Conditional Futurism

New Perspective of End-Time Prophecy

Goetz

• Publisher: Resource Publications
• Year: 2012
• eBook ISBN: 9781621891833
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Religion

Conditional Futurism introduces a new perspective of end-time theology (eschatology). The book holds to Christian futurism while integrating the Apocalypse of John with the conditional dynamics of prophecy taught in Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, and various other books throughout the Old Testament. The new paradigm concludes that the final antichrist (also known as the man of lawlessness, the beast, and the eighth king) may read the apocalyptic prophecy of his doom while deciding instead to repent of evil and turn to the Lord, which is a biblical option that would fulfill the divine purposes of the apocalypse. This cutting-edge scholarship also develops new biblical models of angels appearing as humans, the descent of Christ into hell, and the kings in Revelation that incorporate with this end-time theology that encourages hope in all circumstances.

1

Conditional Futurism in Sum

Apocalypse means “revelation” or “uncovering.” Biblical apocalypses such as the book of Revelation describe divine visions or dreams filled with symbolism about important future events that involve miraculous intervention while a divinely appointed mediator helps to interpret the vision.1 Many Christian scholars hold to traditional futurism, which teaches that the apocalypse in Revelation prophesied unconditional judgments about the end times.2 For example, Revelation 19 prophesied that the beast and the false prophet would oppose the Lord and be thrown into the lake of fire forever. Traditional futurists teach that this prophetic judgment against the beast and false prophet is unconditional; that is, nothing could alter the general outcome of the beast and false prophet opposing the Lord and being thrown into the lake of fire forever. However, careful study of biblical prophecy indicates that the outcome of any prophetic judgment is conditional; this is, the disobedient audience of the prophecy could genuinely repent and alter the outcome of the judgment.3 The word and purposes of the Lord never alter while the outcome of the word of the Lord can vary.

Biblical passages that teach about conditions in prophetic judgments include the apocalypse in Daniel 4 and classical prophecies such as Jeremiah 18:1–10 and Ezekiel 33:13–16. Daniel 4:19–27 describes Daniel interpreting an apocalypse dreamt by Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar:

19 Then Daniel (also called Belteshazzar) was greatly perplexed for a time, and his thoughts terrified him. So the king said, “Belteshazzar, do not let the dream or its meaning alarm you.”

Belteshazzar answered, “My lord, if only the dream applied to your enemies and its meaning to your adversaries! 20 The tree you saw, which grew large and strong, with its top touching the sky, visible to the whole earth, 21 with beautiful leaves and abundant fruit, providing food for all, giving shelter to the wild animals, and having nesting places in its branches for the birds— 22 Your Majesty, you are that tree! You have become great and strong; your greatness has grown until it reaches the sky, and your dominion extends to distant parts of the earth.

23 “Your Majesty saw a holy one, a messenger, coming down from heaven and saying, ‘Cut down the tree and destroy it, but leave the stump, bound with iron and bronze, in the grass of the field, while its roots remain in the ground. Let him be drenched with the dew of heaven; let him live with the wild animals, until seven times pass by for him.’

24 “This is the interpretation, Your Majesty, and this is the decree the Most High has issued against my lord the king: 25 You will be driven away from people and will live with the wild animals; you will eat grass like the ox and be drenched with the dew of heaven. Seven times will pass by for you until you acknowledge that the Most High is sovereign over all kingdoms on earth and gives them to anyone he wishes. 26 The command to leave the stump of the tree with its roots means that your kingdom will be restored to you when you acknowledge that Heaven rules. 27 Therefore, Your Majesty, be pleased to accept my advice: Renounce your sins by doing what is right, and your wickedness by being kind to the oppressed. It may be that then your prosperity will continue.” (Daniel 4:19–27)

In these verses, Daniel interpreted the symbols in the apocalypse dreamt by Nebuchadnezzar. The Most High, who is God, decreed that Nebuchadnezzar would live like a wild animal for seven periods of time until he would acknowledge that God is sovereign over the kingdoms of the earth.4 This implied that Nebuchadnezzar would lose his throne for seven periods of time. Daniel in verse 4:27 also interpreted that Nebuchadnezzar could repent and alter the outcome of the decree of God in this apocalyptic judgment. Also, this apocalyptic dream included no explicit conditions for the judgment while Daniel interpreted implicit conditions in the judgment.5

The scenario in Daniel 4 agrees with Jeremiah 18:1–10 and Ezekiel 33:13–16 teaching that genuine repentance of a wicked nation or a wicked person alters the outcome of a prophetic judgment. For instance, Jeremiah 18:1–10 describes the Lord, who is God, teaching Jeremiah about the conditional nature of both prophetic blessings and prophetic judgments:

1 This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD: 2 “Go down to the potter’s house, and there I will give you my message.” 3 So I went down to the potter’s house, and I saw him working at the wheel. 4 But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him.

5 Then the word of the LORD came to me. 6 He said, “Can I not do with you, Israel, as this potter does?” declares the LORD. “Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, Israel. 7 If at any time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be uprooted, torn down and destroyed, 8 and if that nation I warned repents of its evil, then I will relent and not inflict on it the disaster I had planned. 9 And if at another time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be built up and planted, 10 and if it does evil in my sight and does not obey me, then I will reconsider the good I had intended to do for it. (Jeremiah 18:1–10)

In these verses, the Lord directed Jeremiah to observe the work of a potter. Jeremiah saw the potter make a clay pot with defects in the structure. Then, the potter used the same clay to start over and make another pot, which presumably lacked defects. Next, the Lord compared himself to the potter while the Lord compared the Israelite kingdom of Judah to the clay used to make pots. After that, the Lord in Jeremiah 18:7–10 expanded the illustration to include any possible nation at any given time. The Lord declared that any time that he announces a judgment of destruction against any nation, then that nation could repent and avoid the destruction. For instance, the Lord in Jeremiah 27:1–11 announced judgments against the nations of Edom, Moab, Ammon, Tyre and Sidon. Also, verses 18:1–10 teach that at any time that the Lord announces a special blessing in favor of any nation, then that nation could turn to evil and lose the special blessing. This teaching in 18:1–10 implies conditions in all prophetic blessings and prophetic judgments to the nations. Likewise, prophetic blessings and prophetic judgments to nations need no explicit statement of conditions while they always include implicit conditions. In all cases, the word of the Lord proves true regardless of the outcome.

Ezekiel 33:13–16 parallels Jeremiah 10:1–10 by teaching about the conditions of prophetic blessings and prophetic judgments to individual people:

13 If I tell a righteous person that they will surely live, but then they trust in their righteousness and do evil, none of the righteous things that person has done will be remembered; they will die for the evil they have done. 14 And if I say to a wicked person, ‘You will surely die,’ but they then turn away from their sin and do what is just and right— 15 if they give back what they took in pledge for a loan, return what they have stolen, follow the decrees that give life, and do no evil—that person will surely live; they will not die. 16 None of the sins that person has committed will be remembered against them. They have done what is just and right; they will surely live. (Ezekiel 33:13­–16)

Ezekiel 33:13­–16 teaches that the Lord could prophesy that a righteous person would surely live, but the righteous person would lose the special blessing of life if he turns to evil. Also, the Lord could prophesy to a wicked person, “You will surely die,” but the wicked person could turn away from evil and live. These verses also imply that particular prophetic blessings and prophetic judgments need no statement of explicit conditions while they always include implicit conditions.

The Bible includes many other cases of conditional prophecy. For example, the book of Jonah taught that God pronounced a judgment of destruction against the city of Nineveh. The prophetic word of judgment against Nineveh included no explicit conditions while repentance of the people of Nineveh altered the outcome of the prophetic word.

This book introduces a paradigm-shifting interpretation of the end times called conditional futurism. Conditional futurism proposes conditional judgments in end-time prophecy including conditions in the apocalyptic judgment of the final antichrist, also called the man of lawlessness and an eighth king.6 Likewise, the proposal of conditional end-time judgments challenges the unconditional judgments of traditional futurism. And the proposal of a final antichrist challenges other end-time theologies such as preterism and idealism. For instance, full preterism says that events from AD 30 to 70 completely fulfilled all prophecies in Revelation while idealism says that the prophecies in Revelation apply to all periods of time with no focus on the return of the Lord.

Conditional futurism also works with the belief that Jesus Christ inaugurated the kingdom of God on earth during his first-century ministry while Christ will consummate the kingdom when he returns. For example, Christ associated the kingdom with his preaching of God’s word while he also taught about fulfilling the kingdom when he returns.7

The next chapter outlines principles of biblical interpretation (hermeneutics). Then, the book interprets selections...

Table of contents

• Title Page
• Acknowledgments
• Chapter 1: Conditional Futurism in Sum
• Chapter 2: Interpretation of End-Time Prophecy
• Chapter 3: Genesis and the Mosaic Covenant
• Chapter 4: The Davidic Dynasty and Psalms
• Chapter 5: Isaiah
• Chapter 6: Jeremiah
• Chapter 7: Prince Gog from the Land of Magog
• Chapter 8: Zechariah
• Chapter 9: Daniel
• Chapter 10: The Gospels
• Chapter 11: Acts
• Chapter 12: Letters of Paul and Hebrews
• Chapter 13: Letters of Peter, John, and Jude
• Chapter 14: The Eighth King in Revelation
• Chapter 15: Judgment, the Kings of the Earth, and the Nations in Revelation
• Bibliography