Sacramental Charismatic Eschatology: Israel, Iran, & the End Times

With the recent attack from Israel upon Iran, there will be a lot of books coming out soon in regard to the end times. So how should we think about the "end times"?

Yesterday Israel attacked Iran and we appear to be on the brink of a full scale middle eastern war. I’ve been around long enough to know that there are authors and publishers jumping at the opportunity to sell books on the topic of the “end times” and can pretty much guarantee that within the week we’ll begin to see advertisements.

It happened with the “red moons” when Pat Robertson jumped at the opportunity and there were literally hundreds of books that came out over the years attempting to provide all of the charts and maps you’d need in order to understand which nation tied to which part of the Book of Daniel. Which reminds me of when I was studying theology in my undergrad and taking a course of Daniel that used a textbook that described how the Soviet Union fit with the nations mentioned in Daniel… despite it being in the early 2000’s and the Soviet Union no longer existing.

It’s a well travelled road. And it makes a lot of money.

So how does a “Sacramental Charismatic” approach the subject of eschatology? I don’t intend to provide a comprehensive biblical-theology on the topic or provide exegesis of every relevant text. Instead, I’d like to make two suggestions and mention a number of resources to help strengthen our understanding of the topic. So let’s get into it!

First, Jesus’ Second Coming is our great hope.

Writing to the Thessalonians, Paul noted that we shouldn’t be ignorant of eschatological issues but should be informed (1 Thess. 4:13). After all, the Second Coming and out future resurrection is a source of hope and encouragement (1 Thess. 4:13-18). Not only is Jesus’ Second Coming a source of hope and encouragement, we should look forward to that day (Titus 2:12-13).

Unfortunately, many of us have been negatively impacted by the massive amount of books that have come out over the years making a spectacle of the subject, seeking to sell books and fear rather than provide solid biblical theology. From silly books like 88 Reasons Why The Rapture Will Be in 1988 to all of the various Left Behind books and movies, many of us have been turned off by the obvious marketing aspect of these types of books and, sadly, may have becoming a bit apathetic about the Second Coming.

But the Second Coming is a glorious promise of the future where Jesus returns and sets up his kingdom in its fullness! Yes, we can (and should) be better discerning about the literature that comes out and recognize when someone is clearly trying to simply sell books and capitalize on eschatological ignorance… but we should never minimize the centrality of the Second Coming. Not only are there hundreds of Scriptures addressing the Second Coming, it was considered foundational to Christianity in the early church, finding mention in the Apostle’s Creed as well as throughout the Patristics.

Second, there are really only two eschatological perspectives that should be embraced by “Sacramental Charismatics.”

Yes, this is gonna be the controversial part of this post but I’m just gonna say it: Dispensational Premillennialism should be completely and utterly abandoned by all within the Charismatic Tradition. In addition to the unconvincing exegesis of numerous texts, it’s such a relatively new hermeneutic and embraces a perspective that actually undermines the continuation of the spiritual gifts. As is noted in the Spirit Filled Life Study Bible, edited by Jack Hayford:

(Interestingly, many of Pentecostal/Charistmatic tradition interpret Revelation and Daniel from this dispensational view, even though such an interpretive approach anywhere other than in prophetic scripture would dictate a denial of the present manifestation of the gifts of the Spirit.)

So if we should abandon the Left Behind eschatology, what should we embrace? In my opinion, there are really only two perspectives that make the best sense of Scripture:

1. Historic Premillennialism. Arguably the oldest perspective found in church history, Historic Premillennialism was popularized amongst Evangelicals by George Eldon Ladd in his The Blessed Hope and other works. It’s the view held by Craig Keener and adequately summarized in Eckhard Schnabel’s 40 Questions About the End Times. Essentially, Historic Premillennialism views the Second Coming as one event as opposed to being two events, one of which is a “secret rapture.”

2. Amillennialism. Interpreting much of the eschatological in a more “symbolic” way, Amillennialism has had strong advocates throughout church history and tends to read the Book of Revelation in an ecclectic manner, recognizing both the preterist, historical, futurist, and spiritualized aspects of the Bible. The best current argument for this position is Sam Storms’ Kingdom Come: The Amillennial Alternative.

Both of these views fit well with the “Sacramental Charismatic” tapestry because they build on the Inaugurated Eschatology of the “now and not yet.” I jokingly describe my own position as being four days a week I’m either Amillennial or Historic Premillennial and the other three days I’m the other… depending on the week.

So again… Dispensational Premillennialism, while popular amongst Americans, is such an unconvincing perspective, it shouldn’t even register. There, I said it.

Yet another perspective that is gaining some traction amongst many in the NAR world is that of Post Millennialism… the idea that the world will be “Christianized” by a “victorious Church” and experience the “Millennium” before Jesus returns. I don’t find this perspectively remotely convincing and I agree with George Ladd’s observation:

“There is so little appeal to Scripture that I have little to criticize. The argument that the world is getting better is a two-edged sword. One can equally well argue from empirical observation that the world is getting worse. In the New Testament times, civilization enjoyed the great Pax Romana – two centuries when the Mediterranean world was at peace. This has never been repeated. Our lifetime has seen two worldwide wars and an unending series of lesser wars – in Korea, Vietnam, the Near East, Ireland, Lebanon. We have witnessed the rise of Nazism with hits slaughter of six million Jews, the rise and fall of fascism, the rise and stabilization of Communist governments. The world today is literally an armed camp.” (Ladd, The Meaning of the Millennium: Four Views, 143).

Conclusion.

So my first point is something that every Christian should agree with. My second point is one that people can disagree with and I’ll still consider them Christians, ha ha! Within the small movement I’m affiliated with (the Vineyard), I think it’s worth noting that John Wimber was definitely in agreement with my second point and was significantly influenced by George Ladd. Yet he made sure to never make a strong appeal to one eschatological perspective over another and I think that was largely due to his ecumenical work.

In perhaps one of the most influential “Vineyard” books on the Kingdom, Breakthrough, Derek Morphew writes:

“Both historic premillennialism and amillennialism are able to hold together the balance of New Testament teaching. The differences between them are not as great as most imagine.”

Holding things together is really the name of the game when it comes to the “Sacramental Charismatic” perspective. We wanna be more “both/and” rather than “either/or.”

What do you think?

About the Author

Luke Geraty is a pastor-theologian in northern California. With a few theology degrees and nearly twenty-eight years of church leadership experience, Luke loves the Bible, theology, fly fishing, coffee, and books. All opinions are his own and not the views of any other organizations he’s affiliated with. You can follow him on Twitter, Instagram, and subscribe to his YouTube.