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Great Doctrines - Grace Church of DuPage

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L<br />

D OCTRINAL OCTRINAL LLESSON<br />

L ESSON SSECTION<br />

S ECTION 40 GGENERAL<br />

G ENERAL EESCHA<br />

E SCHA SCHATOLOGY<br />

SCHA TOLOGY<br />

DOCTRINAL SUMMARY<br />

Eschatology answers man’s natural question; “Will the generations <strong>of</strong> men come and<br />

go in endless succession and finally sink into oblivion, or is the race <strong>of</strong> men and the<br />

whole creation moving on to some divine ‘telos’, an end designed by God?”<br />

The Stoics spoke <strong>of</strong> successive world cycles, and the Buddhists <strong>of</strong> world ages ~ in each<br />

<strong>of</strong> which a new world appears and disappears again and again. In these religions,<br />

all is vague and uncertain. It is only Christianity that presents an end time that has a<br />

greater precision and carries an assurance that the end is <strong>of</strong> divine design.<br />

Eschatology is the crown and capstone <strong>of</strong> theology. It answers the questions <strong>of</strong> how<br />

God is perfectly glorified in the works <strong>of</strong> His hands, how the counsel <strong>of</strong> God is finally<br />

realized, how the disrupting influence <strong>of</strong> sin is overcome, how the work <strong>of</strong> Christ is<br />

crowned in perfect victory, how the Holy Spirit completely redeems and glorifies the people<br />

<strong>of</strong> God, and how the <strong>Church</strong> ~ the Bride <strong>of</strong> Christ ~ is brought together to her<br />

Bridegroom in glory.<br />

Eschatology sheds a clear light on every section <strong>of</strong> theology; God’s saving plan and His<br />

communion with His people, the permanent significance <strong>of</strong> the Redeemer in the<br />

forgiveness <strong>of</strong> sin ~ all these are asserted without reservation. In Bible eschatology, the<br />

communion between God and man is set forth as completed; and therefore, Christianity<br />

presents the culmination <strong>of</strong> all things in its purity ~ not as an ideal, which is never<br />

realized, but as perfect reality.<br />

<br />

AS YOU PRAYERFULLY CONSIDER YOUR RESPONSE:<br />

Having received all <strong>of</strong> these great teachings <strong>of</strong> the Bible, I am to be transformed by the<br />

renewing <strong>of</strong> my mind, faithfully growing in grace, diligently and patiently looking for<br />

the sign <strong>of</strong> His coming. (2Peter 3: 14-18; Revelation 22:6-21) Amen.<br />

HOMEWORK:<br />

Read the central passages twice this week.<br />

Read Grudem chapter 54 & 55.<br />

Notes<br />

GREAT DOCTRINES IV ~ THE CHURCH PART 4~SECTION 40~PAGE 3<br />

S<br />

40 G<br />

E

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