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Divine Promises and Final Fulfillment: William Perkins’s Covenantal Lens on Eschatology

This paper explores William Perkins’s use of covenantal thought as a key tool for interpreting eschatology, focusing on how his understanding of divine covenants shapes his view of the end times. Perkins, a prominent figure in Reformed theology, employs a covenantal framework to unify Scripture, presenting the unfolding of God’s redemptive plan from creation to consummation. Perkins articulates how each covenant progressively points to fulfilling God’s promises in the eschaton. The progression from the Covenant of Works to the Covenant of Grace and the eventual establishment of the New Covenant in Christ shapes his understanding of God’s redemptive plan, culminating in the ultimate restoration of creation in the eschaton. Through Perkins’s covenantal thought, his eschatology becomes a dynamic reflection of both divine promise and ultimate restoration, offering profound insights into the nature of salvation history and the believer’s future hope. For Perkins, Christ is the fulfillment of all covenant promises. His incarnation, death, and resurrection establish the basis for the New Covenant, which shapes Perkins’s eschatological view of the final consummation of God’s kingdom. The Christian’s response to the covenant, particularly regarding faith and obedience, directly affects the final fulfillment of God’s promises in the eschaton, underscoring the Church’s active role in anticipating and preparing for Christ’s return. In recent years, scholarly monographs and literature from various chapters have been published, highlighting how William Perkins’s anticipation of the future return of Christ significantly influenced his spiritual perspective and practices. Additionally, broader scholarship has explored Puritan eschatology, examining the theological frameworks that defined this period. However, a notable gap in the literature remains regarding how Perkins’s hermeneutical approach—his method of interpreting Scripture—affected his eschatological views. Understanding this relationship is crucial, as it can illuminate how Perkins’s theological convictions informed his expectations of the end times. A considerable amount of scholarship about William Perkins concentrates on his covenant theology, particularly in relation to the assurance of salvation, predestination, and election. This body of work frequently emphasizes how his covenantal framework serves as a foundational element for comprehending the believer’s security in God’s promises and the doctrinal certainty surrounding God’s sovereign choice in matters of salvation. This paper aims to comprehensively examine William Perkins’s scholarship, focusing on his distinctive application of hermeneutics within the context of eschatology. It will investigate how Perkins interprets biblical texts and how these interpretations shape his understanding of the culmination of God’s overarching narrative, particularly within the framework of eschatology. By examining Perkins’s methodologies and theological perspectives, this study aims to highlight the significance of his work in the context of Reformation thought and its implications for contemporary eschatological discourse. Through a comprehensive analysis of his writings, this paper will highlight how Perkins’s approach to hermeneutics informs the understanding of prophetic scriptures and contributes to a broader theological discourse about the end times and the fulfillment of God’s promises to humanity.

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Recent Publications

The Spirit and Renewal (Part 1): Definitive & Progressive Sanctification - Sherif Fahim

'New Creation' in Paul - Sherif Fahim

Justification, Sanctification, and Union with Christ: Fresh Insights from Calvin, Westminster, and Walter Marshall - Sherif Fahim

Death in Second-Century Christian Thought The Meaning of Death in Earliest Christianity - Jeremiah Mutie

The Quest for Early Church Historiography From Ferdinand C. Baur to Bart D. Ehrman and Beyond - Jeremiah Mutie

The Book of the Twelve - David Fuller

Early Witnesses to the Syriac Text of Acts 15 with an Investigation into the Text of Acts 15 in the Didascalia Apostolorum and with and Appendix on the Western/Jacobite Peshitta Manuscript Tradition for Acts - Daniel McConaughy

The Star and the Magi in Jacob of Serugh and the Early Syriac Tradition - Daniel McConaughy

Saved by Grace through Faith or Saved by Decree? A Biblical and Theological Critique of Calvinist Soteriology - Geoffrey Robinson

The Rhetoric of Matthean “Small Faith” - Christopher Seglenieks

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"To foster conservative Biblical scholarship by providing a medium for the oral exchange and written expression of thought and research in the general field of the theological disciplines as centered in the Scriptures." (Constitution, Article II.)

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