GOD THE FATHER AND GOD THE SON’S ROLES IN ESCHATOLOGY

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Psalm 2 is just one of many End Times prophecies. It shows sinful nations in their rebellion against the Father and His Messiah (the Son). We know that God’s King is Jesus the Son since later portions of Scripture apply Psalm 2 to the Messiah and His reign (Revelation 2:26–27). Also, Psalm 2:12 speaks of the necessity of paying “homage to the Son,” an act of worship that is only true of a divine person and not a mere man. Thus the picture of Psalm 2 includes both God the Father and God the Son. The nations of the earth do not want God to rule over them (Psalm 2:1–3). But God the Father laughs and scoffs at these rebellious nations from heaven and lets them know that He will establish His “King” and His reign on the earth (Psalm 2:4–5). The realm of their rebellion will be invaded with the reign of the righteous Messiah. It is the Father’s desire to give the Son the nations as an inheritance and the Son will rule over them with authority (Psalm 2:7–9). Thus, the nations should stop their foolishness and submit to the Son because His wrath is coming (Psalm 2:10–12). Psalm 2 reveals two important things. First, God the Father intends to establish His Son as King over all the earth and the nations. And second, the Son will come with wrath and reign over the nations with authority.

“Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves,
and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord, and against his anointed, saying, Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us. He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision. Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure.
Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion. I will declare the decree: the Lord hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee. Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel. Be wise now, therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.” Psalms 2:1-12

We can know that the fulfillment of Psalm 2 is future since Jesus uses this passage as motivation for the church for faithful service now in Revelation 2:26–27:

“He who overcomes, and he who keeps My deeds until the end, TO HIM I WILL GIVE AUTHORITY OVER THE NATIONS; AND HE SHALL RULE THEM WITH A ROD OF IRON, AS THE VESSELS OF THE POTTER ARE BROKEN TO PIECES, as I also have received authority from My Father.” Revelation 2:26-27

Psalm 110 has much in common with Psalm 2, as it also discusses the Father’s plan to establish the Son as King over the earth. It starts with David being privy to a conversation between the Father (Yahweh) and the Son (Adonai) who is also David’s Lord (“The LORD says to my Lord”). The message from the Father to the Son is that the Son, who is David’s Lord, the Messiah, is to have a session in heaven at the right of the Father. But this session is only for a limited period of time (“until”). When His session at the right hand of the Father is over, God the Father will give the Messiah (the Son) victory over His enemies from Zion in Jerusalem: The LORD will stretch forth Your strong scepter from Zion, saying, “Rule in the midst of Your enemies” (Ps. 110:2). The Son will shatter kings in the day of His wrath and will judge the nations (Ps. 110:5–6). So again, as was the case in Psalm 2, it is the Father’s plan for the Son to reign over the nations of the earth. This will occur with Jesus’ second coming to earth as described in Matthew 24–25 and Revelation 19–20.

Daniel 7:9-14 describes an important eschatological scene involving the Father and the Son. Daniel 7:9–10 describes a glorious scene of God the Father who is called “the Ancient of Days.

”We are told His vesture “was like white snow, and the hair of His head like pure wool” (9). His throne is ablaze with flames and thousands were worshiping Him. Then verses Daniel 7:13–14 describe the Son, who is referred to as a “Son of Man,” coming before the Father:

“I kept looking in the night visions, And behold, with the clouds of heaven One like a Son of Man was coming, And He came up to the Ancient of Days And was presented before Him. “And to Him was given dominion, Glory and a kingdom, That all the peoples, nations and men of every language Might serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion which will not pass away, And His kingdom is one which will not be destroyed. Daniel 7:13-14

Here we see the Son before the Father, for the purpose of a kingdom being given to the Son. This passage has many parallels with the throne room scene of Revelation 4–5 and again emphasizes the plan of the Father to have the Son rule the earth with “an everlasting dominion.”

A New Testament passage that discusses the relationship of the Father and the Son to eschatology is 1 Corinthians 15:24–28. Here Paul discusses the Father and the Son in relation to the coming kingdom:

“Then comes the end, when He hands over the kingdom to the God and Father, when He has abolished all rule and all authority and power. For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet. The last enemy that will be abolished is death. FOR HE HAS PUT ALL THINGS IN SUBJECTION UNDER HIS FEET. But when He says, “All things are put in subjection,” it is evident that He is excepted who put all things in subjection to Him. When all things are subjected to Him, then the Son Himself also will be subjected to the One who subjected all things to Him, so that God may be all in all.” 1 Corinthians 15:24-28

The immediate context of this passage is Paul’s discussion of the order of God’s resurrection program. After the third stage of the resurrection program at the time of “the end,” Jesus will hand the kingdom over to God the Father (24). This shows that Jesus’ messianic reign has a termination or transition point to it. When it is over He “hands over the kingdom” to the Father. But this will not occur until Jesus reigns over His enemies and abolishes death. Thus, Jesus’ kingdom ends or transitions with a crushing, dominating reign of the Son. When “all things are subjected” to the Father, “then the Son Himself also will be subjected to” the Father (“the One who subjected all things to Him”). The picture here is beautiful and presents Jesus as God’s trusted and chosen instrument to restore the fallen creation to the will of God. Verse 27a links the Son’s reign with the creation mandate given to man––“FOR HE HAS PUT ALL THINGS IN SUBJECTION UNDER HIS FEET.” Jesus as the ultimate Man fulfills the creation mandate. Man was created to rule and subdue the earth (see Genesis 1:26–28), yet this mandate was scorned when Adam decided to do things his way and disobey God. Neither Adam nor any mere human being could fulfill this mandate, but the Father chose Jesus, the ultimate Man, to do this. It is as if the Father told the Son, “Bring this sinful world back into conformity with My perfect will,” and the Son does it. And not only does the Son succeed splendidly, He presents this kingdom to the Father so that the Father may have the glory.

SUMMARY: These four passages teach us that the purpose of the Father in eschatology is to make sure the rebellious creation is brought back into perfect conformity with His will. And the purpose of the Son is to make sure the Father’s desire happens. He is sent as the Father’s instrument with full authority and power to rule over and restore all of the created order. As we survey Psalm 2; Psalm 110; Dan 7:9–14; and 1 Cor. 15:24–28 we see that it is God the Father’s intent to establish a kingdom reign of the Son (Jesus) on the earth to bring this fallen planet back into conformity with the will of the Father.

“And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ and shall reign with him a thousand years.” Revelation 20:4-6

GOD IS THREE PERSONS: GOD THE FATHER, GOD THE SON, AND GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT

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The Rise of Christological Heresy by Simon Turpin on September 9, 2023

The most important question ever is who is Jesus Christ? Is he the eternal Son of God or just a created being like us? Well, a 2022 survey showed that professing Christians’ understanding of the Lord Jesus is slipping, as more than half held heretical views about him. According to the survey, only 54 percent agreed that “There is one true God in three persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.” An astonishing 73 percent agreed with the statement that “Jesus is the first and greatest being created by God.” Given this belief, it is not surprising that 43 percent affirmed that “Jesus was a great teacher, but he was not God.” False beliefs regarding the identity of Jesus are not new but have been condemned throughout church history as heresies, such as Sabellianism, Subordinationism, and Socinianism. Each of these heretical positions continues to this day but just under different names.

To understand the deity of Jesus, it is important to define what Christians believe about the doctrine of God, as many objectors to the deity of Jesus misunderstand what Christians believe about the triune nature of God. The biblical teaching on the nature of God (YHWH, יהוה) is that there is one true being of God (Deuteronomy 6:4; Isaiah 45:5) who exists eternally as three coequal and coeternal distinct persons: the Father (Isaiah 63:8; Philippians 1:2), the Son (Isaiah 63:9; John 1:1, 18), and the Holy Spirit (Isaiah 65:10, 14; Acts 5:3–4).3 This biblical truth is what Christians call the doctrine of the Trinity. All Christological heresies deny the doctrine of the Trinity.

The Apostle John opens his Gospel with the words, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1).

John 1:1 teaches three things: (1) the Word is eternal; (2) the Word has had an eternal relationship with the Father; and (3) the Word, as to his nature, is deity. First, the Word has eternally existed (cf. John 1:15, 8:58, 17:5). The Word (logos) was (ēn) already there in the beginning, but not as something that came into being. This not only indicates the eternality of the Word but there is a pointed contrast between the Word (that precedes everything) and everything else that comes into existence. The Word was (John 1:1), but everything else became (ginomai) (John 1:3; cf. 1:6). In John 1:1–3, the Word’s preexistence and continuous being is contrasted against the “becoming” of all created things. Second, the Word has an eternal relationship with God (the Father, John 1:18). John describes the Word as being with (pros) God, which is a relational term showing that the person of the Word was with the person of God the Father (cf. John 6:46; 1 John 1:2). Third, the Word, as his nature, is deity. The Word is not only distinct from God (the Word was with God), but the Word is God (theos). John 1:1 clearly shows that the Word (Jesus) is personally distinct from another who is called God; he is not a different God but possesses the same nature as the one whom he is with—the Father (cf. John 5:18).

By describing Jesus as the “firstborn over all creation” (Colossians 1:15), Paul is saying that he is the absolute ruler over all creation. In fact, in Colossians 1:16, Paul absolutely rules out the idea that Jesus is a created being because he presents Jesus as the Creator of the entire universe which exists by his creative power: “For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.” The reason Jesus can create all things is because “in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily” (Colossians 2:9). The Greek word for “deity,” theotēs, refers to “the state of being God.”12 The verb “dwells” (katoikeō) is in the present tense and suggests that the indwelling of the Son in bodily form is permanent (cf. John 1:14).

A passage Unitarians always quote to try to prove their point is John 17:3, “And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.” Unitarians believe this shows that only the Father is God. However, Jesus does not say that only the Father is the true God, as he has already identified himself as divine (John 5:18, 8:58). Moreover, according to Jesus, to have eternal life is to know two persons: both the Father and Jesus (see John 14:6–7, 16:3). Knowledge of God cannot be separated from knowledge of Jesus, as knowing Jesus is the only way to know God (John 14:7). Jewish monotheism (unlike Unitarianism) could contain the idea that the Messiah was divine (Psalm 45:6, 110:1, 5; Isaiah 9:6; Jeremiah 23:6) and that together with the Creator, he could give life (see John 5:25–26). But when Unitarians bring up John 17:3, they often neglect to mention that two verses later Jesus says, “And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed” (John 17:5). Jesus is speaking of the glory he shared with the Father before the world existed. The words “before the world existed” show that Jesus’ sonship did not begin at his baptism or resurrection (as many Unitarians believe) but is an eternal sonship (John 1:1, 8:58). John 17:3–5 is an example of a divine (John 1:1), yet incarnate (John 1:14) person—the Son—communicating with a divine, but non-incarnate person—the Father in heaven.

The name Jesus (YHWH is salvation) is theophoric (a name that bears God’s name). Unitarians often point out that there are many people in Scripture who have theophoric names, such as Isaiah (YHWH will save), Daniel (God is my judge), Joel (YHWH is God), and Nathanael (gift of God), but it doesn’t mean these individuals are God. This is true, but it is evident that Jesus’ name (YHWH is salvation) identifies him as God, “for he will save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). Matthew is telling us that Jesus is YHWH who saves. No one else in Scripture who has a theophoric name can save people from their sins—only Jesus can (cf. Matthew 8:25). Jesus is the only one who can save his people because as God-incarnate, he gave his perfect life as a ransom for sinners on the cross (Matthew 20:28). Matthew also identifies Jesus as “God with us” (Matthew 1:23; cf. Isaiah 7:14). New Testament scholar Craig Keener notes, “In view of Matthew 18:20 and 28:20, Matthew clearly understands ‘God with us’ in Isaiah 7:14 to mean that Jesus is truly God.”

The only way for churches to avoid these heresies is by emphasizing sound doctrine (such as the deity of Christ) in their teaching and preaching.

“For an overseer, as God’s steward, must be above reproach. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard or violent or greedy for gain, but hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined. He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it.” Titus 1:7-9

“But as for you, teach what accords with sound doctrine.” Titus 2:1

“For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.” Titus 2:11-13