©Dr. Jack L. Arnold Equipping
Pastors International, Inc.
Eschatological Systems
Part I—Views of Prophecy
Lesson 7
PROPHETIC TERMINOLOGY
Amils
and premils are in disagreement over basic Biblical terminology such as Òage,
Òend of the age,Ó Òlast days, Òthe latter days,Ó etc. These terms are basic to
a right understanding of prophecy.
They
believe that with the coming of Christ in His first advent, the world entered
into the last age or last days, and the church has been in the last days for
two thousand years. Some amils believe that we are nearing the end of the age
(the last days) and ChristÕs second advent is very near.
Postmils also believe the
church is in the last days, but this in no way means we are near the end of the
age, for the world must experience a golden age before Christ returns.
Premils,
however, believe that there is a cosmic (word) perspective to prophecy and
there is an eschatological complex of events, which begin with the first advent
and include events surrounding the second advent.
Amillennialism
Age
The
word ÒworldÓ (aion) should be
translated Òage,Ó which denotes a time period.
Two Ages
The
Bible divides up history into two distinct ages—the present age and the
age to come (Matt. 12:32; Eph. 1:21; Mark 10:29-30). It becomes quite obvious
that Òthe present ageÓ refers to time now on earth and Òthe age to comeÓ refers
to the eternal state. We assume that the present age began with the creation.
There
are only two ages in the Bible and there is no earthly millennium in between
them.
Creation
Present Age Age
to Come
Second Advent
According to Matthew 24:3, the disciples
asked the Lord Jesus, ÒWhat shall be the sign of your coming and the close
(completion) of the age (aion).Ó The context of Matthew 24 tells us that the Òend of
the ageÓ will come at the second advent of Jesus Christ.
The
Parable of the Wheat and Tares tells us that the second advent will end this
age (Matt. 13:24-30, 36-43).
Resurrection
Luke
20:34-36 says that a future age (Òthat ageÓ) will be ushered in by a
resurrection of the dead; in this case the resurrection of the just (true
believers).
Characteristics of the
Present Age
The
present age is evil (Gal. 1:4) and dominated by Satan (2 Cor. 4:3-4). Unsaved
men perpetrate the evil philosophy of this age (Eph. 2:1-2) and it is an age of
worry and anxiety (Matt. 13:22). The spirit of the present age is in conflict
with God and His purposes, which will only be finally realized in the eternal
state. Therefore, Christians are not to conform to the present age and are to
live for the age to come (Rom. 12:1-2).
The Length of This Present
Age
No
one but God knows for sure, but we know it has gone on for thousands of
years. There are a few indications
from the Bible that this was to be a long period of time. Jesus, when He gave
the Great Commission, told His disciples He would be with them Òeven unto the
end of the ageÓ (Matt. 28:18-20). It would obviously take a great deal of time
to evangelize the world (cf. Matt. 24:14).
Finality of the Present
Age
This
present age is the last and final age before the eternal state. 1 Cor. 10:11 says of Christians
that upon them Òthe ends of the world (ages) are come.Ó Christ has come and
ushered in the last days (Heb. 9:26).
Creation
Present Age Age to Come
Imperfect
Perfect
Indefinite
Period of Time
Resurrection Eternal
Last Days
Amils
and Postmils believe that Òthe last daysÓ and Òlatter daysÓ refer to this
present age only. They believe that the entire present age is the Messianic age
and it is divided by the first advent of Christ. Before the first advent of
Christ, men looked forward to Messiah who would come. Since the first advent and the Cross, men look backward to
the Messiah who has come.
Creation
Present (Messianic) Age Age to Come
Resurrection
- The coming of Christ in the first advent ushered
in the Òlast daysÓ (Heb. 1:2; Heb. 9:26; 1 Pet. 1:20).
- Unsaved are said to be in Òthe last daysÓ (James
5:3) and this was a first century letter.
- First century Christians are said to be living in
the last days (2 Tim. 3:1).
- The Day of Pentecost is said to have occurred in
the Òlast daysÓ (Acts 2:16,17) and that was two thousand years ago.
- First century Christians were warned about false teachers
who were then arising in the church. These mockers were arising in Òthe
last days.Ó (2 Pet. 3:3ff cf. Jude 18).
- Christians are said to be in Òthe last hourÓ in
the struggle with the spirit of Antichrist (John 2:18).
- All of the last days will end in Òthe last dayÓ
(John 6:40; 11:24) or Òthe last timeÓ (1 Pet. 1:5).
- Conclusion: Christians have been in the last
days since the first advent of Christ. Therefore, all prophecies referring
to the Òlast daysÓ or the Òlatter daysÓ in the Old Testament are spiritually
fulfilled in the gospel age of the New Testament (Gen. 49:1; Num. 24:14;
Isa. 2:2-4; Dan. 2:44; 7:13-14).
Premillennialism
Age
Premils
would agree essentially with the teaching that there is a Òpresent ageÓ and an
Òage to comeÓ (eternal state), but they believe that there is progressive
revelation in the New Testament about an earthly kingdom. The New Testament is
the final interpreter and if there is evidence from the New Testament about an
earthly kingdom then this evidence must be fit into the overall system. The
premil believes that there is an eschatological complex of events.
Rev. 20:1-6
The
premil assumes a normal, grammatical and historical interpretation of Rev.
20:1-6 and believe that the New Testament gives evidence for an intervening
period between the present age and the age to come and that is the millennium
(earthly reign of Christ).
Here,
we can only say that it is our
conviction that the Scripture teaches that before the final consummation
of GodÕs redemptive purpose, the earth is to experience an extended period of
our LordÕs glorious rule. The church age is the period of ChristÕs concealed
glory; the Age to Come will be the age of the FatherÕs sovereignty when Christ
delivers His rule to the Father and becomes Himself subject to the Father (1
Cor. 15:24-28) that God may be all in all. The Millennium will be the period of
the manifestation of ChristÕs glory. If the Age to Come is thought of as
existing Òbeyond history the Millennium will witness the triumph of GodÕs Kingdom
within history. (Ladd, The Gospel of the Kingdom)
Rev.
20:1-6 also declares by progressive New Testament revelation that the
resurrection of the just (believers) and unjust (unbelievers) will occur in two
stages (John 5:25-29). The just shall be raised at the second advent of Christ
and the unjust after the millennial period before the eternal state.
Most
premils see the millennium as a separate age and a few see it as a part of the
eternal state (cf. Culver, Daniel and the
Last Days). Whatever, it will
be an earthly rule of Christ over His sects. The
second advent ends history as we presently know it and begins a new phase of
history on earth (the millennium) that will extend into the eternal state. The
millennium, in many ways, is beyond our experience because we have never been
in an environment where Christ ruled supreme. and sin was at its minimum.
Age
to Come
Creation
Present Age Millennium
Resurrection of the Just Resurrection
of the Unjust
Other Arguments for a
Future Earthly Millennium
The
Old Testament taught a future earthly kingdom for this world with Christ
reigning supreme (Dan. 2:44; 7:13-14; Isa. 2:2-4). If the Old Testament taught
an earthly kingdom, there should be some hint of it in the New Testament.
Matt. 6:10: Jesus taught His disciples to pray,
ÒThy kingdom come. Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.Ó
Matt.
19:27-28: The Lord taught a
future regeneration when He shall sit on a throne and the Twelve Apostles shall
rule over the twelve tribes of Israel with Christ. This must be an earthly
scene.
Luke
22:15-18; 28-30: Jesus said He would not eat the Passover with His
disciples again until the kingdom comes which must be an earthly scene. Again
Christ tells His disciples that they will rule over the twelve tribes of
Israel.
Acts
1:6: The disciples, after
ChristÕs death and resurrection, asked Christ if He was now going to restore an
earthly kingdom to Israel. The Lord could have rebuked them and said that there
was no earthly kingdom for Israel, but He did not. Christ said, ÒIt is not for
you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authorityÓ
(Acts 1:7). In essence, Christ said that they were not to worry about the
earthly kingdom for God would take care of that in His own time and plan, but
until then, the disciples were to be witnesses for Christ to the uttermost
parts of the earth (Acts 1:8).
Acts
3:20,21: The Òperiod of the restoration of all thingsÓ most likely
refers to a future earthly kingdom because it was declared by the Old Testament
prophets.
Rom.
4:13: A Gentile who believes
in Christ is connected with the Abrahamic Covenant and is promised that he
shall be an Òheir of the world.Ó
Rom. 8:17ff: This passage states that the world
(earth) shall be redeemed only when the true believers receive their total
redemption which will take place at the second advent of Jesus Christ (Col.
3:4; 1 John 3:2). This passage clearly predicts a period of blessedness for the
created world after the visible glorious return of Christ.
Rom.
11:25-27: These verses teach
some kind of a future for Israel whether this is a return of national Israel or
a return of mass numbers of Jews. At or around the second advent of Christ
many Jews shall turn to Christ. This does not prove an earthly kingdom but it
lends support to it, especially if the promises to Israel in the Old Testament
are to be fulfilled.
1
Cor. 6:2-3; 4:8: This teaches
that someday Christians shall Òjudge the world.Ó This undoubtedly will happen
on earth.
1
Cor. 15:20-28: There is a
future time coming when Christ shall turn over the kingdom to God, the Father
(1 Cor. 15:24). This surely must include an earthly kingdom as well as a
spiritual one.
Eph.
2:7: This verse states that
Christ redeemed us by His grace that Òin the ages to come He might show the
surpassing riches of His grace in kindness towards us in Christ Jesus.Ó The
word ÒagesÓ is plural and this may include a millennial age as well as the
eternal state.
Rev.
5:10: This refers to believers
who Òwill reign upon the earth.Ó
Matt.
5:5: This verse says the meek
Òshall inherit the earth.Ó
Last
Days
There
is no question that the New Testament writers considered themselves in the last
days and that these days began with the first advent of Christ (Heb. 1:2; Heb.
9:26). From a broad cosmic perspective, they understood that the end of history
on earth had already begun; yet there was a complex of events. For instance,
the Apostle John did not deny that a literal Antichrist would appear on
the scene of history; yet, he did not deny that the spirit of Antichrist was
then in existence (1 John 2:18 cf. 2 Thess. 2:7-9).
In Acts 2:16-17, it cannot be proven for sure that all
these events happened as predicted by Joel (Joel 3:1-5) actually happened
on the Day of Pentecost. Some may wait for later fulfillment.
In
his great address on the day of Pentecost, Peter (Acts 2:16-17) said, ÒThis is
that which was spoken of by the prophet Joel, and it shall be in the last days.
. .Ó It should be perfectly clear that Peter does not declare that everything
predicted in Joel 3:1-5, the verses which he quotes, took place on the day of
Pentecost. On the contrary, he indicates (v. 21) that JoelÕs prophecy, the
fulfillment of which was initiated on the day of Pentecost, contemplates an extended
period of time during which men may Òcall upon the name of the LordÓ and be
saved. (J. O. Buswell, A Systematic Theology of the Christian
Religion)
If
an amil is willing to admit that the resurrection of the last day (John 6:40)
is the last event of the last day, then he too has a modified complex of
events. The premil takes this further into the tribulation, second advent and
resurrection, millennium and the final resurrection (Isa. 2:2; Mic. 4:1).
While
it is true that Christians are said to be in the last days (2 Tim. 3:1), we can
expect these evil characteristics to get progressively worse as we move on
towards the second advent of Christ.
Conclusion
The
cosmic perspective and complex of events is set forth by Buswell who says,
In
the following chart I have endeavored to indicate how certain Scriptures give a
Òwide lensÓ view, in Òcosmic perspective.Ó Thus I conceive that Isaiah 7:14,16;
9:6-7; 11:1-6 are passages which include events all the way from the birth of
Christ to the New Heavens and the New Earth; and that Matthew 25:31-46 refers
to events all the way from the rapture of the church to the Great White Throne
Judgment. The scope of such references in Òcosmic perspectiveÓ is to be
ascertained by comparison with other Scriptures. (See chart below)
Creation
Present Age Millennium
Great White Throne Judgment Resurrection of the Unjust
Resurrection
of the Just