Last Things - An Introduction to Eschatology - Revelation 1:3; Titus 2:11-14

Introduction

There is a misconception about the end times. Some people believe that the end times signify the ultimate end of everything. But the Bible tells us that the end times are not the end. It’s not even the beginning of the end. The end times are the end of the beginning. Over the next several months, we will examine the end times, particularly the book of Revelation, the only book of the Bible that offers a specific promise of blessing to those who study and heed its words (Revelation 1:3 “Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear the words of this prophecy and keep what is written in it, because the time is near.”)

Eschatology is the study of last things. But it is more than just a study of last things. When we study eschatology we learn about God.

So let me give you a fuller definition of eschatology.

Eschatology is the study of God’s ordained conclusion to history, through which He reveals His unchanging character — His justice in judgment, his faithfulness to His promises, His mercy in redemption, and His sovereignty over all creation — as He brings about the full and final display of his glory in the return of Christ, the defeat of evil, and the establishment of a new heavens and a new earth.

In the Bible there are around 300 verses that speak to the First Coming of Christ. That’s a lot of verses that tell us of the importance of the coming Messiah.

Let’s compare that to the verses that speak to the 2nd coming of Christ and all that is involved with that event in the near future. There are around 2,400 verses that speak to eschatology. Correct me if I’m wrong but I believe that with around 2,400 verses about the study of the last things God wants us to know about it.

Here are some of the major Doctrines of eschatology in no particular order:

Doctrines of Eschatology

Death and the Intermediate State

The Fate of Israel

The Second Coming of Christ

The Resurrection

The Rapture

Doctrines of Eschatology

The Fate of Satan and Demons

The Millennial Reign

The Kingdom of God

The Final Judgment

Heaven and Hell

The New Heaven and the New Earth

Now, there are some non-negotiables to the study of eschatology. What I mean by that is that there are truths about the last things that are vitally important to the Christian view and if you differ over these you may need to check your Christian Theology.

NON-Negotiables of Eschatology

* The bodily return of Jesus

The resurrection of the dead

The final judgment

Non-Negotiables of Eschatology

The eternal state of heaven and hell

The new heaven and new earth

The Sovereignty of God over history

The triumph of Christ and His kingdom

However, there are other things within the study of eschatology that are not worthy of going to war over and we are not going to lose fellowship with one another over those things. Great theologians of past years often differ on some of these interpretations. Godly men, men of the faith and men that have faithfully proclaimed God’s word for the majority of their lives.

The 2 major areas of differing opinions of eschatology are the millennium (Revelation 20) and the Nation of Israel (Romans 11).

There three major views that tend to dominate the conversation when it comes to the millennium.

Premillennial View

Historic and Dispensational

Amillennial View

Postmillennial View

The Premillennial View that says Jesus will return before the millennium.

Within the Premillennial View there is a division of opinions.

The Historic Premillennial View teaches Christ will return before a literal thousand year reign, emphasizing  a rapture that takes place after the tribulation and that states that the church has replaced the nation of Israel as God’s people.

The Dispensational Premillennial View teaches that Christ will return before a literal thousand year reign, the rapture takes place before the tribulation, and the church does not replace the Nation of Israel as God’s chosen people but that we (Gentiles) are grafted into Christ’s family as scripture states (Rom. 11:17).

The Amillennial View teaches the millennium, that Revelation chapter 20 speaks to, is a symbolic number that represents an indefinite long period of time that lasts from the first coming to the second coming. Basically, we are in that age now.

The Postmillennial View teaches that Christ will return after a period of worldwide peace and prosperity. In other words the gospel will spread throughout the world, world peace will actually take place and after 1000 years of this we will turn over this wonderful utopia to Christ when He returns at the end of the millennium.

There are two differing opinions about the Nation of Israel in eschatology

Covenant Theology which states that there is one unified people of God and that the church is the new Israel. Dispensationalism states that the church is distinct from Israel and that the promises God made to Israel are still valid and God is not done with them yet (Romans chapter 11).

One more important topic I want to mention as we study eschatology, and that is Biblical Interpretation. How do we interpret the Bible. It makes a difference.

The three differing approaches to Biblical Interpretation are: (1) Literal - Grammatical - Historical , (2) Typological - Spiritual - Allegorical, (3) Redemptive - Historical - Idealistic

Literal/Grammatical/Historical says that unless we are told the passage is a parable or the context demands a spiritual or allegorical interpretation we must take scripture literal.

This is the interpretive approach that Dispensational Premillennialism takes.

Typological/Spiritual/Allegorical says that scripture can be taken non-literal in order to help understand the passage more clearly and leaves no clear instructions for when or when not to take scripture literally. Thus one could choose for themselves what passages are literal and what passages can be spiritualized. For example: Jonah didn’t really get swallowed by a great fish, it just represents Jonah being in a backslidden condition from God.

This is the interpretive approach that Amillennialism takes.

Redemptive/Historical/Idealistic says that everything in scripture is moving us toward Jesus and the church. The church has replaced Israel as God’s chosen people and they will eventually evangelize the entire world before Christ returns.

This is the interpretive approach that Historic Premillennialism and Postmillennialism takes.

Why is this important for you and me today? Isn’t everything going to “Pan” out in the end anyway?

Other than the Non-Negotiables, your views of eschatology, while they will not keep you out of heaven, they will most definitely influence how you live before you get there!

Titus 2:11–14 “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, instructing us to deny godlessness and worldly lusts and to live in a sensible, righteous, and godly way in the present age, while we wait for the blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. He gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to cleanse for himself a people for his own possession, eager to do good works.”

We study eschatology because: (1) It Shapes our Hope, (2) It Fuels our Holiness, and (3) It Clarifies our Future.

I. Eschatology Shapes Our Hope

Anchors us in God's promises: Knowing that Christ will return, evil will be judged, and believers will be resurrected gives us confidence in God's ultimate victory.

Sustains us through suffering: Paul wrote that “our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed” (Romans 8:18). Eschatology reminds us that pain is temporary, but glory is eternal.

Reframes our perspective: It lifts our eyes from the chaos of the present to the certainty of God’s coming kingdom. We live with anticipation, not despair.

II. Eschatology Fuels Our Holiness

Motivates godly living: Peter asks, “What kind of people ought you to be?” in light of the coming day of the Lord (2 Peter 3:11). The answer: holy and godly.

Purifies our priorities: When we know time is short, we stop wasting it. We pursue righteousness, love, and service with urgency.

Strengthens accountability: The reality of judgment reminds us that our choices matter. We live not for applause but for the approval of Christ.

III. Eschatology Clarifies Our Future

Gives us a roadmap: Scripture outlines a clear trajectory—Christ’s return, resurrection, judgment, and eternal life. This isn’t guesswork; it’s revelation.

Answers deep questions: What happens after death? What is the destiny of the world? Eschatology provides clarity rooted in God’s Word.

Directs our mission: Knowing that time is limited and eternity is real, we evangelize, disciple, and serve with urgency and purpose.