Vos Group #99 — Millennial Views and Modern Theories of the Kingdom

In this installment of the Vos Group, Camden Bucey and Lane Tipton turn to pages 378–381 of Geerhardus Vos’s Biblical Theology: Old and New Testaments, focusing on Jesus’ teaching and the eschatology of the kingdom. They explore the vital biblical distinction between the “already” and “not yet” aspects of the kingdom of God, examining how this two-age structure stands in contrast to various eschatological systems, including premillennialism, postmillennialism, and what Vos labels “ultra-eschatology.”

Tipton and Bucey analyze Vos’s critique of these systems, highlighting the theological implications of denying either the inaugurated or consummated dimensions of the kingdom. They also discuss the resurrection, the second coming of Christ, and the theological coherence of amillennialism within the Reformed tradition. In the course of the discussion, they reflect on the life and teaching of Dr. Robert B. Strimple, affirming his Christ-centered theological pedagogy and lasting influence.

Listeners will find this episode a robust and thought-provoking engagement with biblical theology, eschatology, and Reformed orthodoxy.

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Chapters

• [00:00] Mid-America Reformed Seminary Center for Missions and Evangelism Conference
• [01:30] Introduction
• [02:45] Remembering Dr. Robert Strimple
• [09:03] The Two-Stage Kingdom
• [20:32] Albert Schweitzer and Ultra-Eschatology
• [25:30] Postmillennialism and Gradualism
• [33:42] Measuring the Kingdom’s Advance
• [38:58] Vos on Premillennialism
• [48:32] Premillennialism and the Westminster Standards
• [58:45] Conclusion

Participants: Camden Bucey, Lane G. Tipton