What do you think of when you hear the word “eschatology”? Most Christians immediately think of the second coming of Christ. Do we also think of His first coming or even His birth?
We may think of the rapture and the great tribulation. Do we also think of the day of Pentecost? We may think of Revelation but do we also think of Genesis or Exodus or Leviticus?
Eschatology is the doctrine of last things. The word is formed from two Greek words, “eschatos”, meaning last, and “logos”, meaning word.
Combining the two words beings us eschatology, last words.
It is important to understand eschatology in a much broader sense and to remember that all the last things are connected to the first things. All of God’s purposes and goals are related only to the person and work of Jesus Christ. These purposes and goals have existed from all eternity past. Revelation 13:8 teaches us the view of Jesus as a lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
All of scripture is eschatological. After Adam and Eve fell into sin, God says to the serpent: “… I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.” (Genesis 3:15). Here God promises the plan to come for all things. He will judge and redeem, and this will be accomplished through the seed of the woman.
In the Old Testament, everything that God is doing with His people is related to the accomplishment of His goals for creation and humanity. What does He do?
He establishes:
The Noahic covenant (Gen 6-9)
The Abrahamic covenant (Gen 12-17)
The Mosaic covenant (Ex 19-24)
The Davidic covenant (2nd Samuel 7)
The New covenant (Jer 31)
The new covenant includes the promise that God will pour out His Spirit on His people, seen in Joel 2. All these promises find their fulfillment in Christ.
The entire sacrificial system, centered on the Tabernacle and Temple, points forward to Christ. He is the true high priest (Heb 4:14). He is the atoning sacrifice, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29). He is the true temple, where God dwells with His people (John 2:19-21).
As the Son of David (Matt 1:1), Christ has now been seated at the right hand of God and given the promised kingdom (Eph 1:20 & Daniel 7:13-14).
These Old Testament types and shadows are all eschatological in that they are forward looking. They were the means by which the people of the Old Testament could understand something about the coming Messiah, through prophecy.
The entire work of redemption that begins with a promise of grace in Genesis 3 points forward to the redemptive work of Jesus Christ, who died for our sins and was raised for our justification. We can now understand how Jesus could begin with Moses and all the prophets and tell the two believers on the Emmaus road how all the scriptures are about Him (Luke 24:27).
This is why Matthew says again and again concerning Jesus that He fulfilled what had been spoken by the prophets. When Jesus came to Nazareth and read the promises of Isaiah 61 in the synagogue, He concluded by saying,
“… today, this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing…”.
The first coming of Christ began the long-awaited last days promised throughout the Old Testament (Hebrews 1:2 & 9:26).
He has fulfilled God’s promise to pour out His Spirit on His people (Acts 2:17). He is the first fruits of the eschatological resurrection (1st Cor 15:20-22).
On the last day he will come again with glory (1st Thess 4:13-18).
Eschatology is all about Jesus no matter when moments happen, whether OT or NT because the whole Bible expresses Him and His work.
