Category: eschatology

Christmas Eve Address — 2025

“The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, And upon those who sat in the region and shadow of death Light has dawned.”

Matthew 4:16

12″Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’”

John 8:12

And this is the verdict of condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.

John 3:19

The Son is the effulgence of the Father’s glory, and the very image of his substance, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had made purification of sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;

Hebrews 1:3

“You are the light of the world. Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your father in heaven.”

 
Matthew  5:12

Christmas speaks of numerous realities. We have seen some of those as we have preached Christ in His saving offices during this Advent season. In all honesty we could spend a year preaching on the anticipated coming of Christ. All year long could be a Advent preaching series.

Not only might we preach on Jesus the Christ promised coming to fill the office of Prophet, Priest, and King to save His people we could preach on a multitude of redemptive-historical themes. We could preach on the anticipation of Jesus coming as the lamb of God to be the sin-bearer of God’s people. We could preach on Jesus coming as the desire of the nations. We could preach on Jesus the God-Man. We could preach on the anti-types of Christ in the OT that Christ fulfilled as the type. We could preach on the Old Testament Scriptures and references to Christ that are used in the New Testament by New Testament writers to illumine the presence of Christ in the OT and to declare Him present in the 1st century. We could pick up on the unfolding of the Covenant of Grace in the OT that finds its climax in the New and Better covenant in the coming of Christ. One covenant coming to full maturity with the arrival and work of Christ — a covenant that bespeaks unity in diversity … continuity over discontinuity.

These and many other are reasonable advent themes could well make for a year long preaching on the Advent, Incarnation and arrival of Jesus the Christ.

However, as is our custom here we complete Advent by speaking of Christ as “The Light of the World,” combined with His instructions that we also, are the light of the World who are to let our light so shine before men that they might see our good works, and glorify our Father in heaven.

The great premise of Advent is the fall of mankind into darkness. The Old Covenant speaks of a coming light and indeed that coming light is in the Old Covenant for those with eyes to see. With the arrival of the Christ though the darkness is dispelled.

The Hymn “O Holy Night” captures some of this w/ the lyrics,

“Long Lay the World in sin and error pining

Till he appeared.”

Christ comes as the light of the world but John tells us that men loved the darkness because their deeds were evil.

But the light has come and it can not be quenched. The light shines forth and so we have great hope as bearers of the light. The darkness continues to seek to overcome the light but the light overcomes the darkness and wins out, sometimes in the most unexpected ways.

This Christmas season then proclaims Christ as the light of the world and His people as little refracting points of Christ the great light. Because we are refracting of a light that continues to shine we do not despair. We understand that the greater the darkness the more powerful the light to roll back that darkness.

During this Advent season we are reminded that Christ is the light of the World. As being the light of the world He will not leave Himself without witness. He will continue to provide illuminating power to a world that struggles to remain in the darkness.

This is the problem with pessimistic eschatologies. They one and all teach that the darkness finally wins out in the end in this time and on this planet. However, we believe that the light will never be snuffed out … even temporarily. We believe that the light will continue to overcome darkness until that day that He who is the light returns in glorious triumph.

And so Christmas reminds us not only of the promised coming light but as Christ remains the light of the World it reminds us of coming victory and the dominion of God’s rule over darkness. The light who is Christ reminds us that there is no war against the darkness that cannot or should not be waged with confidence. The light who is Christ reminds us that the children of the devil will be exposed to the light and so either convert or be scattered. The light who is Christ means missionary efforts will succeed and the nations of this world will become the nations of the Lord and His Light … His Christ.

Two Age Model Of Scripture

Scripture clearly teaches a two age model, speaking of this present evil age and the age come. However, this age to come arrived in principle with the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ who in His own person was the long promised age to come. Between the first advent of Christ in His life, death, resurrection and ascension and the second advent of Christ the age to come is rolling back this present wicked age as the Kingdom of God’s dear son pilfers the Kingdom of darkness until such a time as the Kingdoms of this world become the Kingdoms of our Christ. The present wicked age, was the strong man now bound by the age to come in Christ’s victory. The climatic epoch of the age to come awaits its full expression but like a Mustard seed already planted the age to come has been injected as a healing virus into the sickness that is this present wicked age.

As Christians we live between the “now” and the “not yet,” and because of that we are born unto the conflict that is inevitable between this present evil age and the age to come. In the context of this battle we are warriors seeking to bring the authority of the King of the age to come to bear on every area of life and we expect the simpering enemy defending this present evil age to resist us — Christ’s Warriors — at every step as they resist the dawn’s intent to roll back the night.

But …. the dawn has come and the fullness of the age to come will triumph.

Victory is inevitable.

The End Of Full Preterism

I Corinthians 15:12 Now if Christ is preached that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen. 14 And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty. 15 Yes, and we are found false witnesses of God, because we have testified of God that He raised up Christ, whom He did not raise up—if in fact the dead do not rise. 16 For if the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen. 17 And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins! 18 Then also those who have [c]fallen asleep in Christ have perished. 19 If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable. 

20 But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have [d]fallen asleep. 21 For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. 23 But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ’s at His coming.

For years I have on again, off again, conversations with Tony Pomales and Kim Burgess on the subject of full Preterism. Recently, Kim, along with Gary DeMar published a two volume book on full Preterism. I always enjoyed the conversations with Tony and Kim because it was clear that these chap had done their homework and because out of that homework they had presented some really quite fine exegesis. Indeed, because of their work in introducing me to the subject (first Tony 20 years ago or so, then Kim doing a good deal of filling in the gaps) I became a partial Preterist. However, despite their pleadings and frustrations with me, I could never go with them to full Preterism. I remain thankful for all the books they shoveled my way on the subject. I remain thankful that I was delivered from my Amillennial convictions, consistent with their pleadings and consistent with other material I was reading on that subject. I am thankful to God for dropping them into my life.

Yet despite my gratitude (or maybe because of my gratitude) I continue to warn them as I did while in conversation with them that they had left the faith by embracing full Preterism.

Below, I explain how that is so.

The force of Paul’s argument in I Corinthians 15 rests in these two points:

(1) Paul establishes an ironclad logical relationship between the “bodily resurrection of Christ” with the “bodily resurrection” of other dead people (“Christ is the first fruit of those who have fallen asleep.”)

When it comes to the issue of bodily resurrection what ever is predicated about Christ must be predicated also of those who have “fallen asleep in Christ.” In point of fact so tight is the corollary between Christ’s bodily resurrection and the saints future bodily resurrection that Paul, inspired by the Holy Spirit, insists that if the dead in Christ are not bodily raised then it is the case also that Christ was not bodily raised (vs. 16). Full Preterist can not deny the future bodily resurrection of the Saints without denying the past bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ.  In point of fact the logic of the Full Preterist position requires that since there is no future bodily resurrection for dead saints they (Preterists) remain in their sin owning a dead futile faith (vs. 16-17).

This is why full Preterism is heresy and a denial of the Christian faith. In order for Christians to be forgiven Christ had to have resurrected AND those united to Christ must bodily resurrect because if those who are united to Christ don’t bodily resurrect that means that Christ did not bodily resurrect. All of that in turn means men are still in their sins and that in turn means that the wrath of God abides on them. So, the denial of the future bodily resurrection of the Saints is a denial of the whole ball of wax.

(2) Whatever is meant by “resurrection” must mean the same thing throughout the argument for the argument to work. And since the self-same, bodily resurrection of Christ is clearly in view, then the self-same, future bodily “resurrection of the dead,” is what is being stipulated as true for the rest of the dead in St. Paul’s argumentation.

That the “resurrection” must mean the same thing throughout the argument is seen by the fact that Christ is referred to as “the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.” The whole idea of “firstfruits” in the OT economy (which is what Paul is reaching back to for analogy purposes) is that the firstfruits (those parts of the harvest that ripened first) were promissory of the fruits which would ripen and be harvested later. Jesus Christ is the first fruit of the bodily resurrected dead and is promissory of later fruit that would follow of a future ripened fruit of the bodily resurrected dead.

Full Preterism turns the Christian faith into an embrace of the status of “the most pitiable.”

The Bible & National Israel’s Lack Of A Future In The Kingdom Of God

I.) Matthew 21:19: “He said to it, ‘May you never bear fruit again.’ Immediately the tree withered.”

The tree really withered; the disciples “saw it withered from the roots” (Mark 11:20).

The sudden death of the fig tree (symbolic of Israel) dramatized coming judgment on a nation bearing leaves of ritual but no fruit of righteousness.

Jesus here in cursing the fig tree finds the consequence that it is indeed cursed and teaches that God is done with National Israel in terms of having any relevance in relation to redemption or to the eschatological future. Individual Jews may well bow to Christ (and we pray that many will) but the nation of Israel is irrelevant to God. He cursed it. It is dead to Him.

II.) Matthew 21:43 “Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof.”

The Kingdom of God which was contained within the Israel of God in the OT is taken from Israel. Israel is no longer in any way associated with the Kingdom of God. National Israel is dead to God.

III.) Luke 13:6 He also spoke this parable: “A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none. 7 Then he said to the keeper of his vineyard, ‘Look, for three years I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree and find none. Cut it down; why does it cumbereth up the ground?’ 8 But he answered and said to him, ‘Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and fertilize it. 9 [c]And if it bears fruit, well. But if not, after that you can cut it down.’ ”

The timeline between the events described in Luke 13 and Jesus’ crucifixion is not precisely defined in the Gospels, but it is generally understood to be around one to two years. This indicates that Israel’s time was up. It did not bear fruit as the Mt. 21:43 passage explicitly teaches and so it was cut down in AD 70 and God is done with national Israel.

The parable of the wicked vinedressers (Mt. 21) really does seal that God is done with national Israel. Yet, we have much more than Matthew 21 to hang our hat on that God has eternally cursed any idea of National Israel. The Dispensationalists were able to revive Israel but that revival was completely man-centered and that revived Israel in terms of redemption means absolutely nothing. Frankly, the preoccupation of the Church with Israel for the last 150 years smells of sulfur.  Revived Israel has been a major detraction from the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The violent rejection by the Bagels of 1st century Israel’s Messiah – of the Father’s beloved son – has, as its appropriate consequence, the termination of the Kingdom so far as the Bagels as a nation are concerned.

Interpretations of Romans 13 that find Israel grafted back into the Olive tree after AD 70 are plainly in error.

Sure & Certain Victory

“What the bourgeoisie, therefore, produces, above all, are its own grave-diggers.”

Karl Marx

“You can kill ten of our men for every one we kill of yours. But even at those odds, you will lose and we will win.”

Ho Chi Minh

In reading Carroll’s “The Rise and Fall of the Communist Revolution,” one constant theme across the Communist Revolution where-ever it was found was the certainty of coming victory despite the odds or despite any recent defeats. The Communist elites knew that victory was inevitable. Whether you are talking about Lenin in Russia, Mao in China, Ho Chi Minh in Vietnam, Guevara and Castro in Cuba, Sukarno in Indonesia or Caballero in Spain they all were absolutely optimistic about the coming victory that they would eventually win. These Demon animated men were optimistic in their eschatology. They were not always right but they were right many times more than they were wrong.

What of Christians? What of they who have the truth? What of they who champion the cause of King of Kings and the greatest anti Marxist Revolutionary who has ever lived?

The great majority of Christians admit and boast that they are going to lose. John MacArthur even once went of a jag in the pulpit saying;

“We lose down here. Get used to it.”

And the Amen chorus coming from the R2K “Amen corner” was deafening.

This Christian pessimistic eschatology,which has been the majority report in the Reformed Church at least since the end of WW I, of both the premil and amil variants ends up being a self-fulfilled prophecy. If one really believes that they are going to “lose down here,” then they will live their lives planning for defeat and expecting disappointment.

It seems that where we Christians need to be more like the Marxists in anticipating victory we are at that point most unlike them and where we Christians need to be least like the Marxists in being egalitarian we are at that point most like them.

Yet, despite being saddled with the dead weight of a Church, who in the majority, are pessimistic in their eschatology I still know that small as our numbers might be right now we will, in the end, win out. We are going to win. It is evident. We have the God’s own testimony in Scripture. It is as sure as the sunrise coming the following morning. Tears may last for the night but joy cometh in the morning. The enemy can not defeat us or our cause — no, not even the enemy in our midst.