Eschatology.

Eschatology.

1. Definition

   • Commonly referred to as the "end of the world" or "end time". Is a part of theology concerned with what are believed to be the final events of history, or the ultimate destiny of humanity.

2. BUDDHISM

   • Buddha described his teachings disappearing five thousand years from when he preached them. At this time, knowledge of dharma will be lost as well.
     • There will be a new era in which the next Buddha Maitreya will appear, but it will be preceded by the degeneration of human society. This will be a period of greed, lust, poverty, ill will, violence, murder, impiety, physical weakness, sexual depravity and societal collapse, and even the Buddha himself will be forgotten.
       • Maitreya will achieve enlightenment in seven days, and rule over the Pure Land and he will teach humanity of the ten non-virtuous deeds (killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, lying, divisive speech, abusive speech, idle speech, covetousness, harmful intent and wrong views), and the ten virtuous deeds (abandoning the non-virtuous deeds.

3. CHRISTIANITY

   • Christian eschatology is concerned with death, an intermediate state (being between death and resurrection), Heaven, hell, the return of Jesus, and the resurrection of the dead.
     • The Bible holds many passages about eschatological Isaiah, Daniel, Ezekiel, Matthew 24, The Sheep and the Goats, and the Book of Revelation.
       • "I know that my redeemer lives, and that he will stand at the latter day upon the earth. And though... worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh I will see God." [Job 19:25-27]
       • "Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake, some to everlasting life, some to shame and everlasting contempt." [Daniel 12:2]
       • "Your dead will live. Together with my dead body, they will arise. Awake and sing, you who dwell in dust, for your dew is like the dew of herbs, and the earth will cast out the dead". [Isaiah 26:19]
     • The Second Coming of Christ is the central event in Christian eschatology. Most Christians believe that death and suffering will continue to exist until Christ's return.
       • The coming of Christ will be instantaneous and worldwide. - "For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be." [Matthew 24:27]
         • The coming of Christ will be visible to all. - "Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory." [Matthew 24:30]
           • The coming of Christ will be audible. - "And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other." [Matthew 24:31]
             • The resurrection of the righteous will occur. - "For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first." [1 Thessalonians 4:16]
               • In one single event, the saved who are alive at Christ's coming will be caught up together with the resurrected to meet the Lord in the air. - "Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord." [1 Thessalonians 4:17]
       • Jesus will fight Satan at the battle of Armageddon, and win.
     • The resurrection/s - An interpretation of the New Testament is that there will be two resurrections; one for the blessed, and one for the wicked. "Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such, the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and will reign with him a thousand years." [Revelation 20:6]
       • Jesus' words - "The hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear his voice and come forth: those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation." [John 5:28, 29] - agree with Revelation.
     • Rapture - "The Lord himself will descend from heaven... and the dead in Christ will rise first." But he adds that "we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air." [1 Thessalonians 4:16-17] The rising of those who are still alive to join the resurrected dead is known as the Rapture. This passage implies that Paul believed that the return of Jesus, the Resurrection, and the Rapture would happen simultaneously.
       • There are many passages in the Bible that refer to a time of terrible tribulation such as has never been known, a time of natural and man-made disasters on an awesome scale.
         • Jesus said that at the time of his coming, "There will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever will be. And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect's sake, those days will be shortened." [Matthew 24:21-22]

4. HINDUISM

   • In Hinduism, time runs in cycles (kalpas) that last 4.1–8.2 billion years, which is a period of one full day and night for Brahma, who in turn will live for 311 trillion, 30 billion years.
     • Four Yugas make up the current kalpa - Satya Yuga lasts 1.728 million years, Treta Yuga lasts 1.296 million years, Dvapara Yuga lasts 864,000 years, and Kali Yuga (the current Yuga) lasts 432,000 years.
       • Kali Yuga was is defined by impiety, violence, and decay. "Social status depends not upon your accomplishments, but in the ownership of property; wealth is now the source of virtue; passion and luxure are the sole bonds between spouses; falsity and lying are the conditions of success in life; sexuality is the sole source of human enjoyment; religion, a superficial and empty ritual, is confused with spirituality" - Vishnu Purana
         • The fourth age is ruled over by Kali, not the goddess Kali but the demon Kali. Puranas go on to write that kings in the fourth age will be godless, wanting in tranquility, quick to anger, and dishonest. They will inflict death on women, and children, and will rise and fall to power quickly. Undisciplined barbarians will receive the support of rulers.
           • From the four pillars of dharma – penance, charity, truthfulness, and compassion - charity will be all that remains, although it too will decrease daily. People will commit sin in mind, speech and action. Plague, famine, pestilence and natural calamities will appear. People won't believe each other, arguments will be won with lies and brothers will become greedy and motivated by wealth.
           • Sannyasins will wear red. There will be many false religions, and many will profess false knowledge to earn their livelihood. Life will be short and miserable. Marriage will be for pleasure alone. Being dry of water will be the only definition of land, and any hard to reach water will define a pilgrimage destination. People will hide in valleys between mountains, and suffering from cold and exposure, people will wear clothes of tree bark and leaves. People will live less than twenty-three years and the pretense of greatness will be the proof of it. Ultimately, humankind will be destroyed.
           • At this time of evil, the final incarnation of Vishnu known as Kalki will appear on a white horse. He will amass an army of those few pious souls remaining. These, together with all the incarnations of the Godhead (avatars) which have appeared throughout human history, will destroy all demons and sins in the world.

5. ISLAM

   • The final assessment of humanity by Allah, consisting of the annihilation of all life, resurrection and judgement.
     • The Three Periods - The first period began at the passing of Muhammad, and the second began with the passing of his companions and ended a thousand years later. The third period will be marked with the appearance of Mahdi.
       • Major signs; False Messiahs will appear, the appearance of Mahdi, Medina will be deserted, the return of Isa to kill the Devil (al-Dajjal), Mecca will be attacked, a pleasant breeze will blow from the south - causing all believers to die, the Qu'ran will be forgotten, a huge black smoke cloud will cover the earth, the sun will rise from the west, the first trumpet blow will be sounded by Israfil and all that is in heavens and earth will be stunned and die except what God wills, the second trumpet blow will be sounded and the dead will return to life and a fire will start that shall gather all to the Gathering for the Judgement.
         • Mahdi - The "Guided One" will be looked upon to kill Al-Dajjal and end the prevalent disintegration of the Muslim community to prepare for the reign of Jesus who will rule for a time after. The Mahdi will similarly kill all enemies of the Prophet and fulfill the prophetic mission as a vision of justice and peace before following Jesus’ rule.
           • Isa - the Arabic name for Jesus of Nazareth, and his return is considered the third major sign of last days, while the second is the appearance of Masih ad-Dajjal. Although Muhammad is the preeminent Prophet in Islam, Jesus is the only Prophet who is said not to have died but rather raised up by Allah.
             • Al-Dajjal - The Antichrist or False Messiah does not appear in the Quran but is a prominent figure in the Hadiths and Islamic eschatology as a whole. He appears gruesome and is blind in his right eye. His one eye is thought to be a symbol that correlates with how single minded he is in achieving his goal of converting Muslims to his side. Al-Dajjal has the intention of gaining followers through his miracle working abilities and apparent wealth and generosity. He is thought to appear prior to the Day of Judgment, where he will engage in an epic battle with and be killed by either Jesus (according to Sunni tradition) or the Mahdi (according to the Shia tradition).
       • Minor signs; (There are 77, but these are some) Time will pass rapidly, good deeds will decrease, people will become miserly, there will be much killing and murder, power and authority will be given to the wrong people, honesty will be lost, knowledge will be lost and ignorance gained, 30 false prophets will appear, men will wear silk, earthquakes will increase.

6. JUDAISM

   • 1. End of the world
     • 2. God redeems Israel (i.e. the Jewish people) from the captivity that began during the Babylonian Exile.
       • 3. God returns the Jewish people to the Land of Israel.
         • 4. God restores the House of David and the Temple in Jerusalem
           • 5. God creates a regent from the House of David (i.e. the Jewish Messiah) to lead the Jewish people and the world and usher in an age of justice and peace
             • 6. All nations recognize that the God of Israel is the only true God.
               • 7. God resurrects the dead.
                 • 8. God creates a new heaven and a new earth.