The Eschatology Of John Wesley

In John Wesley’s early years at Oxford he wrote the sermon “The Almost Christian,” that distinguish differences between the “almost Christian,” which he refers as the “high-minded hypocrite” in comparison to the “altogether Christian,” stating that he doubts there are many (The Almost Christian, p. 61). He implies being almost a Christian: 1) one must display simple heathen honesty; 2) have a form of godliness which is prescribed in the gospel of Christ, the “outside of a real Christian;” and 3) procure sincerity, the real inward principle of religion in which one’s actions come” (The Almost Christian, p. 62-64). Dissimilarly, for Wesley the “altogether Christian,” is one that strives for a faith that glorifies God by loving Him and their

A big part of the end of the world in the Christian faith is something called the rapture. The rapture is when Jesus returns to take all those who believe in Him up to heaven and away from the earth. Those left on the earth are the people that rejected God and/or are part of different religions. When the rapture occurs, the Holy Spirit, God’s believed spirit that resides on the earth, will leave the earth and there will be nothing holding back evil. The time at which the rapture will occur is a subject of conflict among the Christian churches. The first and most popular theory is the “Pre-Tribulation” theory; the people in this group believe the rapture to occur right before the Tribulation. In this theory the rapture itself is sort of the “starting pistol” for the Tribulation. Next is the “Mid-Tribulation” theory, these people believe that Christians will have to suffer three-and-a-half years or halfway through the Tribulation. They believe that Christians are exempt from the wrath of God but are not exempt from the sufferings of the Tribulation. Similar is the “Post-Tribulation” theory; in this belief Christians are not raptured until the end of the Tribulation for much the same reasons as the “Mid-Trib” theory. Some also believe that even though Christians’ sins have been atoned for they still have to be punished with suffering in the Tribulation. The last and least commonly heard of theory is the “Pre-Wrath” theory. This group

In chapter 5 of the Book of Revelation, we see Christ enter John’s vision in the form of the slain lamb, a picture of Christ sacrifice (Rev 5:6). In the ‘new song’ of the saints, the lamb is said to have “ransom[ed] for God saints from every tribe and language and people and nation’ (5:9) and, later in the chapter, that “…every creature in heaven and on earth…” now sings praise to the lamb (5:13). These verses speak of God’s victory already having been fulfilled in Christ’s sacrifice in a way that leaves the reader with a vision of the eschatological hope of the Christian faith as being both fulfilled, but yet to be completed, a conception which falls within an inaugurated understanding of eschatology. As such, the ‘end of the world’ in Revelation can be considered as having already occurred in Christ’s death as evil was defeated and the New Creation initiated, while simultaneously not complete as the forces of Satan; the beast, the false prophet, and the harlot, still function in the cosmology of the First Creation. This understanding of the eschatological reality is an important aspect of John’s text, as it is through this that he is able to identify the dangers to the Church as well as encourage and strengthen its faith.

After the Persians saved the Jews from Babylonian Captivity they expanded their thoughts on Yahweh. They started to think about good and evil and life and death. There was now in their thoughts “A time for being born and a time for dying.” (Ecclesiastes 3:2, RWH 141) They stated to consider eschatology and also the apocalypse, that one day the coming of god and the Day of Judgment would occur. On this day god would bring peace and justice to humankind, and they would be with him.

One could be asking the question, “What is the Great Tribulation?” The Great Tribulation is a period of time foretold in the Bible. According to JW.org, the Great Tribulation is the end of the system of things we live in today. How long it will last is unknown, but it will be very severe and something unlike any event that’s happened today, as seen in Matthew 24:21. To emphasize the severity of the event, the article describes its seriousness by looking at

The purpose of this paper is to research and analyze the preterist and futurist views of interpreting the Book of Revelation and determine which view provides the most accurate Biblical interpretation. As Richard L. Mayhue states, the "word 'preterist' comes from the Latin term praeteritus which basically means 'past' in regard to time." A preterist interpretation of the Book of Revelation, therefore, asserts that incidents described therein have already come to pass. A futurist interpretation, on the other hand, suggests the opposite namely, that Revelation is a prophecy of things to come.

John Wesley, son of Samuel and Susanna Wesley, was born in Epworth, Lincolnshire, United Kingdom, on June 17, 1703. On February 9, 1709, a fire broke out in the Wesley household in the middle of the night. John, only five years old, was left sound asleep in his bed. Fortunately, a stranger was able to help John escape just before the building collapsed. This monumental moment led Susanna Wesley to begin a “strict reform.” She wrote in one of her personal meditations, “I do intend to be more particularly careful of the soul of this child, that Thou hast so mercifully Provided for, than ever I have been, that I may do my endeavour to instill into his mind the principles of Thy true religion and virtue. Lord, give me grace to do it sincerely

The essential problem Wright identifies in the introduction can be documented most clearly in six ordinary, but unsatisfactory responses often provided by the church to the query "What are the Gospels all about?, ” which are: 1) teaching people how to go to Heaven, 2) recording Jesus's exclusive ethical teaching, 3) depicting Jesus as a moral prototype for the people, 4) exhibiting Jesus as the perfect sacrifice, 5) telling stories with which humans can recognize and then find direction, and 6) signifying Jesus's spirituality. While each of these answers contains a portion of truth, Wright contends they all fail to hold the heart of the Gospel accounts. According to Wright, “the gospels tell of Jesus who embodied the living God of Israel and whose cross and resurrection really did unveil and initiate the Kingdom of God.” Wright then claims that the kingdom is apart of a greater eschatological theology, which is concerned with what is believed to be the final events of history, or the definitive destiny of humanity.

John Wesley argued Christian perfection throughout his ministry. His quest was holy living. Wesley was focused with the life of holiness than with the philosophy concerning holiness and he was engrossed in the experience than in its principles.

John Wesley wrote in his Sermon 16 that the means of grace are understood as “outward signs, words, or actions ordained by God… to be the ordinary channels whereby (God) might convey to men preventing, justifying, or sanctifying grace.” Means are what happen outside of oneself and the grace is what does the work inside of ourselves or another way to say this is to say the ways we receive and experience grace. When we speak of the sacraments we refer to them as outward signs of an inward and spiritual grace. The means of grace in the sacraments, means are the bread and cup of communion and the water of the baptism and the liturgy spoken. These act in an outward and physical way, but the real work is that of the invisible grace we receive.

There is a difference between individual eschatology and general eschatology but this does not imply that there are two different eschatologies. Individual eschatology is the destiny of each person while general eschatology is the destiny of humankind as a whole. General eschatology is the fate of the Church as a whole and deals with the end of the world and the conclusion of history. Individual eschatology is thought to include death and what happens to individuals between the time of death and the eternal state. On the other hand, general eschatology considers the final judgment, return of Christ and heaven and hell generally. According to Karl Rahner, they influence each other and make up a single reality.

When will the end come? It is human nature for humans to ask questions. Many of these questions are without answers and there is no possible way to come up with one. A common question that plagues the human race is “When will the world end?” For thousands of years, astrologers and psychics have been trying to come up with clues to when it all will end. There is a source, the Bible, which aids humans, specifically Christians, in trying to come up with some answers. Many places in the Bible such as Revelations, Ezekiel, Matthew, Daniel, and I Corinthians all give some clues to how and when the end of the world will come. Two articles that give some insight on this subject are “Visions or Heaven, Dreams of the End” by

The first of these two Advents is witnessed in the Incarnation of Christ, depicted in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. The second of these two Advents is prophesied in great detail in the Book of Revelations, as described by John. The Bible, in all its books, is ultimately directed towards God's message, centered on Christ in His coming as the Redeemer of Man and, finally, in His coming as the Judge of Man at the end of time. Thus, in the various Biblical prophecies (abundant in the Old Testament but culminating in the New with Revelations), the "Divine Purpose," as Chafer calls it, is clearly outlined (165).

John Wesley’s discourse, “The Means of Grace,” expresses the expedient of grace as, “outward signs, language, or actions ordained of God, and appointed for this end— to be the ordinary channels whereby he might impart to men preventing, justifying, or sanctifying grace.” Acknowledging his need and proceeding in his evangelization, Wesley could obtain the grace he needed to have both the potency and placidity that was eluding from his religion. God utilized his perpetuated participation in the ministry of Scripture to proclaim faith in Christ into Wesley’s philosophy.

Hoekema is the author of the final chapter of this book. It is devoted to four specific topics that relate to amillennialism. First, he focused on interpreting the book of Revelation to show "the background for the amillennial view of the millennium." Then, Hoekema discussed his interpretation of Revelation 20:1-6 and also "two OT passages commonly viewed as predicting an earthly millennial kingdom." A brief sketch of amillennial eschatology followed. The "sketch cover[ed] two areas: first, what amillennial eschatology teaches with regard to [four topics relating to] inaugurated eschatology, and, second, what it teaches with reference to [seven subjects relating to] future eschatology." This chapter ends with four implications of amillennial eschatology for the theological understanding of Christians.