Tuesday, February 03, 2009

Our Approach to Eschatology (Esch 104)

Eschatology is one of the most controversial subjects within the church. This does not mean that we should avoid eschatology, but only that we should approach it carefully.


Our main goal is to provide a road map for you, so that as you read the Bible and study, you will be able to understand the Bible more fully.


Thus, our approach is going to be mainly positive. We are not going to spend a lot of time examining and critiquing various eschatological views. The purpose of our study is not to slam other positions.


This means that we are not going to make a balanced presentation. We are not going to present all of the views and make each one sound enticing. We will not be offering an eschatological smorgasbord.


We are going to present one view and when necessary, we will briefly critique other views. For instance, when we get to 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, we are going to explain why we think that the rapture and the second coming are the same event. We are also going to have to critique the popular view that the rapture and the second coming are different events.


Learning almost always involves replacing existing knowledge with new knowledge. We are constantly correcting our thinking. Very little of our learning is obtaining brand new information. Thus, it will be important to both present positive evidence for our view and negative evidence against other views. However, we will only do this as necessary.

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