BIBLE STUDY – DAY ONE (JANUARY 7, 2011)



BIBLE STUDY – DAY ONE (JANUARY 7, 2011)

ESCHATOLOGY

THE STUDY OF ENDTIME PROPHECY

I. INTRODUCTION TO ESCHATOLOGY

A. Introduction

If one were to pick up any textbook on systematic theology, for example, “Lectures in Systematic Theology” by Henry Clarence Thiessen or “Basic Theology” by Charles C. Ryrie, one would discover that in all such textbooks the doctrinal components are laid out in pretty much the same order. These textbooks begin by presenting the three Persons of the Godhead, the doctrine of God the Father (Theology), the doctrine of God the Son (Christology), and the doctrine of God the Holy Spirit (Pneumatology). Following the doctrinal information on the triune God, the next doctrine presented is the doctrine of Angels (Angelology). Having completed the doctrines on the beings in the spirit realm, the doctrine of Man is then introduced (Anthropology). Man fell in the garden so the next doctrine discussed is the doctrine of Sin (Hamartiology). Alienated from God, man needs to be saved, so the next subject presented is the doctrine of Salvation (Soteriology). Once man is saved, he joins the church community, which is the focus of the next subject matter, the doctrine of the Church (Ecclesiology). Churched man must grow in his faith, therefore, the next doctrine presented is the doctrine of the Bible (Bibliology). And last but not least, tucked away at the end of every textbook on systematic theology, is the doctrine of Last Things (Eschatology).

B. Eschatology

Eschatology is that branch of systematic theology that deals with the consummation or fulfillment of all things. Eschatology is a theological term used to designate the doctrine of last things. The term “eschatology” comes from the Greek word eschatos meaning “last” and logy meaning “the study of,” and is defined in “Webster’s New Explorer Encyclopedic Dictionary” as “a branch of theology concerned with the final events in the history of the world or of mankind.”

Much has been written concerning the prophetic events that are to transpire in the “latter days.” Unfortunately, some of what has been written about these events can be categorized as just so much speculation and conjecture. Doomsday prophets and pseudo-scholars have exploited the biblical illiteracy, even among the body of Christ, concerning end-time prophecy, and have enriched themselves through the sale of sensational books and products.

Excellent commentaries have been written on the Bible books of Daniel and Revelation, some providing detailed exegetical and analytical presentations of these books, but by the same token, there are some commentaries that are unmistakably the products of fanciful imaginations.

Two quotations come to mind that are directly applicable to the authors of frivolous and non-biblically based works on future events. The source of the first quotation is unknown to the writer of this commentary. The second quotation is a quip from the pen of Mark Twain.

“Pious commentators have seen fit to increase the complexity of eschatological events with general doses of fantasy and rationalistic speculation.”

“The researches of many commentators have already thrown much darkness on the subject and it is probable that if they continue, we shall soon know nothing about it!”

It is incumbent on us as children of God to know the Word of God. Knowing the truth, particularly about end-time prophecy, will set us free from error-laden writings, which sow seeds of fear and confusion instead of generating hope and great expectation concerning the “glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13).

Biblical Prophecy

Approximately one-fourth of the Bible is prophecy, some has been fulfilled, and much remains to be fulfilled. All the prophecies concerning the first coming of Christ to the earth, His incarnation, ministry, death, burial, and resurrection were all fulfilled literally, therefore, as a child of God, I can rest assured, based on the sovereignty of God, that the biblical prophecies yet to be fulfilled, no matter how far-fetched they may seem, will all be fulfilled to the letter.

The eschatological events that we’ll be covering in this study are as follows:

1) Rapture of the Church,

2) Judgment Seat of Christ,

3) Marriage of the Lamb,

4) Tribulation,

5) Second Advent of Christ,

6) Millennium,

7) Great White Throne Judgment,

8) New Heavens and New Earth, and

9) New Jerusalem.

Purpose

The pivotal point of our study will be the second coming of Christ. The purpose of the book of Revelation, for example, is to highlight His second coming and to record the events that will transpire before and after His second coming. The ultimate triumph of Christ and His saints over Satan and his followers, as prophesied in the Word of God, ought to provide a message of encouragement, comfort, and hope to us living in these, the “the latter days.”

After this study, we should experience a deeper commitment to the Lord and to evangelism in light of the fact that difficult days lie ahead for mankind in general, particularly during a period called the “Great Tribulation.” Christians not only need to be ready for the coming of the Lord, but we ought to be concerned about those who don’t know Christ as Lord and Savior. The Church needs to be busy sharing the Good News of Christ in light of the catastrophic end-time events alluded to in the book of Daniel and vividly described in the book of Revelation.

Christ in the Book of Revelation

This book is the revelation of Jesus Christ. Christ is clearly the main character of the book. If the student has no clue as to what is in the Book of Revelation, then the student probably only knows Christ from the rest of the Bible as:

The Prophet of Deuteronomy 18:15,

The suffering Servant of Isaiah 52,

The slain Lamb of Isaiah 53, and

The Rabbi of Matthew 23.

If that is the case, then you are going to be blessed in this study because just in this book alone, Christ is going to be revealed to you as:

The High Priest of Revelation 1,

The Kinsman Redeemer of Revelation 5,

The Lion of the Tribe of Judah of Revelation 5,

The Bridegroom of Revelation 19,

The King of Kings and Lord of Lords of Revelation 19, and

The Righteous Judge of Revelation 20.

C. Second Coming of Christ

The pivotal point of the book of Revelation is the Second Coming of Christ. It is exciting because in this coming of Christ:

1. Christ will not be coming as a submissive lamb but He’ll be coming as the

powerful Lion of Judah.

2. Christ will not be coming to be judged by His enemies but He’ll be coming to judge the enemies of God as the Righteous Judge.

3. Christ will not be coming into Jerusalem humbly on a donkey but He’ll be coming into Jerusalem triumphantly on a white horse, symbolic of a conquering king.

4. Christ will not be coming wearing a crown of thorns but He’ll be coming wearing diadems, regal crowns, to rule as King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

II. PRINCIPLES AND METHODS OF INTERPRETATION

A. A Basic Outline of Eschatology

The study of the book of Revelation is a study of prophecy. More specifically, it is a study of eschatology, the study of last things. Eschatology proper begins with the sixth dispensation. The cross, which ended the fifth Dispensation of Law, also began the sixth Dispensation of Grace. The Dispensation of Grace is divided into two ages.

The first is the Church Age, which began at Pentecost and will continue until the Rapture. The second age is the Tribulation Period, which will last for seven years, and will be the last seven years of the Dispensation of Grace. Following the Tribulation and the Dispensation of Grace will be the seventh dispensation of the Messianic Kingdom for 1,000 years. Following the Kingdom there will be the Eternal Order: Eternity. This is eschatology in its basic outline.

B. Four Principles for Interpreting Prophecy

In order to study eschatology, we need to establish some basic rules, which are especially relevant to the interpretation of prophecy. There are four basic principles of interpretation which are keys to understanding the prophetic word as well as the whole Bible. The following four principles were formulated by Dr. David L. Cooper, the late director of the Biblical Research Society.

1. The Golden Rule of Interpretation

“When the plain sense of Scripture makes common sense, seek no other sense; therefore, take every word at its primary, ordinary, usual, literal meaning, unless the facts of the immediate context, studied in the light of related passages and fundamental truths, indicate clearly otherwise.”

Simply put, this law states that all biblical passages are to be interpreted exactly as they are read unless there is something in the text indicating that it should be interpreted in some other way rather than literally. If this rule is applied consistently, many errors in exegesis can be avoided. When the plain sense of Scripture makes sense, no other sense needs to be sought.

2. Law of Double Reference

The law of double reference observes the fact that often a passage or a block of Scripture is speaking of two different persons or two different events that are separated by a long period of time, but in the passage itself they are blended into one picture. The time gap between the two persons or two events is not presented by the text itself. The fact that a gap of time exists is known because of other Scriptures, though in the particular text itself the gap of time is not seen.

The application of this law becomes necessary in the interpretation of some Old Testament prophecies regarding the first and second comings of Christ. Often these two events are blended into one picture with no indication that there is a gap of time between the first and second coming of Christ. Zechariah 9:9-10 and Isaiah 61:1-2 are two passages to which the law of double reference applies.

Zechariah 9:9 – “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of New Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you He is just and having salvation, lowly and riding on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey.”

Zechariah 9:10 – “I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim, and the horse from Jerusalem; the battle bow shall be cut off. He shall speak peace to the nations; His dominion shall be from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth.”

Verse 9 refers to the first coming of Christ, while verse 10 refers to the second coming of Christ. These two comings are blended into one picture with no indication that there are two comings and that there is a separation between the two events.

Isaiah 61:1 – “The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me, because the LORD has anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;”

Isaiah 61:2 – “To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn.”

Isaiah 61:1-2 is another example of a passage where the law of double reference applies. Verses 1 and 2a refer to the first coming of Christ to the earth, while verse 2b refers to His second coming. Again, the two events are blended into one picture with no indication that there are two comings and that there is a gap of time between the two events.

When our Lord Jesus Christ visited His hometown of Nazareth, He went to the synagogue on the Sabbath and was asked to read from the scroll of Isaiah. Luke chapter 4 tells us that He read from this particular portion of Isaiah but left out the last part of verse 2, which reads, “And the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn.” Why did He leave this part out? – because ”the day of vengeance” has to do with His second coming. He read only the first part of this passage, which has to do with His first coming.

3. The Law of Recurrence

The law of recurrence describes the fact that in some passages of Scripture there exists the recording of an event followed by a second recording of the same event giving more details to the first. Hence, it often involves two blocks of Scripture. The first block presents a description of an event as it transpires in chronological sequence. A second block of Scripture dealing with the same event and the same time period follows giving further details as to what transpires in the course of the event.

An example of the law of recurrence is found in some passages in the book of Genesis. Genesis, Chapter 1, records the creation of Adam and Eve.

Genesis 1:27 – “So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.”

Genesis, Chapter 2, returns to the sixth day of creation and provides additional details concerning the manner in which Adam and Eve were created.

Genesis 2:7 – “And the LORD God formed man out of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.”

Genesis 2:22 – “Then the rib which the LORD God had taken from man He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man.”

Another example of the law of recurrence is found in the book of Ezekiel. Ezekiel 38:1-23 gives a complete account of a future invasion of Israel from the north and the subsequent destruction of the invading army. This is followed by the second block of Scripture, Ezekiel 39:1-16, which repeats some of the account given in the first block and gives some added details regarding the destruction of the invading army.

4. The Law of the Context

The law of the context states that a verse can only mean what it means in its context and must not be pulled out of its context. When it is pulled out of its context, it is often presented as meaning something that it cannot mean within the context. A good example for understanding the law of the context is Zechariah 13:6.

Zechariah 13:6 – “And one will say to him, ‘What are these wounds between your arms?’ Then he will answer, ‘Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends.’ ”

This verse is often used as a prophecy of Christ, as a messianic verse. Pulled out of its context, it does indeed sound like it refers to Christ. But let’s examine the context in which verse 6 finds itself and see if this verse is indeed a messianic verse.

Zechariah 13:2-6 – “ ‘It shall be in that day,’ says the LORD of hosts, ‘that I will cut off the names of the idols from the land, and they shall no longer be remembered. I will also cause the prophets and the unclean spirit to depart from the land. It shall come to pass that if anyone still prophesies, then his father and mother who begot him will say to him, ‘You shall not live, because you have spoken lies in the name of the LORD.’ And his father and mother who begot him shall thrust him through when he prophesies. And it shall be in that day that every prophet will be ashamed of his vision when he prophesies; they will not wear a robe of coarse hair to deceive. But he will say, ‘I am no prophet, I am a farmer; for a man taught me to keep cattle from my youth.’ And one will say to him, ‘What are these wounds between your arms?’ Then he will answer, ‘Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends.’ ”

Within its context (Zech 13:2-6), verse 6 is speaking of false prophets. So verse 6 cannot be a messianic verse; it cannot refer to Christ unless Christ is taken to be a false prophet. This is the danger of studying an isolated verse rather than studying the verse within its context. The common saying, “You can prove anything by the Bible” is true when this rule of interpreting a verse within its context is violated. Scripture should never be interpreted in isolation from its context. Careful thought should be given to the immediate context, the general context, and the context of the whole of Scripture. One Scripture will serve to cast light on other Scripture.

5. Summary

These are four basic principles, which if followed, will help us to understand the prophetic word as well as the entire Bible. Rules and technical methods of interpretation of God’s Word are fine but will not suffice unless we seek Him, who inspired the prophets of old to write these books. The Holy Spirit, who inspired the writers, will also illuminate and enlighten the eyes of our understanding of God’s prophetic word as we seek His guidance.

C. Methods of Interpretation

In our study of eschatology, we will be spending quite a bit of time in the book of Revelation. It is vitally important that we know that authors of commentaries on the book of Revelation generally adopt one of the following four approaches to the interpretation of the book of Revelation – the allegorical, the preterist, the historical, or the futuristic.

1. Allegorical

Allegorical interpretation, or the spiritualizing interpretation, or the idealist view, neglects the literal meaning of Scripture in favor of so-called spiritual meaning. Emphasis is placed entirely on a secondary sense so that the original words or events have little or no significance. The great problem of allegorical interpretation is that it is subjective. This opens the way for the interpreter to read into the words of Scripture whatever fanciful meaning might seem appropriate.

Be aware that every verse in the Bible has only one interpretation – the interpretation that the Holy Spirit meant it to have when He inspired the writer. Now, while a verse may have only one interpretation, it can have many applications. For example, from one verse, four different preachers can come up with four different messages or applications.

2. Preterist

The preterist approach, considers the book of Revelation as historical. The preterist view holds that John was referring to events of his own day, about A.D. 96. This view, in general, tends to destroy any future significance of the book.

3. Historical

The historical approach sees the events recorded by John as symbolically fulfilled through church history between Christ’s First and Second Comings. As new history has occurred, it has required a re-interpretation of the book. There is no reputable expositor that holds this position today.

4. Futuristic

The futuristic approach, while it may consider chapters 2 and 3 of Revelation as past, looks at the rest of the book as future. This is the view of Revelation that is generally accepted. It has the advantage of taking the book more literally than the other approaches, although it still recognizes frequent symbolism.

D. Languages of Prophecy

1. Literal Language

Language is the accepted medium that we use to convey our thoughts to one another. When a person wishes to express his mind, he uses the normal medium of language. When God wants to reveal future things, He chooses regular human language instead of an ethereal or heavenly one. God uses regular earthly language to communicate and that makes our task of interpreting the Bible so much easier.

Using literal language, each word is given the same exact basic meaning it would have in normal, ordinary, customary usage, whether employed in writing, speaking, or thinking. I’d like for us to look at a passage of Scripture to appreciate how plain and actual the language of prophecy can be.

“And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold of the dragon, that old serpent, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, and cast him into the bottomless pit” (Rev. 20:1-3a).

If we accept this passage in the literal sense, then whatever difficulties arise can begin to be resolved. The non-literal interpreter would stop you right here and say, “Wait a minute! Are you trying to tell me that Satan, who is a spirit, is going to be bound by material chains? Chains of iron and steel can’t bind a spiritual being!”

Well, first of all, the text does not say that the chain that will bind Satan is to be a chain of iron or steel or any other metal. It seems to me that this is a good time to introduce two theological terms to you, one exegesis and the other is eisegesis. The terms sound alike but they mean the exact opposite. Basically, exegesis means interpreting Scripture by reading out of Scripture and eisegesis means interpreting Scripture by reading into Scripture. To say that the chains of this passage are iron or steel is eisegesis, reading into Scripture, because it doesn’t say anywhere that metal chains are used. If I’m going to interpret this passage literally, then I must assume that the chains that are going to bind Satan are spirit-chains of some sort that can hold spirit-beings.

So in Revelation 20:1-3, I read in a literal sense that the Devil is chained and is thrown into a pit, and I have no exegetical problem with that. I keep on going. But there’ll be other Scriptures that I may read literally and find that it doesn’t make sense! In those cases the language being used is probably not literal language, but figurative language!

2. Figurative Language

We need to be aware that the Bible, like all other literature, uses figures of speech, like similes, metaphors, allegories, parables, hyperboles, etc. The purpose of figurative language is to impart some literal truth, which may more clearly be conveyed by the use of figures than in any other way. So in studying prophecy, the first problem we face is that of determining whether the language being used is literal or figurative.

“I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5).

Immediately upon reading this verse, we are aware that what is being said, is being said in a figurative sense, and not a literal sense. Christ is not literally a vine any more than we are literally branches. Thus, we can assume that the revelation of some truth is being put forth in a figurative sense. What is this truth? We understand it to mean that it is Christ who nourishes and sustains us. It is through Him that we bear spiritual fruit. As the branches (we) only bear the fruit; it is the Vine (Christ) that produces the fruit. Christ tell us in that passage that we can only bear fruit to the extent that we abide in Him, in His word, and in His love. Amen?

Interpreting something that is figurative as literal can get us in a heap of trouble. I’d like to give you an example from Scripture how something said using figurative language was interpreted literally and how it changed dramatically the course of people’s lives.

“Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day” (John 6:54).

When many of Christ’s disciples heard Him say this, they said to one another, “How can this be, eat His flesh and drink His blood?—the Law of Moses says we are to refrain from consuming blood. This is indeed a hard saying!” The Word goes on to say that these disciples “went back and walked with Him no more” (John 6:66). Why?—because they took something said in the figurative sense and interpreted it in the literal sense. Figurative language was interpreted as literal language and changed the course of people’s lives. Lives can also be dramatically impacted when literal language is interpreted as figurative language!

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