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Question: Why should a Christian study eschatology?

Questioner profile: Male, Over 60, North America, Christian

Answered by: Bob Lowry, who has been a volunteer with us since June, 2010.

Answer: Thank you for asking about why Christians should study eschatology.

Eschatology is that aspect of theology concerned with final events in the history of the world or of humankind.

Scripture, God’s communication to us, is not only a Holy book, it is a holistic book. That is, it is an integrated whole, a unified and complete work, a single body of information telling us what God wants us to know.

Of Scripture 2 Timothy 3:16 says: “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.” Thus Scripture contains, among other topic areas, salvation, guidelines for living, science, history, encouragement, and yes, eschatology. If we read and study every topical area in the Bible except eschatology, our understanding of what God wants us to know is incomplete.

Reading the Bible, without reading and studying the eschatology it contains, would be like reading a mystery novel but not reading the last chapter to learn how it all turned out.

Your profile indicates age over 60. You perhaps remember media commentator Paul Harvey. Mr. Harvey would recount anecdotes about people, events, or news topics, but then extend the account to describe a later fact that often was not part of the original story. He always concluded with his trademark signoff: “And now you know…the rest of the story”. When you read and study eschatology in Scripture, you too can say, “And now I know…the rest of the story”.

The most compelling reason to study eschatology is this. Knowing the future: the coming rapture of the church in which Christians both living and those who have died are taken to heaven by Jesus; followed by seven years of judgment here on earth during the Tribulation; the return of Jesus to the earth bringing us with Him to rule and reign in His earthly Kingdom for 1,000 years; followed by the Great White Throne judgment where non-believers are sent to the Lake of Fire with Satan because of their unbelief, and the new Heaven and new earth where Christians dwell for eternity with God and Jesus Christ…understanding that flow of end time events and all they involve, will give you a burden like you have never had before to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with others. When you fully understand the horrific consequence of eternity in the Lake of Fire for rejecting Jesus as Savior, in contrast with the wonderful future that awaits those who accept Jesus as Savior, you will want to get that message out to as many people as you can.

Because the Bible is a holistic work, don’t neglect to also study how things began. Balance your study of the sequence of events in eschatology with studying the sequence of beginning events: the seven-day Creation account; the perfection of creation and of Adam and Eve and the Garden of Eden; the fall of Satan; the deception of Adam and Eve into sin and their removal from the Garden; the post-Garden descent by the world into grievous sin; the worldwide Flood as judgment on that sin; the saving grace of the Lord for Noah and the animals he brought onto the ark to survive the Flood and re-populate the world; the significance of the Tower of Babel, and so forth. Because knowledge of beginnings, along with knowledge of end-of-time happenings, makes our understanding of God’s Word complete. The completeness of that knowledge energizes us to share Jesus’ saving grace with all who will hear.

May the Lord bless your study of the Bible and all it contains, including eschatology.

And now you know, the rest of the story!