So what?

That may be the question you ask yourself as you find yourself on the second installment of Snakes & Airplanes. So what if there is eschatology? How does it pertain to me? Well, before that train of thought goes any further, it is important to consider that eschatology does have a purpose, especially in the life of a Christian. As mentioned in the previous post, eschatology provides the basis for practical Christian living. And, a correct, Christ-centered eschatology leads to a healthy outlook on the future; if it is not centered on Christ, it is not eschatology.

But part of developing a Christ-centered eschatology is knowing what to know. In the Church, notably in the West, Christian eschatology has two levels of understanding. First, there is the general, overall outlook on the future. Is the future going to be bright, or is it all downhill from here? Are we to stay on Earth, or be raptured? By contrast, the second level of understanding involves processing the perceived details written in Scripture, especially in the book of Revelation. What is the millennium? Who are the 144,000? Is the nation of Israel going to be restored? These are types of questions that Christian eschatology seeks to answer.

In this post, I will be addressing the first level of understanding by providing a list of the common eschatological perspectives held by the Church. Now, before I delve any further into this post, I do want to address a couple things. First, when it comes to explaining the different eschatological perspectives, my goal is informing, not influencing. Therefore, I will be even-handed in explaining each eschatological perspective. Second, my research is only cursory, not in-depth, so I can provide a basic overview of each perspective. To truly go in-depth requires tomes of books and years of study. Therefore, I will not be discussing the fine points of each perspective, just its basics. Finally, I will also be presenting at least one pro and con of each eschatological perspective.

To begin, there are four major eschatological views that are dominant in the evangelical church. These are futurism, historicism, idealism, and preterism. All four of these views center themselves on the book of Revelation, an epistle/book written by John in the first century. Revelation is a letter and book detailing the revelation of Jesus Christ given to seven select churches in the area. Revelation is also a book of the apocalyptic genre; it contains vivid imagery of the end times. In the book of Revelation, Jesus reveals to John and the churches things that must take place. Here's a look at some of Revelation's key passages:

• "This is the Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things which must happen soon, which he sent and made known by his angel to his servant, John, who testified to God’s word and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, about everything that he saw" (Revelation 1:1-2).

• "I saw that the Lamb opened one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures saying, as with a voice of thunder, 'Come and see!' Then a white horse appeared, and he who sat on it had a bow. A crown was given to him, and he came out conquering, and to conquer" Revelation 6:1-2).

• "Then I stood on the sand of the sea. I saw a beast coming up out of the sea, having ten horns and seven heads. On his horns were ten crowns, and on his heads, blasphemous names. The beast which I saw was like a leopard, and his feet were like those of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. The dragon gave him his power, his throne, and great authority. One of his heads looked like it had been wounded fatally. His fatal wound was healed, and the whole earth marveled at the beast" (Revelation 13:1-4).

• "The devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet are also. They will be tormented day and night forever and ever" (Revelation 20:10).

• "I saw a great white throne, and him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. There was found no place for them. I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and they opened books. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged out of the things which were written in the books, according to their works" (Revelation 20:11-12).

• "He showed me a river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb, in the middle of its street. On this side of the river and on that was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruits, yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations" (Revelation 22:1-2).

Though there are a myriad of different opinions, three things are clear: 1) Jesus is King, 2) there is persecution of God's people through the beast, which is presumed to be an antichrist entity, and 3) Jesus will return to set things right. That being said, let's take a look at the four major eschatological views and how each interpret Revelation.

1. Futurism

The first major eschatological view is futurism. This view holds that a majority of the events mentioned in Revelation are soon to take place in our time period. While futurists may acknowledge historical context, they believe that the events in Revelation are current or in the future. Futurists also believe in a literal interpretation of Revelation -- that is, Revelation's apocalyptic language should be taken literally. Futurists believe that the Beast mentioned in Revelation is a future antichrist, who is a deceiver and world leader. According to futurists, this antichrist will reign for seven years and thus persecute Christians. Some futurists believe Christians will be taken up into Heaven (or, 'raptured') with Jesus before the future antichrist reigns, but others believe that Christians will have to endure the seven years. Regardless, at the end of these seven years, Jesus will destroy the antichrist and establish His thousand-year reign. Famous futurists include John MacArthur, J. Vernon McGee, and founder Francisco Ribera. You can learn more about futurism here and here.

• Strength: Because they believe that Jesus is coming soon, futurists prioritize evangelism. 

• Weakness: Futurism relies on the interpretation of current events to match up with the Bible, thus becoming a 'newspaper eschatology'; the misinterpretation of Scripture or current events may lead to unhealthy extremes.

2. Historicism

The second major eschatological view is historicism. This view holds that most of the events mentioned in Revelation have unfolded throughout history and that Jesus will return once again. Historicists believe that the Beast (Revelation 13) is none other than the papacy and the Holy Roman Empire. Up until the mid-1800's, historicism was a prevalent view among Christians, especially during the Protestant Reformation. Famous historicists include Martin Luther, John Calvin, Sir Isaac Newton, Adam Clark, Albert Barnes, and John Gill. Today, historicism has fell out of favor with the Western evangelical church and thus is a minority view. You can learn more about historicism here.

• Strength: Historicism correctly connect the events of Revelation with the general flow of history, with special recognition of the papacy as the Beast, and have the general hope of the Second Coming.

• Weakness: Historicism only identifies the Beast as the papacy and thus fails to take into account other antichrist entities.

3. Idealism

The third major eschatological view is idealism. Idealists view the Beast as any powerful entity that is anti-Christ (i.e., the government). Idealists also view the events in Revelation to be a reoccurring fulfillment through general conflict between Christ and Satan. Still, idealists expect the second coming of Jesus, who will destroy Satan and all evil. Though idealism is also a minority view, it can trace its roots back to historicism.

• Strengths: Idealists understand that throughout every age, there is a struggle between God's people and the forces of Satan. Idealists also have a general hope in the Second Coming.

• Weakness: If left unchecked, idealism can become a 'wax nose' with its seemingly-allegorical approach, forming a perspective of the end times into whatever a Christian wants it to be.

4. Preterism

The fourth and final eschatological view is Preterism. Unlike the three previous views, preterism exists as a 'spectrum' view. On one end of the spectrum is partial preterism. Partial preterists believe that a majority of Revelation's prophecies have been fulfilled through the fall of Rome or Jerusalem, but still hope in Jesus' Second Coming. In the middle is preterism, which holds a similar eschatological view to partial preterists but believe that the events in Revelation 20-22 are in the future. On the other end of the spectrum is full preterism, which holds that all the events in Revelation, including Jesus' Second Coming, has already happened. For all preterists, the Beast is the Roman Empire. Preterism or partial preterism is also one of the common eschatological views among Christians. Famous preterists include R.C. Sproul, Gary DeMar, Steve Gregg, and N.T. Wright. You can learn more about preterism here and here.

• Strengths: Like historicists, preterists have history on their side, especially with events such as the martyrdom/persecution of the Saints and the fall of the Roman Empire. Preterists also emphasize the historical context of the Bible, which allows a reader to understand the circumstances surrounding the text.

• Weakness: By assuming everything in Revelation to be fulfilled, full preterists run the risk of discounting Scripture and Christianity. This results in heresy if left unchecked.

For more information on eschatological views, check out Steve Gregg's Revelation: Four Views: A Parallel Commentary.