle to the Hebrews says, “So Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him” (Heb. 9:28). He will return to judge the living and the dead, and to save those who eagerly wait for Him. Dispensational Premillennialists, as well as Historic Premillennialists, believe the second coming will happen before a literal millennium. Amillennialists and Postmillennialists believe the second coming of Christ will happen after the millennium, though some think the thousand years is literal and some metaphorical.
III. THE RAPTURE.
You cannot believe the Bible without believing in the rapture of the church. The question is not “if” the rapture is real or made up, but “what” is meant by God through Paul. The main text for the doctrine of the rapture is found in Paul’s first letter to the church at Thessalonica. “But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words” (1 Thess. 4:13-18). The words “caught up” is where we get the word “rapture.” It is in the Bible. We have to deal with it, not just dismiss it because of bad interpretations.
I) Some believe there will be a Rapture of the Church before a literal 7 year period known as the Great Tribulation (Pre-trib Rapture), followed by a literal 1,000 year reign with Christ physically on earth. Dispensationalists believe this.
II) Others believe there will be a Rapture of the Church after a literal 7 year period known as the Great Tribulation (Post-trib Rapture), followed by a literal 1,000 year reign with Christ physically on earth. Historic Premillennialists believe this. Some also believe there is a Rapture Mid-Trib.
III) Still others believe that this Rapture spoken of in 1 Thessalonians 4 is about believers being caught up with Him in the clouds so that, like a royal procession with Christ returning to judge, we get to all, both living and dead, come with Him to the earth. Amillennialists and Postmillennialists believe this.
The ESV Study Bible is worth quoting at length here: “The Greek term apantēsis (translated “to meet”) is often used of an important dignitary’s reception by the inhabitants of a city, who come out to greet and welcome their honored guest with fanfare and celebration, then accompany him into the city (cf. Matt. 25:6; Acts 18:15; a related [Greek] term hypantēsis is used in Matt. 25:1; John 12:13). It may indicate that the subsequent movement of the saints after meeting Christ “in the air” conforms to Christ’s direction, thus in a downward motion toward the earth“ (The ESV Study Bible notes on 1 Thessalonians 4, Crossway).
IV. THE GREAT TRIBULATION.
“I said to him, ‘Sir, you know.’ And he said to me, “These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb” (Rev. 7:14). “For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be” (Matthew 24:21).
I) Dispensational Premillennialists believe the great tribulation will happen after the church is raptured.
II) Historic Premillennialists believe the great tribulation will happen before the church is raptured.
III) Most Amillennialists believe the great tribulation either already happened or it is a symbol of the continual suffering of the church in this age.
IV) Most Postmillennialists believe the great tribulation already happened, pre 70 A.D. and had to do with Christ using Rome to destroy the Temple and raze the city of Jerusalem.
V. ANTI-CHRIST / BEAST / MAN OF LAWLESSNESS.
As far as the word antichrist is concerned, the apostle John uses the word antichrist four times in 1 and 2 John.
I) Some believe the Beast of the Revelation and the Man of Lawlessness in 2 Thessalonians 2 is a future figure who will arise (he is named Nicolai Carpathia in the Left Behind series). See 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12.
II) Others believe the Beast of the Revelation and the Man of Lawlessness is the Roman Emperor Nero in the First Century. See Revelation 13:18.
III) Still others believe the Beast of the Revelation is the Roman Emperor Nero, but the Man of Lawlessness may be Satan or a tool of Satan in Revelation 20:7. See Revelation 20:7-10.
VI. THE REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST.
The book of the Revelation opens like this: “The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, who bore witness to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw. Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near” (Rev. 1:1-3). There are basically four views concerning the Revelation made to John while he was on the island of Patmos.
I) Some have a Futurist view of the Revelation. Futurists believe most events in the Revelation have not yet happened but will happen in the future. Premillennial Dispensationalists and some Historic Premillennialists.
II) Some have a Historicist view of the Revelation. Historicists believe the Revelation is gradually fulfilled in history from the time of John and until the 2nd coming of Christ. Some Historic Premillennialists, some Amillennialists, and some Postmillennialists.
III) Some have an Idealist view of the Revelation. Idealists believe the events in the Revelation are not tied to specific historical events, but represent by symbolism the constant struggle between good and evil. Some Amillennialists, and some Postmillennialists.
IV) Some have a Preterist view of the Revelation
Full Preterists believe the events in the Revelation have already taken place. Few Amillennialists, and few Postmillennialists.
V) Some have a Partial-Preterist view of the Revelation. Partial Preterists believe most of the events in the Revelation have already taken place, primarily with the exception of the second half of Revelation 20 through Revelation 22. Some Amillennialists, and most Postmillennialists.
VII. THE OLIVET DISCOURSE.
I) Futurism. Olivet Discourse Futurists believe the whole of what Christ promises in the Olivet Discourse is has to take place.
II) Futurism with Double Intention. Olivet Discourse Futurists who believe there is double-intention in Christ’s teaching believe some of the promises were partly fulfilled in the first century (A.D. 70), but the main fulfillment has yet to take place.
III) Preterism. Olivet Discourse Preterists believe that the whole of what Christ promises in the Olivet Discourse took place in the first century with the destruction of Jerusalem.
IV) Partial-Preterism. Olivet Discourse Partial-Preterists believe that the first half of the discourse was fulfilled in the first century (A.D. 70), but in the second half Christ is talking about His second coming, with the switch happening at Matthew 24:36.
It is worth noting that Matthew, Mark, and Luke all record versions of the Olivet Discourse. John does not in his gospel account. Why not? This may be because the Olivet Discourse is about the Destruction of the Temple and the 2nd Coming of Christ, which is what the Revelation is also about. Therefore John did write about the destruction of Israel and the second coming, he just did it in much larger fashion, through the last book of our Bible.
VIII. HISTORICAL OUTLOOK.
Dispensational Premillennialism and Historical Premillennial are both historically pessimistic in the sense that they believe society will get worse and worse until the second coming of Christ. Amillennialism is historically neutralistic, with some leaning more pessimistic and others optimistic. Postmillennialism is historically optimistic in the sense that they believe the great commission will be fulfilled; that Christ will eventually conquer the nations by His Spirit, through His Church, with His gospel.
IX. FIGURES IN CHURCH HISTORY.
Who is on team Dispensational? No one who is truly a Dispensationalists is worth listening to. Traditional Dispensationalism must be rejected because it sees multiple different ways God saves sinners throughout history, among other things that are simply quite bonkers. However, such faithful men as John MacArthur and Steven Lawson would hold a modified version of Premillennial Dispensationalism, but it is much closer to Historic Premillennialism. MacArthur himself calls it, “Leaky Dispensationalism.” These men are worth listening to and are faithful brothers in Christ, though I think they are wrong about some of these points of Eschatology.
Who is on team Premil? Many of the church fathers, John Gill, Charles Spurgeon (maybe), Francis Schaeffer, John Piper, Albert Mohler.
Who is on team Amil? Augustine, John Calvin (maybe), A.W. Pink, J.I. Packer, Kim Riddlebarger, Voddie Baucham, and a majority of Confessionally Reformed believers today.
Who is on team Postmil? John Calvin (maybe), Ulrich Zwinli, Martin Bucer, William Perkins, John Owen, Richard Sibbes, Thomas Manton, John Flavel, John Cotton, John Eliot (American Puritan), Wilhelmus Á Brakel, Isaac Watts, Jonathan Edwards, Andrew Fuller, William Carrey (fathers of the modern missions movement), B.B. Warfield, Charles Hodge, Greg Bahnsen, and me (not that I matter).
In addition, most of the English Puritans and Scottish Covenanters of the 16th and 17th centuries were either Postmil or optimistic Amil. This is most evident by the Westminster Larger Catechism and the Savoy Declaration.
X. RECOMMENDED READING FOR INTRODUCTIONS TO THESE POSITIONS.
For Premillennial Dispensationalism I recommend reading “Wrongly Dividing the Word of Truth” by John Gerstner; for Historic Premillennialism, “Amillennialism and the Age to Come” by Matt Waymeyer; for Amillennialism, “A Case for Amillennialism” by Kim Riddlebarger; and for Postmillennialism, both “Victory in Jesus” by Greg Bahnsen and “The Puritan Hope” by Ian Murray.