Eschatology – Study of End Times
Eschatology is one of those ten-dollar words that preachers sometimes like to trot out to impress people. What is eschatology? It’s simple, really: the study of the eschaton.
What’s an eschaton? Isn’t it one of those snails cooked in garlic butter? Nope! That’s an escargot, but it sounds close. The word eschaton means the last things. Eschatology is the study of end times.
Eschatology generally results in two opposite outcomes. Either Christians try to avoid the subject entirely, or they become obsessed with it. For many, there is a huge desire to pinpoint every little detail and create a calendar that details exactly when the world will end. Endless theories have been concocted to search out the anti-Christ and predict the day of Jesus’s coming.
Many biblical texts deal with eschatology, but most people concentrate on Revelation. To be more accurate, they focus on John’s Revelation of Jesus Christ.
Many people avoid reading the Revelation because they find it confusing, fearful or because they have a vague idea that there is something strange about it. There are no doubt some strange-sounding passages in the book, and some figures of speech are sometimes challenging to make sense of, yet it is well worth the time to read.
Those figures of speech and apocalyptic imagery have led to some fascinating artwork, but much of that same art has contributed to unwarranted mystery about the contents of the Revelation. The artwork is simply an artist’s interpretation of what John himself could hardly describe. Some of it is terrific art, but it is either heavily influenced by the culture of the day or so fanciful as to be barely recognizable.
Revelation was written at the command of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. It was written with several purposes in mind.
It was written to reveal the things that will come and the nature of Jesus Christ.
The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, who bore witness to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw. Revelation 1:1-2 ESV
This letter was written to bless those who persevere and read it.
Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near. Revelation 1:3 ESV
It was written to direct people to a saving relationship with Jesus Christ
The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price. Revelation 22:16 ESV
The Revelation was written so that we might not fear the things to come. We are confident of the victory of the Lord Jesus.
He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus! The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen. Revelation 22:20-21 ESV
The letter was not written to help us calculate the date of His return; after all, only the Father knows the date. If anyone claims to know the date of the Second Coming, you can be absolutely certain that person is a false prophet. Claiming to know the date is the sign of a heretic, a cult, or a liar. If you are in a church that has claimed to know the date of the Second Coming or the precise moments of the eschaton, you are in a false church.
The Revelation reveals God’s wrath upon unrepentant sinners, but we see that wrath unrolled a stage at a time. There is time and time again for sinners to realize who the Christ is and repent. In the end, only their own stubbornness leads to their destruction. They choose destruction over freedom, love, and grace.
Until next time, may you read John’s Revelation of Jesus the Christ and be encouraged and enriched.
Be blessed
Hallelu Yah / Praise God
Kevin