Chapter 07, Eschatology, Introduction to Eschatology

Introduction to Eschatology

            Up until this point we have discussed the basic nature of the theological task, the actual historical interaction which gives rise to Christian theological reflection in the first place, and the nature of God.  The reality of God has dominated this theology as God is indeed the source of all our reflection about God, about humanity, and about the relationship between the two.  Now, we are directing our attention away from God in the direct sense, though God is always the presupposition of this further discussion.  As we do so, some introductory statements are appropriate.

            Our first topic after our discussion of God is eschatology.  Eschatology literally means “pertaining to the last things.”  The topics covered in this chapter will be those things that the Bible speaks of as happening at the end of time as we know it.  It could be said that our interest in eschatology is rooted in the fact that it is in eschatology that we can see most clearly God’s final purposes for humanity and the created order. 

There are numerous promises that, though the kingdom of God has broken in to our world of space and time and is constantly pressing in on the present age, making us feel the tension between how things are now and what they will ultimately become, that final culmination of God’s purposes has not yet come.  By studying what God has proclaimed and shown us about this final establishment of the kingdom of God, we can achieve a degree of objectivity about what the church should be about now.  Indeed, this is why this topic is placed as the first of the chapters after our discussion of God.  By looking at what God has done and declares will be done, we can grasp something of how that implicates our lives, individually and communally, in this day and age.

A last comment of introduction is that this chapter will likely be somewhat controversial.  Eschatology has become something of a hot topic, especially among certain denominations and subcultures within Western Christianity.  There are those who would make eschatology a dividing line, insisting on a particular interpretation of the visions of the books of Daniel and Revelation.  It is not my intention to be overly speculative.  It is the aim of this chapter to explore the topics of eschatology that have been of primary importance throughout the entire history of the church.  Comparatively little will be said on the chiliastic debates (discussions on exactly how the “thousand years” of Revelation 20:4-5 are to be understood), which has become a major focus of discussion.  Each discussion will be rooted in what God has actually revealed in Christ and room will be left for the limits of our knowledge.  Where not enough information or clarity is present, the relevant considerations will be presented, even if a final position is not settled on.