Bible-preaching churches today rightly focus on the cross. The gospel is central to all that we do. We look back and remember Jesus’ death and resurrection each time we celebrate the Lord’s Supper. But have we forgotten that we observe this ordinance “till He comes” (1 Corinthians 11:26)?
Almost as a reflex, you might answer, “Of course not! The return of Christ is one of the fundamentals of the faith.” But how often have you heard something like “soteriology is a primary doctrine, but eschatology is secondary”? Or “people need the gospel but teaching on the end times can wait.” Soteriology focuses on Christ’s first coming. Eschatology focuses on His second coming. How can we prioritize one coming over the other?
In the first century as the gospel spread from Jerusalem to the uttermost parts of the earth, what did Jesus and the apostles emphasize? From the third verse of Acts (Acts 1:3) to the very last verse (Acts 28:31), they emphasized both the cross AND the Kingdom. They looked back to the Calvary and forward to Jesus’ return.
Jesus Taught the Cross and the Kingdom
“To whom He also presented Himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by them during forty days and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God” (Acts 1:3).
What did Jesus teach during the brief period between His resurrection and ascension? Yes, He looked back to His recent resurrection, showing many infallible proofs. But He also spoke of the things pertaining to the Kingdom of God. Even though He had already risen from the dead, the Kingdom had not yet begun. His disciples asked about the timing of its inauguration, but Jesus indicated that it still lay in the future (Acts 1:6–7). Their mission was to be witnesses for Him around the world (Acts 1:8).
Peter Taught the Cross and the Kingdom
“Him God has exalted to His right hand to be Prince and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins” (Acts 5:31)
Acts 2–12 focuses mainly on Peter’s ministry as the gospel spread from Jerusalem to Judea and Samaria–from Jews to Gentiles. When Peter preached on Pentecost (Acts 2:30) and before the religious leaders (Acts 5:31), he spoke of both Jesus’ crucifixion and His future reign. His message included both the first and second advent. Jesus is both the Savior of the gospel and the Prince of the Kingdom (Psalm 110:1). During the same period, Philip preached in Samaria “the things concerning the kingdom of God [eschatology] and the name of Jesus Christ [soteriology]” (Acts 8:12). The first Spirit-filled witnesses testified of both the cross and the Kingdom.
Paul Taught the Cross and the Kingdom
“And he went into the synagogue and spoke boldly for three months, reasoning and persuading concerning the things of the kingdom of God” (Acts 19:8).
Acts 13–28 focuses mainly on Paul’s ministry. Like Jesus and Peter, Paul also preached the cross and the Kingdom. Like Jesus in Acts 1, Paul clearly places the Kingdom of God in the future (Acts 14:22). Retracing his steps through Galatia and Phrygia on his first missionary journey, Paul visited believers who had, weeks earlier, entered the church through faith in Christ. But they had not yet entered the Kingdom. The Kingdom lay in the future after their suffering was over. Paul encouraged them, “strengthening the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith, and saying, ‘We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God.’” That future hope gave these growing Christians the strength to endure faithfully in persecution.
When he brought the gospel to Ephesus (Acts 19:8) and as he later met with their leaders (Acts 20:25), Paul emphasized the coming Kingdom. As Acts comes to a close, we find Paul still “preaching the kingdom of God [eschatology] and teaching the things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ [soteriology] with all confidence, no one forbidding him” (Acts 28:31). To Paul, both the first and second coming were crucially important.
Conclusion: The Cross Leads to the Kingdom
We must be careful not to discount the Bible’s teaching on eschatology. The second coming of Christ and His promised Kingdom was essential to the apostolic message. Even in places where the messenger could not stay long due to persecution, he still passed on the hope of the coming Kingdom of God, promised in the Old Testament and repeated in the New (Acts 14:22; 1 Thessalonians 5:1-2; 2 Thessalonians 2:5). Soteriology and eschatology cannot be separated. Christ’s first coming guarantees His second coming. We look back in remembrance and forward in hope. As Paul encouraged Titus,
“For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:11–13).
he need to distinguish between primary and secondary issues is important. But doing so shouldn’t be based on categories of theology, i.e. soteriology/eschatology, but on the standard of orthodoxy. Christ’s literal first and second comings are matters of orthodoxy and therefore issues of primary importance. But I would suggest that within the theological category of eschatology, there is quantitatively more ambiguity than the category of soteriology, and therefore, more secondary issues. Christians should learn to show deference on secondary matters and inflexibly insist on unity in primary matters. It is well said– we certainly should not promote the cross and somehow deemphasize the second coming. They are inseparable.
“People need the gospel but teaching on the end times can wait.” The gospel is about the kingdom of God, and passages such as Matt 25:34 and Rev 20:4-6 make it clear that the kingdom comes when Christ the anointed king himself comes to reign over the nations for a thousand years, the saints with him. “Hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come on earth.” The end times are the final years of the present age leading up to that final age. Teaching on Matt 24 and Rev 4-19 may not be of first importance, but it does help to bring home the point that the present age will not last for much longer, and the kingdom – the end and fulfilment of Christ’s mission – will break into the here-and-now this-world of international and natural events. It would be great if you could review my book on the subject, “When the Towers Fall: A Prophecy of What Must Happen Soon.” The birth pangs of the kingdom begin with the blowing of the first trumpet (Rev 8), a gigantic coronal mass ejection, and that day is surely near.