The Fathers on the Future: A 2nd-Century Eschatology for the 21st-Century Church

Many today with an interest in eschatology face a problem: They have forgotten the past. Incorporating the basic foundation and structure of the second-century premillennial, futurist eschatology of Irenaeus of Lyons and other church fathers, this book develops and defends their positions through a thorough exegetical, theological analysis. It makes a case for a contemporary Irenaean premillennial eschatology, arguing that it is a reliable framework for a biblically defensible, theologically balanced, and historically informed eschatology.

The Fathers on the Future begins with the belief that Irenaeus and other early church fathers represented a widespread and well-developed eschatology inherited from those who were close associates of the apostles. It then explores some of features of that early eschatology, clarifying obscure points, strengthening some elements, and correcting a few missteps. By looking back to Irenaeus and the eschatological emphases of his age, this book provides a new approach to eschatology today—new to contemporary readers but ancient in its original perspective.