Eschatology From the Greek, Eschatos meaning last and -logy meaning the study of, is a part of theology and philosophy concerned with what are believed to be the final events in the history of the world, or the ultimate destiny of humanity, commonly referred to as the end of the world.
One of the great texts about the end of the world and things to come is found in I Peter Chapter One:
Praise to God for a Living Hope
3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you, 5 who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7 These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.8 Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, 9 for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.10 Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care,11 trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow. 12 It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things.
In recent history, the Left Behind Series has brought to the front some issues regarding the 'rapture', which is the belief that some will be left here on earth and some will be whisked away to Heaven. There are those who believe in the rapture in the Christian community, as well as those who do not. Some believe Christ will come back and reign for 1,000 years as one last opportunity for us pitiful humans to get it right. Whether or not you believe in this will dictate whether you are pre-millenial, post-millenial or a-millenial. Have I confused you yet? The bottom line for me is that Peter tells us that even Angels long to look into some of these things. However, if you are interested enough to do some study on your own, here are some key scriptures:
* I Corinthians 15 (esp. v. 50-52)
This whole chapter is on resurrection, but the part about how we will be changed in the twinkling of an eye is where some of our eschatological theology comes from.
* I Peter 3:18-19
These verses are part of the Nicene Creed, and talk about Jesus going to preach to the souls in prison, or in torment. Nearly all early Christian Scholars believed this to be in the realm of the dead. Were these souls in Hell? Were they in Purgatory (a waiting area)? Or were they literally in prison here on earth?
* I Thessalonians 4:13-18
This passage concerns the second coming of Christ. Again, there is a specific moment in time when a trumpet will sound, and the dead in Christ will rise first, which would seem to indicate that they had not yet been resurrected. Where were they? In what 'form' were they?
* Revelation chapter 11
This concludes the long section on the '7 Trumpet Calls of God', and well, you figure it out and let me know.
More to come on the nature of the Soul.
Grace and Peace
Ryan
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