Eschatology - The study of the Last Days

Eschatology: eschatos- meaning "last" and -logy meaning "the study of", first used in English around 1550) is a part of theology, philosophy, and futurology concerned with what are believed to be the final events in history, or the ultimate destiny of humanity, commonly referred to as the end of the world or the World to Come.

The Oxford English Dictionary defines it as "concerned with ‘the four last things: death, judgment, heaven, and hell’". More broadly, eschatology may encompass related concepts such as the Messiah or Messianic Age, the end time, and the end of days.

History is often seen as being divided into "ages", an age being a period where certain realities are present. An age may come to an end and be replaced by a new age where different realities are present. This transition from one age to another is often the subject of eschatological discussion. So, instead of "the end of the world" we may speak of "the end of the age" and be referring to the end of "life as we know it" and the beginning of a new reality.

Now, I mention this because I was having lunch with Dr Richard Harvey who wrote a book called “Mapping Messianic Jewish Theology - A Constructive Approach”. Richard gracefully signed a copy of his book for our library at Beit Ariel.

We were discussing the chapter he wrote on eschatology. On completing the chapter,  he mentioned to his professor that he realized that he understood very little about eschatology. “Don’t worry Richard”, replied the professor. “If you don’t understand eschatology, it’s not the end of the world”! Just brilliant!