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.

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 that dispensationalism is beginning to lose its grip on the evangelical church, with criticism com- ing from Reformed theology, which has weakened the general attachment to dispensationalism. Great teaching centers for promoting dispensationalism, such as the large Dallas Seminary, are starting to modify and water down their dispensational theology, though the traditional views are still widely held by many Christians.

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