THE ESCHATON: THE LAST DAYS ACCORDING TO JESUS CHRIST Chapter Summary Eschaton ...

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THE ESCHATON:
THE LAST DAYS ACCORDING TO JESUS CHRIST
Chapter Summary
Eschaton is the theological term that designates the period of time that immediately precedes and
includes the second advent of Jesus Christ, together with the events that will populate and
characterize that period of time. This term derives from the Greek adjective eschatos which
means last in the phrase “last days”, as found in Acts 2:17, 2 Timothy 3:1, Hebrews 1:2, James
5:3, and 2 Peter 3:3.
The whole motivation for diligence in practicing the mind of Christ in our lives and
ministries emanates from the teaching that one day Jesus Christ will return to gather
His elect unto Himself and judge all mankind for the things done in this life.
So important is this teaching that each of the three Synoptic Gospels includes a version of the
Olivet Discourse, which was given by Jesus explicitly to answer the disciples’ questions concerning
the signs that would signal the imminence of His return and of the end of the age. Matthew’s
version of the Olivet Discourse is especially noteworthy. In accordance with Matthew’s theological
agenda of presenting the kingly facet of Jesus Christ, he coalesces into a major discourse
teachings which, according to Luke’s more chronologically ordered account, were presented at
various earlier times in Christ’s ministry.
The message of Scripture concerning the last days is one of hope for true disciples of Christ.
While the judgments that will take place as God brings history to its consummation should strike
fear in the hearts of those who have not yet submitted to Christ’s kingly rule and become citizens
of His kingdom, those that belong to Him can face those days with confidence that we will be
protected from the outpouring of the wrath of God.
Learning Objective
The learning objective of this theological reader is to fully grasp and internalize the significance of
the second coming of Christ as the focus of our eternal hope in Him and the entire motivation for
faithfulness in our service to Him and for the advancement of His kingdom in the present.
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Introductory Comments
My teaching in this theological reader is based upon years of study and reflection upon the events
of the last days as revealed in Scripture. However, I am fully aware that godly men have arrived at
interpretations of the last days which are different from mine. While I present the discussion of the
last days in this chapter fully convinced that it is accurate and faithful to the teaching of Christ and
the apostles, I do not do so dogmatically. Instead, I invite reasoned discussion and debate in
the spirit of doing theology in community.
Before launching into an exposition of the teachings of Jesus Christ on the last days as presented
in the Olivet Discourse, allow me to briefly summarize each of the theological positions on the
times of the end. The seven principal views on the Eschaton are as follows:
(cid:103) Historicist
(cid:103) Futurist
(cid:103) Preterist
(cid:103) Amillennialist
(cid:103) Postmillennialist
(cid:103) Historical premillennialist
(cid:103) Dispensational premillennialist
The first major point of difference among these positions is whether the 1000-year reign of
Christ spoken of in the 20th chapter of Revelation is to be taken literally or figuratively.
Whereas both the amillennialists and postmillennialists adopt a figurative interpretation,
the premillennialists adopt a literal interpretation.
The second major point of difference is over the timing of eschatological events
prophesied in the Christian Scriptures. The historicists hold that these events began to
occur in the 1st century. The preterists go further by holding that all prophesied events
occurred in the 1st century, whereas the futurists hold that all prophesied events await a
future fulfillment at the end of the age.
In the paragraphs which follow I present a brief summary of each of these views, including
its history.
Historicist Position
The historicist position regarding the Eschaton holds that the prophecies in the Christian
Scriptures, including the Olivet Discourse and the Book of Revelation, pertain to the entire
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historical period from Christ’s resurrection until His second coming. That is, specific escha-
tological prophecies may have been partially fulfilled by historical events, and they will be
ultimately and completely fulfilled by events that take place near the time of Christ’s second
coming. In this regard, historical fulfillments serve as prototypes of ultimate fulfillments.
Features of the Historicist Position
The following parameters generally characterize the historicist position:
(cid:103) The year-day principle, meaning that a day of prophetic time is equivalent to a year of
actual or historical time.
(cid:103) The 3½ year period spoken of in the 9th chapter of Daniel has been fulfilled in history.
(cid:103) The Roman Pope is the Antichrist, the man of lawlessness of 2 Thessalonians 2:3ff, and the
beast arising from the sea of Revelation 13:1ff.
(cid:103) The terrible plagues of the 9th chapter of Revelation refer to the Muslim scourge.

By this list of theological parameters I am in nowise implying that all historicists embrace all of
these principles and beliefs; but only that this list serves to represent some of the theological
aspects of historicism.
History of the Historicist Position
In the book derived from his doctoral thesis, which is entitled The Final Prophecy of Jesus, Oral
Collins makes the following assertions concerning the historicist approach to interpretation of the
Book of Revelation: 1
This approach sees the Revelation as a forecast of the progress and destiny of the church in
its conflict with Rome and the Roman Antichrist forecast in Daniel seven. Its prophecies
pertain to events from the time of the New Testament church to the end-time consummation.
The approach is historical, not from the standpoint of the New Testament author, but from
the standpoint of the modern reader for whom much of the prophecy has already been
fulfilled. It focuses on the course of church history depicting the victory of Christ over the
Antichrist, the redemption of His bride, the church, the ultimate destruction of evil, and the
establishment of Christ’s everlasting rule at His second coming.
The historicist school assumes that the Revelation addresses the primary concern of the
persecuted church at the end of the first century – the destiny of the church under the
1 Refer to Collins (2007), p. 11ff.
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terrible Roman Beast of Daniel 7, and especially the predicted rise of the Little Horn
antichrist forecast in Daniel 7:8, 11, 20-21, 24-26.
The historicist approach to the Revelation was followed by not only by nearly all Protestant
interpreters during and for several centuries after the Reformation, but also by pre-
Reformation dissidents from Romanism, until Jesuit scholars in the late sixteenth and
seventeenth centuries gave rise to the futurist and preterist views. It was systematically
developed by post-Reformation Protestants, both premillennial and postmillennial, and came
to be called “the Protestant view.”
Oral Collins, himself, embraces the historicist school of interpretation. While the quotation above
is addressed to the Book of Revelation specifically, the historicist position applies also to the other
eschatological prophecies of the Christian Scriptures, especially those of Jesus Christ Himself in
the Olivet Discourse. According to Collins, the historicist school of interpretation is ancient, having
been embraced by the Church Fathers until the time of Augustine in the 4th century AD. As stated
in the above quotations, historicism continued as an important strand of eschatological teaching in
parallel with amillennialism introduced by Augustine, and futurism and preterism introduced by
Jesuit scholars, through the Reformation and Post-Reformation periods. In fact, Collins lists the
works of a number of scholars and theologians of the 19th and 20th centuries who promulgated this
view. Interestingly, historicism can be embraced by both pre- and post-millennialists without
compromise.
Futurist and Preterist Positions
Because the historicist position identified the Roman Pope with the antichrist, the Counter-
Reformation movement of the 16th and 17th centuries served up alternative eschatological positions
that were less offensive to Romanism.
The first of these was futurism, which was introduced by Ribera, a Jesuit priest and Counter-
Reformation scholar of the late 16th century AD. Ribera taught that all eschatological events after
the seal judgments of Revelation 6:1-8:5 prophesied in the Book of Revelation will occur during the
time period immediately preceding the second coming of Jesus Christ. In particular, a future
antichrist will arise at that time, and he will wage war against the saints in accordance with
Revelation 13:ff. In general, the futurist position teaches that eschatological events predicted in
the Christian Scriptures await fulfillment during the times of the end just prior to the second coming
of Jesus Christ.
The second of these postions was preterism; it was promulgated by Alcasar, a Jesuit priest of the
early 17th century AD. He taught that all eschatological events prophesied in the Christian
Scriptures had occurred by the end of the 1st century AD. In particular, the antichrist was one of
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the emperors of the pagan Roman Empire. In fact, R. C. Sproul identifies Nero as a 1st century
candidate for the antichrist, and he adduces objective evidence in support of this identification. 2
Amillennialist Position
The introduction of amillennialism is attributed to Eusebius (ca. early 4th century AD), who
promulgated this teaching on account of his distaste for a literal millennium. Augustine (ca. 354-
430 AD) further developed and articulated the position in his magisterial work, The City of God. As
the name implies, the cardinal teaching of the position is that there is no literal millennial
kingdom. The key tenets of the position are as follows:
(cid:103) A figurative interpretation of the 1,000 reign of Christ on earth predicted in Revelation 20:1ff
is adopted whereby this prophesy refers to the present reign of Christ over deceased saints
in heaven.
(cid:103) The binding of Satan according to Revelation 20:1-4 is interpreted figuratively whereby
Satan’s operations are limited on account of Christ’s resurrection victory.
(cid:103) The church replaces Israel as the embodiment of God’s kingdom on earth, and the
proclamation of the Christian gospel by the church will prevail. In particular, the kingdom
prophecies of the Hebrew Scriptures are being fulfilled in the church.
(cid:103) The arising of the antichrist and a 3½ - year period of intense tribulation will precede the
second coming of Jesus Christ.
(cid:103) Christ will return to execute judgment of all mankind and usher in His eternal kingdom.
Not only does this position overlook prophecies of the restoration of Israel, but it seems to
compromise the teaching of the Book of Revelation to the extent that it falls prey to the curse of
Revelation 22:18-19. Moreover, its teaching concerning the binding of Satan seems to be
contradicted by the clear teaching of the apostles – especially Peter and Paul – that Satan must be
strenuously resisted, and that he is presently prowling about like a lion, seeking someone to
devour.
Postmillennialist Position
As the name implies, postmillennialism teaches that Christ’s return will take place after a
millennial period. The roots of postmillennialism can be traced back to the Patristic Period –
2 Refer to Sproul (1998), pp. 186-189.
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especially the Alexandrian School with its distaste for literal interpretation. However, the devel-
opment and articulation of this position occurred mainly during the modern period – in particular,
during the 19th and early 20th centuries AD. Modern period proponents include Jonathan Edwards
(18th century) and Charles Hodge (19th century). The key tenets of the position are as follows:
(cid:103) A figurative interpretation of the 1,000 reign of Christ on earth predicted in Revelation 20:1ff
is adopted whereby this prophesy refers to the present reign of Christ over the church. In
fact, the church has replaced Israel as the embodiment of God’s kingdom on earth.
(cid:103) As in the amillennialist position, the binding of Satan according to Revelation 20:1-4 is
interpreted figuratively whereby Satan’s operations are limited on account of Christ’s
resurrection victory.
(cid:103) The Christian gospel by the church will prevail. This will take place to the extent that the
entire world will be transformed religiously, politically, and economically, and all peoples will
brought into submission to the righteous rule of Christ as king.
(cid:103) Just before the return of Christ, there will be a 3½ - year period of apostasy. During this
period, the antichrist will arise; he will wage war against the saints and bring about a period
of intense tribulation.
(cid:103) After this period of apostasy, Christ will return to execute judgment of all mankind and usher
in His eternal kingdom.
The postmillennialist position is based upon an overly optimistic view of the success of the church
in proclaiming the Christian gospel and bringing about a religious, political, and economic utopia
on earth. As the 20th century unfolded, and on account of two world wars, the postmillennialist
position came to be increasingly rejected.
Historical Premillennialist Position
Both the historical premillennialist position and the dispensational premillennialist position, to
which we turn next, embrace a literal interpretation of the 1,000-year reign of Christ on earth
predicted in Revelation 20:1ff. The principle difference between these two views is in regard to the
time when the gathering of the elect will take place in relation to Christ’s second coming.
Summary of the Historical Premillennialist Position
The key tenets of the position are as follows:
(cid:103) The 70th week of the 9th chapter of Daniel is embraced as a literal 7-year period that will
occur just prior to the return of Jesus Christ. At approximately the midpoint of this period,
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the antichrist will arise; he corresponds to the little horn of Daniel 7:8ff, the man of
lawlessness of 2 Thessalonians 2:3ff, and the beast that arises from the sea in Revelation
13:1ff.
(cid:103) Near the end of this 7-year period, the antichrist will cause an image to himself to be erected
in temple, and he will inflict a short period of intense persecution of Christians that will be
terminated by the return of Jesus Christ.
(cid:103) Upon His return, Jesus will gather His elect into a place of protection, and He will bring to
bear upon the wicked the day of Yahweh judgments, which have been prophesied since the
time of Enoch, the 7th generation from Adam.
(cid:103) After these judgments, Christ will usher in His 1,000-year rule over all the nations and
peoples of the world in accordance with Revelation 20:1ff and all the kingdom prophecies of
the Hebrew Scriptures.
(cid:103) The present church age is an interlude between the ending of Daniel’s 69th week and the
beginning of the 70th. During this period, the embodiment of the kingdom of God on earth is
the church of Jesus Christ, which is an integrated covenant community consisting of both
Jews and Gentiles.
History of the Historical Premillennialist Position
The theological tradition represented by this position originates with the early Church Fathers,
including Papius, Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, and Tertullian. After Augustine introduced his
amillennialist view in the late 4th century, the historical premillennialist position lost favor until the
Post-Reformation period in the 17th century. Principal among the modern proponents of this view
are George Eldon Ladd and Millard Erickson.
In contrast to the dispensational premillennialist position, the historical premillennialist position is
founded upon a careful reading of Christ’s Olivet Discourse, which provides a chronological
framework for reading and interpreting other eschatological passages. While this position
embraces the statement of Christ that we cannot know the time of His return in an absolute sense,
it also embraces His having set forth a progression of signs in the Olivet Discourse that will signal
its imminence.
Dispensational Premillennialist Position
Like the historical premillennialist position, the dispensational premillennialist position embraces
a literal interpretation of the 1,000-year reign of Christ on earth predicted in Revelation 20:1ff.
However, unlike the former position, this position teaches that a secret rapture event will occur
just prior to the beginning of the period of time represented by Daniel’s 70th week. As a result,
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Christ will physically remove the church from planet earth during the entirety of that 7-year period,
which is designated the tribulation period. Thus, according to this position, there are no
prophesied events that must occur prior to the postulated pre-tribulational rapture.
Summary of the Dispensational Premillennialist Position
The key tenets of the position are as follows:
(cid:103) Regarding the events predicted by Christ in the Olivet Discourse that will occur just prior to
His return, these predictions are relevant to the Jews, but not to the church.
In other words, according to the dispensational premillennialist position, the Olivet
Discourse was addressed to Israel and not to the church.
(cid:103) The 70th week of the 9th chapter of Daniel is embraced as a literal 7-year period that will
occur just prior to the return of Jesus Christ, this entire period being designated the
tribulation period. At approximately the midpoint of the period, the antichrist will arise; he
corresponds to the little horn of Daniel 7:8ff, the man of lawlessness of 2 Thessalonians
2:3ff, and the beast that arises from the sea in Revelation 13:1ff.
(cid:103) Near the end of this 7-year period, the antichrist will cause an image to himself to be erected
in temple, and he will inflict a short period of intense persecution of the Jews that will be
terminated by the return of Jesus Christ.
(cid:103) Upon His return, Jesus will gather His Jewish elect into a place of protection, and He will
bring to bear upon the wicked the day of Yahweh judgments, which have been prophesied
since the time of Enoch, the 7th generation from Adam.
(cid:103) After these judgments, Christ will usher in His 1,000-year rule over all the nations and
peoples of the world in accordance with Revelation 20:1ff and all the kingdom prophecies of
the Hebrew Scriptures.
(cid:103) The present church age is an interlude between the ending of Daniel’s 69th week and the
beginning of the 70th. During this period, the embodiment of the kingdom of God on earth is
the church of Jesus Christ, which is an integrated covenant community consisting of both
Jews and Gentiles.
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The Postulated Imminence of the Pretribulational Rapture Event
The fact that the dispensational premillennialist is absolutely convinced that no predicted signs
have been given to the church announcing the imminence of the pretribulational rapture event is
placed in evidence by the following quotation from Things to Come by J. D. Pentecost:
Many signs have been given to the nation Israel, which would precede the second advent, so
that the nation might be living in expectancy when the time of His coming should draw nigh.
Although Israel could not know the day nor the hour when the Lord will come, yet they can
know that their redemption draweth nigh through the fulfillment of these signs. To the
church no such signs were ever given. The church was told to live in the light of the
imminent coming of the Lord to translate them in His presence. 3
Immediately after this statement, Pentecost lists a number of Scripture passages, which of course
exclude the Olivet Discourse. The first two sentences in the above quotation obviously refer to the
Olivet Discourse, and they place in evidence that the dispensational premillennialist is convinced
that the Olivet Discourse is addressed only to Israel and not to the church. Let us analyze this
conviction by considering the following points:
(cid:103) Let us accept that the Gospel of Matthew is addressed primarily to a Jewish audience.
Does this mean, however, that it is not at all relevant to a Gentile audience as well? After all,
the immediate audience for Christ’s Olivet Discourse is clearly identified in the context as the
disciples. And He addresses His Great Commission to identically the same immediate
audience in accordance with Matthew 28:16-20. The Great Commission is generally
accepted as relevant to the church, and it has served as the principal motivation for the
modern mission movement pioneered by William Cary in the 19th century. If the Great
Commission in Matthew is relevant to the church, then why isn’t the Olivet Discourse in
Matthew also relevant?
(cid:103) Temporarily setting aside the relevance of Matthew’s Olivet Discourse to a Gentile audience,
what about Mark’s Olivet Discourse, which is an abbreviated form of Matthew’s? The
Gospel of Mark is generally accepted as having been addressed to a Greco-Roman
audience, and yet it identifies the same key sign – the abomination that makes desolate from
the 9th chapter of Daniel. Later in this theological reader, I place in evidence that the
abomination that make desolate will appear 45 days prior to Christ’s return to gather His
elect and bring judgment to bear upon the wicked.
(cid:103) In the 5th chapter of Paul’s 1st letter to the church of Thessalonica, he clearly teaches that the
Day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night to the unbelievers, but not to the believers.
Why? Because of the signs set forth by Christ in the Olivet Discourse.
3 Refer to Pentecost (1964), pp. 202-203.
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(cid:103) In the 2nd chapter of Paul’s 2nd letter to the church of Thessalonica he clearly sets forth the
order of events that will immediately precede the “coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our
being gathered to Him.” (2 Thessalonians 2:1). In other words, the church will be present to
witness the arising of the man of lawlessness or the antichrist. Therefore, the church will
suffer the intense persecution inflicted by the antichrist.
The chronological order set forth by Paul in his Thessalonian letters correlates perfectly with that
set forth by Christ in the Olivet Discourse and Daniel in his vision of the Seventy Weeks if we
accept that the gathering of the elect (Matthew 24:31) and the rapture (1 Thessalonians 4:16ff) are
the same event.
The dispensational premillennialist asserts that the restraining factor mentioned by Paul in 2
Thessalonians 2:6-7 is the Holy Spirit, who will remove Himself when the church is raptured by
Christ. However, the text does not require this identification. Moreover, the identification of the
Holy Spirit as the restrainer is contracted by the fact that the dispensational premillennialist also
teaches that multitudes of both Jews and Gentiles will come to faith during the tribulation period.
For this to take place, the abiding presence of the Holy Spirit during the entire 7-year
period is necessary.
I submit that the restrainer is the Archangel Michael identified in Daniel 12:1. Regrettably, most
English translations of this passage obscure what the Archangel Gabriel revealed to Daniel.
Following is the quotation of the passage from the HCSB:
At that time Michael the great prince who stands watch (= ÿamad) over your people will
rise up (= ÿamad). There will be a time of distress such as never has occurred since
nations came into being until that time. But at that time all your people who are found
written in the book will escape. [Daniel 12:1, HCSB]
As parenthetically noted, the lexical form of the Hebrew verb translated “stands watch” and “rise
up” is ÿamad. While “rise up” is a permissible translation in the second instance, a alternative
translation that better fits the context would be “stand aside”. Adopting this proposal for the sake
of argument, I propose the following more accurate rendering of the passage:
At that time Michael the great prince who stands watch over your people will stand
aside. There will be a time of distress such as never has occurred since nations came
into being until that time. But at that time all your people who are found written in the
book will escape. [Daniel 12:1, adapted from the HCSB]
With this rendering, the passage is seen to exactly correlate with Paul’s teaching in the 2nd chapter
of 2 Thessalonians.