#394 Realizing the Eschaton

Andrew Perriman argues that the predictions of Jesus and Paul (and I'd add the unanimous expectation of the early church) that the then-current world order would be replaced imminently by YHWH's kingdom were proven correct when the events of later history are taken into account. Specifically he mentions Theodosius' promotion of Nicene Christianity in the empire and the declaration of Christianity as the only legitimate imperial religion in 380 AD because this, along with other events like the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD and Constantine's legalization of Christianity in 313 AD were "events that that had an immense bearing on the experience and fate of the people of God." Because of this "immense bearing" these events had on the actual lives and status of Christians in the empire, there is no 'spiritualizing' of the eschaton taking place here as it is "entirely appropriate to think that the New Testament hope in the coming ‘kingdom of God’ was fulfilled in the recognition by the emperor that Jesus is Lord [by the pagan nations]... It is a simple fact of history that with the elevation of Christianity to the status of imperial religion the God of the small cantankerous nation of Israel came to be confessed as the God of the whole Greek-Roman world in place of the many gods (and man-gods) of classical paganism."

A baby, born in a feeding trough in a backwater locale of a conquered crossroads of the Roman empire warned a remnant of his countrymen, in faithfulness to his god, about the destruction and judgement by their god of the wordly powers (70 AD) and the ultimate vindication and victory of their god over the wordly powers (313 and 380 AD). Had the early church that made these predictions lived to see their unexpected fulfillment in these events, they surely wouldn't accuse anyone who applied their predictions to these events of 'spiritualizing' what they had said. Neither would the suffering church - persecuted by both Jews and pagans - of the first four centuries AD. Any first century Christian who had been "dragged before the synagogues" (Luke 21:12) would've felt a poetic justice as they watched the Roman army encircle Jerusalem within a generation of Jesus' prediction. Any pre-5th century Christian who had been "brought before governors and kings" (Matthew 10:18) would've perceived in the historic announcements of 313 and 380 AD that God was going before them and doing the work of a conqueror.