Chapter 10 · Eschatology
Eschatology
The Doctrine of Last Things
What Is Eschatology?
Eschatology comes from the Greek word eschatos meaning "last." It is the study of the last things. More than perhaps any other doctrine, eschatology is a field of wide and sometimes heated disagreement among Christians. This chapter surveys the major views without demanding you adopt one, while giving you the vocabulary to understand the conversation.
Whatever position you hold on the specifics of end times, the core convictions are non-negotiable: Christ is returning, the dead will be raised, there will be a final judgment, and God will make all things new. The details of how and when are debated; the that is not.
Death and the Intermediate State
What happens when we die, before the final resurrection? This is the question of the intermediate state: the condition of the soul between physical death and the general resurrection.
Grudem identifies the primary views:
Souls immediately enter the presence of God: Believers enter "paradise" (conscious spiritual existence with God) at death; unbelievers enter a state of spiritual punishment. This is the majority evangelical position. See Luke 23:43; Philippians 1:23; 2 Corinthians 5:8.
Purgatory: The Catholic view that believers who are not fully purified at death undergo a process of purification before entering God's presence. Protestants generally reject this as lacking biblical support.
Soul Sleep: The soul exists in an unconscious state between death and resurrection. Held by some traditions (Seventh-day Adventists). Critics argue it conflicts with passages like Luke 23:43 and Philippians 1:23.
The intermediate state is temporary. It anticipates the physical resurrection and the eternal state.
The Second Coming of Christ
The return of Christ is personal (He Himself returns), bodily (a visible physical return), visible (every eye will see), unexpected (no one knows the day or hour, Matthew 24:36), triumphant and glorious (not humble as in the first coming), and a singular event. Many hold that the Second Coming is a single, climactic event rather than a two-phase return (though the rapture debate complicates this, as we will see).
The Resurrection and Glorification
Grudem defines glorification as: "the final step in the application of redemption. It will happen when Christ returns and raises from the dead the bodies of all believers for all time who have died, and reunites them with their souls, and changes the bodies of all believers who remain alive, thereby giving all believers at the same time perfect resurrection bodies like his own." (Grudem)
The resurrection is physical and bodily, not merely spiritual. Unbelievers will also be resurrected, to face judgment (John 5:28–29; Revelation 20:11–15).
Millennial Views
The millennium refers to the "thousand-year reign" of Christ mentioned in Revelation 20. Three major positions:
Premillennialism: Christ will return before the millennium. His return is followed by a literal (or at least significant) period of His reign on earth, then the final judgment. There are two further divisions: Dispensational Premillennialism (God has a continuing unconditional covenant with national Israel, who will be present during the millennium) and Nondispensational (Historic) Premillennialism (less emphasis on national Israel; the church is the fulfillment of Israel's promises).
Postmillennialism: Christ will return after the millennium. A "golden age" is coming in which the gospel will transform the world: the Great Commission will be substantially fulfilled on earth before Christ returns. Some hold we are in this age now; others see it as a future era. An optimistic view of history and the church's mission.
Amillennialism: There is no literal future thousand-year earthly reign. The "millennium" of Revelation 20 is symbolic of the current church age, during which Christ reigns through His Word and Spirit. Less optimistic than postmillennialism; sees the church age as a time of both advance and suffering before Christ's return and the immediate inauguration of the eternal state.
Tribulation Views
Pretribulationism: Believers will be raptured secretly before a seven-year (possibly not literal) Great Tribulation. Jesus does not come all the way to earth at the rapture. Believers are caught up to meet Him. There is then a third coming after the tribulation. Closely tied to Dispensationalism.
Posttribulationism: Believers will go through the Great Tribulation. The Lord will preserve the church through it, not spare it from suffering. There is only one Second Coming. The rapture is understood as believers rising to meet Christ in the air and accompanying Him back to earth (using the Greek word apantesis: the custom of going out to meet a king and escorting him into your city).
The Rapture
The word "rapture" does not appear in the original Greek New Testament. It first appears in the Latin Vulgate translation. The concept comes primarily from 1 Thessalonians 4:16–17. Two broad understandings exist: (1) A secret removal of believers from the world, sparing them from the Tribulation, which requires a belief in multiple "second comings" of Christ; or (2) Believers rising to meet Christ in the air (like citizens going out to greet an arriving king) and returning with Him to earth in a single glorious event. The timing varies significantly across millennial and tribulational positions.
The New Earth
"Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away... And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, 'Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.'"Revelation 21:1–3 (ESV)
Regardless of the details of one's eschatological timeline, Scripture is clear: we are headed for a physical, embodied, renewed existence with God. This is not an escape from the physical world into a purely spiritual realm. It is the renewal and restoration of creation. New Earth Theology means that what we do here and now matters. Our work, our relationships, our communities are not ultimately discarded but redeemed.
Jesus is the prize of eternity, not our idealized concepts of perfection. It is the presence of Christ that makes eternity what it is. This is why the early church cried Maranatha, "Come, Lord Jesus" (Revelation 22:20).
Key Vocabulary
The doctrine of last things: studying what Scripture teaches about death, resurrection, the return of Christ, judgment, and the eternal state. From the Greek eschatos (last) + logos (study).
The condition of the soul between physical death and the final resurrection. Views include immediate presence with God (paradise), soul sleep, or purgatory. The intermediate state is temporary, awaiting bodily resurrection.
The view that Christ will return before a literal (or significant) millennium, a period of His rule on earth. Subdivided into Dispensational and Nondispensational (Historic) Premillennialism.
The view that Christ will return after the millennium, a "golden age" when the gospel transforms the world. Optimistic about the church's mission and the trajectory of history.
The view that there is no literal future thousand-year reign. The "millennium" of Revelation 20 symbolizes the current church age, during which Christ reigns. Final judgment follows immediately after His return.
The view that believers will be raptured before the Great Tribulation, sparing them from that period of suffering. Closely associated with Dispensational Premillennialism.
The view that believers will go through the Great Tribulation. God will preserve the church through suffering, not remove it from suffering. Associated with a single Second Coming event.
Grudem: "the final step in the application of redemption," receiving a perfect, resurrection body at Christ's return. The completion of salvation, uniting redeemed souls with redeemed bodies for eternity.
Aramaic phrase meaning "Come, Lord Jesus" or "Our Lord, come." Found in Revelation 22:20 and 1 Corinthians 16:22. An ancient prayer and cry of the early church expressing longing for Christ's return.
Key Scriptures
- Matthew 24:36
- John 5:28–29
- 1 Thessalonians 4:13–18
- 1 Corinthians 15:50–57
- Revelation 20:1–6
- Revelation 21:1–5
- Revelation 22:20
- 2 Peter 3:10–13
Review Questions
- What does the Greek word eschatos mean? What core convictions about the end times are agreed upon by virtually all Christians, regardless of their specific views?
- What is the intermediate state? List the three major views and briefly explain each. Which view does the majority of evangelical theology hold?
- Describe the three millennial positions (premillennialism, postmillennialism, amillennialism). What does each say about when Christ returns relative to the millennium?
- What is the difference between pretribulationism and posttribulationism? What does each believe about the church's experience during the Great Tribulation?
- What does Grudem mean by "glorification"? When does it occur, and what does it involve?
- What is New Earth Theology, and why does it matter for how we live now? What does it mean that we are headed for a physical, embodied eternity?