It’s not important to salvation but will help you understand current events. It’s very enlightening when it’s finally understood. I can't stress enough the peace it gives.
In some senses past events foreshadow future ones and future events echo the patterns of past ones. I can appreciate these truths without deeply committing to making these foreshadowings and echoings into doctrine. In general I see God’s M.O. without having to commit to a “EEK! The Roman Catholics we know now are the Whore!”
My spiritual philosophy used to be “trace the shadows.” Now it is “trace the light.”