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When it comes to the end of time, at least one thing is certain: Southern Baptists have a variety of opinions.
And according to leading Baptist theologians, nearly all of those opinions fall within the bounds of orthodoxy.
“On the whole Baptists have been model kingdom citizens when agreeing on the essentials of a doctrine of last things without attempting to press one another unrelentingly on the particular details,” wrote Paige Patterson, president of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, in the book “Baptist Faith and Message 2000: Critical Issues in America’s Largest Protestant Denomination.”
Patterson explained that the committee charged in 2000 with revising the Southern Baptist Convention’s confession of faith articulated the Bible’s core teachings on last things — also known as eschatology — without mentioning the secondary details on which inerrantists disagree. He listed 12 beliefs one must hold to be orthodox.
BEYOND CHRIST’S RETURN
Beyond those essential beliefs, Christians disagree significantly. Theologians have divided on such issues as what happens to believers between their deaths and Christ’s second coming, the nature of the resurrection body and the number of resurrections to occur.
“Frankly, I find some Christian eschatological interpretations embarrassing,” guest lecturer Craig Evans of Acadia Divinity School stated during a recent discussion of the Dead Sea Scrolls at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.
“There are some pulpiteers, TV evangelists, and popular writers who think they’ve got this all figured out.” When asked his interpretation of Bible prophecy from references to the armies of Belial, armies of Satan, and a mention of Magog, Evans said, “I just say to be cautious about that because we don’t always know what’s going on. Some of this is metaphorical, poetic and so forth, and to bring a scientific precision to it and pigeonhole everything?I think that’s a very questionable approach.”
The only views that qualify as unorthodox are those that deny a future coming of Christ, explained Russell D. Moore, senior vice president for academic administration and dean of the theology school at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky.
“Any view that does not hold to a future day of what the church has called ‘the resurrection of the flesh’ is outside the bounds of Christian orthodoxy,” Moore said. “Christians have, and will continue to, disagree about whether some of the events of Matthew 25 or Mark 13 or the book of Revelation were fulfilled at the fall of Jerusalem. That can be a disagreement among brothers.
“We, of course, will continue to disagree about the meaning of the millennium in Revelation 20, probably until the millennium itself. We cannot disagree, however, about the future bodily coming of our Lord and the future resurrection of both the just and the unjust. This is clearly and indisputably taught in the Scripture and is essential to the Christian faith.”
THE MILLENNIUM
Among Southern Baptists differences of opinion arise on the nature of the millennium referenced in Revelation 20. That passage describes a 1,000-year period, known as the millennium, during which Satan is bound. Disagreement occurs regarding the timing of Christ’s return relative to the millennium and whether the number 1,000 is literal or symbolic.
Premillennialists believe Christ will return prior to a literal 1,000-year period.
Among premillennialists, there are varied opinions on whether Jesus will remove Christians from the earth prior to a tribulation preceding his return. Some, known as dispensational premillennialists or dispensationalists, believe in such a rescue for Christians. Others, known as historic premillennialists, believe Christians will not be taken out of the world until Jesus returns. A small minority of premillennialists believe Christians will be raptured halfway through a period of tribulation preceding Christ’s return.
Postmillennialists believe the 1,000-year period will occur before Jesus returns. Adherents of this position generally believe the millennium will be a period of unprecedented peace and prosperity under the lordship of Christ. Although postmillennialism has enjoyed proponents such as Jonathan Edwards and Southwestern Seminary founder B.H. Carroll, the view faded from Baptist life in the last century.
Amillennialists believe the number 1,000 is figurative and that we are currently in the millennium (some premillennialists and postmillennialists also believe 1,000 is figurative). They argue that Satan was bound by Christ through his finished work at the cross and has limited power until Christ returns. Thus, the millennium refers to the current era when Christ reigns in the hearts of believers without Satan’s interference. Christ’s return will mark the close of this era, amillennialists believe.
James Leo Garrett, distinguished professor of theology emeritus at Southwestern, said these millennial positions have a long history of interaction in the SBC. For the first half-century following the convention’s founding in 1845, premillennialism and postmillennialism were the two dominant v
