Inter-Religious Eschatology

First Edition, 2012

ISBN 978-81-323-3774-4

© All rights reserved. Published by: University Publications 4735/22 Prakashdeep Bldg, Ansari Road, Darya Ganj, Delhi - 110002 Email: [email protected] 

Table of Contents Chapter 1 - Apocalypticism Chapter 2 - 2012 Phenomenon Chapter 3 - Last Judgment Chapter 4 - Resurrection of the Dead Chapter 5 - Millennialism Chapter 6 - End Time Chapter 7 - Gog and Magog

Chapter- 1

Apocalypticism

Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, by Albrecht Dürer.

Apocalypticism is the religious belief that there will be an apocalypse, a term which originally referred to a revelation of God's will, but now usually refers to belief that the world will come to an end time very soon, even within one's own lifetime. This belief is usually accompanied by the idea that civilization, as we know it, will soon come to a tumultuous end with some sort of catastrophic global event such as war. Apocalypticism is often conjoined with esoteric knowledge that will likely be revealed in a major confrontation between good and evil forces, destined to change the course of history. Apocalypses can be viewed as good, evil, ambiguous or neutral, depending on the particular religion or belief system promoting them. They can appear as a personal or group tendency, an outlook or a perceptual frame of reference, or merely as expressions in a speaker's rhetorical style.

Jewish apocalypticism Jewish apocalypticism holds a doctrine that there are two eras of history, the present era which is ruled over by evil, and a coming era to be ruled over by God. At the time of the coming era, there will be a messiah which will deliver the faithful into the new era. Due to incidents arising very early on in Jewish history, predictions about the time of the coming of the Jewish messiah was highly discouraged. This was so as to prevent people from losing faith when the predictions did not come true during the lifespan of a believer. Moses of Crete, a rabbi in the 5th century claimed to be the Jewish messiah and promised to lead the people, like the ancient Moses, through a parted sea back to Palestine. His followers left their possessions and waited for the promised day, when at his command many cast themselves into the sea, some finding death, others being rescued by sailors.

Christian apocalypticism Christian apocalypticism is based on Jewish apocalypticism, and therefore holds consistent with the doctrine of two eras. John the Baptist, Jesus Christ, and the Apostles were all apocalypticists who preached to their followers that the world would end within their own lifetimes. The apocalyptic preaching of John the Baptist and the Apostles is well known and accepted as historical by religious and secular scholars due to extensive extra-biblical historical accounts of their lives. However, the apocalyptic message of Jesus as expressed in the synoptic gospels is much less well known. Jesus' apocalyptic teachings are usually not emphasized in Christian religious education. However, some secular scholars believe that Jesus' apocalyptic teachings were the central message Jesus intended to impart, more central even than his messianism. Various Christian eschatological systems have developed, providing different frameworks for understanding the timing and nature of apocalyptic predictions. Some like dispensational premillennialism tend more toward an apocalyptic vision, while others like postmillennialism and amillennialism, while teaching that the end of the world could come at any moment, tend to focus on the present life and contend that one should not attempt to predict when the end should come, though there have been exceptions such as

postmillennialist Jonathan Edwards, who attempted to calculate the precise timing of the end times.

Jesus' apocalypticism The gospels portray Jesus as an apocalyptic prophet, described by himself and by others as the Son of Man – translated as the Son of Humanity – and hailing the restoration of Israel. Jesus himself, as the Son of God, a description also used by himself and others for him, was to rule this kingdom as lord of the Twelve Apostles, the judges of the twelve tribes. Albert Schweitzer emphasized that Jesus was an apocalyptic prophet, preparing his fellow Jews for the imminent end of the world. In fact, Schweitzer saw Jesus as a failed, would-be Messiah whose ethic was suitable only for the short interim before the apocalypse. Many historians concur that Jesus was an apocalyptic prophet, most notably Paula Fredriksen, Bart Ehrman, and John P. Meier. E. P. Sanders portrays Jesus as expecting to assume the "viceroy" position in God's kingdom, above the Twelve Disciples, who would judge the twelve tribes, but below God. He concludes, however, that Jesus seems to have rejected the title Messiah, and he contends that the evidence is uncertain to whether Jesus meant himself when he referred to the Son of Man coming on the clouds as a divine judge, and further states that biblical references to the Son of Man as a suffering figure are not genuine. However, the prevailing popular exegesis is not that Jesus was a failed would-be Messiah, nor an apocalypicist. One interpretation is that he didn't expect a world-ending apocalypse within his own life time, but rather a "personal apocalypse", i.e., the end of his own life. Although there is little, if any, Biblical corroboration of the 'personal apocalypse' interpretation. The 'personal apocalypse' theory caveat could be interpreted as a rebuttal in that Jesus never predicted an actual apocalypse at all. Jesus' cryptic style of presentation called for the listener to interpret the words he spoke in any way they desired. 'Personal apocalypse' could refer to the metaphorical apocalypse of the Book of Revelation in that the battle between good and evil wages daily within the hearts and souls of those who believe and will only end the day that individual's life comes to an end. Most Christian believers and theologians, however, interpret the Book of Revelation, which was written by John of Patmos and not Jesus Christ himself, to mean an actual, literal apocalypse with very little backing to support that claim other than Bibical references. One account supporting the interpretation of Jesus' apocalypticism is at the crucifixion. After there is no apocalypse upon his crucifixion as he believed there would be, he asks on the Cross, "Why hast thou forsaken me?" The disciples then have to change their interpretation of Jesus' message as portrayed in Acts of the Apostles The preaching of John was, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Mat. 3:2), and Jesus also taught this same message (Mat 4:17; Mark 1:15). Additionally, Jesus spoke of the signs of "the close of the age" in the Olivet Discourse in Mat 24 (and

parallels), near the end of which he said, "[T]his generation will not pass away until all these things take place" (v. 34). Interpreters have understood this phrase in a variety of ways, some saying that most of what he described was in fact fulfilled in the destruction of the Temple in the Roman Siege of Jerusalem, and some that "generation" should be understood instead to mean "race" among other explanations.

Year 1000 There are a few recorded instances of apocalypticism leading up to the year 1000. However they mostly rely on one source, Rodulfus Glaber.

Domesday Book When William the Conqueror, initiated a census of his conquered land, the "Domesday Book", as it was called, was interpreted by the many of the English as being the "Book of Life" written of in Revelation. The belief was that when the book was completed, the end of the world would come.

Fifth Monarchy Men The Fifth Monarchy Men were active from 1649 to 1661 during the Interregnum, following the English Civil Wars of the 17th century. They took their name from a belief in a world-ruling kingdom to be established by a returning Jesus in which prominently figures the year 1666 and its numerical relationship to a passage in the Biblical Book of Revelation indicating the end of earthly rule by carnal human beings. Around 1649, there was great social unrest in England and many people turned to Oliver Cromwell as England's new leader. The Parliamentary victors of the First English Civil War failed to negotiate a constitutional settlement with the defeated King Charles I. Members of Parliament and the Grandees in the New Model Army, when faced with Charles's perceived duplicity, reluctantly tried and executed him.

Isaac Newton and the end of the world in 2060 Isaac Newton proposed that the world would not end until the year 2060, based largely on his own study and deciphering of Bible codes.

Millerites and Seventh-day Adventists

William Miller The Millerites were the followers of the teachings of William Miller who, in 1833, first shared publicly his belief in the coming Second Advent of Jesus Christ in roughly the year 1843. The ideological descendants of the Millerites are the Seventh-day Adventists, who are distinguished among Christian denominations for their emphasis on the imminent second coming of Jesus Christ.

Apocalypticism in contemporary culture Apocalypticism is a frequent theme of literature, film and television.

Y2K Apocalypticism was especially evident with the approach of the millennial year 2000, in which some predicted a massive computer crash which would throw global commerce and financial systems into chaos. These predictions did not come true, although a few remarkable isolated events did occur due to the glitches in computer coding on which these predictions focused.

Mayan calendar 2012

The 2012 doomsday prediction is a present-day cultural meme proposing that cataclysmic and apocalyptic events will occur on December 21, 2012. This idea has been disseminated by numerous books, Internet sites and by TV documentaries with increasing frequency since the late 1990s. The forecast is based primarily on what is claimed to be the end-date of the Mesoamerican Long Count calendar, which is presented as lasting 5,125 years and as terminating on December 21 or 23, 2012, along with interpretations of assorted legends, scriptures, numerological constructions and prophecies.

Chapter- 2

2012 Phenomenon

A date inscription for the Mayan Long Count

The 2012 phenomenon comprises a range of eschatological beliefs that cataclysmic or transformative events will occur on December 21, 2012, which is said to be the end-date of a 5,125-year-long cycle in the Mayan Long Count calendar. Various astronomical alignments and numerological formulae related to this date have been proposed. A New Age interpretation of this transition posits that during this time Earth and its inhabitants may undergo a positive physical or spiritual transformation, and that 2012 may mark the beginning of a new era. Others suggest that the 2012 date marks the end of the world or a similar catastrophe. Scenarios posited for the end of the world include the Earth's collision with a passing planet (often referred to as "Nibiru") or black hole, or the arrival of the next solar maximum. Scholars from various disciplines have dismissed the idea of catastrophe in 2012. Mainstream Mayanist scholars state that predictions of impending doom are not found in any of the existing classic Maya accounts, and that the idea that the Long Count calendar "ends" in 2012 misrepresents Maya history. The modern Maya do not consider the date significant, and the classical sources on the subject are scarce and contradictory, suggesting that there was little if any universal agreement among them about what, if anything, the date might mean. Additionally, astronomers and other scientists have rejected the apocalyptic forecasts as pseudoscience, stating that the anticipated events are contradicted by simple astronomical observations. NASA has compared fears about 2012 to those about the Y2K bug in the late 1990s, suggesting that an adequate analysis should preclude fears of disaster. None of the proposed alignments or formulas have been accepted by mainstream scholarship.

Mesoamerican Long Count calendar December 2012 marks the conclusion of a b'ak'tun; a great cycle of years in the Mesoamerican Long Count calendar, which was used in Central America prior to the arrival of Europeans. Though the Long Count was most likely invented by the Olmec, it has become closely associated with the Maya civilization, whose classic period lasted from 250 to 900 AD. The writing system of the classic Maya has been substantially deciphered, meaning that a corpus of their written and inscribed material has survived from before the European conquest. Unlike the 52-year Calendar Round still used today among the Maya, the Long Count was linear, rather than cyclical, and kept time roughly in units of 20: 20 days made a uinal, 18 uinals (360 days) made a tun, 20 tuns made a k'atun, and 20 k'atuns (144,000 days) made up a b'ak'tun. Thus, the Mayan date of 8.3.2.10.15 represents 8 b'ak'tuns, 3 k'atuns, 2 tuns, 10 uinals and 15 days.

Apocalypse There is a strong tradition of "world ages" in Maya literature, but unfortunately the record has been distorted, leaving several possibilities open. According to the Popol Vuh, a

book compiling details of creation accounts known to the K'iche' Maya of the Colonialera highlands, we are living in the fourth world. The Popol Vuh describes the first three creations that the gods failed in making and the creation of the successful fourth world, where men were placed. In the Maya Long Count, the previous world ended after 13 b'ak'tuns or roughly 5,125 years. The Long Count's "zero date" was set at a point in the past marking the end of the third world and the beginning of the current one, which corresponds to either 11 or 13 August 3114 BC in the Proleptic Gregorian calendar, depending on the formula used. This means that the fourth world will also have reached the end of its thirteenth b'ak'tun, or Mayan date 13.0.0.0.0, on either December 21 or December 23, 2012. In 1957, Mayanist and astronomer Maud Worcester Makemson wrote that "the completion of a Great Period of 13 b'ak'tuns would have been of the utmost significance to the Maya". In 1966, Michael D. Coe more ambitiously asserted in The Maya that "there is a suggestion ... that Armageddon would overtake the degenerate peoples of the world and all creation on the final day of the thirteenth [b'ak'tun]. Thus ... our present universe [would] be annihilated [in December 2012] when the Great Cycle of the Long Count reaches completion."

Objections Coe's apocalyptic interpretation was repeated by other scholars through the early 1990s. In contrast, later researchers said that, while the end of the 13th b'ak'tun would perhaps be a cause for celebration, it did not mark the end of the calendar. "There is nothing in the Maya or Aztec or ancient Mesoamerican prophecy to suggest that they prophesied a sudden or major change of any sort in 2012," says Mayanist scholar Mark Van Stone. "The notion of a "Great Cycle" coming to an end is completely a modern invention." In 1990, Mayanist scholars Linda Schele and David Freidel argued that the Maya "did not conceive this to be the end of creation, as many have suggested." Susan Milbrath, curator of Latin American Art and Archaeology at the Florida Museum of Natural History, stated that "We have no record or knowledge that [the Maya] would think the world would come to an end" in 2012. "For the ancient Maya, it was a huge celebration to make it to the end of a whole cycle," says Sandra Noble, executive director of the Foundation for the Advancement of Mesoamerican Studies in Crystal River, Florida. To render December 21, 2012, as a doomsday event or moment of cosmic shifting, she says, is "a complete fabrication and a chance for a lot of people to cash in." "There will be another cycle," says E. Wyllys Andrews V, director of the Tulane University Middle American Research Institute (MARI). "We know the Maya thought there was one before this, and that implies they were comfortable with the idea of another one after this." Maya inscriptions occasionally reference future predicted events or commemorations that would occur on dates that lie beyond the completion of the 13th b'ak'tun. Most of these are in the form of "distance dates" where some Long Count date is given, together with a Distance Number that is to be added to the Long Count date to arrive at this future date. On the west panel at the Temple of Inscriptions in Palenque, a section of the text projects into the future to the 80th Calendar Round anniversary of the Palenque ruler K'inich

Janaab' Pakal's accession to the throne (Pakal's accession occurred on 9.9.2.4.8; equivalent to 27 July 615 CE in the proleptic Gregorian calendar). It does this by commencing with Pakal's birthdate of 9.8.9.13.0 (24 March 603 CE Gregorian) and adding to it the Distance Number 10.11.10.5.8. This calculation arrives at the 80th Calendar Round since his accession, which lies over 4,000 years in the future from Pakal's time—the 21st of October in the year AD 4772. Another example is Stela 1 at Coba, which gives a date with twenty units above the b'ak'tun, placing it either 4.134105 × 1028 (41 octillion) years in the future, or an equal distance in the past. Either way, this date is 3 quintillion times the age of the universe, demonstrating that not all Mayans considered the 5,125-year cycle as the most important.

Mayan references to B'ak'tun 13 The present-day Maya, as a whole, do not attach much significance to b'ak'tun 13. Although the Calendar Round is still used by some Maya tribes in the Guatemalan highlands, the Long Count was employed exclusively by the classic Maya, and was only recently rediscovered by archaeologists. Mayan elder Apolinario Chile Pixtun and Mexican archaeologist Guillermo Bernal both note that "apocalypse" is a Western concept that has little or nothing to do with Mayan beliefs. Bernal believes that such ideas have been foisted on the Maya by Westerners because their own myths are "exhausted". Mayan archaeologist Jose Huchm has stated that "If I went to some Mayan-speaking communities and asked people what is going to happen in 2012, they wouldn't have any idea. That the world is going to end? They wouldn't believe you. We have real concerns these days, like rain". What significance the classic Maya gave the 13th b'ak'tun is uncertain. Most classic Maya inscriptions are strictly historical and do not make any prophetic declarations. Two items in the Maya historical corpus, however, may mention the end of the 13th b'ak'tun: Tortuguero Monument 6 and, possibly, the Chilam Balam.

Tortuguero The Tortuguero site, which lies in southernmost Tabasco, Mexico, dates from the 7th century AD and consists of a series of inscriptions mostly in honor of the contemporary ruler Bahlam Ajaw. One inscription, known as Tortuguero Monument 6, is the only inscription to refer to b'ak'tun 13. It has been partially defaced; Mark Van Stone has given the most complete translation: Tzuhtz-(a)j-oom u(y)-uxlajuun pik The Thirteenth [b'ak'tun] will end (ta) Chan Ajaw ux(-te') Uniiw. (on) 4 Ajaw, the 3rd of Uniiw [3 K'ank'in].

Uht-oom Ek'-... Black ...[illegible]...will occur. Y-em(al)...Bolon Yookte' K'uh ta-chak-ma... (It will be) the descent(?) of Bolon Yokte' K'uh to the great (or "red"?)...[illegible]... Very little is known about the god (or gods) Bolon Yokte' K'uh. According to an article by Mayanists Markus Eberl and Christian Prager in British Anthropological Reports, his name is composed of the elements "nine", 'OK-te' (the meaning of which is unknown), and "god". Confusion in classical period inscriptions suggests that the name was already ancient and unfamiliar to contemporary scribes. He also appears in inscriptions from Palenque, Usumacinta, and La Mar as a god of war, conflict, and the underworld. In one stela he is portrayed with a rope tied around his neck, and in another with an incense bag, together signifying a sacrifice to end a period of time. Despite all this, Eberl and Prager believe that the reference to Bolon Yokte' K'uh at Tortuguero is a positive one, because the fragmentary word translated above as "descent" seems to be the same one used during building dedications.

Chilam Balam The Chilam Balam are a group of post-conquest Mayan prophetic histories transcribed in a modified form of the Spanish alphabet. Their authorship is ascribed to a chilam balam, or jaguar prophet. The Chilam Balam of Tizimin has been translated four times in the 20th century, with many disputes over the meaning of its passages. One passage in particular is relevant to the interpretation of the 13th b'ak'tun: lic u tal oxlahun bak chem, ti u cenic u (tzan a cen/ba nacom)i (ciac/cha') a ba yum(il/t)exe Maud Worcester Makemson, an archaeoastronomer, believed that this line referred to the "tremendously important event of the arrival of 13.0.0.0.0 4 Ahau 3 Kankin in the not too distant future", Her translation of the line, runs: Presently B'ak'tun 13 shall come sailing, figuratively speaking, bringing the ornaments of which I have spoken from your ancestors. Her version of the text continues, "Then the god will come to visit his little ones. Perhaps 'After Death' will be the subject of his discourse." Makemson was still relying on her own dating of 13.0.0.0.0 to 1752 and therefore the "not too distant future" in her annotations meant a few years after the scribe in Tizimin recorded his Chilam Balam. The more recent translation of Munro S. Edmonson does not support this reading; he considers the Long Count almost entirely absent from the book, since the 360-day tun was supplanted

in the 1750s by a 365-day Christian year, and a 24-round may system was being implemented. He translates the line as follows: ...like the coming of 13 sail-ships. When the captains dress themselves, your fathers will be taken. Other Chilam Balam books contain references to the 13th b'ak'tun, but it is unclear if these are in the past or future; for example, oxhun bakam u katunil (thirteen bakam of k'atuns) in the Chilam Balam of Chumayel. Bolon Yokte' K'uh appears in the Chilam Balam of Chumayel to signify an apparent battle and victory over Spanish invaders.

New Age beliefs Many assertions about 2012 are a form of Mayanism, a non-codified collection of New Age beliefs about ancient Maya wisdom and spirituality. In 1975, the ending of the b'ak'tun cycle became the subject of speculation by several New Age authors, who believe it will correspond to a global "consciousness shift". In his book Mexico Mystique: The Coming Sixth Age of Consciousness, Frank Waters tied Coe's December 24, 2011 date to astrology and the prophecies of the Hopi, while both José Argüelles and Terence McKenna (in their books The Transformative Vision and The Invisible Landscape respectively) discussed the significance of the year 2012, but not a specific day. In 1987, the year in which he held the Harmonic Convergence event, Argüelles settled on the date of December 21 in his book The Mayan Factor: Path Beyond Technology, in which he claimed on that date the Earth would pass through a great "beam" from the centre of the Galaxy, and that the Maya aligned their calendar in anticipation of that event. In 2006, author Daniel Pinchbeck popularised New Age concepts about this date in his book 2012: The Return of Quetzalcoatl, linking it to beliefs about crop circles, alien abduction, and personal revelations based on the use of entheogens and mediumship. Pinchbeck claims to discern a "growing realization that materialism and the rational, empirical worldview that comes with it has reached its expiration date...[w]e're on the verge of transitioning to a dispensation of consciousness that's more intuitive, mystical and shamanic." In India, the guru Kalki Bhagavan has promoted 2012 as a "deadline" for human enlightenment since at least 1998. In the United States, the association of December 21, 2012, with a "transformation of consciousness" has also received popular attention in The Lost Symbol (2009), a bestseller work of thriller fiction by Dan Brown, in which the date is associated with references to esoteric beliefs of Freemasonry and noetic theory. Frank Joseph's Atlantis and 2012: The Science of the Lost Civilization and the Prophecies of the Maya, published in 2010, links supposed Maya prophecies about December 21, 2012 to mythology about the lost continents of Atlantis and Lemuria, claiming that knowledge of a past cataclysm was carried to the ancient Maya and to ancient Egypt. Joseph connects this knowledge to stories of the Ark of the Covenant, which he claims was stolen from the Great Pyramid by Moses, brought from Jerusalem to the Americas by

the Knights Templar, and now lies hidden in a cave in Illinois, awaiting its prophesied discovery in 2012. The discovery of the ark and the knowledge it contains will usher in a New Age. Archaeoastronomer Anthony Aveni says that while the idea of "balancing the cosmos" was prominent in ancient Maya literature, and some modern Maya affirm this idea of an age of coexistence, the 2012 phenomenon does not present this message in its original form. Instead, it is bound up with American traditions such as the New Age movement, millenarianism, and the belief in secret knowledge from distant times and places. Established themes found in 2012 literature include "suspicion towards mainstream Western culture", the idea of spiritual evolution, and the possibility of leading the world into the New Age by individual example or by a group's joined consciousness. The general intent of this literature is not to warn of impending doom but "to foster countercultural sympathies and eventually socio-political and 'spiritual' activism". Aveni, who has studied New Age and SETI communities, describes 2012 narratives as the product of a "disconnected" society: "Unable to find spiritual answers to life's big questions within ourselves, we turn outward to imagined entities that lie far off in space or time—entities that just might be in possession of superior knowledge."

Galactic alignment In the mid-1990s, esoteric author John Major Jenkins asserted that the ancient Maya intended to tie the end of their calendar to the winter solstice in 2012, which falls on December 21. This date was in line with an idea he terms the galactic alignment. In the Solar System, the planets and the Sun share roughly the same plane of orbit, known as the plane of the ecliptic. From our perspective on Earth, the ecliptic is the path taken by the Sun across the sky over the course of the year. The 12 constellations which line the ecliptic are known as the zodiac and, through the year, the Sun passes through each constellation in turn. Additionally, over time, the Sun's annual passage appears to recede counterclockwise by one degree every 72 years. This movement, called "precession", is attributed to a slight wobble in the Earth's axis as it spins. As a result, approximately every 2,160 years, the constellation visible on the early morning of the spring equinox changes. In Western astrological traditions, this signals the end of one astrological age (currently the Age of Pisces) and the beginning of another (Age of Aquarius). Over the course of 26,000 years, precession makes one full circuit around the ecliptic. Just as the spring equinox in the northern hemisphere is currently in the constellation of Pisces, so the winter solstice is currently in the constellation of Sagittarius, which is the zodiacal constellation intersected by the galactic equator. Every year for the last 1,000 years or so, on the winter solstice, the Earth, Sun and the galactic equator come into alignment, and every year, precession pushes the Sun's position a little way further through the Milky Way's band.

The Milky Way near Cygnus showing the lane of the Dark Rift, which the Maya called the Xibalba be or "Black Road" Jenkins suggests that the Maya based their calendar on observations of the Great Rift, a band of dark dust clouds in the Milky Way, which the Maya called the Xibalba be or "Black Road." Jenkins claims that the Maya were aware of where the ecliptic intersected the Black Road and gave this position in the sky a special significance in their cosmology. According to the hypothesis, the Sun precisely aligns with this intersection point at the winter solstice of 2012. Jenkins claimed that the classical Mayans anticipated this conjunction and celebrated it as the harbinger of a profound spiritual transition for mankind. New Age proponents of the galactic alignment hypothesis argue that, just as astrology uses the positions of stars and planets to make claims of future events, the Mayans plotted their calendars with the objective of preparing for significant world events. Jenkins attributes the insights of ancient Maya shamans about the galactic center to their use of psilocybin mushrooms, psychoactive toads, and other psychedelics. Jenkins also associates the Xibalba be with a "world tree", drawing on studies of contemporary (not ancient) Maya cosmology. Astronomers argue that the galactic equator is an entirely arbitrary line, and can never be precisely determined because it is impossible to say exactly where the Milky Way begins or ends. Jenkins claims he drew his conclusions about the location of the galactic equator from observations taken at above 11,000 feet (3,400 m), which is higher than any of the Maya lived. Furthermore, the precessional alignment of the Sun with any single point is not exclusive to a specific year, but takes place over a 36-year period, corresponding to its diameter. Jenkins himself notes that, even given his determined location for the line of the galactic equator, its most precise convergence with the centre of the Sun already occurred in 1998. There is no clear evidence that the classic Maya were aware of precession. Some Maya scholars, such as Barbara MacLeod, Michael Grofe, Eva Hunt, Gordon Brotherston, and Anthony Aveni, have suggested that some Mayan holy dates were timed to precessional cycles, but scholarly opinion on the subject remains divided. There is also little evidence, archaeological or historical, that the Maya placed any importance on solstices or equinoxes. It is possible that early Mesoamericans had an emphasis on solstices which was later forgotten, but this is also a disputed issue among Mayanists. The start date of the Long Count is not astronomically significant.

Timewave zero and the I Ching

A screenshot of the Timewave Zero software "Timewave zero" is a numerological formula that purports to calculate the ebb and flow of "novelty", defined as increase in the universe's interconnectedness, or organised complexity, over time. According to Terence McKenna, who conceived the idea over several years in the early-mid 1970s while using psilocybin mushrooms and DMT, the universe has a teleological attractor at the end of time that increases interconnectedness, eventually reaching a singularity of infinite complexity in 2012, at which point anything and everything imaginable will occur simultaneously. McKenna expressed "novelty" in a computer program, which purportedly produces a waveform known as timewave zero or the timewave. Based on McKenna's interpretation of the King Wen sequence of the I Ching, the graph appears to show great periods of novelty corresponding with major shifts in humanity's biological and cultural evolution. He believed the events of any given time are recursively related to the events of other times, and chose the atomic bombing of Hiroshima as the basis for calculating his end date in November 2012. When he later discovered this date's proximity to the end of the 13th b'ak'tun of the Maya calendar, he revised his hypothesis so that the two dates matched. The first edition of The Invisible Landscape refers to 2012 (as the year, not a specific day) only twice. It was only in 1983, with the publication of Sharer's revised table of date correlations in the 4th edition of Morley's The Ancient Maya, that each became convinced that December 21, 2012, had significant meaning. McKenna subsequently included this

specific date throughout the second edition of The Invisible Landscape, published in 1993.

Doomsday theories A far more apocalyptic view of the year 2012 has also spread in various media, describing the end of the world or of human civilization on that date. This view has been promulgated by many fringe or hoax sites on the internet, particularly on YouTube, and by the History Channel, with such series as Decoding the Past (2005–2007), 2012, End of Days (2006), Last Days on Earth (2006), Seven Signs of the Apocalypse (2007), and Nostradamus 2012 (2008). The Discovery Channel also aired 2012 Apocalypse in 2009, suggesting that massive solar storms, magnetic pole reversal, earthquakes, supervolcanoes, and other drastic natural events may occur in 2012. Author Graham Hancock, in his book Fingerprints of the Gods, interpreted Coe's remarks in Breaking the Maya Code as evidence for the prophecy of a global cataclysm. In East Asia, followers of I-Kuan Tao claim that automatic writing confirms a catastrophe will take place in 2012.

Other alignments An apocalyptic reading of Jenkins's hypothesis has that, when the galactic alignment occurs, it will somehow create a combined gravitational effect between the Sun and the supermassive black hole at the center of our galaxy (known as Sagittarius A*), creating havoc on Earth. Apart from the fact noted above that the "galactic alignment" predicted by Jenkins already happened in 1998, the Sun's apparent path through the zodiac as seen from Earth does not take it near the true galactic center, but rather several degrees above it. Even if this were not the case, Sagittarius A* is 30,000 light years from Earth, and would have to be more than 6 million times closer to cause any gravitational disruption to Earth's Solar System. This reading of Jenkins's theories was included on the History Channel documentary, Decoding the Past. However, Jenkins has complained of the fact that a science fiction writer co-authored the documentary, and went on to characterize it as "45 minutes of unabashed doomsday hype and the worst kind of inane sensationalism". Some suggested alternate alignments relate to a very different "galactic alignment" proposed by some scientists to explain a supposed periodicity in mass extinctions in the fossil record. The hypothesis supposes that vertical oscillations made by the Sun as it orbits the galactic center cause it to regularly pass through the galactic plane. When the Sun's orbit takes it outside the galactic plane which bisects the galactic disc, the influence of the galactic tide is weaker; as it re-enters the galactic disc, as it does every 20– 25 million years, it comes under the influence of the far stronger "disc tides", which, according to mathematical models, increase the flux of Oort cloud comets into the Solar System by a factor of 4, leading to a massive increase in the likelihood of a devastating comet impact. However, this "alignment" takes place over tens of millions of years, and could never be timed to an exact date. Evidence shows that the Sun passed through the plane bisecting the galactic disc only three million years ago, and is now moving farther above it.

A third suggested alignment is a planetary conjunction on December 21, 2012. However, there will be no alignment of planets on that date.

Geomagnetic reversal Another idea involves a geomagnetic reversal (often incorrectly referred to as a polar shift by proponents of this hypothesis), which could be triggered by a massive solar flare, one with energy equal to 100 billion atomic bombs. This belief is supposedly supported by observations that the Earth's magnetic field is weakening, which indicates an impending reversal of the north and south magnetic poles. Scientists believe the Earth is overdue for a geomagnetic reversal, and has been for a long time, even since well before the time of the Mayans, because the last reversal was 780,000 years ago. Critics, however, claim geomagnetic reversals take up to 5,000 years to complete, and do not start on any particular date. Also, NOAA now predicts that the solar maximum will peak in 2013, not 2012, and that it will be fairly weak, with a below-average number of sunspots. In any case, there is no scientific evidence linking a solar maximum to a geomagnetic reversal. In particular, the planet's magnetic fields are caused and regulated by the spinning of the solid inner core inside the molten outer core, and so cannot be changed by something external to the planet such as a solar flare. A solar maximum would be mostly notable for its effects on satellite and cellular phone communications. NASA's David Morrison attributes the rise of the solar storm idea to physicist and science populariser Michio Kaku, who claimed in an interview with Fox News that a solar peak in 2012 could be disastrous for orbiting satellites.

Planet X/Nibiru Some proponents of doomsday in 2012 claim that a planet called Planet X or Nibiru will collide with or pass by Earth in that year. This idea, which has appeared in various forms within New Age circles since 1995, initially slated the event for 2003 but abandoned that date after it passed without incident. It originated from claims of channeling of alien beings and has been widely ridiculed. Astronomers calculate that such an object so close to Earth would be visible to anyone looking up at the night sky.

Web Bot project The Web Bot project is a series of automated bots that search the Internet for specific keywords, looking for patterns. Its co-creator, George Ure, states that its study of "web chatter" predicted the September 11 attacks in New York, though he also suggests that the project can predict natural disasters, such as earthquakes. He now asserts that the project has predicted that the world will end on December 21, 2012. Critics of these proposals argue that while the collective knowledge of humanity could possibly predict terrorist attacks, stock market crashes or other human-caused events, there is no way it could predict something like an earthquake or the end of the world.

Chapter- 3

Last Judgment

The Last Judgment by Lochner in the 15th century. The Last Judgment, Final Judgment, Day of Judgment, Judgment Day, or Day of the Lord in Christian theology, is the final and eternal judgment by God of all nations. It will take place after the resurrection of the dead and the Second Coming of Christ (Revelation 20:12–15). This belief has inspired numerous artistic depictions.

Sources The doctrine and iconographic depiction of the "Last Judgment" are drawn from many passages from the apocalyptic sections of the Bible. It appears most directly in The Sheep

and the Goats section of the Gospel of Matthew where the judgment is entirely based on help given or refused to "the least of these": When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates his sheep from the goats, and He will set the sheep on His right hand but the goats at the left. Then the king will say to those on His right hand, “Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you took Me in, I was naked and you clothed Me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.” ... “Assuredly,I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My Brethren, you did it to me.” Then He will also say to those on the left hand, “Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry and you gave Me no food, I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.” ... “Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.” And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life. (Matthew 25:31-36, 40-43, 45-46 NRSV) The doctrine is further supported by passages in the Books of Daniel, Isaiah and the Revelation: And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. (Rev 20:11-12)

Christ Pantokrator and the Last Judgement (mosaic, Baptistry of San Giovanni in Florence, c. 1300). Adherents of millennialism, mostly Protestant Christians, regard the two passages as describing separate events: the "sheep and goats" judgment will determine the final status of those persons alive at the end of the Tribulation, and the "Great White Throne" judgment will be the final condemnation of the unrighteous dead at the end of all time, after the end of the world and before the beginning of the eternal period described in the final two chapters of Revelation. Also, Matthew 3:10-12: Even now the axe is lying at the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. ‘I baptize you with water for repentance, but one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing-floor and will gather his wheat into the granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.’ Matthew 13:40-43:

Just as the weeds are collected and burned up with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all evildoers, and they will throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Let anyone with ears listen! Luke 12:4-5,49: ‘I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that can do nothing more. But I will warn you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him! ... ‘I came to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!

Christianity

Memling's Day of Judgement, 1467-1471.

Roman Catholicism Belief in the last judgment (sometime said universal judgment) is held firmly inside Roman Catholicism. Immediately upon death each soul undergoes the particular judgment, and depending upon the state of the person's soul, goes to heaven, purgatory, or hell. The last judgment will occur after the resurrection of the dead and the reuniting of a person's soul with own physical body. The Catholic Church teaches that at the time of the last judgment Christ will come in his glory, and all the angels with him, and in his presence the truth of each man's relationship with God will be laid bare, and each person who has ever lived will be judged with perfect justice. Those already in heaven will remain in heaven; those already in hell will remain in hell; and those in purgatory will be released into heaven. Following the last judgment, the bliss of heaven and the pains of hell will be perfected in that those present will also be capable of physical bliss/pain. After the last judgment the universe itself will be renewed with a new heaven and a new earth.

Eastern Orthodoxy

The last Judgment 17th-century icon from Lipie (Historic Museum in Sanok, Poland).

The Last Judgement, mural from Voroneţ Monastery, Romania. The Eastern Orthodox Church teaches that there are two judgments: the first, or "Particular" Judgment, is that experienced by each individual at the time of his or her death, at which time God will decide where the soul is to spend the time until the Second Coming of Christ. This judgment is generally believed to occur on the fortieth day after death. The second, "General" or "Final" Judgment will occur after the Second Coming. Although in modern times some have attempted to introduce the concept of Soul sleep into Orthodox thought about life after death, it has never been a part of traditional Orthodox teaching—in fact, it contradicts the Orthodox understanding of the intercession of the Saints. Eastern Orthodoxy teaches that salvation is bestowed by God as a free gift of Divine grace, which cannot be earned, and by which forgiveness of sins is available to all. However, the deeds done by each person is believed to affect how he will be judged, following the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats. How forgiveness is to be balanced against behavior is not well-defined in scripture, judgment in the matter being solely Christ's. Similarly, although Orthodoxy teaches that salvation is obtained only through Christ and his Church, the fate of those outside the Church at the Last Judgment is left to the mercy of God and is not declared.

The Last Judgement, 1904 Iconography The theme of the Last Judgment is extremely important in Orthodoxy. Traditionally, an Orthodox church will have a fresco or mosaic of the Last Judgment on the back (western) wall, so that the faithful, as they leave the services, are reminded that they will be judged by what they do during this earthly life. The icon of the Last Judgement traditionally depicts Christ Pantokrator, enthroned in glory on a white throne, surrounded by the Theotokos (Virgin Mary), John the Baptist, Apostles, saints and angels. Beneath the throne the scene is divided in half with the "mansions of the righteous" (John 14:2), i.e., those who have been saved to Jesus' right (the viewer's left); and the torments of those who have been damned to his left. Separating the two is the River of fire which proceeds from Jesus' left foot.

Hymnography The theme of the Last Judgment is found in the funeral and memorial hymnody of the Church, and is a major theme in the services during Great Lent. The second Sunday before the beginning of Great Lent is dedicated to the Last Judgment. It is also found in the hymns of the Octoechos used on Saturdays throughout the year.

Protestantism Amillennialism Amillennialism is common among some "mainline" Protestant denominations such as the Lutheran, Reformed and Anglican churches. Many, but not all, partial preterists are amillennialists. Amillennialism declined in Protestant circles with the rise of Postmillennialism and the resurgence of Premillennialism in the 18th and 19th centuries, but it has regained prominence in the West after World War II. Lutheranism

Lutherans do not believe in any sort of earthly millennial kingdom of Christ either before or after his second coming on the last day. On the last day, all the dead will be resurrected. Their souls will then be reunited with the same bodies they had before dying. The bodies will then be changed, those of the wicked to a state of everlasting shame and torment, those of the righteous to an everlasting state of celestial glory. After the resurrection of all the dead, and the change of those still living, all nations shall be gathered before Christ, and he will separate the righteous from the wicked. Christ will publicly judge all people by the testimony of their faith, the good works of the righteous in evidence of their faith, and the evil works of the wicked in evidence of their unbelief. He will judge in righteousness in the presence of all and men and angels, and his final judgement will be just damnation to everlasting punishment for the wicked and a gracious gift of life everlasting to the righteous.

Millennialism

William Blake's Vision of the Last Judgment 1808 Particularly among those Protestant groups who adhere to a millennialist eschatology, the Last Judgment is said to be carried out before the Great White Throne by Jesus Christ to either eternal life or eternal consciousness in the lake of fire at the end of time. Salvation is granted by grace based on the individual's surrender and commitment to Jesus Christ. A second particular judgment they refer to as the Bema Seat judgement occurs after (or as) salvation is discerned when awards are granted based on works toward heavenly treasures. What happens after death and before the final judgment is hotly contested; some believe all people sleep in Sheol until the resurrection, others believe Christians dwell in Heaven and pagans wander the earth, and others consider the time to pass instantaneously. Nevertheless, the body is not fully redeemed until after Death is destroyed after the Great Tribulation.

Protestant Millennialism falls into roughly two categories: Premillennialist (Christ's second coming precedes the millennium) and Postmillennialist (which sees Christ's second coming as occurring after the millennium). Dispensational premillennialism generally holds that Israel and the Church are separate. It also widely holds to the pretribulational return of Christ, which believes that Jesus will return before a seven year Tribulation followed by an additional return of Christ with his saints.

Esoteric Christian tradition

The Last Judgment by Michelangelo

Although the Last Judgment is preached by a great part of Christian mainstream churches; the Esoteric Christian tradition—composed, among others, by the Essenian and Rosicrucians—the Spiritualist movement, which includes Christian Science, and some liberal theologies reject the traditional conception of the Last Judgment as inconsistent with an all-just and loving God, in favor of some form of universal salvation. The Western Wisdom Teachings of the Rosicrucians teach that when the Day of Christ comes, marking the end of the current fifth or Aryan epoch, the human race will have to pass a final examination or last judgment, where, as in the Days of Noah, the chosen ones or pioneers, the sheep, will be separated from the goats or stragglers, by being carried forward into the next evolutionary period, inheriting the ethereal conditions of the New Galilee in the making. Nevertheless, it is emphasized that all beings of the human evolution will ultimately be saved in a distant future as they acquire a superior grade of consciousness and altruism. At the present period, the process of human evolution is conducted by means of successive rebirths in the physical world and the salvation is seen as being mentioned in Revelation 3:12 (KJV), which states "Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God and he shall go no more out". However, this western esoteric tradition states—like those who have had a near-death experience—that after the death of the physical body, at the end of each physical lifetime and after the life review period (which occurs before the silver cord is broken), it occurs a judgment, more akin to a Final Review or End Report over one's life, where the life of the subject is fully evaluated and scrutinized. This judgment is seen as being mentioned in Hebrews 9:27, which states that "it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment".

Artistic representations In art, the Last Judgment is a common theme in medieval and renaissance religious iconography. Like most early iconographic innovations, its origins stem from Byzantium. In Western Christianity, it is often the subject depicted on the central tympanum of medieval cathedrals and churches, or as the central section of a triptych, flanked by depictions of heaven and hell to the left and right, respectively (heaven being to the viewer's left, but to the Christ figure's right). Often the damned disappear into a Hellmouth, the mouth of a huge monster, an image of Anglo-Saxon origin. The most famous Renaissance depiction is Michelangelo Buonarroti's The Last Judgment in the Sistine Chapel. Included in this fresco is his self portrait, as St. Bartholomew's flayed skin.

The Last Judgment and the Day of Atonement Some Bible teachers have considered that the Day of Atonement, a future tenth day of Tishrei on the Hebrew calendar, may well mark the last day of this present age. It would be that "day of reckoning" just before the return of the Messiah.

Chapter- 4

Resurrection of the Dead

Detail from a North Mississippi Christian cemetery headstone with the common inscription: May the resurrection find thee On the bosom of thy God Judaism, Christianity, Islam and Zoroastrianism all variously describe a resurrection of the dead, usually referring to a regeneration of all people to face God on Judgment Day.

Christianity Most Christian denominations teach the concept of eternal life after death, provided through the atonement of Christ as demonstrated by the Resurrection of Jesus. Contrary to the idea of the separation of soul and body the fundamental tenet of Christian doctrine is the resurrection of the flesh at the End Times. The centrality of this idea for Christian doctrine is early stated in 1 Corinthians 15 by Paul the Apostle: 51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. and re-emphasised in Nicene Creed, which contains two resurrection clauses within its short length: 

Jesus "was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, and suffered, and was buried, and the third day he rose again, according to the Scriptures, and ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of the Father;



believers "look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come."

Resurrection of the Flesh (c. 1500) by Luca Signorelli - based on 1 Corinthians 15: 52: "the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed." Chapel of San Brizio, Duomo, Orvieto. The Christian writers Irenaeus and Justin Martyr, in the 2nd Century, wrote against the idea that only the soul survived. Martyr insists that a man is both soul and body and Christ has promised to raise both, just as his own body was raised. He wrote: "Seeing as ... the Saviour in the whole Gospel shows that there is salvation for the flesh, why do we any longer endure those unbelieving and dangerous arguments, and fail to see that we are retrograding when we listen to such an argument as this: that the soul is immortal, but the body mortal, and incapable of being revived? For this we used to hear from Pythagoras and Plato, even before we learned the truth. If then the Saviour said this, and proclaimed salvation to the soul alone, what new thing, beyond what we heard from Pythagoras and Plato and all their band, did He bring us? But now He has come proclaiming the glad tidings of a new and strange hope to men." While the Christian doctrine of resurrection conforms to Jewish belief, there is, however, a minority point of view, held by certain Jewish mystics and others, which asserts that those Jewish beliefs are in contradiction with the resurrection as taught by Isaiah (Isaiah 8:16 and 26:19) and Daniel (12:1 and 13) in which the resurrection was understood as being a doctrine of physical 'Rebirth'.

Jesus appears to have been in general agreement with the position held by the Pharisees, as illustrated by his response to a question regarding marriage at the resurrection (Matthew 22:23-32, Mark 12:18-27 and Luke 20:27-40). Most Christian churches continue to uphold the belief that there will be a general resurrection of the dead at "the end of time", as described Paul when he said, "...he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world..." (Acts 17:31 KJV) and "...there shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjust." (Acts 24:15 KJV). Many of the early Church Fathers cited the Old Testament examples listed in the Judaism section above as either foreshadowing Jesus's resurrection, or foreshadowing or prophesying a future resurrection of all the dead.

In Roman Catholicism According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church the body after resurrection is changed in a spiritual, imperishable body: 999 How? Christ is raised with his own body: "See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself";553 but he did not return to an earthly life. So, in him, "all of them will rise again with their own bodies which they now bear," but Christ "will change our lowly body to be like his glorious body," into a "spiritual body":554

In Lutheranism Although Martin Luther personally believed and taught resurrection of the dead in combination with soul sleep, this is not a mainstream teaching of Lutheranism and most Lutherans traditionally believe in resurrection of the body in combination with the immortal soul. According to the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS), on the last day, all the dead will be resurrected. Their souls will then be reunited with the same bodies they had before dying. The bodies will then be changed, those of the wicked to a state of everlasting shame and torment, those of the righteous to an everlasting state of celestial glory.

In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints According to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day saints all those who have lived on the earth will be resurrected, regardless of their righteousness. Those who are righteous will be resurrected at the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. This is referred to as the First Resurrection (Rev. 20:4 KJV). Those who are not righteous will remain until the end of the Millennium, and then resurrected (Rev. 20:5 KJV). Before the resurrection, souls are believed to exist in a place known as the spirit world, which is similar to the traditional concept of Heaven and Hell. It is believed that the soul retains it's wants, beliefs, and desires in the afterlife. (1 Pet. 3:19 KJV)

The resurrection is believed to unite the soul with the body again. It is commonly believed by the LDS members that the body will be made whole and become incorruptible, meaning immortal. According to LDS doctrine, Jesus Christ was the first to be resurrected into incorruptibility, however some who had died were shortly resurrected afterward (Matt. 27:52-53 KJV). There is also a belief in Mormon doctrine that a few exceptional individuals were removed from the earth without tasting of death. This is referred to as translation, and these individuals are believed to have retained their bodies even into the next life. Enoch (Gen. 5:24 KJV), Moses (Deut. 34:5-6 KJV), and Elijah (2 Kings 2:11 KJV) would be a few examples of this.

New Testament teachings There is some disagreement as to what constitutes resurrection, as different scriptures in the New Testament have been cited in different fashion. One of these arguments centers around whether a soul is immortal and non-physical, or whether it is merely physical, or whether it constitutes a union of spirit and body. Similar arguments were made among Jewish sects in the days of Christ. According to an account in the Book of Luke, after Christ's resurrection he said to his apostles, "handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have." Luke 24:39 In the Gospel of John Jesus tells Mary "Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father." John 20:17 Such permission to touch or touch not can seem in conflict with a corporeal nature. However we find another possible take in Paul's teachings: "...our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel". 2 Timothy 1:10 According to the New Testament, Jesus argued with the Sadducees over the doctrine of the resurrection. These passages are Mark 12:18-27, Matthew 22:23-33, Luke 20:27–40. The Sign of Jonah (Matthew 12:38-42, 16:1-4, Luke 11:29-32, cf. Mark 8:11-13) may be about the resurrection of the dead. From the Scholars Version translation of Matthew 12:38-42: "...At judgment time, the citizens of Ninevah will come back to life along with this generation ... At judgment time, the queen of the south will be brought back to life along with this generation ..." The "resurrection of the righteous" is mentioned at Luke 14:14. The "resurrection at the last day" is mentioned at John 11:24-25. In Acts of the Apostles, the Apostles and Paul of Tarsus argued in support of the doctrine: 4:2, 17:32, 23:6-8, 24:15, 24:21. In 1 Corinthians 15:13 Paul argues: "If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised." 2 Timothy 2:18 warns of some "who have wandered away from the truth. They say that the resurrection has already taken place, and they destroy the faith of some."

Additional cites are Romans 8:11; 1 Corinthians 6:14; 15:12-13; 2 Corinthians 4:14; 2 Corinthians 5:1-2; Philippians 3:21; 1 Thessalonians 4:12-16; 2 Timothy 2:11; Hebrews 6:2.

Beliefs Timing    

Simultaneous both of the just and the unjust The just are resurrected before the unjust Only the just are resurrected Timed with the Rapture

Method The qualities of the resurrected body will be different from those of the body laid in the grave, but its identity will nevertheless be preserved; it will still be the same body which rises again. End state of resurrected person    

only spiritual, a body adapted to the use of the soul in its glorified state, and to all the conditions of the heavenly state physical and spiritual resurrection glorious, incorruptible, and powerful like unto the glorified body of Jesus, based on the power and gift of His atonement

According to the Summa Theologica, spiritual beings that have been restored to glorified bodies will have the following basic qualities:    

Impassibility (immortal / painless) — immunity from death and pain Subtility (permeability) — freedom from restraint by matter Agility — obedience to spirit with relation to movement and space (the ability to move through space and time with the speed of thought) Clarity — resplendent beauty of the soul manifested in the body (as when Jesus was transfigured on Mount Tabor)

Conditional immortality Several churches, such as the Seventh-day Adventist Church, Christadelphians, Jehovah's Witnesses, and theologians of different traditions dismiss the idea of the immortality of a non-physical soul as a vestige of Neoplatonism, and other pagan traditions. In this school of thought, the dead remain dead (and do not immediately progress to a Heaven, Hell, or Purgatory) until a physical resurrection of the dead occurs at the end of time. Some

groups, Christadelphians in particular, consider that it is at this time of resurrection that the Last Judgment will take place.

Modern de-emphasis Early church fathers defended the resurrection of the dead against the pagan belief that the immortal soul went to the underworld immediately after death. Currently, however, it is a popular Christian belief that the souls of the righteous do go straight to heaven. At the close of the medieval period, the modern era brought a shift in Christian thinking from an emphasis on the resurrection of the body back to the immortality of the soul. This shift was a result of a change in the zeitgeist, as a reaction to the renaissance and later to the enlightenment. Dartigues has observed that especially “from the 17th to the 19th century, the language of popular piety no longer evoked the resurrection of the soul but everlasting life. Although theological textbooks still mentioned resurrection, they dealt with it as a speculative question more than as an existential problem.” This shift was supported not by any scripture, but largely by the popular religion of the Enlightenment, deism. Deism allowed for a supreme being, such as the philosophical first cause, but denied any significant personal or relational interaction with this figure. Deism, which was largely lead by rationality and reason, could allow a belief in the immortality of the soul, but not necessarily in the resurrection of the dead. American deist Ethan Allen demonstrates this thinking in his work, Reason the Only Oracle of Man (1784) where he argues in the preface that nearly every philosophical problem is beyond humanity’s understanding, including the miracles of Christianity, although he does allow for the immortality of an immaterial soul. This is not to say that a belief in eternal life in heaven is contradictory to belief in the resurrection of the body. Most evangelicals believe that those who die in Christ go to be with Christ in heaven. But then at the second coming of Christ, there will be a rapture of all believers, including who have already died. ("For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord." 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17) It is at the point of rapture that the souls of dead believers become reunited with their bodies. Then all believers will continue to live with Christ in their glorified, physical bodies. They will be both body and soul, as humans were originally created. Interviewed by Time in 2008 senior Anglican bishop and theologian N.T. Wright spoke of “the idea of bodily resurrection that people deny when they talk about their ‘souls going to Heaven,'" adding: “I've often heard people say, ‘I'm going to heaven soon, and I won't need this stupid body there, thank goodness.’ That's a very damaging distortion, all the more so for being unintentional.” Instead, Wright explains: “In the Bible we are told that you die, and enter an intermediate state." This is "conscious," but "compared to being bodily alive, it will be like being asleep." This will be followed by the resurrrection into

new bodies, he says. "Our culture is very interested in life after death, but the New Testament is much more interested in what I've called the life after life after death." Early 20th century American preacher Billy Sunday epitomizes the focus on "going to heaven" in his sermon “Heaven: A Wonderful Place; Where There is No More Death; Blessed Hope of the Christian.” In the message Sunday characteristically explained the feelings of his audience by saying “Everybody wants to go to Heaven. We are all curious. We want to know, where Heaven is, how it looks, who are there, what they wear, and how to get there!” Sunday speaks of many aspects of the afterlife such as the nice weather and eternal health, although there is no mention of the resurrection of the dead. He ends with an illustration about a man who dies and goes to heaven exclaiming “Home, home at last!” as if he had arrived at the end of his eschatological journey. The emphasis on the immortality of the soul in heaven instead of the resurrection of the dead continues largely in the 21st century through popular charismatic and evangelical preaching. Jesus is often spoken of as “the way to heaven” and personal eschatology is generally seen in terms of whether or not a person gets into heaven when they die, rather than how they will fare at the resurrection of the dead. However, there are many theologians, such as Thomas Oden, popular Christian writers, such as Randy Alcorn and Christian scholars, such as the Anglican Bishop of Durham, N.T. Wright who have defended the primacy of the resurrection in Christian faith.

Influence on secular law and custom Formerly, it was widely believed that to rise on judgement day the body had to be whole and preferably buried with the feet to the east so that the person would rise facing God. A Parliamentary Act from the reign of King Henry VIII stipulated that only the corpses of executed murderers could be used for dissection. Restricting the supply to the cadavers of murderers was seen as an extra punishment for the crime. If one believes dismemberment stopped the possibility of resurrection of an intact body on judgement day, then a posthumous execution is an effective way of punishing a criminal. Attitudes towards this issue changed very slowly in the United Kingdom and were not manifested in law until the passing of the Anatomy Act in 1832. For much of the British population it was not until the 20th century that the link between the body and resurrection was finally broken as cremation was only made legal in 1902.

Islam Yawm al-Qayāmah (Arabic: ‫ ﻳﻮم اﻟﻘﻴﺎﻣﺔ‬literally: "Day of the Resurrection") is the Last Judgment in Islam. Belief in Qayaamah is part of Aqeedah ("creed") and is a fundamental tenet of faith in Islam. The trials and tribulations associated with it are detailed in both the Qur'an and the Hadith, as well as in the commentaries of the Islamic expositors and scholarly authorities such as al-Ghazali, Ibn Kathir, Ibn Majah, Muhammad al-Bukhari, and Ibn Khuzaimah who explain them in detail. Every human, Muslim and non-Muslim alike, is held accountable for his or her deeds and are judged by Allah accordingly (Qur'an 74.38). Al-Qayaamah is the 75th surah of the Qur'an.

Judaism The Sadducees did not believe in an afterlife, but the Pharisees believed in a literal resurrection of the body. Resurrections of dead people are found in the Tanakh, such as Elijah and the widow's son at Zarephath: "Behold your son lives."; Elisha and the Shunammite woman: "Take up your son". . and contact with Elisha's bones reviving a dead man: "as the man touched the bones of Elisha, he revived, and stood up on his feet". 2 Kings 13:21 Ezekiel's Vision in the Valley of Dry Bones reads, "Thus says the Lord YHWH to these bones: Behold, I will cause Ruach (breath/spirit) to enter into you, and you shall live.". Orthodox Judaism holds belief in resurrection to be one of the cardinal principles of Rabbinical Judaism. Jewish halakhic authority Maimonides set down thirteen main principles of the Jewish faith which have ever since been printed in all Rabbinic Siddur (prayer books). Resurrection is the thirteenth principle: "I believe with complete (perfect) faith, that there will be techiat hameitim revival of the dead, whenever it will be God's, blessed be He, will (desire) to arise and do so. May (God's) Name be blessed, and may His remembrance arise, forever and ever."

Zoroastrianism The Magi rulers, who according to the Gospels came to worship the infant Jesus, were followers of Zoroaster. Zoroastrianism includes a prophecy that the dead will be raised and judged at the end of time. The world will be purified and all creation will be reconciled to God.

Speculative physics Professor of Physics Frank J. Tipler has claimed in his Omega Point theory that in the distant future a civilisation may develop such advanced computational abilities as to have god-like power over the entire universe and bring back the dead from past history into what will effectively be a paradise.

Chapter- 5

Millennialism

Millennialism (from millennium, Latin for "thousand years"), or chiliasm in Greek, is a belief held by some Christian denominations that there will be a Golden Age or Paradise on Earth in which "Christ will reign" for 1000 years prior to the final judgment and future eternal state (the New Heavens and New Earth). This belief is derived primarily from the book of Revelation 20:1-6. Millennialism as such is a specific form of Millenarianism. Among Christians who hold this belief, this is not the "end of the world", but rather the penultimate age, the age just prior to the end of the world when the present heavens and earth will flee away (Rev. 21:1). Some believe that between the millennium proper and the end of the world there will be a brief period in which a final battle with Satan will take place. After this follows the Last Judgment. Millennialism is also a doctrine of medieval Zoroastrianism concerning successive thousand-year periods, each of which will end in a cataclysm of heresy and destruction, until the final destruction of evil and of the spirit of evil by a triumphant king of peace at the end of the final millennial age (supposed by some to be the year 2000). "Then Saoshyant makes the creatures again pure, and the resurrection and future existence occur" (Zand-i Vohuman Yasht 3:62). Various other social and political movements, both religious and secular, have also been linked to millennialist metaphors by scholars.

Early church and premillennialism (chiliasm) If millenarian beliefs have fallen into disfavor in Mainstream Christian theology today, this was not the case during the Early Christian centuries. At least during the first four centuries, millennialism was normative in both East and West. Tertullian, Commodian, Lactantius, Methodius, and Apollinaris of Laodicea all advocated premillennial doctrine. In addition, according to religious scholar the Rev. Dr. Francis Nigel Lee the following is true, "Justin's 'Occasional Chiliasm' sui generis which was strongly antipretribulationistic was followed possibly by Pothinus in A.D. 175 and more probably (around 185) by Irenaeus -- although Justin Martyr, discussing his own premillennial beliefs in his Dialogue with Trypho the Jew, Chapter 110, observed that they were not necessary to Christians:

I admitted to you formerly, that I and many others are of this opinion, and [believe] that such will take place, as you assuredly are aware; but, on the other hand, I signified to you that many who belong to the pure and pious faith, and are true Christians, think otherwise." Melito of Sardis is frequently listed as a second century proponent of premillennialism. The support usually given for the supposition is that Jerome [Comm. on Ezek. 36 ] and Gennadius [De Dogm. Eccl., Ch. 52] both affirm that he was a decided millenarian.” In the early third century, Hippolytus of Rome wrote: And 6, 000 years must needs be accomplished, in order that the Sabbath may come, the rest, the holy day "on which God rested from all His works." For the Sabbath is the type and emblem of the future kingdom of the saints, when they "shall reign with Christ," when He comes from heaven, as John says in his Apocalypse: for "a day with the Lord is as a thousand years." Since, then, in six days God made all things, it follows that 6, 000 years must be fulfilled (Hippolytus. On the HexaËmeron, Or Six Days' Work. From Fragments from Commentaries on Various Books of Scripture). Around 220, there were some similar influences on Tertullian though only with very important and extremely optimistic (if not perhaps even postmillennial modifications and implications). On the other hand, 'Christian Chiliastic' ideas were indeed advocated in 240 by Commodian; in 250 by the Egyptian Bishop Nepos in his Refutation of Allegorists; in 260 by the almost unknown Coracion; and in 310 by Lactantius. Into the late fourth century, the Bishop known as Ambrose of Milan had millennial leanings (Ambrose of Milan. Book II. On the Belief in the Resurrection, verse 108). The first known opponent of Christian chiliasm was Marcion, in the 2nd century, who most Christians feel was an early heretic (Brown HOJ. Heresies: Heresy and Orthodoxy in the History of the Church. Hendrickson Publishers, Peabody (MA), 1988, p. 65). The Catholic Encyclopedia noted that in the 2nd century proponents of "Gnosticism rejected millenarianism"(Kirsch J.P. Transcribed by Donald J. Boon. Millennium and Millenarianism. The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume X. Copyright © 1911 by Robert Appleton Company. Online Edition Copyright © 2003 by K. Knight. Nihil Obstat, October 1, 1911. Remy Lafort, S.T.D., Censor. Imprimatur. +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York). Chiliasm was, however, according to the interpretation of non-chiliasts, condemned as a heresy in the 4th century by the Church, which included the phrase whose Kingdom shall have no end in the Nicene Creed in order to rule out the idea of a Kingdom of God which would last for only 1000 literal years. Despite some writers' belief in millennialism, it was a decided minority view, as expressed in the nearly universal condemnation of the doctrine over a gradual period of time, beginning with Augustine of Hippo. It is

vigorously disputed whether or not caesaropapism had a role in the virtual annihilation of millennialism from the 4th Century onwards. Millennialism is strongly rejected as a heresy by the Orthodox Church. In AD 230, the Synod of Iconium declared that baptisms performed by the Montanist sect were invalid. The Ecumenical Council of Constantinople in AD 381 supported the Synod of Iconium and further declared millennialism to be a heresy. In a letter to Queen Gerberga of France around 950, Adso of Montier-en-Der established the idea of a "last World Emperor" who would conquer non-Christians before the arrival of the Antichrist.

AD 1000 There have been many claims that a millennial panic gripped Europe in the years approaching AD 1000. Historians disagree over the veracity of these claims, with some arguing these stories were first told hundreds of years later, and others arguing the Catholic Church intentionally suppressed writings which could have stirred up a panic over the end of the world. A variety of different calendars were in use in Europe at the time, with the Anno Domini system adopted primarily only in England and France.

Reformation and beyond

Comparison of Christian millennial interpretations Christian views on the future order of events diversified after the Protestant reformation (c.1517). In particular, new emphasis was placed on the passages in the Book of Revelation which seemed to say that Satan would be locked away for 1000 years, but then released on the world in a final battle (Rev. 20:1-6). Previous Catholic and Orthodox theologians had no clear or consensus view on what this actually meant (only the concept of an end of the world coming unexpected, "like a thief in a night", and the concept of "the antichrist" were almost universally held). Millennialist theories try to explain what this "1000 years of Satan in chains" would be like.

Various types of millennialism exist with regard to Christian Eschatology, especially within Protestantism, such as Premillennialism, Postmillennialism, and Amillennialism. The first two refer to different views of the relationship between the "millennial Kingdom" and Christ's second coming. Premillennialism sees Christ's second advent as preceding the millennium, thereby separating the second coming from the final judgment. In this view, "Christ's reign" will be physical. Postmillennialism sees Christ's second coming as subsequent to the millennium and consequent with the final judgment. In this view "Christ's reign" (during the millennium) will be spiritual in and through the church. Amillennialism basically denies a future literal 1000 year Kingdom and sees the church age metaphorically described in Rev. 20:1-6. In this view, "Christ's reign" is current in and through the church. The Catholic Church now strongly condemns millennialism as the following shows: The Antichrist's deception already begins to take shape in the world every time the claim is made to realize within history that messianic hope which can only be realized beyond history through the eschatological judgment. The Church has rejected even modified forms of this falsification of the kingdom to come under the name of millenarianism, especially the "intrinsically perverse" political form of a secular messianism. (Catechism of the Catholic Church. Imprimatur Potest +Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger (The Current Pope). Doubleday, NY 1995, p. 194).

Pre-Christianity Although never officially recognized by the Catholic Church, millennialism, which had clearly already existed in Jewish thought , received a new interpretation and fresh impetus with the arrival of Christianity. A millennium is a period of one thousand years, and, in particular, Christ's thousand-year rule on this earth, either directly preceding or immediately following the Second Coming (and the Day of Judgement). The millennium reverses the previous period of evil and suffering; it rewards the virtuous for their courage while punishing the evil-doers, with a clear separation of saints and sinners. The vision of a thousand-year period of bliss for the faithful, to be enjoyed here on earth ("heaven on earth"), exerted an irresistible power. Although the picture of life in the millennial era is almost willfully obscure and hardly more appealing than that of, say, the Golden Age, what has made the millennium much more powerful than the Golden Age or Paradise myths are the activities of the sects and movements that it has inspired. Throughout the ages, hundreds of sects were convinced that the millennium was imminent, about to begin in the very near future, with precise dates given on many occasions. Premillennial sects look for signs of Christ's imminent return. Other chiliast sects, such as the prophetic Anabaptist followers of Thomas Müntzer, have believed that the millennium had already begun, with only their own members having realized this fact. Consequently, they have attempted to live out their own vision of millennial life, radically overturning the beliefs and practices of the surrounding society. In doing so,

they offered a model of the good life and expressed their hope that soon the rest of the world would follow and live like they did.

Transition Millennial sects have typically believed that the transition from the present age to the millennium would be anything but smooth, with the Antichrist having to be defeated and Jesus' reign on earth having to be established. Millennial theories differ as to whether the battle with the Antichrist will occur before or after the 1000 years. Based on Revelation 20:3, some believe Satan's "Millennial Rebellion" will occur after the 1000 year peace. On the other hand, those who did not believe in the millennium also imagined the end of the world as chaotic and catastrophic. The word Apocalypse has been used for this final phase of human history as we know it, with Armageddon as the site of the last decisive battle on the Day of Judgement instead of the battle that starts the Millennial kingdom. An (or the) Apocalypse [from Greek apo "off", "from", "away", "un-" and kalyptein "cover"] is, 

in the Judeo-Christian tradition, a revelation of God's purposes with the main intention of encouraging an oppressed and suffering minority to have faith in God and of proclaiming his ultimate triumph;



in particular, the revelation of the future granted to John of the isle of Patmos, the author of the Bible's book of Revelation. Many consider this to be the same person as St John (one of the four evangelists), but this is now widely disputed by scholars. Revelation was written in Greek in the 1st century AD and burning with the conviction that the world is about to be destroyed and that Christ's Second Coming is at hand;



hence, the last book of the New Testament (the "Revelation of St John", the Book of Revelation), which contains it;



hence, the total destruction and end of the world.

The Book of Revelation is not easy to interpret. Numerous painters and sculptors have produced works of art dealing with the Apocalypse. For example, they portrayed the four horsemen of the Apocalypse, symbolizing pestilence, war, famine, and death.

Utopianism The early Christian concept had ramifications far beyond strictly religious concern during the centuries to come, as it was blended and enhanced with ideas of utopia.

In the wake of early millennial thinking, the Three Ages philosophy (Drei-ReicheLehre) developed. The Italian monk and theologian Joachim of Fiore (died 1202) claimed that all of human history was a succession of three ages: 1. the Age of the Father (the Old Testament) 2. the Age of the Son (the New Testament) 3. the Age of the Holy Spirit (the age begun when Christ ascended into heaven, leaving the Paraclete, the third person of the Holy Trinity, to guide) It was believed that the Age of the Holy Spirit would begin at around 1260, and that from then on all believers would be living as monks, mystically transfigured and full of praise for God, for a thousand years until Judgement Day would put an end to the history of our planet. In the Modern Era, with the impact of religion on everyday life gradually decreasing and eventually almost vanishing , some of the concepts of millennial thinking have found their way into various secular ideas, usually in the form of a belief that a certain historical event will fundamentally change human society (or has already done so). For example, the French Revolution seemed to many to be ushering in the millennial age of reason. Also, the philosophies of Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel (1770–1831) and Karl Marx (1818–1883) carried strong millennial overtones. As late as 1970, Yale law teacher Charles A. Reich coined the term "Consciousness III" in his best seller The Greening of America, in which he spoke of a new age ushered in by the hippie generation. However, these secular theories generally have little or nothing to do with the original millennial thinking, or with each other.

Judaism There is a not dissimilar belief in Judaism. Time is split into 3 periods (1) The world started in year 1 (= 3761 BCE), the epoch. For almost two thousand years there was nothing, most people were idolatrous and God's presence was not seen in the world. (2) In 1812 BCE, 1948 in Jewish years, Abraham was born. The birth of the first forefather heralded two thousand years of Godliness. This is the period of the Bible, the first and second temples in Jerusalem etc. (3) In 70 CE the Second Temple in Jerusalem was destroyed, and after the Bar Kokhba revolt, Jews were barred from Jerusalem except for the day of Tisha B'av. This started a further two thousand years of non-Godliness. Some Jews believe that the Messiah must come before the end of this period which should end in about 2270 CE.

Jehovah's Witnesses Jehovah's Witnesses believe that Christ will rule as king over the earth for a 1000 year along with 144,000 holy ones, as part of his heavenly kingdom. This will happen after the distruction of the wicked at armaggedon.

Nazism The most controversial interpretation of the Three Ages philosophy and of millennialism in general is Hitler's "Third Reich" ("Drittes Reich", "Tausendjähriges Reich"), which, in his vision, would last for a thousand years - but which in reality only lasted for 12 years (1933–1945). The phrase "Third Reich" was coined by the German thinker Arthur Moeller van den Bruck, who in 1923 published a book entitled Das Dritte Reich, which eventually became a catchphrase that survived the Nazi regime. Looking back at German history, two periods were distinguished, and identified with the ages of Joachim of Fiore:  

the Holy Roman Empire (beginning with Charlemagne in AD 800) -- (the "First Reich"), --The Age of the Father and the German Empire -- under the Hohenzollern dynasty (1871–1918) (the "Second Reich") -- The Age of the Son.

These were now to be followed—after the interval of the Weimar Republic (1918–1933), during which constitutionalism, parliamentarism and even pacifism ruled—by: 

the "Third Reich" -- The Age of the Holy Ghost.

Although van den Bruck was unimpressed by Adolf Hitler when he met him in 1922 and did not join the Nazi Party, nevertheless the phrase was adopted by the Nazis to describe the totalitarian state they wanted to set up when they gained power, which they succeeded in doing in 1933. During the early part of the Third Reich, many Germans referred to Hitler as being the German Messiah, especially when he conducted the Nuremberg Rallies, which came to be held at a date somewhat before the Autumn Equinox in Nuremberg, Germany. In a speech held on 27 November 1937, Hitler commented on his plans to have major parts of Berlin torn down and rebuilt: [...] einem tausendjährigen Volk mit tausendjähriger geschichtlicher und kultureller Vergangenheit für die vor ihm liegende unabsehbare Zukunft eine ebenbürtige tausendjährige Stadt zu bauen [...]. [...] to build a millennial city adequate [in splendour] to a thousand year old people with a thousand year old historical and cultural past, for its never-ending [glorious] future [...] It may be of interest to note that after it was clear that Adolf Hitler was not going to successfully implement a thousand year reign, that the Vatican issued a statement that millennial claims could not be safely taught and that the related scriptures in Revelation

(also called the Apocalypse) should be understood spiritually. Catholic author Bernard LeFrois wrote: Millenium [sic]: Since the Holy Office decreed (July 21, 1944) that it cannot safely be taught that Christ at His Second Coming will reign visibly with only some of His saints (risen from the dead) for a period of time before the final and universal judgment, a spiritual millennium is seen in Apoc. 20:4-6. St. John gives a spiritual recapitulation of the activity of Satan, and the spiritual reign of the saints with Christ in heaven and in His Church on earth (LeFrois, Bernard J. Eschatological Interpretation of the Apocalypse. The Catholic Biblical Quarterly, Vol. XIII, pp. 17-20; Cited in Culleton RG. The Reign of Antichrist, 1951. Reprint TAN Books, Rockford (IL), 1974, p. 9).

Theosophy The Theosophist Alice A. Bailey taught that Christ (in her books she refers to the powerful spiritual being best known by Theosophists as Maitreya as The Christ or The World Teacher, not as Maitreya) would return “sometime after AD 2025”, and that this would be the New Age equivalent of the Christian concept of the Second Coming of Christ. Alice A. Bailey stated that St. Germain (referred to by Alice A. Bailey in her books as The Master Rakoczi or The Master R.) is the manager of the executive council of the Christ. According to Alice A. Bailey, when Christ returns, he will stay the entire approximately 2,000 years period of the Age of Aquarius, and thus the New Age equivalent of the Millennial Age, when Maitreya will reign as the spiritual leader of Earth as the Messiah who will bring World Peace, will not be just a single millennium but will be the Aquarian bimillennium.

Social movements Millennial social movements are a specific form of Millenarianism that are based on some concept of a one thousand year cycle. Sometimes the two terms are used as synonyms, but this is not entirely accurate for a purist. Millennial social movements need not be religious, but they must have a vision of an apocalypse that can be utopian or dystopian.

Chapter- 6

End Time

The End Time, End Times, or End of Days are the eschatological writings in the three Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam) and in doomsday scenarios in various other non-Abrahamic religions. In Christianity, the End Times are often depicted as a time of tribulation that precedes the Second Coming of the Christian "saviour" or a "hoped-for deliverer", Jesus, the Christian Messiah, who will usher in the Kingdom of God and bring an end to suffering and evil. In Islam, Yawm al-Qiyāmah "the Day of Resurrection" or Yawm ad-Din "the Day of Judgement", Allah's final assessment of humanity, is preceded by the end of the world. In Judaism the term "End of Days" is taken from the Tanakh, Numbers 24:4, as a reference to the Messianic era and the Jewish belief in the coming of Mashiach and the World to Come. Various other religions also have eschatological beliefs associated with turning and redemption.

Judaism In Judaism, End Times are usually called The End of Days (aḥarit ha-yamim, ‫תירחא‬ ‫)םימיה‬, a phrase that appears several times in the Tanakh. Though the idea of a messianic age has a prominent place in Jewish thought, it is not a pre-ordained event but rather brought about by religious observance and good deeds. The term may refer to a number of interwoven themes:     

Jewish messianism The ingathering of the exiles The land of Israel will turn from a desert into a garden, flourishing with fruits Rebuilding of the Temple Animal sacrifice or Korban



The World to Come (Olam Haba) is an ambiguous term that may refer to the afterlife, the messianic world, or the life of the resurrected.

End of Days recorded in the Tanakh: Tumultuous events will overturn the old world order, as is recorded in the following passages from the Old Testament (Tanakh):

Deuteronomy 4:29-39 (King James Version): But if from thence thou shalt seek the LORD thy GOD, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul. When thou art in tribulation, and all these things are come upon thee, even in the latter days, if thou turn to the LORD thy God, and shalt be obedient unto his voice; (For the LORD thy God is a merciful God;) he will not forsake thee, neither destroy thee, nor forget the covenant of thy fathers which he sware unto them. For ask now of the days that are past, which were before thee, since the day that God created man upon the earth, and ask from the one side of heaven unto the other, whether there hath been any such thing as this great thing is, or hath been heard like it? Did ever people hear the voice of God speaking out of the midst of the fire, as the seas turn black and feel like mud, and all will know the wrath and atonement of their sins? Or hath God assayed to go and take him a nation from the midst of another nation, by temptations, by signs, and by wonders, and by war, and by a mighty hand, and by a stretched out arm, and by great terrors, according to all that the LORD your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes? Unto thee it was shewed, that thou mightest know that the LORD he is God; there is none else beside him. Out of heaven he made thee to hear his voice, that he might instruct thee: and upon earth he shewed thee his great fire; and thou heardest his words out of the midst of the fire. And because he loved thy fathers, therefore he chose their seed after them, and brought thee out in his sight with his mighty power out of Egypt; to drive out nations from before thee greater and mightier than thou art, to bring thee in, to give thee their land for an inheritance, as it is this day. Know therefore this day, and consider it in thine heart, that the LORD he is God in heaven above, and upon the earth beneath: there is none else. Isaiah 2:1-5 (King James Version): The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem. And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD's house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it. And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. Micah 4:1-5 (King James Version): But in the last days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall flow unto it. And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. And he shall judge among many people, and rebuke strong nations afar off; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks: nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. But they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree; and none shall make them afraid: for the mouth of the LORD of hosts hath spoken it. For all people will walk every one in the name of his god, and we will walk in the name of the LORD our God for ever and ever.

These events create a new order in which God is universally recognized as the ruler over His creation, which includes everyone and everything. Decription of the Messianic Era According to Jewish tradition, the Messianic Era will be one of global peace and harmony, an era free of strife and hardship, and one conducive to the furtherment of the knowledge of the Creator. The theme of the Messiah ushering in an era of global peace is encapsulated in one of the most famous scriptural passages from the book of Isaiah: "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)." In his Mishneh Torah, Maimonides describes the Messianic Era: "And at that time there will be no hunger or war, no jealousy or rivalry. For the good will be plentiful, and all delicacies available as dust. The entire occupation of the world will be only to know God... the people Israel will be of great wisdom; they will perceive the esoteric truths and comprehend their Creator's wisdom as is the capacity of man. As it is written (Isaiah 11:9): "For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of God, as the waters cover the sea." " Advent of the Messianic Era According to the Talmud, the Midrash, and the ancient Kabbalistic work, the Zohar, the Messiah must arrive before the year 6000 from the time of creation. (According to Orthodox Jewish belief, the Hebrew calendar dates to the time of creation. The year 2010 corresponds to the year 5770 from creation). The Midrash comments: "Six eons for going in and coming out, for war and peace. The seventh eon is entirely Shabbat and rest for life everlasting ". There is a kabbalistic tradition that maintains that each of the 7 days of the week, which are based upon the seven days of creation, correspond to the seven millennia of creation. The tradition teaches that the seventh day of the week, the Sabbath day of rest, corresponds to the seventh millennium, the age of universal 'rest' - the Messianic Era. The seventh millennium perforce begins with the year 6000, and is the latest time the Messiah can come. Supporting and elaborating on this theme are numerous early and late Jewish scholars, including the Ramban, Isaac Abrabanel, Abraham Ibn Ezra, Rabbeinu Bachya, the Vilna Gaon, the Lubavitcher Rebbe, the Ramchal, Aryeh Kaplan and Rebbetzin Esther Jungreis.

Christianity Some Christians in the first century believed that Jesus would return during their lifetime, because Jesus had said to his followers to be alert or be ready at all times. From this belief came the first evidence of the doctrine of imminence. When the converts of Paul in Thessalonica were persecuted by the Roman Empire, they believed the end was upon them. Tribulation in the New Testament: The prophetic theme of the New Testament also mirrors the Old Testament, namely, Tribulation. In the New Testament, Jesus refers to this as the "Great Tribulation", "Affliction", and "days of vengeance." Matthew 24:15-22 (King James Version): "When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand). Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains. Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house. Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes. And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day. For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened. Mark 13:14-20 (King James Version): "But when ye shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not, (let him that readeth understand,) then let them that be in Judaea flee to the mountains: And let him that is on the housetop not go down into the house, neither enter therein, to take any thing out of his house: And let him that is in the field not turn back again for to take up his garment. But woe to them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! And pray ye that your flight be not in the winter. For in those days shall be affliction, such as was not from the beginning of the creation which God created unto this time, neither shall be. And except that the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh should be saved: but for the elect's sake, whom he hath chosen, he hath shortened the days. Luke 21:20-33 (King James Version): "And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh. Then let them which are in Judaea flee to the mountains; and let them which are in the midst of it depart out; and let not them that are in the countries enter thereinto. For these be the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled. But woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck, in those days! for there shall be great distress in the land, and wrath upon this people. And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled. And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the

waves roaring; Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh. And he spake to them a parable; Behold the fig tree, and all the trees; When they now shoot forth, ye see and know of your own selves that summer is now nigh at hand. So likewise ye, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand. Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, till all be fulfilled. Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away."

Catholicism

The Last Judgement - Fresco in the Sistine Chapel by Michelangelo.

Catholicism mainly adheres to the Amillennial school of thought, promoted by Augustine of Hippo in his work "The City of God". Augustine claims a non-literal fulfillment of prophecy. Catholics may also refer to Matthew's Gospel, Chapter 24, Verse 36, in which Christ is quoted as saying: "But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only." (RSV Translation) While some who believe in the literal interpretation of the Bible insist that the prediction of dates or times is futile, some other writers believe that Jesus foretold of signs which would indicate that the "end of days" was near. Some of these signs include earthquakes, natural disasters, civil problems, "wars and rumors of wars," and other catastrophes. Of the precise time, however, it will come like a "thief in the night" (1 Thess. 5:2). According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the Catholic beliefs concerning the End Times are addressed in the Profession of Faith.

Protestantism

The Antichrist, by Lucas Cranach the Elder (1521) Here the Antichrist is shown wearing the triple crown of the Roman papacy.

Millennialists concentrate on the issue of whether the true believers will see the tribulation or be removed from it by what is referred to as a Pre-Tribulation Rapture. Amillennialists believe that 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, or 'spiritually'), a view which continues to cause divisions within evangelical Christianity. End-times beliefs in Protestant Christianity vary widely. Christians premillennialists who believe that 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 are foretold in scriptures. Among dispensational premillennialists writers, there are those who believe that Christians will be supernaturally summoned to Heaven by Jesus in an event called the Rapture, which occurs before the biblical "Great Tribulation" prophesied in Matthew 24-25; Mark 13 and Luke 21. The Great Tribulation is also mentioned in the last book of the Bible — the book of Revelation. 'End times' may also refer simply to the passing of a particular age or long period in the relationship between man and God. Adherents to this view sometimes cite St. Paul's second letter to Timothy, and draw analogies to the late 20th/early 21st centuries. Post-Exilic Hebrew books of prophecy such as the Book of Daniel and Book of Ezekiel are given new interpretations in this Christian tradition, while apocalyptic forecasts appear in the Judeo-Christian Sibylline Oracles and in the whole field of apocalyptic literature, which includes the Book of Revelation ascribed to John, the apocryphal Apocalypse of Peter, and the Second Book Of Esdras. Most fundamentalist Christians anticipate that biblical prophecy will be fulfilled literally. They see current world and regional wars, earthquakes, hurricanes and famines as the beginning of the birth pains which Jesus described in Matthew 24:7-8 and Mark 13:8. They believe that mankind started in the garden of Eden, and point to Megiddo as the place that the current world system will finish, with the Advent of Messiah coming to rule for 1,000 years. Contemporary use of the term End Times has evolved from use around a group of literal beliefs in Christian millennialism. These beliefs typically include the ideas that the Biblical apocalypse is imminent and that various signs in current events are omens of a climax to world history known as the battle of Armageddon. These beliefs have been widely held in one form, by the Adventist movement (Millerites), by Jehovah's Witnesses, and in another form by dispensational premillennialists. In 1918 a group of eight well known preachers produced a London Manifesto warning of an imminent second coming of Christ shortly after the 1917 liberation of Jerusalem by the British. Religious movements which expect that the second coming of Christ, will be a cataclysmic event, generally called adventism, have arisen throughout the Christian era; but they became particularly common during and after the Protestant Reformation.

Shakers, Emanuel Swedenborg (who considered the second coming to be symbolic, and to have occurred in 1757), and others developed entire religious systems around a central concern for the second coming of Christ, disclosed by new prophecy or special gifts of revelation. The Millerites are diverse religious groups which similarly rely upon a special gift of interpretation for fixing the date of Christ's return. The chief difference between the 19th century Millerite and Adventist movements and contemporary prophecy belief is that William Miller and his followers fixed the time for the Second Coming by calendar calculations based on interpretations of the Biblical apocalypses; they originally set a date for the Second Coming in 1844. These sorts of computations also appear in some contemporary prophecy beliefs, but few contemporary End Times prophets use them to fix a date; their timetables will be triggered by future wars and moral catastrophes, and accordingly believe that God's judgment against the conflict-ridden and corrupt world is close at hand. Seventh-day Adventists believe that Biblical prophecy foretells an end time scenario in which the United States works in conjunction with the Catholic Church to mandate worship on a day other than seventh-day Sabbath (Saturday) as prescribed in the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:8-11), thereby bringing about a situation where one must choose for or against the Bible as the revealed will of God. Short paperback books like National Sunday Law promise that, just in the day of the Roman emperor Constantine, Sunday religious worship will be enforced on pain of death: this is anathema to those who believe they must worship on Saturday. Seventh-day Adventists interpret the "two horned beast" that "came out of the wilderness" and "spoke meekly" to mean the United States because it passed the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, was established in a thinly settled part of the world compared to Roman and Byzantine Europe, and because it declared support for democracy, rule of law, and at least the rights of all white men, rich or poor. Books such as The Pearl of Great Price do much to remind the reader that Christians of conscience have struggled to translate and read the Bible according to their own conscience. When caught, these Christians have not compromised their beliefs nor engaged in violence. The Seventh-day Adventists would be the first in line to oppose the right-wing incorporation of religious agenda into politics, not only because Seventh-day Adventists and other Christians (such as Jehovah's Witnesses) have been arrested and tried for offenses such as draft evasion, but because the politicalization of any religious agenda may lead to an official religion and not only first criminalize the losers, but if there is a power shift, also come to criminalize the ex-winners, too. Preterism Another view of the 'end times' known as Preterism differentiates between the concept of 'time of the end' and 'end of time', and promotes a different understanding of these prophecies, in that they took place in the 1st century, more specifically in year AD 70, when the Jewish Temple was destroyed, and animal sacrifices were stopped. In this view, the 'time of the end' concept is referring to the end of the covenant between God and Israel, rather than the end of time, or the end of planet Earth. Unlike all the other Christian theological systems, Preterism holds an exclusive and unique view on the

nature and timing of the 'End Times', in that Preterists teach the 'end times' to be in the 1st century AD. Preterists believe that prophecies such as the Second Coming, the defiling of the Temple, the destruction of Jerusalem, the Antichrist, the Great Tribulation, the advent of The Day of the Lord and the Final Judgment were fulfilled at or about the year AD 70 when the Roman general (and future Emperor) Titus sacked Jerusalem and destroyed the Jewish Temple, putting a permanent stop to the daily animal sacrifices. Proponents of Full Preterism do not believe in the bodily Resurrection of the dead and place this event as well as the Second Coming in AD 70, whereas proponents of Partial Preterism do believe in a bodily resurrection of the dead at a future Second Coming. Full preterists contend that those who consider themselves to be partial preterists are actually just futurists since they believe the Second Coming, Resurrection, Rapture and Judgment are still in the future. Many preterists believe the 1st-century living Christians were literally raptured off the earth to be with Christ. At that time, their bodies were changed to be like Christ's. Preterists also believe the term 'Last Days' or 'Time of the End' refers not to the last days of planet Earth, or last days of mankind, but to the last days of the Old Covenant, the Mosaic Covenant which God had exclusively with Israel until year AD 70. According to Preterism, many 'time passages' in the New Testament indicate with apparent certainty that the Second Coming of Christ, and the 'End Times' predicted in the Bible were to take place within the lifetimes of Christ's 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. Dispensationalist prophecies The reestablishment of Israel in 1948 provided a major impetus to the dispensationalist belief system. Israel's history of wars after 1948 with its Arab neighbors provided further research as was seen in at least one book by 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 founded on the Treaty of Rome was a revived Roman Empire, and would become the kingdom of the coming Antichrist and the Beast. The 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. The separate destinies of the Church and Israel, a belief which is inherent in dispensationalism is a particular concern to some Jews and to some evangelical Christians. Evangelicals who reject dispensationalism, such as those who hold to a Post Tribulation Rapture, (or more accurately a Post Tribulation Resurrection-Rapture), see both the Church and Israel entering the crucible of the End Time together. 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 of America. Since the majority of the Biblical prophets were writing at a time when [Israel] was mostly Jewish, and the Temple in Jerusalem was still functioning, they wrote as if those institutions would still be in operation during the prophesied events. According to Preterism this was the very fulfillment of the prophecies. However, according to Futurists their destruction in AD 70 put the prophetic timetable, if there is one, 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. Post-tribulation pre-millennialists A view of the Second Coming of Christ as held by post-tribulational pre-millennialists is unique, though not widely held in the Protestant Church because of its connotations, in particular that the Church of Christ will have to undergo great persecution. 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 churches, the most successful of which is the Seventh-day Adventist Church.

Restorationism (Christian primitivism) End times theology is also significant to restorationist Christian religions, which consider themselves distinct from both Catholicism and Protestantism.

Mormonism The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, also known as the Mormons, has taught that humanity is living in the last days. Latter-day Saints do not speculate as to the exact age of the world, except that it was created in 6 "creative periods". They believe Adam and Eve left the Garden of Eden after the world's creation. They do not speculate as to the time, day or year of the second coming, but watch for Biblical indications, or "Signs of the Times" that the event is approaching. Latter-day Saints believe that their church is led by prophets who receive inspiration and direction from God. A number of Mormon leaders have taught that the human family has been allotted seven thousand years, and that the earth is nearing the end of the sixth such millennium. Mormon leader Orson F. Whitney stated that humanity is now in the "late Saturday night" of the Earth's existence, and that the seventh thousandth year will be marked by Christ's second coming and the ushering in of the millennial kingdom, which will be Earth's Sabbath and day of rest. The seven seals and seven trumpets of the Book of Revelation relate to the seven millennia allotted to Earth by Latter-day Saint theology. Latter-day Saints are frequently counseled to watch for the "signs of the times" but not to fear them. The statement "if ye are prepared ye shall not fear" (from Doctrine and Covenants 38:30) has brought comfort among the Latter-day Saints. Wars, pestilence, economic despair, natural disasters and more are all part of what Latter-day Saints see as signs of the times. In particular, a great earthquake is mentioned in all cases. Other events that Latter-day Saints regard as important, and the dates some of them have purportedly occurred:    

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Priesthood authority, which had been lost in the great apostasy, to be restored (this happened in May 1829). The pure gospel of Jesus Christ is to be restored, and taught in His church (this has happened, on April 6, 1830). Elijah would return and give priesthood keys (this has happened, on April 3, 1836). The return of the Jews to Jerusalem and Israel, as dedicated by Orson Hyde on October 24, 1841 (first wave of Jewish immigration to Israel, or Aliyah (‫)היילע‬ started in 1881). The building of a temple in Israel (this has not happened, although the building of the Third Temple is currently planned). The building of a temple in Zion, Jackson County, Missouri (this has not occurred, although the location is marked). Temples will "dot the earth" (according to Mormon sources, 130 temples in operation and 22 announced or under construction as of May 2010). A meeting of priesthood leaders with angelic beings and Christ in Adam-ondiAhman (this has not occurred).

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Christ will appear in the Temple in Saline County, Illinois (this has not occurred). Wars will be poured out upon all nations (could refer to World War II, as this somehow involved almost every country on Earth except from Bhutan and a few African countries). The nations of the earth will be gathered to fight Israel (this has not occurred). The Wicked will be consumed by fire (some traditions allude to a nuclear holocaust, and some hold that this will be at the coming of Christ.) The restored gospel will be preached in all nations, kindreds, tongues, and peoples (there are, according to Mormon sources, 53,000 missionaries in 165 countries as of 2008).

Many Latter-Day Saints' temples feature a statue of Moroni on the highest spire. Most of these statues face East, the direction from which Christ will come. The Salt Lake City temple has two large doors on the east side of the building, that are not used. Tradition holds that Christ will enter the temple through these doors, when He comes again. After the coming of Christ to the mount of Olives, and the destruction of the wicked, the righteous will live on the earth in relative peace and prosperity during the millennium, under the leadership of Christ. Other churches still may exist during this time, and not all people living will be Latter-day Saints, but such people will represent the "more righteous" part of the peoples of the earth. Missionary work and temple work for the deceased will continue during the millennium and missionary and genealogy work will be a main focus of Church members and other righteous individuals who live during the time leading up to the final judgement. Joseph Smith produced a rendition of Matthew 24, relating to the end times. Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints believe that, at the beginning of the Millennial Era, Jesus Christ the Lord will appear at his Second Coming and usher in a thousand-year era of peace, called the Millennium, whereby Satan will be bound (Doctrine and Covenants 88:110), the wicked will be removed from the Earth, and the righteous will be "caught up to meet him". A resurrection of the righteous who have died will occur—they will also "be caught up to meet him." (Doctrine and Covenants 88:96-97). During the Millennium, every man or woman to ever live on the Earth will be resurrected. Those individuals who were righteous will be resurrected at the beginning, and will be able to visit the Earth to restore the knowledge about family histories; the wicked will be resurrected at the end of the Millennium (D & C 76:85). At the time of each person's resurrection, their Last Judgment will occur, during which all individuals will be placed into one of three heavenly kingdoms: the Celestial Kingdom, the Terrestrial Kingdom, and the Telestial Kingdom. In the Doctrine and Covenants, Joseph Smith Jr., who is believed to be the translator of the Book of Mormon and the first Mormon prophet, leader, and seer for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, reveals that the kingdoms will be separated into various levels of glory in symbolic comparison to the sun, the moon, and the stars. The sun, being the brightest of these heavenly bodies, is relative to the glory of the celestial kingdom, which is reserved for

those who obey the commandments, live righteously, and become baptized. The moon, being the second brightest heavenly body, is relative to the terrestrial kingdom, which is for those who are righteous in a sense, but do not constantly obey the commandments and/or are not baptized. The stars, being the least brightest heavenly body, are relative to the telestial kingdom, which is for those individuals who are wicked and commit major sins without repenting. A group of people who reject Jesus Christ after receiving full and indisputable knowledge of his divinity will go to what is referred to as Outer darkness, which is where Satan will eventually be consigned forever with his hosts of angels.(D & C 76:43-46) While the exact time of Christ's return is not known in Latter-Day Saints' theology, there are certain signs that are accepted as pointing to his return:                      

The mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains, Isa. 2: 2-3. The Lord shall lift an ensign and gather Israel, Isa. 5: 26 (2 Ne. 15: 26-30). The sun shall be darkened and the moon shall not cause her light to shine, Isa. 13: 10 (Joel 3: 15; D & C 29: 14). Men shall transgress the law and break the everlasting covenant, Isa. 24: 5. The Nephites (ancient fallen people of the Americas, descended from Joseph of Egypt) shall speak as a voice from the dust, Isa. 29: 4 (2 Ne. 27). Israel shall be gathered with power, Isa. 49: 22-23 (1 Ne. 21: 22-23; 3 Ne. 20-21). God shall set up a kingdom which shall not be destroyed, Dan. 2: 44 (D & C 65: 2). War, dreams, and visions shall precede the Second Coming, Joel 2. All nations will gather against Jerusalem to battle, Zech. 14: 2 (Ezek. 38-39). The day cometh that shall burn as an oven, Mal. 4: 1 (3 Ne. 25: 1; D & C 133: 64; JS-H 1: 37). Great calamities shall precede the Second Coming, Matt. 24 (JS-M 1). Paul described apostasy and perilous times of the last days, 2 Tim. 3-4. Two prophets will be slain and resurrected in Jerusalem, Rev. 11 (D & C 77: 15). The gospel shall be restored in the last days by angelic ministry, Rev. 14: 6-7 (D & C 13; 27; 110: 11-16; 128: 8-24). Babylon will be established and fall, Rev. 17-18. Israel shall be gathered with power, 1 Ne. 21: 13-26 (Isa. 49: 13-26; 3 Ne. 20-21). The Book of Mormon shall come forth by the power of God, Morm. 8. Lamanites (Indigenous peoples of the Americas) to blossom, D & C 49: 24-25. The Lord is to slay the wicked, D & C 63: 32-35 (Rev. 9). War will be poured out upon all nations, D & C 87: 2. Signs, upheavals of the elements, and angels prepare the way for the coming of the Lord, D & C 88: 86-94. Darkness to cover the earth, D & C 112: 23-24.

Jehovah's Witnesses Jehovah's Witnesses have their own unique eschatology, involving very specific doctrines on the End Times, which is explained in detail in their literature. For example, Witnesses teach that the Greek word parousia, often translated as 'coming', means 'presence' and that the term "last days" refers to the concluding time period of this system of things. Witnesses teach that the last days began in 1914 with the events surrounding the outbreak of World War I. In the future, God is expected to cleanse the earth of all wickedness and Satan will be bound for 1,000 years. During this time period, people will be resurrected to life on earth and given a chance to learn about God (Jehovah) and to live under the rule of Jesus Christ. Christ will rule over the earth from heaven with 144,000 co-rulers, restoring earth to its original paradise-like state. They teach that Biblical prophecy shows there will be no more death, sickness and that people will live in peace and harmony as God's originally purposed for mankind. Jehovah's Witnesses' unique beliefs postulate the order of events relating to the End Times and subsequent restoration of earth: 1. King Nebuchadnezzar's dream at Daniel chapter 4 refers to the kingdom of God, to be given to Jesus Christ, after "seven times". Until then, the kingdom of God, represented by Jerusalem, was trampled on by "the nations", represented in the book of Daniel by wild beasts. After successive kingdoms, beginning with Nebuchadnezzar, and then Medo-Persia, Greece, Rome, and the Anglo-American world powers, God would reassert the authority of his kingdom by 'crushing' those kingdoms.(Luke 21:24, Ezekiel 21:26,27, Luke 1:32,33 ) 2. The "seven times" began after Zedekiah, the last king in the typical kingdom of God, was removed from the throne in Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar. 607 BC (rather than the secularly accepted 587 BC) is selected based on their beliefs that the Jews returned from captivity in 537 BC (rather than the secularly accepted 538 BC ) and that the Jews were exiled in Babylon for exactly 70 years. The "seven times", based on a comparison with the 42 months (3½ years or 1,260 days) at Revelation 11:2,3 and 12:6,14, are construed to mean 2,520 days. A year is counted for each of the 2,520 days to arrive at 2,520 years, which are counted from October 607 BC to arrive at October 1914.( Daniel 4: 10-16, Numbers 14:34, Ezekiel 4:6) 3. In October 1914, at the end of "seven times" Christ was installed as king in heaven and Satan and his angels were hurled down to the earth, marking the beginning of the end times or "last days".(Daniel 7:13,14, Revelation 12:7-12 ) 4. Fulfillment of prophecies in Matthew 24, Mark 13, Luke 21 about the "conclusion of the system of things" has occurred since 1914 to provide a composite "sign" that Jesus' invisible presence in heaven has begun. 5. Jehovah's worshippers will be gathered and restored.They do not engage in wars.They will walk in the name of 'Jehovah'. (Isaiah 2:2-4, Micah:4:5 ) 6. The goodnews about God's kingdom will be preached to all nations.(Mathew:24:14) 7. There will be a worldwide "cry of 'peace and security'" before the "great tribulation" begins.(1 Thessalonians 5:3)

8. All religions, represented by the Babylon the Great, except Jehovah's Witnesses, will be destroyed by the United Nations.(Revelation 17:16-18) 9. Satan will attack God's people.( Ezekiel: 38: 10-12,16,18) 10. Political rulers and other wicked people will be destroyed by God at Armageddon.(Revelation:16:14-16) 11. Jesus will bind Satan in an abyss.(Revelation 20:1-3) 12. Jesus will reign for 1000 years from heaven, during which righteous people delivered through Armageddon will work together with the help of Jesus and 144,000 to make the earth a paradise, like the original Garden of Eden. In addition, the dead will gradually be resurrected and given the chance to learn righteousness without Satanic influence. Mankind will be restored to perfection.(Revelation 20:5,6, 5:10, 21:3-5, John:5:28,29) 13. At the end of the 1000 years, Satan will be let loose for a short time as a final test to "mislead the nations", after which he will be destroyed along with his followers.(Revelation 20:7-10) 14. Our planet earth will not be literally destroyed,except the wicked.(Psalms 104:5, 78:69, 37:9-11, Mathew:5:5) 15. With only perfect mankind remaining, Jesus will handover the kingdom to the Almighty God 'Jehovah'.(1 Corinthians:15:24-28) 16. Those righteous people, who survive the final test at the end of the thousand year rule, will live forever on a paradise earth.(Psalms:37:29, 72:7,8) 17. All who live on earth will worship the only true God, "Jehovah". (Isaiah:11:9) 18. Thus God's original purpose for mankind on earth, will be fulfilled.(Genesis:1:28) Witnesses remain neutral in political affairs and teach that believers on earth will be spectators only in the above-mentioned scenario, not participating in any type of warfare. They generally do not use the expression 'end of the world', with its connotations of the destruction of humanity or the planet, but prefer to use the expression 'conclusion of a system of things', thus maintaining the distinction between the original-language words kosmos (world) and aion (age), or system of things.

Islam There are various signs (as many as up to 100) given in the Sunnah and Quran for the coming of Judgment Day. These signs can be divided into two parts, minor and major. The major signs include 1. And you will see people entering religion of God in crowds. (Qur'an Surat anNasr, 1-2) 2. the coming of an Antichrist(evil), Imam Mahdi and then Prophet Jesus (who will combine forces of good, against evil), (Qur'an 43:61) 3. the blowing of Trumpet and the minor signs will precede them. 4. the Sun will rise from the West instead of the East.

5. the Earth will experience such big an earthquake that will cause mountains to crush down, the Earth's inner body will broke out and the Earth would be stretched out.99:1, 69:13-14, 70:8, 84:3-4, 20:105-107, 99:1-6. 6. Earthquake from the East, The West, and one in the Arabian Peninsula 7. Gog(yahjuj) & Magog(mahjuj) will be released and will destroy the crops, animals, water and kill everything. Prophet Isa will take all the believers to the mountains and Allah will finally send worm to wipe out the Barbaric creatures. 8. Smoke will spread and cause non-believers to fall ill whereas the believers will caught a mere cold. Later, Allah will send a cool wind, taking life(gently) of all the believers Leaving only the Kufaars to see the last day till the Day Of Judgment will arrive. Islamic eschatology is concerned with the Qiyamah (end of the world; Last Judgment) and the final judgment of humanity. Eschatology relates to one of the six articles of faith (aqidah) of Islam. Like the other Abrahamic religions, Islam teaches the bodily resurrection of the dead, the fulfillment of a divine plan for creation, and the immortality of the human soul; the righteous are rewarded with the pleasures of Jannah (Heaven), while the unrighteous are punished in Jahannam (Hell). A significant fraction of the Quran deals with these beliefs, with many hadith elaborating on the themes and details. Islamic apocalyptic literature describing the Armageddon is often known as fitna (a test) and malahim (or ghayba in the shi'ite tradition).

Sunni Islam In Sunni Islam, which is followed by the majority of Muslims. The appearance of the Mahdi as the final Muslim Caliph and the descending of prophet Jesus in his time. There are both major and minor signs of the end times. Past 1. Splitting of the Moon.(Quran 54:1) 2. Death of the Prophet Muhammad. 3. A form of death which will kill thousands of Muslims. (Understood to refer to the plague of Amwas during the caliphate of ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab.) 4. A major fighting in Madinah (understood to refer to the battle of al-Harrah during the caliphate of Yazid, 63 AD). 5. The Muslim conquest of Jerusalem. 6. The Muslim conquest of Constantinople. 7. Two large groups of Muslims will fight in war.

8. A war between the Muslims and a reddish people with small eyes, wearing sandals made of hair (understood to refer to the Mongol Tatar invasion of the Islamic lands.) 9. A peace agreement between the Muslims and non-Muslims from the yellow race (bany al-asfar) (Europeans). 10. Thirty impostors (dajjal) will appear, each claiming he is a prophet. Present 11. Naked, destitute, barefoot shepherds will compete in building tall buildings. 12. The slave-woman will give birth to her master or mistress. 13. A trial (fitnah) which will enter every Muslim household. 14. Religious(Islamic) knowledge will be taken away (by the death of people of religious knowledge), and religious ignorance will prevail. 15. Wine (intoxicants, alcohol) will be drunk in great quantities. 16. Illegal sexual intercourse will become widespread. 17. Earthquakes will increase. 18. Time will pass more quickly. 19. Tribulations (fitan) will prevail. 20. Bloodshed will increase. 21. A man will pass by the grave of another and wish he was in the latter’s place. 22. Trustworthiness will be lost, i.e. when authority is given to those who do not deserve it. 23. People will gather for prayer, but will be unable to find an imam to lead them. Future 24. The number of men will decrease, whilst the number of women will increase, until for every man there are 50 women. 25. The Euphrates will reveal a treasure of gold (or some kind of very precious material), and many will die fighting over it, each one hoping to be the one who gains the treasure.

26. The Romans (Europeans) will come to a place called A’maq or Wabiq, and an army of the best people will go forth from Madinah to face them. 27. The Muslim conquest of Rome. 28. The Mahdi (guided one) will appear, and be the Imam of the Muslims. 29. Jesus Christ will descend in Damascus, and pray behind the Mahdi. 30. Jesus will break the cross, kill the swine and get married i.e. destroy the false Christianity. 31. The Antichrist (masih al-dajjal, the false christ) will appear, with all his tools of deception, and be an immense trial. He will be followed by 70,000 Jews from Isfahan (present-day Iran). 32. The appearance of Ya’juj and Ma’juj (Gog and Magog), and the associated tribulations. 33. The emergence of the Beast from the Earth, carrying the Staff of Moses and the Seal of Solomon, who will speak to the people, telling them they did not believe with certainty in the Divine Signs. 34. A major war between the Muslims (including Jews and Christians who truly believe in Jesus after his return) led by the Imam Mahdi, and the Jews plus other non-Muslims led by the Antichrist. 35. Jesus will kill the Antichrist at the gate of Ludd (Lod in present-day Israel, site of an airport and a major Israeli military base). 36. A time of great peace and serenity during and after the remaining lifetime of Jesus. 37. Wealth will come so abundant that it will become difficult to find someone to accept charity. 38. Arabia will become a land of gardens and rivers. 39. Society will then decay. 40. The buttocks of the women of the tribe of Daws will again sway in circumambulation (tawaf) around the idol Dhul-Khulsah. 41. A great fire in the Hijaz, seen by the inhabitants of Busra. 42. Three major armies will sink into the earth: one in the east, one in the west, one in Arabia.

43. An Abyssinian leader with thin shins will destroy the Ka’bah. 44. The huge cloud of smoke. 45. The sun will rise from the west (its place of setting). 46. A gentle wind which will take the souls of the believers. 47. There is no-one left on the earth saying, "Allah, Allah" or "There is no god except Allah." 48. Eventually the Day of Judgment is established upon the worst of the people, who copulate like donkeys in public. 49. The blowing in the Trumpet by the Angel Israfil, upon which everyone will faint except as Allah wills. 50. The second blowing in the Trumpet, upon which everyone will be resurrected.

Shia Islam Note: the word Imam means Leader, and such a title is considered to be a God-given rank and authority when used before one of the 12 successors of Prophet Mohammad, according to Shia Islamic belief. The usage of the word Imam nowadays with other people, as in Imam Khomeini, merely means "leader" with no insinuation to God-given authority. End of time beliefs in Shia Islamic thought are based on Quranic references, instruction from the Prophet Muhammad and his progeny Ahl al-Bayt. Several variants of one theory exist in Shia eschatology, yet they all revolve around the messianic figure, Imam Mahdi also known as "Imam az-Zaman" meaning the Leader of Our Time, who is considered by Shias as the 12th appointed successor of Prophet Muhammad. He is Mohammad (AlMahdi), son of Hasan (Al-'Askari), son of Ali (Al-Hadi), son of Mohammad (Al-Jawad), son of Ali (Al-Rida), son of Musa (Al-Kathem), son of Jafar (As-Sadeq), son of Mohammad (Al-Baqer), son of Ali (Zainul-abideen), son of Hussein (Ash-Shahid), son of Ali (Amirul Mu'mineen) husband of Prophet Mohammad's daughter, Fatima. In Shia Islamic thought, there is a worldly reality that is mentioned to occur before the end of human life on earth. The first events that occur upon his appearance will be related to al-Sufyani, whom will be the ruler of Bilaad Ash-sham; a region which includes Syria, Palestine, and Jordan. Sufyani is a descendant of the Umayyad family, which was the greatest enemy of Prophet Muhammad. The Sufyani, upon knowing that Imam Mahdi has appeared in Mecca, sends an army to kill him, but according to Shia beliefs, a great event will occur then. The ground will open up and bury the whole army alive, except for two men. One lives on to, then, side with Imam Mahdi's army, while the other will go back to Sufyani to warn him and his army of God's wrath if he decides to fight al-Mahdi. It is

noted in Shia traditions that the Sufyani will be of great terror to the Shias of his time, as he will follow them by their names. Whoever is named after one of the Shia Imams, will be killed, even those by the name of Mohammad, the Prophet of Islam, will be slaughtered mercilessly by Sufyani and his followers. Even though during the days of the Shia Imams (more than a thousand years ago), Iran was still Persian and non-Muslim; it is mentioned in Shia traditions (which were narrated from the Shia Imams of Ahlul Bayt), that people from Iran (often referred to people from the East, also) will pave the way to Al-Mahdi's appearance, and after his return, the Iranians will side with him and fight his enemies. Prior to Imam Mahdi's return, the Iranian army, whose leader will be a man called in Shia traditions as: Al-Khorasani (in reference to Khorasan, a region in Iran), will be sent to Kufa to fight Sufyani's army, which will be sent from Syria to slaughter the Shia of Iraq. It is important to draw a line between the "signs" that correlate to Imam Mahdi's return, and the "signs" that occur prior to Judgment Day. According to Shia beliefs, there are many signs that will occur before Imam Mahdi's appearance, but only 5 of those are guaranteed to occur, while the rest are uncertain to people, depending on God's will. If He wishes them to occur or not, it is what He decides. God has hidden His will with regards to those uncertain signs for the well-being of mankind, for He is the most knowledgeable to what serves mankind good and what harms it. This what is known in Shia beliefs as "Badaa" (‫)ءادبلا‬. The five signs that are imminent are the following: 1. The appearance of a person by the name of "Sufyani" (claims to be Muslim, though he 'carries a cross', though he is a descendant of the disintegrated Ummayyad dynasty whose scattered descendants may have been in the Levant and Spain or Morocco over the last 12 centuries) will lead forces from Syria across Iraq to Arabia to defeat the Mahdi's forces along with his Allies 2. The cracking of the earth to abolish Sufyani's forces as previously mentioned. 3. The appearance of al-Yamani, the ruler of Yemen, who will be a guide to people to the right path before Imam Mahdi's appearance 4. The killing of the "pure soul", near al-Kaabah, precisely between "al-rokn al yamani" and "maqam Ibrahim" 5. The voice of Gabriel, the angel, from the sky that calls out people to support Imam Mahdi because he is sent by God. It is mentioned in Shia traditions, that Imam Mahdi's army will destroy the Jewish state, which was predicted by Islam more than 1400 years ago, that was established in the Middle East. After that, Imam Mahdi will fight al-Sufyani and eventually destroy him and his army too. It is after those events that the Jews gather once again under the Dajjal the anti-Christ, as Christians call him, the deceiver, who will try to influence people once again to side with him against Imam Mahdi's wordly revolution.

The Shia End of Time theory also states that the coming of Jesus, will coincide with the return of the Mahdi. Shias believe that Jesus and the Mahdi will work together to bring about peace and justice on earth between all peoples of faith. This is the general theme accepted among Shia theologians. The events that occur in the final moments of humanity will mainly revolve around Dajjal and his ability to woo humanity to a new world religion, one that is not divinely issued. The idea of a Mahdi returning to help humanity against the "Great Deception" is also mentioned in Sunni traditions, but is specifically outlined as Muhammad al-Mahdi in Shia sources. There are many sources that have prophecies regarding the last days, with only some that are accepted as repeated in different sources by different people. A majority of Shia scholars agree on the following detail of events that will occur in the final days: 1. The Dajjal (Al Masih Al Dajjal - The Antichrist) will claim to be the savior of humanity and people of all faiths will unite under his religion 2. There will be mass killings of Shias in Iraq (around the Euphrates), and there will be prices put on their hands, even if they are not criminals 3. The Mahdi will reappear and make a speech at the Kaaba and will gather an army of 313 generals and thousands of followers to defeat the Sufyani 4. The Mahdi will re-establish the true Islam and the world will find peace and tranquility 5. There will be a period of rule by the Mahdi 6. The resurrection of men and women will begin as the Day of Judgement will commence

Hinduism Hindus have a cyclic understanding of external history/internal spirituality. The Cycle or "Kalpa", lasting 8.64 billion years in the terms of orthodox Hindus, illustrates the pattern of decline in the state of nature and civilization between periods of timelessness when Brahma (Creator aspect of mind/spirit) regenerates the world of existence/reality. There are four yugs or ages in this process from completely pure to completely impure. The final is Kali Yuga or the Dark Age where civilization becomes spiritually degraded, human lives are shortened by violence and disease and there is a general state of decay in nature. This is the worst period before complete destruction which is then followed by a Golden Age. Hindu traditional prophecies, as described in the Puranas and several other texts, say that the world shall fall into chaos and degradation. There will then be a rapid influx of perversity, greed and conflict, and this state has been described as: "Yada Yada Hi Dharmasya Glanir Bhavati Bharata, Abhyuthanam Adharmasya Tadatmanam Srijami Aham". Bhagavad Gita (Chapter IV-7)

"Whenever there is decay of righteousness O! Bharatha And a rise of unrighteousness then I manifest Myself!" Thus whenever there is intolerable evil and chaos in the world, there is an appearance of an avatar. In the current yuga, known as the Kali (the most evil) yuga, "The Lord shall manifest Himself as the Kalki Avatar… He will establish righteousness upon the earth and the minds of the people will become as pure as crystal." In Hinduism, there is no eternal damnation of souls or end times. After this evil Kali yuga ends, the next yuga or epoch would be Satya yuga where everyone will be righteous, followed by Treta yuga,Dwapara yuga and then another Kali Yuga. Thus time is cyclical and the epochs keep repeating infinitely. However, the extent of tolerable evil and degradation in each epoch is different and therefore the threshold that is necessary for the manifestation of God's incarnation is different for each yuga. The current yuga is the most evil and so the threshold for the appearance of the avatar is so high that the world needs to degrade to the maximum levels.

Buddhism Gautama Buddha was a spiritual teacher from Nepal and the founder of Buddhism. The time of his birth and death are uncertain but a number of 20th-century historians have dated his lifetime from circa 563 BC to 483 BC. Some more recent scholars, however, have suggested dates of 410 to 400 BC for his death. This alternative chronology, however, has not yet been accepted by other historians. This founder of Buddhism said that his teachings would disappear after 5,000 years, when no one anymore practices Buddhism. According to the Sutta Pitaka, the "ten moral courses of conduct" will disappear and people will follow the ten amoral concepts of theft, violence, murder, lying, evil speaking, adultery, abusive and idle talk, covetousness and ill will, wanton greed, and perverted lust resulting in skyrocketing poverty and the end of the worldly laws of true dharma. As part of Buddhist eschatology, it is believed that the era leading up to the coming of the next Buddha Maitreya will be characterized by impiety, physical weakness, sexual depravity and general societal disarray. Commentators like Buddhaghosa predicted a step-by-step disappearance of the Buddha's teachings. During the first stage, arahants would no longer appear in the world. Later, the content of the Buddha's true teachings would vanish, and only their form would be preserved. Finally, even the form of the Dharma would be forgotten. During the final stage, the memory of the Buddha himself would be forgotten, and the last of his relics would be gathered together in Bodh Gaya and cremated. Some time following this development a new Buddha named Maitreya will arise to renew the teachings of Buddhism and rediscover the path to Nirvana. Maitreya is believed to currently reside in the Tushita heaven, where he is awaiting his final rebirth in the world.

The decline of Buddhism in the world, and its eventual re-establishment by Maitreya, are in keeping with the general shape of Buddhist cosmology. Like Hindus, Buddhists generally believe in a cycle of creation and destruction, of which the current epoch represents only the latest step. The historical Buddha Shakyamuni is only the latest in a series of Buddhas that stretches back into the past.

Zoroastrianism Zoroastrian eschatology is the oldest eschatology found in recorded history. By the year 500 BC, a fully developed concept of the end of the world was established in Zoroastrianism. According to Zoroastrian philosophy, redacted in the Zand-i Vohuman Yasht, "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 have no gratitude." "Honorable wealth will all proceed to those of perverted faith...and a dark cloud makes the whole sky night...and it will rain more noxious creatures than winter." At the end of this spiritual battle between the righteous and wicked, a final judgment of all souls will occur. Sinners whose bad deeds are more than their good deeds will be punished for 3 days, but will eventually be forgiven. The world will reach perfection as all evil traits such as poverty, old age, disease, thirst, hunger, and death will disappear from the earth. Zoroastrian concepts parallel greatly with those of Jewish, Christian, and Islamic eschatological beliefs. Zoroaster also preached that bliss will be everywhere, and not just in a remote kingdom of paradise.

Brahma Kumaris Whereas in puranic accounts, the length of the Cycle of Time, or "Kalpa", is 4,320,000s of years, it is said to be merely 5,000 years, according the Brahma Kumaris, at the end of which there will be a time of both a total annihilation of humanity by Nuclear weapons, civil war and natural disasters; and revelation of God. The BKWSU teaches that humanity entered the End Times, which they called "Confluence Age, in approximately 1936 and the period will end in 100 years approximately 2036. Benjamin Beit-Hallahmi states the Brahma Kumaris' prediction of the imminent 'End of the World', or Destruction as it is called, is generally hidden from non-members. Before destruction everyone on earth must come to know their God and purify themselves. Much of the Earth's land mass is also predicted to become submerged beneath the oceans of the world.

Greek religion

Greek mythology is derived primarily from Greek literature and representations on visual media dating from the Geometric period (c. 900-800 BC) onward. Ancient Greek mythology claimed that Zeus, as he had previously overthrown his father, Cronus, would in turn also be overthrown by a son. This story can be seen as the equivalent to the end of the world, or the end of an age. Prometheus revealed to him that this son would be born from Zeus and Thetis, if they copulated. In order to prevent this from happening, Zeus married Thetis to Peleus, a mortal hero. This union produced Achilles, the protagonist of the Iliad and one of the greatest heroes of Greek myth.

Norse religion In Norse mythology, Ragnarök (Old Norse "Final destiny of the gods" - intelligibly transliterated to modern English as "reign o' wreck" c.f. Ragn-: power, -a-: via, -rök: rest of volition) refers to a series of major events, including a great battle foretold to ultimately result in the ultimate death of a ultimate number of major figures (including the gods Odin, Thor, Freyr, Heimdall, and the jötunn Loki), the occurrence of various natural disasters, and the subsequent submersion of the world in water. Afterwards, the world resurfaces anew and fertile, the surviving gods meet, and the world is repopulated by two human survivors. Ragnarök is an important event in the Norse canon, and has been the subject of an amount of scholarly discourse and theory.

Fulfillment While most religious traditions remain waiting for end time events, some believe that the events have been fulfilled. Several established religions believe that their founder represents the coming of the Promised One of previous scriptures, and that the spread of their teachings will ultimately bring about the desired society of unity and justice.

Bahá'í Faith The founder of the Bahá'í Faith, Bahá'u'lláh claimed that he was the return of Christ as well as prophetic expectations of other religions. The inception of the Bahá'í Faith coincides with Millerite prophesy pointing to the year 1844. With respect to particular expectations of the end times, it has been argued that the Battle of Armageddon has already passed and that mass martyrdoms anticipated during the End Times had already passed within the historical context of the Bahá'í Faith. Bahá'ís expect their faith to be eventually embraced by the masses of the world, ushering in a golden age of society.

Ahmadiyya In Ahmadiyya Islam, the present age has been a witness to the wrath of God with the occurrence of the World Wars and the frequency of natural disasters. In Ahmadiyya, Ghulam Ahmad (d.1908) is seen as the promised Messiah whose Islamic teachings will establish spiritual reform and ultimately establish an age of peace upon earth. This age

continues for around a thousand years as per judeo-Christian prophecies; and is characterised by the assembling of mankind under one faith that is Islam as per Ahmadiyya belief .

Rastafari movement Rastafarians have a unique interpretation of the end times, based on the Old Testament and the Book of Revelation. They believe Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie is God incarnate, the King of kings and Lord of lords mentioned in Revelation 5:5. While on the one hand Selassie's crowning was seen as the second coming, and events such as the Second Italo-Ethiopian War were seen as fulfillments of biblical and specifically Revelation prophecy there is also expectation that Selassie will call a day of judgment, when he will bring home the lost children of Israel (the black peoples taken out of Africa during the slave trade) to live with him in peace, love and harmony in the Mount Zion in Africa.

Chapter- 7

Gog and Magog

A Persian painting from the 16th century illustrating the building of the wall

‫ ;גּוֹג וּמ‬Arabic: ‫ ) َﻳ ْﺄﺟُﻮج َو َﻣ ْﺄﺟُﻮج‬appear in the Book of Gog and Magog (Hebrew: ‫ָגוֹג‬ Genesis, the Book of Ezekiel, the Book of Revelation, and the Qur'an. They are variously presented as men, supernatural beings (giants or demons), national groups, or lands. Gog and Magog occur widely in mythology and folklore.

Biblical references Magog appears in the Table of Nations in Genesis 10:2 as the eponymous ancestor of a people or nation: The sons of Japheth: Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras Gog is listed as a descendant of Reuben (eldest son of patriarch Jacob) in 1 Chronicles 5: 3, 4. "Gog" and "Magog" appear together in the Book of Ezekiel, 38:2–3: 38:2. Son of man, set thy face against Gog, of the land of Magog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him, 3. And you shall say; So said the Lord God: Behold, I am against you, Gog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech and Tubal.

Identifications In Islamic tradition Gog and Magog appear in Qur'an sura Al-Kahf (The Cave chapter), 18:83–98, as Yajuj and Majuj (Ya'jūj and Ma'jūj or ‫ َﻳﺄْﺟُﻮج َو َﻣ ْﺄﺟُﻮج‬, in Arabic), as well as in the sura Al-Anbiyā (The Prophets):

“

But there is a ban on a town which We have destroyed: that they (the people of the town) shall not return. Until the Gog and Magog are let through (their barrier), and they spread out from every direction.(Qur'an 21:96–97)

„

According to Islamic tradition (in Saḥīḥ al-Bukhāri), Gog and Magog are "Sons of Adam", i.e. human beings, who would be released when a people return to a town which was destroyed and from which they were banned. Some scholars have argued this town is Jerusalem. They would possess great power and, when released, would cause corruption in society ("Yājūj and Mājūj do great mischief on earth", Al-Kahf verse 94) to such an extent that 999 out of 1000 would be led to the hellfire (according to Saḥīḥ al-Bukhāri). The prominent Muslim scholar Javed Ahmed Ghamidi contends that Gog and Magog are from the descendents of Noah’s son Japeth who inhabited the northern areas of Asia.

Later, some of their tribes reached Europe and after that settled in America and Australia. In Qur'an 18:83-98, it is stated that Dhul-Qarnayn (the One with Two Horns, or of Two Ages) travelled in three directions, meeting finally a people who complained that Yājūj and Mājūj were "causing corruption on earth". When the people offered Dhul-Qarnayn a tribute in exchange for protection, Dhul-Qarnayn agreed to help them. He constructed a wall between two mountains (believed by some to be Daryal Pass). He built it out of iron and then poured molten metal over it, so no one could climb over or dig under. This stopped Gog and Magog from threatening them. According to some, they will be trapped there until doomsday, and their escape will be a sign of the end. The Qur'anic account of Dhul-Qarnayn follows very closely the "Gates of Alexander" story from the Alexander romance, a thoroughly embellished compilation of Alexander the Great's wars and adventures. Since the construction of a great iron gate to hold back a hostile northern people was attributed to Alexander many centuries before the time of the islamic prophet Muhammad and the Qur'an, most historians consider Dhul-Qarnayn a reference to Alexander. However, some Muslim scholars reject this attribution, associating Dhul-Qarnayn with some other early ruler, usually Cyrus the Great, but also Darius the Great or Atilla the Hun. Gog and Magog are also mentioned in some of the hadiths, or sayings of Muhammad, specifically the Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim, revered by Sunni Muslims. Fourteenth century Muslim sojourner Ibn Battuta traveled to China on order of the Sultan of Delhi, Muhammad bin Tughluq, and encountered a large community of Muslim merchants in the city of Zaitun. He comments in his travel log that "Between it [the city] and the rampart of Yajuj and Majuj is sixty days' travel." The translator of the travel log notes that Ibn Battuta confused the Great Wall of China with that supposedly built by Dhul-Qarnayn. In Ahmadiyya Community The Ahmadiyya Community present the view that Gog and Magog represent one or more of the European nations. They associate European imperialism after the Age of Discovery with the reference to Gog and Magog's rule at the "four corners of the world" in the Christian Book of Revelation. The Ahmadiyya founder Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (1835 – 1908) linked Gog and Magog to the European nations and Russia. His son and second successor, Mirza Basheer-ud-Din Mahmood Ahmad further expounds the connection between Europe and the accounts of Gog and Magog in the Bible, the Qur'an, and the hadith in his work Tafseer-e-Kabeer.. According to this interpretation of Mahmood Ahmad in his commentary on Surah Al-Kahf (Urdu), Gog and Magog were the descendants of Noah who populated eastern and western Europe long ago, the Scythians. According to Ahmadiyya teachings, the period of the Cold War between the two superpowers, USA and the Soviet Union (identified as Gog and Magog) or the influence of Communism and capitalism, the conflict and rivalry between the two and the eventual collapse of the Soviet Union all occurred in accordance with the prophecies concerning Gog and Magog. Ahmadis also cite the folkloric British interpretation of Gog and Magog as giants (see below) as support for their view.

Affiliation with fire Ahmadis point out that the Arabic words for Gog and Magog i.e. Yājūj and Mājūj derive from the root word ajja (to burn, blaze, hasten) which suggests that Gog and Magog will excel all nations in harnessing fire to their service and shall fight their battles with fire. In his commentary of Surah-Al-Masadd, Mirza Mahmood Ahmad, the Second Ahmadiyya leader has interpreted the two hands of Abu-lahab (the father of flame) as Gog and Magog, the nations opposed to Islam that will ultimately be destroyed by the 'fire' of their own making.

In Jewish traditions In terms of extra-biblical Jewish tradition, Gog the "prince" has been explained by Rashi, Radak and others as being the king of the nation of Magog, descended from the son Magog of Japthet, the son of Noah. No particular nation is associated with them, nor is any particular territory beyond them being in the north of Israel. Some Biblical scholars believe that Gyges (Ancient Greek: Γυγες), king of Lydia (687 BC–652 BC), is meant. In Assyrian letters, Gyges appears as Gu-gu, in which case Magog might be his territory in Anatolia; for in Assyrian, māt Gu-gu would be the normal way of designating 'the land of Gugu'. In his book Antiquities of the Jews, the Jewish historian and scholar Josephus identifies Magog with the Scythians, but this name seems to have been used generically in antiquity for a number of peoples north of the Black Sea. The Jewish Talmud and Midrashim also deal with Magog's location, and use the names Gytia (‫ )איתיג‬and Germania (‫)אינמרג‬, identified by some scholars as Kermania and Sattagydia, currently located in eastern Iran and Balochistan, which is also called Sakastan, meaning "home of the Scythians" (which were named by Josephus as Magogites).

In the Alexander Romance The older accounts influenced the authors of the Alexander Romance, a late and romanticized account of Alexander the Great's conquests. According to the Romance, Alexander came to a northern land devastated by incursions from barbarian peoples, including Gog and Magog. Alexander defends the land by constructing the Gates of Alexander, an immense wall between two mountains that will stop the invaders until the end times. In the Romance, these gates are built between two mountains in the Caucasus called the "Breasts of the World"; this has been taken as a reference to the historical "Caspian Gates" in Derbent, Russia. Another frequently suggested candidate is the wall at the Darial Gorge in Georgia, also in the Caucasus.

As Goths

Ambrose was the first to integrate the Goths in a Christian view of the world. In a treatise, de fide, written in 378 at the request of Emperor Gratian, he took up the issue of the Goths because the Emperor was going to fight them on the Balkans in the Gothic War (376–382). In a comment on Ezechiel 39:10–11 he famously wrote: Gog iste Gothus est — "That Gog is the Goth". In the mid 390s, Jerome did not agree with this assessment. In his comment on Genesis 10:2, he argued that events had proven Ambrose wrong, and he instead identified the Goths with the Getae of Thrace. Augustine did not agree with Ambrose either. In his The City of God, written as a reaction to the sack of Rome (410) by Alaric I, he explained that Gog and Magog in the Book of Revelation are not a particular people in a particular place, but that they exist all over the world. In the Getica, written by Jordanes in 551 as an abbreviation of a lost work by Theoderic's chancellor Cassiodorus, Josephus is quoted for connecting Magog to the Scythians and so to the Goths. However, this plays only a minor role in the elaborate origin myth in the Getica. Isidore of Seville confirmed that people in his day supposed that the Goths were descended from Japheth's son Magog "because of the similarity of the last syllable", and also mentions the view that they were anciently known as Getae. Many of the mountains peaks in the Caucasian mountains and land areas there retain the place name "Gog" in medieval European and Armenian maps. In the 7th-century Apocalypse of PseudoMethodius it is the messianic Last Roman Emperor who fights and destroys Gog and Magog, with divine aid. The 11th-century historian Adam of Bremen considered Ezekiel's prophecy to have been fulfilled in the Swedes, a group related to the Goths. Johannes Magnus (1488–1544) stated that Magog's sons were Sven and Gethar (also named Gog), who became the ancestors of the Swedes and the Goths. Queen Christina of Sweden (1626 – 1689) reckoned herself as number 249 in a list of kings going back to Magog.

As Khazars Christian and Muslim writers sometimes associated the Khazars with Gog and Magog. In his 9th century work Expositio in Matthaeum Evangelistam, the Benedictine monk Christian of Stavelot refers to the Khazars as Hunnic descendants of Gog and Magog, and says they are "Circumcised and observing all [the laws of] Judaism"; the Khazars were a Central Asian people with a long association with Judaism. The 14th century Sunni scholar Ibn Kathir also identified Gog and Magog with the Khazars who lived between the Black and Caspian Seas in his work Al-Bidayah wa al-Nihayah (The Beginning and the End). A Georgian tradition, echoed in a chronicle, also identifies the Khazars with Gog and Magog, stating they are "wild men with hideous faces and the manners of wild beasts, eaters of blood". Another author who has identified this connection was the Arab traveller Ahmad ibn Fadlan. In his travelogue regarding his diplomatic mission to the elteber (vassal-king under the Khazars), he noted the beliefs about Gog and Magog being the ancestors of the Khazars.

As Israelites or Jews The 14th-century Travels of Sir John Mandeville, a book of fanciful travels, makes a peripheral association between the Jews and Gog and Magog, saying the nation trapped behind the Gates of Alexander comprised the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel. Additionally, a German tradition claimed a group called the Red Jews would invade Europe at the end of the world. The "Red Jews" became associated with different peoples, but especially the Eastern European Jews and the Ottoman Turks.

As Mongolians The official stance of the Church following the Mongol invasions of Europe was that they were Magogoli descendants of Magog, and a taster of Armageddon. Some Muslim scholars including Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi and al-Tabari believe the Qur'anic Gog and Magog are intended to be the Mongols. The Mongols were a serious threat to Muslim power during the Middle Ages, attacking Muslim civilizations, and eventually destroying the Abbasid caliphate in Baghdad and the Khwarezmian Empire of Central Asia.

As Russia According to one modern theory of dispensationalist Biblical hermeneutics, Gog and Magog represent Russia. The Scofield Reference Bible's notes to Ezekiel claim that "Meshech" is a Hebrew form of Moscow, and that "Tubal" represents the Siberian capital Tobolsk. During the Cold War this identification led Hal Lindsey to claim that the Soviet Union would play a major role in the end times. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union some commentators have attempted to cast some other country in the role of Gog. Apocalyptic author Louis Bauman claimed that the word "Caucasian" came from the Arabic term "gog-i-hisn" for the mountains there which means "fortress of Gog". However, this identification is unanimously rejected by even the most conservative of credentialed biblical scholars working in accredited institutions of higher learning. It should be noted that the Scythians, who were identified by Josephus and others as being Magog, lived in what is now Russia and Ukraine. The legend of Gog and Magog, as well as the land of Rosh, also plays a significant part in the New Chronology of Russian pseudohistorian Anatoly Fomenko.

In The Travels of Marco Polo In The Travels dictated by Marco Polo, Gog and Magog are regions of Tenduk, a province belonging to Prester John, and governed by one George, fourth in descent from the original John. According to this account Gog (locally Ung) is inhabited by a tribe called the Gog, whilst Magog (or Mongul) is inhabited by Tatars.

As Napoleon in Russia

During the Napoleon Bonaparte's Invasion of Russia, some Chasidic rabbis identified this major war and upheaval as "The War of Gog and Magog", which would precede the coming of the Messiah.

Babylon Gog has also been identified as a cryptogram for Babel or Babylon.

Gog and Magog in Britain Giants

Gog and Magog figures located in the Royal Arcade, Melbourne (Australia) Despite this somewhat frightening Biblical imagery, Lord Mayors of the City of London carry images of Gog and Magog (depicted as giants) in a traditional procession in the Lord Mayor's Show. According to the tradition, the giants Gog and Magog are guardians of the City of London, and images of them have been carried in the Lord Mayor's Show since the days of King Henry V. The Lord Mayor's procession takes place each year on the second Saturday of November. The Lord Mayor's account of Gog and Magog says that the Roman Emperor Diocletian had thirty-three wicked daughters. He found thirty-three husbands for them to curb their wicked ways; they chafed at this, and under the leadership of the eldest sister, Alba, they

murdered their partners. For this crime they were set adrift at sea; they washed ashore on a windswept island, which they named "Albion" - after Alba. Here they coupled with demons and gave birth to a race of giants, whose descendants included Gog and Magog. An even older British connection to Gog and Magog appears in Geoffrey of Monmouth's influential 12th century Historia Regum Britanniae, which states that Goemagot was a giant slain by the eponymous Cornish hero Corin or Corineus. The tale figures in the body of unlikely lore that has Britain settled by the Trojan soldier Brutus and other fleeing heroes from the Trojan War. Corineus supposedly slew the giant by throwing him into the sea near Plymouth; Richard Carew notes the presence of chalk figures carved on Plymouth Hoe in his time. Wace (Roman de Brut), Layamon (Layamon's Brut) (who calls the giant Goemagog), and other chroniclers retell the story, which was picked up by later poets and romanciers. John Milton's History of Britain gives this version: The Island, not yet Britain, but Albion, was in a manner desert and inhospitable, kept only by a remnant of Giants, whose excessive Force and Tyrannie had consumed the rest. Them Brutus destroies, and to his people divides the land, which, with some reference to his own name, he thenceforth calls Britain. To Corineus, Cornwall, as now we call it, fell by lot; the rather by him lik't, for that the hugest Giants in Rocks and Caves were said to lurk still there; which kind of Monsters to deal with was his old exercise. And heer, with leave bespok'n to recite a grand fable, though dignify'd by our best Poets: While Brutus, on a certain Festival day, solemnly kept on that shore where he first landed (Totnes), was with the People in great jollity and mirth, a crew of these savages, breaking in upon them, began on the sudden another sort of Game than at such a meeting was expected. But at length by many hands overcome, Goemagog, the hugest, in hight twelve cubits, is reserved alive; that with him Corineus, who desired nothing more, might try his strength, whom in a Wrestle the Giant catching aloft, with a terrible hugg broke three of his Ribs: Nevertheless Corineus, enraged, heaving him up by main force, and on his shoulders bearing him to the next high rock, threw him hedlong all shatter'd into the sea, and left his name on the cliff, called ever since Langoemagog, which is to say, the Giant's Leap. Michael Drayton's Poly-Olbion preserves the tale as well: Amongst the ragged Cleeves those monstrous giants sought: Who (of their dreadful kind) t'appal the Trojans brought Great Gogmagog, an oake that by the roots could teare; So mighty were (that time) the men who lived there: But, for the use of armes he did not understand (Except some rock or tree, that coming next to land, He raised out of the earth to execute his rage), He challenge makes for strength, and offereth there his gage, Which Corin taketh up, to answer by and by, Upon this sonne of earth his utmost power to try.

Gog Magog Hills The Gog Magog Downs are about three miles south of Cambridge, said to be the metamorphosis of the giant after being rejected by the nymph Granta (i.e. the River Cam). The dowser Thomas Charles Lethbridge claimed to have discovered a group of three hidden chalk carvings in the Gogmagog Hills. This alleged discovery is described at length in his book Gogmagog: The Buried Gods, in which Lethbridge uses his discoveries to extrapolate a primal deity named 'Gog' and his consort, 'Ma-Gog', which he believed represented the Sun and Moon. Although his discovery of the chalk figures in the Gogmagog Hills has been dogged by controversy, there are similarities between the name and nature of the purported 'Gog' and the Irish deity Ogma, or the Gaulish Ogmios. The Cambridge molly side, Gog Magog, take their name from these hills.

Gog and Magog in Ireland

"Gog and Magog giving Paddy a Lift Out of the Mire." From Punch magazine, 1846 Works of Irish mythology, including the Lebor Gabála Érenn (the Book of Invasions), expand on the Genesis account of Magog as the son of Japheth and make him the ancestor to the Irish. His three sons were Baath, Jobhath, and Fathochta. Magog is regarded as the father of the Irish race, and the progenitor of the Scythians, as well as of numerous other races across Europe and Central Asia