Judaism The main tenets of modern Jewish eschatology, in no particular order, include: • God will redeem Israel from the captivity that began during the
Babylonian Exile in a new
Exodus. • God will return the Jewish people to the
Land of Israel. • God will restore the
House of David and the
Temple in Jerusalem. • God will raise up a regent from the House of David, the
Jewish Messiah, to lead the Jewish people and the world and to usher in an age of justice and peace, the
Messianic Age. • Non-Jews will recognize that the
God of Israel is the only true god. • God will
resurrect the dead. • God will create a
new heaven and earth. Judaism usually refers to the end times as the "end of days" (
aḥarit ha-yamim, אחרית הימים), a phrase that appears several times in the
Tanakh. The end times are addressed in the
Book of Daniel and in numerous other prophetic passages in the Hebrew scriptures, and also in the
Talmud, particularly Tractate
Avodah Zarah. The idea of a Messianic Age, an era of global peace and knowledge of the Creator, has a prominent place in Jewish thought, and is incorporated as part of the end of days. A well-known passage from the
Book of Isaiah describes this future condition of the world: "They shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks; nation will not lift sword against nation and they will no longer study warfare" (Isaiah 2:4, see also
Micah 4:3).
Kabbalah In
Kabbalah, the
Zohar maintains that the seven days of the week, based on the seven days of creation, correspond to the seven millennia of creation. The seventh day of the week, the
Shabbat day of rest, corresponds to the seventh millennium, the age of universal rest, or the Messianic Era. The seventh millennium begins with the
year 6000 AM, and is the latest time the Messiah can come. A number of early and late Jewish scholars have written in support of this, including the
Ramban,
Isaac Abarbanel,
Abraham Ibn Ezra, Rabbeinu
Bachya, the
Vilna Gaon, the
Lubavitcher Rebbe, the
Ramchal,
Aryeh Kaplan and Rebbetzin
Esther Jungreis.
Zoroastrianism Frashokereti is the
Zoroastrian doctrine of a final renovation of the universe when evil will be destroyed, and everything else will then be in perfect unity with God (
Ahura Mazda). The doctrinal premises are: • Good will eventually prevail over evil. • Creation, initially perfectly good, was subsequently corrupted by evil. • The world will ultimately be restored to the perfection it had at the time of creation. • The "salvation for the individual depended on the sum of [that person's] thoughts, words and deeds, and there could be no intervention, whether compassionate or capricious, by any divine being to alter this". Thus each human bears the
responsibility for the fate of his own soul, and simultaneously shares in the responsibility for the fate of the world. Zoroastrian eschatology is considered one of the oldest in recorded history. The birth of its founder,
Zoroaster, is unknown, with scholarly dates ranging from 500 BCE to 1,500 BCE.
Pliny the Elder even suggests there were two Zoroasters. However, with beliefs paralleling and possibly predating the framework of the major Abrahamic faiths, a fully developed concept of the end of the world was not established in Zoroastrianism until 500 BCE. The
Bahman Yasht describes: 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 will have no gratitude. Honorable wealth will proceed to those of perverted faith. And a dark cloud makes the whole sky night, and it will rain more noxious creatures than water. A battle between the righteous and wicked will be followed by the
Frashokereti. On earth, the
Saoshyant will arrive as the final savior of mankind, and bring about the
resurrection of the dead. The
yazatas
Airyaman and
Atar will melt the metal in the hills and mountains, which will flow as lava across the earth and all mankind, both the living and resurrected, will be required to wade through it.
Ashavan will pass through the molten river as if it were warm milk, but the sinful will burn. It will then flow down to hell, where it will annihilate
Angra Mainyu and the last vestiges of wickedness. The righteous will partake of the
parahaoma, which will confer immortality upon them. Humanity will become like the
Amesha Spentas, living without food, hunger, thirst, weapons or injury. Bodies will become so light as to cast no shadow. All humanity will speak a single language, and belong to a single nation with no borders. All will share a single purpose and goal, joining with
Ahura Mazda for a perpetual and divine exaltation.
Christianity Christian eschatology is the study concerned with the ultimate destiny of the individual
soul and of the entire created order, based primarily upon
biblical texts within the
Old and
New Testaments. Christian eschatological research looks to study and discuss matters such as the nature of the
divine and the divine nature of
Jesus Christ, death and the
afterlife,
Heaven and
Hell, the
Second Coming of Jesus, the
resurrection of the dead, the
rapture, the
Tribulation,
millennialism, the end of the world, the
Last Judgment, and the New Heaven and
New Earth in the
world to come. Eschatological passages occur in many places in the Bible, in both the
Old and the
New Testaments. In the Old Testament, apocalyptic eschatology can be found notably in
Isaiah 24–27, Isaiah 56–66,
Joel,
Zechariah 9–14 as well as in the closing chapters of
Daniel, and in
Ezekiel. In the New Testament, applicable passages include
Matthew 24,
Mark 13, the
parable of "
The Sheep and the Goats" and the
Book of Revelation—Revelation often occupies a central place in Christian eschatology. The Second Coming of Christ is the central event in Christian eschatology within the broader context of the fullness of the
Kingdom of God. No consensus on the interpretation of the kingdom of God has emerged to date. Dale Allison argues that many Biblical prophecies such as Jesus’s return were contingent on the repentance of Israel to proceed. Most Christians believe that death and
suffering will continue to exist until Christ's return. There are, however, various views concerning the order and significance of other eschatological events. The Book of Revelation stands at the core of much of Christian eschatology. The study of Revelation is usually divided into four interpretative methodologies or
hermeneutics: • The
Futurist approach treats the Book of Revelation mostly as unfulfilled prophecy taking place in some yet undetermined future. • The
Preterist approach interprets Revelation chiefly as having had prophetic fulfillment in the past, principally in the events of the first century CE. • The
Historicist approach places Revelation within the context of history, identifying figures and passages in Revelation with major historical people and events. This view was commonly held by the
early Christian church, then among the predecessors to
Protestantism, such as
John Wycliffe,
Joachim of Fiore and later by the majority of
Protestant Reformers, such as
Martin Luther,
John Calvin, and
John Wesley. Further supporters of this view included
Isaac Newton (1642–1727), among others. • The
Idealist approach sees the events of Revelation as neither past nor future actualities, but as purely symbolic accounts, dealing with the ongoing struggle and ultimate triumph of
good over evil. The precise time, however, will come like a "thief in the night" (). They may also refer to in which Jesus is quoted as saying:
Great Tribulation In the New Testament, Jesus refers to this period preceding the end times as the "Great Tribulation" (), "Affliction" (), and "days of vengeance" (). The Book of Matthew describes the devastation: The resulting chaos will affect pregnancies, newborns, and a scourge will spread throughout the flesh, save for the elect. The vivid imagery of this section is repeated closely in . The Gospel of Luke describes a complete unraveling of the social fabric, with widespread calamity and war: In the Book of Revelation, the "great tribulation" (Rev. 7:14b) refers to a time of affliction upon God's people.
Catholicism The
Profession of Faith addresses Catholic beliefs concerning the last days. Catholicism adheres to the
amillennial school of thought, promoted by
Augustine of Hippo in his work
The City of God.
Protestantism Contemporary use of the term
End Times has evolved from literal belief in Christian millennialism. In this tradition,
Biblical apocalypse is believed to be imminent, with various current events as
omens of impending
Armageddon. These beliefs have been put forward by the Adventist movement (
Millerites) and
dispensational premillennialists. In 1918 a group of eight, well-known preachers produced the
London Manifesto, warning of an imminent second coming of Christ shortly after the 1917 liberation of Jerusalem by the British.
Millennialists and Amillennialists (1521). Here the
Antichrist is shown wearing the triple crown of the Roman papacy. Protestants are divided between Millennialists and Amillennialists. Millennialists concentrate on the issue of whether the true believers will see the
Great Tribulation or be removed from it by what is referred to as a Pre-Tribulation
rapture. Amillennialists believe the end times encompass the time from Christ's ascension to the last day, and maintain that the mention of the "thousand years" in the
Book of Revelation is meant to be taken
metaphorically (i.e., not literally), a view which continues to cause divisions within
Protestant Christianity. There is a range of eschatological belief in Protestant Christianity. Christian
premillennialists who believe the end times are occurring now, are usually specific about timelines that climax in the end of the world. For some, Israel, the
European Union, or the United Nations are seen as major players whose roles were foretold in scripture. Within
dispensational premillennialist writing, there is the belief that Christians will be summoned to
Heaven by Christ at the
rapture, occurring before a Great Tribulation prophesied in Matthew 24–25; Mark 13 and Luke 21. The Tribulation is described in the Book of Revelation. "End times" may also refer to the passing of an age or long period in the relationship between man and God. Adherents to this view cite the
Second Epistle to Timothy and draw analogies to the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. Post-Exilic Hebrew books of
prophecy such as
Daniel and
Ezekiel are given new interpretations in this Christian tradition, while
apocalyptic forecasts appear in the Judeo-Christian
Sibylline Oracles which include the Book of Revelation ascribed to John, the
apocryphal
Apocalypse of Peter, and the
Second Book of Esdras.
Adventists and Millerites Religious movements which expect that the
second coming of Christ will be a cataclysmic event are generally called
adventism. These have arisen throughout the Christian era, but were particularly common after the
Protestant Reformation.
Emanuel Swedenborg considered the second coming to be symbolic, and to have occurred in 1757. Along with others, he developed a religious system around the second coming of Christ, disclosed by new prophecy or special revelation not described in the Bible. The
Millerites are diverse religious groups which similarly rely upon a special gift of interpretation for predicting the second coming. The difference between the 19th-century Millerite and adventist movements and contemporary prophecy is that
William Miller and his followers, based on biblical interpretation, predicted the time of the Second Coming to have occurred in 1844. Contemporary writing of end time has suggested the timetable will be triggered by future wars and
moral catastrophe, and that this time of tribulation is close at hand. Seventh-day Adventists believe biblical prophecy to foretell an end time scenario in which the United States works in conjunction with the Catholic Church to mandate worship on a day other than the true Sabbath, Saturday, as prescribed in the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:8–11). This will bring about a situation where one must choose for or against the Bible as the will of God.
Preterists Another view of the
end times is
preterism. It distinguishes
the time of the end from
the end of time. Preterists believe the term
last days (or
Time of the End) refers to, neither the last days of the Earth, nor the last days of humankind, but the end of the
Old Covenant between
God and
Israel; which, according to preterism, took place when the
Temple in
Jerusalem was destroyed in 70
CE. Preterists believe that
prophecies—such as the
Second Coming, the desecration of the Jewish Temple, the destruction of Jerusalem, the rise of the
Antichrist, the
Great Tribulation, the advent of
The Day of the Lord, and a
Final Judgment—had been fulfilled when the Romans
sacked Jerusalem and completely destroyed its Temple. Proponents of
full preterism do not believe in a coming
resurrection of the dead. They place this event (as well as the Second Coming) in the year 70. Advocates of
partial preterism do believe in a coming resurrection. Full preterists contend that partial preterists are merely
futurists, since they believe the Second Coming, the Resurrection, the
Rapture, and the Judgment are yet to come. Many preterists believe first-century
Christians experienced the Rapture to rejoin the
Christ. According with Preterism's
interpretation of end times, many "time passages" in the
New Testament foretell a
Second Coming of Christ, with last days to take place within the lifetimes of his disciples:
Matt. 10:23, Matt. 16:28, Matt. 24:34, Matt. 26:64,
Rom. 13:11–12,
1 Cor. 7:29–31, 1 Cor. 10:11,
Phil. 4:5,
James 5:8–9,
1 Pet. 4:7,
1 Jn. 2:18.
Dispensationalists Dispensationalism is an
evangelical futurist Biblical interpretation that foresees a series of
dispensations, or periods, in which God relates to human beings under different
Biblical covenants. The belief system is primarily rooted in the writings of
John Nelson Darby and is
premillennial in content. The
reestablishment of Israel in 1948 provided a major impetus to the dispensationalist belief system. The wars of Israel after 1948 with its Arab neighbors provided further support, according to
John F. Walvoord. After the
Six-Day War in 1967, and the
Yom Kippur War in 1973, it seemed plausible to many
Fundamentalist Christians in the 1970s that Middle East turmoil may well be leading up to the fulfillment of various Bible prophecies and to the Battle of Armageddon. Members of the dispensationalist movement such as
Hal Lindsey,
J. Dwight Pentecost,
John Walvoord, all of whom have
Dallas Theological Seminary backgrounds, and some other writers, claimed further that the
European Economic Community, which preceded the
European Union, would become a
United States of Europe, which would in turn become a Revived Roman Empire ruled by the
Antichrist. The Revived Roman Empire also figured into the
New Testament writers' vision of the future. The fact that in the early 1970s, there were (erroneously thought to be) seven nations in the European Economic Community was held to be significant; this aligned the Community with a seven-headed beast mentioned in Revelation. This specific prophecy has required revision, but the idea of a Revived Roman Empire remains. Dispensationalism, in contrast to the Millerite Adventist movement, had its beginning in the 19th century, when
John Nelson Darby, founder of the
Plymouth Brethren religious denomination, incorporated into his system of Biblical interpretation a system of organizing Biblical time into a number of discrete
dispensations, each of which marks a separate
covenant with God. Darby's beliefs were widely publicized in
Cyrus I. Scofield's
Scofield Reference Bible, an annotated Bible that became popular in the United States. Since the majority of the Biblical prophets were writing at a time when the
Temple in Jerusalem was still functioning, they wrote as if it would still be standing during the prophesied events. According to preterism, this was a fulfillment of the prophecies. However, according to
Futurists, their destruction in AD 70 put the prophetic timetable on hold. Many such believers therefore anticipated the return of Jews to Israel and the
reconstruction of the Temple before the Second Coming could occur.
Posttribulation premillennialism A view of the Second Coming of Christ as held by
posttribulational premillennialists holds that the Church of Christ will have to undergo great persecution by being present during the great tribulation.
Specific prophetic movements . In 1843,
William Miller made the first of several predictions that the world would end in only a few months. As his predictions did not come true (referred to as the
Great Disappointment),
followers of Miller went on to found separate groups, the most successful of which is the
Seventh-day Adventist Church. Members of the
Baháʼí Faith believe Miller's interpretation of signs and dates of the coming of Jesus were, for the most part, correct. They believe the fulfillment of biblical prophecies of the coming of Christ came through a forerunner of their own religion, the
Báb. According to the Báb's words, 4 April 1844 was "the first day that the Spirit descended" into his heart. His subsequent declaration to
Mullá Husayn-i Bushru'i that he was the "Promised One"—an event now commemorated by Baháʼís as a
major holy day—took place on 23 May 1844. It was in October of that year that the Báb embarked on a
pilgrimage to Mecca, where he openly declared his claims to the
Sharif of Mecca. The first news coverage of these events in the West was in 1845 by
The Times, followed by others in 1850 in the United States. The first Baháʼí to come to America was in 1892.
Restorationism (Christian primitivism) End times theology is also significant to
restorationist Christian religions, which consider themselves distinct from both Catholicism and Protestantism.
Jehovah's Witnesses . The society made a number of emphatic claims of impending last days and ensuing chaos between 1879 and 1924. The eschatology of
Jehovah's Witnesses is central to their religious beliefs. They believe
Jesus Christ has been ruling in heaven as king since 1914 (a date they believe was prophesied in the Bible) and that after that time a period of cleansing occurred, resulting in God's selection of the
Bible Students associated with
Charles Taze Russell as his people in 1919. They also believe that the destruction of those who reject the Bible's message and thus willfully refuse to obey God will shortly take place at
Armageddon, ensuring that the beginning of the new earthly society will be composed of willing subjects of that kingdom. The religion's doctrines surrounding 1914 are the legacy of a series of emphatic claims regarding the years 1799, 1874, 1914, 1918 and 1925 made in the
Watch Tower Society's publications between 1879 and 1924. Claims about the significance of those years, including the presence of Jesus Christ, the beginning of the "last days", the destruction of worldly governments and the earthly resurrection of Jewish patriarchs, were successively abandoned. In 1922 the society's principal magazine,
The Watchtower, described its chronology as "no stronger than its weakest link", but also claimed the chronological relationships to be "of divine origin and divinely corroborated... in a class by itself, absolutely and unqualifiedly correct" and "indisputable facts", The Watch Tower Society has acknowledged its early leaders promoted "incomplete, even inaccurate concepts". The
Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses says that, unlike
Old Testament prophets, its interpretations of the Bible are not
inspired or
infallible. It says that Bible prophecies can be fully understood only after their fulfillment, citing examples of biblical figures who did not understand the meaning of prophecies they received. Watch Tower Society literature often cites Proverbs 4:18, "The path of the righteous ones is like the bright light that is getting lighter and lighter until the day is firmly established" (
NWT) to support their view that there would be an increase in knowledge during "the time of the end", and that this increase in knowledge needs adjustments. Watch Tower Society publications also say that unfulfilled expectations are partly due to eagerness for
God's Kingdom and that they do not call
their core beliefs into question.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Members of
the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) believe there will be a Second Coming of Jesus to the earth at some time in the future. The LDS Church and its leaders do not make any predictions of the date of the Second Coming. According to church doctrine, the true
gospel will be taught in all parts of the world prior to the Second Coming. They also believe there will be increasing war, wickedness, earthquakes, hurricanes, and man-made disasters prior to the Second Coming. Disasters of all kind will happen before Christ comes. Upon the return of Jesus Christ, all people will be resurrected, the righteous in a first resurrection and the unrighteous in a second, later resurrection. Christ shall reign for a period of 1000 years, after which the Final Judgment will occur.
Realized eschatology Realized eschatology is a Christian eschatological theory that holds that the eschatological passages in the
New Testament do not refer to the future, but instead refer to the
ministry of Jesus and his lasting legacy.
Islam and
Muslim philosopher Ibn Arabi, . Shown are the 'Arsh (
Throne of God), pulpits for the righteous (al-Aminun), seven rows of
angels,
Gabriel (al-Ruh), A'raf (the Barrier), the
Pond of Abundance, al-Maqam al-Mahmud (the Praiseworthy Station; where the Islamic prophet
Muhammad will stand to intercede for the faithful), Mizan (the Scale),
As-Sirāt (the Bridge),
Jahannam (Hell), and
Marj al-Jannat (Meadow of Paradise).
Muslims believe there are three periods before the
Day of Judgment with some debate as to whether the periods could overlap.
Sunni Sunnis believe the dead will then stand in a grand assembly, awaiting a scroll detailing their righteous deeds, sinful acts and ultimate judgment. Muhammad will be the first to be resurrected. Punishments will include
adhab, or severe pain and embarrassment, and
khizy or shame. There will also be a punishment of the grave between death and the resurrection. Several Sunni scholars explain some of the signs metaphorically. The signs of the coming end time are divided into
major and minor signs: Following the second period, the third is said to be marked by the ten major signs known as ''alamatu's-sa'ah al- kubra'' (The major signs of the end). They are as follows: • A huge black cloud of smoke (dukhan) will cover the earth. • Three sinkings of the earth, one in the East. In reality, his heaven is hell, and his hell is heaven. The Dajjal will be followed by seventy thousand Jews of Isfahan wearing Persian shawls. • The
return of
Isa (Jesus), from the fourth sky, to kill Dajjal. •
''Ya'jooj and Ma'jooj'' (
Gog and Magog), a Japhetic tribe of vicious beings who had been imprisoned by
Dhul-Qarnayn, will break out. They will ravage the earth, drink all the water of
Lake Tiberias, and kill all believers in their way. Isa,
Imam Al-Mahdi, and the believers with them will go to the top of a mountain and pray for the destruction of Gog and Magog. God eventually will send disease and worms to wipe them out. • The sun will rise from the West. • The
Dabbat al-ard, or
Beast of the Earth, will come out of the ground to talk to people. • The second blow of the trumpet will be sounded, the dead will return to life, and a fire will come out of
Yemen that shall gather all to Mahshar Al Qiy'amah (The Gathering for Judgment). File:End times.svg|Mainstream Sunni timeline File:End Times Events.svg|Mainstream Islamic timeline
Shia Many of the signs shown above are shared by both Sunni and Shia beliefs, with some exceptions, e.g.
Imam Al-Mahdi defeating
Al-Masih ad-Dajjal. Concepts and terminology in
Shia eschatology include
Mi'ad, the
Occultation,
Al-Yamani, and
Sufyani. In
Twelver Shia narrations about the last days, the literature largely revolves around
Muhammad al-Mahdi, who is considered by many beliefs to be the true twelfth appointed successor to Muhammad. Muhammad al-Mahdi will help mankind against the deception by the
Dajjal who will try to get people in to a new world religion which is called "the great deception".
Ahmadiyya Ahmadiyya is considered distinct from mainstream Islam. In its writing, the present age has been witness to the evil of man and wrath of God, with war and natural disaster.
Ghulam Ahmad is seen as the
promised Messiah and the
Mahdi, fulfilling Islamic and Biblical prophecies, as well as scriptures of other religions such as Hinduism. His teaching will establish spiritual reform and establish an age of peace. This will continue for a thousand years, and will unify mankind under one faith. Ahmadis believe that despite harsh and strong opposition and discrimination they will eventually be triumphant and their message vindicated both by Muslims and non-Muslims alike. Ahmadis also incorporate the eschatological views from other religions into their doctrine and believe Mirza Ghulam Ahmed falls into this sequence.
Baháʼí Faith In the
Baháʼí Faith, creation has neither a beginning nor an end; Baháʼís regard the eschatologies of other religions as symbolic. In Baháʼí belief, human time is marked by a series of
progressive revelations in which successive
messengers or prophets come from God. The coming of each of these messengers is seen as the day of judgment to the adherents of the previous religion, who may choose to accept the new messenger and enter the "heaven" of belief, or denounce the new messenger and enter the "hell" of denial. In this view, the terms "heaven" and "hell" become symbolic terms for a person's spiritual progress and their nearness to or distance from God. The inception of the Baháʼí Faith coincides with
Great Disappointment of the Millerite prophecy in 1844.
ʻAbdu'l-Bahá taught that Armageddon would begin in 1914, but without a clear indication of its end date. Baháʼís believe that the mass martyrdom anticipated during the
End Times had already passed within the
historical context of the Baháʼí Faith. Baháʼís expect their faith to be eventually embraced by the masses of the world, ushering in a
golden age.
Rastafari is viewed as god incarnate in
Rastafari. Rastafari have a unique interpretation of end times, based on the
Old Testament and the
Book of Revelation. They believe
Ethiopian Emperor
Haile Selassie I to be God
incarnate, the
King of kings and
Lord of lords mentioned in Revelation 5:5. They saw the crowning of Selassie as the
second coming, and the
Second Italo-Ethiopian War as fulfillment of Revelation. There is also the expectation that Selassie will return for a day of judgment and bring home the "lost children of Israel", which in Rastafari refers to those taken from Africa through the
slave trade. There will then be an era of peace and harmony at Mount
Zion in Africa. ==Cyclic cosmology==