Eschatology: The Big Picture

Step back for a second and place yourself in the circle of Peter, James, John and Andrew as they heard Jesus tell them that the Temple of Jerusalem would be overthrown. Surely their faces would be pale. Their eyes would be wide open. There would be looks of bewilderment and the rubbing of hands through hair and along their brow.
 
Their shock is understandable because Jesus is telling them that the crown jewel of Israel would be leveled to the ground. The city that bears the name of God would be trampled in their generation.

Have we missed the point about eschatology(last things, end of days)? If you follow the history of Israel, the last time Jerusalem experienced such upheaval was when God sent Babylon to punish the Jews because of their idolatry and lack of love towards one another.
 
Now, we see the Lord of the Universe who sustains all things, tell his inner circle that this time it will be much worse.

Was it about the time of the millenium?

Was it about whether there was a rapture before, in the middle or after the tribulation?

Was there this preoccupation with creating definitive timelines?

 No, if you step back and look at the Gospels in their entirety and see the treatment of Jesus in light of this, one begins to understand why Jesus said the temple and Jerusalem would be overrun.

The people of the vineyard where about to kill the Son and throw him out of his own vineyard.

The people of the vineyard were consistently burdening the poor, widow and sick.

Jesus is telling his disciples that his Father was bringing justice.

 Justice for his beloved Son who was rejected and treated as an unholy thing.

 Justice for his elect that by faith had trusted in Him and yet recieved injustices.

Eschatology is seeing the consummation of the kingdom of God and the execution of justice on behalf of the Son of God and his elect.