Four horsemen of the apocalypse, as depicted in the Apocalypse work by Albrecht Dürer
Eschatology is a part of theology concerned with the final events of history, or the ultimate destiny of humanity. This concept is commonly referred to as the "end of the world" or "end times".
The word arises from the Greek ἔσχατος eschatos meaning "last" and -logy meaning "the study of", and first appeared in English around 1844. The Oxford English Dictionary
defines eschatology as "the part of theology concerned with death,
judgment, and the final destiny of the soul and of humankind".
In the context of mysticism, the term refers metaphorically to the end of ordinary reality and to reunion with the Divine. Many religions treat eschatology as a future event prophesied in sacred texts or in folklore.
History is often divided into "ages" (aeons), which are time periods each with certain commonalities. One age comes to an end and a new age or world to come,
where different realities are present, begins. When such transitions
from one age to another are the subject of eschatological discussion,
the phrase, "end of the world", is replaced by "end of the age", "end of
an era", or "end of life as we know it". Much apocalyptic fiction does not deal with the "end of time" but rather with the end of a certain period, the end of life
as it is now, and the beginning of a new period. It is usually a crisis
that brings an end to current reality and ushers in a new way of
living, thinking, or being.
This crisis may take the form of the intervention of a deity in
history, a war, a change in the environment, or the reaching of a new level of consciousness.
Most modern eschatology and apocalypticism,
both religious and secular, involve the violent disruption or
destruction of the world; whereas Christian and Jewish eschatologies
view the end times as the consummation or perfection of God's creation
of the world, albeit with violent overtures, such as the Great Tribulation.
For example, according to some ancient Hebrew worldviews, reality
unfolds along a linear path (or rather, a spiral path, with cyclical
components that nonetheless have a linear trajectory); the world began
with God and is ultimately headed toward God's final goal for creation,
the world to come.
Eschatologies vary as to their degree of optimism or pessimism
about the future. In some eschatologies, conditions are better for some
and worse for others, e.g. "heaven and hell". They also vary as to time frames. Groups claiming imminent eschatology are also referred to as Doomsday cults.
Religion
Bahá'í
In Bahá'í belief, creation has neither a beginning nor an end. Instead, the eschatology of other religions is viewed as symbolic. In Bahá'í 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" are seen as symbolic terms for the person's
spiritual progress and their nearness to or distance from God. In Bahá'í belief, the coming of Bahá'u'lláh, the founder of the Bahá'í Faith, signals the fulfillment of previous eschatological expectations of Islam, Christianity and other major religions.
Christianity
Christian eschatology is the study concerned with the ultimate
destiny of the individual soul and the entire created order, based
primarily upon biblical texts within the Old and New Testament.
Christian eschatology looks to study and discuss matters such as 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 are found in many places in the Bible, both in 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 closing chapters of Daniel, and Ezekiel. In the New Testament, applicable passages include Matthew 24, Mark 13, the parable of "The Sheep and the Goats" and in the Book of Revelation—although 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.
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 is at the core of Christian eschatology.
The study of Revelation is usually divided into four interpretative
methodologies or hermeneutics. In the Futurist approach, Revelation is treated mostly as unfulfilled prophecy taking place in some yet undetermined future. In the Preterist
approach, Revelation is chiefly interpreted as having prophetic
fulfillment in the past, principally the events of the first century CE.
In the Historicist
approach, Revelation provides a broad view of history, and passages in
Revelation are identified with major historical people and events. This
is view the Jewish scholars held, along with the early Christian church,
and it was prevalent in Wycliffe's writings, and other Reformers such as Martin Luther, John Calvin,
John Wesley, and Sir Isaac Newton, and many others.
In the Idealist
approach, the events of Revelation are neither past nor future, but are
purely symbolic, dealing with the ongoing struggle and ultimate triumph
of good over evil.
Hinduism
Contemporary Hindu eschatology is linked in the Vaishnavite tradition to the figure of Kalki, the tenth and last avatar of Vishnu before the age draws to a close who will reincarnate as Shiva and simultaneously dissolve and regenerate the universe.
Most Hindus believe that the current period is the Kali Yuga, the last of four Yuga
that make up the current age. Each period has seen successive
degeneration in the moral order, to the point that in the Kali Yuga
quarrel and hypocrisy are the norm. In Hinduism, time is cyclic,
consisting of cycles or "kalpas". Each kalpa lasts 4.1 – 8.2 billion years, which is one full day and night for Brahma, who in turn will live for 311 trillion, 40 billion years. The cycle of birth, growth, decay,
and renewal at the individual level finds its echo in the cosmic order,
yet is affected by vagaries of divine intervention in Vaishnavite
belief. Some Shaivites hold the view that Shiva is incessantly
destroying and creating the world.
Islam
Islamic eschatology is documented in the sayings of the Prophet Muhammad,
regarding the Signs of the Day of Judgement. The Prophet's sayings on
the subject have been traditionally divided into Major and Minor Signs.
He spoke about several Minor Signs of the approach of the Day of
Judgment, including:
- Abu Hurairah reported that Muhammad said: "If you survive for a time you would certainly see people who would have whips in their hands like the tail of an ox. They would get up in the morning under the wrath of God and they would go into the evening with the anger of God."
- Abu Hurairah narrated that Muhammad said, "When honesty is lost, then wait for the Day of Judgment." It was asked, "How will honesty be lost, O Messenger of God?" He said, "When authority is given to those who do not deserve it, then wait for the Day of Judgment."
- 'Umar ibn al-Khattāb, in a long narration, relating to the questions of the angel Gabriel, reported: "Inform me when the Day of Judgment will be." He [the Prophet Muhammad] remarked: "The one who is being asked knows no more than the inquirer." He [the inquirer] said: "Tell me about its indications." He [the Prophet Muhammad] said: "That the slave-girl gives birth to her mistress and master, and that you would find barefooted, destitute shepherds of goats vying with one another in the construction of magnificent buildings."
- "Before the Day of Judgment there will be great liars, so beware of them."
- "When the most wicked member of a tribe becomes its ruler, and the most worthless member of a community becomes its leader, and a man is respected through fear of the evil he may do, and leadership is given to people who are unworthy of it, expect the Day of Judgment."
Regarding the Major Signs, a Companion of the Prophet
narrated: "Once we were sitting together and talking amongst ourselves
when the Prophet appeared. He asked us what it was we were discussing.
We said it was the Day of Judgment. He said: 'It will not be called
until ten signs have appeared: Smoke, Dajjal (the Antichrist), the creature (that will wound the people), the rising of the sun in the West, the Second Coming of Jesus, the emergence of Gog and Magog, and three sinkings (or cavings in of the earth): one in the East, another in the West and a third in the Arabian Peninsula.'" (note: the previous events were not listed in the chronological order of appearance)
Judaism
Jewish eschatology is concerned with events that will happen in the end of days, according to the Hebrew Bible and Jewish thought. This includes the in gathering of the exiled diaspora, the coming of the Jewish Messiah, afterlife, and the revival of the dead Tzadikim.
In Judaism, the end times are usually called the "end of days" (aḥarit ha-yamim, אחרית הימים), a phrase that appears several times in the Tanakh. The idea of a messianic age has a prominent place in Jewish thought and is incorporated as part of the end of days.
Judaism addresses the end times in the Book of Daniel and numerous other prophetic passages in the Hebrew scriptures, and also in the Talmud, particularly Tractate Avodah Zarah.
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 (1) good will eventually prevail over evil;
(2) creation was initially perfectly good, but was subsequently
corrupted by evil; (3) the world will ultimately be restored to the
perfection it had at the time of creation; (4) 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.
Analogies in science and philosophy
Futures studies and transhumanism
Researchers in futures studies and transhumanists investigate how the accelerating rate of scientific progress may lead to a "technological singularity" in the future that would profoundly and unpredictably change the course of human history, and result in Homo sapiens no longer being the dominant life form on Earth.
Astronomy
A diagram showing the life cycle of the Sun
Occasionally the term "physical eschatology" is applied to the long-term predictions of astrophysics. The Sun will turn into a red giant
in approximately 6 billion years. Life on Earth will become impossible
due to a rise in temperature long before the planet is actually
swallowed up by the Sun. Even later, the Sun will become a white dwarf.
