Yet Harrigan is right. Eschatology drives discipleship. The Apocalypse of John is not “extra credit.” Our perspective on the end of days is not tangential or inconsequential. Rather, first-century Jewish apocalypticism—the idea that this age is coming to an end and that we must live instead for the Messianic Age, which God will establish through supernatural means—lies at the core, at the foundation of our worldview.

Our eschatology determines the way we live our lives, and it acts as the engine that drives our actions and the fire that ignites our spirits with fervor, urgency, and devotion to the Master. The knowledge that he could return at any moment and that we will stand in judgment at that time is the ink that writes the stories of our lives and communities.

Getting eschatology wrong comes at a grievous price. The New Christian Right stands as an example of just how dark and ugly the church can become when it misreads what the Bible has to say about the end of the age. So, I want to challenge you today to be inspired by the prophets’ and apostles’ vision of the real millennial kingdom, a just kingdom led by an incorruptible king.

Let this eschatological vision uplift you to a new level of devotion and discipleship, just as it did for our spiritual ancestors in the days of the apostles. - Jacob Fronczack, the New Crusaders