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Christian eschatology
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Christian eschatology is a major branch of study within Christian theology dealing with the last things. Broadly speaking, Christian eschatology is the study of the destiny of humankind as it is described in the Bible, eschatological passages are found in many places in the Bible, both in the Old and the New Testaments. There are also many examples of eschatological prophecy, as well as church traditions. Treatment of eschatology continued in the West in the teachings of Tertullian, the word was used first by the Lutheran theologian Abraham Calovius but only came into general usage in the 19th century. They are by no means exclusive and are often combined to form a more complete. Most interpretations fit into one, or a combination, of these approaches, Preterism is an approach which sees prophecy as chiefly being fulfilled in the past, especially during the first century. Prophecies in general, therefore, have already been fulfilled, other Preterists consider the Book of Revelation to be a symbolic prophetic presentation of the struggle of Christianity to survive the persecutions of the Roman Empire. There are two views within Preterism, that of Partial preterism and Full preterism. Preterist beliefs usually have an association with Amillennialism, the belief that the Millennial reign of Christ began during the establishment of the Early Church. Preterists usually consider events such as the Great Tribulation as having occurred during the siege, Early Preterist theologians included Eusebius and John Chrysostom. Historicism is an approach which sees prophecy as being fulfilled in the past, present and future, specifically, Historists consider the Book of Revelation to be a symbolic prophetic presentation of the struggle of Protestantism to survive the continuing persecutions of the Papacy. Historists usually consider events such as the Great Tribulation as having occurred during the period of papal supremacy from 538-1798. The subject of the Revelation to John the apostle was large, Elliott, the first six seals of the book of Revelation outline the temporary prosperity of the Empire of heathen Rome followed by its decline and fall which covers the time period A. D.96 –396. Most prophecies will be fulfilled during a time of chaos known as the Great Tribulation. Futurist beliefs usually have an association with Premillennialism and Dispensationalism. Futurist beliefs were presented in the Left Behind series, in Idealism, also known as spiritual or nonliteral approach, the Book of Revelation and other eschatological materials are interpreted symbolically. There were different schools of thought on the afterlife in Israel during the first century, the Sadducees, who recognized only the Torah as authoritative, did not believe in an afterlife or any resurrection of the dead. By soul, Seventh-day Adventists theologians mean the person
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Christian eschatological views
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Christian eschatology is the branch of theological study relating to last things, such as concerning death, the end of the world, the judgement of humanity, and the ultimate destiny of humanity. Eschatological passages are found in places in the Christian Bible, with many being found in the Old Testament prophets, especially in Isaiah. Many are also found in the New Testament books, such as Matthew 24, Matthew 25, the General epistles, the Pauline epistles, and this article is currently a general overview of the different Christian eschatological interpretations of the Book of Revelation. The differences are by no means monolithic as representing one group or another, Many differences exist within each group. Preterism, Many prophecies have already occurred in the past, This view denotes a 1st-century fulfillment concerning the literary text, some events may be symbolic of other fulfillments, thus taking a symbolic interpretation of the text. Partial preterism, Most prophecies of Revelation were fulfilled in the 1st century, the thousand years generally spans from the 1st century up to the second coming and last judgment, thus often applying an allegorical interpretation. Historicism, Interprets the text as currently being fulfilled during the span of Christian History, text is sometimes taken as symbolic of real events, rather than being literally true. Idealism, Present continual fulfillment of symbolical or literary text, spiritual events and this school of thought can be divided into three main interpretations, Dispensational, Mid-tribulation/Prewrath and Historic Premillennialism or Post-Tribulation viewpoint. Pre-tribulation Premillennialism or Dispensationalist View, The rapture of the church occurs just prior to the seven-year tribulation, prewrath/Mid-tribulation View, The rapture of the church occurs in the midst of the seven-year period. Postmillennialism, Christs Second coming is seen as occurring after the one-thousand years, after these efforts is the return of Christ foreseen. Therefore, another name for it is realized millennialism, because it emphasizes an inaugurated future in the first coming of Christ and the outpouring of the Spirit in the Pentecost. It is the held by the Roman Catholic and Orthodox Churches as well as by a number of the older Protestant denominations, such as the Lutherans, Calvinists. The hermeneutic method held by an individual or church will greatly affect their interpretation of the book of Revelation, supersessionism is the belief that the New Covenant in Christ supersedes, or replaces, the Old Covenant with Israel. In Protestantism it comes in at least two forms, Reformed covenant theology and kingdom theology and it was the predominant teaching of these churches until the rise of dispensationalism in the 19th century. Hermeneutics, Usually Grammatical-Historical typologised and contextualised, there are three covenants - the Covenant of Works or Law, the Covenant of Redemption and the Covenant of Grace. This shares much in common with Kingdom theology but emphasizes the more than the Kingdom of God itself. Overview, Under the Covenant of Works humanity, represented ultimately in a covenantal sense under Adam beginning from the Garden of Eden, failed to live as God intended and stood condemned. The Covenant of Grace forms the basis of the later covenants with Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, adherents, Held by many evangelical Reformed Protestant Churches who take a Historical-grammatical and Typological interpretation of the Bible
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Dispensationalism
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Dispensationalism is a religious interpretive system for the Bible. It considers Biblical history as divided deliberately by God into defined periods or ages to each of which God has allotted distinctive administrative principles. According to dispensationalist interpretation, each age of the plan of God is thus administered in a certain way, and humanity is held responsible as a steward during that time. The harmony of history is demonstrated as focusing on the glory of God and puts God at its center as opposed to a focus on man. A dispensational perspective of scripture is claimed to explain apparent contradictions, the system was embraced by early Fundamentalist Christianity as a defense of the Bible against liberalism and modernism and became the majority position within Fundamentalism. Each dispensation is marked by a cycle, God reveals himself, humanity is held responsible to conform to that revelation. Humanity rebels and fails the test, God judges humanity and introduces a new period of probation under a new administration. Ultimately, dispensationalism demonstrates the progress of Gods revelation to man, the number of dispensations discerned by theologians within Biblical history vary typically from three to eight. The three- and four-dispensation schemes are often referred to as minimalist, the typical seven-dispensation scheme is as follows, Innocence – Adam under probation prior to the Fall. Ends with expulsion from the Garden of Eden, some refer to this period as the Adamic period or the dispensation of the Adamic covenant or Adamic law. Conscience – From the Fall to the Great Flood, human Government – After the Great Flood, humanity responsible to enact the death penalty. Ends with the dispersion at the Tower of Babel, some use the term Noahide law in reference to this period of dispensation. Promise – From Abraham to Moses, ends with the refusal to enter Canaan and the 40 years of unbelief in the wilderness. Some use the terms Abrahamic law or Abrahamic covenant in reference to this period of dispensation, law – From Moses to the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Ends with the scattering of Israel in AD70, some use the term Mosaic law in reference to this period of dispensation. Grace – From the cross to the rapture of the church. The rapture is followed by the wrath of God comprising the Great Tribulation, some use the terms Age of grace or the church age for this dispensation. Millennial Kingdom – A1000 year reign of Christ on earth centered in Jerusalem, ends with Gods judgment on the final rebellion. Numerous purposes for this cycle of administrations have been suggested, God is seen to be testing humanity under varying conditions, while vindicating His ways with humanity in originally granting them free will
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Millennialism
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Premillennialism, in Christian eschatology, is the belief that Jesus will physically return to the earth to gather His saints before the Millennium, a literal thousand-year golden age of peace. This return is referred to as the Second Coming, the doctrine is called premillennialism because it holds that Jesus physical return to earth will occur prior to the inauguration of the Millennium. For the last century, the belief has been common in Evangelicalism according to surveys on this topic, Premillennialism is based upon a literal interpretation of Revelation 20, 1–6 in the New Testament, which describes Jesus reign in a period of a thousand years. It views this future age as a time of fulfillment for the hope of Gods people as given in the Old Testament. Post-millennialism, for example, agrees with premillennialism about the future reign of Christ. Postmillennialists hold to the view that the second coming will happen after the millennium, historically Christian premillennialism has also been referred to as chiliasm or millenarianism. The current religious term premillennialism did not come into use until the mid-19th century, the concept of a temporary earthly messianic kingdom at the Messiahs coming was not an invention of Christianity. Instead it was an interpretation developed within the apocalyptic literature of early Judaism. In Judaism during the Christian intertestamental period, there was a distinction between the current age and the “age to come”. The “age to come” was commonly viewed as a nationalistic Golden Age in which the hopes of the prophets would become a reality for the nation of Israel, on the surface, the biblical prophets revealed an “age to come” which was monolithic. Seemingly the prophets did not write of a two-phase eschaton consisting of a messianic age followed by an eternal state. However, that was the concept that some Jewish interpreters did derive from their exegesis and their conclusions are found in some of the literature and theology of early Judaism within the centuries both before and during the development of the Christian New Testament. This work likely dates to the early 2nd century and shows a schematization of the divine history divided into ten periods of time called “weeks. ”In the apocalypse. However, after the week, the temporary earthly messianic age begins. After the temporary messianic kingdom, the creation of the new heavens, Second Esdras likely dates from soon after the destruction of Jerusalem in AD70. The apocryphal book was apparently an attempt to explain the difficulties associated with the destruction of Jerusalem, during one of the visions in the book, Ezra receives a revelation from the angel Uriel. The angel explains that prior to the last judgment, the Messiah will come, seven days after this cataclysmic event, the resurrection and the judgment will occur followed by the eternal state. The Jewish belief in a temporary messianic age continued during
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Amillennialism
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Amillennialism, in Christian eschatology, involves the rejection of the belief that Jesus will have a literal, thousand-year-long, physical reign on the earth. This rejection contrasts with premillennial and some interpretations of chapter 20 of the Book of Revelation. Many proponents dislike the name amillennialism because it emphasizes their differences with premillennialism rather than their beliefs about the millennium, amillennial was actually coined in a pejorative way by those who hold premillennial views. Some proponents also prefer alternate terms such as nunc-millennialism or realized millennialism, although other names have achieved only limited acceptance. Amillennialism also teaches that the binding of Satan, described in Revelation, has already occurred and this is the first binding he suffered in history after his fall from heaven. Nonetheless, good and evil will remain mixed in throughout history and even in the church, according to the amillennial understanding of the Parable of the Wheat. Amillennialism is sometimes associated with Idealism, as both schools teach a symbolic interpretation of many of the prophecies of the Bible and especially of the Book of Revelation. However, many amillennialists do believe in the fulfillment of Biblical prophecies. Though not much was written about this aspect of eschatology during the first century of Christianity, Church fathers of the second century that rejected the millennium were Clement of Alexandria, Origen, and Cyprian. Certain amillennialists such as Albertus Pieters understand Pseudo-Barnabas to be amillennial, in the 2nd century, the Alogi were amillennial, as was Caius in the first quarter of the 3rd century. With the influence of Neo-Platonism and dualism, Clement of Alexandria, likewise, Dionysius of Alexandria argued that Revelation was not written by John and could not be interpreted literally, he was amillennial. Origens idealizing tendency to only the spiritual as real led him to combat the rude or crude Chiliasm of a physical and sensual beyond. Premillennialism appeared in the writings of the early church but it was evident that both views existed side by side. The premillennial beliefs of the church fathers, however, are quite different from the dominant form of modern-day premillennialism. Amillennialism gained ground after Christianity became a legal religion and it was systematized by St. Augustine in the 4th century, and this systematization carried amillennialism over as the dominant eschatology of the Medieval and Reformation periods. Augustine was originally a premillennialist, but he retracted that view, amillennialism was the dominant view of the Protestant Reformers. The Lutheran Church formally rejected chiliasm in The Augsburg Confession—Art, likewise, the Swiss Reformer, Heinrich Bullinger wrote up the Second Helvetic Confession which reads We also reject the Jewish dream of a millennium, or golden age on earth, before the last judgment. John Calvin wrote in Institutes that chiliasm is a fiction that is too childish either to need or to be worth a refutation and he interpreted the thousand-year period of Revelation 20 non-literally, applying it to the various disturbances that awaited the church, while still toiling on earth
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Postmillennialism
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The term subsumes several similar views of the end times, and it stands in contrast to premillennialism and, to a lesser extent, amillennialism. Postmillennialism expects that eventually the vast majority of men living will be saved, increasing gospel success will gradually produce a time in history prior to Christs return in which faith, righteousness, peace, and prosperity will prevail in the affairs of men and of nations. Postmillenialism was a dominant theological belief among American Protestants who promoted reform movements in the 19th and 20th century such as abolitionism, Postmillennialism has become one of the key tenets of a movement known as Christian Reconstructionism. It has been criticized by 20th century religious conservatives as an attempt to immanentize the eschaton, John Jefferson Davis notes that the postmillennial outlook was articulated by men like John Owen in the 17th century, Jonathan Edwards in the 18th century, and Charles Hodge in the 19th century. During the Second Great Awakening of the 1830s, some expected the millennium to arrive in a few years. Although some postmillennialists hold to a millennium of 1,000 years. Postmillennialism also teaches that the forces of Satan will gradually be defeated by the expansion of the Kingdom of God throughout history up until the coming of Christ. Many postmillennialists also adopt some form of preterism, which holds many of the end times prophecies in the Bible have already been fulfilled. Several key postmillennialists, however, did not adopt preterism with respect to the Book of Revelation, Warfield, Francis Nigel Lee, and Rousas John Rushdoony. Postmillennialists diverge on the extent of the gospels conquest, the majority of postmillennialists do not believe in an apostasy, and like B. B. Warfield, believe the apostasy refers to the Jewish peoples rejection of Christianity either during the first century or possibly until the return of Christ at the end of the millennium and this postmillennial perspective essentially dovetails with the thinking of amillennial and premillennial schools of eschatology. This minority school, promoted by B. B. Warfield, meyer, has started to gain more ground, even altering the thinking of some postmillennialists previously in the majority camp, such as Loraine Boettner and R. J. Rushdoony. Spurgeon delivered a sermon on Psalm 72 explicitly defending the form of absolute postmillennialism held by the minority camp today, postmillennialists also diverge on the means of the gospels conquest. In the United States, the most prominent and organized forms of postmillennialism are based on Christian Reconstructionism, Rushdoony, Gary North, Kenneth Gentry, and Greg Bahnsen. Calvinism and Neo-Calvinism Adventist Church of Promise Christian eschatology Disciples of Christ Progressive Christianity Summary of Christian eschatological differences Bahnsen, Victory in Jesus, The Bright Hope of Postmillennialism. Texarkana, AR, Covenant Media Press,1999, back to the Future, A Study in the Book of Revelation. Greenville, SC, Living Hope Press,2004, three Views of the Millennium and Beyond. Philipsburg, NJ, Presbyterian & Reformed,1984, the Victory of Christs Kingdom, An Introduction to Postmillennialism
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Prewrath
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The prewrath position emphasizes the biblical distinction between Satans wrath in the Great Tribulation and the wrath of God. According to the Prewrath perspective, the great tribulation begins 3.5 years after the Antichrist makes a covenant with the many, the 70th week is a reference to Daniel 9,24, where each day of the week corresponds to a year. After the first 3.5 years, the Antichrist will make himself known with the abomination that causes desolation, the latter half of the 3.5 years is characterized by the Antichrist deceiving the world and persecuting the church. Although the exact timing of the rapture is not known, one of the key points to the Prewrath view is that the rapture comes after the seal is opened. Gods wrath against the ungodly will follow for the remainder of the seven years in what is known as the Day of the Lord, much of the Prewrath view is based on a linear, chronological interpretation of Jesus’ account of the end times in the Olivet Discourse. In contrast to the traditional Pre-Tribulation view, for example, the moon turning blood red only occurs once according to the Prewrath perspective, events subsequent to the rapture are based on face-value interpretations of the books of Revelation and Daniel. The beginning of birth pains start with wars, famines and earthquakes around the world and this duration is thought to cover the first 3.5 years of Daniels 70th week, which starts when the Antichrist confirms or strengthens a seven year covenant with the many. The Antichrist starts his reign with the “abomination of desolation” at the midpoint of the 70th week, putting an end to sacrifice and his reign, along with the false prophet, lasts for 3.5 years. The Antichrists rule begins the great tribulation, a worldwide distress unequaled to any across history, at this time the believers of God face persecution. During the latter half of the 3.5 years and prior to Jesus return, the sun will be darkened, in Revelation 6,12, this coincides with the opening of the sixth seal, when the sun turns black and the moon turns blood red. Jesus appears coming on the clouds of the sky to all, in Revelation, his appearance is signified by the people calling out, hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb. Gods wrath falls on the unbelievers, called the day of the Lord. Since the Second Coming and the rapture of the Church occur immediately before the Day of the Lord, they occur before God’s wrath — hence, the “Prewrath rapture” of the Church. The 7th seal encompasses the wrath of the seven trumpets, the trumpet may represent the seven bowls of wrath. Since the Antichrist’s reign lasts for 42 months according to Revelation 13,5, at the battle of Armageddon, the Antichrist and the false prophet are defeated and cast into the lake of fire. Since the time of the Antichrist is 1290 days according to Daniel 12,11,45 days after the destruction of the Antichrist, Christ’s millennial reign is established. This is based on Daniel 12,11, which states, “Blessed is he who waits, and comes to the one thousand three hundred and thirty-five days. ”The 45 days is derived from taking 1335 and subtracting 1260 days and 30 days, or 1335-=45. Immediately after the seal is opened in Revelation 6,17
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Post-tribulation rapture
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In Christian eschatology, the post-tribulation rapture doctrine is the belief in a combined resurrection and rapture of all believers coming after the Great Tribulation. This doctrine holds that there is a resurrection of dead believers and this period starts at the Abomination of Desolation and ends at the Battle of Armageddon. This is usually understood as being in line with Historic Premillennialism, for additional references, see also the parallel passages from Mark 13, 24-27 and Luke 21, 20-28. While the passages in Luke 21 parallels Matthew and Mark, it offers a couple of interesting clarifications and this passage in Luke offers interesting references to some of the major events which are greatly elaborated on in the Book of Revelation. The rest of the dead did not come to life until the years were ended. Blessed and holy is he who shares in the first resurrection, over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and they shall reign with him a thousand years. Another account which lends support to the idea of a post-tribulation rapture is in 2 Peter 3, 10-13 and this idea of imminence, according to the post-tribulation view, only applies to the wicked and the spiritually unprepared people that are still alive before the Return of Christ. In the passage of 2 Peter 3, 10-13, Christs return is equated with the elements being melted, and the earth also, opposing views are not non-existent within the realm of Christian Eschatology. Another key difference between the pre-, mid-, and post-tribulation lines of theology is the number of times that Jesus Christ must return. Although it is not directly referenced, in both the pre- and mid-tribulation raptures, Christ must then return a third time, at the end of the tribulation period. The belief is that Gods Elect from all ages will be translated from mortal bodies into immortal glorified bodies at the Second Coming of Christ and that this will be at the end of the age. This event, it is believed, will come at the conclusion of what is termed the 70th Week of Daniel and this view was held by the early Church Fathers and has been held by Christians since that time. The doctrine of the rapture is today held by a growing number of evangelical Christians. Matthew 24, 29-31 and 1 Thessalonians 4, 15-17 both mention the same individuals and the events in the same order. Post-tribulationists respond to the views of pre-tribulationists in a variety of ways, Some post-tribulationalists see the rapture. Support for this claim is found in 2 Thessalonians 2, 1-3 in part because of the way the Apostle Paul introduces his topic, Now concerning the coming of our Lord and our gathering together with him. This was an ancient way of introducing your topic of discussion, thus, the coming and gathering seem to be two ways of referring to one event, the day of the Lord. The most common used in defending a pre-tribulational position is 31
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Olivet Discourse
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The Olivet Discourse or Olivet prophecy is a biblical passage found in the Synoptic Gospels in Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21. The Olivet discourse is the last of the Five Discourses of Matthew, in all three Gospels, this episode includes the parable of The Budding Fig Tree. It is unclear whether the tribulation Jesus describes is a past, Some believe the passage largely refers to events surrounding the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem and as such is used to date the Gospel of Mark around the year 70. Many evangelical Christian interpreters say the passages refer to what they call the Second Coming of Jesus and they disagree whether Jesus describes the signs that accompany his return. In the Gospels of Matthew and Mark, Jesus spoke this discourse to his disciples privately on the Mount of Olives, in Lukes Gospel, Jesus taught over a period of time in the Temple and stayed at night on the Mount of Olives. The discourse is widely believed by scholars to contain material delivered on a variety of occasions. The setting on the Mount of Olives echoes a passage in the Book of Zechariah which refers to the location as the place where a battle would occur between the Jewish Messiah and his opponents. Jesus responds that not one of those stones would remain intact in the building, the disciples asked Jesus for a sign, When will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age. The disciples, being Jewish, believed that the Messiah would come and they believed that the Temple played a large role in this, hence the disciple in the first part boasting to Jesus about the Temples construction. Jesus prophecy concerning the Temples destruction was contrary to their belief system, Jesus sought to correct that impression, first, by discussing the Roman invasion, and then by commenting on his final coming to render universal judgment. Jesus first warns them about things that would happen that should not be interpreted as signs, Some would claim to be Christ and it was a general belief that if the Jewish Messiah arrived in Jerusalem, it would mean that the Kingdom of Heaven was imminent. There would be wars and rumours of wars, then Jesus identifies the beginnings of birth pangs, a metaphor for false alarm, Nations rising up against nations, and kingdoms against kingdoms. The Gospels of Matthew and Mark add —let the reader understand— and this is generally considered to be a reference to two passages from the Book of Daniel. Some consider these declarations to be unlikely or implausible, however, there also are noted Christian theologians who believe that each of Jesus declarations were prophecies. One view is that the future Jesus predicted is the unfolding of events from trends that are already at work in human society. Another prophetic view is all of these predictions were fulfilled by the time Jerusalem fell in 70 AD. A key issue in Jesus discussion concerns the illustration of the fig tree and this is a juxtaposition, balancing the two parts of the discussion. The first part being the answer to the first question concerning the destruction of the Temple, hence, concerning the first he says that this Generation would see the fulfillment, whereas the second, No man knows, not even Jesus himself
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The Sheep and the Goats
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The Sheep and the Goats or the Judgment of the Nations is a pronouncement of Jesus recorded in chapter 25 of Matthews Gospel in the New Testament. It is sometimes characterised as a parable, although unlike most parables it does not purport to relate a story of events happening to other characters and this portion concludes the section of Matthews Gospel known as the Olivet Discourse and immediately precedes Matthews account of Jesus passion and resurrection. A very distinct scope of its own, Jesus asserts that he, the Son of Man, shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory. The form of the announcement is in part based, upon the vision of Daniel 7,13, Behold, One like the Son of Man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He came to the Ancient of Days, and they brought Him near before Him, then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom. The text of the passage appears in Matthews Gospel, and is the portion of a section containing a series of parables. From Matthew 25, 31–46, But when the Son of Man comes in his glory, before him all the nations will be gathered, and he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will set the sheep on his hand, but the goats on the left. Then the King will tell those on his hand, ‘Come, blessed of my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world, for I was hungry. 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. ’ “Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry, and feed you, or thirsty, and give you a drink. When did we see you as a stranger, and take you in, or naked, the division seems to be based on the acts of kindness and mercy done by people to their disadvantaged fellow people, Jesus identifies such kindness with kindness towards himself. An alternative interpretation, put forward by Calvinist theologian John Gill, is that the disadvantaged spoken of are actually fellow Christians, instead of the division between blessed and cursed being based on good works, it is based on ones response to the people and message of Christs Church. These are ‘the least. ’ These are truly ‘other. ’ Christian eschatology Matthew 25 Second Coming Sheep Go to Heaven by Cake Works of mercy John Gills commentary
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Book of Revelation
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Its title is derived from the first word of the text, written in Koine Greek, apokalypsis, meaning unveiling or revelation. The Book of Revelation is the apocalyptic document in the New Testament canon. The author names himself in the text as John, but his identity remains a point of academic debate. Modern scholarship generally takes a different view, and many consider that nothing can be known about the author except that he was a Christian prophet, Some modern scholars characterise Revelations author as a putative figure whom they call John of Patmos. The bulk of traditional sources date the book to the reign of the emperor Domitian, the book spans three literary genres, the epistolary, the apocalyptic, and the prophetic. It begins with John, on the island of Patmos in the Aegean and he then describes a series of prophetic visions, including figures such as the Whore of Babylon and the Beast, culminating in the Second Coming of Jesus. The title is taken from the first word of the book in Koine Greek, ἀποκάλυψις apokalypsis, the author names himself as John, but it is currently considered unlikely that the author of Revelation was also the author of the Gospel of John. All that is known is that this John was a Jewish Christian prophet, probably belonging to a group of such prophets and his precise identity remains unknown, and modern scholarship commonly refers to him as John of Patmos. 70 AD is the date of writing according to Martha Himmelfarb in the recently published Blackwell series. Revelation is an apocalyptic prophecy with an epistolary introduction addressed to seven churches in the Roman province of Asia, Apocalypse means the revealing of divine mysteries, John is to write down what is revealed and send it to the seven churches. The entire book constitutes the letter—the letters to the seven churches are introductions to the rest of the book. While the dominant genre is apocalyptic, the author himself as a Christian prophet, Revelation uses the word in various forms twenty-one times. The predominant view is that Revelation alludes to the Old Testament although it is difficult among scholars to agree on the number of allusions or the allusions themselves. Revelation rarely quotes directly from the Old Testament, almost every verse alludes to or echoes older scriptures. Over half of the stem from Daniel, Ezekiel, Psalms. He very frequently combines multiple references, and again the style makes it impossible to be certain to what extent he did so consciously. Revelation was the last book accepted into the Christian biblical canon and it was considered tainted because the heretical sect of the Montanists relied on it and doubts were raised over its Jewishness and authorship. Dionysius, bishop of Alexandria, disciple of Origen wrote that the Book of Revelation could have been written by Cerinthus although he himself did not adopt the view that Cerinthus was the writer and he regarded the Apocalypse as the work of an inspired man but not of an Apostle
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Events of Revelation
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The events of Revelation are the events that occur in the Book of Revelation of the New Testament. An outline follows below, by Chapter, in linear format, the Revelation of Jesus Christ is communicated, through an angel, to John the Apostle when he was on the island of Patmos. John records the vision, in written text, and is instructed to send the document to the seven churches of Asia. John addresses the church of Ephesus to repent from the ways of the Nicolaitans, John addresses the church of Smyrna to warn them of ten days of tribulation that may cost them their lives or imprisonment. John addresses the church of Pergamum to repent from the doctrines of Balaam, John addresses the church of Thyatira to repent from the teachings of the prophetess Jezebel. John addresses the church of Sardis for being dead or unaware of things to come, John addresses the church of Philadelphia to persevere with what little strength they have, to hold fast so that no one takes their crown. John addresses the church of Laodicea to repent from investing in material riches that make them miserable, rather, the heavenly throne with a rainbow around it, having the One seated in it, is revealed. Twenty-four surrounding thrones seated with twenty-four crowned elders appear, the four living creatures present themselves, each having six wings full of eyes, one having the face of a lion, another as a calf, the third as a man, and the last as an eagle. The first vision that the experiences is that of entering Heaven. In Revelation, God is described as having the appearance like that of jasper, around Gods throne are twenty four other thrones, on which sit elders in white robes. From the throne come thunder and lightning and, in front of the throne, the author sees seven torches, the author then sees four creatures which have six wings and are covered in eyes. The creatures are giving eternal thanks to God and, whenever one of them bows down to worship God, a book secured by seven seals is revealed in the right hand of Him who sits on the throne. It is made known only the Lion that is from the tribe of Judah is worthy to open this book. The Lamb, with seven horns and seven eyes, takes the book from Him who sits on the throne, all heavenly beings sing praise and honor the Lamb. The first seal is broken and the first of the four living creatures introduces a white horse whose crowned rider, equipped with a bow, the second seal is broken and the second of the four living creatures introduces a red horse, whose rider wields a great sword. The third seal is broken and the third of the four living creatures introduces a black horse, whose rider carries a pair of scales, goes out. The fourth seal is broken and the fourth of the four living creatures introduces an ashen horse comes out, whose rider has the name Death, the fifth seal is broken revealing the souls of those who had been slain for the Word of God. Mankind hides themselves in the caves and mountains acknowledging the presence of Him who sits on the throne, the servants of God are revealed, those who are to be sealed before the destruction of the Earth
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Book of Daniel
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The Book of Daniel is a biblical apocalypse, combining a prophecy of history with an eschatology which is both cosmic in scope and political in its focus. In more mundane language, it is an account of the activities and visions of Daniel, in the Hebrew Bible it is found in the Ketuvim, while in Christian Bibles it is grouped with the Major Prophets. Its message is that just as the God of Israel saved Daniel and his friends from their enemies, the book divides into two parts, a set of six court tales in chapters 1–6 followed by four apocalyptic visions in chapters 7–12. The literary structure of the book of Daniel is marked by three prominent features, the most fundamental is a genre division between the court tales of chapters 1–6 and the apocalyptic visions of 7–12. The second is a division between the Hebrew of chapters 1 and 8–12, and the Aramaic of chapters 2–7. This language division is reinforced by the arrangement of the Aramaic chapters. Various suggestions have been made by scholars to explain the fact that the division does not coincide with the other two. It should also be noted that the settings of chapters 1–6 show a progression from Babylonian to Median times. Among them are Daniel and his three companions, who refuse to touch the food and wine for fear of defilement. They are allowed to continue to refrain from eating the kings food, in the second year of his reign Nebuchadnezzar has a dream. When he wakes up, he realizes that he forgot the content of the dream and he then demands that his wise men tell him its content. When the wise men protest that this is beyond the power of any man, he sentences all, including Daniel and his friends, to death. Daniel explains the dream to the king, the statue symbolized four successive kingdoms, starting with Nebuchadnezzar, all of which would be crushed by Gods kingdom, which would endure forever. Nebuchadnezzar acknowledges the supremacy of Daniels god, raises him over all his wise men, Daniels companions Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refuse to bow to King Nebuchadnezzars golden statue and are thrown into a fiery furnace. Nebuchadnezzar is astonished to see a figure in the furnace with the three, one with the appearance like a son of the gods. So the king called the three to come out of the fire, and blessed the God of Israel, and decreed that any who blasphemed against him should be torn limb from limb. Nebuchadnezzar recounts a dream of a tree that is suddenly cut down at the command of a heavenly messenger. Daniel is summoned and interprets the dream, the tree is Nebuchadnezzar himself, who for seven years will lose his mind and live like a wild beast
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Prophecy of Seventy Weeks
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The prophecy has proved notoriously difficult for readers, despite the fact that it has been the subject of intense exegetical activity since the Second Temple period. For this reason scholars continue to follow James Alan Montgomery in referring to the history of this interpretation as the dismal swamp of critical exegesis. Daniel reads in the books that the desolation of Jerusalem must last for seventy years according to the words of Jeremiah. 26After the sixty-two weeks, an anointed one shall be cut off and shall have nothing, and the troops of the prince who is to come destroy the city. Its end shall come with a flood, and to the end there shall be war, the same critical consensus also maintains that the stories about Daniel and his friends are legendary, and that the eponymous hero of this biblical book most probably never existed. However, there is no connection between these figures and the legendary Hebrew prophet named Daniel. Old Testament scholar John J. Still, it might be that the author of the chapter incorporated a traditional prayer in the course of composition, however, these considerations have not proved decisive, and arguments in favor of the prayers authenticity have also been advanced. The lengthy prayer in verses 3-19 is strongly Deuteronomic in its theology—Daniels people are punished for their own sin and appeal to God for mercy. However, such theological overtones conflict with other aspects of the Book of Daniel, in which the primary sin is that of a gentile king and the course of history is arranged in advance. As Collins observes, he deliverance promised by the angel is in no sense a response to Daniels prayer since he goes forth at the beginning of Daniels supplication. In any case, the relationship between Daniels prayer and the context in which it is placed is an issue in the contemporary scholarly interpretation of chapter 9. Nebuchadnezzar II defeated Egypt at the Battle of Carchemish in 605 BCE and established Babylon as the dominant regional power, accordingly, the subsequent period from 586 BCE to 538 BCE is known as the Babylonian exile. The exile ended when Babylon was conquered by the Persian king Cyrus the Great, the Persian period came to an end in the first half of the fourth century BCE following the arrival of Alexander the Great, whose vast kingdom was divided upon his death among the Diadochi. The series of conflicts that ensued following Alexanders death in the wars that erupted among the Diadochi mark the beginning of the Hellenistic period in 323/2 BCE. Two of the rival kingdoms produced out of this conflict—the Ptolemaic dynasty in Egypt, at the start of the second century BCE, the Seleucids had the upper hand in their struggle with the Ptolemaic kingdom for regional dominance, but the earlier conflicts had left them nearly bankrupt. Nevertheless, within the biblical account, the first year of Darius the Mede corresponds to the first year after the Babylonian kingdom is overthrown. The first period of seven weeks begins with the departure of a word to rebuild Jerusalem, the prince who is to come in verse 26b is typically seen by critical scholars as a reference to Antiochus IV, though Jason and Menelaus have also been suggested. Hence, the troops of the prince are either thought to be the Seleucid troops that settled in Jerusalem or the Jewish hellenizers, accordingly, it has been noted that the language of destruction seems excessive in this context
15.
2 Esdras
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2 Esdras is the name of an apocalyptic book in many English versions of the Bible. Its authorship is ascribed to Ezra and it is reckoned among the apocrypha by Roman Catholics, Protestants, and most Eastern Orthodox Christians. Although Second Esdras was preserved in Latin as an appendix to the Vulgate and passed down as a unified book, as with 1 Esdras, there is some confusion about the numbering of this book. The Vulgate of Jerome includes 1,2,3 and 4 Esdras. Protestant writers, after the Geneva Bible, called 1 and 2 Esdras of the Vulgate Ezra and Nehemiah and it appears in the Appendix to the Old Testament in the Slavonic Bible, where it is called 3 Esdras, and the Georgian Orthodox Bible numbers it 3 Ezra. This text is also known as Apocalypse of Ezra. The first two chapters of 2 Esdras are found only in the Latin version of the book, and are called 5 Ezra by scholars. They are considered by most scholars to be Christian in origin, they assert Gods rejection of the Jews and these are generally considered to be late additions to the work. Chapters 3–14, or the bulk of 2 Esdras, is a Jewish apocalypse also sometimes known as 4 Ezra. The latter name should not be confused with a work called the Greek Apocalypse of Ezra. The Ethiopian Church considers 4 Ezra to be canonical, written during the Babylonian captivity and it was also often cited by the Fathers of the Church. In the Eastern Armenian tradition it is called 3 Ezra and it is conjectured by Protestant scholars to have been written in the late 1st century CE following the destruction of the Second Temple. Among Greek Fathers of the Church,4 Ezra is generally cited as Προφήτης Ἔσδρας Prophetes Esdras or Ἀποκάλυψις Ἔσδρα Apokalupsis Esdra,4 Ezra consists of seven visions of Ezra the scribe. The first vision takes place as Ezra is still in Babylon and he asks God how Israel can be kept in misery if God is just. The archangel Uriel is sent to answer the question, responding that Gods ways cannot be understood by the human mind, soon, however, the end would come, and Gods justice would be made manifest. Similarly, in the vision, Ezra asks why Israel was delivered up to the Babylonians, and is again told that man cannot understand this. In the third vision Ezra asks why Israel does not possess the world, Uriel responds that the current state is a period of transition. Here follows a description of the fate of evil-doers and the righteous, Ezra asks whether the righteous may intercede for the unrighteous on Judgment Day, but is told that Judgment Day is final
16.
Antichrist
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In Christianity, the Antichrist or False Messiah is generally regarded as a figure of evil that will falsely claim to be the Christ. The term Antichrist is found in the New Testament five times in 1 John and 2 John, once in plural form and four times in the singular. Jesus, whom Christians believe to be the Jewish Messiah, will appear in his Second Coming to Earth to face the Antichrist, who will be regarded as the greatest false messiah in Christianity. Just as Christ is the savior and the model for humanity, his opponent will be a single figure of concentrated evil. In Islamic eschatology, Masih ad-Dajjal is a figure, who will appear to deceive humanity before the second coming of Isa. The word antichrist combines two roots, αντί + Χριστός, Αντί can mean not only against and opposite of, but also in place of. Χριστός, translated Christ, is Greek for the Hebrew Messiah, both Christ and Messiah literally mean Anointed One, and refer to Jesus of Nazareth in Christian, Islamic and Messianic Jewish theology. Whether the New Testament contains an individual Antichrist is disputed, the Greek term antikhristos originates in 1 John. The similar term pseudokhristos is also first found in the New Testament, the concept of an antikhristos is not found in Jewish writings in the period 500 BC–50 AD. The five uses of the term antichrist or antichrists in the Epistles of John do not clearly present a single latter-day individual Antichrist, the articles the deceiver or the antichrist are usually seen as marking out a certain category of persons, rather than an individual. Little children, it is the last time, and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists, whereby we know that it is the last time. Many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh, any person is the deceiver. Who is the liar but the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ and this is the antichrist, the one who denies the Father and the Son. By this you know the Spirit of God, every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. And this is the spirit of the antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming, consequently, attention for an individual Antichrist figure focuses on the second chapter of 2 Thessalonians. Let no one deceive you in any way, for that day will not come unless the rebellion comes first and the one is revealed. He opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, for the mystery of lawlessness is already at work, but only until the one who now restrains it is removed. And then the one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will destroy with the breath of his mouth
17.
Armageddon
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According to the Book of Revelation, Armageddon is the prophesied location of a gathering of armies for a battle during the end times, variously interpreted as either a literal or a symbolic location. The term is used in a generic sense to refer to any end of the world scenario. Megiddo was the location of ancient battles, including one in the 15th century BC. Modern Megiddo is a town approximately 25 miles west-southwest of the tip of the Sea of Galilee in the Kishon River area in Israel. The word Armageddon appears only once in the Greek New Testament, the word is translated to Greek from Hebrew har məgiddô, har meaning a mountain or range of hills, - hill, mount, X promotion. This is a form of Harar to loom up, a mountain, -hill. Megiddo /meg-id-do/ Megiddon or Megiddo, a place of crowds. )The name refers to a made by King Ahab that dominated the Plain of Jezreel. None of these Old Testament passages describes the city of Megiddo as being associated with any particular prophetic beliefs, because of the seemingly highly symbolic and even cryptic language of this one New Testament passage, some Christian scholars conclude that Mount Armageddon must be an idealized location. Rushdoony says, There are no mountains of Megiddo, only the Plains of Megiddo and this is a deliberate destruction of the vision of any literal reference to the place. Torrey, Kline and Jordan argue that the word is derived from the Hebrew moed, thus, Armageddon would mean Mountain of Assembly, which Jordan says is a reference to the assembly at Mount Sinai, and to its replacement, Mount Zion. Armageddon is the name given to this event based on scripture references regarding divine obliteration of Gods enemies. The hermeneutical method supports this position by referencing Judges 4 and 5 where God miraculously destroys the enemy of His elect, Israel, at Megiddo, when Sennacheribs 185,000 are slain by the Angel of Jehovah, that is a shadow of the final Har-Magedon. When God grants a little handful of Maccabees a glorious victory over an enemy which far outnumbers it, but the real, the great, the final Har Magedon coincides with the time of Satan’s little season. The Dispensational viewpoint interprets biblical prophecy literally and expects that the fulfillment of prophecy will also be literal, depending upon the context of scripture. In his discussion of Armageddon, J. Pentecost writes, It has been held commonly that the battle of Armageddon is an isolated event transpiring just prior to the advent of Christ to the earth. The Greek word polemo, translated battle in Revelation 16,14, signifies a war or campaign, while machē signifies a battle and this distinction is observed by Trench, and is followed by Thayer and Vincent. The use of the word polemos in Revelation 16,14 would signify that the events that culminate in the gathering at Armageddon at the second advent are viewed by God as one connected campaign and this area would conform to the extent pictured by John in Revelation 14,20. Pentecost then outlines the biblical time period for this campaign to occur, the invasion of Israel by the Northern Confederacy will bring the Beast and his armies to the defense of Israel as her protector
18.
The Beast (Revelation)
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The Beast may refer to one of two beasts described in the Book of Revelation. The first beast comes out of the sea and is given authority and power by the dragon and this first beast is initially mentioned in Revelation 11,7 as coming out of the abyss. His appearance is described in detail in Revelation 13, 1-10, the second beast comes from out of the earth and directs all peoples of the earth to worship the first beast. The second beast is described in Revelation 13, 11-18 and is referred to as the false prophet. The two beasts are aligned with the dragon in opposition to God and they persecute the saints and those who do not worship the image of the beast and influence the kings of the earth to gather for the battle of Armageddon. The two beasts are defeated by Christ and are thrown into the lake of fire mentioned in Revelation 19, the description of the beast is found primarily in Revelation chapters thirteen and seventeen. Chapter thirteen gives the fullest description, John saw it rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy. It was like a leopard, with feet like the feet of a bear, one of its heads had a mortal wound which healed itself, causing people to wonder at it and follow it. In Revelation chapter seventeen we learn of a third beast, scarlet in color and some of the symbols are explained. The prevailing view is that the scarlet beast is another, distinct, visualisation of the subject as the beast of the sea. The scarlet beast is shown being ridden by a harlot who reigns over the kings of the earth, whereas the beast of the sea is not described as being ridden, and is given power and great authority. The seven heads represent both seven mountains and seven kings, and the ten horns are ten kings who have not yet received kingdoms, of the seven kings, five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come. The beast itself is a king who is of the seven and was and is not and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit. The second beast is described in Revelation chapter thirteen. This second beast comes out of the earth whose overall appearance is not described and his purpose is to promote the authority of the first beast with the ability to perform great signs, even making fire come down out of Heaven. This second beast is called the false prophet. He speaks like a dragon commanding the people of the Earth to make an image to the beast that was wounded by a sword and it is declared that anyone who does not worship the beast or its image would be killed. The lamb-horned beast from the earth also causes all people to receive the mark of the beast in their hand or in their forehead
19.
Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse
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The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse are described in the last book of the New Testament of the Bible, called the Book of Revelation of Jesus Christ to John of Patmos, at 6, 1-8. The chapter tells of a book or scroll in Gods right hand that is sealed with seven seals, the Lamb of God opens the first four of the seven seals, which summons four beings that ride out on white, red, black, and pale horses. Though theologians and popular culture differ on the first horseman, the four riders are seen as symbolizing Conquest or Pestilence, War, Famine. The Christian apocalyptic vision is that the four horsemen are to set a divine apocalypse upon the world as harbingers of the Last Judgment, one reading ties the four horsemen to the history of the Roman Empire subsequent to the era in which the Book of Revelation was written. That is, they are a symbolic prophecy of the subsequent history of the empire, based on the above passage, a common translation into English, the white rider is generally referred to as Conquest. The name could also be construed as Victory, as in the found in the Jerusalem Bible. He carries a bow, and wears a victors crown, the rider has also been called Pestilence, particularly in popular culture. Irenaeus, an influential Christian theologian of the 2nd century, was among the first to interpret this horseman as Christ himself, his white horse representing the successful spread of the gospel. Various scholars have supported this notion, citing the later appearance, in Revelation 19, of Christ mounted on a white horse. Furthermore, earlier in the New Testament, the Book of Mark indicates that the advance of the gospel may indeed precede, the color white also tends to represent righteousness in the Bible, and Christ is in other instances portrayed as a conqueror. However, opposing interpretations argue that the first of the four horsemen is probably not the horseman of Revelation 19. They are described in different ways, and Christs role as the Lamb who opens the seven seals makes it unlikely that he would also be one of the forces released by the seals. Besides Christ, the horseman could represent the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit was understood to have come upon the Apostles at Pentecost after Jesus departure from Earth. Under another interpretation, the first horseman is called Pestilence, and is associated with infectious disease and it appears at least as early as 1906, when it is mentioned in the Jewish Encyclopedia. The interpretation is common in popular culture references to the Four Horsemen, the origin of this interpretation is unclear. Some translations of the Bible mention plague or pestilence in connection with the riders in the following the introduction of the fourth rider. They were given power over a fourth of the earth to kill by sword, famine, plague, however, it is a matter of debate as to whether this passage refers to the fourth rider, or to the four riders as a whole. While his horse continued galloping, he was bending his bow in order to spread pestilence abroad, at his back swung the brass quiver filled with poisoned arrows, containing the germs of all diseases
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Kingship and kingdom of God
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The concept of the kingship of God appears in all Abrahamic religions, where in some cases the terms Kingdom of God and Kingdom of Heaven are also used. The notion of Gods kingship goes back to the Hebrew Bible, also, a Kingdom of the Gods is common in paganism such as Mount Olympus in Greek mythology or the phrase King of the Gods. The Kingdom of God and its equivalent form Kingdom of Heaven in the Gospel of Matthew is one of the key elements of the teachings of Jesus in the New Testament. Drawing on Old Testament teachings, the Christian characterization of the relationship between God and humanity inherently involves the notion of the Kingship of God, the Quran does not include the term kingdom of God, but refers to Abraham seeing the Kingdom of the heavens. However, Baháí writings do use the kingdom of God. The term kingdom of God does not appear in the Hebrew Bible, although his kingdom, yours is the kingdom, O Lord is used in 1 Chronicles 29, 10-12 and His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom in Daniel 3,33, for example. The Hebrew word malkuth refers first to a reign, dominion, or rule, when malkuth is used of God, it almost always refers to his authority or to his rule as the heavenly King. The enthronement psalms provide a background for this view with the exclamation The Lord is King. 1 Kings 22,19, Isaiah 6, Ezekiel 1 and Daniel 7,9 all speak of the Throne of God, although some such as Saadia Gaon. The phrase the Kingdom of God isnt common in intertestamental literature, the term does occasionally, however, denote an eschatological event, such as in the Assumption of Moses and the Sibylline Oracles. In these cases, Gods Kingdom is not the new age, along these lines was the more national view in which the awaited messiah was seen as a liberator and the founder of a new state of Israel. The Gospel of Luke records Jesus description of the Kingdom of God, for indeed, the kingdom of God is within you. The Apostle Paul defined the Kingdom of God in his letter to the church in Rome, For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, in the Gospels, especially the Synoptic Gospels, Jesus speaks frequently of Gods kingdom. However, Jesus never defines the concept and he assumed this was a concept so familiar that it did not require definition. The Kingdom of God is one of the key elements of the teachings of Jesus in the New Testament, drawing on Old Testament teachings, the Christian characterization of the relationship between God and humanity inherently involves the notion of the Kingship of God. Most of the uses of the Greek word basileia in the New Testament involve Kingdom of God, Matthew is likely to have instead used the term heaven because the background of his Jewish audience imposed restrictions on the frequent use of the name of God. However, Dr. Chuck Missler asserts that Matthew intentionally differentiated between the kingdoms of God and Heaven, Most commentators presume that these terms are synonymous. However, Matthew uses Kingdom of Heaven 33 times, but also uses Kingdom of God five times, even in adjacent verses, Kingdom of God is translated to Latin as Regnum Dei and Kingdom of Heaven as Regnum caelorum
21.
Last Judgment
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In Christian belief, it is the final and eternal judgment by God of the people in every nation resulting in the glorification of some and the punishment of others. The concept is found in all the Canonical gospels, particularly the Gospel of Matthew, Christian Futurists believe it will take place after the Resurrection of the Dead and the Second Coming of Christ while Full Preterists believe it has already occurred. The Last Judgment has inspired numerous artistic depictions, beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheeps clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits, do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles. Even so, every good tree bringeth forth good fruit, but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit, a good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, therefore, by their fruits ye shall know them. Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven, many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name. And in thy name have cast out devils. and in thy name done many wonderful works, and then will I profess unto them, I never knew you, depart from me, ye that work iniquity. Then said one unto him, Lord, are few that be saved. And he said them, Strive to enter in at the strait gate, for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in. But he shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence ye are, depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out. The doctrine is supported by passages in the Books of Daniel, Isaiah. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them, and I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life, and the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. Even now the axe is lying at the root of the trees, 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 and 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. Just as the weeds are collected and burned up with fire, Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father
22.
New Jerusalem
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The prophecy is recorded by Ezekiel as having been received on Yom Kippur of the year 3372 of the Hebrew calendar. It will be inhabited by people to live eternally in spirit form, not everyone will reside in New Jerusalem, as most will possibly stay on Earth. In the Book of Revelation in the New Testament, the city is called the Heavenly Jerusalem. The Babylonian threat to the Kingdom of Judah began as the Babylonian Empire conquered Assyria, Jerusalem surrendered without major bloodshed to Babylon in 597. An Israelite uprising brought the destruction of Nebuchadnezzar’s army upon Jerusalem in 586 BCE, the entire city, including the First Temple, was burned. Israelite aristocrats were taken captive to Babylon, the Book of Ezekiel contains the first record of the New Jerusalem. Within Ezekiel 40-48, there is an extended and detailed description of the measurements of the Temple, its chambers, porticos, Ezekiel 48, 30-35 contains a list of twelve Temple gates named for Israel’s tribes. The Book of Zechariah expands upon Ezekiel’s New Jerusalem, after the Second Temple was built after the exile, Jerusalem’s population was only a few hundred. There were no city walls until 445 BCE. In the passage, the author writes about a city wall of fire to protect the enormous population and this text demonstrates the beginning of a progression of New Jerusalem thought. In Ezekiel, the focus is primarily on the act of Temple construction. In Zechariah, the focus shifts to God’s intercession in the founding of New Jerusalem, New Jerusalem is further extrapolated in Isaiah, where New Jerusalem is adorned with precious sapphires, jewels, and rubies. The city is described as a free from terror and full of righteousness. Here, Isaiah provides an example of Jewish apocalypticism, where a hope for a perfected Jerusalem, as the original New Jerusalem composition, Ezekiel functioned as a source for later works such as 4 Ezra,2 Baruch, Qumran documents, and the Book of Revelation. These texts used similar measurement language and expanded on the limited eschatological perspective in Ezekiel, Judaism sees the Messiah as a human male descendant of King David who will be anointed as the king of Israel and sit on the throne of David in Jerusalem. He will gather in the lost tribes of Israel, clarify unresolved issues of halakha, Zechariah prophesied that any family among the nations who does not appear in the Temple in Jerusalem for the festival of Sukkoth will have no rain that year. Isaiah prophesied that the rebuilt Temple will be a house of prayer for all nations, the city of YHWH Shamma, the new Jerusalem, will be the gathering point of the worlds nations, and will serve as the capital of the renewed Kingdom of Israel. Ezekiel prophesied that this city will have 12 gates, one gate for each of the tribes of Israel
23.
Rapture
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In Christian eschatology the rapture refers to the predicted end time event when all Christian believers—living and resurrected dead—will rise into the sky and join Christ for eternity. This event is predicted and described, without the term rapture and this is now the most common use of the term, especially among Christian theologians and fundamentalist Christians in the United States. Other, older uses of rapture were simply as a term for any mystical union with God or for life in Heaven with God. There are many views among Christians regarding the timing of Christs return and they do not believe that a group of people is left behind on earth for an extended Tribulation period after the events of 1 Thessalonians 4,17. Others, including Grant Jeffrey, maintain that a document called Ephraem or Pseudo-Ephraem already supported a pre-tribulation rapture. Rapture is derived from Middle French rapture, via the Medieval Latin raptura, the Koine Greek of 1 Thessalonians 4,17 uses the verb form ἁρπαγησόμεθα, which means we shall be caught up or taken away, with the connotation that this is a sudden event. The dictionary form of this Greek verb is harpazō and this use is also seen in such texts as Acts 8,39, 2Corinthians 12, 2-4 and Revelation 12,5. The Latin Vulgate translates the Greek ἁρπαγησόμεθα as rapiemur meaning we are caught up or we are taken away from the Latin verb rapio meaning to catch up or take away. English versions of the Bible have expressed the concept of rapiemur in various ways, The Wycliffe Bible, translated from the Latin Vulgate, the Tyndale New Testament, the Bishops Bible, the Geneva Bible and the King James Version use caught up. The on-line NET Bible translates the Greek of 1 Thessalonians 4,17 using the phrase suddenly caught up with this footnote, the Greek verb ἁρπάζω implies that the action is quick or forceful, so the translation supplied the adverb suddenly to make this implicit notion clear. In 1590, Francisco Ribera, a Catholic Jesuit, taught futurism and he also taught that the rapture would happen 45 days before the end of a 3. 5-year tribulation. The concept of the rapture, in connection with premillennialism, was expressed by the 17th-century American Puritans Increase and they held to the idea that believers would be caught up in the air, followed by judgments on earth, and then the millennium. Other 17th-century expressions of the rapture are found in the works of, Robert Maton, Nathaniel Homes, John Browne, Thomas Vincent, Henry Danvers, and William Sherwin. The term rapture was used by Philip Doddridge and John Gill in their New Testament commentaries, with the idea that believers would be caught up prior to judgment on earth and Jesus second coming. Manuel Lacunza, a Jesuit priest, wrote a work entitled La venida del Mesías en gloria y majestad. The book appeared first in 1811,10 years after his death, in 1827, it was translated into English by the Scottish minister Edward Irving. Dr. Samuel Prideaux Tregelles, a prominent English theologian and biblical scholar, an 1828 edition of Matthew Henrys An Exposition of the Old and New Testament uses the word rapture in explicating 1 Thes. Although not using the term rapture, the idea was fully developed by Edward Irving
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Resurrection of the dead
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Predominantly in Christian eschatology, the term is used to support the belief that the dead will be brought back to life in connection with end times. Various other forms of this concept can also be found in other eschatologies, namely, Islamic, Jewish, early Christian 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 go to Heaven. At the close of the 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, andré 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 question more than as an existential problem. ”This shift was supported not by any scripture. Deism allowed for a supreme being, such as the philosophical first cause, Deism, which was largely led by rationality and reason, could allow a belief in the immortality of the soul, but not necessarily in the resurrection of the dead. In Christian theology, it was widely believed that to rise on Judgment Day the body had to be whole. An Act of Parliament 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 a body on judgment day. 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 legal in 1902. The Gospel of Matthew introduces the expression ἀναστάσεως τῶν νεκρῶν, which is used in a monologue by Jesus who speaks to the crowds about the resurrection called simply, ῇ ἀναστάσει. This type of resurrection refers to the raising up the dead, all men, at the end of this present age, in Acts of the Apostles the expression ἀναστάσεως νεκρῶν was used by the Apostles and Paul the Apostle to defend the doctrine of the resurrection. Paul brought up the resurrection in his trial before Ananias ben Nedebaios, the expression was variously used in reference to a general resurrection at the end of this present age. In the First Epistle to the Corinthians chapter 15, ἀνάστασις νεκρῶν is used for the resurrection of the dead. In vv.54,55, Paul the Apostle is conveyed as quoting from the book of Hosea 13,14 where he speaks of the abolition of death, by rendering Sheol powerless would mean to loosen its hold on those in it, implying the emptying of gravedom. Using the Sign of Jonah in Mathew 16 and Luke 11, in Acts of the Apostles chapters 4,17,23 and 24, the Apostles and Paul of Tarsus argued in support of the doctrine
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Second Coming
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The Second Coming is a Christian concept regarding the future return of Jesus to Earth after his first coming and ascension to heaven about two thousand years ago. The belief is based on messianic prophecies found in the gospels and is part of most Christian eschatologies. Views about the nature of Jesus Second Coming vary among Christian denominations, most English versions of the Nicene Creed include the following statements. he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead and we look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Several different terms are used to refer to the Second Coming of Christ, In the New Testament, the Greek New Testament uses the Greek term parousia twenty-four times, seventeen of them concerning Christ. The word is used six times referring to individuals and one time referring to the coming of the lawless one. The etymology of the Greek word parousia is related to para beside ousia presence, in English parousia always has a special, Christian meaning. The Bauer-Danker Lexicon provides the definition. of Christ, and nearly always of his Messianic Advent in glory to judge the world at the end of this age. The Catholic Encyclopedia article on the General judgment states, In the New Testament the second Parousia, the Saviour Himself not only foretells the event but graphically portrays its circumstances. The Apostles give a most prominent place to this doctrine in their preaching, besides the name Parusia, or Advent, the second coming is also called Epiphany, epiphaneia, or Appearance and Apocalypse, or Revelation. The time of the second coming is spoken of as that Day the day of the Lord, the day of Christ, the day of the Son of Man, and the last day. Children, it is the last hour, and just as you heard that Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have appeared, from this we know that it is the last hour. The position associating the Second Coming with 1st century events such as the destruction of Jerusalem, some Preterists see this coming of the Son of Man in glory primarily fulfilled in Jesus death on the cross. They believe the signs are already fulfilled including the sun will be dark. Will be shaken, and then they will see, moreover, Jesus was reported to have told his disciples, Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. Some, such as Jerome, interpret the phrase this generation to mean in the lifetime of the Jewish race, however, other scholars believe that if Jesus meant race he would have used genos not genea. Most English versions of the Nicene Creed in current use include the statements about Jesus. he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead and we look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come
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Seven bowls
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‹See Tfd› The seven bowls are a set of plagues mentioned in Revelation 16. They are recorded as apocalyptic events that were seen in the vision of the Revelation of Jesus Christ, when the first bowl is poured out, foul and painful sores come upon those bearing the mark of the beast and those who worshiped the image of the beast. When the second bowl is poured out, the seas and the oceans become blood as of a dead man, when the third bowl is poured out, the rivers and the remaining sources of water turn to blood. The angels then begin praising Gods holy judgments, when the fourth bowl is poured out, the sun causes a major heatwave to scorch the planet with fire. The incorrigible wicked refuse to repent while they blaspheme the name of God, when the fifth bowl is poured out, a thick darkness overwhelms the kingdom of the beast. The wicked continue to stubbornly defame the name of God while refusing to repent, when the sixth bowl is poured out, the great river Euphrates dries up so that the kings of the east might cross to be prepared to battle. Three unclean spirits with the appearance of frogs come out of the mouths of the beast and these demonic spirits work Satanic miracles to gather the nations of the world to battle against the forces of good during the Battle of Armageddon. Jesus says that his coming will be like that of a thief in the night, when the seventh bowl is poured out, a global earthquake causes the cities of the world to collapse. Every mountain and island are removed from their foundations, giant hailstones weighing nearly 100 pounds plummet onto the planet. The plagues are so severe that the hatred of God intensifies while the incorrigible continue to curse God. Events of Revelation Seven Seals Seven trumpets
27.
Seven seals
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The Seven Seals is a phrase in the Book of Revelation that refers to seven symbolic seals that secure the book/scroll, that John of Patmos saw in his Revelation of Jesus Christ. The opening of the seals of the Apocalyptic document occurs in Revelation Chapters 5-8, in Johns vision, the only one worthy to open the book/scroll is referred to as both the Lion of Judah and the Lamb having seven horns and seven eyes. The 7 seals contained secret information known only to God until the Lamb/Lion was found worthy to open the book/scroll, important scrolls being secured with seals is mentioned in earlier Bible examples including Book of Daniel 12,4. But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end, many shall run to and fro, upon the Lamb opening a seal from the book, a judgment is released or an apocalyptic event occurs. The opening of the first four Seals release The Four Horsemen, the opening of the fifth seal releases the cries of martyrs for the word/Wrath of God. The sixth seal prompts earthquakes and other cataclysmic events, the seventh seal cues seven angelic trumpeters who in turn cue the seven bowl judgments and more cataclysmic events. Certain words and phrases used in Revelation had a meaning to ancient readers familiar with objects of their time. For example, important documents were sent written on a papyrus scroll sealed with wax seals. Wax seals were typically placed across the opening of a scroll, so only the proper person in the presence of witnesses. This type of seal is used in a figurative sense, in the book of Revelation. Idealism was also a major view that became realized since the time of Augustine. The preterist usually views that John was given a vision, of a course of events that would occur over the next several centuries. Johann Jakob Wettstein places the date of the Apocalypse as written before A. D.70 and he assumed that the first part of the Book was in respect to Judea and the Jews, and that the second part, about the Roman Empire. The “Sealed Book” is the book of divorcement sent to the Jewish nation from God. ”Traditionally, scholars such as Campegius Vitringa, Alexander Keith, and Christopher Wordsworth did not limit the timeframe to the 4th century. Some have even viewed the opening of the Seals right into the modern period. However, Contemporary-historicists view all of Revelation as it relates to John’s own time, Elliott, the first seal, as revealed to John by the angel, was to signify what was to happen soon after John seeing the visions in Patmos. The general subject of the first six seals is the decline and fall, after a prosperous era. The idealist view does not take the book of Revelation literally, the interpretation of Revelation’s symbolism and imagery is defined by the struggles between good and evil
28.
Two witnesses
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The two witnesses are two of Gods prophets who are seen in a vision by John of Patmos, who appear during the Second woe in the Book of Revelation 11, 1-14. The two witnesses have been identified by theologians as two individuals, as two groups of people, or as two concepts. John is told that the court of Gods temple would be trampled on by the nations for 42 months, during that period for 1,260 days, two witnesses would be granted authority to prophesy. They are described as two trees and two lampstands who stand before the Lord of the earth. Both are able to devour their enemies with fire that flows out of their mouths, also, they have power over the sky and waters and are able to strike the earth with plague. After their testimony, the Beast overcomes the two witnesses and kills them, for three and a half days, the people of the earth celebrate the two witnesses death and will not permit the witnesses a proper burial. After this time, God resurrects the two witnesses, their resurrection strikes fear on everyone witnessing their revival, and the two witnesses ascend to heaven. In the next hour, an earthquake occurs and kills 7000 men. According to the text, the two witnesses are symbolised as the two trees and the two lampstands that have the power to destroy their enemies, control the weather and cause plagues. Their description as two trees and two lampstands may be symbolism, allegory, or literal. The literalist typically has a dispensationalist or futurist interpretation that the two witnesses will be people who will appear in the Last days. However, there are varying views as to the identity of the two witnesses, others have proposed Moses as one of the witnesses, for his ability to turn water into blood and the power to plague the earth. By the identification of the two branches as two anointed ones or two sons of the oil, in Zechariah, this reinforces the literalist interpretation that the two witnesses are two people. The personification of the two witnesses in Revelation, is so prevalent that according to theologian William Barclay, the passage seems to refer to definite persons, the two witnesses have been interpreted as representing the Church or a similar concept. The 1599 Geneva Study Bible has asserted that the two witnesses are the purview of the church. Matthew Henrys Complete Commentary on the Whole Bible gives one church interpretation as consisting of believing Jews, John Wesley in his commentary on Revelation 11 suggests a more spiritual, almost ambiguous, application. John Gills Exposition of the Bible interprets the two witnesses as the true Church in counterdistinction to the antichrist system of Roman Catholicism, ross Taylors Verse by Verse Commentary on Revelation clearly defines the Church as the two olive trees and the two lampstands. Similarly, the two witnesses have been identified as Israel and the Christian Church, the number two has been associated with the witness of Israel to the Gentile nations during the 70th Week of Daniels prophecy
29.
War in Heaven
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Revelations war in heaven is related to the idea of fallen angels, and possible parallels have been proposed in the Hebrew Bible and the Dead Sea Scrolls. Some commentators have seen the war in heaven as not literal, in Miltons Paradise Lost, the angel Lucifer leads a rebellion against God before the Fall of Man. A third of the angels, including pagan gods such as Moloch, jonathan Edwards said in his sermon Wisdom Displayed in Salvation, Satan and his angels rebelled against God in heaven, and proudly presumed to try their strength with his. And when God, by his almighty power, overcame the strength of Satan and he added that Michaels name was the war-cry of the good angels in the battle fought in heaven against the enemy and his followers. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints teaches that Revelation 12 concerns an event in the pre-mortal existence of man. The Book of Moses, included in the LDS standard works canon, references the War in Heaven, anatole France in the 1914 novel La Révolte des Anges adapted the Christian myth to make a parable about revolts and revolutionary movements. The motif of the fall of Satan and his angels can be found in Christian angelology and Christian art, the Christian tradition has stories about angelic beings cast down from heaven by God, often presenting the punishment as inflicted in particular on Satan. Lucifers rebellion has been attributed to a number of motives, all of which stem from his great pride. These motives include, A refusal to bow down to mankind on the occasion of the creation of man as in the Armenian, Georgian, a similar view is held in Islamic tradition, in which Iblis refuses to bow down to Adam. The culmination of a distancing from God through use of free will. A declaration by God that all were to be subject to his Son, parallels are drawn to the passage in Isaiah 14, 4-17 that mentions the son of the morning that had fallen from heaven and was cast down to the earth. In verse 12 of this passage, the Hebrew word that referred to the star was translated into Latin as Lucifer. With the application to the Devil of the morning star story, the name Lucifer, the Latin name for the morning star, is often given to the Devil in these stories. Stars were then regarded as living celestial beings, according to Jewish thought, the passage in Isaiah was used to prophesy the fate of the King of Babylon, who is described as aiming to rival God. That the Melchizedek document concerns a war in heaven is denied by Fred L, War in Heaven Christoph Auffarth, Loren T. Stuckenbruck, The Fall of the Angels. Eine Analyse des Höllenverständnisses verschiedener Epochen anhand von Höllendarstellungen, neil Forsyth, The Old Enemy, Satan & the Combat Myth 1987
30.
Whore of Babylon
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The Whore of Babylon or Babylon the Great is a female figure and also place of evil mentioned in the Book of Revelation in the Bible. Her full title is given as Babylon the Great, the Mother of Prostitutes, the great whore, of the biblical Book of Revelation is featured in chapters 17 and 18. — Revelation 17, 4–18 See also, Revelation 17,1, Parallel Translations The Whore is associated with the Antichrist, the Whores apocalyptic downfall is prophesied to take place in the hands of the image of the beast with seven heads and ten horns. There is much speculation within Christian eschatology on what the Whore, some scholars interpret Babylon as being based on historical places and events. In 4 Ezra,2 Baruch and the Sibylline Oracles, Babylon is a name for Rome. Reinhard Feldmeier speculates that Babylon is used to refer to Rome in 1 Peter 5,13, in Revelation 17,9 it is said that she sits on seven mountains, typically understood as the seven hills of Rome. This symbolism did not fit the case of Rome at the time. Proponents of this view suggest that the seven mountains in Rev 17,9 are the seven hills on which Jerusalem stands, several Old Testament prophets referred to Jerusalem as being a spiritual harlot and a mother of such harlotry. This is also bolstered by Jesus statement that its not possible for a prophet to be killed outside of Jerusalem, historicist interpreters commonly used the phrase Whore of Babylon to refer to the Roman Catholic Church. Reformation writers from Martin Luther, John Calvin, and John Knox taught this association, most early Protestant Reformers believed, and the modern Seventh-day Adventist Church teaches, that in Bible prophecy a woman represents a church. I have likened the daughter of Zion To a lovely and delicate woman and they also believed that the primary location of this unfaithful church is stated in the same chapter. And the woman whom you saw is that city which reigns over the kings of the earth. The connection noted above on the seven hills of Rome is argued to locate the church, identification of the Pope as the Antichrist was written into Protestant creeds such as the Westminster Confession of 1646. The identification of the Roman Catholic Church with the Whore of Babylon is kept in the Scofield Reference Bible, Seventh-day Adventists interpret Rev 17,18 as a prophecy of the false church which has power over the kings of the earth. His word has given warning of the danger, let this be unheeded. She is silently growing into power and her doctrines are exerting their influence in legislative halls, in the churches, and in the hearts of men. She is piling up her lofty and massive structures in the recesses of which her former persecutions will be repeated. Stealthily and unsuspectedly she is strengthening her forces to further her own ends when the time shall come for her to strike, all that she desires is vantage ground, and this is already being given her
31.
World to come
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Under Christian eschatology, the phrase is found in the Nicene Creed, We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. It is also found in the King James Version of the New Testament at Matthew 12,32, Mark 10,30, Luke 18,30, Hebrews 2,5, in Hindu eschatology the current age is the Kali Yuga, a period of decline. Kalki will appear to all evil, beginning a golden age of Satya Yuga. HaOlam HaBa, or the world to come, is an important part of Jewish eschatology, the afterlife is known as Olam haBa, Gan Eden and Gehinom. According to the Talmud, any non-Jew who lives according to the Seven Laws of Noah is regarded as a Ger toshav, and is assured of a place in the world to come, the final reward of the righteous. In Zoroastrian eschatology, the world to come is the frashokereti and this is followed by a last judgment. The yazatas Airyaman and Atar will melt the metal in the hills and mountains, and the molten metal will then flow across the earth like a river. All mankind—both the living and the resurrected dead—will be required to wade through that river, the river will then flow down to hell, where it will annihilate Angra Mainyu and the last vestiges of wickedness in the universe. There have been a range of dates predicted, purportedly from different methods of calculation and this is not a rare occurrence and last happened in early 2012, passing without event. The time of arrival of Kalki has not been asserted by astrologers
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Jesus
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In Christology, the Person of Christ refers to the study of the human and divine natures of Jesus Christ as they co-exist within one person. There is no discussion in the New Testament regarding the dual nature of the Person of Christ as both divine and human. Hence, since the days of Christianity theologians have debated various approaches to the understanding of these natures. In the period following the Apostolic Age, specific beliefs such as Arianism and Docetism were criticized. On the other end of the spectrum, Docetism argued that Jesus physical body was an illusion, docetic teachings were attacked by St. Ignatius of Antioch and were eventually abandoned by proto-orthodox Christians. However, after the First Council of Nicaea in 325 the Logos, historically in the Alexandrian school of christology, Jesus Christ is the eternal Logos paradoxically humanized in history, a divine Person who became enfleshed, uniting himself to the human nature. The views of these schools can be summarized as follows, Alexandria, Antioch, Logos assumes a specific human being The First Council of Ephesus in 431 debated a number of views regarding the Person of Christ. At the same gathering the council debated the doctrines of monophysitism or miaphysitism. The council rejected Nestorianism and adopted the term hypostatic union, referring to divine, the language used in the 431 declaration was further refined at the 451 Council of Chalcedon. However, the Chalcedon creed was not accepted by all Christians, because Saint Augustine died in 430 he did not participate in the Council of Ephesus in 431 or Chalcedon in 451, but his ideas had some impact on both councils. On the other hand, the major theological figure of the Middle Ages. The Third Council of Constantinople in 680 held that both divine and human wills exist in Jesus, with the divine will having precedence, leading and guiding the human will. John Calvin maintained that there was no element in the Person of Christ which could be separated from the person of The Word. Calvin also emphasized the importance of the Work of Christ in any attempt at understanding the Person of Christ, the study of the Person of Christ continued into the 20th century, with modern theologians such as Karl Rahner and Hans von Balthasar. Balthasar argued that the union of the human and divine natures of Christ was achieved not by the absorption of human attributes, thus in his view the divine nature of Christ was not affected by the human attributes and remained forever divine
33.
Golden Age
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By definition, one is never in the Golden Age. By extension Golden Age denotes a period of peace, harmony, stability. During this age peace and harmony prevailed, people did not have to work to feed themselves and they lived to a very old age with a youthful appearance, eventually dying peacefully, with spirits living on as guardians. Plato in Cratylus recounts the golden race of humans who came first and he clarifies that Hesiod did not mean literally made of gold, but good and noble. There are analogous concepts in the religious and philosophical traditions of the South Asian subcontinent, for example, the Vedic or ancient Hindu culture saw history as cyclical, composed of yugas with alternating Dark and Golden Ages. The Kali yuga, Dwapara yuga, Treta yuga and Satya yuga correspond to the four Greek ages, similar beliefs occur in the ancient Middle East and throughout the ancient world, as well. In classical Greek mythology the Golden Age was presided over by the leading Titan Cronus, in some version of the myth Astraea also ruled. The earliest attested reference to the European myth of the Ages of Man 500 BC-350 BC appears in the late 6th century BC works of the Greek poet Hesiods Works and Days. Hesiod, a deteriorationist, identifies the Golden Age, the Silver Age, the Bronze Age, the Heroic Age, with the exception of the Heroic Age, each succeeding age was worse than the one that went before. When they died, it was as though they were overcome with sleep and they dwelt in ease and peace. Plato in his Cratylus referred to an age of men and also expounded at some length on Ages of Man from Hesiods Works. The Roman poet Ovid simplified the concept by reducing the number of Ages to four, Gold, Bronze, Silver, in Hesiods version, the Golden Age ended when the Titan Prometheus conferred on mankind the gift of fire and all the other arts. For this, Zeus punished Prometheus by chaining him to a rock in the Caucasus, the gods sent the beautiful maiden Pandora to Prometheuss brother Epimetheus. The Orphic school, a cult that originated in Thrace and spread to Greece in the 5th century BCE, held similar beliefs about the early days of man. In common with the other mystery cults prevalent in the Graeco-Roman world. Initiation into its secret rites, together with ascetic practices, was supposed to guarantee the individuals soul eventual release from the circle of mortality. Orphics sometimes identified the Golden Age with the era of the god Phanes, in classical mythology however, the Golden Age was associated with the reign of Saturn. However, in the 3rd century BCE, the Greek poet, Theocritus, writing in Alexandria, set his poetry in on the lushly fertile island of Sicily
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New Testament
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The New Testament is the second major part of the Christian biblical canon, the first part being the Old Testament, based on the Hebrew Bible. The New Testament discusses the teachings and person of Jesus, as well as events in first-century Christianity, Christians regard both the Old and New Testaments together as sacred scripture. The New Testament has frequently accompanied the spread of Christianity around the world and it reflects and serves as a source for Christian theology and morality. Both extended readings and phrases directly from the New Testament are also incorporated into the various Christian liturgies, the New Testament has influenced religious, philosophical, and political movements in Christendom and left an indelible mark on literature, art, and music. In almost all Christian traditions today, the New Testament consists of 27 books, John A. T. Robinson, Dan Wallace, and William F. Albright dated all the books of the New Testament before 70 AD. Others give a date of 80 AD, or at 96 AD. Over time, some disputed books, such as the Book of Revelation, other works earlier held to be Scripture, such as 1 Clement, the Shepherd of Hermas, and the Diatessaron, were excluded from the New Testament. However, the canon of the New Testament, at least since Late Antiquity, has been almost universally recognized within Christianity. The term new testament, or new covenant first occurs in Jeremiah 31,31, the same Greek phrase for new covenant is found elsewhere in the New Testament. Modern English, like Latin, distinguishes testament and covenant as alternative translations, John Wycliffes 1395 version is a translation of the Latin Vulgate and so follows different terms in Jeremiah and Hebrews, Lo. Days shall come, saith the Lord, and I shall make a new covenant with the house of Israel, for he reproving him saith, Lo. Days come, saith the Lord, when I shall establish a new testament on the house of Israel, use of the term New Testament to describe a collection of first and second-century Christian Greek Scriptures can be traced back to Tertullian. In Against Marcion, written circa 208 AD, he writes of the Divine Word, by the 4th century, the existence—even if not the exact contents—of both an Old and New Testament had been established. Lactantius, a 3rd–4th century Christian author wrote in his early-4th-century Latin Institutiones Divinae and that which preceded the advent and passion of Christ—that is, the law and the prophets—is called the Old, but those things which were written after His resurrection are named the New Testament. The canon of the New Testament is the collection of books that most Christians regard as divinely inspired, several of these writings sought to extend, interpret, and apply apostolic teaching to meet the needs of Christians in a given locality. The book order is the same in the Greek Orthodox, Roman Catholic, the Slavonic, Armenian and Ethiopian traditions have different New Testament book orders. Each of the four gospels in the New Testament narrates the life, death, the word gospel derives from the Old English gōd-spell, meaning good news or glad tidings. The gospel was considered the good news of the coming Kingdom of Messiah, and the redemption through the life and death of Jesus, Gospel is a calque of the Greek word εὐαγγέλιον, euangelion
35.
Heaven in Christianity
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Traditionally, Heaven in Christianity is the location of the throne of God as well as the holy angels, though this is in varying degrees considered metaphorical. In traditional Christianity, it is considered a state or condition of existence of the fulfillment of theosis in the beatific vision of the Godhead. The resurrected Jesus is said to have ascended to heaven where he now sits at the Right Hand of God, various people have been said to have entered heaven while still alive, including Enoch, Elijah and Jesus himself, after his resurrection. According to Roman Catholic teaching, Mary, the mother of Jesus, is said to have been assumed into heaven and is titled the Queen of Heaven. Some specific descriptions of this Kingdom as given in the canon of scripture include—, Seeing God as He is, sharing in his life—1 Jn 3,2,1 Cor 13,12, Jn 17,24 Peaceful Conditions on a New Earth—Is. 2, 2–4,9,7,11, 6–9,27,13,32, 17–18,33, 20–21,60, 17–18,5, 3–5, Rev.21 Eternal Rule by a Messiah–King—Ps. 72, Jer 31, 33–34, Zech 2, 10–11,8,3,14,9, Matt 16,27, Jude 2,34 an heir of David, Is. 9, 6–7,11, 1–5 Bodily perfection—No hunger, thirst, death, or sickness,1,25,4,4,33,24,35, 5–6,49,10,65, 20–24, Jer. 3, 9–19, Matt 13,43 Ruined cities inhabited by people, a fragment from the early 2nd century of one of the lost volumes of Papias, a Christian bishop, expounds that heaven was separated into three distinct layers. He referred to the first as just heaven, the second as paradise, Papias taught that there is this distinction between the habitation of those who produce a hundredfold, and that of those who produce sixty-fold, and that of those who produce thirty-fold. According to some views, some Christians in the 1st century believed that the Kingdom of God was coming to earth within their own lifetimes and they looked forward to a divine future on earth. In the 2nd century AD, Irenaeus wrote that not all who are saved would merit an abode in heaven itself, Eastern Orthodox cosmology perceives heaven as having different levels, the lowest of which is Paradise. At the time of creation, paradise touched the earth at the Garden of Eden, after the Fall of man, paradise was separated from the earth, and mankind forbidden entry, lest he partake of the Tree of Life and live eternally in a state of sinfulness. At his death on the Cross, the Orthodox believe Jesus opened the door to Paradise to mankind again, various saints have had visions of heaven. However, in the Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox, it is only God who has the final say on who enters heaven, in the Eastern Orthodox Church, heaven is part and parcel of deification, the eternal sharing of the divine qualities through communion with the Triune God. The Catholic Church teaches that heaven is the end and fulfillment of the deepest human longings. It holds that, by his death and Resurrection, Jesus Christ has opened heaven to us, the life of the blessed consists in the full and perfect possession of the fruits of the redemption accomplished by Christ. Heaven is the community of all who are perfectly incorporated into Christ
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Saint
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A saint, also historically known as a hallow, is a term used for a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of holiness or likeness to God. Depending on the context and denomination, the term also retains its original Christian meaning, as any believer who is in Christ and in whom Christ dwells, whether in Heaven or on Earth. Depending on the religion, saints are recognized either by official ecclesiastical declaration, the English word saint comes from the Latin sanctus. The word translated the Greek ἅγιος, which derives from the verb ἁγιάζω, the word ἅγιος appears 229 times in the Greek New Testament, and its English translation 60 times in the corresponding text of the King James Version of the Bible. In the New Testament, saint did not denote the deceased who had recognized as especially holy or emulable. Many religions also use similar concepts to venerate persons worthy of some honor, the anthropologist Lawrence Babb in an article about Sathya Sai Baba asks the question Who is a saint. These saintly figures, he asserts, are the points of spiritual force-fields. They exert powerful attractive influence on followers but touch the lives of others in transforming ways as well. In the Bible, only one person is called a saint, They envied Moses also in the camp. The apostle Paul declared himself to be less than the least of all saints in Ephesians 3,8, in the Catholic Church, a saint is anyone in Heaven, whether recognized on Earth or not. There are many persons that the Church believes to be in Heaven who have not been formally canonized, sometimes the word saint also denotes living Christians. They remind us that the Church is holy, can never stop being holy and is called to show the holiness of God by living the life of Christ, the Catholic Church teaches that it does not make or create saints, but rather recognizes them. Proofs of heroicity required in the process of beatification will serve to illustrate in detail the general principles exposed above upon proof of their holiness or likeness to God. On 3 January 993, Pope John XV became the first pope to proclaim a person a saint, on the petition of the German ruler, before that time, the popular cults, or venerations, of saints had been local and spontaneous. Pope John XVIII subsequently permitted a cult of five Polish martyrs, walter of Pontoise was the last person in Western Europe to be canonized by an authority other than the Pope, Hugh de Boves, the Archbishop of Rouen, canonized him in 1153. Thenceforth a decree of Pope Alexander III in 1170 reserved the prerogative of canonization to the Pope, one source claims that there are over 10,000 named saints and beatified people from history, the Roman Martyrology and Orthodox sources, but no definitive head count. Alban Butler published Lives of the Saints in 1756, including a total of 1,486 saints, the latest revision of this book, edited by Rev. Herbert Thurston, SJ and British author Donald Attwater, contains the lives of 2,565 saints. Monsignor Robert Sarno, an official of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints of the Holy See, expressed that it is impossible to give an exact number of saints
37.
Pentecost
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The Christian holiday of Pentecost is celebrated 50 days from Easter Sunday, counting inclusive of Easter Sunday itself, i. e.49 days or 7 weeks after Easter Sunday. Therefore it always occurs on a Sunday and it is also the tenth day after Ascension Thursday, which itself is 40 days from Easter, counting inclusive of Easter Sunday itself. Subsequently, Pentecost may refer to the Pentecost of the New Testament, Shavuot is a significant event shared by Jews and Christians but Christians do not commonly celebrate it as a separate holiday. In the Christian liturgical year it became a feast commemorating what is described by some Christians as the Birthday of the Church. The holy day is also called White Sunday or Whitsunday, especially in the United Kingdom, the Monday after Pentecost is a legal holiday in many European nations. Pentecost is the old Greek and Latin name for the Jewish Festival of Weeks which can be found in the Hebrew Bible and it is called by that name in Exodus 34,22 and Deuteronomy 16,10. It is also called the Festival of Reaping in Exodus 23,16, Jews traditionally read the Book of Ruth at Pentecost, as the story links with the grain harvest theme of the festival. The Talmud refers to Shavuot as Atzeret, referring to the prohibition against work on this holiday and to the conclusion of the holiday, since Shavuot occurs 49 days after the first day of Passover, Hellenistic Jews gave it the name Pentecost. According to Jewish tradition, Pentecost commemorates Gods giving of the Ten Commandments at Mount Sinai,49 days after the Exodus, the Talmud derives this from a calculation based on Biblical texts. There is a Jewish tradition that King David was born and died at Pentecost, in the Apostle Peters first sermon, recorded in Acts 2, 14–39, he linked the life, death and Ascension of Jesus to King Davids death, burial and hope of immortality. The biblical narrative of Pentecost is given in the chapter of the Book of Acts. Present were about one hundred and twenty followers of Christ, including the Twelve Apostles, his mother Mary, various other women disciples and his brothers. Their reception of the Holy Spirit in the Upper Room is recounted in Acts 2, 1–6, And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a mighty wind. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak with other languages, as the Spirit gave them utterance. And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven, Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language. He also mentions that it was the hour of the day. Acts 2,41 then reports, Then they that gladly received his word were baptized, Peter stated that this event was the beginning of a continual outpouring that would be available to all believers from that point on, Jews and Gentiles alike
