Prophets like Nostradamus talk about the end times, but their focus is primarily on what will happen during the end and the signs that accompany it. Most secular eschatology is heavily dystopian, suggesting that increasingly miserable events will unfold in the world. This portrayal of the end creates a sense of fear, and people's basic reaction to such eschatology is one of terror. However, the Christian view of the end is not grotesque or fear-mongering; rather, it holds that God will come and restore this broken, fallen world. It is about not destroying the world but healing it, thereby completing God's kingdom. This perspective infuses hope and optimism into the lives of Christian believers, making it a very important teaching.

He is recognized as the head of the family. Biblical scholars, particularly those specializing in the New Testament, regard eschatology as one of the most important themes that runs through the New Testament. Furthermore, the constitutions and doctrines of all Christian denominations and sects that exist on this earth invariably place eschatology in a significant position. For that reason, it is a crucial aspect of the faith life of Christians. Hello, today I would like to share some thoughts with you about eschatology. It is perhaps one of the most curious, debated, and problematic theological topics within the Korean church and church society. First, the term eschatology is something we hear often. We can simply define eschatology as the church's teachings about the events that will occur at the end of time. Generally,

When discussing eschatology in the field of theology, it is typically divided into two categories: personal eschatology and historical eschatology. Personal eschatology deals with issues such as individual death, resurrection, and eternal life. In contrast, historical eschatology focuses on the Second Coming of the Lord, the resurrection of the dead, the rapture, the judgment of Jesus, and the new heaven and new earth. In this sense, our interest lies in historical eschatology, particularly in the Second Coming of the Lord. The most pressing question is when the Lord will return. This inquiry is the greatest curiosity related to eschatology. As we pursue the question of when Jesus will return, the most significant verse in the Bible related to this topic is Revelation 20. The interpretation of Revelation 20 is a subject of debate.

The core of eschatology is centered around the second coming of Jesus. This second coming is connected to the beginning of the millennium. The issue of the millennium has been a significant topic alongside the second coming. The question of when Jesus will return has led to three main schools of thought. The first is known as premillennialism, which holds that Jesus will return before the millennium. The second is called postmillennialism, which posits that Jesus will return after the millennium. There is also a view that interprets the term millennium not in a literal sense but symbolically, leading to what is referred to as amillennialism. Based on these perspectives, there have been numerous scholarly arguments, debates, and events related to eschatology within the church.

So, what thoughts did Jesus have about the end times? This is the most important and curious part for us. When we read the Bible, especially the New Testament, particularly the Gospels that tell the story of Jesus, we see that as He began His public ministry, He preached the well-known message: Repent, for the Kingdom of God is near. In older versions, it was phrased as The Kingdom of Heaven is near. Thus, we come to understand that at the center of Jesus' ministry were the concepts of the Kingdom of God and repentance. 

In another part of the Scripture, Jesus strongly emphasized, Seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness. His Kingdom refers to the Kingdom of God, and His righteousness pertains to God's justice. Ultimately, we see that the Kingdom of God was the primary concern for Jesus.

A very important theme of eschatology is that, when the end comes, Jesus mentioned that there would be various signs. He spoke of miracles and wonders, as well as natural disasters occurring. He said that these events would happen before this generation passes away. Many people thought, Ah, the end is coming soon. After Jesus died, He rose again and then ascended into heaven, as described in the Book of Acts. When Jesus was ascending, the disciples, witnessing the scene, asked the angels when the Lord's return would be. The angels responded by saying that they had just seen the Lord ascend into heaven.

He will come back just as He said; it won't be long. Wait for it. This is the kind of conversation and scenes that will emerge. The early church believed that Jesus would soon return and that the end times would be realized through His return. In the Book of Acts, we see the disciples longing for Jesus' second coming, selling their possessions, and living in community while anticipating the Lord's return. In the letters of the Apostle Paul, who was among the first to write in the early church, he mentions that the return of Jesus is imminent. When He comes, the dead will rise first, and those who are alive will also experience the Lord's return. These are the discussions that took place. Thus, the disciples of Jesus and those who lived in the early church were waiting for the Lord.

I thought that the Second Coming would be soon, and when Jesus returns, it would truly mark the end of the age, as prophesied in the Bible for a long time. However, problems began to arise as we transitioned into this century. The disciples of Jesus started to pass away one by one. Many people firmly believed that Jesus would return in their time and waited expectantly, but no matter how long they waited, the Lord did not come. Nevertheless, the disciples continued to assert that the Lord's return would certainly happen and that it was not far off. Eventually, all of Jesus' disciples passed away, and especially when the last disciple, John, passed away, people's faith in the end times and the Second Coming of Jesus began to waver. So, in the early part of that century, a church father named Clement of Rome wrote...

The text indicates that at that time, the believers in the church were experiencing wavering faith regarding the second coming of Jesus and the end times. Let me read a portion of that passage: Behold, we have grown old, yet none of these things have come to pass, say those who truly are pitiful. It states that, as the scriptures prove, He will come quickly. This suggests that there were people who were disappointed because, no matter how long they waited for the Lord's return, He did not come. While the Lord will soon come, the early church fathers needed to provide an answer to the question of when He would come. In this context, there are writings found in books that are not included in the canon but are considered apocryphal, where the disciples ask Jesus, When will you return?

There is a scene where it is said that the Lord will come in about 150 years, but since this text was transcribed at that time, there are other manuscripts that exist. In those other copies, it mentions that the Lord will come in 180 years instead of 150. Anyway, when we look at these discussions, we can see that in the mid-2nd century or around the 3rd century, people were expecting and believing that the Lord would come. During that time, the apostolic letters and the letters of Clement were being produced, and there was a strong movement proclaiming that the Lord's return was truly imminent. This is commonly known in the church as the Montanist movement. The Montanist, who was active in a place called Pepou in Asia Minor, now part of Turkey, emphasized the role of the Holy Spirit.

While exercising, I claimed that the return of the Lord is imminent. This person made various prophecies, and many people became fascinated by him and began to follow him. Among them were even female prophets like Priscilla and Maximilian, who started to work together with him. These individuals claimed to have received direct revelations and engaged in various prophetic movements, considering martyrdom as their mission while leading a very strict ascetic lifestyle. Consequently, they became quite popular during their time, spreading their movement across Asia Minor, Persia, and Rome. Among the prophecies they made was that the Lord would soon bring forth a new Jerusalem. However, many people believed this prophecy, and a large crowd gathered around the teachings. This eventually became a significant issue within the church.

Now, the church leaders held a religious meeting where they condemned the prophecies of the Montanists as heretical. As a result, the faith in the imminent return of Christ and the involvement of women in this end-time faith led to a combination with the Holy Spirit movement. Ultimately, the three elements of the return of Christ, the role of women, and prophecy became the three major signs of heresy in the early church. Consequently, the church suppressed women's ministries for a long time, and interest in the end times diminished. As time passed, despite this, the interest in the return of Jesus and the trials associated with the end times remained difficult to suppress. Earlier, there were discussions in the apostolic letters about Jesus coming in 150 or 180 years, which led to a more active curiosity about when Jesus would actually return.

As voices proclaiming the adventure begin to emerge, there arise those who predict the second coming of Jesus through the Bible. They start searching for the principles to calculate when Jesus will return. Among these, the most famous principle comes from a verse in Second Peter: With the Lord, a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. People latch onto this, leading them to think that in the mathematics of God's kingdom, one is a thousand and a thousand is one. Thus, those calculating when Jesus would return began to appear. One of these individuals was a man named Hippolytus, who served as a bishop in Rome. He came with the principle that a thousand years is like a day and a day is like a thousand years, waiting for the return of Jesus. What he said was that Jesus would come...

This means that it was said that Jesus came 5,500 years after the creation of the world. So, the first coming of Jesus occurred 5,500 years after the creation. God created the world in six days and rested on the seventh day. If we calculate this as a thousand years, then the world God worked on should be 6,000 years. Since Jesus came after 5,500 years, it means that 5,500 years have already passed before Jesus arrived. To complete the 6,000 years, an additional 500 years must pass. Therefore, when 500 years have gone by according to this calculation, it is said that Jesus will return. So, to reiterate, according to 2 Peter, a day is like a thousand years and a thousand years is like a day. Hippoletus stated that Jesus came 5,500 years after the creation, and since 6,000 years must be completed, there will be another 500 years to go.

The Second Coming will happen, and after that, the thousand-year reign will begin. This kind of calculation started to spread and gained considerable popularity within the church. As time passed, even into the Middle Ages, the faith regarding the end times did not disappear; rather, it became more widespread among the people, leading to some rather distorted phenomena. In the past, the Lord's Second Coming was a great hope for the disciples. They sold their possessions, gathered together to form a faith community, and lived piously while waiting for the Lord's return. However, according to the pathological phenomena that appeared during the Middle Ages, it was believed that, as mentioned earlier, Jesus would come after 500 years, specifically after 5,500 years, and that the 500 years marked the beginning of the Middle Ages in church history. Now, that 500 years...

As the end of the world approached, people became increasingly obsessed with the idea, marking time with calendars that measured in millennia. They began to abandon their daily lives and engage in strange behaviors. For example, many people started wearing black clothing, carrying canes, and gathering at cathedrals or places housing the relics of famous saints to pray. Those who were not satisfied with just praying believed that if the Lord were to return, He would certainly come to Jerusalem. Thus, during the Middle Ages, some people undertook pilgrimages from distant Europe to Jerusalem, waiting for the second coming of the Lord there. As this fervor intensified, waiting for the Lord's return evolved from a simple act of faith into a frenzy, where individuals began to steal from others or harm them. The question then arose: why did they engage in such actions?

Then Jongbal said that it was because the time had come, and this became a social issue. During this time, one of the most famous figures associated with apocalypticism in the Middle Ages emerged. He was a monk and biblical scholar named Joachim, who came from a place in Italy called Celano. He was active in the 13th century and was a monk of the so-called Cistercian order. He particularly focused on studying the Book of Revelation. 

As a result, he came to understand the world in three major periods. Rather than a triune historical perspective, he believed that the Age of the Holy Spirit had not yet arrived. He claimed that this Age of the Holy Spirit was coming soon and set a specific date for it, which he determined to be around the year 1260.

It is coming, but that person did not speak of the second coming of Jesus. He did not mention that Jesus would return, but instead claimed that when 12,060 years pass, the era of the Holy Spirit and peace will arrive. Then, when we reached the 17th century, another important figure related to eschatology emerged, named James Sherrard. This person stated that God created the heavens and the earth in 44 BC. I don't really know what evidence he based this on, but according to him, God created the universe in 44 BC. He also advocated the 6,000-year theory, claiming that after 6,000 years from that point, Jesus would come. When he calculated the date, it came out to be October 1996. Thus, he prophesied that Jesus would return in 1996. His influence affected many people thereafter.

It seems that the position of James Ussher, who claimed that the age of the Earth is 6,000 years, is still reflected among fundamentalists today. In the era of the Reformation, there was certainly not a lack of interest in the end times, but figures like Luther and Calvin made arguments that were quite different from those of earlier figures such as Pierre de Vigne or Ussher. The Reformers believed that the medieval Catholic Church was a corrupt institution, and they even claimed that the Pope, as the head of this corrupt church, was the Antichrist who would appear in the last days. Therefore, we can see that the Reformation was indeed connected to eschatological thought, and Luther himself believed that he was living in the end times. However, both Luther and Calvin...

The same people did not acknowledge the millennium kingdom mentioned in the Book of Revelation. They believed that the millennium kingdom was either a corrupted doctrine of the Catholic Church or a fantastical doctrine created by the Jews, leading them to have exclusive thoughts about the millennium kingdom. However, we usually refer to figures like Luther and Calvin as the mainstream Reformation or the magisterial Reformation. Among the non-mainstream reformers who initiated the Reformation, there were the so-called Anabaptists. Among these Anabaptists, there were those who had a significant interest in eschatology and the millennium kingdom, emphasizing their thoughts. If we were to pick one representative figure, it would be Thomas Müntzer, who initially followed Luther but then parted ways with him to lead the German Peasants' War.

There is a person who also claimed my baptism. This person fundamentally recognized direct revelations from the Holy Spirit and received significant spiritual inspiration. He strongly believed that the millennium kingdom would be established, and based on that belief, he supported and led the uprising of German peasants. Later, among the extreme Anabaptists in Münster, some claimed that the millennium kingdom had been realized and took control of Münster. Ultimately, they were annihilated by the combined forces of the Catholics and Lutherans, which greatly tarnished the image of the Anabaptists worldwide. Those individuals also acted in extreme ways due to their faith in the millennium kingdom. Of course, among the Anabaptists, the majority of people, especially...

The Mennonite group, for instance, not only did not embrace the concept of the millennium, but also opposed all forms of violence and war, engaging in a pacifist movement. Therefore, it is important to remember that these enthusiastic apocalyptic believers can be distinguished from them. Moving into the modern era, the interest in apocalypse did not fade. In the 17th century, there was an interesting apocalyptic-related group that emerged in England, commonly referred to as the Fifth Monarchy Men. The Fifth Monarchy Men arose during the time of the so-called Puritan Revolution in England, when Charles I was deposed and Charles II was restored to the throne. This period is often referred to as the time without a king, during which the Puritans dominated the political landscape.

People began to strongly advocate their claims based on the Book of Daniel. If you look at the Book of Daniel, you will see the prophecies, particularly future prophecies, which symbolize four nations from head to toe. These nations are typically identified as Babylon, Persia, Greece, and Rome. It is prophesied that a fifth nation will be established beyond these four. The establishment of this fifth kingdom will coincide with the second coming of Jesus and the era of the millennial kingdom. At that time, they believed that the inhabitants of the millennial kingdom would be themselves, specifically the five kingdoms. These individuals promoted eschatological beliefs. However, when the dates they asserted passed, the second coming of Jesus they had been waiting for did not occur, and as the world changed, the influence of the five kingdoms diminished.

As they disappeared, they vanished into the background of their history. And regarding eschatology, another phenomenon that deserves attention is 18th century America. In the 18th century in America, figures like Jonathan Edwards, George Whitefield, and Gilbert Tennent were central to what is known as the First Great Awakening. Just before this Great Awakening took place, many of the Puritan ministers in America believed that God had originally sent them from England to establish a new kingdom of God, a new Jerusalem, in America. They thought they had received a divine calling from God. However, after 100 or 200 years, instead of America becoming the kingdom of God, the number of people who did not believe in God increased, and the church...

As the younger generation has increasingly abandoned their faith, the Puritan pastors have continued to preach sermons reminiscent of the prophet Jeremiah, who tearfully implored Israel to repent and return before its destruction. This type of preaching is commonly referred to in church history as jeremiad, or lamentation sermons. During this time, there was a genuine concern that, like Israel, Puritan New England would face judgment and destruction. However, instead of judgment and ruin, the Holy Spirit came, leading to a great awakening and revival. Young people began to restore their faith, new churches were established, and the reach of Christianity expanded. People dreamed that God would transform Israel into a new Israel, in New England.

Did you establish America? It was Pastor Jonathan Edwards who began to prophesy that as the Holy Spirit descended, people would change, and the church would expand. He saw that the Kingdom of God was coming, and that it would gradually expand. He believed that the center of this Kingdom of God would be America. He started to proclaim that rather than the world heading towards destruction and becoming increasingly evil, the world would improve through the work of the Holy Spirit. The Gospel would expand, and the Kingdom of God would grow. This claim is what I referred to earlier as the so-called post-millennial discourse. This post-millennial discourse encourages a more optimistic view of history, suggesting that the Holy Spirit and humanity would unite to create a better world, fostering a progressive historical perspective. As we move into the 19th century, this leads to what is known as the Second Great Awakening.

As it unfolds, it becomes more activated. The Second Great Awakening was led by a revivalist named Charles Finney. Through Finney, countless people experienced conversion. The gospel was greatly expanded and faith was revived by many revivalists who shared similar beliefs to Finney. Interestingly, this period coincided with America's independence after breaking free from British colonial rule. The United States, having achieved independence with little warfare, expanded its territory from a small area in the northeastern part of the continent to encompass the entire American continent. As the nation grew, and with the development of industry leading to an increase in national wealth, people began to think, Is America truly the land where God's kingdom is realized?

During that time, there was a belief that the world was gradually improving and that at the peak of this improvement, the Lord would return. This belief became widespread in American society. For these individuals, they thought that the Holy Spirit and the Church should work together to accomplish the establishment of the Millennium Kingdom, transforming this world into God's world. They believed it was their mission to reform and overcome the social injustices they considered to be the rough stones of God's kingdom. The issues that became prominent for them included church institutions, the problems of the poor, and the discrimination against women, which were brought to the forefront as part of their agenda. They sought to overcome these issues based on their faith in the end times and thus engaged in reform movements. Additionally, the Gospel became increasingly active, evangelism expanded, and the Bible...

The gospel is elevated, and within the church, there is an increasing expectation that the Kingdom of God will be realized on American soil. Then, after the mid-19th century, a new form of eschatology begins to spread in American society. The person who led this change in eschatology was John Nelson Darby, who came from England. He is known for creating what is called dispensationalism. He played a crucial role in establishing the Plymouth Brethren, a group that contributed significantly to the development of dispensationalism. Dispensationalism teaches that God works through history in seven dispensations, and in each dispensation, God changes the way He governs or saves the world. This dispensationalism is important for two reasons: one is ecclesiology, and the other is eschatology. Ecclesiology concerns the church today.

Churches in Western Europe have fallen into disarray due to authoritarianism and denominationalism, becoming tools for criticizing the church. The eschatology of dispensationalism is often referred to as dispensational premillennialism. It claims that none of the end-time events mentioned in Revelation 20 have yet occurred and that they will soon come to pass. We are well aware that when the Lord returns, the dead will rise and meet Him in the air, where a wedding feast will take place. During the seven years on earth, a great tribulation will occur, along with the rebellion of Gog and Magog. Eventually, there will be judgment, followed by the establishment of a millennial kingdom. This is the narrative that was believed. The proponent of this view, Darby, came to America and became one of the most influential figures at the time.

The leaders of the evangelical movement, such as D.L. Moody, J.J. Gordon, and T. Pearson, had a significant influence, which shook American society as it combined with the end-times movement, the missionary movement, and the Pentecostal movement. This ultimately became a crucial intellectual and theological foundation for fundamentalism. Consequently, this movement impacted not only the United States but also the numerous countries established by American missionaries, one of which was Korea. The belief grew that the Lord would come soon, but as the world became increasingly evil, any efforts to improve the world were seen as utterly meaningless. The focus shifted strongly towards saving as many souls as possible before the Lord's return, which led to a global missionary movement.

It was an explosion. As a result, those who embraced the Adventist theology became increasingly indifferent to the world and transformed into people who only longed for the second coming of the Lord through evangelism. This trend became widespread around the end of the 19th century. Now, I would like to examine the discourse on the end times in the 20th century. The 20th century can truly be considered the heyday of eschatology, both in the United States and in South Korea. If I were to introduce just one representative example, it would be the event that took place in South Korea on October 28, 1992. I wonder if you remember that day. The entire nation gathered in front of their televisions to watch a religious group conducting a worship service. This was the so-called Daemyeong Missionary Society and the incident related to the imminent end times. This group, led by a pastor named Lee Jang-nim, was...

This generation deeply believes in the doctrine of the end times. It was on October 28, 1992, that it was proclaimed that Jesus would return. Because of this, countless people across the country joined the missionary group, and due to the Damy Missionary Society, disturbances arose in churches and families, causing society to be in turmoil. Of course, that night, the members of the Damy Missionary Society wore white clothes, believing that the Lord would return, and they sang hymns and worshipped. However, in the end, the return did not happen. Interestingly, prior to December 20, 1992, the leader of this movement, Pastor Lee, had already been arrested on fraud charges. Why was he charged with fraud? It was not because he taught strange eschatology, but because he himself did not believe in the eschatology he preached.

It was revealed to be a lie because at that time, Pastor Lee Jang-rim had already invested the numerous donations given by the members of the Dami Mission Church into buildings in various places in Seoul. If he truly believed that Jesus was coming again and that the world would be turned upside down, he should have sold his existing assets. However, at that time, he was engaging in real estate speculation. This ultimately served as evidence that Pastor Lee himself did not believe in the second coming of Christ, which led to him being imprisoned on fraud charges. In the end, the events surrounding the Dami Mission Church sparked both interest and criticism regarding eschatology in Korean society. The Korean church had long been interested in eschatology, but afterwards, it became hesitant to discuss the topic, resulting in serious theological and faith-related setbacks.

I think that, nevertheless, according to a record investigated by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism in 2000, there are still about 150,000 believers in doomsday theories in our country, and there are over 200 new religious groups and Christian sects that adhere to such doomsday beliefs. So, why have these doomsday theories and the pathological phenomena associated with them continuously repeated throughout history? Scholars suggest several reasons. Politically, during times of war or revolution, when the entire society faces an existential crisis, people often become heavily inclined toward such beliefs. Economically, when disasters like famine occur or people go bankrupt and find themselves on the streets, doomsday believers proclaim that the Lord will return to create a new world.

They say that people easily fall for such propaganda. If we look at society, we can see various pathological phenomena, such as crime and other criminal activities that threaten people's lives. When the state or society shows no interest and neglects these issues, individuals may feel that their survival and livelihoods are in jeopardy. In such circumstances, apocalyptic ideologies can spread easily among those who feel this way. Culturally, there are traditional societal norms that have been believed in for a long time, but when these norms collapse and no new norms are established to replace them, a phenomenon known as cultural anomie occurs. During such times, apocalyptic theories gain significant traction among people. As I mentioned earlier, if we look at the history of apocalyptic thought, we can see it has appeared in ancient times, the Middle Ages, the modern era, and even in the context of religious reform.

Throughout history, when apocalyptic beliefs influenced people and manifested as large-scale social phenomena, it invariably led to wars, reforms, famines, or diseases, or resulted in social hardships. We can confirm that apocalyptic thoughts were particularly prevalent during these crises. So, how should we evaluate these apocalyptic phenomena? I would like to mention three points. First, the Bible proclaims that Jesus announced the nearness of God's kingdom and called for repentance. Jesus, along with the early Christians and apostles, continuously taught about faith in the end times. One of the most crucial themes that underscores how this belief in the end times enabled the early church to lead lives distinct from other religions or cultural forces is indeed apocalypticism.

In discussing this topic, we find that the constitution of all Christian denominations and the doctrines they believe in place eschatology in an undeniably important position. Therefore, I can say that it is impossible to understand Christianity without considering eschatology or to discuss the essence of Christianity while excluding eschatology. Thus, I assert that a Christianity without eschatology cannot exist. Eschatology remains a significant theological heritage that we must pay attention to and strive to practice. 

However, while it is undesirable to live a faith life that dismisses or does not believe in eschatology, an even more dangerous and uncomfortable situation arises from a distorted or warped eschatology. The Bible speaks of the end times, but it does so without providing clear explanations.

There are many aspects to consider. So, what does it really mean? It is often difficult for us to interpret hastily, as there are numerous cases where understanding is challenging. For instance, when we look at various signs from societies that existed 6,000 years ago, 4,400 years ago, or 5,500 years ago, and easily conclude that they indicate the end times, it can lead people to become obsessed with apocalyptic thinking. This obsession does not promote a healthy life; rather, it fosters social deviance, disrupts families, undermines social order, and manifests as pathological phenomena that shake the foundations of our lives. Most events in the history of apocalyptic thought have been like this, and such cases are certainly not desirable. In this sense, it is crucial for us to exercise discernment and effort to properly understand apocalyptic thought. Misunderstanding it can lead to a breakdown in faith and the collapse of society.

The phenomenon becomes a shortcut. I can say this. Then, the last thing we need to consider is that the Bible clearly talks about the end times, and throughout history, many problems have arisen because of the end times. Our task is to have a faith in the end times based on the Bible. This should not make us deviant beings but rather help Christianity become a healthy and reliable religion by making eschatology positive. Ultimately, while the early church and even today have faced many issues due to eschatology, there are countless examples of people living healthier, more intense, and trustworthy lives because of it. For instance, in the late 19th century in the United States, based on eschatology, efforts were made to dismantle the institution of slavery, promote women's rights, and help the poor.

Such efforts, in my view, can serve not only to nourish our lives in the context of a healthy eschatology but also to clearly recognize the limitations of humanity while dreaming of the coming Kingdom of God. This can be a fundamental strength that helps us endure, overcome, or challenge the current crises and limitations we face. In this regard, I believe it is essential for the Korean Church to study, teach, and practice sound eschatology.

As I mentioned earlier, the sound eschatology spoken of in the Bible, particularly by Jesus, has three key aspects that are beneficial to us. First, it instills hope for the future in our lives. Rather than living in fear or anxiety about what lies ahead, we can look forward to the gifts that God will bring us, fostering an optimistic view of the future. Second, this perspective provides the motivation for us to live our lives today more responsibly and faithfully.

The third point is that, no matter how outstanding humans are, there are limits to what we can do. The world we see is not the entirety of existence, so while we do our best to live, there is more beyond that. Ultimately, the world is not created by humans but by God, which makes us more humble beings. I believe this has a positive effect, as it not only fosters optimism in people but also encourages humility and a sense of responsibility in their lives. A healthy eschatology is positive, while a negative eschatology drives people into fear, causing them to abandon their daily lives and become irresponsible. Such eschatology leads to individuals being mentally and physically unhealthy. I believe that this kind of eschatology is unhealthy and un-Christian. So, when someone comes to teach about eschatology...

When we accept that eschatology, does it make our lives today more mature and healthier, does it make us more responsible, does it lead us to view the future more optimistically, or does it lead us to live the exact opposite life? I think that is a very important evidence for choosing eschatology.

기독교의 종말론을 어떻게 봐야 할까요? ㅣ배덕만 교수ㅣ잘잘법 206회

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