Jesus and the End-Time Foreword

This book is a response to a long-felt need in the Christian Church. For a great many Christians eschatology (the doctrine of "last things") has ceased to be a vital and hope-filled dimension in Christian experience. The reasons are many. Among them is the confusing variety of existing interpretations which contributes to uncertainty and often leads to neglect of the doctrine. All too often, when the doctrine is taught, it suffers from a form of "reductionism." In many of the "main line" churches the doctrine has been reduced to personal eschatology. Here attention is directed to our destiny as individuals-to the assurance of life after death and to the doctrine of heaven and hell. These are, of course, important and biblical teachings, but they are only one aspect of biblical eschatology which looks toward a consummation in which the entire creation will participate. In narrowing the emphasis the doctrine has been deprived of its historical and cosmic significance. In some circles emphasis has fallen on the present realization of the Kingdom of God. In this "realized" eschatology, the Kingdom is now, and the signs of its presence can be discerned wherever the grace and power of God are at work in human lives, both individually and in community. This emphasis also is biblical, but when this is all that is said, the reality of the Kingdom as a future consummation has been obscured. A third emphasis has been expressed in a spate of widely distributed books in which eschatology is associated primarily with the fulfillment of prophecy and an attempt is made to correlate the events of the biblical end-time with historical and political developments in our day. Often this involves direct (or, more often, indirect_ prediction of the time of the End. This calendarizing approach, while it has enjoyed wide popularity, is also a reduction of the full sweep and scope of the eschatological teaching of the biblical writers. In focusing attention on what will be, it fails to do full justice to the implications of the doctrine for the living of Christian life today. The Church greatly needs a deepened appreciation of the eschatological theme as an essential and central dimension in Christian faith. Eschatology is not an appendix, or an interesting addendum, to Christian doctrine, to which one may give attention if so inclined. Rather, the whole content of Christian faith and life is oriented toward the eschaton (the End, the final goal of history and creation). Our present existence is to be interpreted and understood in relation to God's way of achieving his ultimate purpose for history. It is to this need that Everett Wilson has addressed himself. His concern is not technical or speculative but pastoral. He wants to help the believer to live confidently and in hope, knowing, in spite of all to the contrary, that God was, and is, and will be in charge and that he can be counted on to bring his Kingdom to its appropriate consummation. The interpretation of the end-time which Wilson presents is a highly personal one. It is forged in his experience as a student of the Scripture and as pastor of his people-but it is not a novel interpretation. He stands within an honored tradition-a tradition expressed in varying ways by such diverse thinkers as Augustine, Luther, Calvin, Spener, Waldenstrom, David Nyvall and Nils W. Lund. Wilson has given us a book which will be especially helpful because of its constant dependence on analysis of basic biblical texts. Obscure and difficult passages are understood in the light of clear and full passages, and the teachings of Jesus provide the basic reference point. Wilson's work is marked by a persistent refusal to go beyond the clear teaching of the text as he sees it. He shuns speculation and humbly remains silent when no clear word is given. One of the best things about this book is that it is not dogmatic or argumentative. It does not pretend to present a fully developed system or deal with all aspects of eschatological hope. Some important themes (e.g., the manner in which our history is taken up into the reality of the consummated Kingdom) are only suggested. Wilson is happy to have you disagree with him. All he asks is that you take the Scriptures seriously and let them be the touchstone by which the truth of all interpretation-his as well as others-is determined. Our thanks to a busy parish pastor who has taken time to provide us a basis for continuing discussion on an important theme. It deserves wide reading. Donald C. Frisk Professor of Theology North Park Theological Seminary » Next Page — Preface » Table of Contents » Home