Different religions have different views of eschatology. Eschatology is the study of the End Times. From the Bible, we know that there will be many future events of eschatology.
These events include the rapture of the church, the Bema seat of Christ, the seven-year tribulation, the thousand-year reign of Christ, the lake of fire, and the New Heaven and New Earth.
Within Christianity, there are also two major interpretations when it comes to eschatology. The two interpretations are Dispensationalism and Covenant theology.
Sadly, there is much division among believers because of these different views; however, all Christians need to be respectful of each other’s views. Eschatology is not a matter of salvation, but rather, a study of future events.
Believers do not need to allow their different views to isolate themselves from their fellow brothers and sisters. As someone who witnessed division because of different views of eschatology, it only results in issues among believers.
1. Islam
According to Islam, the End Times are recorded in the Quran and Sunnah. Both of these books were supposed to have been written by Muhammad and contain the prophecy of the End Times.
According to the Quran and Sunnah, the End Times will be able to be known. It will not come unexpectedly upon people as they believe there will be signs you can look for. All of these signs are supposed to lead up to Judgment Day.
The signs of the end of the times, according to Islam, is that the people will first become increasingly wicked. The people will be more and more sinful in their lives and do everything in opposition to Allah.
There will also be unnatural phenomena seen across the earth. These will be seen in earthquakes, drought, clouds of smoke, starvation, and the sun rising in the west instead of the east.
They also believe there will be an uprising of evil seen in the Antichrist and Gog and Magog. Despite the rising of evil, there will also be good coming to the earth seen in Jesus and Mahdi. Mahdi is supposed to come before Jesus’ return.
Islam teaches that Mahdi is a descendant of Muhammad, thus giving him major clout and power within Islam. After Mahdi and Jesus come to the earth, there will be a resurrection and the Final Judgment.
2. Hinduism
Hinduism has its own view of eschatology, and it is very different from other religions. According to Hinduism, the tenth avatar of Vishnu is Kalki.
Vishnu is one of the main leaders in Hinduism as it is seen as one of the Supreme Beings in Hinduism. During the End Times, Hindus believe Harihara will recreate the universe.
The current time period, according to Hinduism, is the final of the four Yuga. This time period started when their god Krishna left the world in 3100s B.C. They believe since this time, the world has become progressively worse.
People will become liars, traitors, and murderers. They also believe people will practice hypocrisy, and all morality will be diminished to nothing. In other words, they agree with Islam that people will become progressively more wicked leading up to the end.
Going back to Kalki, Hinduism teaches that he will return on a white horse. He, along with all other incarnations of gods, will return at this time to destroy evil.
At the end of the final years of the present Yuga, the next four-period cycle will begin. This cycle is known as Satya Yuga. During Satya Yuga, dharma, loyalty, and key aspects of Hinduism will once again fill the land.
3. Buddhism
Buddhism’s view of eschatology is a bit different from other forms of eschatology since there are many different views of eschatology within Buddhism. There are the orthodox Buddhist views of eschatology and the Chinese Buddhist view of eschatology.
Orthodox Buddhism does not acknowledge Chinese Buddhist views of eschatology because they view them as additions to what has already been added in their sacred texts.
The two main events within Buddhist eschatology are the coming of Maitreya and the Sermon of the Seven Suns. Maitreya is supposed to be a source of goodness and light. Before his coming, there was supposed to be a degradation of morality among people, similar to Islam and Hinduism.
The Sermon of the Seven Suns is prophetic and will happen in the future, according to Buddhism. They believe there will be seven suns that will appear in the sky and cause destruction to the earth.
For most religions, each view that people will become more wicked before the end of the world, which is why many people of different religions, believe we are in the end days at present.
After Maitreya comes, there is going to be a Golden Age established, in which peace will rule. Buddhists believe this is what they are looking forward to at some point during their lives and also, the resulting freedom from samsara.
4. Science
Science is also a major system to consider when discussing the End Times. Although science is not technically seen as a religion or faith system, it is important to know what science believes about the End Times.
According to science, the world will be destroyed in a variety of ways. There is nothing spoken of concerning the degrading morality of the people on the earth; however, there is talk about how the world will end or be destroyed by unnatural phenomena.
The different views of eschatological belief within science are that the world could be destroyed in theories known as the Big Rip, the Big Crunch, the Big Bounce, and the Big Freeze.
Talk of the end of the world among scientists has been popular for centuries; however, they are not dogmatic about the exact way the world will end.
Other scientists have proposed ideas of global warming, the destruction of the environment, worldwide pandemics, and unnatural phenomena in the form of massive earthquakes, unnatural weather patterns, and disturbances in the solar system.
After the world is destroyed, scientists do not have a dogmatic answer as to what would happen next. Some have proposed a second Big Bang, in which the world could be created again.
Since most scientists don’t believe in life after death, whoever would pass away during the end of the world would cease to exist. There is not a New Heaven and New Earth, an eternal paradise, or a Golden Age, according to the study of science.
Helping Others
As we can see, different religions and belief systems have different views of eschatology. Some have views that end in eternal happiness, whereas, others do not. As believers, we need to share the Good News of Jesus and share the Christian view of eschatology with them.
While nobody can force anyone to believe something they don’t want to believe, we can still share the Good News of Jesus Christ. With Christ, there is lasting peace, forgiveness, and eternal life. This is a sure promise that will never be taken away.
Whether you are talking with a loved one who believes in a different religion or not, it is important to educate yourself on the different world religions.
Through knowing and being aware of the different views of eschatology in different religions, you will have a better understanding of what they believe about the End Times.
In many ways, they cross and intersect, yet they each have their own view. Share the truth of Jesus with others in order that they, too, will spend eternity in the New Heaven and New Earth.
For further reading:
How Are the End Times Described in 2 Timothy?
How Has the End Times Become a Moral Panic?
What Are the Different End Times Opinions Amongst Denominations?
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