A Joke in the Eyes of the World

Over and over again, for almost two-thousand years, the Church has been made to look like a joke in the eyes of the world as predictions of Christ’s Return/Second Coming and other related end-time events have supposedly come and gone without fulfillment.  Adding to this humiliation is the fact that this arena of biblical study is termed “one of the most divisive elements in recent Christian history. . . . few doctrines untie and separate Christians as much as eschatology.”

You are about to embark on a journey of discovery and resolution.  In the pages ahead you will find that many things are wrong, biblically and historically, with the way we Christian have been trying to handle and understand this branch or subset of theology we call eschatology.  Whereas theology is the study of God (from the Greek theos meaning “God” and Latin suffix –ology meaning “a study of”), eschatology is the study of last things (from the Greek eschatos meaning “last”).

At times you may wonder if I am foolish enough to think that my presentations, disputations, analysis, and synthesis approach will ever be able to achieve a consensus and end the bitter debates and divisiveness that epitomize this arena.  So help me God, I am this foolish.

I am also well aware that the issues of eschatology are deeply embedded and their traditions fiercely defended.  Moreover, my proposed synthesis solution has far-reaching implications that may threaten some and be resisted. Perhaps, Basil Mitchell hit the proverbial nail on the head when he accurately pointed out some years ago: “In politics, as in religion, men become committed to positions which they will not readily give up and which involve their entire personalities.  On neither of these subjects are differences easily resolved by argument.”  But I am willing to take this risk of argument and offer a solution of synthesis in order to face what others have chosen to ignore. I further accept the necessity to perhaps offend in order to break us out of our complacency.  My hope is this book will make a meaningful contribution and advance the discussion toward resolving our end-time differences and divisive dilemma.

(Thus, but without the footnotes, begins the Author’s Note at the beginning of my next new book titled, Unraveling the End: A balanced scholarly synthesis of four competing and conflicting end-time views – stay tuned.)