Eschatology is one of the most intriguing subjects in the Bible—we all want to know how it ends. If there were one book you could understand perfectly, many of you would probably say Revelation… maybe Daniel. We all carry some form of eschatology, and it shapes how we see the world. When I was young, I was obsessed with the rapture—a glorious moment when Jesus would take Christians out of the world before all hell broke loose in the tribulation. I constantly looked for prophetic signs, processing world events through that lens, searching for missing pieces that confirmed my understanding. A year like 2020 would’ve felt like a prophecy buffet: pandemic, market collapse, and yes, even Brady to the Bucs. The rapture narrative promised escape from suffering, seven years of tribulation under a one world government, Jesus returning at the last moment to rescue Jerusalem, kicking butt, establishing a thousand year reign, and finally throwing Satan into hell while Christians watched from the best seats in heaven. I loved it—I was obsessed. The disciples had their own prophetic obsession too, one that promised escape from suffering through the return of Elijah who would “restore all things.” This week, Jesus reveals to them that John the Baptist was the long awaited return of Elijah, reshaping their expectations and ours.
