Riddlebarger: Christ Is At The Center Of Old Testament Eschatology

The first thing we should note about Old Testament eschatology is that from the moment the human race fell into sin and came under God’s curse, there was an expectation that God would send his promised Redeemer. He also promised to put an end to sin—its guilt, power, and presence. In fact, the first prophecy recorded in the Bible is found in Genesis 3:15. God told the serpent, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.” “This passage, often called the ‘mother promise,’ now sets the tone for the entire Old Testament.” This promise stands at that critical juncture when the covenant of works had been broken and the curse of death hung menacingly over the human race. God, who is rich in mercy, would deliver his people from the curse through a covenant of grace, under the terms of which he would meet all the demands he required of us under the covenant of works. What God demanded of us under the law, he freely gave us in the gospel. What God demanded of humanity under the covenant of works, he gave us in Jesus Christ, the Mediator of the covenant of grace. From the beginning, we get a glimpse of the end of the story. Immediately after humanity’s fall into sin, God pronounced a curse on the serpent, who had acted as Satan’s agent. Thus, redemptive history began with the promise of coming judgment and will culminate with the destruction of the devil at the end of the thousand years (see Rev. 20:7–10).

Kim Riddlebarger | A Case for Amillennialism: Understanding the End Times, Expanded Edition (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2013), 65.


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  • Tony Phelps
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    Tony grew up in Rhode Island. He was educated at BA (University of Rhode Island) and Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. He worked in the insurance industry for ten years. He planted a PCA church in Wakefield, RI where he served for eleven years. In 2015–18 he pastored Covenant Reformed Church (URCNA) in Colorado Springs. He is currently pastor of Living Hope (OPC). Tony is married to Donna and together they have three children.

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