The Sola Scriptura Eschatology and Dispensationalism Obsession These Days Makes Me Wonder

The book of the Acts of the Apostles which was written by the same anonymous author who wrote the Gospel of Luke sometime between 80 and 90 AD tells us the following in Chapter 1: 9-11:

"9 And when he had said this, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. 10 And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, 11 and said, "'Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven (RSV Bible).'"

What is interesting in the passage is the part that says: “who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.” Obviously, the early church believed that Jesus was coming back.

The Nicene Creed from 325 AD has a portion which reads:

"He shall come again, with glory, to judge the quick and the dead; whose kingdom shall have no end (https://www.ccel.org/creeds/nicene.creed.html)."

So, obviously, since the beginning Christians have believed that Christ would return. Seemingly, a return was and is still expected; however, I don't know if dwelling on it or propagating it to the level that many televangelists and authors have done really lines up with the very Scriptures they use to do so. Many are so obsessed that they claim to almost know the exact date of this event. A good example of what I am saying is The Late, Great Planet Earth, a book by Hal Lindsey with Carole C. Carlson which had already sold about 28 million copies around 15 years ago despite that it sort of claimed the 80’s was quite possibly THE last decade. Sounds crazy, but I suppose the reason for this hype is that people want certainty, in other words they want to know how much time we have. I have often heard evangelical ministers give long studies on eschatology and the end of times, and how everything will turn out in the end, as if they know everything. Moreover, they dwell on this subject of Christ’s return in an all-consuming fanaticism that isn’t even proportionate to what the Scriptures says about it. The truth is that they know very little, but the need for certainty in many has created a demand that has helped individuals like Jack Van Impe and Hal Lindsey become very popular which I am sure has also not hurt their wallets either.

In closing, I hate to burst everyone’s bubble, but just going by what the Scriptures say in Matthew 24:36, we should understand that we have no certainty on the specific timing of the return of Christ, using Scriptures. So, what does Matthew 24:36 say? It reads as follows:

"But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, [a] but the Father only (RSV Bible)."

Of course, I am using Scriptures to state that “no one knows,” and perhaps that is not a strong enough argument, but the individuals making the eschatological claims are also using the Scriptures, so it is what it is. Just to make a final note, I think that what people should be dwelling on with relevance to eschatology and what they should be obsessing about is in the entire next chapter, Matthew 25. In fact, Matthew 25: 35-36 seems to be of great importance when read in context, it reads:

"35 for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me (RSV Bible).’"

Well, I hope everyone now understands why I chose for this post the title: The Sola Scriptura Eschatology and Dispensationalism Obsession These Days Makes Me Wonder. Summer is over, and autumn is here, so make the best of it. Blessings and until next time!

References:

https://www.ccel.org/creeds/nicene.creed.html.

RSV Bible