Our view of the future is key to how we live our
lives. If we have hope in a sure eternity, we anchor our souls to a solid
belief which helps protect our minds now and when we one day face the prospect
of dying.
Just as important as facing death, even young people
benefit from firm hope as they confront potential disappointments in life with family,
work, marriage and health. This includes not only personal tragedies but also
failing to meet expectations you once possessed for your life.
Teleios recently conducted a survey regarding
biblical knowledge of end times. There were 681 responses. The majority of
responders were: female (67%), <35 years old (73%), from the United States
(60%) and evangelical (74%).
A plurality of respondents (38%) believed that prophetic literature in the Bible should be interpreted in a normal literal way; otherwise, how the original author intended it, whether a letter, poetry or symbols related to an actual event.
Regarding specific questions about the end times, when a response was provided, participants mostly answered in a biblically consistent way. For example, for the Rapture, the majority identified that it will occur at a time only known by God (78%), when believers will be taken to meet Christ (58%). For the Tribulation, 51% noted that it was a 7-year time period and 42% knew it will happen just before Christ's return to the earth. Respondents indicated clearly 'eternity' is a believer's lasting presence with God (71%).
For the Kingdom of Christ, 36% thought it is a time of peace and prosperity on the earth. However, 57% believed Christ’s Kingdom is heaven, which may not be the case as these locations are described differently in scripture (Daniel 7:27).
Nonetheless, the total percent of correct biblical answers were relatively low (30-55%) even though the percent of wrong answers were generally even lower (<30%). Those marking unsure' typically were between 10-20%.
Wellbeing scores were generally good (4.5; scale of 0-6 with 6 being best) and consistent with our past research. However, those who demonstrated a greater knowledge of eternity as represented in the book of Revelation reported on average better wellbeing (P=0.03). Interestingly, this finding is consistent with Revelation 1:3 itself in that it promises those who read it persistently will be blessed (happy).
A plurality of respondents (38%) believed that prophetic literature in the Bible should be interpreted in a normal literal way; otherwise, how the original author intended it, whether a letter, poetry or symbols related to an actual event.
Regarding specific questions about the end times, when a response was provided, participants mostly answered in a biblically consistent way. For example, for the Rapture, the majority identified that it will occur at a time only known by God (78%), when believers will be taken to meet Christ (58%). For the Tribulation, 51% noted that it was a 7-year time period and 42% knew it will happen just before Christ's return to the earth. Respondents indicated clearly 'eternity' is a believer's lasting presence with God (71%).
For the Kingdom of Christ, 36% thought it is a time of peace and prosperity on the earth. However, 57% believed Christ’s Kingdom is heaven, which may not be the case as these locations are described differently in scripture (Daniel 7:27).
Nonetheless, the total percent of correct biblical answers were relatively low (30-55%) even though the percent of wrong answers were generally even lower (<30%). Those marking unsure' typically were between 10-20%.
Wellbeing scores were generally good (4.5; scale of 0-6 with 6 being best) and consistent with our past research. However, those who demonstrated a greater knowledge of eternity as represented in the book of Revelation reported on average better wellbeing (P=0.03). Interestingly, this finding is consistent with Revelation 1:3 itself in that it promises those who read it persistently will be blessed (happy).
These findings indicate that when young evangelicals
answer questions about biblical end times they typically are correct. However,
the overall percent of those answering correctly was low. This shows a need for
better education about Christ’s second coming from pastors and lay leaders to
help fortify young evangelicals and their hope in salvation.
Unfortunately, teaching about end times is often avoided
because of controversy surrounding several different types of end times
interpretations including Calvinist versus pre-millennial theologies. However,
this problem may be resolved by simply teaching scripture in a literal, normal
fashion.
Importantly these data also demonstrated better wellbeing
for those aware of end times scripture.
Thank you for reading my blog. Return again soon as
we continue to discuss the amazing facts of the Bible and analyze the encouraging
findings from Teleios’ research.
All the findings of the survey can be found here (https://www.surveymonkey.com/results/SM-LF9CJDG58/).
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