What the heck is Eschatology? Something that sounds so intellectual can't be of any spiritual significance! Oh! The Book of Revelations?? ("Revelation...singular lol) My pastor told me I didn't need to worry about that! Why would a Christian, and even Pastors for that matter, disregard the teachings of Christ. the Prophets and the Apostles concerning His final judgement on the world and redeeming of his believers?
" And if our hope in Christ is only for this life {and not in the Resurrection of the dead}, we are more to be pitied than anyone in the world."
1 Corinthians 15:19
This topic is one that I have probably spent more time researching and considering than any other biblical subject. Countless hours alone and with friends, studying and considering one passage after another. Each time when we embark on the study it never fails. Just when we think we are getting somewhere, sometime comes along and makes us take a step back and reconsider.
This wasn’t always the case though. Early on there wasn’t a doubt it my mind. i just knew that one day soon the lord would return and raise all the dead in Christ and call them and the living to the clouds with Him. Then a period of great tribulation would occur and subsequently the end of the world. I believed this because it was the only teaching I was familiar with and of course it came from my Pastor, who I admired and obeyed almost as much as The Lord himself. It wan’t because I began with a open yet critical mind and searched the scriptures to understand what they said concerning the end. You see, the understanding was given to me prior to reading. The narrative already established. So when I did read the text it was through the “lens” I had been given. It never even occurred to me that this could be wrong. I had no reason to doubt it. At least not yet.
One day during a fast I had a dream. I was being tested by the Lord. Not with a trial or tribulation, not Satan in the wilderness. A literal test, like in school. Even though it wasn’t multiple choice (which is the easiest lol) it was still a really easy test. I knew all the answers with ease! i flew through that test, with only a few distractions around me as obstacles; the feuding of a couple brothers in Christ. The last question was different than all the others. It actually made me hesitate. For some reason unbeknownst to me, I stopped to think about it. The question was about the Resurrection of the Dead and the Marriage Supper of the Lamb, and when this would take place. Now keep in mind, I had no reason to think any different than what I had been taught…yet I paused. After a few moments I wrote down the answers: specific chapters and verses for what the Bible says regarding this. After completing the test and all its questions there was a ceremony and a certificate with and unknown language written in pure gold was given to me, in the dream of course.
That dream was over 6 years ago. That dream was the catalyst for a deep interest and concern for eschatology. In the dream it seemed significant that it was the one question that made me hesitate before answering. The only question that I really didn’t know inside and out. The only question stopping me from finishing the test and receiving the celestial certificate. ;-)
Eschatology was one of the first subjects that made me realize I was wrong in some areas and I would have to listen and consider what others had to say. I would have to really want to see things from their point of view, so I started off very interested in what the “opposition” taught. After all that is how most Christians view one another right?! Not you though, I know know you are better than that! Kudos!
Right now all I can say is after all the study; After all the late nights, even years of going through all the different books containing possible eschatological passage attempting to find parallels, even unto this day. All I know for sure is my original view is 100% false. Pre-tribulation is it’s technical name. The narrative the series “Left-behind” demonstrated. That delivers will be “raptured” to Heaven before the destruction of this world, to paraphrase. I know with absolute certainty this is impossible. Its actually the easiest view of all to refute. Because it is not the point of this blog to teach any specific view I will not be providing Scriptures at this time that I believe disproves this teaching. One day I may focus a blog just on Pre-Tribulationism.
-Matthew 24:29-31
I am not writing to assert one view over another. Not at this point. I am writing to those of you that will admit you are not 100% on something, and that you have been wrong about some things. I am not 100% right now, though I expect I will be soon. The journey has been years, as I have mentioned, and we need to realize that sometimes the things God has for you will take time and patience to acquire.
Eschatology is important not because I had a dream telling me so, thats just my personal experience. Eschatology was the interest of every notable Christian that ever was. It was the message from Christ himself and of the Prophets before him. It is the Hope that we preach and with GREAT expectation await. The Christian should be very interested in any message the Lord has for them, especially if its of coming tribulation and the day of our redemption and translation. It is a message of great importance and meaning, but also not one which we should divide us. As we consider different views we must remember what is most important to God; that we are united and live peaceable with each other. As paul stated considering the different ministerial gifts,
"Their {Ministers} responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ. This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ. Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth. Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church. He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love."
-Ephesian 4:12-16
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