Where are we going? This is a fundamental question, one of several asked by the founders and thinkers of the world's largest religions. Each of the major religions has its own answer, and the study of these answers is called eschatology. In this essay, I'll take a secular look at the eschatological evolution of the Abrahamic religions, from Judaism to Christianity and finally to Islam. I will discuss the impact of these apocalyptic scenarios on people who do not practice each faith, and show that ultimately, answers to life's questions come from within.
The Abrahamic religions are those that claim Abraham as the forefather of all men, and their original prophet. More generally, they worship the same God as the biblical Abraham and fight bitterly about it. They believe in the Garden of Eden, Original Sin, Heaven and Hell, and the Arc of the Covenant. As Robert E. Van Voorst notes in the class text, Anthology of World Scriptures, “Like Judaism and Christianity, Islam foresees a literal resurrection of the body from death; soul and body are rejoined to face judgment” (Van Voorst 317). Since the Torah, Old Testament, and the early chapters of the Qur’an are essentially the same document and tell the same story, one might expect that the eschatology would be similar. Combined, these religions hold about 54% of the world's population, who take the contents of these books as absolute truths. There is much debate within each of these religions about whether the apocalyptic scriptures should be taken literally or interpreted as an allegory, and how their veracity would impact people who belong to other faiths. Christians and Muslims alike hold that the apocalypse is imminent and inevitable. By using examples from the texts themselves, a...
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...understand. It is important, however, that you do not interpret these allegorical accounts literally. It is equally important to avoid allowing other people to shape your interpretation. If you take one thing away from this essay, it should be that the answers provided by the Torah, New Testament and Qur'an are only possible answers, and divine truth can only be derived from personal introspection.
Works Cited
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Molloy, Michael. Experiencing the World's Religions: Tradition, Challenge, and Change. New York: McGraw-Hill Higher Education, 2010. Print.
Van, Voorst Robert E. Anthology of World Scriptures / Robert E. Van Voorst. Boston: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning, 2011. Print
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On December 13, 1973, a French man named Claude Vorilhon claimed that he encountered an extraterrestrial being. The alien, called Yahweh, explained that he was a representative of an advanced race of beings, the Elohim, who created humankind is their image via cloning techniques. As an experiment, humanity failed to achieve equilibrium within itself and the world it lived in. Throughout history, the Elohim sent prophets to Earth to guide people’s way of life based on that of the superior race. A primary reason that people failed to achieve that peace is that the prophets, “whose teachings, actually scientific and not religiously oriented, had been misunderstood.” (Laderman 248) Religions thus misinterpreted the Elohim’s teachings, and their different understandings of them separated humanity.
Frick, Frank S.. A Journey Through The Hewbrew Scriptures. New York: Harcourt Brace College Publishers, 1995.
...yne A. The HarperCollins Study Bible New Revised Standard Edition . New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 1993. 1645-1722. Print.
In part 2, the prophetic epoch of revelation is explored and a fundamental understanding of the prophetic is first developed. Followed by discussion of the theories, concepts, mode, reception and content of prophecy in the biblical revelation.
The word Armageddon can evoke some scary thoughts. The word means to most people the destruction or severe alteration, of life, as we know it on the planet Earth. One thing is for sure, the possibility of Armageddon actually happening is very real, and we as a species are not ready for it. Movies entertain us with their version of Armageddon while governments and scientist research and plan to avoid it. The public at large remains oblivious to dangers that are fact not fiction. God will in some form show us that in the grand scheme of things we are very small and there is nothing we can do to prevent the inevitable.
Burns, Thomas J. Canonical Texts: Selections from Religious Wisdom Traditions. San Diego, CA: Cognella/U Readers, 2012. Print.
Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition Bible. Eds. Dom Bernand Orchard, Rev. R. V. Fuller. San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 1966. Print.
Before beginning this essay proper, it is important to first comprehend some of what is meant by the term eschatology, and how it is understood in the Book of Revelation. Eschatology broadly defined is that part of theology which deals with conceptions of the ‘end times’ and of the final things of the world and humanity. Within it sit many concepts, such as heaven and hell, divine judgment, the second coming, the defeat of evil and the new creation, among others things. As such, it encapsulates any discussion about the ‘end times’. This is certainly an apt title for much of the Book of Revelation then, with so much discussion of divine judgment on the first earth, the second coming of Christ and the coming of the New Creation. Within the pages of this text, however, a more complex eschatology is portrayed. While in the grander literary scheme of the text we see the ultimate destruction of death and hades and their throwing into the lake of fire...
Watts. J. D.W. World Biblical CommentaryVol.25. Ed. P.A. Hubbard. Waco, TX: Word Books, Publisher, 1987. 311-312.
We cannot over simplify human behavior and the power of belief. Belief being the structure humans have created to understand one’s existence. Equally important, beliefs reassure a sense of balance and control in a world where we may feel powerless or helpless despite scientific developments. Nevertheless, science is the reality tested. Bultmann, points out blind acceptance of the New Testament’s written word would be irrational, and “a sacrifice of the intellect which could have only one result – a curious form of schizophrenia and insincerity” . Nevertheless, there remains a confusion that pervades modern ideas of the universe and our existence. Bultmann did acknowledge the truths a shallow enlightenment had failed to perceive are later rediscovered in ancient myths. Therefore, the task of dissecting the written words and structure of the New Testament is important for clarification and
The New Chain Reference Bible. Ed. Frank Charles Thompson. Mt. Morris, N.Y: Chain Reference Bible Publishing. 1929.
Dirks, Jerald. The Abrahamic faiths: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam : similarities & contrasts. Beltsville, Md.: Amana Publications, 2004.
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Answering these questions is the purpose of this essay. I begin by arguing that the Bible cannot be adequately understood independent of its historical context. I concede later that historical context alone however is insufficient, for the Bible is a living-breathing document as relevant to us today as it was the day it was scribed. I conclude we need both testimonies of God at work to fully appreciate how the Bible speaks to us.