Agreement on End Times

I mentioned the other day that I am often asked Bible questions. A lot of those times, if I'm honest, seem to revolve around my views on the end times. Now, this post isn't the time or place for me to talk about my beliefs on the topic, but I had a thought I wanted to share.

If you're not familiar with the various views of eschatology (the study of last things), then I may link to a few articles soon to help you understand the differences.

Regardless of the view, there are essentials that we all have to agree on. And while people get in many debates and arguments over it, those essentials are not when we think the rapture will happen or what we think of the millennium. These are important matters, but they do not of themselves determine salvation.

We have to agree that Jesus will return in a very real and physical way. Also, that He will judge the living and the dead, casting the lost into the lake of fire and bringing the believer into eternal life. And we believe that God is going to create a new heaven and new earth. Those are the core tenets of eschatology, though not an exhaustive explanation.

So, whether we think there is a period of tribulation or that the millennium is literally a thousand years, there is room for discussion, but not division.

The thought I wanted to share today, though, is this: based on those core ideas, how then should we live?

I'm a firm believer that our beliefs will guide how we live life. That's part of why I think having a fleshed-out idea of our eschatology is important. But the essentials that we all agree on should have a major impact on us.

Firstly, since we know that the wicked will be condemned, we should have a burden for their souls, a burden that they would know Christ.

Since Jesus will return, and there will be a new heaven and earth, and all sin and sorrow will be done away with, we should live with joy and hope.

And since He will return, we should live expectantly, living a life of purity before Him, seeking to grow in holiness.

Lastly, I think it's important to emphasize that there will be disagreements among genuine believers over our views of the end times. But Christians should avoid division. There of course is diversity in the church; we understand different parts of Scripture differently. As long as these are not the essentials of salvation, there is room for these differences. But we should avoid division and malicious arguing.

Too many times, people have essentially been called unbelievers because they think the rapture might not happen before a seven-year tribulation. I fear that's putting too much emphasis on the wrong things.

So, let us have debate and discussion, with love. But let us agree on the essentials, and may they urge us on toward living for Christ, loving the lost, and having hope for the future.

Image Credit: Unsplash