In our study of the Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed of 381 A.D., we have explored the Creed's confession of God the Father and God the Son. As we are coming down the homestretch of what the Nicene Creed has to say about God the Son, we come to that section that deals with summarizing the Biblical teaching on "eschatology" or the study of last things.
Theological triage.
In an emergency room, doctors and nurses are able to know who to treat and who is to remain in the waiting room by a process known as "triage". A person with a broken arm, though serious, is not regarded as severe as another in cardiac arrest. Determining which is which is the whole point of triage.
In the study of Bible doctrine and theology, theologians undergo a similar approach to "theological triage", noting what the Bible states as of first, second, and of third importance, as well as viewing historic creeds like the Nicene Creed. Readers may refer to an excellent article on theological triage by Al Mohler here A Call for Theological Triage and Christian Maturity - AlbertMohler.com
Let me mention one more important point before we go forward. This author affirms the historic and Biblical doctrine of "Scripture Alone" (sola scriptura). Whenever Jesus for example was dealing with His opponents, He would always distinguish between "it is written" (quoting from the Old Testament at the time) and "you've heard it said" (the traditions of the Pharisees). Jesus was a proponent of sola Scriptura, affirming that all other secondary forms of authority are decided by the primary and only infallible, inerrant source of the faith - Scripture. Sola Scriptura does not exclude consultation of such secondary authorities like creeds, commentaries, and church leaders (otherwise we would have to call it "solo-scriptura").
We ought to know what the church-at-large has historically taught so as to check our own doctrinal positions to ensure doctrinal fidelity. What sola Scriptura reminds us of is that those secondary reference markers are to be checked against the only source which God has revealed through the Prophets and Apostle - the Bible. Even as we move forward in our study of the Nicene Creed, we mustn't think it is the same level of authority as the Scripture (for the Creed is only a summary, an outline of what Christians confess). If the reader wants more details on where I stand on the place and purpose of creeds and confession in Christian practice, then please review my first post in this series here http://www.growingchristianresources.com/2025/05/post-1-1700-years-of-nicene-creed-what.html
The Nicene Creed's confession of eschatology or "last things".
If we use the approach of "theological triage" introduced above, we can begin to grasp what the Nicene Creed has to confess regarding eschatology. Eschatology (more popularly known by some as "Bible Prophecy") covers the following subjects typically discussed today: the state of the soul after death, Heaven, Hell, Christ's physical, bodily second coming, resurrection of the soul and body, the final judgment, and the New Heavens and New Earth. Most would consider these "first-tier" subjects or those dogmas that are confessed by Christians everywhere and at all times.
There are other topics that are discussed among Christians that though important, do tend to not be as central as the above subjects. There are what we would call "second-tier" areas, such as whether or not Christ will have a millennial reign on earth and whether or not Israel is to be restored. Sometimes a second-tier issue can become emotionally charged enough or touch upon a current issue in the culture that makes it hover between first and second-tier status (the whole matter of Israel's current status has become a hot-button topic in recent years, for example).
Then there are then so-called "third-tier" topics that are intramural discussions among Christian denominations and churches, such as whether or not there will be a future tribulation period, whether or not there is a rapture, the timing of the rapture relative to the tribulation, identity of the Anti-Christ, and whether or not world events are setting up future end-times scenarios.
As the reader can note, some of the first grouping of topics on eschatology are those covered not only in the historic Christian creeds (Apostle's Creed, Nicene Creed, Athanasian Creed), but also historic confessions (such as the 2nd London Baptist Confession 1689, Westminster Confession of Faith, Augsburg Confession) and more recent ones (Baptist Faith and Message 2000 for example). The second and third groupings, as I said, tend to be discussed among denominations and larger segments of Christianity.
I bring this out to remind the reader that although all doctrine is important, yet not all doctrine is of equal weight and bearing on the totality of Christian conviction. For instance, if I deny the physical, bodily return of Jesus Christ, I may need to question the genuineness of my Christian confession. However, if I differ with someone else on the timing of the rapture or even on whether or not there is to be a future millennial reign of Christ on earth, Christian faith and practice will remain intact. This is why studying the historic Creed of Christianity is valuable, since we're reminded by such summaries what is central, secondary, and tertiary in the realm of Christian doctrine, judging all of course by the final court of appeal - The Bible.
When you look at the Nicene Creed's summary of eschatology, its "short list" of what it considers primary-tier or first-order doctrines central to the Christian faith, you find the following.
1. Christ's physical, bodily second coming = "and He shall come again, with glory."
2. Final judgment = "to judge the quick and the dead."
3. Christ's eternal Kingdom = "whose kingdom shall have no end."
Those three clauses give us the first group of statements by the Creed on eschatology. They occur as the concluding statements in the overall confession of the Son's deity, humanity, substitutionary atonement, resurrection, and ascension.
We then come to the final sentences of the Nicene Creed, which give us further statements on eschatology:
1. The resurrection of the body = "and we look for the resurrection of the dead"
2. New Heavens and New Earth = "and the life of the world to come. Amen"
It is of interest to note that the first grouping of eschatology occurs at the end of the confession on Christology, whereas the second grouping comes after statements made about the church and baptism.
Why theological triage is relevant to our confession of eschatology in the Nicene Creed
We must remember that the Nicene Creed is a confession recited by Christians who meet together for Sunday worship. Their identities and understanding of where they're heading is wrapped up in the Person of Jesus Christ, who reveals the Father, who won their salvation, and who is coming again.
Typical debates in eschatology today about Premillennialism, Amillennialism, and Postmillennialism won't be settled by appealing to the Nicene Creed, since such matters are of second-tier status, not first-tier central Christian affirmations. As for third-tier level discussions such as the timing of the rapture (an intramural discussion among certain strands of premillennial believers), the Nicene Creed will not be the place to go. Why?
The point of creeds is not to exhaust all the Bible has to say on such matters as eschatology, but rather to provide a summary of the most salient points of the faith "once for all delivered to the saints". In the realm of theological triage, the creeds give us "first tier" concerns.
When we look at confessions of faith like those mentioned above, they will get more detailed, bringing into view the second-tier as well as first tier commitments. Then of course we have doctrinal statements relevant to denominations or churches that may even spell out their teaching on third-tier matters, since such subjects are of importance in those immediate contexts of Christians.
Closing thoughts:
As a final note, whether one is a Premillennialist (which I am), or Postmillennialist, or Amillennialist, the importance of such tried-and-true summaries like the Nicene Creed is I can confess what the Creed says about Christ's second coming along with those dear brothers and sisters who espouse different schools of eschatological thinking. Creeds help us to see the Christian faith from the 30,000 foot level, especially in this era of history where so many attacks are daily leveled against Christians. May we prayerfully and thoughtfully consider these thoughts as we move forward in this study.
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