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W.Cary Crampton, Th.D.,

WHATCALVINSAYS

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WHAT (j\LVIN SAYS ABOUT ESCHATOLOGY'Eschatology is the study of thedoctrine of "last things" (from the

Greek eschatos, meaning 'last"). Thisstudy is normally subdivided intoindividual (or personal) and general(or cosmic) eschatology. The formerexamines the phenomenon of deathand the intermediatestate, asitappliesto individuals.Thelatterstudie's those'- events which are to occur at the closeof hUman history; it includes themillennium, the general resurrectionand judgment, and the eternal state.Calvin's view ofeschatology (bothpersonal and general) is inextricablyrelated to his conceptofhistory. His isa dynamic view of history, whereinthe sovereign, predestinating God ofScriptureis dynamicallyinvolvecl,notonly in creatingall things, but also inprovidentially bringing all of historyto its appointed destiny (Institutes1:16:3).WiththefirstcomingofChrIstand the irnlption of the first phase of

His Kingdom into history, God hassummed upall things(CommentaryonEphesians 1:9,10). Now, like thatgreatstone which Danielenvisioned (2 :31-45), Christ'sKingdomisptogressivelyrolling along, crushing ou t the otherworld kingdoms, until it reaches its

ultimate state in glory (phase two).This Kingdom will have no end(Commentary on Daniel2:31ff.). (SeeDavidE.Holwerda,ReadingslnCalvin 'sTheology,editedbyDonaldKMcKim,pp. 311-314') Thus , we can say thatCalvin'seschatologyispredominatelyChristocentric .For him, the ~ a g eofChrist is the center ofall Scripture.

Individual EschatologyCalvin's doctrine of individual

eschatology is very orthodox. Manwas created uprightby God .IfAdamhad not sinned, he would have livedforever. But, at the fall, man, in Adam, .lost this status. The body now mustundergo physical death, and the sOul,which is immortal, spiritual death(i.e.,seParationfromthegrace of God)(Commentary on Genesis 2:16,17;Romans 5:12ff.).

Death, therefore, is not natural toman .ItisGod'scurseondisobedience.For believers, however, the curse isremoved. Theystill mustdie ,but theydie in Christ, who took the curse intheirbehalfCCommentaryonMatthew26:36-39; Hebrews 2:1Sr Death is,then, for c;hristian man, aconquered

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foe. In faith, he can face death,understanding its cursedness andacknowledging its judgment on sin;yet, in Cluist, hecan face it (and evenlong for it [Institutes Ill:9:4]) as ablessingtobedesired(RonaldWalIace,C a l v i n Dodrine OfThe ChristianLife,p. 266) .

At death, a man's body returns tothe dust and sees corruption/decay,but the soul enters into theintermediate state and maintainsconscioUShess. Here there is a vastdifferencebetweenChristianandnonChristianman. Commentingonjesus'parable of Ulzarus and the rich man,Calvin says, "The general truthconveyed is, thatbelievingsouls,whenthey have left their bodies, lead ajoyful and blessed life out of thisworld, and thatforthereprobate thereareprepareddreadfultorments, whichcan no more be conceived by ourminds than the boundless gloryof theheavens" (Commentary on Luke16:23).

Calvin's exegesis of this parablealso condemnS, either explicidy orimplicidy, "re-incarilation ," "soulsleep," "annihilationism," and"conditional immortality"(Commentary on luke 16:19-31). Asnoted in an earlier article ("Calvin theman"); Calvin's firstmajor theologicalwork, Psychopannychia, taughtinfavorof the inunortality of the soul, andpolemicallyrefuted the false doctrines.mentioned above. '

As seen, the intermediate state isone ''without body."The Bible viewsthis incorporeal .condition asunnatuijlL'For man was createdas anholistic being - body and soul. Andthe eternal state will be one in which

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men will once again be whole; theywill have, "the self-same [glorified]bodies ..which shall be united againto their souls forever" (WCF XXXII,2)(cf. Calvin, Commentary on 2Corinthians 5:1,2; In$titutes 1lI:25:1-7).

In this intermediate state, bothbelievers and non-believers await thefinal, general resurrection andjudgment which will occur at thesecond advent of Christ. It is on thisday that, "The bodies of the unjustshall, by the power ofChrist, be raised todishonour; [and] thebodies of the just, by HisSpirit, unto honour, andmade conformable to Hisown glorious body" (WCFXXXII,)). This final state ofthe righteous will be evenmore glorious than that ofthe intermediate state, whilethe state of the unrighteouswill be even far worse (d.Calvin, Institutes1ll:25 :1-12;Commentary on Matthew25:31-46).

Calvin's doctrine of personaleschatologycalled upon himtospendmuch time meditating on the futurelife (Le., living sub specie aeternitatis,"under the aspect of eternity"). By someditating, Christian man learns, notonly to live well, but to die well. Hewrites, "We are God's: let us thereforelivefor Him and die for Him . We areGod's : let all the parts of our lifeaccordingly strive toward Him as ourlawful goal" (Institutes III:7:!).

General EschatologyAccording to Calvin, the Bible

teaches that at His first advent, Jesus

Christ established His mediatorialKingdom. Yet, the Bible also teachesthat there is a future aspect to thisKingdom, whichwillbemanifested atthe second coming.Whereas the OldTestament viewed the comingKingdom as one undivided whole,the New Covenant reveals that thereare two stages. The first phase is theKingdom of grace, the second the.Kingdom of glory (Commentary onlsaiah2:2-4; 65:17; Matthew25:31).

This is Calvin's "already and notyet" principle of the Kingdom - aprinciple recognized by nearly allReformed theologians. POSitionally,the world has already beenredeemed(Col. 1 20; 2 Cor. 5: 17). But thecomplete expulsion of evil awaitsChtist'sreturningIory.History enteredinto its final days at the first adventCHeb. 1:1-3; Acts 2:16 ,17) .The timeof the consumation of the ages hasbegun (1 Cor. 10:11; Heb. 9:26). Yet,there is still the final stage to come -"the last day" (In. 6:39,40,44). Wenow live in the "presentage" (Gal. 1:4;2 Cor. 4:4), and await the "age tocome" (Heb. 2:5; 6:5).

In the interadventual period, thechurch is in the process of workingout the great commission ofMatthew28:18-20. The Kingdom of God isnow progressively advancing; theenemies ofChrist are being subduedunder His feet by the work of Hischurch. This Kingdom growth,according to Calvin, is making greatprogress toward the renovation of thewhole world. But this will not fullyoccur until the Kingdom of glory(Wallace, Op. dt., pp. 79,80; IanMurray, The PuritanHope,p. 40; Commentary onMatthew 24:29; Luke17:20).

Calvin is claimed byboth Postrnillennial andAmillennial advocates.Surely, a Prernillennial hewas not. This doctrine ofthe "chiliasts," Calvin saysis, "too childish either toneed or to be worth arefutation" (Institutes1Il:25:5; d. Commentaryon 1 Thessalonians4: 17).ClnhisDePsychopannychia,Calvin states that the first resurrectionspoken of nRevelation 20 :4-6 is, notaphYSical,but a spiritual resurrectionwhich occurs when the believer diesandhis spirit is raised up to heaven tobe with Christ. The secondresurrection, which is implied in the

passage, is a general resurrection atthe end of the age [Calvin's SelectedWorks, edited by Beveridge andBonnet, Vol. 1Il, p. 446].)

James Jordan has well describedCalvin's millennial view as that of"incipient Postrnillennialism" (TheCounselOfChalcedon, March 1981,pp.4-7). On the one hand, the Reformer,

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in a sermon on Isaiah 52:13-53:1,categorically dented,that the worldwould ever be fully Christianized,prior to the second advent. Neitherdoes he aver that Romans 11necessarily teaches afutureconversionof theJews (Commentary On Romansl1:l1ff.). On the other hand, he isvery optinli$tic regarding Kingdomgrowth.ln fact, the second generationofReformers, and the overwhelmingmajority of Puritans, taking their leadfrom Calvin's optimism, becamesttongadvocatesofpostmillennialism(cf. Greg L. Bahnsen, TheJournal OJChristianReconstrudicm,Wmter, 1976-77, pp. 69ff.).

common grace of God which theyexperience in the present age. God'sawesome wrath will be forever theirlot (Il1Stitutes 1lI:25:1-12).Calvin, as with many of theReformersandlatt;!"Puritans(cf.WCF

XXV,6; 1647edition) maintained that'the Papacy was the Anti-Christrefetred tobyPaul in 2Thessalonians2.VariousofthepastRornanemperors,and others, may have been AntiChrists of a fashion, but "the AntiChrist" was the Papacy. And, saidCalvin, the sixteenth century churchwaswitnessingthefulfillmentofpaul's ,prophecy with their own eyes.Nevertheless, the Reformer expectedThisoptirnismofKingdomgrowth., agreater success of the gospe!prior tocan be found in various of Calvin's the second adventof Christ. Thus, he

Commentaries. OnPsa1rn47,heclairns averred that the Word of God wouldthat Christ's Kingdom is to grow to have greatsuccess in the overthrow ofthe point where all nations will be Papal power, but the total expungingincluded. The same is true of his ofthis Anti-Christian force would notexposition of Psalm 72. On Isaiah " occur until 'Christ's second coming,60:9ff., he speaks of the whole world immediately subsequent to a time ofdoing obeisance to Jesus Christ; ,the great apostasy within the church, Kingdomwillbe greatly enlarged and (Commentary on 2 Thessalonians 2:3- 11).multiplied, through the preaching ofthe gospel. Yet, says the Reformer, Although Calvin did not hold totherewill always be opposition to the thedoctrineoftheirnnrinentreturnofKingdom(onPsalrnllO:l)(cf.jordan, " Christ, he did teach that a life livedOp.ciL). constantly focused on the second

As stated earlier, at the end of thispresent age, Christ will come again,will resurrect all mankind and sit asjudge of the nations (Commentary onMatthew 25:31ff.). On that day, thejustwill be raised unto a resurrectionof utter blessedness, but the unJustwill be raised unto dishonor, Thesheep and the goatswillbeseparated.This day is the "blessed hope" of allChristian men and women, but it isthat day when all of the ungodly willbe finally "cut off" from even the

advent would prevent apathy andslothfulness in Christian man(Cammentaryon2Peter3:9,lO).Here,once again, C a l ~ finds himself inagreement with the Westminsterdivines, who maintained that

"As Christ would have us to becertainlypersuaded that thereshallbea day of judgment, both to deter allmen from sin; and for the greatercOJlSQlation of the godly in theiradversity: so will He have that dayunknowntomen, thattheyrnayshake

18 TIlE COUNSEL ofChalcedon October 1991

off all carnal security, and be alwayswatchful, because they know not atwhat hour the Lord will come; andmay be ever prepared to say, CorneLord Jesus, come quickly, Amen"(WCFXXXIII,3),n

YESIT'STRUE!

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