Eschatology (; from the Greek '', eschatos/eschatē/eschaton'' meaning "last" and ''-logy'' meaning "the study of", first used in English around 1550) is a part of theology, philosophy, and futurology concerned with what are believed to be the final events in history, or the ultimate destiny of humanity, commonly referred to as the end of the world or the World to Come. The Oxford English Dictionary defines it as "concerned with ‘the four last things: death, judgment, heaven, and hell’". Regarding mysticism, the phrase refers metaphorically to the end of ordinary reality and reunion with the Divine. In many religions it is taught as an existing future event prophesied in sacred texts or folklore. More broadly, eschatology may encompass related concepts such as the Messiah or Messianic Age, the end time, and the end of days.

History is often seen as being divided into "ages" (Gk. aeons), an age being a period where certain realities are present. An age may come to an end and be replaced by a new age where different realities are present. This transition from one age to another is often the subject of eschatological discussion. So, instead of "the end of the world" we may speak of "the end of the age" and be referring to the end of "life as we know it" and the beginning of a new reality. Indeed, much apocalyptic fiction does not deal with the "end of time" but rather with the end of a certain period of time, the end of life as it is now, and the beginning of a new period of time. It is usually a crisis that brings an end to current reality and ushers in a new way of living / thinking / 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. If a better world results, we say it is "utopian". If a worse, it is "dystopian." Eschatologies vary as to their degree of optimism or pessimism about the future (indeed, the same future may be utopian for some and dystopic for others - "heaven and hell" for example).

Most modern eschatology and apocalypticism, both religious and secular, involves 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. For example, according to ancient Hebrew belief, life takes a linear (and not cyclical) path; the world began with God and is constantly headed toward God’s final goal for creation.

In philosophy

Eschatology has also been a belief shared, sometimes theorized on, by philosophers. Saint Augustine stressed the allegorical method of interpretation. He was greatly influenced by Origen. He was followed by Ibn al-Nafis and Hegel with their philosophy of history, and, some (such as the author Albert Camus in 'The Rebel') have argued, Karl Marx.

Futures Studies and Transhumanism

More recently, many involved in futures studies and transhumanism have remarked upon the accelerating rate of scientific progress and anticipate a technological singularity in the 21st century 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. The statistical methodology for inferring a single or multiple near-simultaneous technological singularities has been criticised for being quasi-empirical at best, using questionable statistical methodology. Part of the argument can be categorized as rationalist, not merely empirical, as the conclusions are nearly tautological, similar to early rationalist arguments for evolution by natural selection.

The Sun at the centre of the Solar System will turn into a red giant in about 5 billion years (see the section on the Sun's Life cycle). As a red giant, the Sun will have a maximum radius beyond the Earth's current orbit. A second strand of rationalist based eschatology is founded on this scientifically well grounded observation. The Sun's expansion will obviously not lead to the end of the Universe. Its effects will be limited to our Solar System. It will inevitably lead to the disappearance of our planet. Life on Earth will become impossible long before the planet is actually swallowed up by the Sun due to a rise in temperature.

Eschatology in religions

Bahá'í eschatology

In Bahá'í belief, creation does not have a beginning nor 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 judgement 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 fulfilment of previous eschatological expectations of Islam, Christianity and other major religions.

Brahma Kumari eschatology

The Brahma Kumaris believe that the old world will come to an end, at the end of the cycle, through extensive destructive events which will wipe out the whole population of the old world. The end of the cycle is referred to as "the end". At the end of the old cycle, a new cycle begins. When the new cycle begins, divine human beings will take birth on earth and the population at the beginning of the new cycle would be very small. The new cycle begins with the Golden Age and vices will not exist in the new world. At the end of the old world, the vices would have increased to such an intolerable state, at the end of Kaliyug or the end of the four ages and the old world has to be wiped out because Man would not be able to endure the weak state and the unhappiness that comes with it. The time for their existence has to end so that a new kind of population can come and live on earth.

Buddhist eschatology

Some forms of Buddhism hold belief in cycles in which life span of human beings changes according to human nature. In Cakkavati sutta the Buddha explained the relationship between life span of human being and behaviour. As per this sutta, In the past unskillful behavior was unknown among the human race. As a result, people lived for an immensely long time — 80,000 years — endowed with great beauty, wealth, pleasure, and strength. Over the course of time, though, they began behaving in various unskillful ways. This caused the human life span gradually to shorten, to the point where it now stands at 100 years, with human beauty, wealth, pleasure, and strength decreasing proportionately. In the future, as morality continues to degenerate, human life will continue to shorten to the point where the normal life span is 10 years, with people reaching sexual maturity at five.

Ultimately, conditions will deteriorate to the point of a "sword-interval," in which swords appear in the hands of all human beings, and they hunt one another like game. A few people, however, will take shelter in the wilderness to escape the carnage, and when the slaughter is over, they will come out of hiding and resolve to take up a life of skillful and virtuous action again. With the recovery of virtue, the human life span will gradually increase again until it reaches 80,000 years, with people attaining sexual maturity at 500.

According to Tibetan Buddhist literature, the age of first Buddha was 1,000,000 years and height was 100 cubits while 28th Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama (563BC–483BC) lived 80 years and his height was 20 cubits.

Christian eschatology

Christian eschatology is concerned with death, an intermediate state, Heaven, hell, the return of Jesus, the resurrection of the dead, a rapture, a great tribulation, the Millennium, end of the world, the last judgment, a new heaven and a new earth (the World to Come), and the ultimate consummation of all of God's purposes. Eschatological passages are found in many places, esp. ''Isaiah'', ''Daniel'', '''', and the ''Book of Revelation'', but ''Revelation'' often occupies a central place in Christian eschatology.

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. 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 approaches. In the Futurist approach, ''Revelation'' is chiefly seen as referring to events which as yet have not come to pass, but which will come to pass at the end of the age, and the end of the world. This is the approach which most applies to eschatological studies. In the Preterist approach, ''Revelation'' chiefly refers to the events of the first century, such as the struggle of Christianity to survive the persecutions of the Roman Empire, the fall of Jerusalem in 70 AD, and the desecration of the temple in the same year. In the Historicist approach, ''Revelation'' provides us with a broad view of history, and passages in ''Revelation'' are identified with major historical people and events. In the Idealist (or Spiritualist or Symbolic) 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.

Hindu eschatology

Contemporary Hindu eschatology is linked in the Vaishnavite tradition to the figure of Kalki, or the tenth and last avatar of Vishnu before the age draws to a close, and Shiva simultaneously dissolves and regenerates the universe.

Most Hindus believe that we are living in the Kali Yuga, the last of four periods (''Yuga'') that make up the current age. Each period has seen a successive degeneration in the moral order and character of human beings, to the point that in the Kali Yuga quarrel and hypocrisy are prevalent. Often, the invocation of Kali Yuga denotes a certain helplessness in the face of the horrors and suffering of the human condition and a nostalgia for a golden past or a future salvation.

However, Hindu conceptions of time, like those found in other non-Western traditions, are cyclical in that one age may end but another will always begin. As such, the cycle of birth, growth, decay, death, and renewal at the individual level finds its echo in the cosmic order of all things, yet affected by the vagaries of the comings and goings of divine interventions in the Vaishnavite belief.

Most Hindus believe that Shiva will destroy the world at the end of the kalpa. Some Shaivites hold the view that he is incessantly destroying and creating the world.

Islamic eschatology

Islamic eschatology is documented in the sayings of the Prophet Muhammad, regarding the Signs of the Day of Judgment. 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 Apostle 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)

Jewish eschatology

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.

Zoroastrian eschatology

See also

{| |-valign=top |

Abomination of Desolation

Ancient Aztec eschatology

Antichrist

Apocalypse

Armageddon

End time

Eschatology (religious movement)

Entropy and life

|

Eschaton (disambiguation)

Götterdämmerung

Immanentize the eschaton

Judgment day

Millennialism

Millenarianism

Messianism

|

Ragnarök

Realized eschatology

Risks to civilization, humans and planet Earth

Second Coming

Timewave zero

Ussher chronology

Whore of Babylon

|}

References

Further reading

''A Cup of Trembling'' (1995) by Dave Hunt; Harvest House Publishers, Eugene, Oregon 97402; ISBN 1-56507-334-7.

''Christ Will Come Again: Hope for the Second Coming of Jesus'' by Stephen Travis. 2004 Toronto: Clements Publishing. ISBN 1-894667-33-6

''In God's Time: The Bible and the Future'' by Craig C. Hill. 2002 Grand Rapids: Eerdmans. ISBN 0-802860-90-7

''Shock Wave 2000!'' subtitled ''The Harold Camping 1994 Debacle''; (1994) by Robert Sungenis, Scott Temple, and David Allen Lewis; New Leaf Press, Inc., P.O. Box 311, Green Forest AR 72638; ISBN 0-89221-269-1; Library of Congress: 94-67493.

''Eschatology: Death and Eternal Life'' by Joseph Ratzinger. 1988 Washington D.C.: Catholic University of America Press ISBN 978-0-8132-1516-7

External links

Category:Prophecy Category:Philosophical terminology Category:Mythemes Category:Greek loanwords Category:Theology

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name	Gary DeMar
birth place	Pennsylvania
residence	American Vision
occupation	Author, Speaker
religion	Christian
denomination	Presbyterian
website	American Vision }}

Gary DeMar is an American writer, lecturer and the president of American Vision, an American Christian nonprofit organization. The think-tank has a vision of "an America that recognizes the sovereignty of God over all of life and where Christians are engaged in every facet of society"..

Family life and education

DeMar resides in Marietta, Georgia with his wife Carol. They have two grown sons. DeMar is a member of Midway Presbyterian Church, affiliated with the Presbyterian Church in America. DeMar graduated from Western Michigan University in 1973 and earned a M.Div. from Reformed Theological Seminary in 1979. He earned his Ph.D. in Christian Intellectual History from Whitefield Theological Seminary in 2007.

Career

DeMar began working at American Vision in 1981 as a research analyst. In 1986 he became the president of the organization. DeMar is the author of 25 books. Beginning on June 3, 2006, DeMar began hosting "The Gary DeMar Show", a radio program airing live from Atlanta, every Saturday at noon ET." The Gary DeMar Show" now is available as a podcast every weekday for 10 minutes and as a video-cast on YouTube.

''Ruler of the Nations''

In the Foreword to DeMar's book ''Ruler of the Nations'', John W. Whitehead notes that the book "presents a clear and well-substantiated description of the three types of government established by God-the family, the church, and the civil government-each given its own specific and ''limited'' jurisdiction". In the Editor's Introduction, Gary North points out DeMar's description of "an intellectual war going on, a war between two rival views of God, man, law and society." North says that the "book has made the meaning of theocracy clear".

In the chapter titled Reconstructing Civil Government, DeMar states,

All government requires a reference point. If God is to be pleased by men, the Bible must become the foundation of all their governments, including civil government. This means that ''Biblical law must be made the foundation of all righteous judgment in every government'': personal (self government), ecclesiastical, familial, and civil.

Religious and political views

DeMar states in an article on the American Vision web site, "Darwinism has secularized everything in America, including our understanding of the Constitution".

American Vision promotes the idea "that the world is not ending tomorrow and that Christ’s Kingdom will be victorious on the earth". AV connects the writing's of the founders of America with the organization's vision of contemporary America, "In the New England Confederation of 1643, the Pilgrims stated: "[W]e all came to these parts of America, with one and the same end and aim, namely, to advance the Kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

DeMar is a proponent of partial preterism.

Controversy

The Southern Poverty Law Center declared the American Vision an anti-gay group. . According to author Evelyn Schlatter, these groups have "continued to pump out demonizing propaganda aimed at homosexuals and other sexual minorities." The American Family Association will be listed as a hate group in 2011.

Bibliography

DeMar is the general editor and co-author of ''A New World in View'' (1996) and ''Reformation to Colonization'' (1997), the first two volumes in the ''To Pledge Allegiance'' history textbook series, and author of the books:

''God and Government'' series (3 vols.) (1982–86)

''Ruler of the Nations'' (1987, 2002)

''The Reduction of Christianity'' with Peter J. Leithart (1988)

''Surviving College Successfully'' (1988)

''Something Greater Is Here'' (1988)

''Christian Reconstruction'' (Co-authored by Dr. Gary North) (1991)

''You’ve Heard It Said'' (1991)

''America’s Christian History: The Untold Story'' (1993)

''War of the Worldviews'' (1994)

''Last Days Madness'' (4th ed., 1999)

''Is Jesus Coming Soon?'' (1999)

''Thinking Straight in a Crooked World'' (2001)

''End Times Fiction: A Biblical Consideration of the Left Behind Theology'' (2001)

''The Changing Face of Islam in History and Prophecy'' (2002)

''America’s Christian Heritage'' (2002)

''Myths, Lies, & Half Truths'' (2004)

''The Early Church and the End of the World'' (2005)

''Whoever Controls the Schools Rules the World'' (2007)

''Memory Mechanics (2008)

''America's 200-Year War with Islamic Terrorism'' (2009)

''Movies with Worldviews in Mind'' (2009)

''Doomsday Deja Vu'' (2009)

''Meaty Tales!'' (2009)

''Why the End of the World Is Not in Your Future'' (2009)

''Left Behind: Separating Fact from Fiction'' (2009)

''10 Popular Prophecy Myths Exposed'' (2010)

References

External links

American Vision

Category:Dominionism Category:American Presbyterians Category:Evangelists Category:Christian apologists Category:Living people Category:Christian Reconstructionism Category:Year of birth missing (living people) Category: Western Michigan University alumni