condensed theology, lecture 48, eschatology part 04

8/6/2019 Condensed Theology, Lecture 48, Eschatology Part 04

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Condensed Theology

A Primer in Systematic Theology


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Eschatology

What does the Bible teach aboutlast things?


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Review


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Review Redemption history is understood to unfold in two

successive ages: this present age and the age to come. This present age, characterized by sin and death and

that which is temporal and transient will come to an end.

The Second Coming of Jesus to the earth will mark the

end of the age. When he comes he will resurrect the just and unjust,

judge the believing and unbelieving in righteousness,and glorify the creation.

Jesus Second Coming will usher in the age to come, anage characterized by righteousness and life and thatwhich is permanent and everlasting.


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The Overlap of the Ages

The Already and the Not Yet


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When we say that Jesus will usher in the

age to come at the end of the age,

The implication is that the age to come is

exclusively future; This, however, is not true.

The age to come has already begun at the

same time that this present age isprogressing toward its end.


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This present age The age to come

The end of the age

The age to come

Th

eagetocome T

heagetoco

me


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Now Is the Time of Fulfillment


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The Overlap of the Ages:Fulfillment Is Now

Gal 4:4-5: But when the fullness of the

time came, God sent forth His Son, born ofa woman, born under the Law, so that Hemight redeem those who were under the

Law, that we might receive the adoption assons.

Mark 1:15: and saying, The time is

fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is athand; repent and believe in the gospel.


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Heb 6:4-5: For in the case of those who have

once been enlightened and have tasted of theheavenly gift and have been made partakers ofthe Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of

God and the powers of the age to come Heb 9:26: Otherwise, He would have needed to

suffer often since the foundation of the world; but

now once at the consummation of the ages Hehas been manifested to put away sin by thesacrifice of Himself.


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Eph 1:13-14: In Him, you also, after listening to

the message of truth, the gospel of yoursalvationhaving also believed, you weresealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise,

who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, witha view to the redemption of Gods ownpossession, to the praise of His glory.

2 Cor 1:22: who also sealed us and gave usthe Spirit in our hearts as a pledge.


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Gal 5:16-18: But I say, walk by the Spirit,

and you will not carry out the desire of theflesh. For the flesh sets its desire againstthe Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh;for these are in opposition to one another,so that you may not do the things that you

please. But if you are led by the Spirit, youare not under the Law.


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1 Cor 10:11: Now these things happened

to them as an example, and they werewritten for our instruction, upon whom theends of the ages have come.

Gal 1:4: who gave Himself for our sinsso that He might rescue us from this

present evil age, according to the will ofour God and Father.


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Fulfillment of What?


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The Overlap of the Ages:The Old Testament Hope

On the one hand, the answer to our

question, What is the fulfillment aboutwhich the NT authors write? is that

Now is the fulfillment of the end of theagewe enjoy a present experience ofthe end of the age.


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The Old Testament saints expected a bright future: A redeemer

The seed/offspring of Abraham

A prophet like Moses

A Davidic King

The Servant of the Lord

The son of man

The kingdom of God

The new covenant

The restoration of Israel

The outpouring of the Holy Spirit

The Day of the Lord

The new heavens and the new earth


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The expectation of a Redeemer

Gen 3:15: And I will put enmity Betweenyou and the woman, And between yourseed and her seed; He shall bruise you onthe head, And you shall bruise him on theheel.


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The Overlap of the Ages:

The Old Testament Hope

The expectation of the seed of Abraham

Gen 22:18: In your seed all the nations ofthe earth shall be blessed, because youhave obeyed My voice.


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The expectation of a prophet like Moses

Deut 18:15, 18: The LORD your God willraise up for you a prophet like me fromamong you, from your countrymen, you

shall listen to him.I will raise up aprophet from among their countrymen likeyou, and I will put My words in his mouth,

and he shall speak to them all that Icommand him.


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The Old Testament Hope The expectation of a Davidic King

Gen 49:10: The scepter shall not depart fromJudah, Nor the ruler's staff from between hisfeet, Until Shiloh comes, And to him shall be theobedience of the peoples.

2 Sam 7:12-13: When your days are completeand you lie down with your fathers, I will raise upyour descendant after you, who will come forth

from you, and I will establish his kingdom. Heshall build a house for My name, and I willestablish the throne of his kingdom forever.


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The Old Testament Hope The expectation of the Servant of the Lord

Isa 42:1-4: Behold, My Servant, whom I uphold;My chosen one in whom My soul delights. I haveput My Spirit upon Him; He will bring forth justiceto the nations. He will not cry out or raise His

voice, Nor make His voice heard in the street. Abruised reed He will not break And a dimlyburning wick He will not extinguish; He willfaithfully bring forth justice. He will not be

disheartened or crushed Until He hasestablished justice in the earth; And thecoastlands will wait expectantly for His law.


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The Old Testament Hope The expectation of the son of man

Dan 7:13-14: I kept looking in the night visions,And behold, with the clouds of heaven One likea Son of Man was coming, And He came up tothe Ancient of Days And was presented beforeHim. And to Him was given dominion, Glory anda kingdom, That all the peoples, nations andmen of every language Might serve Him. His

dominion is an everlasting dominion Which willnot pass away; And His kingdom is one Whichwill not be destroyed.


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The Old Testament Hope The expectation of the kingdom of God

Although the phrase kingdom of God is not used in the OT, The idea of a coming rule of the Lord is dominant.

Isa 9:6-7: For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the governmentwill rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, MightyGod, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. There will be no end to the increase of Hisgovernment or of peace, On the throne of David and over his kingdom, To establish itand to uphold it with justice and righteousness From then on and forevermore. Thezeal of the LORD of hosts will accomplish this.

Isa 24:23: Then the moon will be abashed and the sun ashamed, For the LORD ofhosts will reign on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, And His glory will be before Hiselders.

Dan 2:44: In the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom whichwill never be destroyed, and thatkingdom will not be left for another people; it willcrush and put an end to all these kingdoms, but it will itself endure forever.

Dan 7:13-14: I kept looking in the night visions, And behold, with the clouds of

heaven One like a Son of Man was coming, And He came up to the Ancient of DaysAnd was presented before Him. And to Him was given dominion, Glory and akingdom, That all the peoples, nations and men of every language Might serve Him.His dominion is an everlasting dominion Which will not pass away; And His kingdomis one Which will not be destroyed.


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The Old Testament Hope The expectation of the new covenant

Jer 31:33-34: But this is the covenant which Iwill make with the house of Israel after thosedays," declares the LORD, "I will put My lawwithin them and on their heart I will write it; and I

will be their God, and they shall be My people.They will not teach again, each man hisneighbor and each man his brother, saying,'Know the LORD,' for they will all know Me, from

the least of them to the greatest of them,"declares the LORD, "for I will forgive theiriniquity, and their sin I will remember no more."


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The Old Testament Hope The expectation of the restoration of Israel Jer 23:3: Then I Myself will gather the remnant of My flock out of all the

countries where I have driven them and bring them back to their pasture,and they will be fruitful and multiply. Isa 11:11: Then it will happen on that day that the Lord Will again recover

the second time with His hand The remnant of His people, who will remain,From Assyria, Egypt, Pathros, Cush, Elam, Shinar, Hamath, And from theislands of the sea.

Ezek 36:24-28: "For I will take you from the nations, gather you from all thelands and bring you into your own land. Then I will sprinkle clean water onyou, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness andfrom all your idols. Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spiritwithin you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give youa heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My

statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances. You will live inthe land that I gave to your forefathers; so you will be My people, and I willbe your God.


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The expectation of the outpouring of the

Holy Spirit Joel 2:28-29: It will come about after this

That I will pour out My Spirit on all

mankind; And your sons and daughterswill prophesy, Your old men will dreamdreams, Your young men will see visions.

Even on the male and female servants Iwill pour out My Spirit in those days.


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The Old Testament Hope The expectation of the Day of the Lord Isa 13:6-8: Wail, for the day of the LORD is near! It will come as destruction from the

Almighty. Therefore all hands will fall limp, And every man's heart will melt. They will

be terrified, Pains and anguish will take hold of them; They will writhe like a woman inlabor, They will look at one another in astonishment, Their faces aflame.

Isa 13:17-22: Behold, I am going to stir up the Medes against them, Who will notvalue silver or take pleasure in gold. And their bows will mow down the young men,They will not even have compassion on the fruit of the womb, Nor will their eye pitychildren. And Babylon, the beauty of kingdoms, the glory of the Chaldeans' pride, Willbe as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah. It will never be inhabited or livedin from generation to generation; Nor will the Arab pitch his tent there, Nor willshepherds make their flocks lie down there. But desert creatures will lie down there,And their houses will be full of owls; Ostriches also will live there, and shaggy goatswill frolic there. Hyenas will howl in their fortified towers And jackals in their luxuriouspalaces. Her fateful time also will soon come And her days will not be prolonged.

Isa 13:9-11: Behold, the day of the LORD is coming, Cruel, with fury and burning

anger, To make the land a desolation; And He will exterminate its sinners from it. Forthe stars of heaven and their constellations Will not flash forth their light; The sun willbe dark when it rises And the moon will not shed its light. Thus I will punish the worldfor its evil And the wicked for their iniquity; I will also put an end to the arrogance ofthe proud And abase the haughtiness of the ruthless.


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The expectation of the new heavens and the

new earth Isa 65:17: For behold, I create new heavens

and a new earth; And the former things will not

be remembered or come to mind. Isa 66:22: For just as the new heavens and the

new earth Which I make will endure before Me,

declares the LORD, So your offspring and yourname will endure.


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The Old Testament Hope Two Key Points

Jesus and the apostles as well as the writers of theNew Testament understood the promise of the futureoutlined in the Old Testament to be fulfilled in theperson, work, and ministry of Jesus (life, death, burial,

resurrection, ascension, Second Coming).

The promises of the Old Testament are fulfilled inJesus in an already and not yet fashion; that is, the

promises of the Old Testament involve inauguration(already) and consummation(not yet).


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The Kingdom of God


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The Kingdom of God Perhaps the best place to see the already and

not yet character of biblical eschatology is inJesus teaching on the kingdom of God/heaven,the central theme in his teaching.

Mark 1:14-15: Now after John had been takeninto custody, Jesus came into Galilee, preachingthe gospel of God, and saying, The time is

fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand;repent and believe in the gospel.


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The Kingdom Is Already


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The Kingdom Is Already Matt 11:7-14: As these men were going away, Jesus began to

speak to the crowds about John, "What did you go out into thewilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? But what did you goout to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Those who wear softclothing are in kings' palaces! But what did you go out to see? Aprophet? Yes, I tell you, and one who is more than a prophet. This isthe one about whom it is written, 'BEHOLD, I SEND MYMESSENGER AHEAD OF YOU, WHO WILL PREPARE YOUR

WAY BEFORE YOU.' Truly I say to you, among those born ofwomen there has not arisen anyone greater than John the Baptist!Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater thanhe. From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom ofheaven suffers violence, and violent men take it by force. For all theprophets and the Law prophesied until John. And if you are willing toaccept it, John himself is Elijah who was to come.

Mal 4:5: Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet beforethe coming of the great and terrible day of the LORD.


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The Kingdom Is Already Luke 16:16: The Law and the Prophets were

proclaimed until John; since that time the gospelof the kingdom of God has been preached, andeveryone is forcing his way into it.

Luke 17:20: Now having been questioned by

the Pharisees as to when the kingdom of Godwas coming, He answered them and said, "Thekingdom of God is not coming with signs to be

observed; nor will they say, 'Look, here it is!' or,'There it is!' For behold, the kingdom of God is inyour midst."


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The Kingdom Is Already Luke 11:14-22: And He was casting out a demon, and it was mute;

when the demon had gone out, the mute man spoke; and thecrowds were amazed. But some of them said, "He casts out demonsby Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons." Others, to test Him, weredemanding of Him a sign from heaven. But He knew their thoughtsand said to them, "Any kingdom divided against itself is laid waste;and a house divided against itself falls. If Satan also is dividedagainst himself, how will his kingdom stand? For you say that I cast

out demons by Beelzebul. And if I by Beelzebul cast out demons, bywhom do your sons cast them out? So they will be your judges. Butif I cast out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of Godhas come upon you. When a strong man, fully armed, guards hisown house, his possessions are undisturbed. But when someonestronger than he attacks him and overpowers him, he takes away

from him all his armor on which he had relied and distributes hisplunder.


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The Kingdom Is Not Yet


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The Kingdom Is Not Yet Matt 6:10: Your kingdom come.

Matt 7:21-23: Not everyone who says to Me,'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven,but he who does the will of My Father who is inheaven will enter. Many will say to Me on that

day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Yourname, and in Your name cast out demons, andin Your name perform many miracles?' And then

I will declare to them, 'I never knew you;DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICELAWLESSNESS.


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The Kingdom Is Not Yet Matt 26:29: But I say to you, I will not

drink of this fruit of the vine from now onuntil that day when I drink it new with youin My Father's kingdom.

Cf. 1 Cor 11:26: For as often as you eat thisbread and drink the cup, you proclaim theLord's death until He comes.


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The Kingdom Is Not Yet Luke 13:22-30: And He was passing through from one city and

village to another, teaching, and proceeding on His way toJerusalem. And someone said to Him, "Lord, are there just a fewwho are being saved?" And He said to them, Strive to enter throughthe narrow door; for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will notbe able. Once the head of the house gets up and shuts the door,and you begin to stand outside and knock on the door, saying, 'Lord,open up to us!' then He will answer and say to you, 'I do not know

where you are from.' Then you will begin to say, 'We ate and drankin Your presence, and You taught in our streets'; and He will say, 'Itell you, I do not know where you are from; DEPART FROM ME,ALL YOU EVILDOERS.' In that place there will be weeping andgnashing of teeth when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob andall the prophets in the kingdom of God, but yourselves being thrown

out. And they will come from east and west and from north andsouth, and will recline at the table in the kingdom of God. Andbehold, some are last who will be first and some are first who will belast."


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Conclusion


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Conclusion Redemption history is understood to unfold in two successive ages: this

present age and the age to come. This present age, characterized by sin and death and that which is temporal

and transient will come to an end. The Second Coming of Jesus to the earth will mark the end of the age. When he comes he will resurrect the just and unjust, judge the believing

and unbelieving in righteousness, and glorify the creation. Jesus Second Coming will usher in the age to come, an age characterized

by righteousness and life and that which is permanent and everlasting. The age to come has been inaugurated by the person, ministry, and work of

Jesus Christ in his life, death, burial, and ascension. We await the consummation of the age to come with the return of Jesus

Christ. Through our relationship with Christ we experience the blessings of our

future life now in the present time and await their consummation at the endof the age.

condensed theology, lecture 48, eschatology part 04

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