antichrist

What is your view of “Eschatology” or “End Times?”

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Biblical or Newspaper Eschatology?

This comes down to how Matthew 24 and the book of Revelation are interpreted.

What is your view of “Eschatology” or “End Times?”

This is the study of our Christian beliefs concerning all future and final events, such as Jesus’ Second coming and the final judgment. How sure are you that your view is correct? It all comes down to this point: do you read into the text what you want it to say? Or do you read from the text what God’s Word has to say? Most Christians, pastors included, will say they never read into the text of Scripture. So, you have to go before God in sincerity and honesty and seek Him, not your or someone else’s ideas. You have to surrender pride and presumptions to really catch what caught up really means! We have to really read, not assume, or we will get it wrong and thus lead our churches down the wrong path, making minors the majors and missing the point of our call and duty as a local church.

The Basic Definition of Eschatology

It comes from the Greek words eschatos, meaning “last,” and logos, here meaning “reason of the word.” Together, they mean “the discourse of the Last Days” or the “final things of the Church and Kingdom age.” Some see this as Christ’s prophesy of the End of Days from Matthew 24, while others see Daniel and Revelation—or both. These include the return of Christ, His judgments because of humanity’s apostasy, and Heaven and Hell as the final destination of our souls. Other topics creep into this arena such as a tribulation, rapture, and antichrist, and the fights and arguments over these, when in fact, these are not what Biblical Eschatology is all about.

There are many ways people in the last hundred years have sought to identify “Biblical Eschatology.” Some have engaged this quest as a look into one’s own traditions or denominational frameworks and then developed arguments for it without careful research or exegesis in the texts of Scripture. Others have presupposed a literal meaning into words and language that is clearly metaphorical and never bothered to look into what those words meant to the original audience. Others did the opposite and only sought what it meant to the first century, ignoring what God has had for the Church throughout the centuries, for us today, and for tomorrow. There are those who only seek the current newspaper headlines and ignore church history and biblical relevance while still others seek to make a new framework and call it historic.

More fads of End Times

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Another fad we tend to chase is trends on how to lead and manage His Church. Most of these are like chasing the harlot while ignoring the beckoning of Christ and His Way. We seek to water down His Holy Word to attract people—just as the devil manipulates people to trick them to his ways. All the while, we are called to disciple, teach, and worship Christ as Lord…and do it His Way. People have lost all of their positions, left churches in disgust when it did not happen, and have left a blight in Christianity.

This is out-of-control eschatological thinking, and can be a real threat to the peace and stability of our nation and world.

Being a harlot in Revelation means we are engaged in and promoting apostasy! What about factions, gossip, and pride? These are the things that God hates the most and cause the greatest destruction to any given church—something even Satan himself could never do. Point? We are the real enemy of enmity, our sins building and conniving and converging upon one another as we chase our theories and ignore Christ and His supremacy, precepts, and call. When we fight amongst ourselves and chase trends that are contrary to Christ, His call, and His commands, we are the antichrist of John’s Epistles! Just look up the word antichrist in a concordance, and read the passages associated to it! By the way, it is not in Revelation (Rev. 2:18-29; 14:6-13; 17:1-18; 18:1-24; 19:1-10; 1 John 2:17-23; 4:3; 2 John 1: 6-8)!

God is calling you and me—those who lead and pastor churches, who influence people in the church, who sit on committees, teach, or like to flee from manipulating and gossiping or making up sensationalism behind the scenes—to wake up and SEEK HIM, not ourselves or ideas or plans or trends!