Eschatology
For the book by Pope Benedict XVI, see Eschatology (book). For other theories about the end of the world, see End of the world. For the group that sprang up from Christian Science see Eschatology (cult).
Eschatology' (from the Greek έσχατος
meaning "last" + -logy) is a part of theology and philosophy concerned with the final events in the history of the world or the ultimate destiny of human kind, commonly phrased as the end of the world. In many religions, the end of the world is a future event prophesied in sacred texts or folklore. More broadly, eschatology may encompass related concepts such as the Messiah or Messianic Age, the afterlife, and the soul.
The Greek word αιών'' means "age"; some translations may read "end of the age" instead of "end of the world". The distinction also has theological significance, for the "
end times" in many religions may involve the destruction of the planet (or of all living things), but with the human race surviving in some new form, ending the current "age" of existence and beginning a new one.
Most Western monotheistic religions have doctrines claiming that 'chosen' or 'worthy' members of the one true faith will be "spared" or "delivered" from the coming judgment and wrath of God. They will be ushered into
paradise either before, during, or after it depending upon the end-time scenario to which they hold. As well as the wrath of God at the end of the age there is the wrath of man.
Buddha predicted that his teachings would disappear after 500 years. According to the
Sutta Pitaka, the "ten moral courses of conduct" will disappear and people will follow the ten amoral concepts of
theft,
violence,
murder,
lying, evil speaking,
adultery, abusive and idle talk, covetousness and ill will, wanton
greed, and perverted
lust resulting in skyrocketing
poverty and the end of the worldly laws of true
dharma.
During the
Middle Ages, the span of time was expanded to 5,000 years. Commentators like
Buddhaghosa predicted a step-by-step disappearance of the Buddha's teachings. During the first stage,
arahats would no longer appear in the world. Later, the content of the Buddha's true teachings would vanish, and only their form would be preserved. Finally, even the form of the Dharma would be forgotten. During the final stage, the memory of the Buddha himself would be forgotten, and the last of his relics would be gathered together in
Bodh Gaya and cremated. Some time following this development a new
Buddha named
Maitreya will arise to renew the teachings of Buddhism and rediscover the path to
Nirvana. Maitreya is believed to currently reside in the
Tushita heaven, where he is awaiting his final rebirth in the world.
The decline of Buddhism in the world, and its eventual re-establishment by Maitreya, are in keeping with the general shape of
Buddhist cosmology. Like Hindus, Buddhists generally believe in a cycle of creation and destruction, of which the current epoch represents only the latest step. The historical Buddha Shakyamuni is only the latest in a series of Buddhas that stretches back into the past.
Christians in the
1st century AD believed the end of the world would come during their lifetime.
Jesus in
Mark 13:8 compared the end of the world with a mother's birth pain, and the image implied the world was already pregnant with its own destruction, but no one but God knows when it will happen. When the converts of Paul in
Thessalonica were persecuted by the
Roman Empire, they believed the end was upon them. However, doubt rose when as early as the
90s Christians said, "We have heard these things [of the end of the world] even in the days of our fathers, and look, we have grown old and none of them has happened to us".[
1] In the
130s Justin Martyr declared God was delaying the end of the world because he wished for
Christianity to become a
world religion. In the
250s Cyprian wrote that Christian
sins of that time were a prelude and proof that the end was near.
However, by the
3rd century most Christians believed the End was beyond their own lifetime; Jesus, it was believed, had denounced attempts to divine the future, to know the "times and seasons", and such attempts to predict the future were discouraged; yet the End was given a date with the help of
Jewish traditions in the
Six Ages of the World. Using this system, the End was fixed at
202, but when the date passed, the date was changed to AD
500. After AD 500 the importance of the End as a part of Christianity was marginalized, though it continues to be stressed during the season of
Advent.
Some current Christians place the end of the world within their lifetime or shortly thereafter. As evidence to support these ideas, many point to the prolific news coverage of tragedies around the world, sometimes "Biblical" in proportion, and offer interpretations of various passages from the
Bible. Also, some Catholics believed that
the third part of the Fatima message, which was to be disclosed by the Vatican in 1960 but finally was published under the pontificate of
John Paul II, was a prophetic message from the Blessed Mother about the end times, but they now believe it to be a symbolic message closely related to the assassination attempt of the late Pope.
Millennialists concentrate on the issue of whether the true believers will see the
tribulation or be removed from it by the
Rapture, a question which causes division in
evangelical circles.
Amillennialists believe the end times encompass the time from Christ's ascension to the Last day, and maintain that the "thousand years" is metaphorical.
Current Biblical scholarship, particularly
form criticism, tends to view the apocalyptic language in the Bible as being addressed to events at the time of the authors of its various books.
Revelation, for example, is interpreted as a polemic against Rome, and a deep theological expression about the futility of temporal power in the face of faith in God. Similar non-canonical works previously accepted as valid by the Christian Church, such as the
Apocalypse of Peter present a variety of apocalyptic scenarios and may have originally been intended as spiritual allegories.
Such readings of scripture typically dismiss attempts to find apocalytic prophecy or codes in the Book of
Daniel, the so-called mini-apocalypse in
Isaiah, and in
Revelation. Scripture, in their estimation, does indeed have significance today but its historical and cultural basis cannot be ignored. If the texts were addressed to a disaster many millenia away, it makes little sense that the prophet speaking would have any audience at all. It is a great deal more likely that the prophet was addressing the situation of his people in that moment. Over time, essential truths continued to be spoken by the Scriptures, but their underlying purpose is seen, in this mode of
exegesis, to have little to do with the end of creation and more to do with the failings of secular institutions and the emptiness of a life without faith.
Hindu traditional prophecies, as described in the
Puranas and several other texts, say that the world shall fall into chaos and degradation. There will then be a rapid influx of perversity, greed and conflict, and this state has been described as:
"When deceit falsehood, lethargy, sleepiness, violence, despondency, grief, delusion, fear, and poverty prevail ... when men, filled with conceit, consider themselves equal with the
Brahmins...that is the
Kali Yuga."
This is followed by the appearance of an
avatar, "The Lord shall manifest Himself as the
Kalki Avatar...He will establish righteousness upon the earth and the minds of the people will become as pure as crystal...As a result, the
Sat or
Krta Yuga (golden age) will be established."
In
Islam, it is believed that on the
Day of Reckoning,
God will judge the dead, sending the righteous to
Heaven and unrepentant evildoers to
Hell.
Some
Ahadith include a Muhammad-like holy warrior, the
Mahdi (whom
Shi'a equate with the long-lived
Twelfth Imam), who will team up with the prophet
Jesus to fight the Antichrist, various
Beasts, the
Gog and Magog tradition, angelic heralds with trumpets,
civil war, natural disasters and signs in the heavens, and a clash between
Jesus and the
Antichrist.
Mahdi will fight Antichrist; but it will be Jesus who kills him at the gate of Ludd. ThenGog and Magog will appear from all directions, drink all water. Jesus and the believerswill go to the mountains; Jesus will pray to God Almighty and He will send worm likecreatures that will attack Gog and Magog on their necks. Then huge birds with camel likenecks will carry their corpses away. The earth will be washed with rains. There will be peaceon earth for 40 years. Jesus will marry and pass away at the end of the 40 year period.He will be buried in Medina right by Prophet Muhammed and his companions. And then corruption and disbelief will become comon again; the beast of earth will appear;and the sun will rise from the west which would be signaling the final hour. Then therewill come a wind that will take all believers and leave earth full of disbelieversand the trumpet will sound for the final destruction.
In
Judaism, the end of the world is called the
acharit hayamim (
end of days). Tumultuous events will overturn the old world order, creating a new order in which
God is universally recognized as the ruler over everyone and everything. One of the sages of the
Talmud says, "Let the end of days come, but may I not live to see them", because they will be filled with so much conflict and suffering.
The
Talmud, in the tractate Avodah Zarah, page 9A, states that this world as we know it will only exist for six thousand years. The
Jewish calendar (
luach) functions completely on the assumption that time begins at the
Creation of the world by God in
Genesis. Many people (notably
Conservative and
Reform Jews and some
Christians) think that the years of the
Torah, or Jewish
Bible, are symbolic. According to the ancient Jewish teachings continued by today's
Orthodox Jews, the years are literal and consistent throughout all time, with 24 hours per day and an average of 365 days per year. Appropriate calibrations are, of course, done with leap years, to account for the difference between the
lunar calendar and the
solar calendar, since the
Jewish calendar is based on both. Thus the year
2006 equals 5766 years
since creation on the present Jewish calendar. According to this calculation, the end of days will occur in the year
2240.
According to Jewish tradition, those living during the end times will see:#Ingathering of the scattered Jewish exiles to geographic
Israel,#Defeat of all of Israel's enemies,#Building of the third Jewish
Temple in Jerusalem and the resumption of the
sacrificial offerings and Temple service,#Revival of the Dead (
techiat hameitim), or the
Resurrection,#At some point the
Jewish Messiah, who will become the anointed
King of Israel. He will divide the Jews in Israel into their original
tribal portions in the land. During this time
Gog, king of
Magog, will attack Israel. Who Gog and the Magog nation are is unknown. Magog will fight a great battle, in which many will die on both sides, but God will intervene and save the
Jews. This is the battle referred to as
Armageddon. God, having vanquished this final enemy once and for all, will accordingly banish all evil from human existence. After the year 6000 (in the Jewish calendar), the seventh millennium will be an era of holiness, tranquility, spiritual life, and worldwide peace, called the
Olam Haba ("Future World"), where all people will know God directly. The Jewish holiday of
Rosh Hashanah has many identical aspects to the Islamic belief in Qiyamah, such as the title of, "Day of the sounding of the
Shofar".
"All Israel have a portion in the world to come." (Talmud Sanhedrin 10:1) The Ramban (Nachmanades) interprets the world to come as the ultimate good and purpose of creation. He therefore holds that the world to come actually refers to the resurrection of the dead. An event that will occur after the messianic age has already begun. The Ramban holds that all Israel, even the sinners, have a portion in this epoch of resurrection. (The Tzemach Tzedek, Derech Mitzvosecha, Law of Tzitzis).
Members of the
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints believe that at the beginning of the Millennial Era,
Jesus Christ the
Lord will appear in his
Second Coming at what is now
Jackson County, MO and usher in a thousand year era of peace called the Millennium, when Satan will be bound. The wicked will be removed from the earth and the righteous will be caught up in a cloud while the earth is cleansed. Every man or woman to ever live on the Earth, will be
resurrected (for those who are dead at the time of the second coming), or transformed into a state of
immortality (for those who are living at the second coming).
Afterwards, the
Last Judgement will occur, in which all beings will be placed into one of three heavenly kingdoms; the
Celestial Kingdom,
Terrestrial Kingdom, and
Telestial Kingdom. In the
Doctrine and Covenants,
Joseph Smith Jr., translator of the
Book of Mormon and first prophet, leader, and seer of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, puts the kingdoms into levels of glory;
sun, the
moon, and the
stars. The sun being the brightest, is relative to the glory of the celestial kingdom, which is for those who obey all the commandments, live righteously, become baptized, and marry in a temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. The moon, being the second brightest, is relative to the terrestrial kingdom, which is for those who are righteous in a sense, but do not constantly obey every commandment and/or are not baptized or married in the temple. The stars, being the least brightest, are relative to the telestial kingdom, which is for those who are not righteous, meaning they constantly do not obey the commandments and are not baptized or married in the temple. A very small group of people go to what is called
Outer darkness, which is where
Satan will eventually be sent with his hosts of angels.
While the exact time of Christ's return is not known, certain signs are accepted as pointing to his return:
* The mountain of the Lord's house shall be established in the top of the mountains, Isa. 2: 2-3.
* The Lord shall lift an ensign and gather Israel, Isa. 5: 26 (2 Ne. 15: 26-30).
* The sun shall be darkened and the moon shall not cause her light to shine, Isa. 13: 10 (Joel 3: 15; D&C 29: 14).
* Men shall transgress the law and break the everlasting covenant, Isa. 24: 5.
* The Nephites (ancient fallen people of the Americas, descended from Joseph of Egypt) shall speak as a voice from the dust, Isa. 29: 4 (2 Ne. 27).
* Israel shall be gathered with power, Isa. 49: 22-23 (1 Ne. 21: 22-23; 3 Ne. 20-21).
* God shall set up a kingdom which shall not be destroyed, Dan. 2: 44 (D&C 65: 2).
* War, dreams, and visions shall precede the Second Coming, Joel 2.
* All nations will gather against Jerusalem to battle, Zech. 14: 2 (Ezek. 38-39).
* The day cometh that shall burn as an oven, Mal. 4: 1 (3 Ne. 25: 1; D&C 133: 64; JS-H 1: 37).
* Great calamities shall precede the Second Coming, Matt. 24 (JS-M 1).
* Paul described apostasy and perilous times of the last days, 2 Tim. 3-4.
* Two prophets will be slain and resurrected in Jerusalem, Rev. 11 (D&C 77: 15).
* The gospel shall be restored in the last days by angelic ministry, Rev. 14: 6-7 (D&C 13; 27; 110: 11-16; 128: 8-24).
* Babylon will be established and fall, Rev. 17-18.
* Israel shall be gathered with power, 1 Ne. 21: 13-26 (Isa. 49: 13-26; 3 Ne. 20-21).
* The Book of Mormon shall come forth by the power of God, Morm. 8.
* Lamanites (Native Americans) to blossom, D&C 49: 24-25.
* The wicked to slay the wicked, D&C 63: 32-35 (Rev. 9).
* War will be poured out upon all nations, D&C 87: 2.
* Signs, upheavals of the elements, and angels prepare the way for the coming of the Lord, D&C 88: 86-94.
* Darkness to cover the earth, D&C 112: 23-24.
Several
Native American tribes have similar beliefs concerning the end times.
Hopi
Tribal leaders of the
Hopi tribe, such as
Dan Evehema,
Thomas Banyaca and
Martin Gashwaseoma prophesy that the coming of the
white man signals the end times, along with a strange beast "like a
buffalo but with great horns that would overrun the land". It is prophesied that during the end times the earth would be crossed by
iron snakes and
stone rivers, the land would be criss-crossed by a giant spider's web, and seas will turn black. (A common speculative interpretation is to equal "iron snakes" with trains, "rock rivers" with highways and the giant spiders web with the Internet.)
It is also prophesied that a "great dwelling place" in the heavens shall fall with a great crash. It will appear as a blue star, and the earth will rock to and fro. White men would then battle people in other lands, with those who possess wisdom of their presence. There would then be smoke in the deserts, and the signs that great destruction is near.
Many would then die, but those who understand the prophecies shall live in the places of the Hopi people and be safe. The
Pahana or "True White Brother" would then return to plant the seeds of wisdom in people's hearts, and thus usher in the dawn of the Fifth World.
Maya
Main article: Mayan Calendar and the End of the World
The ancient and many modern
Maya groups believe that the universe has been renewed four previous times. The first attempt at human life produced animals instead; the second produced a people made of clay who would eventually become certain insects (such as ants and bees); the third attempt produced monkeys; and the fourth attempt produced us: "true humans." Each prior attempt at the human creation was destroyed by a different catastrophe which ended the universe. These stories vary by Maya group: the animals were nearly destroyed by a flood, the people of clay were nearly destroyed by a flood and then a global firestorm, the monkey-people were attacked by their own belongings and their animals.
The astronomically-based Mayan calendar will be completing its first great cycle of approximately 5,200 years in late December,
2012. Although there is no substantial evidence that the ancient Maya considered the date significant, many people have postulated that this is the "end of the Universe" from the Mayan perspective, and others believe that the Mayans meant this to symbolize the "coming of a great change."
Sioux
According to an
Oglala - or
Sioux medicine man - "darkness would descend over the tribe...the world would be out of balance. Floods, fires and earthquakes would then ensue."
A "
White Buffalo Calf Woman" will then purify the world. She will then bring back harmony and spiritual balance.
A
white buffalo was born in
1994, and another in
1995. Many tribal leaders thus feel that the prophecy is being fulfilled.
In
Norse mythology a strong winter called the
Fimbulwinter will seize the earth and bring disorder and fighting between the people of
Midgard just before
Ragnarok. Ragnarok ("fate of the gods") is the
battle during the end of the world waged between the gods (the
Æsir, the Vaner and the Einherjar, led by
Odin) and the forces of Chaos (the
fire giants, the
Jotuns and various monsters, led by
Loki). Not only will the gods, giants, and monsters perish in this apocalyptic conflagration, but almost everything in the
universe will be torn asunder.
Zoroastrianism eschatology is the oldest eschatology in recorded history. By
500 BC,
Zoroastrians had fully developed a concept of the end of the world through a divine devouring in fire.
According to Zoroastrian philosophy, redacted in the Zand-i Vohuman Yasht, "at the end of thy tenth hundredth winter...the
sun is more unseen and more spotted; the year, month, and day are shorter; and the earth is more barren; and the crop will not yield the seed; and men ... become more deceitful and more given to vile practices. They have no gratitude."
At the end of the Battle between the righteous and wicked, a
Final Judgement of all souls will commence. Sinners will be punished 3 days, but are then forgiven. The world will reach perfection as poverty, old age, disease, thirst, hunger and death are halted. Zoroastrian concepts parallel greatly with those of
Jewish,
Christian, and
Islamic eschatological beliefs, largely due to the influence Zoastrianism exerted on Judaism whilst the
Levant was under
Achaemenid control and the subsequent emergence of Christianity and Islam from Judaism.
*In
1843,
William Miller made the first of several predictions that the world would end in only a few months. Obviously, none of them took place, but
followers of Miller went on to found separate churches, the most successful of which is the
Seventh-day Adventist Church.
Many
Neopagans and
Wiccans believe that the entire Universe continues in endless cycles of birth, death, and rebirth. This can be compared to the belief of reincarnation.
Eschatology has also been a belief shared, sometimes theorized, by
philosophers.
Saint Augustine has been one of the most famous eschatological thinkers, followed by
Hegel's
philosophy of history, and, some have argued
Marxists – as a
secular religion.
Theodicy has gathered together most
Enlightenment thinkers, among whom are
Kant and
Rousseau.
More recently, many involved in
futures studies and
transhumanism note the accelerating rate of scientific progress and anticipate a
technological singularity in the 21st century that would profoundly and unpredictably change thecourse of human history.
*
2012*
2012 Apocalyptic theories*
2240*
Ancient Aztec eschatology*
Ancient Egyptian eschatology *
Ancient Greek eschatology*
Ancient Roman eschatology*
Apocalypse*
Apocalypticism (Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Rastafari Movement; comprehensive "see also" links)
*
Armageddon,
End times*
Death and Eternal Life, by John Hick
*
Eschatology (cult)*
Immanentize the eschaton*
Judgment day*
Millennialism*
Millenarianism*
Messianism and
Messiah*
Last Day Links to a fascinating publication with a fresh end times perspective.
*
The Pocket Guide to the Apocalypse*
Rastafarian eschatology*
Realized eschatology*
Six Ages of the World*
Technological singularity*
Ultimate fate of the universe*
The Urantia Book*
Eschatology, The Walter Method*
Sensationalist Dispensationalists*
What The Hell is Hell*
Tribulation Forces Study of the End Times and Bible Prophecy*
Eschatology in the 1911
Encyclopædia Britannica*
Death, Afterlife and Eschatology*
Eschatology: Study of the Last Things*
Reformed Eschatology*
"The End Again" A Discussion on Eschatological Concepts by Gregory S. Neal (a United Methodist approach)
*
Dispensational Eschatology*
Mid-Acts Dispensational Eschatology*
Revelation The magazine of apocalyptic art and literature
*
2012 Eschaton Mayan Calendrics, Earth Changes, Eschatology
*
Exit Mundi A collection of end-of-world scenarios
*
A Brief History of the End of Everything, a BBC 4 Radio series*
End of the World - Flash Parody*
Armageddon Online - End of the World Scenarios & Extinction Events*
Religious Tolerance - End of the World Prophecies*
Signs of the End: A Discovery of Biblical Timelines*
220 Dates for the End of the world*
It's The End Of The World As We Know It...Again - A humorous look at apocalyptic prophecy and the history of Doomsday hysteria; listing over 400 failed and soon-to-fail End of the World predictions.
*
What is the Jewish Belief About ‘The End of Days'? chabad.org
*
The End Time Pilgrim - A guide into the final seven years of this age
*
The Clash Between Good and Evil, A Catholic POV*
John Paul II and The Loss of Faith*
Apocalyptic Dreams (redux) - Discussion Forum focussed on Apocalyptic Dreams and Contemporary Apocalyptic Trends (the end is nigh?)
*
For Jehovah's Witness beliefs
