The topic of eschatology, or the end times, has fascinated people for centuries. But what does the Bible say about this extraordinary subject? What future has God planned for his creation and his people? In this series, we examine what the Scriptures teach about the last days, including a variety of challenging topics, such as the afterlife, the general resurrection, and the consummation of Christ’s messianic kingdom in the new heavens and new earth.

Course Goals:

• Trace God’s goal for creation throughout history.
• Describe the present, intermediate and final states of human beings.
• Explore the final events of history from Christ’s return and the millennium to the new creation.

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This lesson looks at how God’s plan for history leads to the ultimate goal of completing his kingdom.

This companion video answers the following questions:

• What is eschatology?
• How did the Fall affect the created world? What was the initial state of creation like?
• Why did God give humanity the cultural mandate? What does the cultural mandate require of humanity?
• What is the significance of what theologians call the proto-euangelion in Genesis 3:15?
• How did the Old Testament prophets characterize God’s eschatological kingdom?
• How does the concept of the kingdom of God appear in the Old Testament?
• For the Jews in Jesus’ day, what was the connection between the Messiah and the kingdom of God?
• How did Jesus’ contemporaries distinguish between “this age” and the “age to come”?
• Why does God sometimes put conditions on his prophecies?
• What is inaugurated eschatology?
• What kinds of tensions do Christians feel during the overlap of “this age” and the “age to come”?
• What did Isaiah mean by the term “good news”?
• How will the creation experience God’s redemption?

This lecture considers how individual human beings experience the events of the last days.

This companion video answers the following questions:

• Is it fair for God to punish all human beings for Adam’s initial sin?
• Are the unregenerate morally able to please God?
• What is eternal life?
• When does eternal life begin?
• Are our eternal rewards in heaven based solely on Christ’s merit, or do our works count as well?
• What happens to believers at death?
• When we die, do our bodies stop being part of us?
• What is the intermediate state?
• Why should Christians today continue to believe in hell?
• How should believers respond to the doctrine of annihilationism – the belief that, at some point after death, unregenerate souls will cease to exist?
• How can a loving God send anyone, even his enemies, into eternal condemnation?
• Why is Jesus’ bodily resurrection such an indispensable part of the gospel message?

This lecture explores what the Bible says about Christ’s “second coming” and its relationship to events that lead to the end of the age.

This companion video answers the following questions:

• How do theologians distinguish between individual and general eschatology?
• Is Jesus coming back?
• Why is it necessary for Jesus to return?
• Is Jesus going to return physically or only spiritually?
• How visibly noticeable will the second coming be?
• What does Scripture tell us about the timing of Jesus’ return?
• What events must occur prior to Christ’s return?
• How should we interpret passages that predict events that must occur prior to Christ’s return?
• Can demonic and human opposition hinder God’s plans for the last days?
• What is your view on the rapture?
• Will the church be taken from this world prior to Christ’s return?
• Why do you believe that Scripture predicts a future revival for Israel prior to Christ’s return?
• Why do you believe that Scripture does not predict a future revival for Israel prior to Christ’s return?
• What are some of the millennial views that Christians have held throughout history?
• Why do you hold to a premillennial view of the millennium?
• Why do you hold to a postmillennial or amillennial view of the millennium?
• What are the major points of agreement between all Christians regarding the return of Christ and the millennium?

This lecture focuses on the last events of history that will finally end this age and fully consummate the age to come.

This companion video answers the following questions:

• What is the general resurrection of the dead?
• Why is it important that our future resurrection will be a physical resurrection?
• How did the Christian doctrine of the resurrection confront the Greek and pagan beliefs of the first century?
• How did Paul view the future resurrection of the dead?
• What is the relationship between Jesus’ resurrection and the resurrection of believers?
• Since we know our suffering will end when we die and our souls go to heaven, why should we look forward to the general resurrection?
• How similar will our resurrected bodies be to our current bodies?
• How can we say we will have resurrected bodies if they have already decayed in the ground?
• How can people that have never heard the gospel still be condemned in the last judgment?
• Given that all Christ’s enemies will be condemned in the final judgment, what attitude should we have toward unbelievers?
• How did the Old Testament portray the new heavens and the new earth?
• Will the current heavens and earth be destroyed in order to make way for the new heavens and earth?
• What will the new heavens and new earth be like?
• What benefits will we receive from being in God’s immediate presence in the new heavens and new earth?