NHNE (2)
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On Wednesday Nights, We’re Doing a Study on Eschatology
Eschatology = “The Study of Last Things”
What’s Going to Happen in the End Times…
When Jesus Returns…
At/After the Day of the Lord/Judgment?
I will Be Teaching the Eschatology that I Believe to Be Scriptural:
“Renewed Eschatology”
“Renewed Eschatology”
In Other Words, When Jesus Returns…
I Don’t Believe the Scriptures Teach…
That He is Going to Take Us to Heaven:
A Non-Material/Non-Physical Place
I Believe the Scriptures Teach that:
He will Resurrect All of Humanity
The Righteous will Receive Glorious, Immortal Bodies
He will Bring Fiery Judgment Upon the Unrighteous
In His Fiery Judgment, He will Cleanse the Earth of All Impurity
Then He will Restore All of Creation…
And the Righteous will Live Forever in that Renewed Creation
Even Though I Now Hold this Position to Be Scriptural & True…
I’m Still Going to Approach this Study with an Open Mind…
And Be as Fair as I can with the Non-Material Heaven View
This Study isn’t about Proving that I’m Right
It’s about Finding the Truth
(Mention Ms. Betty Smith Talking to Me Today)
I would Love to Go Ahead & Start Looking at…
The Scriptural Evidence for Renewed Eschatology
But that wouldn’t Be Helpful to Anyone
Here’s Why I Know that:
It wasn’t Helpful to Me When I 1st Started Studying this
We could Look at Scriptural Passage After Scriptural Passage…
Biblical Theme After Biblical Theme…
Theological Principle After Theological Principle…
But None of it would Matter to You…
Because it Didn’t Matter to Me When I Started Studying this
No Amount of Positive Evidence would Convince You…
Because You’ve Already Got Passages Swirling Around in Your Head…
That You Believe Completely Disprove Renewed Eschatology
I Know You Do, Because I Did!
So We’re Going to Start There
Only After We’ve Adequately Discussed…
All the Negative Evidence Against Renewed Eschatology…
Will We Begin Looking at the Positive Evidence for it
So, Over the Next Several Weeks…
Be Thinking of, Writing Down, or Texting Me…
Passages that You Believe Teach Against a Renewed/Restored Creation
Then We will Study Them Together
I’m Going to Call These:
Problem Passages
Problem Passages
We’ll Start with a Big One: 1 Thess. 4:13-17
This Passage Talks about Meeting Jesus in the Air & Being with Him Forever
This is One of the First Passages Most People Think about…
As Negative Evidence Against Renewed Eschatology
“See, Jesus isn’t Coming Back to the Earth!”
“We’re Going Up to Him!”
Well, Let’s Take a Closer Look at this Passage
But Let’s Get a Little Context First:
In Acts 17, Paul Only Got to Spend about 3 Weeks in Thessalonica
The Christians that were Converted There…
Only Got about 3 Weeks Worth of Teaching
They Still had a Lot of Questions & were Concerned about Some Things
One Thing They were Concerned about…
Was the Fact that Some of Their Christian Siblings had Died Before Jesus’ Return
They Thought Jesus was Coming Back Very Soon…
And They were Afraid that Those Who had Died Before His Return…
Were Simply Gone & wouldn’t Get to Enjoy the Eternal Reign with Jesus
This Passage is Paul’s Response to that Concern
But this Passage Also is Filled with Political Language & Overtones
Thessalonica was a Roman Colony
Paul’s Readers would have Been Very Familiar…
With the Technical Language of Roman Politics
Let’s Read the Passage & then Break it Down:
1 Thessalonians 4:13–18 (NASB95)
13 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. 15 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore comfort one another with these words.
1 Thessalonians 4:13 (NASB95)
13 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope.
Paul Doesn’t Want the Thessalonian Christians to Be Uninformed…
About What is Going to Happen to Their Dead Siblings in Christ…
Whenever Jesus Returns
He Wants Them to have Hope, Not Grief
1 Thessalonians 4:14 (NASB95)
14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus.
If Jesus Died & then Came Back to Life…
So will Your Siblings in Christ
1 Thessalonians 4:15–16 (NASB95)
15 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.
They were Worried that Their Dead Siblings…
Would Miss the Blessings of Jesus’ Return
Paul Says, “On the Contrary!”
“Your Dead Siblings will Experience the Blessings…”
“Before Those of Us Who are Still Alive at the Time of Jesus’ Return”
Essentially, Paul is Saying:
“Don’t Worry about Them!”
“They Won’t Be Left Out”
“They’ll Be Given a Place of Honor”
We See Some Important Language in These 2 Verses:
“The Coming of the Lord”
“Coming” = parousia
Scholars Often Refer to Jesus’ Return as “The Parousia”
In Ancient Time, the Parousia Often Referred…
To an Official Visit from a God or Emperor/King to a City
Roman Citizens, Like the Thessalonians…
Would have Been Very Familiar with a Parousia
It was a Time of Great Celebration…
Which, in Part, would Consist of a Great Shout of Acclamation…
And Trumpets Blasting to Signal the Arrival of the Important Official
This was All to Honor, Praise, & Welcome the Dignitary into the City
The Leaders & Officials of the City would Form a Delegation…
To Go Outside the City & Welcome the Dignitary
The Most Important Leaders & Officials…
Would Be the First to Meet the Coming Dignitary
All this Imagery would’ve Been Very Familiar to the Thessalonians
But it Doesn’t Stop There
1 Thessalonians 4:17–18 (NASB95)
17 Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore comfort one another with these words.
Both the Dead in Christ, Now Resurrected…
And Those in Christ Who are Still Alive…
Will Be Caught/Taken Up/Snatched Away…
To Meet Jesus in the Air
We Read the End of Verse 17 & Say:
“See, We Meet Jesus in the Air & We Stay with Him Forever”
“The Text Says Nothing about Jesus or Us Coming Back to the Earth”
That’s True, the Text Doesn’t Say Anything about Coming Back to Earth
But it Also Doesn’t Say Anything about Going to a Non-Material Heaven
In Fact, Paul Doesn’t Seem to Be Interested…
In Telling the Thessalonians Where They’re Going
He Simply Wants Them to Be Comforted in Knowing…
Who They will Be with:
They’ll Be with Jesus
And They’ll Be with Their Siblings Who had Died
But There’s One More Important & Political Word…
That Paul Uses to Describe the Parousia of Jesus:
“Meet” = apantēsis
This is the Word Often Used to Refer…
To Meeting an Important Dignitary…
And Welcome/Escort Them in
This is What the People would Do During a Parousia
They’d Go Outside the City to Welcome the Important Dignitary…
And then Escort Them into the City
We See this Specific Word Only 3 Times in the NT:
Matthew 25:6 (NASB95)
6 “But at midnight there was a shout, ‘Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’
In the Parable of the 10 Virgins…
They were Waiting on the Bridegroom to Arrive…
And When He Finally Did…
They were Expected to Escort Him into the Banquet
Acts 28:15 (NASB95)
15 And the brethren, when they heard about us, came from there as far as the Market of Appius and Three Inns to meet us; and when Paul saw them, he thanked God and took courage.
When Paul was Travelling to Rome…
Some Brothers in Christ from There…
Came Out to Welcome Him with Honor & Escort Him into the City
Each of the 3 Times apantēsis is Used in the NT…
It Means to Go Out & Welcome an Honored Visitor…
And Then Escort Them in
A Variation of apantēsis (hypantēsis) is Also Found Only 3 Times in the NT
One of Those Times it’s Found in the Parable of the 10 Virgins…
And is Synonymous with apantēsis
Another Place is in John 12:12-13
John 12:12–13 (NASB95)
12 On the next day the large crowd who had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, 13 took the branches of the palm trees and went out to meet Him, and began to shout, “Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel.”
This is the Parousia/Triumphal Entry of Jesus in Jerusalem
The People Went Outside the City to Praise, Honor, & Welcome King Jesus…
And Then They Escorted Him into the City
I Say All that to Say this:
This Passage Contains Some Very Good Evidence…
Not Against Renewed Eschatology…
But FOR Renewed Eschatology
The Roman Political Picture that Paul is Painting for the Thessalonians is:
Whenever Jesus (parousia) “Comes”…
His People will (apantēsis) “Meet” Him in the Air…
As a Beloved Savior King about to Enter a City…
And We will Welcome Him with Celebration & Praise…
And then Escort Him Back into the Earth
Paul’s Main Point is Who We’ll Be with…
Not Where We’ll Be Going
But Based Upon the Original Language…
And the Roman Political Imagery…
It is More Likely that Jesus will Be Returning to a Renewed Earth…
Than Us Going Up to Heaven
Any Questions?
Any Questions?
One of the More Frustrating Objections I’ve Heard to Renewed Eschatology…
Is that Those Who Believe it are “Worldly-Minded”
“People Who Believe that God is Going to Restore Creation…”
“Are Materialistic Lovers of the World”
“And the Bible Says Not to Love the World or the Things in the World”
They Get this from 1 John 2:15
1 John 2:15 (NASB95)
15 Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
John Says We Don’t have the Love of God in Us if We Love the World
And if You Believe the World was Created Good…
And that God is Going to Redeem/Restore it…
Then You Obviously have a Love for the World
I Do Love the World
And if You’re Being Honest, So Do You
Does that Mean God’s Love is Not in Us?
Understanding What John is Saying…
Depends on How You Interpret “World”
John Uses “World” Far More than Any Other NT Author
Sometimes He’s Referring to the Earth/Creation
But Many Times He’s Referring to Something Else:
The Fallen, Evil System that is in Rebellion Against God
“The World” is Synonymous with “This Fallen, Evil Age”
Romans 12:2 (NASB95)
2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.
Paul isn’t Saying:
“Don’t Be Conformed to the Earth/Creation”
He’s Saying:
“Don’t Be Conformed to this Fallen, Evil Age”
We can Know this is the “World” John is Talking about…
By Simply Reading the Next 2 Verses:
1 John 2:15–17 (NASB95)
15 Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. 17 The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever.
We’re Not to Love the World or the Things in the World
John Tells Us that What He’s Referring to is:
The Lust of the Flesh, Lust of the Eyes, & the Pride of Life
Those are the Things in the World
Is that All that’s in the Earth/Creation?
No
But it is All that’s in the Fallen, Evil System of this Age
We’re Not to Love this Fallen, Evil Age…
Nor the Things of this Fallen, Evil Age
This World/Fallen, Evil Age is Passing Away…
But Those Who Do God’s Will will Live Forever
John isn’t Talking about Creation
He’s Talking about Those Living According to this Fallen, Evil Age
This Bible Says Nothing about Not Loving His Creation
He Created All Things for Us
He Wants Us to Love this World…
Because it was Made Specifically with Us in Mind
Loving this World/Earth/Creation is Good, Not Wrong
In Fact, it’s Built into Us to Love it & Be Fascinated with it
And I Believe One Day it will Be Redeemed, Restored, Purified, & Perfected…
And We’ll Get to Enjoy it Forever & Ever
Any Questions?
Any Questions?