What Is Eschatology?

Dr. C. H. Dodd

A Welsh New Testament scholar and Congregational minister by the name of Charles Harold Dodd  (1884-1973) taught Biblical criticism and exegesis in England at The Victoria University of Manchester and the University of Cambridge. His name is connected with a twentieth century view of the end times called realized eschatology. In Dodd's view Christianity is an historical religion unlike all others. However, history should be considered in its religious sense—that is mythological or symbolical, not literal or scientific. There was no literal series of events as described in the Bible.

We must understand what the term eschatology means in order to grapple with Dodd's claims. Eschatology is the study of the eschaton (the day at the end of time when God will judge all mankind). In the Greek language the word is eschotos - the last, as in Jesus' parable:

And when evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, 'Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last, up to the first.' - Mat 20:8 ESV

Implied in most studies of eschatology is the view that history has meaning: as our world had a beginning so it will have an end, a purpose. All events in human history are moving forward with purpose and meaning.  In Dodd's view eschatology's meaning is now rather than in the future, hence the term realized. In his view God's purpose has already been realized. And what is God's purpose? His purpose is to realize the kingdom of God on earth. To that end Dodd quotes Jesus in Matthew,

Knowing their thoughts, he said to them, "Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand. And if Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand? And if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. - Mat 12:25-28 ESV

The phrase the kingdom of God has come upon you, says Dodd, means that God's kingdom has absolutely arrived. The Spirit of God is present and Satan's kingdom is being torn down. This is going on now. There is no future kingdom coming. God's purposes are being realized in various degrees in what is happening in the here and now. The Day of the Lord has come.

Realized eschatology continues to have strong influence in liberal churches that deny Christ's atoning death, his resurrection and his imminent return at the end of history as we know it. To them the purpose of Christianity and the church is to do good deeds, especially by working in the realm of politics and power to bring about societal change and equality. They have a different Gospel altogether. Their Gospel is basically that Christ died because he taught men to love one another. We are to follow in his path. As we do so, the kingdom of God is being realized now.

The young church in ancient Thessalonica also had a problem with the day of the Lord, but it was not Dodd's problem. Paul writes,

Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we ask you, brothers, not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by a spirit or a spoken word, or a letter seeming to be from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God. - 2Th 2:1-4 ESV

I'll take up their concern and Paul's response next time. Meanwhile know with certainty that the Scriptures do indeed teach that history has meaning and is moving toward the eschaton, the Last Day and Christ's return.

Jesus' Return Could Be Today!

A week ago I promised to explore with you how apostasy is THE SIGN of our time, the Sign pointing to the imminent return of Christ. But I got sidetracked a bit. This is because I'm currently serving as the Interim Pastor of a Lutheran congregation seeking their next pastor. And I'm finding again that parish work is quite demanding.

Anyway, it seems best to pursue the answers to the questions about the signs of Christ's return from Holy Scripture. So I turn to Paul's letters to the Thessalonians. The epistles to the Thessalonians are certainly two of the most ancient Christian documents in existence. They are typically dated c. 50/51 AD. They are universally accepted as authentic letters of Paul. We believe they were written by him from Corinth a few months after he founded a congregation there.

Thessalonica was located at the intersection of two major Roman roads, one leading from Italy eastward (Ignatia Way) and the other from the Danube to the Aegean. Thessalonica’s location and use as a port made it a prominent city. In 168 BC it became the capital of the second district of Macedonia and later it was made the capital and major port of the whole Roman province of Macedonia (146 BC).

Paul writes in the fifth chapter of his first letter these words: 

Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers, you have no need to have anything written to you. For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night (Matt. 24:43). While people are saying, "There is peace and security," then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief. For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness. So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober. - 1Th 5:1-6 ESV

I wrote in an earlier blog about the day of the Lord (masculine genitive):

. . . the Greek word for Lord—Kyrios—has two different ways of saying ‘of the Lord.’ When Kyrios ends with a feminine genitive (genitive means ‘belonging to’), it refers to the day of the week that particularly belongs to the Lord, Sunday. When it ends with a masculine genitive it refers to that final day when the Lord will return. That day is also his, of course. 

That Day of the Lord, the day of judgment when time as we now know it will end, will come as a thief in the night. However, for now, each Sunday is the Lord’s Day, the day when the church openly gathers to celebrate his first coming, to be blessed by his present coming in the Word and the Supper and to anticipate the Day of the Lord when he will return to complete the great work of salvation. On Sunday the church receives a foretaste of the marriage feast that is yet to come (Luke 13:28-30).

I also wrote about the many failed predictions of exactly when that Day of the Lord will take place. And indeed there have been many. You may even remember that back in 2010 there was quite a stir about that day happening in 2012. Perhaps if Paul were writing to us today he would say the same thing he said to his young Thessalonian congregation: "you have no need to have anything written to you, for you are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night."

A couple years ago I literally experienced that thief in the night when I awoke to discover my brand new generator had been stolen from my carport. Unfortunately I had not chained it down and the thieves had easy access. Needless to say, I learned an important lesson. Be prepared for thieves at all times. That's the same lesson Paul is pushing with the Thessalonians. Quit looking around for some sign about the when of Christ's return. Be ready at all times. It could be today!

Search Paul's letters and you will not find him talking about signs of Christ's return. He does speak negatively about the Jews seeking signs proving Jesus to be the Messiah:

For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, - I Cor 1:22-23 ESV

For the Jews the coming of the Messiah would mean that the time had arrived for their earthly kingdom to be restored by God. That in itself was a confused understanding of the Messiah's role, as Jesus pointed out to Pontius Pilate:

Jesus answered, "My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world." - Jhn 18:36 ESV

Instead of focusing upon some worldly kingdom, keep focused upon the true nature of Christ's kingdom and His imminent return, writes Paul. Remember who you are, children of light and not of darkness. Light is a common analogy for God's revelation in Christ and for those who have Christ living in their hearts.

Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." - Jhn 8:12 ESV 

"You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. - Mat 5:14 ESV

As the Lord said, darkness refers to the ways of the world and those who follow the prince of this world.

So Jesus said to them, "The light is among you for a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you. The one who walks in the darkness does not know where he is going. . . 

I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness. - Jhn 12:35, 46 ESV

This is why we don't need someone to write to us about times and seasons and about when Christ will return. We have the Light and we wait expectantly at all times for His return. It could be today! Even so, Come Lord Jesus! (I Cor. 16:22).

Apostacy—The Sign Of Christ's Return

In every age Christians have declared that the end of the age is upon us. Christ is certainly about to return. The signs are all there as proclaimed in the Gospels. Examples abound. Consider the LORD's words as recorded by St. Matthew:

As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, "Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?" 

And Jesus answered them, "See that no one leads you astray. For many will come in my name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and they will lead many astray. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are but the beginning of the birth pains. 

"Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name's sake. And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. - Mat 24:3-13 ESV 

OK,  the beginning of the birth of the new age has begun. But what is the sign of our LORD's coming? What is the sign of the end of the age? If not wars, famines, earthquakes and persecutions of believers, what then? Are false prophets and lawlessness? They are indeed. Apostasy is the sign!

Who can deny that false teaching and the apostasy or falling away from the faith Jesus predicted, started already in N.T. times? Consider how Peter and the other disciples deserted the LORD during His passion. And remember that an earthquake and signs in the heavens occurred during His suffering upon the cross (Matt. 24:29; 27:45). Further, read the Epistles and you see that the Apostles and their churches had to contend with enemies both outside and from within the bosom of the church.

Gnosticism was already rampant in the second century. That strange teaching with its many forms tore the church apart for hundreds of years. It remains very active in the modern world as these prophets separate creation from redemption and rely upon personal religious experience rather than God's Word!

The LORD Jesus prophesied apostasy, denial of the Trinity, salvation by good works and all the false teachings against which the Lutheran Reformation raged. Consider also how Jesus' predictions were horribly fulfilled in the rise of the false prophet Muhammed and what a challenge to the Christian faith this religion has become now in the 21st century.

In this connection I commend to you a 2012 book by Bill Hecht, Two Wars We Must Not Lose: What Christians Need to Know About Radical Islamists, Radical Secularists, and Why We Can't Leave the Battle Up to Our Divided Government. Hecht says that radical Islamist terrorists are committed to the destruction of America and they will not let up! The second "cultural war" began in earnest in the 1940s with the separation of church and state by means of the U.S. Supreme court's decision, Everson v. Board of Education. Hecht argues that such an absolute separation was never intended by the founders of the United States. These wars, says Hecht, we must not lose. If we do we will lose our country and the freedoms it has offered from its beginning.

The rejection of Scriptural authority is a prime accomplishment of secularists working from within the church. Among the so-called mainline protestant churches there is an almost universal adoption of the higher-critical method of Scriptural scholarship. In so doing these churches have capitulated to the Enlightenment of the 18th and 19th centuries. The old confessions of these churches are now useless. Things have so degenerated that when the World Council of Churches was founded it in 1948 it was unable to affirm even the mystery of the Blessed Trinity (see Henry Bettenson, Documents of the Christian Church, 2nd ed.). One must grant that recent revisions seem to suggest some kind of agreement upon the divinity of Christ and the reality of the Trinity, but don't press too far beyond the opening words themselves to documents published by the organization.

In these next weeks I will continue to review some of the things mentioned above and explore with you how apostasy is THE SIGN of our time, the Sign pointing to the imminent return of Christ.

Building On The Right Foundation.

What happens if you don't build properly? Here's a cartoon by Ed Stein I found in the December 12, 2008 issue of Rocky Mountain News that illustrates my point. Stein is illustrating the failures of the American auto industry and their desire to receive bailout money from Washington. In their case it seems they needed to rebuild and restructure their business practices in the light of the ever-changing world economy. Failing to do that, they faced collapse. Views on this issue abound.

Here's what Jesus says,

"Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it." - Mat 7:24-27 ESV

This is what the church has always taught. We must both hear and do the Word of our Lord Christ. Any individual, any church, any church body that fails to do that sets himself/herself up for failure. And the ultimate failure will come when the foundation is tested at the end of this age. In the verses just prior to those quoted, Jesus says,

"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?' And then will I declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.' - Mat 7:21-23 ESV

Who is a worker of lawlessness? And what is Jesus getting at? Just this. Everyone knows, in some sense, right from wrong. We come packaged that way. It is in our hearts. We know we are to love and worship God alone. We know we are to love and care for those around us.

But what is also in our hearts is the overwhelming desire to do it my way! and ignore our obligations to love and serve the Lord with all our heart, mind and will. Our natural focus is upon ME! That's called sin. When we hear God's Law revealed in Holy Scripture that sense of sin is deepened and sharpened even more. The primary purpose of God's Law is to reveal our hopeless condition. We are sinners and under judgment. There is no way out.

It is at that point that Jesus comes to us to tell us that He has carried the full weight of our sin in His body on the cross. "Give up on yourself!" He says. "I've already laid a new foundation for your life. Put your faith and your entire trust on Me! And then you will never need to be afraid and guilty again. From this point on, your life is built upon the Rock!"

This is why we are so very, very concerned about the correct teaching of God's Word. Anything taught, said or done that draws us away from that foundation must be rejected and denounced. This is why we will tell you not to commune at the Lord's Supper when we serve it in our public worship services. We insist that you hear us out first. We need to explain in detail why this central, vital, and overwhelmingly important teaching about Jesus Christ is critical. When you hear us out and agree, then we all know we are building together on the one and only foundation. Then we hold hands and kneel before our Lord and Master together. And we rejoice together as we hear Him say,

"Take and eat. Take and drink. This is My body and My Blood given and shed for you for the forgiveness of all your sins. Go in peace and serve Me!" 

The Great Family Gathering Awaits

This will be a quick post, because in a short time from now I will be joining the others of the family of my dear cousin Melvyn to give thanks for his life and to praise our Lord for keeping him in faith and now taking him to the glory of heaven and all that awaits us.

Several of you have posted comments on about the previous post. I am so thankful that my words offer comfort to you. One of you, a pastor, has asked permission to use what I wrote. And I gladly offer those words to you, dear brother, to use in any way that will bless your hearers and comfort mourners.

Last evening the family gathered--as so many do when a loved one is taken--and we had some great moments recalling events, getting better acquainted, catching up on what has been happening in our lives and rejoicing in the Gospel. This is one of the very important parts of the farewell time that a funeral is all about. All this reminds me again of what awaits.

We are a family in Christ, regardless of whether we have been born of the same mother and father. We are bound by blood, the blood of our Savior. We have been cleansed and purified by that great sacrifice. And so imagine what a great and wondrous gathering will take place on that Day when our Lord returns. What great catching up we'll have to be about. So many stories to tell, photos to share, hugs and kisses to give when we are all reunited again.

So you see that's another advantage to being called to a funeral at Christmas. We are again given a glimpse of what our Lord has accomplished and why it was so important for the CHILD to be born and laid in a manger. I can hardly wait for what is yet to come, but I shall and while I wait I shall give thanks.

The Wisdom of God

Earlier, I said I was reworking a study of 1 Corinthians. I've veered from that pursuit for a few weeks. I'd like to return to take a look at something Paul says in 1 Corinthians 2:

"For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified" (v.2).

Now that I have the Internet, I wander in fifteen directions, all at one twenty minute setting. Brilliant and learned people want to tell me how to live, what to eat, what magic drug or herb to swallow, what the future holds and who to vote for -- and none agrees with the other. So where does that leave me? Often vastly confused. For all the wisdom of this world, I might as well stay off the Net and toss a coin instead.

Now relate that to matters of the soul, the forgiveness of sins, faith in God and hope for eternity. Where do I turn?

Paul admits in this chapter that he wasn't much of a public speaker. He did not present himself as a brilliant philosopher. Instead he focused upon one thing: "Jesus Christ and him crucified." What's his point?

Behind each word in this phrase is a history recorded in Holy Scripture.

1. Jesus - The Gospels tell us the story of Jesus, his birth, his parents, his ancestry, the place of his birth, where he grew up and how he lived. All of this is critical to my life and yours.

2. Christ - The Greek equivalent of the Hebrew Messiah. Here is the story of the Covenant with God's chosen people, the long history of their belief and unbelief, culminating in the renewed promise to David that one of his descendants would reign forever. The Anointed King would come, said the prophecy, and set up an eternal kingdom.

3. Him crucified - But when He came, he was rejected by His own people. And yet, and yet, they could not thwart the plan of God, foreknown centuries before. The promised Messiah came and died, but God raised Him up on the third day and thus confirmed that Jesus of Nazareth is His Son. He who came once is coming again and when He does, He will raise up His children to live with Him in eternal glory.

This, Paul writes, is his message. This is profound, godly wisdom. Herein lies the wisdom hidden for ages, but revealed now in these last days.

When I am confused, troubled, muddled and overwhelmed by the so-called wisdom of the world, I retreat to this wisdom of God to find comfort in the truth of Jesus. He died upon the cross for me. He is coming again soon. When he comes I and all who put their faith and trust in Him will rise to live in perfected bodily life forever.

Heaven's Gate and Christ's Return

This past week I tried in vain to send a photo of last weekend's hot air balloon rise here in Pagosa Springs. The photo is owned by the Pagosa Sun and is indeed beautiful. Sylvia and I enjoyed the cool, bright morning and the bright balloons against the deep blue mountain skies of the Colorado Rockies.

Rhonda, a friend and fellow writer, suggested that I comment upon the serenity and contentment of the photo and the mountains. That got me to thinking about the experience of the ancient patriarch Jacob recorded in Genesis 28. Jacob was following his father Isaac's wishes to find a wife among members of the family who lived in the far northern plains. He went on his journey with God's blessings. As he went, he had a strange, wondrous dream about a stairway reaching from earth to heaven. Somehow he knew that angels were going up and down. When he awoke he said, "How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven." He responded with a prayer, committing himself to the Lord God. Then he erected a pillar and called the place Beth-El, Hebrew for House of God.

Many places of worship, colleges and seminaries, hotels, high schools, towns and villages, even marinas and flower shops from that day to now have been named Bethel. A Google search comes up with over eleven million sites. Do all these places believe they are the house of God? Probably not.

Enter into Google a search for 'Gate of heaven' instead and you come up with an even stranger list. First on the list are some cemeteries. These are followed by a reference to the cult named Heaven's Gate. Remember them from ten years ago? They were 40 people radically devoted to their leader, a former psychiatric hospital patient by the name of Marshall Herff Applewhite. He changed his name, simply calling himself DO. Over the years he gathered a small group to himself in a 9,000-square-foot mansion in Rancho Santa Fe that they called "the Monastery" and "the Craft." Members paid for it doing Web design and other technical services. You can read the details in the link provided above.

The Heaven's Gate cult committed suicide when the Hale-Bopp comet, the brightest celestial visitor to our solar system in a millennium, made, on March 22, 1997, its closest approach to Earth at 122 million miles. This was the sign they were waiting for, DO believed. Their alien spaceship was coming to pick them up. They were now to pass to the next evolutionary level. So they all helped one another wash down phenobarbital-laced helpings of applesauce and pudding with vodka and laid down to die. The lethal combination did its work painlessly and soon all were dead--except one.

A cult member by the name of Rio DiAngelo had been instructed by DO to stay behind. Rio left the group to work in Beverly Hills, CA. Five days after their mass suicide he received a FedEx package with a letter addressed to him, a press release, two videotapes on which were recorded DO's and the students' "Exit Videos," and a map to the house indicating which door they'd left unlocked. Rio found the decaying bodies in the house and reported the incident to the authorities. He was later interviewed by Diane Sawyer on Prime Time Live. DiAngelo remains a firm believer in DO's teachings to this day.

Over the centuries comets appearing in the skies have been connected to all kinds of tragic events. They have often been seen as signs. The background history of modern Jehovah's Witnesses and Seventh Day Adventists tells of the influence of comets appearing in the sky as signs foreshadowing Christ's return.

What does a believer in Jesus Christ do with all this bazaar information? The Bible's answer is clear. Be extremely wary of prophets who tell you to come here and go there. Jesus himself made it quite clear to his disciples when they too were tempted by the messianic fervor of their day. Many Jews were waiting for a sign to rebel against the Romans and start a movement that would lead to Israel's restoration as God's mighty kingdom on the earth. "What will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?" they pressed. "No one knows," Jesus replied. He then went on to say that the angels don't know. He did not know. "Only the Father knows," he said. (Matthew 24). Rather than getting all worked up about this, Jesus instructed his disciples and us to keep our eyes open, watch and wait. In the meantime we are to go about our duties, fulfilling our responsibilities and trusting in his sacrificial death and resurrection. The time of his return, the judgment of all mankind and the beginning of the new age will be revealed when the Father wills it.