Endnote 3 – Thinking About the Second Coming

Other passages in Paul also indicate that he thought the end was near. For example, in 1 Corinthians 7:26–31, Paul’s eschatological beliefs (beliefs about “the end”) shaped the advice he gave about marriage. Paul, however, was not primarily an “end-of-the-world” preacher; there seems to be an equal or greater emphasis in his letters about the new way of life that had already come into existence. For a compact provocative treatment of Paul that emphasizes his “present eschatology,” see Robin Scroggs, Paul for a New Day (Philadelphia: Fortress, 1977).