Eschatological Hedonism: How Asceticism Predisposed Ancient Christians to Reject the Kingdom Hope
Posted in Asceticism, Body, Pleasure, Resurrection, Sean's Articles, Theological Conference on May 15th, 2013 5 Comments »
Originally presented at Atlanta Bible College’s 2013 Theological Conference
According to the Hebrew prophets,cheap jerseys one day the God of heaven will set up a kingdom on this world, restoring it back to its original glory. Instead of shucking off the body like a husk so the soul can ascend, the biblical teaching about humanity’s destiny is rather fleshy. God designed humans to live on earth in the beginning, and he will resurrect his people on the last day, healing them of all their ailments and imparting to them immortality. The picture is a beautiful one, with people living in peace, confidently planting and harvesting without fear of intruders. Rather than rampant economic injustice, one will wear out the work of his own hands. This grand age is to begin with a banquet at which the resurrected saints will enjoy fine wine and rich meat, celebrating the victory of God. Although this terrestrial hope coursed through the veins of Jews for centuries, it had reached a fever pitch by the time of Jesus of Nazareth. In fact, he based his entire ministry on the proclamation and enactment of the coming of God’s kingdom.