# Jonathan Edwards and World History



## Peter (Dec 1, 2005)

Edwards' scholar George Marsden on Edwards' eschatology: postmillennial, historicist.

http://edwards.yale.edu/media/marsden.mp3

Edwards appeared to believe the millennium would be around the year 2000 

http://edwards.yale.edu/


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## Pergamum (Dec 1, 2005)

His comments on Revelation is his only full commentary which Edwards wrote I believe.

He hoped that the stirrings of the Spirit in his own time were the first evidences of a worldwide expansion. 

To some degree - he was right. His books and his mutual prayer with those in England seemed to help launch a great epoch of missionary work starting with Carey, et al.


Two things that launched the wordlwide missionary expansion:
1) A belief in a sovereign god,
2) An optimistic eschatology (i.e. postmil or optimistic amil).


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## Peter (Dec 1, 2005)

> _Originally posted by trevorjohnson_
> His comments on Revelation is his only full commentary which Edwards wrote I believe.
> 
> He hoped that the stirrings of the Spirit in his own time were the first evidences of a worldwide expansion.
> ...



 Didn't know about the commentary on Rev!


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## Peter (Dec 1, 2005)

New-Old Time Religion

http://edwards.yale.edu/images/pdf/usnews.pdf

Jonathan Edwards and modern evangelicalism

excerpt:


> Evangelical scholars and intellectuals especially lament the decline
> of the evangelical mind since the generation of Edwards. During the
> last century in particular, says Wheaton College's Noll, "Christian
> reasoning as a whole, through use of the Bible, theology, and
> ...


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## Pergamum (Dec 1, 2005)

Here's the link to Joanthan Edward eschatological beliefs:


http://www.reformed.org/books/edwards/redemption/index_hisred.html

Here is an interesting article too:

http://www.graceonlinelibrary.org/articles/full.asp?id=9|61|602


Trevor


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## Peter (Dec 1, 2005)

Thanks for the links! I've heard something of his famous work on the history of redemption I just never infered he would present his end times beliefs there, which seem quite logical now.

I just ordered an intro to Edwards from Gerstner. I've read that he was one of the worlds foremost Edward's scholars.


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## Peter (Dec 1, 2005)

The Gerstner article is great. Interesting Edwards also believed the Papal antichrist would be destroyed in 1866, covenanters also believed this and that the millennium would begin this date. They figured the heathen would trample the temple 42 months (Rev 12). One day equaling one year which totals 1260 years of the reign of Antichrist. 606 they pinpointed as the beginning, 606 being when Emperor Phocas made the bishop of Rome "Universal Bishop". 606 + 1260 = 1866. Thanks again.


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