Module 7 - Eschatology

Eschatology is the doctrine of the Last Things. It looks unto the future, and on the basis of the teaching of Scripture, sets out what will happen in the future. Some people allow their imagination to lead them into fantastical speculation. But theology should always be sober and restrained, and based upon what God has clearly revealed. In trying to interpret prophecy, we must exercise a measure of caution, as it is notoriously difficult to interpret. When Christ came the first time, he took almost everyone by surprise. Although the Jews had the wonderful and detailed prophecies of the Old Testament, and they had a clear idea in their own minds what would happen, it didn’t turn out as they expected. As one writer put it, when Christ came the first time, they all got it wrong. So it will be when Christ returns the second time. Even the best works of theology would be found to be somewhat inaccurate.

Lessons

Lesson Number Title Summary
1 Introduction We now come to our final section in our Systematic Theology lectures. It will be ten lectures on Eschatology. Eschatology is the doctrine of the Last Things. It looks unto the future, and on the...
2 The Doctrine of Death Let us look first then at the origin of death. Death is not natural, in the sense that it was not there from the beginning. When God first created the world, it was full of life, and there was no...
3 Events Leading to the Second Coming There are three terms used in Scripture for the second coming of Christ. The first of these is “apocalypsis”, which means “revelation”. It has the idea of the removal of the veil, showing something...
4 Interpreting the Book of Revelation The book of Revelation has proved mysterious to many. It’s language and imagery are graphic. It’s quite different from other books of the New Testament, but there are similar parts of the Old...
5 The Jews There is one matter which is very important for us to consider when thinking of the events which must occur before Christ can return. Many Christian believe that the Jews, as a people, will one day...
6 Dispensational Premillenialism Dispensationalists view the Jews’ return to the land of Palestine, and the setting up of the na- tion of Israel as one of the most important conditions of the coming millennium. There are signs...
7 The Second Coming and the Resurrection When will Christ return? No one knows. Those who have tried to predict it have been proved wrong time and again. Even Jesus, when on earth, did not know when he would return. Obviously, as God, he...
8 The Judgement So what then is the purpose of the Judgment Day? It will change nothing. The destiny of each individual is already fixed at death. The purpose of the Judgment Day is to reveal God’s justice and...
9 Hell No doctrine is more unpopular today than the Biblical teaching concerning the everlasting punishment of unbelievers. Even evangelical churches are reluctant to proclaim that the unconverted will be...
10 Heaven Having dealt with the eternal state of the wicked, we now come to consider the eternal, everlasting bliss which lies ahead for the righteous. The Great Judge will say to the unbelievers, “Depart...