Misplaced Pages

End time: Difference between revisions

Article snapshot taken from Wikipedia with creative commons attribution-sharealike license. Give it a read and then ask your questions in the chat. We can research this topic together.
Browse history interactively← Previous editNext edit →Content deleted Content addedVisualWikitext
Revision as of 01:57, 21 February 2022 editBeland (talk | contribs)Autopatrolled, Administrators237,083 edits Organization: Endtime Ministries← Previous edit Revision as of 02:07, 21 February 2022 edit undoBeland (talk | contribs)Autopatrolled, Administrators237,083 edits Merge main content to EschatologyTag: ReplacedNext edit →
Line 25: Line 25:


{{dab}} {{dab}}

{{work in progress}}
{{mergeto|Eschatology|date=February 2022|discuss=Talk:End time#Merge from Apocalypticism or to Eschatology}}
__TOC__
==Cyclic cosmology==

===Indian religions===

====Hinduism====
{{Main|Hindu eschatology|Kalki}}
{{further|Hindu units of time}}
In ], time is cyclic and consists of ]. Each lasts 4.1–8.2 billion years, which is a period of one full day and night for ], who will be alive for 311 trillion, 40 billion years. Within a ''kalpa'' there are periods of ], ] and ]. After this larger cycle, all of creation will contract to a ]{{Citation needed|date=November 2020|reason=Singularity is unsourced and probably someone's POV.}} and then again will expand from that single point, as the ] continue in a religious ] pattern.<ref name="Hooper"/>{{Request quotation|date=October 2019}}

Within the current kalpa, there are four epochs that encompass the cycle. They progress from a beginning of complete purity to a descent into total corruption. The last of the four ages is ], our current time, which will be characterized by impiety, violence and decay. The four pillars of dharma will be reduced to one, with truth being all that remains.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.astrojyoti.com/vishnupurana.htm |title = Vishnu Purana |publisher = Astrojyoti.com |access-date = 21 November 2011}}</ref> As written in the ]:

<blockquote><poem>''Yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānirbhavati Bhārata''
''Abhyutthānam adharmasya tadātmānam sṛjāmyaham''

Whenever there is decay of righteousness in ] (])
And a rise of unrighteousness then I manifest ]!<ref>{{cite web|url = http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m06/m06025.htm |title=The Mahabharata, Book 6, Bhagavad Gita Chapter IV, Section 7|publisher=Sacred-texts.com|access-date = 12 November 2012|date = 12 November 2012}}</ref></poem></blockquote>

At this time of chaos, the final avatar, ], endowed with eight superhuman faculties will appear on a white horse. Kalki will amass an army to "establish righteousness upon the earth" and leave "the minds of the people as pure as crystal."

At the completion of ], the next ] will begin with a new ], in which all will once again be righteous with the reestablishment of dharma. This, in turn, will be followed by epochs of ], ] and again another Kali Yuga. This cycle will then repeat till the larger cycle of existence under ] returns to the ],{{Citation needed|date=November 2020|reason=Singularity is unsourced and probably someone's POV.}} and a new universe is born.<ref name="Brown">{{cite book|last1=Browne|first1=Sylvia|last2=Harrison|first2=Lindsay|title=End of Days: Predictions and Prophecies About the End of the World|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bAAOiMl1BIcC|year=2008|publisher=Penguin Publishing Group|isbn=978-1-4406-3141-2}}</ref>

====Buddhism====
{{Main|Buddhist eschatology}}
There is no classic account of beginning or end<ref>
{{cite book
| last1 = Lopez
| first1 = Donald S.
| author-link1 = Donald S. Lopez Jr.
| title = The Story of Buddhism
| location = New York
| publisher = Harper
| date = 2001
| page = 33
| quote = Unlike so many other traditions, the Buddhist scriptures contain no classic account of an end time, an apocalypse, an eschaton.
}}
quoted in:
{{cite book
| last1 = Netland
| first1 = Harold
| author-link1 = Harold A. Netland
| last2 = Yandell
| first2 = Keith
| author-link2 = Keith Yandell
| chapter = The Dharma or the Gospel?
| title = Buddhism: A Christian Exploration and Appraisal
| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=uwEvBBSvH-0C
| location = Downers Grove, Illinois
| publisher = InterVarsity Press
| date = 2009
| page = 196
| isbn = 9780830838554
| access-date = 7 July 2019
}}
</ref>
in Buddhism; Masao Abe attributes this to the absence of God.<ref>
{{cite book
| last1 = Abe
| first1 = Masao
| author-link1 = Masao Abe
| year = 1985
| chapter = Buddhist Nirvana – Its Significance in Contemporary Thought and Life
| editor1-last = LaFleur
| editor1-first = William R.
| title = Zen and Western Thought
| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=3SuvCwAAQBAJ
| series = Library of Philosophy and Religion
| edition = reprint
| location = Basingstoke
| publisher = Macmillan
| publication-date = 1985
| page = 214
| isbn = 9781349069941
| access-date = 7 July 2019
| quote = Since there is no God in Buddhism, there is no creation or last judgment, but rather Emptiness. Thus, for Buddhism, history has neither beginning nor end.
}}
</ref>

History is embedded in the continuing process of ] or the "beginningless and endless cycles of birth-death-rebirth".<ref>{{Cite book|title= Buddhism: A Christian Exploration and Appraisal|last1= Netland|first1= Harold|last2= Yandell|first2= Keith|date= 2009|publisher= IVP Academic|isbn= 9780830838554|location= Downers Grove, IL|pages= 196 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=uwEvBBSvH-0C}}</ref> Buddhists believe there is an end to things{{citation needed|date=July 2019}} but it is not final because they are bound to be born again. However, the writers of ] Buddhist scriptures establish a specific end-time account in Buddhist tradition: this describes the return of ], who would bring about an end to the world.<ref>{{Cite book|title= Encyclopedia of Time: Science, Philosophy, Theology, & Culture|last= Birx|first= H. James|date= 2009|publisher= SAGE|isbn= 9781412941648|location= Thousand Oaks, CA|pages= 409}}</ref> This constitutes one of the two major branches of Buddhist eschatology, with the other being the ]. End time in Buddhism could also involve a cultural eschatology covering "final things", which include the idea that ]'s ] will also come to an end.<ref>{{Cite book|title= Encyclopedia of Death & Human Experience: 1-|last1= Bryant|first1= Clifton|last2= Peck|first2= Dennis|date= 15 July 2009|publisher= SAGE|isbn= 9781412951784|location= Thousand Oaks, CA|pages= 422}}</ref>

=====Maitreya=====
{{main|Maitreya}}
The Buddha described his teachings disappearing five thousand years from when he preached them, corresponding approximately to the year 4300 since he was born in 623 BCE. At this time, knowledge of dharma will be lost as well. The last of his relics will be gathered in Bodh Gaya and cremated.{{Citation needed|date= November 2012}} There will be a new era in which the next Buddha Maitreya will appear, but it will be preceded by the degeneration of human society. This will be a period of greed, lust, poverty, ill will, violence, murder, impiety, physical weakness, sexual depravity and societal collapse, and even the Buddha himself will be forgotten.<ref name="Hooper"/>

This will be followed by the coming of Maitreya when the teachings of ] are forgotten. Maitreya was the first Bodhisattva around whom a cult developed, in approximately the 3rd century CE.<ref name="Britannica">{{cite web|url= http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/358868/Maitreya|title= Maitreya|publisher= Britannica Encyclopedia}}</ref>

The earliest known mention of Maitreya occurs in the Cakavatti, or Sihanada Sutta in ] 26 of the ]. In it, ] predicted his teachings of dharma would be forgotten after 5,000 years.
{{quote|"At that period, brethren, there will arise in the world an Exalted One named Maitreya, Fully Awakened, abounding in wisdom and goodness, happy, with knowledge of the worlds, unsurpassed as a guide to mortals willing to be led, a teacher for gods and men, an Exalted One, a Buddha, even as I am now. He, by himself, will thoroughly know and see, as it were face to face, this universe, with Its worlds of the spirits, Its Brahmas and Its Maras, and Its world of recluses and Brahmins, of princes and peoples, even as I now, by myself, thoroughly know and see them"|Digha Nikaya, 26}}

The text then foretells the birth of Maitreya Buddha in the city of ] in present-day ], whose king will be the Cakkavattī Sankha. Sankha will live in the former palace of King Mahāpanadā, and will become a renunciate who follows Maitreya.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.basicbuddhism.org/index.cfm?GPID=29 |title= ''Cakkavatti Sutta: The Wheel-turning Emperor'' |authors= Sutta Pitaka, Digha Nikaya, Pāli Canon |page= 26 |url-status= dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120505101810/http://www.basicbuddhism.org/index.cfm?GPID=29 |archive-date= 5 May 2012}}</ref><ref>Vipassana.info, </ref>

In Mahayana Buddhism, Maitreya will attain '']'' in seven days, the minimum period, by virtue of his many lifetimes of preparation. Once Buddha, he will rule over the Ketumati Pure Land, an earthly paradise sometimes associated with the Indian city of ] or Benares in present-day ]. In Mahayana Buddhism, the Buddha presides over a land of purity. For example, ] presides over Sukhavati, more popularly known as the "Western Paradise".<ref>{{cite web|url= http://enlight.lib.ntu.edu.tw/FULLTEXT/JR-BJ013/51013.pdf |title= 《彌勒上生經》與《彌勒下生經》簡介 |access-date= 27 November 2012}}</ref>
]

Notable teaching he will rediscover is that of the ten non-virtuous deeds—killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, lying, divisive speech, abusive speech, idle speech, covetousness, harmful intent and wrong views. The ten virtuous deeds will replace them with the abandonment of each of these practices. ] in his ''Buddhist Scriptures'' (1959) gives an account of Maitreya:
{{quote|The Lord replied, 'Maitreya, the best of men, will then leave the ] heavens and go for his last rebirth. As soon as he is born he will walk seven steps forward, and where he puts down his feet a jewel or a lotus will spring up. He will raise his eyes to the ten directions and will speak these words: "This is my last birth. There will be no rebirth after this one. Never will I come back here, but, all pure, I shall win Nirvana."'|''Buddhist Scriptures''<ref>{{cite book|title= Buddhist Scriptures|url= https://archive.org/details/buddhistscriptur0000conz|url-access= registration|last= Conze|first= Edward| author-link = Edward Conze|publisher= Penguin Classics|date= 30 July 1959|pages= |isbn= 0140440887}}</ref>}}
Maitreya currently resides in ], but will come to ] when needed most as successor to the historic ]. Maitreya will achieve complete enlightenment during his lifetime, and following this reawakening he will bring back the timeless teaching of ] to this plane and rediscover ].<ref name="Theravada Buddhism 1988, pages 83-85"/> The ], founded in 1933 by ], is based on the idea of Maitreya.

Maitreya eschatology forms the central canon of the ], a religious and political movement which emerged in ].<ref>{{cite book|last=Mote|first=Frederick W.|title=Imperial China 900-1800|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SQWW7QgUH4gC&pg=PA530|year=2003|publisher=Harvard University Press|isbn=978-0-674-01212-7}}</ref> It later branched into the Chinese underground ] known as the ], which exist today as an international underground criminal network. {{citation needed|date=July 2019}}

Note that no description of Maitreya occurs in any other sutta in the canon, casting doubt as to the authenticity of the scripture. In addition, sermons of the Buddha normally are in response to a question, or in a specific context, but this sutta has a beginning and an ending, and its content is quite different from the others. This has led some to conclude that the whole sutta is ]l, or tampered with.<ref name="Theravada Buddhism 1988, pages 83-85">
], ''Theravada Buddhism: A Social History from Ancient Benares to Modern Colombo''. Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1988, pages 83–85.
</ref>

=====Sermon of the Seven Suns=====
In his "Sermon of the Seven Suns" in the ], the Buddha describes the ultimate fate of the ] in an ] characterized by the consequent appearance of seven ]s in the sky, each causing progressive ruin till the planet is destroyed:
{{quote|All things are impermanent, all aspects of existence are unstable and non-eternal. Beings will become so weary and disgusted with the constituent things that they will seek emancipation from them more quickly. There will come a season, O monks when, after hundreds of thousands of years, rains will cease. All seedlings, all vegetation, all plants, grasses and trees will dry up and cease to be.{{nbsp}}...There comes another season after a great lapse of time when a second sun will appear. Now all brooks and ponds will dry up, vanish, cease to be.|Aňguttara-Nikăya, VII, 6.2 Pali Canon<ref name="Hooper"/>|title=|source=}}

The canon goes on to describe the progressive destruction of each sun. The third sun will dry the ] and other rivers, whilst the fourth will cause the lakes to evaporate; the fifth will dry the oceans. Later:
{{quote|Again after a vast period of time a sixth sun will appear, and it will bake the Earth even as a pot is baked by a potter. All the mountains will reek and send up clouds of smoke. After another great interval a seventh sun will appear and the Earth will blaze with fire until it becomes one mass of flame. The mountains will be consumed, a spark will be carried on the wind and go to the worlds of God.{{nbsp}}...Thus, monks, all things will burn, perish and exist no more except those who have seen the path.|Aňguttara-Nikăya, VII, 6.2 Pali Canon<ref name="Hooper"/>}}

The sermon completes with the Earth immersed into an extensive holocaust. The Pali Canon does not indicate when this will happen relative to Maitreya.<ref name="Hooper"/>

===Norse mythology===
], depicting Odin fighting his old nemesis ]]]
], depicting Ragnarök after Surtr has engulfed the world with fire]]
{{Main|Ragnarök}}
] depicts the end of days as ''Ragnarök'', an ] term translatable as "twilight of the gods". It will be heralded by a devastation known as ] which will seize ] in cold and darkness. The sun and moon will disappear from the sky, and poison will fill the air. The dead will rise from the ground and there will be widespread despair.

There follows a battle between – on the one hand – the Gods with the ], ]{{citation needed|date= October 2014}} and ], led by ], and – on the other hand – forces of Chaos, including the fire giants and ], led by ]. In the fighting ] will be swallowed whole by his old nemesis ].<ref name=LARRINGTON266>Larrington (1996:266).</ref> The god ] fights ] but loses. ], son of Odin, will then avenge his father by ripping Fenrir's jaws apart and stabbing the wolf in the heart with his spear. The serpent ] will open its gaping maw and be met in combat by ]. Thor, also a son of Odin, will defeat the serpent, only to take nine steps afterwards before collapsing in his own death.<ref>{{cite book |last = Larrington |first = Carolyne| title= The Poetic Edda| publisher = ] | year = 1999 | isbn = 0-19-283946-2 }}</ref>

After this people will flee their homes as the sun blackens and the earth sinks into the sea. The stars will vanish, steam will rise, and flames will touch the heavens. This conflict will result in the deaths of most of the major Gods and forces of Chaos. Finally, ] will fling fire across the nine worlds. The ocean will then completely submerge ].<ref>{{cite book | last = Bellows| first = Henry Adams| title= The Poetic Edda: The Mythological Poems| publisher = ] | year = 2004 | isbn = 0-486-43710-8 }}</ref>

After the ], the world will resurface new and fertile, and the surviving Gods will meet. ], another son of Odin, will be reborn in the new world, according to ]. The two human survivors, ], will then repopulate this new earth.<ref name="Odin">{{cite book |last = Byock | first = Jesse | title = The Prose Edda| publisher = ] | year = 2005 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=bAAOiMl1BIcC| isbn = 0-14-044755-5
}}</ref>

==Linear cosmology==
===Baháʼí Faith===
]
The founder of the ], ], claimed to be the ] as well as the fulfillment of prophetic expectations of other religions.<ref>{{cite book | title = Studies in Modern Religions, Religious Movements and the Bābī-Bahā'ī Faiths | editor = Sharon, Moshe | chapter = The eschatology of Globalization: The multiple-messiahship of Bahā'u'llāh revisited | first = Christopher | last = Buck | isbn = 90-04-13904-4 | pages = 143–178 | location = Boston | publisher = Brill | year = 2004 | chapter-url = http://bahai-library.com/buck_eschatology_globalization }}</ref> The inception of the Baháʼí Faith coincides with ], pointing to the year 1844. ] taught that ] would begin in 1914, but without a clear indication of its end date. They believe that the mass martyrdom anticipated during the ''End Times'' had already passed within the ] of the Baháʼí Faith.<ref>{{cite book |last = Smith |first = P. |year = 1999 |title = A Concise Encyclopedia of the Bahá'í Faith |publisher = Oneworld Publications |location = Oxford, UK |pages = |isbn = 1-85168-184-1 |url = https://archive.org/details/conciseencyclope0000smit/page/98 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author = Stephen Lambden |url = http://bahai-library.com/lambden_catastrophe_millennium |title = Catastrophe, Armageddon and Millennium: some aspects of the Bábí-Baha'i exegesis of apocalyptic symbolism |publisher = Bahai-library.com |access-date = 12 November 2011 }}</ref> Baháʼís expect their faith to be eventually embraced by the masses of the world, ushering in a ].

===Christianity===
{{Christian Eschatology}}
{{Main|Second Coming|Christian eschatology|Last Judgment}}
;Date
Some ] believed Jesus would return during their lifetime. When the converts of Paul in ] were persecuted by the ], they believed the end of days to be imminent.<ref>See ] chapter {{bibleverse-nb|2|Thess|2}} and ].</ref> Scholarly consensus would hold that Jesus, and following him the early Christians, understood the endtime as being imminent.<ref name="PBS apoc">{{Cite web|last1=Collins|first1=John|last2=Boyer|first2=Paul|last3=Tabor|first3=James|last4=Fredriksen|first4=Paula|title=Apocalypticism Explained {{!}} Apocalypse! FRONTLINE {{!}} PBS|url=https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/apocalypse/explanation/jesusjohnbaptist.html|access-date=2020-09-16|website=www.pbs.org}}</ref>

While some who believe in the literal interpretation of the Bible insist the prediction of dates or times is futile, others believe Jesus foretold signs of the end of days. The precise time, however, will come like a "thief in the night" ({{bibleref2|1 Thess.|5:2}}). They may also refer to {{bibleref2|Matthew|24:36}} in which Jesus is quoted as saying:
{{quote|
"But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only."}}

;Great Tribulation
{{Main|Abomination of desolation|Great Tribulation}}
In the New Testament, Jesus refers to this period preceding the end times as the "Great Tribulation" ({{bibleref2|Matthew 24:21}}), "Affliction" ({{bibleref2|Mark 13:19}}), and "days of vengeance" ({{bibleref2|Luke 21:22}}).

The Book of Matthew describes the devastation:
{{quote|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.{{nbsp}}...Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes, and woe unto them that are with child.{{nbsp}}...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.|{{bibleref2|Matthew|24:15–22}}|title=|source=}}

The resulting chaos will affect pregnancies, newborns, and a scourge will spread throughout the flesh, save for the elect. The vivid imagery of this section is repeated closely in {{bibleref2|Mark|13:14–20}}.

The Gospel of Luke describes a complete unraveling of the social fabric, with widespread calamity and war:
{{quote|Then he said to them, "Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and pestilences. And there will be terrors and great signs from heaven. But before all this they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors for my name's sake. This will be your opportunity to bear witness. Settle it therefore in your minds not to meditate beforehand how to answer, for I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which none of your adversaries will be able to withstand or contradict. You will be delivered up even by parents and brothers and relatives and friends, and some of you they will put to death. You will be hated by all for my name's sake. But not a hair of your head will perish. By your endurance you will gain your lives.

"But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation has come near. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, and let those who are inside the city depart, and let not those who are out in the country enter it, for these are days of vengeance, to fulfill all that is written. Alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! For there will be great distress upon the earth and wrath against this people. They will fall by the edge of the sword and be led captive among all nations, and Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.

"And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves, people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world. For the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near."

And he told them a parable: "Look at the fig tree, and all the trees. As soon as they come out in leaf, you see for yourselves and know that the summer is already near. So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near. Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all has taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away."|{{bibleref2|Luke|21:10–33}}}}

In the Book of Revelation, the "great tribulation" (Rev. 7:14b) refers to a time of affliction upon God's people.

====Catholicism and Orthodoxy====
The ] addresses Catholic beliefs concerning the last days.<ref>
An explanation of these beliefs appears on the </ref> Catholicism adheres to the ] school of thought, promoted by ] in his work ].

====Protestantism====
Contemporary use of the term ''End Times'' has evolved from literal belief in Christian ]. In this tradition, ] ] is believed to be imminent, with various current events as ]s of impending ]. These beliefs have been put forward by the Adventist movement (]), ], and ]. In 1918 a group of eight, well-known preachers produced the ], warning of an imminent second coming of Christ shortly after the 1917 liberation of Jerusalem by the British.

=====Millennialists and Amillennialists=====
] (1521). Here the ] is shown wearing the triple crown of the Roman papacy.]]
{{unreferenced section|date=December 2021}}
Protestants are divided between ] and ]. Millennialists concentrate on the issue of whether the true believers will see the ] or be removed from it by what is referred to as a Pre-Tribulation ].

Amillennialists believe the end times encompass the time from Christ's ascension to the last day, and maintain that the mention of the "thousand years" in the ] is meant to be taken ]ically (i.e., not literally), a view which continues to cause divisions within ].

There is a range of eschatological belief in Protestant Christianity. Christian ] who believe the end times are occurring now, are usually specific about timelines that climax in the end of the world. For some, ], the ], or the United Nations are seen as major players whose roles were foretold in scripture. Within ] writing, there is the belief that Christians will be summoned to ] by Christ at the ], occurring before a Great Tribulation prophesied in Matthew 24–25; Mark 13 and Luke 21. The Tribulation is described in the Book of Revelation.

"End times" may also refer to the passing of an age or long period in the relationship between man and God.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Chang Soppe|first1=Seok Lyun|title=God's Mystery That Is Christ|date=2014|publisher=WestBow Press|isbn=978-1490815947}}</ref> Adherents to this view cite the ] and draw analogies to the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries.

Post-Exilic Hebrew books of ] such as ] and ] are given new interpretations in this Christian tradition, while ] appear in the Judeo-Christian ] which include the Book of Revelation ascribed to John, the ]l ], and the ].

=====Fundamentalists=====
{{unreferenced section|date=December 2021}}
Most fundamentalist Christians anticipate biblical prophecy to be literally fulfilled. They see current wars, natural disaster and famine as the birth pangs which Jesus described in Matthew {{bibleverse-nb||Matthew|24:7–8|}} and Mark {{bibleverse-nb||Mark|13:8|}}. They believe mankind began in the ], and point to the Valley of ] as the place where the current ] will terminate, after which the Messiah will rule for 1,000 years.

=====Adventists and Millerites=====
{{unreferenced section|date=December 2021}}
]Religious movements which expect that the ] will be a cataclysmic event are generally called ]. These have arisen throughout the Christian era, but were particularly common after the ]. ] considered the second coming to be symbolic, and to have occurred in 1757. Along with others, he developed a religious system around the second coming of Christ, disclosed by new prophecy or special revelation not described in the Bible. The ] are diverse religious groups which similarly rely upon a special gift of interpretation for predicting the second coming.

The difference between the 19th-century Millerite and adventist movements and contemporary prophecy is that ] and his followers, based on biblical interpretation, predicted the time of the Second Coming to have occurred in 1844. Contemporary writing of end time has suggested the timetable will be triggered by future wars and ], and that this time of tribulation is close at hand.

Seventh-day Adventists believe biblical prophecy to foretell an end time scenario in which the United States works in conjunction with the Catholic Church to mandate worship on a day other than the true Sabbath, Saturday, as prescribed in the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:8–11). This will bring about a situation where one must choose for or against the Bible as the will of God.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.adventist.org/beliefs/statements/main_stat42.html |title = How Seventh-day Adventists View Roman Catholicism |access-date = 4 July 2009 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20061206202225/http://www.adventist.org/beliefs/statements/main_stat42.html |archive-date = 6 December 2006 |url-status = dead }} – Main Statements of Belief from the official Adventist Church website.</ref>

=====Preterists=====
{{Main|Preterism}}
Another view of the ''end times'' is ]. It distinguishes ''the time of the end'' from ''the end of time''. Preterists believe the term ''last days'' (or ''Time of the End'') refers to, neither the last days of the Earth, nor the last days of humankind, but the end of the ] between ] and ]; which, according to preterism, took place when the ] in ] was destroyed in 70 ].

Preterists believe that ]—such as the ], the desecration of the Jewish Temple, the destruction of Jerusalem, the rise of the ], the ], the advent of ], and a ]—had been fulfilled when the Romans ] and completely destroyed its Temple.

Proponents of ''full preterism'' do not believe in a coming ]. They place this event (as well as the Second Coming) in the year 70. Advocates of ] do believe in a coming resurrection. Full preterists contend that partial preterists are merely ''futurists'', since they believe the Second Coming, the Resurrection, the ], and the Judgment are yet to come.

Many preterists believe first-century ] experienced the Rapture to rejoin the ].

According with Preterism's ] of end times, many "time passages" in the ] foretell a ] of Christ, with last days to take place within the lifetimes of his disciples: ] 10:23, ] 16:28, ] 24:34, ] 26:64, ] 13:11–12, ] 7:29–31, ] 10:11, ] 4:5, ] 5:8–9, ] 4:7, ] 2:18.

=====Dispensationalists=====
{{Main|Dispensationalism|Christian Zionism}}
Dispensationalism is an ] ] Biblical interpretation that foresees a series of ], or periods, in which God relates to human beings under different ]. The belief system is primarily rooted in the writings of ] and is ] in content. The ] in 1948 provided a major impetus to the dispensationalist belief system. The wars of Israel after 1948 with its Arab neighbors provided further support, according to ].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.biblio.com/isbn/0310539218.html |title=Armageddon, Oil and the Middle East Crisis |author=John F. Walvoord |orig-year=1974|year=1990|author-link=John F. Walvoord }}</ref> After the ] in 1967, and the ] in 1973, it seemed plausible to many ] in the 1970s that Middle East turmoil may well be leading up to the fulfillment of various Bible prophecies and to the Battle of ].

Members of the dispensationalist movement such as ], ], ], all of whom have ] backgrounds, and some other writers, claimed further that the ], which preceded the ], would become a ], which would in turn become a Revived Roman Empire ruled by the ]. The Revived Roman Empire also figured into the ] writers' vision of the future. The fact that in the early 1970s, there were (erroneously thought to be) seven nations in the European Economic Community was held to be significant; this aligned the Community with a seven-headed beast mentioned in Revelation. This specific prophecy has required revision, but the idea of a Revived Roman Empire remains.

Dispensationalism, in contrast to the Millerite Adventist movement, had its beginning in the 19th century, when ], founder of the ] ], incorporated into his system of Biblical interpretation a system of organizing Biblical time into a number of discrete ], each of which marks a separate ] with God. Darby's beliefs were widely publicized in ]'s '']'', an annotated Bible that became popular in the United States.

Since the majority of the Biblical prophets were writing at a time when the ] was still functioning, they wrote as if it would still be standing during the prophesied events. According to preterism, this was a fulfillment of the prophecies. However, according to ], their destruction in AD 70 put the prophetic timetable on hold. Many such believers therefore anticipated the return of Jews to Israel and the ] before the Second Coming could occur.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://christianactionforisrael.org/congress.html|title=Proclamation of the 3rd International Zionist Congress|access-date=27 November 2012|date=25 February 1996 |publisher=Christian Action For Israel|url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120719161650/http://christianactionforisrael.org/congress.html|archive-date=19 July 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.leaderu.com/common/british.html|title=The Untold Story: The Role of Christian Zionists in the Establishment of Modern-day Israel|access-date=27 November 2012|date=13 July 2002|publisher=Rabbi Jamie Cowen}}</ref>

====Post-tribulation pre-millennialism====
A view of the Second Coming of Christ as held by post-tribulational pre-millennialists holds that the Church of Christ will have to undergo great persecution by being present during the great tribulation.

====Specific prophetic movements====
{{main|Great Disappointment}}
]]]In 1843, ] 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 ]), ] went on to found separate groups, the most successful of which is the ].

Members of the ] believe Miller's interpretation of signs and dates of the coming of Jesus were, for the most part, correct.<ref name="momen">{{cite journal | journal = ] | volume = 2 | issue = 1 | year = 1992 | first = Moojan | last = Momen | title = Fundamentalism and Liberalism: towards an understanding of the dichotomy |url=http://bahai-library.com/momen_fundamentalism_liberalism_dichotomy }}</ref> They believe the fulfillment of biblical prophecies of the coming of Christ came through a forerunner of their own religion, the ]. According to the Báb's words, 4 April 1844 was "the first day that the Spirit descended" into his heart.<ref name="Momen 2007 71–88">{{cite journal| last =Momen | first = Moojan | title =Messianic Concealment and Theophanic Disclosure | journal =Online Journal of Baháʼí Studies | volume =1 | pages =71–88 | year =2007 | url =http://oj.bahaistudies.net/OJBS_1_Momen_Messianic_Concealment.pdf | issn =1177-8547 | access-date = 14 April 2012}}</ref> His subsequent declaration to ] that he was the "Promised One"—an event now commemorated by Baháʼís as a ]—took place on 23 May 1844. It was in October of that year that the Báb embarked on a ], where he openly declared his claims to the ].<ref name="Chron">{{cite book |url=https://bahai-library.com/cameron_momen_bahai_chronology |first1=Glenn |last1=Cameron |first2=Wendi |last2=Momen |year=1996 |title=A Basic Baháʼí Chronology |publisher=George Ronald |location=Oxford, UK |isbn=0-85398-404-2 |pages=15–20, 125 |via=Bahá'í Library Online}}</ref><ref name="gpb">{{cite book|title=God Passes By|author=Shoghi Effendi Rabbani|page=9|url=http://reference.bahai.org/en/t/se/GPB/gpb-2.html}}</ref> The first news coverage of these events in the West was in 1845 by '']'',<ref name="Momen 1999 online">{{cite encyclopedia | last = Momen | first = Moojan | title = Early Western Accounts of the Babi and Baháʼí Faiths | encyclopedia = Encyclopedia articles | publisher = Bahá'í Library Online | year = 1999 | url =http://bahai-library.com/momen_encyclopedia_western_accounts | access-date = 2 February 2012}}</ref> followed by others in 1850 in the United States.<ref name="Bahá'í Library Online">{{cite web | title =Early mention of Bábís in western newspapers, summer 1850| work = Historical documents and Newspaper articles| publisher =Baháʼí Library Online | date =17 September 2010 | url =http://bahai-library.com/1850_brief_reports | access-date = 14 April 2012}}</ref> The first Baháʼí to come to America was in 1892.<ref name="Chron"/> Several Baháʼí books and pamphlets make mention of the Millerites, the prophecies used by Miller and the Great Disappointment, most notably ]'s ''Thief in the Night''.<ref name="sears">{{cite book |first=William |last=Sears |title=Thief in the Night |author-link=William Sears (Baháʼí) |year=1961 |isbn=0-85398-008-X |publisher=George Ronald |location=London |url=https://archive.org/details/thiefinnightor00sear }}</ref><ref name="Bowers 2004 12">{{cite book | first = Kenneth E. | last = Bowers | year = 2004 | publisher = Baháʼí Publishing Trust | isbn = 1-931847-12-6 | title = God Speaks Again: An Introduction to the Baháʼí Faith | page = 12 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=IOjBc_wK4m8C}}</ref><ref name="Motlagh 1992 205–213">{{cite book | title = I Shall Come Again | first = Hushidar Hugh | last = Motlagh | publisher = Global Perspective | location = Mt. Pleasant, MI | year = 1992 | isbn = 0-937661-01-5 | pages = 205–213 | edition = The Great Disappointment}}</ref>

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

=====Jehovah's Witnesses=====
{{Main|Eschatology of Jehovah's Witnesses}}
]. The society made a number of emphatic claims of impending last days and ensuing chaos between 1879–1924.]]
The ] of ] is central to their religious beliefs. They believe ] has been ruling in heaven as king since 1914 (a date they believe was prophesied in the Bible) and that after that time a period of cleansing occurred, resulting in God's selection of the ] associated with ] as his people in 1919. They also believe that the destruction of those who reject the Bible's message<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=The Watchtower|title=The House-to-House Ministry—Why Important Now?|date=15 July 2008|pages=5–6}}</ref> and thus willfully refuse to obey God<ref>''You Can Live Forever in Paradise on Earth'', Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society, 1989, p. 155.</ref><ref>''Revelation—Its Grand Climax at Hand!'', Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society, 1988, p. 6.</ref> will shortly take place at ], ensuring that the beginning of the new earthly society will be composed of willing subjects of that kingdom.

The religion's doctrines surrounding 1914 are the legacy of a series of emphatic claims regarding the years 1799,<ref name=indisputable>''The Watchtower'', 1 March 1922, page 73, "The indisputable facts, therefore, show that the 'time of the end' began in 1799; that the Lord's second presence began in 1874."</ref> 1874,<ref name=indisputable /> 1878,<ref name="OurFaith1875">{{cite magazine|magazine=The Herald of the Morning|title=Our Faith|url=http://www.watchtowerdocuments.com/downloads/1874-1876_Herald_of_the_Morning.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080512062421/http://www.watchtowerdocuments.com/downloads/1874-1876_Herald_of_the_Morning.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-date=2008-05-12|date=September 1875|page=52}}</ref> 1914,<ref name="TheWatchtower">''The Watchtower'', : "We see no reason for changing the figures—nor could we change them if we would. They are, we believe, God's dates, not ours. But bear in mind that the end of 1914 is not the date for the beginning, but for the end of the time of trouble."</ref> 1918<ref name="September">1 September 1916 ''The Watchtower'', pages </ref> and 1925<ref name="MillionsNow">''Millions Now Living Will Never Die'', 1920, page 97, "Based upon the argument heretofore set forth, then, that the old order of things, the old world, is ending and is therefore passing away, and that the new order is coming in, and that 1925 shall mark the resurrection of the faithful worthies of old and the beginning of reconstruction, it is reasonable to conclude that millions of people now on the earth will be still on the earth in 1925. Then, based upon the promises set forth in the divine Word, we must reach the positive and indisputable conclusion that millions now living will never die."</ref> made in the ] publications between 1879 and 1924. Claims about the significance of those years, including the presence of Jesus Christ, the beginning of the "last days", the destruction of worldly governments and the earthly resurrection of Jewish patriarchs, were successively abandoned.<ref>{{Cite book | last = Holden | first = Andrew | title = Jehovah's Witnesses: Portrait of a Contemporary Religious Movement | publisher = Routledge | year = 2002 | page = | isbn = 0-415-26609-2 | url = https://archive.org/details/jehovahswitnesse00andr/page/1 }}</ref> In 1922 the society's principal magazine, '']'', described its chronology as "no stronger than its weakest link", but also claimed the chronological relationships to be "of divine origin and divinely corroborated{{nbsp}}... in a class by itself, absolutely and unqualifiedly correct"<ref>"The Strong Cable of Chronology", ''Watch Tower'', 15 July 1922, page 217, "The chronology of present truth is, to begin with, a string of dates{{nbsp}}... Thus far it is a chain, and no stronger than its weakest link. There exist, however, well established relationships among the dates of present-truth chronology. These internal connections of the dates impart a much greater strength than can be found in other chronologies. Some of them are of so remarkable a character as clearly to indicate this chronology is not of man, but of God. Being of divine origin and divinely corroborated, present-truth chronology stands in a class by itself, absolutely and unqualifiedly correct."</ref> and "indisputable facts",<ref name=indisputable /> and repudiation of Russell's teachings was described as "equivalent to a repudiation of the Lord".<ref>''The Watchtower'', 1 May 1922, page 132, "To abandon or repudiate the Lord's chosen instrument means to abandon or repudiate the Lord himself, upon the principle that he who rejects the servant sent by the Master thereby rejects the Master.{{nbsp}}... Brother Russell was the Lord's servant. Then to repudiate him and his work is equivalent to a repudiation of the Lord, upon the principle heretofore announced."</ref>

The Watch Tower Society has acknowledged its early leaders promoted "incomplete, even inaccurate concepts".<ref>''Jehovah's Witnesses—Proclaimers of God's Kingdom'' (Watch Tower Society, 1993), chapter 10.</ref> The ] says that, unlike ] ], its interpretations of the Bible are not ] or ].<ref>''Revelation – Its Grand Climax'', Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society, 1988, page 9.</ref><ref>{{Cite book| title = Reasoning From the Scriptures | publisher = Watchtower Bible and Tract Society | chapter = False Prophets | at = p.137:Have not Jehovah's Witnesses made errors in their teachings? }}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine| title = To Whom Shall We Go but Jesus Christ? | magazine= Watchtower | date = 1 March 1979 | page = 23 | quote = the "faithful and discreet slave" has alerted all of God's people to the sign of the times indicating the nearness of God's Kingdom rule. In this regard, however, it must be observed that this "faithful and discreet slave" was never inspired, never perfect. Those writings by certain members of the "slave" class that came to form the Christian part of God's Word were inspired and infallible , but that is not true of other writings since.}}</ref> It says that Bible prophecies can be fully understood only after their fulfillment, citing examples of biblical figures who did not understand the meaning of prophecies they received. Watch Tower Society literature often cites Proverbs 4:18, "The path of the righteous ones is like the bright light that is getting lighter and lighter until the day is firmly established" (]) to support their view that there would be an increase in knowledge during "the time of the end", and that this increase in knowledge needs adjustments. Watch Tower Society publications also say that unfulfilled expectations are partly due to eagerness for ] and that they do not call ] into question.<ref>Why have there been changes over the years in the teachings of Jehovah's Witnesses?,"Jehovah's Witnesses", ''Reasoning From the Scriptures'', 1989, Watchtower Bible and Tract Society, page 205</ref><ref>"Allow No Place for the Devil!", ''The Watchtower'', 15 March 1986, page 19</ref><ref>"Keep in Step With Jehovah's Organization", ''Watchtower'', 15 January 2001, page 18.</ref>

=====The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon)=====

{{main|Second Coming (LDS Church)}}
Members of ] believe there will be a Second Coming of Jesus to the earth at some time in the future. The LDS Church and its leaders do not make any predictions of the date of the Second Coming.

According to church doctrine, the true ] will be taught in all parts of the world prior to the Second Coming.<ref name="Matthew 24:14"> KJV</ref> They also believe there will be increasing war, earthquakes, hurricanes, and man-made disasters prior to the Second Coming.<ref>{{lds|Doctrine and Covenants|dc|45|26}}</ref> Disasters of all kind will happen before Christ comes.<ref>{{lds|doctrine and covenants|dc|45|26}}</ref> Upon the return of Jesus Christ, all people will be resurrected, the righteous in a first resurrection and the unrighteous in a second, later resurrection. Christ shall reign for a period of 1000 years, after which the Final Judgement will occur.

===Gnosticism===
According to the ] text ], before the consummation of the age the whole world will be shaken by thunder and the ] will mourn over their death. Kings will be drunk from the ] while making war with each other. The seas will be troubled by this war as the Sun darkens and the Moon loses its light. Following this, the stars will not go along their regular course. A mighty thunder will come from the woman in the ] above the powers of ]. With her wrath she will defeat the gods of Chaos, casting them into the ] for their injustice. Then they will fight each other until they are destroyed and only the ] remains. But after he has defeated them he will turn against himself until he ceases to be by destroying his own essence. The heavens of Chaos will fall on one another and burn the powers in them. The chief archon's heaven will split in two as the stars in its sphere fall to the Earth which will not be able to support them, thus sinking into the abyss, causing the abyss to be overthrown. Light will cover the darkness and eliminate it then form into something great that has never existed before. The source of the darkness will dissolve and the deficiency will be taken from its root. Those who were not perfected in the ] will receive glories in their realms and kingdoms of the immortals but those who were will enter a kingless realm. All will be judged according to their deeds and ].<ref>{{cite book|author1=]|author2=]|title=The Gnostic Bible|publisher=]|chapter=On the Origin of the World|url=http://gnosis.org/naghamm/origin-Barnstone.html|date=2009|access-date=2021-10-15}}</ref>

===Islam===
{{Main|Islamic eschatology}}
] mystic and philosopher ], ca. 1238. Shown are the 'Arsh (]), pulpits for the righteous (al-Aminun), seven rows of ]s, ] (al-Ruh), A'raf (the Barrier), the ], al-Maqam al-Mahmud (the Praiseworthy Station; where the prophet Muhammad will stand to intercede for the faithful), Mizan (the Scale), ] (the Bridge), ] (Hell) and Marj al-Jannat (Meadow of Paradise).<ref>Begley, Wayne E. The Garden of the Taj Mahal: A Case Study of Mughal Architectural Planning and Symbolism, in: Wescoat, James L.; Wolschke-Bulmahn, Joachim (1996). '''' Dumbarton Oaks, Washington D.C., {{ISBN|0884022358}}. pp. 229-231.</ref>]]

] believe there are three periods before the ] with some debate as to whether the periods could overlap.<ref name="Mahdi2">{{cite book|title=Clarity Amidst Confusion: Imam Mahdi and the End of Time|last=Yahya|first=Harun|date=1 January 2008|publisher=Global Publishing. Kindle Edition|pages=64}}</ref><ref name="Joel">{{cite book|last = Richardson | first = Joel| title = Antichrist: Islam's Awaited Messiah| publisher = Pleasant Word-A Division of WinePress Publishing | date = 7 April 2006| pages = 284 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=_lyXZu3d3OcC&q=islamic+eschatology&pg=PA37| isbn = 9781414104409}}</ref><ref name="Hooper">{{cite book | last = Hooper | first = Rev. Richard | title = End of Days: Predictions of the End From Ancient Sources | date = 20 April 2011 | location = Sedona, AZ | pages = 156 | url = https://www.amazon.gom/dp/B004XJ6W0G }}{{Dead link|date=July 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

====Sunni====
{{Original research section|date=February 2019}}
{{Synthesis|section|date=February 2019}}
Sunnis believe the dead will then stand in a grand assembly, awaiting a scroll detailing their righteous deeds, sinful acts and ultimate judgment.<ref>{{Quran-usc|74|38}}</ref><ref name="muhammad59">{{cite journal|last=Muhammad|first=S. Umar|title=Muslims' Eschatological Discourses on Colonialism in Northern Nigeria|journal=Journal of the American Academy of Religion|volume=67|issue=1|year=1999|publisher=Oxford University Press|pages=59–84|jstor=1466033|doi=10.1093/jaarel/67.1.59}}</ref> ] will be the first to be resurrected.<ref>Esposito, John (2003). The Oxford Dictionary of Islam. Oxford University Press. {{ISBN|0-19-512558-4}}, p.264</ref> Punishments will include ''adhab'', or severe pain and embarrassment, and ''khizy'' or shame.<ref name="WimEoQ">"Reward and Punishment", ''Encyclopedia of the Qur'an''(2005)</ref> There will also be a punishment of the grave between death and the resurrection.<ref>Leor Halevi, https://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/04/opinion/04iht-edhalevi.1.5565834.html</ref> Several Sunni scholars explain some of the signs metaphorically.

The signs of the coming end time are divided into ]:
Following the second period, the third is said to be marked by the ten major signs known as ''alamatu's-sa'ah al- kubra'' (The major signs of the end).<ref group="note">Sahih Muslim, Book 41, Hadith 6931</ref> They are as follows:

# A huge black cloud of smoke (dukhan) will cover the earth.<ref group="note">Sahih Muslim</ref>
# Three sinkings of the earth, one in the East.<ref group="note">Sahih Muslim</ref>
# One sinking of the earth in the West.<ref group="note">Sahih Muslim</ref>
# One sinking of the earth in Arabia.<ref group="note">Sahih Muslim</ref>
# The false messiah—anti-Christ, ]—shall appear with great powers as a one-eyed man with his right eye blind and deformed like a grape. Although believers will not be deceived, he will claim to be God, to hold the keys to heaven and hell, and will lead many astray.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Hd5vHqdvp5kC&q=signs+of+day+of+judgment+islam&pg=PT194|title=The Everything Understanding Islam Book: A complete guide to Muslim beliefs, practices, and culture|author=Christine Huda Dodge|page=182|isbn=9781605507248|date=18 April 2009}}</ref> In reality, his heaven is hell, and his hell is heaven. The Dajjal will be followed by seventy thousand Jews of Isfahan wearing Persian shawls.<ref group="note">Muslim, Book 41, Hadith 7034</ref>
# The return of ] (Jesus), from the fourth sky, to kill Dajjal.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2wSVQI3Ya2EC&q=signs+of+day+of+judgment+islam&pg=PA28|title=What Everyone Needs To Know About Islam|author=John L. Esposito|page=28|isbn=9780199794133|date=13 July 2011}}</ref>
# ] (]), a Japhetic tribe of vicious beings who had been imprisoned by ], will break out. They will ravage the earth, drink all the water of ], and kill all believers in their way. Isa, ], and the believers with them will go to the top of a mountain and pray for the destruction of Gog and Magog. God eventually will send disease and worms to wipe them out.<ref group="note">{{Cite quran|21|96|s=ns}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sZr56ZACj7oC&q=signs+of+day+of+judgment+islam&pg=PA46|title=Islam: A Concise Introduction|author=Javed Ahmad Ghamidi|page=46|year=2009}}</ref>
# The sun will rise from the West.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.islamweb.net/media/index.php?page=article&lang=A&id=17726|language=ar|script-title=ar:طلوع الشمس من مغربها|trans-title=Rising of the sun from the west}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WGFbR-qgxeIC&q=signs+of+day+of+judgment+islam&pg=PR16|title=Examining Islam in the West|author=Alwi Shihab|page=16|isbn=9789792267716|year=2011}}</ref>
# The '']'', or ], will come out of the ground to talk to people.<ref group="note">{{Cite quran|27|82|s=ns}}</ref>
# The second blow of the trumpet will be sounded, the dead will return to life, and a fire will come out of ] that shall gather all to Mahshar Al Qiy'amah (The Gathering for Judgment).<ref name="Mahdi22">{{cite book|title=Clarity Amidst Confusion: Imam Mahdi and the End of Time|last=Yahya|first=Harun|date=1 January 2008|publisher=Global Publishing. Kindle Edition.|page=64}}</ref>

====Shia====
Many of the signs shown above are shared by both Sunni and Shia beliefs, with some exceptions, e.g. ] defeating ].

Concepts and terminology in ] include ], the ], ], and ]. In ] ] about the last days, the literature largely revolves around ], who is considered by many beliefs to be the true twelfth appointed successor to Muhammad. Muhammad al-Mahdi will help mankind against the deception by the ''Dajjal'' who will try to get people in to a new world religion which is called "the great deception".<ref>The Wrath of Yeshua – Page xxxv, Leo Paul Giampietro – 2008</ref>{{request quotation|date=August 2020}}

====Ahmadiyya====
] is considered distinct from mainstream Islam. In its writing, the present age has been witness to the evil of man and wrath of God, with war and natural disaster.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://aaiil.org/text/books/others/mirzamasumbeg/propheciespromisedmessiah/propheciespromisedmessiah.pdf |title = Prophecies of the Promised Messiah -- www.aaiil.org |access-date = 27 March 2010 }}</ref> ] is seen as the ] and the ], fulfilling Islamic and Biblical prophecies, as well as scriptures of other religions such as Hinduism. His teaching will establish spiritual reform and establish an age of peace. This will continue for a thousand years, and will unify mankind under one faith.<ref>''The Review of Religions'', January 2009, Vol.104, issue 1. pp. 18–22</ref>

Ahmadis believe that despite harsh and strong opposition and discrimination they will eventually be triumphant and their message vindicated both by Muslims and non-Muslims alike. Ahmadis also incorporate the eschatological views from other religions into their doctrine and believe Mirza Ghulam Ahmed falls into this sequence.<ref>HFaith and Philosophy of Islam – Page 180, Shamim Akhter – 2009</ref>

===Judaism===
{{Main|Jewish eschatology}}
]

Jewish beliefs about the end times have evolved over time. Before 200 BC, there was no belief in personal afterlife with reward or punishment in Judaism.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Gowan|first=Donald E.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=obj6XCWIX1AC&q=Sheol+hebrew+bible&pg=PA188|title=The Westminster Theological Wordbook of the Bible|date=2003-01-01|publisher=Westminster John Knox Press|isbn=978-0-664-22394-6|pages=188|language=en}}</ref>

In ] used in modern times, rabbis elaborate and explain the prophecies found in the Hebrew Bible, along with ] and rabbinic traditions about its significance. The main tenets of modern Jewish eschatology, in no particular order, include:<ref name="Jewish Eschatology">{{cite encyclopedia|title= Jewish Eschatology|url= http://jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/5849-eschatology|encyclopedia= Jewish Encyclopedia|access-date= 1 May 2012}}</ref>
* God will redeem Israel from the captivity that began during the ] in a new ].
* God will return the Jewish people to the ].
* God will restore the ] and the ].
* God will raise up a regent from the House of David, the ], to lead the Jewish people and the world and to usher in an ].
* Nations will recognize that the ] is the only true god.
* God will ].
* God will create a ].

The idea of a ], an era of global peace and knowledge of the Creator, has a prominent place in Jewish thought, and is incorporated as part of the end of days. A well-known passage from the ] describes this future condition of the world: "They shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks; nation will not lift sword against nation and they will no longer study warfare" (2:4).<ref name="Jewish Eschatology"/> ] (1135–1204) further describes the Messianic Era in the ]: "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;{{nbsp}}... 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.'"<ref>Mishneh Torah, Laws of Kings 12:5</ref>

In ], the ]<ref>Zohar, Vayera 119a</ref> maintains that the seven days of the week, based on the seven days of creation, correspond to the seven millennia of creation. The seventh day of the week, the ] day of rest, corresponds to the seventh millennium, the age of universal rest, or the Messianic Era. The seventh millennium begins with the year 6000 ], and is the latest time the Messiah can come. A number of early and late Jewish scholars have written in support of this, including the ],<ref>Ramban on Genesis (2:3)</ref> ],<ref>Abarbanel on Genesis 2</ref> ],<ref>Ramban quoting Ibn Ezra at Leviticus (25:2)</ref> Rabbeinu ],<ref>Bachya on Genesis 2:3</ref> the ],<ref>Safra D'Tzniusa, Ch. 5</ref> the ],<ref>Sefer HaSichos 5750:254</ref> the ],<ref>Derech Hashem 4:7:2</ref> ]<ref>Page 318, The Real Messiah {{cite book|first1=Aryeh|last1=Kaplan|title= The Aryeh Kaplan Anthology: Illuminating Expositions on Jewish Thought and Practice by a Revered Teacher|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7vxjgVY33LkC&q=aryeh+kaplan+1840&pg=PA318|publisher=Mesorah Publications|date=1 August 1991|isbn=9780899068664|access-date=2 September 2015}}</ref> and Rebbetzin ].<ref>
{{cite web |last = Fleisher |first = Malkah
|url = http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/128104
|title = 'It's Erev Shabbos of the World' – Jewish World – News
|publisher = Israel National News
|date = 27 October 2008
}}
</ref>

===Rastafari===
{{main|Rastafari movement}}
] is viewed. as god incarnate in ]]]
Rastafari have a unique interpretation of end times, based on the ] and the ]. They believe ]n Emperor ] to be God ], the ''King of kings'' and ''Lord of lords'' mentioned in Revelation 5:5. They saw the crowning of Selassie as the ], and the ] as fulfillment of Revelation. There is also the expectation that Selassie will return for a day of judgment and bring home the "lost children of Israel", which in Rastafari refers to those taken from Africa through the ]. There will then be an era of peace and harmony at Mount ] in Africa.<ref name="Brown"/>

===Zoroastrianism===
{{Main|Frashokereti}}
Zoroastrian eschatology is considered one of the oldest in recorded history. The birth of its founder, ], is unknown, with scholarly dates ranging from 6th century BCE to 5,500 years earlier. ] even suggests there were two Zoroasters.<ref name="WestDate13">{{harvnb|West|2013|pp=89–109}}</ref> However, with beliefs paralleling and possibly predating the framework of the major Abrahamic faiths, a fully developed concept of the end of the world was not established in Zoroastrianism until 500 BCE. The ] describes:
<blockquote>At the end of thy tenth hundredth winter, the sun is more unseen and more spotted; the year, month, and day are shorter; and the earth is more barren; and the crop will not yield the seed. And men become more deceitful and more given to vile practices. They will have no gratitude. Honorable wealth will proceed to those of perverted faith. And a dark cloud makes the whole sky night, and it will rain more noxious creatures than water.</blockquote>

A ] battle between the righteous and wicked will be followed by the ]. On earth, the ] will arrive as the final savior of mankind, and bring about the ]. The ''yazata''s ] and ] will melt the metal in the hills and mountains, which will flow as lava across the earth and all mankind, both the living and resurrected, will be required to wade through it. '']'' will pass through the molten river as if it were warm milk, but the sinful will burn. It will then flow down to hell, where it will annihilate ] and the last vestiges of wickedness.

The righteous will partake of the ''parahaoma'', which will confer immortality upon them. Humanity will become like the ]s, living without food, hunger, thirst, weapons or injury. Bodies will become so light as to cast no shadow. All humanity will speak a single language, and belong to a single nation with no borders. All will share a single purpose and goal, joining with ] for a perpetual and divine exaltation.<ref>{{citation|last=Taylor|first=Richard P.|title=Death and Afterlife: A Cultural Encyclopedia|publisher=ABC-CLIO|year=2000|page=312}}.</ref><ref name="Boyce">{{citation|last=Boyce|first=Mary|author-link=Mary Boyce|title=Zoroastrians: Their Religious Beliefs and Practices|year=1979|location=London|publisher=Routledge & Kegan Paul|isbn=978-0-415-23902-8|pages=27–29|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=a6gbxVfjtUEC}}.</ref>


==See also== ==See also==

Revision as of 02:07, 21 February 2022

Future described in several world religions "End times", "Eschaton", and "Last days" redirect here. For other uses of these terms, see Endtime (disambiguation), Eschaton (disambiguation), and Last days (disambiguation).

The end time (also called end times, end of time, end of days, last days, final days, doomsday, or eschaton) may refer to:

End Times or endtime may also refer to:

Organizations

Artistic and scholarly works

Topics referred to by the same term Disambiguation iconThis disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title End time.
If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article.

See also

Categories: