Category Archives: Two Ages

TWO PROBLEMS WITH AION TERMINOLOGY

Preterism, Two Ages October 10, 2023 Comments: 2

PMW 2023-079 by Geerhardus Vos

Gentry note:
Soon a new version of several of Geerhardus Vos’ works on eschatology will be published. This book collects together some of his important eschatological articles and updates them in the process — removing his awkward, cumbersome, early-20th century writing style. In this clip from updated Vos, we will note his helpful observations on the Greek words kosmos and aion. These words overlap in meaning and significance, making it easy to confuse matters when interpreting biblical texts. I hope this posting is helpful.

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THE GOSPEL, SECOND COMING & ‘THIS AGE’ (2)

Great Commission, Theologians, Two Ages January 3, 2023 Comments: 8

PMW 2022-100 by B. B. Warfield

Gentry note:
This is the second part of Warfield’s helpful article on postmillennialism.

Warfield continues:

The Great Commission
Let us turn, however, to the Great Commission itself (Matt. 28:19, 20). From it surely we may learn the precise nature of the mission that has been committed to the Church of our age. The task laid upon it, we note, is that of “discipling all the nations,” and the means by which this discipling is to be accomplished is described as baptism and instruction — obviously just the ordinary means by which the Church is extended through the ministry of the gospel. The full point of the matter comes out, however, only in the accompanying promise: “And lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.”

The promise, of course, must correspond with the command. The Lord would not encourage his followers to fulfill his command to disciple all nations, by promising to be continuously with them (“all the days”) while time lasts (“even unto the end of the world”), unless the process of discipling the nations here commanded was itself to continue unbrokenly to this end. Of course, everything depends on the meaning of the phrase, “unto the end of the world.” But that is not doubtful.

The Truth about Postmillennialism

By Ken Gentry

A group Bible study guide for explaining the optimistic prophetic hope for this world to be accomplished before Christ’s Second Coming. Establishes the postmillennial system in both the Old and New Testaments. Touches on key eschatological issues, such as creation, covenant, interpretive methodolgy, the great tribulation, the Book of Revelation, the Jewish Temple, and more. It presents and answers the leading objections to postmillennialism.Twelve chapters are ideal for one quarter of Sunday School.

See more study materials at: www.KennethGentry.com

Our Lord employs it twice elsewhere in his explanations of the parables of the tares and the drawn net (Matt. 13:39, 40, 49). In the former he declares that “the harvest is the end of the world,” and explains that to mean that, as, “the tares are gathered up and burned with the fire; so shall it be in the end of the world; the Son of Man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that cause stumbling, and them that do iniquity, and shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth; then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father.” In the latter he explains that in the end of the world” the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the righteous, and shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth.” “The end of the world” here is clearly the last judgment and the consummation of the kingdom.

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THE “SPIRITUAL BODY” IN 1 CORINTHIANS

Resurrection, Two Ages November 22, 2022 Comments: 4

PMW 2022-088 by Kenneth L. Gentry, Jr.

Paradise Now and Not Yet: Studies in the Role of the Heavenly Dimension in Paul's Thought With Special Reference to His Eschatology: Lincoln, Andrew T.: 9780801056727: Amazon.com: BooksIntroduction

A key problem with  contemporary American Christianity is its disinterest in a careful study of Scripture. This encourages church membership decline as people drift away from the unnourishing pablum diet offered in too many churches. Sadly, it also gives heresies a footing in that true Christians have an internal emptiness due to their spiritual thirst for God’s word — even when they do not really recognize it (apparently confusing it with heartburn). Heresies can gain traction within evangelical circles when purveyors of heresy act like they are digging deeply into Scripture. We need Spirit-generated true revival whereby God’s people stand up and declare: “To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because they have no dawn” (Isa. 8:20). I do not care how good the band is or how cool the pastor looks in his casual attire, we need more of the word declared in depth from the pulpit! Continue reading →

ANSWERING AN OVERLAP OF THE AGES QUESTION

Two Ages November 18, 2022 Comments: 5

PMW 2022-087 by Kenneth L. Gentry, Jr.

With my recent articles commenting on the two-ages in Scripture, I have received some questions. One of those I will answer in this posting. So, here we go.

Reader’s question

I was reading this post about the two ages and had a question. It seems that what makes the most sense to me is that the transition between these ages happened in 70AD and we are now living in the “age to come.” However, I finding it challenging to reconcile Matthew 13:39-40 and Luke 20:34-35 with that understanding. It looks like Gaffin introduces the concept of an overlap of the ages. But are you persuaded that this is taught by the Biblical authors explicitly instead of being deduced from assumptions brought to the text? The overlap seems to not be present in some of the “this age, age to come” references.

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MORE ON “THIS AGE” AND “THE AGE TO COME”

Two Ages November 15, 2022 Comments: 2

PMW 2022-086 by Ken Gentry

I have had a couple of folks send me messages expressing confusion about my promoting Richard Gaffin’s book In the Fullness of Time. In that book Gaffin provides excellent exegetical arguments for “this age” referring to the old creation in its fallenness and “the age to come” referring to the new creation in its righteousness. He argues that we are now in an overlap of the two ages, where fallenness continues but new creation realities are spiritually operating in the redeemed. For some reason some folks think that because Gaffin is an amillennialist (whom I debate publicly in 2003), his view of the New Testament structure of redemptive history is contrary to postmillennialism.

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STRUCTURAL STRANDS IN NT ESCHATOLOGY

Last Days, Two Ages October 7, 2022 Comments: 7

PMW 2022-078 by John Murray

(Gentry Note: The material below was given by Professor John Murray of Westminster Theological Seminary at the Evangelical Theological Society meeting in 1954.)

INTRODUCTION

There are three distinct strands in the structure of New Testament eschatology: (1) the strand represented by “the last days”; (2) the strand expressed in the contrast between “this age” and “the age to come”; and (3) the strand intimated in such expressions as “our citizenship is in heaven” (Phil. 3:20) and “we have been raised up together and made to sit together in the heavenlies in Christ Jesus” (Eph. 2:6; cf. Col. 3:1-3). We might speak of these three strands respectively as anticipated eschatology, prospective eschatology and projective eschatology.

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