Eschatology is the study of the last things. It pertains to the last thing here on earth. Last things refer to the final and culmination of human history on earth.
This is not a myth or superstition; this is not used to scare people or establish pride in what we know about the future
THE STUDY OF THE LAST THINGS SHOULD:
Serve as a warning
Produce sense of urgency and be ready
Give us hope and assurance
Many Christians treat this subject as something to be avoided; the Bible though speaks of it as something to be studied.
There’s a common misunderstanding that says “when good people die, they go to heaven, and when bad people die, they go to hell”
Biblically speaking, that is not true because there is no clear passage in the Scriptures that support this. That is why there is a need for us to know the truths of eschatology.
1. DEATH IS REAL
We need to understand that man has a body, soul, and spirit. Death refers to the physical death of the body. The body will die, the soul will either go to hell or heaven, and the spirit will return to God.
The truth is every man will experience death. Death is the last stage in the earthly life of man.
In biblical term, death means disconnection. Life is connection with God while when there’s death, disconnection happens.
Death should not be understood as annihilation. For believers, death means being absent from the body and being at home with the Lord. 2 Cor 5:8
2. HELL IS REAL
Hell is a real place. Perhaps, you are asking “if God really loves us, why did God create hell? Why would a loving God create hell to punish us?
We should know that hell is intended to punish Satan and his demons.
God cannot overlook sin because He is holy and just. We have to understand that hell is the expression of God’s wrath.
Since God is the one who created hell, His presence can also be there. But in that place, there is no room for His grace and mercy. His presence there is manifested by His wrath over sin and wickedness.
HELL IN THE BIBLE
a. Sheol or Hades
Hell in Hebrew is Sheol while in Greak it is Hades. It is translated like “grave, pit”
It is the abode of the dead
It is a place for both good and bad people for some time.
There is what we call the Upper and Lower Sheol based on the story of Lazarus the beggar and the rich man. Luke 16:19-31
Upper Sheol (Abraham’s Bossom) was a temporary place for believers who died before Christ who were waiting for the Messiah’s coming.
Lower Sheol is the place for unbelievers who are waiting for judgment.
Sheol was where the believers were rescued when Jesus died and rose from the dead.
This is where Jesus Christ rescued all believers from the line of Adam to those believers who died before Jesus Christ.
b. Tartaroo
This term occurs only on 2 Peter 2:4
For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent them to hell, putting them in chains of darkness to be held for judgment
Tartaroo is the prison for fallen angels before the second coming of Christ.
c. Abyss
Greek for abyss is abussos meaning bottomless pit.
It is the prison for demons. Rev 9:1-2; Rev 9:11
Satan will be imprisoned in Abyss for a thousand years to usher the millennial reign of Christ.
d. Gehenna
This is the destination for eternal punishment.
Hebrew word is Ge Hinnom, derived from a real place referring to the valley of Hinnom that is in the south and east side of Jerusalem.
The valley became the place where refuse and dead bodies of animals and criminals were burned.
Because of the gruesome smell and sight, the word Gehenna became synonyms with eternal punishment, the fire of hell.
It is the punishment connected to the final judgment, a punishment that has eternal duration, not annihilation. Mat 25:41; 46
3. HEAVEN IS REAL
The word heaven in the Old Testament (Heb. Shamayim) means “high, lofty”
Heaven in the New Testament (Gr. Ouranos) means “to cover” or “encompass.”
It simply means “that which is above.”
THE CLASSIFICATION OF HEAVEN
a. Atmospheric Heaven
Anything that is 1 inch above the ground is part of atmospheric heaven.
This includes the clouds and the birds that fly in it
Psalm 147:8 and Genesis 1:20
b. Celestial Heaven
It is the realm of the sun, mood, stars, and planets. The universe. Psalm 33:6
c. Spiritual Heaven
This is where Satan set up his headquarters. From this base, his forces operate over lands, cities, and individuals. Eph 6:12
d. The Dwelling Place of God
It is the specific place where God dwells. It is where God sits enthroned. Psalm 2:4
4. JUDGMENT IS REAL
a. The Authorized Judge is Jesus Christ
and has given Him authority to execute judgment also, because He is the Son of Man. Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth—those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation. John 5:27-29
It is stated in these verses that Jesus Christ will judge every man according to what he has done. To those who are good, they will rise to live and those who have done what is evil will rise to be condemned.
From the beginning, Christians known that this age will end with judgment at the return of Christ, it was stated in the Bible that His return would be literal, physical event.
He would return the same way as the disciples had seen Him depart. He will be seen by both believers and unbelievers here on earth. Acts 1:11
The time of His return would be unknown, nobody knows the exact date except God, however, people should be prepared for his return. Mat 24:36
b. All people will be judged
Unbelievers will be judged through the White Throne judgment. This is the final judgment before the unbelievers are sent to the lake of fire.
there will be a fair judgment – no social classes or status. Everyone will be found guilty and will be destined to the lake of fire or Gehenna. Rev 20:11-15
Believers will be judged through the Bema judgment, seat of Christ.
It is not a judicial bench where someone is condemned, it is a reward seat, it has everything to do with the believer’s reward. Mat 16:27
c. Satan will be judged
Satan will face his unending torment into the lake of fire. Rev 20:10
5. ETERNITY IS REAL
At the end of the age, the devil, the beast, the false prophets, and the unbelievers will be thrown into the lake of fire where there will be gnashing of teeth – which implies continued existence of suffering.
On the other hand, those who received Jesus, heaven awaits them. After the last judgment, God will recreate everything. They will be in a place called the new heaven and the new earth. Rev 21:1-2
It debunks the false superstitions about the soul of men.
Once a person died, he faces hell or heaven. There is no purgatory and we can no longer pray for the lost souls to be saved. There are no “soul wanderers” either on earth.
If a person is not a believer of Christ and did not experience be born again, he is destined to hell.
On the other hand, if a person had been born again by faith in Christ, he is destined to heaven.
It brings Hope to every believer.
Knowing about the last things will make every believer realize that everything will soon come to an end, this includes suffering, problems, and temporal things on earth.
This will be the truth that they will hold onto while serving God even experiencing pains, persecutions, and hardships because they know God will reward them of their faithfulness.
It awakens every believer’s heart in reaching the lost
Since judgment is real, this will empower the believers to reach out and disciple people who are destined to hell.
This will help every believer to receive the burden to share the Gospel even more.
It helps every believer to worship and honor God more.
Knowing that Satan would be defeated and will be judged by a victorious God and that we have an all-powerful and mighty God who loves and saves us from the lake of fire, these truths are enough for us to show our reverence to Him.
It becomes the foundation of every believer to look forward to eternal life with God in heaven
this remind us that we are citizens of heaven and are bound to have an eternal life with God.
every believer is looking forward to seeing Jesus Christ face-to-face and anticipating the moment that He will wipe away every tear and will soon experience an unending worship and communion with God