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Eschatology (the study of end times) is for many like a maze in which one easily becomes bewildered or lost and questions whether searching for the way through is worth the effort. The irony of this attitude is that the Bible provides the doctrine of the return of Christ and the reality of heaven to motivate and comfort us; consequently, when in exasperation we choose ambivalence or ignorance, we deny ourselves a divinely appointed source of encouragement. This problem is exacerbated if we rarely meditate on the blessings of heaven. While we make no pretense of propounding all the answers in this conference, there is much that we can confidently affirm. We will begin by defining the different approaches to the question of the millennium (the thousand years of Revelation 20).We then will examine what the Old and New Testaments teach about the end times, presenting those teachings we can declare with confidence. Summarizing what we find by examining the Westminster Standards, we will offer a critique of some doctrines that are neither Scripturally nor Confessionally supportable. In the evenings, we will address the biblical reality of hell and the glorious revelation of heaven. On Thursday, we will conclude with a consideration of two positions on the place of ethnic Israel in the scheme of redemption. We sincerely hope you will join us for this conference and that God will bless our efforts for the further edification of His Church. |
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