Dr. Piper’s Eschatology
May 23, 2008
I currently have the pleasure of reading John Piper’s The Pleasures of God with a friend. The more I read, the more I grow in respect and admiration for this man. He clearly has a big brain (well, he does have a doctorate in theology), and he uses words like ‘ineluctable’ that I have to look up in a dictionary.
In the second chapter (’The pleasure of God in all he does’) he recounts a letter he wrote to someone who was preaching at a conference who taught that God is our model risk-taker. The impression I’m getting is that Piper is very much a gospel optimist and may well have postmillennialist leanings, and I’d love to know where I might go to find out more about his eschatology. He references The Puritan Hope mentioned in a previous post a few times and recommends it as further reading for those who were inspired by the pleasure of God in all he does to spend themselves in world mission. In answer to a point about God taking a risk by entrusting the Great Commission into our hands, he writes:
The Great Commission is not in question. “This gospel of the kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, as a testimony to all nations; and then the end will come” (Matthew 24:14 - although I’m not sure that’s what this verse is about). “All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the LORD; and all the families of the nations shall worship before him. For dominion belongs to the LORD and he rules over the nations” (Psalm 22:27-28). The full number of the Gentiles shall come in (Romans 11:25). “The earth shall be filled with the glory of the LORD” (Numbers 14:21). All of Scripture affirms the victory of God in world missions. It is not in question. God has promised. God is sovereign! Because he rules over the hearts of men and is the Lord of his church, his purpose cannot fail! - p. 57
May 23, 2008 at 4:49 pm
Daniel,
If you want to learn about Dr. Piper’s eschatology, then go right to the source at the desiringgod.org website (am arm of Bethlehem Baptist Church where Piper is the pastor). If you want to find sermons, etc. at the website, go to the resources tab. From there I chose to search by topic and found a section on end times/the return of Christ.
Here is a link: http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/TopicIndex/29_End_Times__Return_of_Christ/
May 23, 2008 at 6:00 pm
He is an Edwards fan, so no wonder there’s an optimistic note there.
I feel pretty sure he’s a premill though can’t be sure. That might be made on the basis of an off the cuff remark in an interview rather than anything reliable.