There are three basic elements of New Testament eschatology. The first of these is that the Old Testament promise of a coming Redeemer was realized in Jesus Christ. This was a prominent theme throughout the New Testament, especially in the Gospel of Matthew. Jesus’s birth, life, death, and resurrection were fulfillments of Old Testament prophecies. With his first advent, the kingdom of God and the “last days” arrived, indicating that Old Testament expectation had turned to New Testament fulfillment.

The second basic element of New Testament eschatology is that what was understood as one glorious messianic age predicted in the Old Testament unfolded in two different ages: “this age” and “the age to come.” This means that the coming of Jesus Christ marked the beginning of a glorious new redemptive age with a corresponding set of blessings. Yet, this new age is not fully consummated and will be fulfilled in the future. This already/not yet structure gives the New Testament a strong forward-looking focus. …

Therefore, the New Testament contains a distinct and pronounced tension between what God has already done in fulfilling the promises of the Old Testament and what God will do yet in the future. This so-called already/not yet tension characterizes much of New Testament theology.

The third element of New Testament eschatology is that the present blessings of the coming Redeemer are the pledge of greater blessings to come. Christ’s first advent guaranteed his second coming, which includes the final judgment, the bodily resurrection, and the renewal of the heavens and the earth. Christ’s first advent and the final consummation at the second mark the comprehensive fulfillment of the expectations set forth by the Old Testament prophets.

Kim Riddlebarger | A Case for Amillennialism: Understanding the End Times, Expanded Edition (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2013), 75–76.

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Post authored by:

• Tony Phelps

  

  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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