An Evening of Eschatology

It's rare for me to interact with other Christians and not occasionally hear the phrase "End Times" used in conversation. My frustration is that I don't think a lot of people really know what the Book of Revelation really says, and even if they have read it, they don't understand the context or genre of the writing. By the way, I don't claim to be an expert myself. People's "end times" theology is often times based more on things like the Left Behind series than on what Revelation actually says. So in light of my frustration on this matter, I wanted to share this video of "An Evening of Eschatology." John Piper is the moderator between three men representing the three common views of the "millennium" referenced in Revelation 20. It's two hours long so you may not have time to watch it all, but I found it very helpful for understanding the different biblical views of the "End Times." Not mention, how great is it to see believers with differing opinions come together and dialogue? I hope to see more of these kinds of events happen.

I appreciated a couple of opening and closing points made in this. One was that Christians often think that after we die, heaven is our final resting place; the resurrection and the new earth isn't a part of their hope or understanding. Is that true for you at all? Then in closing, the bottom line that all three speakers come to is that Christ's Kingdom will not fully manifest itself on earth by any amount of force or protest. Unfortunately throughout history we have often forgotten this and tried to Christianize the world in our own strength, primarily with military and political methods. Our job as the church is to live by the power of the Holy Spirit, embodying the gospel and bringing it to the ends of the earth. God's power and perfect timing in Christ's return will take care of the rest.