www.eccl.org

Ser. Scott Alan                  www.eccl.org

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Many of us don’t hear the word eschatology in our daily conversations, so let’s first practice its pronunciation.  Consider how Americans say words like school and schedule.  Now think of the word Eskimo and try eska-tology with confidence.

 

You may recognize the Greek origin of this word and how its latter half indicates study.  The first half is from eschatos, meaning last or how things end.  While often regarded in many religions as mainly the study of last days or end times, it should have a broader scope in our Christian life.  Think of how roughly half of all prophecy in the Bible has already been fulfilled.  All of those past events as well as those of the future can be examined in the light of eschatology.  So what’s yours?

 

We have ample record of our King and Savior stating that the Kingdom is near.  True, thee King was standing right in front of the recipient, but it is the element of time that has tripped us up.  At that moment, only the Father knew the exact time of the Great Tribulation and Christ’s return.  Yet some of the earliest Christians assumed it would occur in their lifetime.  Actually, it did in a sense, and we will address this further on.

 

While the earliest converts from Judaism accepted the Messiah’s first coming, many of their contemporaries rejected Christ to the point of His execution.  They simply didn’t see the eschatology unfolding before them.  Dozens of prophecies regarding Him and His payment of our death penalty were disregarded.  Today, we are just as susceptible to missing the remaining eschatology.

 

Let’s return to the relationship of distance and time.  Allowing Christ to live in us and through us for our remaining days on Earth defines our individual eschatology.  Any and every breath may be our last and when that happens, we are preserved for resurrection (Ecclesiastes 9:10).  Anticipation of that heavenly state can create much excitement and speculation.  However, please stay sober and focus on what happens at our last breath, whenever that may occur.

 

Reflect on some of your relatives and acquaintances who have already passed.  Now go back another generation, then another.  Go back centuries if you will.  At every death, that was and is the precise moment in time whichever future resurrection awaits them (Revelation 20).  This extends to those of us still alive in the last perilous days, caught up to meet Christ at His return with our fellow saints. The future Kingdom has always been one last breath away for each of us!

 

Until then, we who accept and submit to our King now become sojourning subjects to His Kingdom in a world ruled by Satan (John 12:31, 14:30, 16:11).   We must bring every good glimpse of the future on Earth into full view of our neighbors while there is still light in their eyes and ours.  This includes overcoming to the end.  We at www.eccl.org intend to serve you with the good news of a much brighter tomorrow.

 

As imperfect humans, we can easily overcomplicate the simplest of prophecies; we have an enormous helper in this regard called Satan.  Please remember that even after he and his minions are defeated and bound for a thousand years, those humans remaining will still have choices between our King’s way and any neutral, selfish, or animalistic tendencies.  Just because God will change some animal traits does not preclude the human responsibility to accept and choose His way and will.

 

Please remember, it’s all eschatology -- YOUR eschatology!