Realised Eschatology I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life ” (John 5:24). 13 For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, (Colossians 1:13) 21 nor will people say, 'Here it is,' or 'There it is,' because the kingdom of God is within you." (Luke 17:21)

Definition / Key Ideas The eschatological message of Jesus did not refer to a future event, but the present time Entry to the “Kingdom” is not a future event – it transcends time – those who accept God’s word are already in the Kingdom Living in the right way & aiming to establish God’s kingdom on earth is more important than any apocalyptic expectation Judgement is immediate from the moment someone hears God’s word – it is not a future event.

Biblical Basis? “ I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life” (John 5:24). 13 For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, (Colossians 1:13) 21 nor will people say, 'Here it is,' or 'There it is,' because the kingdom of God is within you." (Luke 17:21) The implication here is that it has already happened – anyone who believes in Christ are already in the Kingdom of God.

Influence The ideas here are far less Jewish – they are rooted in Greek philosophy: God & the Kingdom of God transcend time – it is an eternal Kingdom rather than a temporal one The ideas are Dualist – in death we simply lose the cloak of our outer bodies as our soul is already in Christ. Far more in line with a Liberalist interpretation of the Bible

Key Scholars: CH Dodd & Rudolf Bultmann Dodd argued that the Kingdom of God is a present reality rather than a future event Bultmann argued that all the imagery we find in the Bible is supposed to be interpreted symbolically – final judgement, the battle of Armageddon, the Second Coming, resurrection of the dead etc.

Re-reading the Bible symbolically Symbols are very common in all world religions Religious believers are experts at interpreting the symbolism:

It’s the same with words / concepts Darkness Light DeathSin TruthLife Bultmann suggests that any reference to resurrection is really a call to start living the right life. Judgement is not a future event – it is the challenge to begin living the life that God intends. We can choose to accept or reject it. If we accept, we are already ‘in the Kingdom’ – living under God’s reign in the way he wills us to live.

Realised Eschatology: Key Points Future based eschatology is to be interpreted symbolically – not as physical events The Kingdom of God is not a physical place Being in ‘the Kingdom’ is not a promise of a place in Heaven but a moral attitude – living in the right way Those who accept God’s word will gain eternal life (dualism) as the Kingdom transcends time Entry to the Kingdom of God is immediate from becoming a Christian – death has no effect apart from losing the outer shell (body)

WRITTEN TASK: Describe in your own words what Realised Eschatology is Why do you think Realised Eschatology may appeal to some modern Christians? Why might other more traditional Christians object to Realised Eschatology?

C.H. Dodd According to Dodd all that had been prophesied about Christ had been achieved – there was nothing more that God can do except give people the choice about whether to believe in him or not. In this sense there is a finality – the “zero hour” of the world is the “zero hour” for the individual – a call to believe. Matthew 12:28, “Then the kingdom of God is come unto you,” Mark 1:15, “The kingdom of God is at hand.”

Jurgen Moltmann Criticised Dodd’s entirely realised interpretation of eschatological references in the Bible Moltmann argued that a spiritual kingdom was indeed introduced by Christ in His first coming (his life), but that a literal kingdom was still a future eschatological event, Eschatological language indicates that the King (Christ) was present but that the kingdom promises were not yet fulfilled The onus is on the Church to pave the way to enable the future, physical Kingdom of God – by living “in the Kingdom” now, the future based events will be brought into the present.