Pan-millennialist. I am sure many of us have heard this joke, that 'it will all pan out in the end'. That the person saying it has no idea what they think of the End Times, and has probably never looked into it. Often defended by statements that they don't think it matters, or simply used as a statement because they are confused by the differences in Amillennial, Post, Pre, and never mind even the millennial differences but the differences in eschatology (end time theology) that go beyond it like dispensationalism, replacement theology or the rapture! There can be so many different issues to cover in such a large subject, and it can certainly be very overwhelming. It plays no role in our salvation, something we get only be faith in the Messiah and his atonement, so what could it matter in the grande scheme? Why should we bother spending any time?
Because God thought it was so important he gave us messages from the prophets to tell us about what is coming. Should that alone not be enough? From Daniel, Yirmeyahu (Jeremiah), Yechezkel (Ezekiel), Yeshayahu (Isaiah) and others we have parts and pieces to a larger story. One that scholars and laymen alike have tried to piece together throughout history and few every come to agree on. One that has become almost a cultural icon for evangelical churches with things like the Left Behind series of books and movies. We can get so mired in the mix and our heads swim when reading prophesy that we want to ignore the prophets for things we think of as more important.
But it wasn't just the prophets. Y'shua himself placed a very large weight on the end times. To the point that he gave us commands to be watching for certain events to take place, and to not be deceived by certain things to come. How can we be obedient to the Messiah if we are dismissing these issues he spent so much time on? How can we be obedient to watching if we do not know what we are looking for, or to know not to be deceived if we don't know what could deceive us?
This post is short, this is meant to be an introduction for you, to get your toes wet, over the next while I will be going further and further in depth on eschatology, on what it is I take as a stand when I look to prophesy and the cohesion of scripture and then finally I will show you how I see this as playing out within world events. This isn't meant to be sensationalism to get everyone jumping up and down, excited or scared. This isn't meant to drive anyone to a place of fear. But that we can look to events, look to prophesy, and we can know that through it all Adonai is in control. That through it all His hand is there for us, to guide us and to bring us to Him. We can seek comfort in knowing that our Sovereign Elohim is in control and that He will use events around us to His Glory. Through this we have a command, from God through the prophets and from the Messiah directly, that we must watch. We must try, to the best of our ability, to know then what we are watching for. To know what the signs could be.
None of us will have 20/20 vision, whether this happens in this year, 2020, or in the future; we can not see what will be the fulfillment of prophesy until the end has happened and we can see the pieces fit together. But we can watch. We can ground ourselves in scripture so as not to be deceived. We can ensure there is oil in our lamps and we are ready for the return of the Groom.
And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with tremendous power and glory. When these things start to happen, stand up and hold your heads high; because you are about to be liberated. Luke 21:27-28