This is the second in a short series of posts dealing with the proper interpretation of Old Testament Kingdom Prophecy (OTKP). If you’re new to this subject (or to my blog), you will want to read the essay with which I introduced the series (just click here).

My goal in this eschatological adventure is two-fold.

First, I want to open up something of the Christ-centered truth and beauty of OTKP to my brothers and sisters in the Lord.

Secondly, I want to reason a little with my premillennial brethren. In particular, I want to make the case that we will best understand, enjoy, and profit from OTKP when we see that its true sphere of fulfillment is: 1) Christ, 2) the New Covenant he instituted, 3) the two-staged spiritual Kingdom he has already introduced (but not yet consummated), and 4) the New Covenant community he is creating out of elect Jews and Gentiles: the Church.

In short, I would like my premillennial brothers to reconsider the amillennial approach to OTKP.

Since the end of the age will soon be upon us, it is important that we stand together as much as possible. Seeing eye to eye on eschatology would definitely help. These essays—and the book in progress from which they are extracted—represent my best effort at contributing to that worthy end.

Since the prophetic texts I deal with are quite long, I have not reproduced them here. You will need to bring an open Bible to each blog. My hope and prayer is that you will enjoy them all.

Psalm 2

This is the first of several royal or Messianic psalms (Psalms 2, 18, 20, 45, 72, 89, 110). As a rule, they feature an immediate reference to an earthly king, subtly blended with eschatological references to the coming Messianic King. Such is the case here. Psalm 2 has an OT fulfillment, presumably in the person of King David. But as the NT makes clear, it also has a far richer fulfillment in Christ (Acts 4:25-27, 13:33, Heb. 1:5, 5:5, Rev. 12:5). Here, I will focus exclusively on the Messianic meaning.

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Throughout much of 2011, I have been working on a new book called, The High King of Heaven: Discovering the Master Keys of Biblical Eschatology. As that fairly ambitious title might suggest, it has been a challenging project, and one that has kept me from the blogging I so much enjoy. But just recently, I got a bright idea: Since the sections of the chapter I am now working on are relatively short, why not post each one as a blog? And since that bright idea seemed bright indeed, I’m  starting today!

But first a little background. The part of the book from which these short articles are extracted deals with the proper interpretation of Old Testament Kingdom Prophecy (OTKP). As you may know, this is a theological hot-spot, surrounded by much controversy. At the risk of oversimplification, let’s just say that within evangelical circles there are basically two approaches to OTKP.

On the one hand, premillennarians  interpret these prophecies more or less literally, teaching that they will be (literally) fulfilled in a future one thousand year reign of Christ upon the earth (Rev. 20).

On the other hand, amillennarians interpret them more or less figuratively, teaching that here the Spirit uses OT language and imagery to speak “mystically” (i.e., in types and shadows) of a two-staged Kingdom of God, comprised first of the Church Era and last of the New Heavens and the New Earth.

On this view, Revelation 20 is not speaking of a future earthly reign of Christ, but of his present Heavenly Reign; a reign that began when he sat down at the Father’s right hand, and that will conclude at his Second Coming. The (unknown) duration of this reign is symbolized by the number of “divine completeness,” 1000 (10x10x10).

So, count me among the amillennarians.

And because I find that perspective so delightful, in the weeks ahead I will be offering short, amillennial interpretations of some of the most interesting, difficult, inspiring, and controversial OTKP’s. As a rule, these are great favorites of our premillennial brothers. My goal here is to help them—and all my family in Christ–to see that the amillennial approach gives a far more satisfying and edifying interpretation than the premillennial.

Three NT Principles For Correctly Interpreting OTKP

We must, however, begin at the beginning. We cannot simply plunge into the forest deeps of OTKP without the adequate preparation. No, before venturing in, we must be sure that we are thoroughly equipped with the proper method of interpretation. In particular, we must be sure that we are using principles laid down by Christ and the Apostles; NT principles of OT prophetic interpretation that will enable us to see the deepest layers of meaning intended by the Spirit of God.

 I want, then, in today’s blog, to set forth what I think are the three overarching New Testament (NT) principles necessary for a proper interpretation of OTKP. These constitute what I like to call the New Covenant Hermeneutic (NCH), the true NT method for interpreting OTKP. In examining these principles, I will mention a number of subordinate principles that properly fall under each heading, and also issue a few caveats that should further increase our appreciation for the subtle beauty of OTKP and the interpretive power of the NCH.

If you have your Bible in hand, we are ready to begin! 

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KEEPING OUR COOL AT THE END OF THE WORLD

“See to it that no one misleads you!”

Mark 13:5

  

I read it and groaned. Some poor soul, in anticipation of Christ’s return on May 21, withdrew his entire life savings and poured it into signage warning his neighbors of Judgment Day and the end of the world. Thankfully, he will live to regret it. God willing, he will live to learn from it, as well.

Why do so many saints fall for this kind of thing? You will reply, “Because they don’t take seriously Christ’s admonition that no one knows the day or the hour of his return”  (Mark 13:32). 

True enough. But actually, it’s a bit more complicated than that. That’s because for nearly a hundred years much of the Evangelical world has taken its eschatological cues from Dispensationalism, a system of theology that teaches that Christ will return not once, but three times: first, at the secret Rapture, when he removes his Church to heaven; second, at his Coming in visible glory seven years later, at the end of the Tribulation; and third, at the end of the Millennium, where he arises to the Last Judgment. (If your head is already spinning, learn from it: Does Jesus really want sheep with spinning heads?)

Now, please pay close attention. Dispensationalists say, “Yes, Christ and the apostles gave us lots of signs, signs by which the Tribulation saints can know that his Coming is near. But there are no signs to indicate the Rapture. It is ‘imminent.’ It could happen at any moment, without warning. For again, Christ gave us no signs by which to discern the nearness of the Rapture, only to discern the nearness of his Coming.”

Do you see how this plays into the hands of the date-setters? People get to thinking, “Yes, we cannot know the day or hour of Christ’s Coming, but maybe God has tucked away a secret code in the Bible, a code that some anointed end-time prophetic expert will crack, and so grace us with the knowledge of the day and hour of the Rapture.”

What I am saying is that the Dispensational eschatology is a fertile soil for deception; that it makes the saints vulnerable to every wind of eschatological doctrine, thereby exposing them—and the reputation of the Church—to serious loss.

But what if the classical Catholic and Protestant eschatology is true? What if the Bible teaches that Christ is going to come again ONCE at the end of the present evil age, to raise the dead, transform the living, judge the world in righteousness, and create new heavens and a new earth, the eternal home of the redeemed?

And what if Christ and his apostles have graciously given us a number of clear signs by which we can know, with absolute certainty, not the day or hour of his Coming, but that his coming is indeed at hand, even at the door? What a boon that would be! Then we could keep our eschatological cool right up to end of the world!

Well, check out 2 Thessalonians 2. The Thessalonians were going through precisely the same thing Mr. Camping’s followers are today. With regard to the Coming of Christ they had been quickly shaken from their composure, whether by a (demonic) spirit, a (prophetic) message, or a (phony) letter as if from the apostles, to the effect that the Day of the Lord had come (2:2).

So what was Paul’s antidote to the poison working its way through the Thessalonian system? In a word: SIGNS! He reminded them again of certain signs that HAD to occur before Christ would come; signs that would signal that his Coming really was near. And please note: In all this he did nothing more or less than what his Master done, carefully teaching the flock about the signs of the end, so that when things in the world got rough or spooky or tricky or hysterical, they would be well able to keep their cool (Mt. 24).

How I wish that the dear brother who cashed out his life savings had given me a call first. I would have said, “Dude, COMPOSE yourself! The Lord told us that he is coming back ONCE, and that before he does, certain key things HAVE to happen: The gospel must be preached to all nations (Mt. 24); the great mass of Jews must repent and turn in faith to their Messiah (Romans 11); a personal Antichrist must arise, and lead the entire world-system in a final battle against the Church (2 Thessalonians 2, Revelation 11, 19, 20). Have all those things happened? If not, put your money back in the bank. Better yet, dedicate a chunk of it to world missions.”

Saints of God, we have a good Shepherd. He leads his sheep beside still waters. He teaches them carefully, so that they will be calm, cool, and composed, even amidst the terrible tumults of the end times.

So then, in these last of the last days shall we not follow him?

For more, click here and here.


Dear Aunt Tracy:

The Great End Time Debate Clarified for Busy Homemakers

 

Actually, Aunt Tracy is my sister-in-law. However, she is indeed a most excellent and busy homemaker.

For that reason—and also because she is delving into Isaiah at Ladies Bible Study Fellowship—she asked me to write something SHORT on the question of the millennium (Revelation 20).

If you know me at all, you know I don’t do short. Nevertheless, I trust that the following letter—which was short by MY standards—proved helpful to her.

I post it here (with some non-short emendations) in hopes that it will also be of use to anyone else who may be looking for a brief introduction to the Great End Time Debate.

To take a look-see, please click here.