Israel and the End of the World
Chiliasm and Biblical Eschatology
Franz Pieper, the 2nd president of the Missouri Synod, references World War 1 four times in his three volume Christian Dogmatics. Two of them occur in volume 1. One occurs on page 509, in footnote 18, when speaking about the obsessio spiritualis, or spiritual possession of all who do not believe that the blood of Jesus cleanses sin. Here Pieper says that spiritual possession could be seen among Communists, Socialists, statesmen, allies, and the press during his own time and since World War 1.1 In the second place, when discussing the image of God, Pieper writes,
“The truth that God gave His Son to the world and would renew the world in Christ to the original image of God will shield us against the misanthropy which the deceitfulness and malice of men in the spiritual domain (in fighting against the Gospel) and in secular affairs (as in the World War) would create in us.”2
Pieper’s last two references to World War 1 appear in Volume 3. Pieper is speaking about the last days, in particular the, “little season,” in Revelation 20:3. He writes,
“But this season is characterized as a period of general assault on ‘the camp of the saints and the beloved city,’ that is, the Christian Church. This is no reference to secular wars. In the recent World War, for instance, neither the Central Powers nor the Allies were the camp of the saints and the beloved city, but on both sides the unbelievers were the vast majority.”3
His last quotation is in his section dealing with how we should understand Israel’s “hardening,” in Romans 11. First, Pieper claims, “the door of grace stands open now less for the Jews than for the Gentiles,” and that claiming a state of hardening over present Israel against the Gospel is, “unscriptural,” and, “prevents Christians from confidently preaching the Gospel to the Jews.”4 Pieper concludes this section with a reference to the negative effects of World War 1 on evangelism to Jews.
“This pernicious effect is intensified if this dream of a future ‘time of the Jews,’ is made attractive to them by promises of Jewish nationalism, a return to, and possession of, the land of their forefathers, and a rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem, with re-establishment of its elaborate worship. One of the many deplorable consequences of the World War is the promise of the Allies to give Palestine to the Jews as their national home. Instead of repenting of their sins and believing in the Messiah who has come, the Orthodox Jews dream of a return to Palestine and the rebuilding of the Temple with its worship (Zionism), and the Reformed Jews envision a spiritual domination of the world by Jewish intellectual superiority and erudition, to be achieved by means of a Jewish university on the Mount of Olives.”5
Although Pieper’s reflections on World War 1 obviously come before the 2nd World War and many other events of the 20th century, his predictions and insights about eschatology and Israel’s relationship to eschatology remain intact. We must guard against misanthropy, or a hatred of men, which fails to recognize that Christ wills that all believe and come to a knowledge of the truth. We should uphold Biblical eschatology and eschew Chiliasm, a false set of doctrines labled, “Jewish opinions,” by Augsburg Confession article XVII.
There are four last things in the area of Christian theology called Eschatology: death, judgment, heaven, and hell. Eschatology can be defined as the doctrine of Holy Scripture concerning the end of temporal life, the second advent of Christ, the resurrection of the dead, final judgment, the consummation of all things, the everlasting damnation of the wicked, and the eternal bliss of the just in the world to come.6
Temporal death- separation of the immortal soul from the mortal body (Luke 12:20, 2 Timothy 4:6, Philippians 1:23, 2 Corinthians 5:1,4,8). Immortality of the soul (Matthew 10:28).
A)Temporal death of wicked- a consequence and punishment of sin (Romans 5:12, 5:21) and the transition of the soul spiritually dead into eternal death (Luke 16:23, 1 Peter 3:19-20).
B) Death of believers- still a consequence of sin, but no longer a punishment (1 Peter 2:24).
Last Generation- temporal death is not the lot of all mankind, since a generation of men will live to witness the second coming of Christ (1 Thessalonians 4:15-17, 1 Corinthians 15:51).
Signs of the Last Times (signa propria and signa communia)- The predicted (Matthew 26:64) second visible advent of Christ (Revelation 1:7) may be expected at any time (Mark 13:32, Matthew 24:36-42) since all the signs which are to remind us of his coming (Matthew 24:3-33, Luke 21:25) have been fulfilled or are still in the process of fulfillment (Matthew 24:37-39, 1 Timothy 4:1, Mark 13:22), and the last times are doubtless upon the world (Luke 18:8, 1 Peter 4:7).
Purpose of the Second Advent- The purpose of the second coming of Christ is not the establishment of a millennial kingdom on earth, but the resurrection of all the dead, the final judgment, and the consummation of all things (1 Corinthians 15:50, John 16:33, Hebrews 9:28).
Resurrection of all the dead: First act of Christ and of the Holy Trinity on the last day is to awaken the all the dead by reuniting soul to body, adapting the bodies to a future state, those of the wicked to everlasting shame and torment, those of the righteous to everlasting celestial glory (1 Thess. 4:16, 1 Corinthians 15:52, John 5:29).
Final Judgment: After the resurrection of all the dead, and the change of those who have lived to see the second advent of Christ, all nations are gathered before Him, and He will separate the righteous from the wicked, and will in public judgment, by the testimony of their works, the good works of the righteous in evidence of their faith and the evil works of the wicked in evidence of their unbelief, reveal to angels and men the righteousness of His judgment, and justly damn the wicked to everlasting punishment, and graciously assign everlasting life to the righteous 2 Corinthians 5:10, Matthew 25:32-46).
End of the World: The day of the resurrection of all the dead will also be the last day, the day of the end of the world, when earth and heaven shall come to ruin and pass away, consumed in fire, and God will create a new heaven and a new earth (Matthew 24:29, 2 Peter 3:10, Luke 21:33).
Eternal Damnation: The punishment of the damned after the consummation will be everlasting shame and torment of body and soul with the devil and his angels in the fire of Hell; but while the punishment of all will be endless and severe, the degrees of torment will differ with different degrees of guilt in different individuals (Daniel 12:2, Matthew 25:41, 46, Matthew 10:15, Luke 10:12, Matthew 23:13).
Eternal Life: The state of the elect after the consummation will be a state of eternal life with God and His angels in glory and bliss of body and soul unmarred by sin, pain, death, or the possibility of apostasy; While everyone will be perfect and have great glory, there will be degrees of glory. We shall forever praise our Savior and God (1 Corinthians 15:41-42).7
When speaking about how Lutherans understand Israel’s place, especially against Chiliasm, or the idea that Christ will rule an earthly kingdom from Jerusalem for a one-thousand-year period, Christ’s words to Pilate in John 18:36 are of utmost importance, “My kingdom is not of this world.” He came unto his own, and his own received him not (John 1:11). And this because many of them did and continue to expect a worldly messiah, a worldly kingdom, and worldly salvation. Consider what Winifried Corduon in his book, Neighboring Faiths, has to say is a major difference between Judaism and Christianity.
“Personal redemption- salvation from sin and its consequences- is the crucial concern in Christianity, and Christians are taught that it is also an important aspect of the Hebrew Scriptures (the Christian Old Testament). However, this issue is not a major concern in modern Judaism.”8
This, “Jewish opinion,” on the end of the world first came into Christian theology through Cerinthus, an early heretic who also believed in mandatory circumcision and Sabbath observance.9 It has spread into the church through various other movements, chiefly in America through Dispensationalism. When it comes to Israel and what is taught in Romans 11:26-27, Dispensationalists believe that Israel still has a unique covenant with God that is separate from the Church. This is not the case. St. Paul is clear in Ephesians 2:11-18,
“Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands;12 That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:13 But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. 14 For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;15 Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace;16 And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby:17 And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh.18 For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.”
Salvation for both Jew and Gentile can be found in Christ alone. In Pieper’s words, we ought not give in to misanthropy and imagine that salvation in Christ is impossible for Jews due to hardening. Neither should we allow, “promises of Jewish nationalism,” or, “spiritual domination of the world by Jewish intellectual superiority,” take the place of Christ, the only name under heaven given among men by which we can be saved.10 We ought to recognize that the door of grace remains open to Jew and Gentile. Such a thing the angels in heaven rejoice over.
Romans 11:15, For if the casting away of them be the reconciling of the world, what shall the receiving of them be, but life from the dead?
Franz Pieper, Christian Dogmatics, Volume I, 509, footnote 18.
Ibid, 519-520.
Franz Pieper, Christian Dogmatics, Volume III, 524.
Ibid. 533.
Ibid. 534.
A.L. Graebner, Outlines of Doctrinal Theology, 225.
Drawn from A.L. Graebner’s, Outlines of Doctrinal Theology, 225-246.
Corduon, Neighboring Faiths, 63.
Cerinthus - Wikipedia
Franz Pieper, Christian Dogmatics Volume III, 534.
This essay is greatly enlightening.
No doubt Franz Pieper was sincere, but the was not very well informed about contemporary Jewry At the time he was writing Christian Dogmatics, Zionism was at rock bottom popularity among Orthodox Jews, and the Zionist movement was entirely hostile to idea of rebuilding the temple or anything similar.