Amill Minute -Clear Eschatology

Clear Eschatology and the Analogy of Faith

Hey there, welcome to Reformed Exmormon. I'm Pastor Brayden and I hope you're having a.

Wonderful and blessed day today. Today we're just going to be continuing on in our series called A Millennial is a Minute, where a minute doesn't mean a literal 60 seconds, but rather just a short amount of time to discuss a very important topic.

And I would encourage you, the viewer, to please like, subscribe, and share these videos with your family and friends as I hope that this will bless everybody that watches this as well as advance the kingdom of God through the preaching and teaching of his gospel.

Using 1 Corinthians 15 as the Clear Eschatological Text

Now, today what we're going to be doing is looking at a clear example of eschatology that is found in the text and use that to help us understand and navigate the difficulty that is Revelation chapter 20 verses 1 through 10.

Now, in order to do this, the very first thing I would say is that we should read a harmonic principle which is called the analogy of faith. And this harmonic principle, defined on monergism .com, is stated as, the analogy of faith is a Reformed harmonic principle which states that since all scriptures harmoniously united with no essential contradictions, therefore, every proposed interpretation of any passage must be compared with what the other part of the Bible teaches.

In other words, the faith or body of doctrine which the scripture as a whole proclaim will not be contradicted in any way by any passage. Therefore, if two or three different interpretations of a verse are equally possible, any interpretation that contradicts the clear teaching of any other scripture must be ruled out from the beginning.

Now, they go on to say this as well. Another related principle that is very helpful in interpreting prophecy and apocalyptic literature in particular is that the clear must interpret the unclear. In other words, a very specific interpretation of the highly symbolic visions of John's apocalypse, for example, may never trump the clear teachings of Paul's epistles which are more didactic and less symbolic and hence more clear.

Now, looking at this, what this is essentially saying is that since the book of Revelation is prophetic, it's told in visions, some areas are unclear to us, it's not the place that we should go to dogmatically teach a doctrine from it when there is a more clear Bible verse that is not visionary or prophetic in its nature.

What I mean by that is we're going to be looking at 1 Corinthians chapter 15 verses 20 -28 and also making reference to verses 50 -58 in that chapter. We're just going to be looking at this very clear text that we cannot deny is what Paul was teaching as the proper eschatology.

Using that harmonetic of the analogy of faith, then we'll go to Revelation chapter 20 where we find that everyone that has a different eschatological view in regard to the millennium, they go to this area almost immediately where I would argue that we should look at the clear text first to help us understand the not so clear text, the unclear somewhat hazy text that is Revelation.

Christ's Resurrection, Reign, and the End in 1 Corinthians 15

So let us go ahead and read 1 Corinthians chapter 15 verses 20 -28. But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep. For since by a man came death, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead.

For as in Adam all died, so also in Christ all shall be made alive. But each in his own order, Christ the first fruits, after that those who are Christ at his coming, then comes the end when he delivers up the kingdom to the God and Father, when he has abolished all rule and all authority and power.

For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy that will be abolished is death. For he has put all things in subjection under his feet. But when he says all things are put in subjection, it is evident that he is expected who puts all things in subjection to him.

And when all things are subject to him, then the Son himself will also be subjected to the one who subjected all things to him, that God may be all in all. Now this text to me is a very very clear text in regard to eschatology.

Now on the topic of the analogy of faith, I want to read real fast for us from the 1689 Lenten Baptist Confession of Faith chapter 1 in regard to the Holy Scripture. And look at paragraph 9, it says, the infallible rule for the interpretation of scripture is the scripture itself.

And therefore whenever there is a question about the true full sense of any scripture which is not manifold but one, it must be searched by other passages which speak more clearly. Now take notice there, it says that there is not a multitude of interpretations that are correct.

It says that there is only one true interpretation. And therefore we must look at the entirety, the tota Scriptura, in order to come to any doctrine. And that's true when we look at eschatology as well.

So what I have done here is looking at 1 Corinthians chapter 15 verses 20 through 28 as the clear text that teaches an eschatological view. I have made a little graph here to help us illustrate this. So looking here at this graph, we will continue to add to it as we look and expand upon this graph when we look at other scriptures and try to apply them in the proper perspective.

So when we look at this chart here, according to verses 20 through 23 in 1 Corinthians chapter 15, that after the life, death, and burial of Jesus Christ, the resurrection of Jesus is what's known as the first fruits of the resurrection.

That Jesus Christ is the first one to rise from the grave in this glorified state. After that, what we would see here in this chart here, this graph that I have made, is the interadvental period. And what I mean by that is the period of time that takes place between Christ's first coming and Christ's second coming.

We would see some description of this in verses 25 through 28 that teaches us that Jesus Christ is reigning right now, which means that he is sitting upon his throne in the heavens, and that he is reigning until he has put all enemies under his feet.

This would be what I would argue is that Christ is our conquering king right now. He is making all things be subject to his feet. Now at the second coming, what is taught here in this text is that the second, those that will partake in the resurrection, is going to be those that are his at his coming.

That is what is taught in verses 23 through 24, which let me just read this again, but each in his own order, Christ the first fruits, again that is speaking of Christ's first coming. After that, those who are Christ's at his coming, so that's speaking of the second coming.

And then verse 24, which teaches us the eschatological view of this, then comes the end. This is what brings about the end. It says that it's when he delivers up the kingdom, and I'd like you to just pay close attention, it doesn't say that's when he establishes the kingdom, but rather when he delivers the kingdom to the God and Father.

When he has abolished, and again this is the antecedent to this phrase right here, which is when he has abolished all rule and all authority and power. So Christ is making all things be subject to his feet, because he reigns, and it's only when all things have been made subject to him, is when the end comes, the resurrection happens, and we, the kingdom is delivered to the Fathers, what this teaches very clearly to us.

And so when we see here in verse 26, it teaches us the very last enemy that will be put subject to Jesus' feet, and that is death itself. Now what I'm going to do here now is I'm going to go ahead and put up a second graph, just expanding upon what we just read, and it will help us understand this view a little bit better.

Again, verse 20, starting from left to right on this graph, verse 20, Christ has been raised from the dead, we know this. Verse 25 and 27, it's teaching us that Christ is currently putting all enemies in subjection to his feet.

Then, in verses 24, the end is the second coming, and verses 25 to 27 is teaching us that the last enemy is going to be death, and verse 24 again is the delivering up of the kingdom itself. Now, this is clear, we can put these things in these areas correctly, and have no argument according to 1 Corinthians 15 verses 20 through 28.

So let us go ahead and now look at another expanded picture of this, according to this, as well as looking at verses 50 through 58, which we won't read right now, but I would encourage you, the listener, to please look at that.

In verses 50 through 58, we see some particulars about what will happen in the end when God, or when Jesus delivers the kingdom to God. Looking at this again, verse 52, it says this is the last trumpet.

In verse 52 again, it says the dead will be raised imperishable, and that's important to notice, imperishable, incorruptible, that what they were able to be corrupted in prior to this time, they are now raised incorruptible, imperishable.

And it says in verse 53 that the mortal will be immortal, and why are they immortal in this sense? It's because in verses 54 to 57 it says that death is swallowed up in victory. And this saying will come about is that everyone will be able to say, oh death, where is your victory?

Oh death, where is your sting? Now, looking at this, again, we can place these in very clear chronological categories, and what 1 Corinthians 15, that is not a hazy or an obscure text by any means, it's very, very clear.

We can say this with surety that at Christ's second coming, death will be destroyed. That death will no longer have sting, that death will be put under the feet of Jesus Christ, and that Christ is currently reigning right now.

Revelation 20 Must Not Contradict 1 Corinthians 15

Now, why look at this? Why look at these graphs? What's the issue? Because this is very clear for us. Why is there argument on how to view this? Well, the issue is that when we look at Revelation chapter 20 verses 1 through 10, which again we won't look at right now, but I'm going to pull up a little chart here on the screen for you, just expanding upon this again.

We would see that if Revelation chapter 20 verses 1 through 10 are all future for us, and when I mean all future, I mean Satan being bound, the thousand year millennial reign of Christ beginning, sin and death still taking place, people dying as verses 4 through 6 would teach, and not only this, but what seems to be Christ not having all, so things put in subjection under his feet.

If that's our understanding of Revelation chapter 20 verses 1 through 10, we have clearly contradicted that of the teaching of 1 Corinthians chapter 15 verses 20 through 28, and in particular, this would mean that the world itself is in an unglorified place, an unglorified state, while Christ is reigning on earth.

If that's what we believe from Revelation chapter 20, that means creation itself is still suffering sin. Not only that, but men and women are still being given in marriage, not only this, but men and women are still dying in this time of this thousand years that many people like to take away from Revelation chapter 20.

The issue with this again is if we look at the clear text of 1 Corinthians chapter 15 verses 20 through 28, we must come away with saying that when Christ comes again, he delivers up the kingdom and death is no longer a thing.

And so when we look at this chart here that I have again expounded upon, I've placed Revelation chapter 20 verses 1 through 3 as a recapitulation or retelling through the means of visions to John, the apostle, that that verse right there, those three verses in verses 1 through 3, is what's taught in the life, death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

And it's being told to us clearly in 1 Corinthians chapter 15 verses 20 through 23. Going on from there, Revelation chapter 20 verses 4 through 6 teaches that those that have been beheaded and those that have a testimony of Jesus Christ are raised with him and sat on thrones with Christ during this reign of his.

Now we'll talk about this here in a moment, but again, right now, according to 1 Corinthians 15 verses 25 through 28, it teaches that Jesus himself is reigning right now upon a throne, that Christ is reigning and putting things under subjection, under his feet.

Now looking at Revelation chapter 20 verses 7 through 10, we would see that that's where the short season is talked about, which we won't get into today. But what we would see in there is that there is a judgment that happens, that things are thrown into hell itself.

Now why is that important here in verses 7 through 10 of Revelation chapter 20? Well that's what we would see here in 1 Corinthians chapter 15 verses, essentially looking at 23 to 28 as well as verses 50 through 58, that death itself is no longer a thing.

This is the consummated age, the consummated kingdom. This is where judgment takes place, that the tares and the weed are separated, the sheep and the goats are separated, and judgment is done. And from there we'll even expand upon that a little bit more.

Supporting Texts for the Binding of Satan and the Reign of Christ

We'll expand upon this picture again, let's look, because again according to the 1689 Lenten Baptist Confession of Faith, if we have a contradiction in the scripture it's meaning that our interpretation is wrong somewhere.

Because there is no contradiction in God's word. So if this is the way that we are to view it, there should be other verses for us to also understand these things with. So here I've added just a few. This is not all that I would argue from by any means, but I think that this shows that this view itself is a very biblical one.

It's one that's found in the text, and I would argue there's no contradiction therein. So looking at verbiage and wording that is used in Revelation chapter 20 verses 1 through 3, verbiage that's used in 4 through 6, and also verbiage that's used in 7 through 10, and looking at how to apply that in the very clear text of 1 Corinthians 15 verses 20 through 28, we would see that Jesus himself says the strong man is bound in Matthew chapter 12 verses 28 through 29, the works of the devil destroyed in verse John 3, 8, the devil is rendered powerless in Hebrews chapter 2 verses 14 through 16, that at the cross Christ disarmed rulers and authorities in Colossians chapter 2 verse 15, and that the ruler of this world which is Satan, the devil himself, it says in John chapter 12 verses 31 through 33 that the ruler of this world is cast out, and in Luke chapter 10 verse 18 where 70 of the followers of Jesus were able to go and cast out demons, it says that Jesus saw Satan falling from heaven, falling out of the heavens like a lightning.

Again, when we look at Satan being bound in Revelation chapter 20 verses 1 through 3, it says that he's only bound so he can no longer deceive the nations, and that plays in with how we understand the short period that's talked about later in Revelation chapter 20, which we won't get into right now, but Satan is still active in this world, but we have to take these other verses very very seriously, the works of the devil have been destroyed, the strong man has been bound, and the ruler of this world has been cast out.

That is facts, that is what Jesus himself has said, and what the apostles have taught. And so it would see fitting that we could take that interpretation of Revelation chapter 20 verses 1 through 3, that has very symbolic language in it, that's in the means of a vision, and we could say that that is very clear for us in 1 Corinthians 15, 20 through 28, that these other texts here line up with those things very very similarly and harmoniously.

The Present Heavenly Reign and the Already-Seated Church

And then when we look at Revelation chapter 20 verses 4 through 6, there's some interesting language that's used there. Just looking at these things, this is again by no means all the scriptural references I would use to prove or to help me understand this position of mine, but we would see that we are already seated with Christ in the heavenly places according to Ephesians chapter 2 verses 5 through 6, which is also interesting because it speaks of us being dead in our sins and then being raised with him.

So a death to life that's spoken of in there. And so we're seated with him in the heavenly places. Then it says that in Revelation chapter 1 verse 6, John has said that Jesus has made us to be a kingdom, a current kingdom, that we are priests serving there in.

Colossians chapter 3 verses 1 through 4, again we see this death to life and we've been raised up with Christ. Hebrews chapter 1 verse 3, that Christ has sat down at the right hand of the Father. Jesus himself in John chapter 3 verses 3 through 5, he says that you must be born again in order to enter into the kingdom of God.

We would also see some very particular language that fulfills Old Testament prophecy in regard to David's throne, that the Messiah must sit on the David's throne, that the root of David would be raised up and he would establish an everlasting kingdom.

Well according to Acts chapter 2 verses 29 through 33, it says that he looked ahead and spoke of the resurrection of Jesus Christ and that was the fulfillment of the Messiah, the seed of David sitting upon his throne.

We'd also see that Jesus himself says my kingdom is not of this world, not of this realm in John chapter 18 verses 36 through 37. So again it would be fitting for us to look at Revelation chapter 20 verses 4 through 6 and say this is a current reality, that we are reigning and ruling with Christ right now and when we die we are with him and that we have no need to fear death and that even ourselves are an enemy to God and we've made subject underneath his feet and we look to those precious feet that have been pierced for us upon a cross.

The Second Coming, the Harvest, and Final Judgment

Now when we look at the second coming in regard to Revelation chapter 20 verses 7 through 10, if we say that that is yet future for us, that is what happens at the second coming of Christ, this is a fitting view.

As we would see that Matthew chapter 13 verses 39, there's a plethora of verses that are very very clear for us in the book of Matthew for the second coming eschatology for ourselves. The harvest that's spoken of there, tares gathered out of the kingdom, we're told in that text that the tares and the wheat grow up together.

Matthew chapter 13 verses 37 through 43, wicked are cast out into a place of punishment where there's weeping and gnashing of the teeth, Matthew 13 verses 50, there's a wedding feast that's spoken of and here again this is very important for us on how we understand the second coming as Revelation chapter 21 would even tell us that it's the new Jerusalem coming down out of heaven adorned as a bride adorned for her husband.

So we see the wedding feast that's spoken of, the door is shut meaning there is no second chance so once the second coming happens there isn't going to be a thousand year period where people have the opportunity to come have faith in Jesus Christ.

What's taught in there in the parable of the virgins in Matthew chapter 25 verses 1 through 13 is saying that you need to repent and believe today, that you ought not to put off your salvation for tomorrow because you don't know when the bridegroom is coming and when that trumpet shouts there is no second chance.

This would go against many beliefs, many other conclusions in Revelation chapter 20 which again that contradicts the clear of the text. We would see a separation of sheep and goats, that's Matthew chapter 25 verses 31 through 46 as well as in Matthew chapter 25 verse 46 it says that the righteous inherit eternal life or the righteous go into eternal life.

So again this breakup, this looking at these different things that we see in 1 Corinthians chapter 15 verses 20 through 28 I would argue that the Amillennialists interpretation of that of Revelation chapter 20 verses 1 through 10 is fitting, it is harmonious, it is not contradictive and it is clear in how we understand 1 Corinthians chapter 15 verses 20 through 26 that currently that Christ was the first fruits of the resurrection, that we are currently reigning with Christ in the kingdom that is not of this world and that Jesus himself is sitting upon the throne and that he is making all things subject under his feet for he must reign and that the last enemy will be death itself which will bring about the consummation of the kingdom.

This is where believers will go into eternal blessedness and unbelievers will go into eternal judgment and punishment. You have come to a different conclusion when you look at Revelation chapter 20 I would ask you is it fitting with the other clear text in the Bible?

It would be my encouragement for you that we should not go to the unclear to build our doctrine that therefore contradicts the clear. We must first go to the clear of the text and use that as the guard rails, use that as the path, use that as the means that we interpret the not clear which Revelation chapter 20 verses 1 through 10 is some of the most symbolic and unclear portions of the text especially if we do not use the clear to help us interpret it.

God bless, go in peace, tell the world of this king that is sitting upon his throne today ruling and reigning. God bless.