Consummation

• From frustration (G3153)
  and bondage to decay (G5356)
  to reconciliation (G2643).
• Consummation (G4930) equated to
  a new heaven and a new earth.
• Human beings as special objects
  of God's reconciling work in Christ.

OT promise

• God's promise to Abram back in Genesis 12
  is both particular and universal.
• OT focuses on the particular.
• Because of the promise, OT becomes intertwined with
  Israel's persistent unfaithfulness
  vs God's persistent faithfulness.
  • Had it not been for the promise,
    Israel would have met its end long ago.
• OT ends on the note of renewed hope for God's final fulfillment of his promises
  (consummation)
• As the story resumes in the NT,
  Israel seems to remember only the particular dimension of the promise...

NT fulfillment

• 'Yes' in Christ — Early Christians rejoiced
  as God fulfilled so many of the OT promises.
  • Coming of Christ
  • Pouring out of the Spirit
• Typological and spiritual reenactment
  of the exodus
  • liberation from the ultimate enemy:
    sin and death
• Redefinition of God's people
  by faith in Christ (Jews and Gentiles together)

* typology = historical trajectory

NT eschatology

• "Inaugurated eschatology":
  • Marked by a tension between
    already and not yet.
  • Jesus' exorcisms vs prayer
  • Paul's teaching of adoption to sonship
    vs redemption of our bodies
• NT uses παρουσία (G3952) in particular
  to refer to Christ's second coming.
  • Paul speaks of the day of the Lord
    both as the "blessed hope" and judgment upon the rebels.

Christ's return

• Presented in NT as imminent.
• Exact day or hour of consummation
  is not known to any human.
• Believers are to watch for it
  by conforming their lives to Christ's image.
• Believers will meet the Lord in the air
  with their earthly bodies transformed.
• Condemnation awaits the unbelievers.
  They will experience unending punishment
  or destruction (undoing).

Timing of final events

• A millennium of believers' reign until
  the resurrection of unbelievers.
  • pre-* = Christ returns before
  • post-* = Christ returns at the end of
  • a-* = no such term of reign
• Final period of intense tribulation
  before the rapture
  • pre-* = believers removed before
  • post-* = believers left to experience

Fate of humans

• Israel's future separate from or joined with
  the rest of the world under the covenant.
• What is relevant to us as adopted Gentiles
  is that the OT promise of the land is universalized.
• New heaven & new earth
  • a thorough renovation of the present universe
    which frees it to be as God first intended
  • The image of the New Jerusalem points to
    a focus on intimate eternal fellowship with God.

Sonship

• Metaphorical reference of sonship in the Bible
  leads to a rich and diverse range of ideas.
• In the ancient world when most sons inherited their father's vocations, sonship implied
  close imitation or following of conduct.
  • of God the supreme peacemaker
  • of Abraham the faithful
  • of the devil the liar

Range of interpretation

• Examples shown in biblical translation
  • identity: son of a murderer = murderer
  • containment: son of a bow = arrow
  • character: son of might = fighter
  • resemblance:
    sons of wise men = wise counselors
  • inheritance: "will inherit all this" (Rev 21)
• Understand "sons of God" in light of the above.

Son(s) of God

• Adam the typological son of God
  (biological birth hadn't happened yet)
• A faithful king in the line of David
  is declared to be God's son.
• Angels and Nephilim
• God's covenant people
  • Identification goes both ways:
    believers as children, God as Father.
  • They will experience God's presence and companionship.

Jesus the Son of God

• The True Israel
  • calling out of Egypt
  • testing and tempting for 40 years vs 40 days
    in the wilderness
• The True Davidic King
  • a king "on David's throne"
  • good shepherd
  • identified explicitly as Messiah (multiple times)
    in the Gospel of Mark
  • culmination of Kings (Heb 1:5)

Jesus the Son of God

• The Unique Son, One with the Father
• • made distinct from adopted sons, the believers
    (as told in Paul's letters)
  • as the Word of God, created everything
  • giver of life to those chosen
  • to be honored whenever the Father is
  • radiance of God's glory
  • exact representation of God's being
• Intertwinings
  • mutually dependent trajectories (typologies)
    followed by different labels (titles)
  • eg. new Israel + beloved son
  • eg. ultimate Davidic king + one with Father
  • cross-pollination of symbolism