Chapter One:

The Biblical and Theological Issues

Conclusion

The eschatological debate is clouded by dispute over difficult passages of Scripture and by failure to clearly define the issues. Greg Bahnsen defines the central and decisive theological issues so that the eschatological questions can be clearly answered from the teaching of the Bible. There are just two questions that must be answered: 1) Does the resurrection of the righteous take place at the end of history? 2) Will the Gospel conquer the world? The prophecy of Daniel, the parables of Christ, the Great Commission, John 6, Romans 11, 1 Corinthians 15, and many other Scriptures answer these questions affirmatively. Of the three major eschatological approaches only the postmillennial interpretation accords with the witness of the Bible.

The more difficult prophetic portions of Scripture, especially the book of Revelation, should be interpreted in light of our answers to these questions. But we must be on guard against forcing our interpretation into an unBiblical mold to fit our preconceived ideas. The teachings of Christ and Paul clearly point to both the success of the Gospel in converting the world and a single judgment and resurrection at the end of history. We must continue to pursue a Biblical approach in the interpretation of the more difficult eschatological passages. Does the book of Revelation also teach the postmillennial view? How should we interpret its symbolic language?

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