Eschatology Of The End According To Revelations Essays

Eschatology Of The End: According To Revelations Eschatology of the End: According to Revelations What happens to us all when we die or when the universe comes to an end? Is it all just over? Does history proceed with a purpose? If so what is the culmination of that purpose? Everyone from scientist to theologians agree that the world as we know it will eventually end? The question I want to address is does that eschatological moment, or end mean the destruction of the earth with fire and brimstone or is does a more glorious end await us? Is there a possibility of an alternative end, without the desolation some have used to describe it? If one looks deep enough maybe some of these answers can be found in the book of revelations. Over time the Book of Revelations has received numerous, some even contradictory interpretations, but after all of those different outlooks, it is usually conceded that the book is an essential tool for understanding eschatology. Eschatology comes from the Greek word of eschatos, meaning last. Eschatology is generally considered to be the doctrine of the last things. Numerous writers have concluded that Eschatology should include the notions of judgement and salvation, both things writers assume to be certain at the end of one's life. Bauckman (1980, p 470) states In contrast to cyclical conceptions of history, the biblical writings understand history as linear movements toward a goal. God is driving history towards a goal. God is driving history towards the ultimate fulfillment of his purpose for his creation. So biblical eschatology is not limited to the destiny of the individual; it concerns the consummation of the whole history of the world, towards which all God's redemptive acts in history are directed.Horton (1994, p. 599) shares this view of Baukman but adds, Believers have a better hope in and through Christ, who himself is our hope (Col. 1:27; 1 Tim 1:1). Many believe that the foundation for a better hope along with the events involved in the consummation of the history of th is world, are detailed in the Book of Revelation. Without this book little could be known about this area. Revelations provides us with insight into the eschatological field. There is a variety of eschatological understandings in Christian thought that comes from these areas, (1)interpretation of the Book of Revelation as a whole, (2)from the interpretation of Revelation 20, and (3)from whether the hermeneutics employed tend to interpret the Bible more literally or more figuratively (Horton, 1994, p. 619). There are various views that seem to interpret these three criteria in extremely different ways.Four principal view points have addressed the interpretation of the Book of Revelation. Those interpretations consist of Preterist, Historicist, Idealism, and Futurist. However, because of time and length constraints I am only going to discuss the first and last. The Preterist view and the Futurist seem to be the overwhelming favorites of the Christians of today. The Preterist view even ts of the end times as a past fulfillment. Preterist comes from the Latin word praeter meaning past. Preterist feel that the culmination of the end times in Revelations is a reality that has already been fulfilled. Preterist take an extremely optimistic view of the Parousia. A Preterist does not fear the end of the world described in Revelations.According to Preston, Preterists prescribe to the notion that the Bible speaks not of the end of time but a time of end. Preterists hold that in Revelations John was writing about a time of end for the old covenant age of Israel. From this stand point Preston notes that John did indeed believe that he lived in the final times and was a witness to this passing of the torch from the old covenant to the new. The Preterists argue that this was in the end that John was describing in his Revelations.So consequently, the Preterists do not fear the final times and second coming of Christ, as do the Futurists. The Preterists say that the descriptions in Revelations have already been fulfilled and that Christians have no need for an apprehensive attitude toward the end of time. Stevens goes on to point out that the for the Preterist,