ESCHATOLOGY

Eschatology
 The study of, or teachings about…
 The “end”; “end times”; “last days”; “end of the world”; etc.
 And what, if anything, is after/beyond the end?

 Types of Eschatology:
 Personal: death / afterlife of individuals
 National/Ethnic: end of a nation/empire or group of people
 Cosmic: ultimate end of the world / universe
 Christian Eschatology: variety of biblical teachings:
 Second Coming of Jesus, End of the World
 Kingdom of God, Messianic Age
 Resurrection of the Dead, Final Judgment
 Heaven (Eternal Life) vs. Hell (punishment? or void/nothing?)
Apocalypse
 Popular Def: Catastrophic Event
 Major disaster, atom bomb, plague,…

 Biblical Def: Literary Genre

 Written mostly in narrative form
 A “revealing/uncovering” of hidden truth
 Reveals God’s view of past, present & future
 Uses highly symbolic terms and images
 Often revealed in dreams or visions
 Interpreted with help of an intermediary (angel)
 Purpose: Provides encouragement for people
in the midst of trials and tribulations
Other Terminology
 Prophecy – “speaking on behalf of” God;
conveys God’s messages to people,
in direct words or symbolic actions
 Parousia – the coming or arrival of an important person
(esp. the “Second Coming” of Jesus)
 Revelation – the “uncovering” or “revealing” of some
truth previously hidden or unknown to people
 Tribulation – a 7-year period of suffering and turmoil
before (or after?) the Second Coming of Christ
 Millennium – a thousand-year period (of peace), esp.
as mentioned in Revelation 20
 Rapture – belief of many fundamentalist Protestants
based on literalist reading of 1 Thess 4:17
Biblical Eschatology
 Early Stages: Jesus is coming! Soon!
 Paul’s Early Letters, esp.
 1 Thessalonians 4
 Middle Stages: Life goes on! Stay awake!
 Paul’s Later Letters, esp.
 2 Thessalonians 3
 Mark 13
 Later Stages: Millennia ahead! Beware!
 Revelation 20
 2 Peter 3
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
 Paul’s first letter (ca. 50 CE)
 Wants Christians to keep faith
and await Jesus’ return (soon)

 Answers people’s concerns

about those who have died
 Don’t grieve or be afraid:
ALL will see the Parousia.
 When Jesus returns,
the dead will be raised first;
 And we who are still alive
will be together with them.

 Note:
 Belief in “Rapture” based on literalist reading of 4:17
Later Pauline Eschatology
 Paul realizes that he himself
may die before Jesus returns
 Philippians, Romans, etc.

 2 Thessalonians 3
 Corrects misinterpretations of 1 Thess 4
 Don’t be alarmed by those who say,
“The End is here!”
 The “lawless one” will come first,
trying to deceive many
 Don’t quit your jobs; continue to work!
Whoever is unwilling to work, should not eat!
Mark 13: Eschatological Discourse
 Apocalyptic Discourse / Little Apocalypse
 Matthew 24-25 and Luke 21 expand on Mark 13
 Content: Jesus’ teachings on…
 The Destruction of the Jerusalem Temple
 The Great Tribulation
 The Coming of the Son of Man
 WHEN?
 "But of that day or hour, no one knows, neither the
angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.
Be watchful! Be alert! You do not know when the
time will come.” (Mark 13:32-33)
The Last
Judgment
The Book of Revelation
a.k.a. The Apocalypse
 The Revelation to John
 Entire book is apocalyptic genre
 [Other Christian “apocalypses” not in NT]
 Purpose:
 Encourage Christians to preserve in
faith in time of crisis (13:10; 14:12)
 Content:
 Initial vision – The Son of Man
 Letters to 7 Churches of Asia
 Main visions – Many Tribulations
 Final visions – The End
 Destruction of Satan, Evil, Death
 New Heavens, New Earth, New Jerusalem, Reign of God
John’s Visions
Revelation 17-22
 John’s Visions of the End
 17-18: Fall of Babylon (Rome)
 19: Coming of the King of kings, Word of God (Jesus)
Final Battle (Armageddon = Valley of Megiddo; 16:16)
 20: Satan is tied up for 1000 years (Millennium);
1000-year reign of God;
Satan freed & destroyed;
Resurrection of the Dead;
Final Judgment
 21-22:
New Heaven
New Earth
New Jerusalem
Wide Variety of Interpretations
 Highly Symbolic Language
 Symbols  open to vastly different understandings
 Presuppositions about Biblical Eschatology:
 Literal: Predicts the future, the coming End of the World
 Historical: Reflects persecutions faced by Early Christians
 Theological: Describes timeless conflict: Good vs. Evil

 Ex: When is Millennium vis-à-vis Parousia?

 Pre-millennialism / “Catastrophic” - 1000-year reign of peace
will come only after the great tribulation and the return of Jesus;
believers must be prepared to endure difficult trials
 Post-millennialism / “Progressive” - 1000-year reign of peace
must be established on earth by human beings and societies;
Jesus will return only after that is accomplished
 A-millennialism – 1000-year reign of Rev 20 is not literal,
but purely symbolic; when Jesus returns cannot be predicted