Category: Eschatology

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Peter Gentry and Daniel’s Seventy Weeks

James Grant pointed me this morning to this interesting article on Daniel’s Seventy Weeks.

Peter J. Gentry, Professor of Old Testament Interpretation at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, has an article in the recentSouthern Baptist Journal of Theology titled, “Daniel’s Seventy Weeks and the New Exodus.” You can download the pdf here. He surveys the whole book and focuses upon Daniel’s Seventy Weeks. His conclusion:

The vision of Daniel’s Seventy Weeks, then, can be explained simply. It refers to a period of seventy sabbaticals or periods of seven years required to bring in the ultimate jubilee: release from sin, the establishment of everlasting righteousness and consecration of the temple. During the first seven sabbaticals the city of Jerusalem is restored. Then for sixty-two sabbaticals there is nothing to report. In the climactic seventieth week, Israel’s King arrives and dies vicariously for his people. Strangely, desecration of the temple similar to that by Antiochus Epiphanes in the Greek Empire is perpetrated by the Jewish people themselves resulting in the destruction of Jerusalem. These events are fufilled in the person of Jesus of Nazareth. He is the coming king. His crucifixion is the sacrifice to end all sacrifices and the basis of the New Covenant with the many. His death is “not for himself,” but rather vicarious. The rejection of Jesus as Messiah and desecration of him as the true Temple at his trial by the High Priest result in judgment upon the Herodian Temple carried out eventually in A.D. 70. The notion of a gap between the sixty-ninth and seventieth week is contrary to a vision of chronological sequence. The prophecy is remarkable both for its precision and imprecision as it fits the events concerning Jesus of Nazareth.

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Postmillennialism defined…

R.C. Sproul Jr. offers some helpful theological definitions for different eschatological positions. His definition of postmillennial eschatology is quite helpful:

…and the second most common view among the Reformed would be the postmillennial view. This view holds that Jesus will return after a golden age on earth (some seeing this golden age being an indefinite period of time, others seeing it as a literal thousand years). It affirms that the calling of the church, as the bride of Christ, is to be about the business of Eve with respect to Adam. That is, the first Adam was called to subdue the earth, and Eve was to serve as a help suitable for that work. The second Adam is now fulfilling that calling, bringing all things under subjection, and the second Eve, the church is to serve as a help suitable for that work.

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Heaven Misplaced

Douglas Wilson introduces his case for “historical optimism” by asking that the reader willingly suspend unbelief (10). Tolkien was once asked if he believed Middle Earth was real, to which he replied: “one hopes.” Wilson’s  Heaven Misplaced is a call to suspend unbelief. Unbelief in what? Unbelief that the knowledge of God will cover the earth before the Second Coming; unbelief that Jesus Christ will be the desire of nations before the end of this world. If one who is by nature a product of American evangelicalism is willing to suspend unbelief even to read such a short book, then it is at least possible that though not persuaded by the end, he may reply: “One hopes.”

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Guinness and Eschatology

Postmillennialists believe in the progress of the gospel. We also believe in the long-term societal effects of the gospel. Thus, it is not uncommon for certain Postmillennial institutions to make long-term plans. In reading through Mansfield’s excellent work on Arthur Guinness, he mentions that Guinnes’ managed to lease the property in 1759–where the Guinness brewery still stands–for 9,000 years. According to Mansfield, this was “one of the most unusual rental arrangements in history and it stands today as a symbol of Arthur’s exceptional business acumen (56).” Arthur’s wife, Olivia Whitmore, was pregnant 21 times, but miscarried eleven times. Guinness believed in the continual and generational influence of his business and beer; but, more importantly, he believed in the enduring gospel legacy and its effect, even 9,000 years later.

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Eschatology and the Church

Here’s an old Sunday School Lesson I did at Providence Church. It will accomplish three things:

a) Offer an introductory assessment of the differences between the CREC and other Reformed denominations.

b) Offer a broad overview of eschatology throughout Church History.

c) Offer helpful definitions and distinctions among the different eschatological positions.

AUDIO LINK

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Book Review of “Why the End is not Near: A Refutation of End-Times Hysteria”

9780975391464Why the End is Not Near! This is the emphatic declaration made by Duane Garner, Associate Pastor of Auburn Avenue Presbyterian in Monroe, LA. It is certainly a bold statement to make in light of the current majority opinion. If you are looking for a concise book to be read in sixty minutes defining and describing the eschatological system known as Dispensationalism, look no further! Duane has summarized the strange history of Dispensationalism beginning with a dream, then to Darby, and  Scofield.

The book presents an alternative. Pastor Garner offers an explicitly biblical response to this dangerous eschatology that has paralyzed the modern church. This alternative is an optimistic view of the future based on the promises of Yahweh throughout Redemptive History and fulfilled in the Messiah, the Christ, who ushered His Kingdom in the first century.

What’s unique about it?

There have been many large books refuting Dispensationalism; John Gerstner and Kenneth Gentry come to mind. However, their works are large tomes for the seminary student or the curious layman who has at least eight hours to invest, and further, it assumes certain knowledge of the subject. Helpful and extraordinarily insightful as they may be, these books are not for the simple. Duane’s book is for the layman who is new to the Reformation faith and stumbled upon this controversy he never knew existed. As Garner points in the book, there are some out there who believe that there are no other alternatives to the Rapture frenzy.

The other uniqueness of this book is that it touches on the political consequences of an eschatology of defeat. Pastor Garner pursues vociferously the inconsistencies of Dispensational advocates. On the one hand, they cry out for political justice. On the other hand, they are prophesying the doom of the land; a retreatist posture.

What is Dispensationalism?

Dispensationalism, as the author describes, “… is a system defined largely by its view of the end of the world and can hardly be described apart from it.” (15) With such a defined pessimistic worldview, one wonders what keeps them from selling all they have. Actually some have! Fortunately, the majority do not live consistently with their basic premise.

What’s so popular about this System?

Many have discovered the inherent flaws of this system. Their abuse of passages like Matthew 24 and Revelation are so blatant that it is hard to treat it with any seriousness. Yet, they enjoy the majority of popularity in this country. Michael Horton once wrote that every American has at one time been a “Teenage Dispensationalist.” The story goes that as they come to greater understanding they quickly move away from it. Dispensationalism is a distinctly American eschatology. Garner writes:

The popularity of the doctrine has permeated popular Christian thought so completely that an entire generation of evangelicals and fundamentalists is not even aware of any other way of reading the Bible, and is entirely unfamiliar with any opposing view of eschatology. (17)

The system boasts of some mighty eloquent and persuasive proponents. This may explain much of the popularity. Our only hope is that this small book will spark the interest of some to re-consider their position. Hal Lindsey’s books have made millions, but it has also deceived millions. How much false prophecy makes a false prophet? If this question were taken seriously, the answer would emerge forcefully. But people are merciful, and as long as an ideology fits their imaginative criteria, there is no such thing as a wrong theory.

Conclusion

Garner offers an eschatology of hope and not of fear; an eschatology that is not dependent on newspaper exegesis, but on the text of Scripture. The Psalms declare that the glory of God will cover the earth in time and history. This vision of the progressive increase of the glory of God throughout the nations is what led to the great missionary revivals of past centuries. It was the answer then, and it is still the only answer now. As Garner concludes:

Only with an understanding that the kingdom will one day cover the earth can the church consistently take on any task that will have any lasting value. (57)

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