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 “Eschatology” is one of the five biggest words I use. It means
“study of the end times.”
Studying eschatology has often been regulated
to the scholars, or to people that seem abnormal. There are many in the body of
Christ that view the study of the end times as a peripheral issue. It is not a
side issue relegated to a small segment of people.
Throughout history,
the Bible was NOT written for the scholars, but just the opposite! It was
primarily written for the illiterate and the poor. When we realize this, it
gives us greater urgency to study the end times because it was meant to be
understood by all. It is one of the principal subjects in the Bible. In
Scripture, the subject of the end times is a vital, mainstream, biblical
doctrine. It is not optional but a critical subject for the Church because we
need to be prepared for the days ahead. For the day of the LORD is great and
very terrible; Who can endure it? (Joel 2.11) (Joel 2.11)
Why should we
give ourselves to study the end times? There are nearly ninety chapters in the
four gospels that give us a record of Jesus’ power ministry, His teaching, death
and resurrection for our redemption. However, there are more than one hundred
chapters in the Bible that have the end times as the primary theme. Just like in
the gospels, the primary point of those chapters on the end times is the power
ministry of Jesus. However, this time it is related to ruling the world and
bringing in the great harvest. It is the power ministry of Jesus written in
advance, the promise of His coming. Beloved, we have a significant amount of
information about Jesus’ power ministry during His second coming in the Bible.
It is not about charts and sequences. They can be useful, but they are
secondary, it is about the heart and leadership of Jesus. It is about the full
revelation of His beauty and glory. The Church cannot be properly equipped
without understanding this dimension of Jesus’ life and ministry.
The
common teaching in Nazi Germany by the church before World War II was that
everyone would be fine and trouble was not coming. The church was unprepared and
many fell away at that time. Beloved, we have a vastly more difficult and
glorious time ahead for the Church during the last days. Because of this, it is
vital for us to understand what is ahead of us.
It is important to note
that Jesus commanded us to know the signs of the end of the age and to watch for
His coming. "Now learn this parable from the fig tree: When its branch has
already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. So
you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near-- at the
doors!”(Matt 24:32-33) "Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord
is coming.” (Matt 24:42)
The command to watch is repeated several times
by both Jesus and Paul. Also, Jesus gave severe rebukes to those who did not pay
attention to the prophetic signs that pointed to His first coming. (Luke
19:41-44, Luke 12:54-56). We must study the end times because it is the one
generation that God has chosen to announce with prophetic signs that increase
with intensity as we get closer to Jesus’ return. These prophetic signs include
supernatural signs in the heaven, trends in society and in political, military,
religious, scientific, technological and economic developments.
The
prepared Church alone will have the answer to keep multitudes from being
offended at God during the end times. We will be able to answer why a God of
love would allow and even orchestrate the events in the Tribulation. The purpose
of God’s judgments is to remove all that hinders love so that multitudes would
be saved and mature in love.
Studying the end times will prepare the
Church to be victorious in love with power during the most dramatic time in
history; to participate in the coming revival instead of neglecting or resisting
it; to rightly interpret the crisis instead of being offended at God by it. It
awakens the Church to urgency in intercession and strengthens our confidence in
God’s sovereignty and love by knowing that He is in control and is never
surprised.
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