Models of Eschatology

This will be a resource page to accompany the study course. Check here for maps, images, links or other materials which will help explain the material covered in this blog.

Thanks to the good people at eBibleTeacher.com for making this map available of the seven churches of Revelation. Patmos, the island that John was exiled to at the time he wrote the book of Revelation is just to the left of the area in Asia Minor or modern day Turkey where the churches are located.

I’m inserting this map in thumbnail size. Just click on it to enlarge and click a second time to make even bigger.

Here is a link to page where you can see both Patmos and the seven churches on one map. Click on he green and red dots and you can see pictures and get much more info on these areas. Nicely done.

Follow the blue link below to a page on the seven churches of Revelation. You can view a 2 minute video, read a brief description of each church, and see other relate resources. Worth a look.

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This graphic illustrates how the leading model of eschatology has varied over time.

The Preterist model would have been the leading model during the time of the apostles and early Christians since they expected Christ to return in their lifetime. The comments of the apostles in their letters to the early churches indicate that they expect the imminent return of Christ. After the early days of Christianity the Preterist model is not widely believed; however, today you can see it making a come back as more people have taken an interest in this model recently. Its number of followers are rising  and it is  generating increasing numbers  of publications, media outlets, and interest at the scholarly level.

After the Preterist model the next model widely believed is Classic Premillennialism which was the leading model till the time of Augustine who spoke out against it in favor of Amillennialism and the church officially adopted his position at the Council of Ephesus and condemned the Premillennial view as superstitious. Amillennialism continued to dominate the eschatological marketplace until the Protestant Reformation when Protestants returned to a belief in Premillennialism and the Catholic Church stood by Amillennialism thus both models could a claim considerable number of followers.

In the Middle Ages a monk, Joachim of Fiore, is credited with creating Postmillennialism although this model never caught on till around the turn of the 20th century. Postmillennialism enjoyed a brief moment of considerable support with the increasing living standards brought about by the Industrial Revolution and the advances in science and medicine which were occurring at that time which made some believe that mankind was headed for a period of utopia associated with the millennial period. The spread of Christianity through the missionary movements to the far corners of the earth made it seem that the whole world would be come Christianized. The slaughter and destruction of World War I in large measure put an end to the feeling of any pending millennial utopia. If there was any remnant of this sentiment left after World War I the world wide Great Depression snuffed it out. It has not had a following of any size since then.

In the 1800s in England John Darby introduced his version of the Premillennial model known as Dispensational Premillennialism (the rapture is a part of this model). It had a limited following in England in the 1800s among the Plymouth Brethren and Darbyites, but in the early 20th century when introduced to the United States through the Scofield Study Bible it became the market leader in the United States in less than 100 years. A position it still enjoys today with a wide following in Fundamentalists and Evangelical circles. It may be waning now as more people gain an awareness of its controversial beginnings and the Preterist model gains wider acceptance again, but it is still the market leader in the United States and places where U.S. missionary efforts have been successful if not every where in the world.

The Preterist model of today that is gaining wider acceptance is doing so because people see it as the model which makes the strongest case for itself. There was a Preterist model that the Catholic church advanced during the Protestant Reformation, but it originated from an entirely different school of thought. It was more of a defensive measure.

The Geneva Bible produced by leading members of the Protestant Reformation was famous for its study notes and among them was a reference to the Pope as the Antichrist. The Catholic church was persecuting Protestants and many Protestants believed the Pope was the Antichrist. They couldn’t care less what leading Protestant thinkers who wrote the bible said about the Pope, they would have been happy just to burn them at the stake; however, they knew they were in a fight for the hearts and minds of the average Christian many of which were leaving Catholicism to become Protestants hence they needed a way to prove the Pope was not the Antichrist so if they claimed all the events of Revelation were past events then the Pope couldn’t have been the Antichrist.

This use of the Preterist model by the Catholic church is represented by the broken orange line.

I can’t identify precisely when the Idealism model came into existence, but there were theologians and religious scholars at least as far back as the Protestant Reformation expressing sentiments along these lines so it is safe to say the idealogical underpinnings of the model extend at least that far back although it has never been market leader.

The Continuous Historicism model was the one advocated by many Protestant believers during the time of the Protestant Reformation so its line starts then and continues until today with its advocates.

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This link will take you to the eschatology dictionary that I am creating as time permits.

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*Note: I have purchased the domain name Models of Eschatology.com so now all you have to do is point your browser towards modelsofeschatology.com to find this blog.

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Here are some interesting stories recorded by the Talmud and by ancient historian Josephus.

Since these could be associated with any of the models of eschatology I will put these stories on the resources page instead of attaching them to any one model.

This is a fascinating tale of the Talmud ( a book of commentary and discussions by Rabbis ) which coincides with the time of Christ’s crucification. One note of caution though the Talmud is not considered an official historical record so while fascinating not official history.

Jerusalem Talmud (Jacob Neusner, The Yerushalmi, p.156-157):

“Forty years before the destruction of the Temple, the western light went out, the crimson thread remained crimson, and the lot for the Lord always came up in the left hand. They would close the gates of the Temple by night and get up in the morning and find them wide open” — (Jacob Neusner, The Yerushalmi, p.156-157).

According to the Babylonian Talmud:

“Our rabbis taught: During the last forty years before the destruction of the Temple the lot [‘For the Lord’] did not come up in the right hand; nor did the crimson-colored strap become white; nor did the western most light shine (western candle in the menorah in the Temple sanctuary); and the doors of the Hekel [Temple] would open by themselves” — (Soncino version, Yoma 39b).

Ancient Jewish historian Josephus writes of the following interesting stories.

” Thus also before the Jews’ rebellion, and before those commotions which preceded the war, when the people were come in great crowds to the feast of unleavened bread, on the eighth day of the month Xanthicus, [Nisan,] and at the ninth hour of the night, so great a light shone round the altar and the holy house, that it appeared to be bright day time; which lasted for half an hour. (Note: they don’t know the source of the light !) This light seemed to be a good sign to the unskillful, but was so interpreted by the sacred scribes, as to portend those events that followed immediately upon it. At the same festival also, a heifer, as she was led by the high priest to be sacrificed, brought forth a lamb in the midst of the temple. Moreover, the eastern gate of the inner [court of the] temple, which was of brass, and vastly heavy, and had been with difficulty shut by twenty men, and rested upon a basis armed with iron, and had bolts fastened very deep into the firm floor, which was there made of one entire stone, was seen to be opened of its own accord about the sixth hour of the night. Now those that kept watch in the temple came hereupon running to the captain of the temple, and told him of it; who then came up thither, and not without great difficulty was able to shut the gate again. This also appeared to the vulgar to be a very happy prodigy, as if God did thereby open them the gate of happiness. But the men of learning understood it, that the security of their holy house was dissolved of its own accord, and that the gate was opened for the advantage of their enemies.” War of the Jews, Book 6.5.3

“Thus there was a star resembling a sword, which stood over the city, and a comet, that continued a whole year. Thus also, before the Jews’ rebellion, and before those commotions which preceded the war, when the people were come in great crowds to the feast of unleavened bread, on the eighth day of the month Xanthicus, (Nisan,) and at the ninth hour of the night, so great a light shone round the altar and the holy house, that it appeared to be bright day-time; which light lasted for half an hour . . .
“Besides these, a few days after that feast, on the one-and-twentieth day of the month Artemisius, (Jyar,) a certain prodigious and incredible phenomenon appeared; I suppose the account of it would seem to be a fable, were it not related by those that saw it, and were not the events that followed it of so considerable a nature as to deserve such signals; for, before sun-setting, chariots and troops of soldiers in their armour were seen running about among the clouds, and surrounding of cities.
“Moreover, at that feast which we call Pentecost, as the priests were going by night into the inner (court of the) temple, as their custom was, to perform their sacred ministrations, they said that, in the first place, they felt a quaking, and heard a great noise, and after that they heard a sound as of a great multitude, saying, ‘Let us remove hence’ ” (Wars, VI, v, 3).

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Here is a link to a discussion with three Southern Baptist scholars where they discuss how Southern Baptist view eschatology.

Southern Baptist and Eschatology

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You can read the bible in numerous translations and do key word and passage lookups at Biblegateway.org

You can listen to many well known preachers and bible teachers online through the broadcasts at Oneplace.com as well as access other biblical resources.

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Books on End Times, Revelation, and Bible Prophecy

Dispensational Premillennialism

Revelation Revealed by Hilton Sutton

The Antichrist by Hilton Sutton

The Late Great Planet Earth by Hal Lindsey

(Note although the original predictions in this book are out dated in regards to their timeline it still outlines a general scenario subscribed to by many dispensationalists)

Preterism

The Parousia by J. Stuart Russell

The Elements Shall Melt with Fervent Heat by Don Preston

70 Weeks are Determined for The Resurrection by Don Preston

Who is this Babylon? by Don Preston

Like Father Like Son, On Clouds of Glory by Don Preston

Behind the Veil of Moses by Brian L. Martin

Beyond the End Times by John Noe

Historicism

End Time Delusions by Steve Wohlberg

Postmillennialism

The Beast of Revelation by Kenneth Gentry Jr.

(Put in the Postmillennialism category because Gentry is considered in that category, but this book could also fit well in the Preterist category)

Rapture related

Pro Rapture

The Rapture Question Answered: Plain and Simple by Robert D Van Kampen

Prewrath Rapture of the Church by Marvin Rosenthal

Before God’s Wrath: The Bible’s Answer to the Timing of the Rapture by H.L. Nigro

Anti-rapture

The Rapture Exposed: The Message of Hope in the Book of Revelation by Barbara R. Rossing

Rapture: The End-Times Error That Leaves the Bible Behind by David B. Currie

 

I will be adding more books titles from time to time. The books listed here can found at Amazon or other online bookstores and often from the author’s own web site.

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Maybe one day I’ll do a section on competing music between the different models of eschatology or at least between preterists and futurists; however, the preterists have a lot of catching up to do before I can have musical battle of the eschalotological models.

In the mean time here is a great video from the futurist’s camp. No matter which model you prefer you are sure to get your toes tapping, blood pumping, and spirit rising by Paul Wilbur and his “Days of Elijah” video.

Kick back and enjoy a religious experience via the internet. There are numerous similar videos of this song and the template is the same in all of them. You need a strong singer to carry the video, a band, backup singers, an orchestra, an audience that is really getting into the spirit of the moment. Many people work off this template, but this gets my vote as the best of them all. The crowd is swaying, the flags waving, the banners flowing, the spot lights panning the audience and the cameras provide great sweeping, panoramic, vistas of the whole event.

It’s a true religious experience in a video. Enjoy!

 

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Here is a 5 minute video on evidence for the resurrection of Christ.