Eschatology Religion and Theology - Research Paper Example

College: RELIGION AND THEOLOGY A research on after according to Old Testament implies that the researcher must restrict him/herself in the content of the Bible and not the knowledge of the mind alone. To start off, it is paramount to define eschatology according to various schools of thoughts, after which the two types of eschatology will be discussed. It is also good to look at the Hebrew’s approach to afterlife, and finally a conclusion can be drawn. Defining Eschatology According to the traditional definition, eschatology means the doctrinal teachings of the "last things". Eschatology relations involve the relations of individuals (including resurrection, death, judgment, as well as the afterlife). It also explores man’s relationship with the world. In the latter respect, the doctrine of eschatology tends to be restricted, at times, to the absolute destruction of the world. The biblical usage is not warranted by the restrictions of eschatology. The "last days" may imply the end of the current order, or "hereafter." Eschatology, according to the Greeks point of understanding, as drawn from the Theological Terminology Dictionary, entails studying about the end times. It further integrates the second appearance of Jesus Christ, the rapture, the millennial kingdom of Christ Jesus, the battle of Armageddon, the ultimate judgment of Satan together with his false prophets and angles, and the new earth and the new heaven. National Eschatology The hope of national resurrection is expressed earlier compared to the individual resurrection. In the vision of the dry bone, God showed Ezekiel that the divine breath has the potential of breathing new life into the dead, thus featuring a national resurrection: "These bones are the whole house of Israel" (Ezek. 37:11). “Isaiah 26: 19 promises a national resurrection.” "Thy dead shall live, their bodies shall rise". Resurrection for the individual first is explicit as put in (Dan. 12:2). Martyrs persecution under Antiochus Epiphanes offered a powerful assurance upon the resurrection hope. Therefore, belief in the resurrection of the righteous, at least, was adopted as part of Orthodox Judaism, in exception to the Sadducees. The Sadducees claimed to be the champions of religion of the old-time contrary to Pharisaic innovations. Having attained there is a sharper distinction existing between the wicked people and the afterlife fortunes of the righteous, in Gehenna or heaven (Paradise) respectively. According to the significant teaching of the "day of the Lord", (Amos 5:18 - 20), the Israelites have been rebuked because of their anxiousness for it. The day would neither bring light nor joy though that was their hope. It would rather bring mourning and darkness. Because Yahweh is absolutely righteous, the intervention for vindicating His action must include the righteous judgment wherever it appears, particularly amongst His chosen people, who obtained exceptional opportunities and got to know His will. Individual Eschatology in the Old Testament Afterlife existence is much contemplated in the Old Testament. Jesus indeed revealed that immortality was implicit in humans’ in relationship to God: the LORD God is God of living and not of the dead (Luke 20:38). However, the featured implication was unappreciated in Old Testament. Perhaps in response to the cultic practices of Canaanites regarding the dead, the Old Testament puts little emphasis concerning the afterlife. Sheol could be regarded the underworld as the place where the dead would dwell as shades; their past (former) status as well as character are less accounted for there. The praises made to Yahweh, which used to engage so much of pious activities of Israelite on earth, would remain unsung in Sheol, which would popularly be thought to apply outside the jurisdiction of Yahweh (Isa. 38:18; Ps. 88:10 - 12). In the book of Psalms, (Psalms 73 and 139) there is an assurance that the presence of God will not be deprived unto those who chose to walk with God, in their death. Job in (Job 14:10-12) is asserting his three friends who tries to discount the possibility of living afterlife. The Afterlife as Recording in Hebrew Scriptures Sheol is often referred as "Hell" as seen the Old Testament. In Hebrew, the word Sheol meant a physical place because it was thought only to be inexistence in the world of the spirit world. This place was associated with the dead. It was fathomed in Hebrew, that when one dies, the body is buried while the soul gets residence in Sheol. This was the then known fate for every person after death, the wicked and the righteous. As evidenced in the Old Testament, or Hebrew Scriptures, there are thirty one translations of the word Sheol as Hell as recorded in the King James Bible. The similar characteristic is featured in the Revised Standard and NRSV. In other writings, Shoel is translated "dust". These observations reveal that the involved translators lacked a sufficiently consistent understanding regarding the ideal meaning of Sheol. The only idea that seemed to have taken root concerning the meaning attributed to the word "Hell" is the perception that “Hell” physical destination full of torment, away from God’s presence. This translation was found to fit the preconception in the mind instead of the originally stated meaning of the same word.  Sheol was further translated as "hell" while others referred to it as the “grave” or the “pit”. The ideology used in translating the term Sheol meant a place of torment. According to the native understanding of Jews, ones perception while in Sheol is what makes the distinction. The same "place" called Sheol is experienced by the righteous; Garden of Eden (Paradise) or "gen eiden", implying "heaven". Sheol is also experienced by the evil doers as the “hell" or "fires of gehennom". The idea of torment also meant, away from God’s presence, or Gehennah which had a Hebrew meaning of the “valley of the sons of Hennah”, where children used to be sacrificed to the pagan god called Molech. Gehennah has been mentioned in the Bible, (Jeremiah 7:31, 19:2-6), (2 Chronicles 28:3 and 33:6), and it also appears in numerous traditional writings. The valley became a dump site for carcasses and corpse. By Jesus’ time, people of the valley were metaphorically regarded the condemned as well as the judged by God. The unrighteous had the expressions like "the fiery pit" equated to them being placed apart from God's presence. Gehennah was regarded the destination of evil and the sinful. According to the Jewish mystical source of writings, Gehennah was the place of final destruction in the coming of Messiah. Since this is the time of the resurrection, all the lawbreakers will be resurrected, be made to stand in Gehennah as God reclaims the world. Finally, God's enemies, the lawbreakers, would be cast into the fire. This is further explained in (Psalm 68). The experience in Gehennah could be used analogically in order to express the happenings to those who opposed the law of God. The other knowledge that held was that God never “sends” people to hell. The fire-experience would be understood the same way the Shechinah glory of God, is fathomed. Usage of the word Gehennah would be interchanged with "judgment", though the meaning was different from Sheol. For one to be forgiven of the committed offences, it implied the need for him/her to be saved from "the fiery pit", rescue from the judgment of God. One would still proceed to Sheol until resurrection time but in God’s glory rather than in hell (torment). There are many references to God's presence taking the form of fire as recorded in Scriptures. Additionally, before the electric light was invented, any reference to "light" implied one form of "fire" or the other. An example is, "… God is a consuming fire" (Numbers); God’s appearance to Moses was in the form of fire in a never consuming bush; God has refined us as silver is refined in a fire (Psalms). No man can bear look at the holy face of God: neither Moses, he considered hiding his face, not even Abraham, not Adam or even Eve after falling from God’s Grace. “No human being could dare face God and live.” The following are some of the verses describing God as fire; Gen 19:24, Ex 3:2, 9:23, 13; 21-22, 19:18, Num 11:1-3, 4:24, Ne 9:12, Ps 66:10, 104:4, Is 66:15, amongst others. More on Eschatology The periodic concept of the Bible is not cyclical, as eschatology refers exclusively to the cycle’s completion. The periodic concept may also be purely linear, where eschatology refers exclusively to the terminal of the line. This biblical concept, however, envisions a constant pattern that displays an interaction between redemption and the divine judgment, until the defined pattern achieves the definitive manifestation. Eschatology may thus denote that God’s purpose has consummated coinciding with the world’s ending or not. According to the view of early Old Testament, when one dies, he/she returns to dust and eventually goes down to Sheol. The later Older Testament had the mention of resurrection above the death. Prophets and Psalmists acknowledge that, while the kingship of God was practiced in various ways, they fell short of the reality they previously knew was the ideal. Even in Israel, God’s sovereignty was not adequately acknowledged. However, one of these days the tension existing between reality and ideal will be settled; on the big day of the Lord, His sovereignty will be acknowledged universally, and the world will amazingly be filled with "the knowledge of God" (Isa. 11:9; Hab. 2:14). The effective recognition of God as the King of kings has been portrayed in Zech. 14:3 - 9. Another eschatological hope is portrayed in Daniel’s life. The only king reigns in Jerusalem is the Most High God. In the Bible, God is talked of as the one who rules man’s kingdoms. The Scriptures put it that all emperors of the world acquire power by his sovereign will. Pagan’s dominion is limited; on such ruins the heavenly God will establish an everlasting kingdom. The talked of universal and eternal dominion will be under the control of a son of man (Dan. 7:13). The son of man referred to in this context will be in association if not in identification, with all the saints of God the Most High (Dan 7: 18, 22, 27). There was a newly developed world view by the language of pre-Christian Greek concerning both Hades and heaven as a literal and physical existence somewhere in the sky, or under the ground. Even if, Hades and heaven afterwards became metaphorical in the pagan writings, the concept of “up in the sky” and “down under the ground” got to be known at this time. The two phrases were used by Jews in a metaphoric manner, to give the right description of the God-man relationship. This concept, therefore, became universally accepted as the culture. This concept becomes the reason as to why there exists numerous Biblical to heaven being “up”, and Shoel being “down”. It was noted later that both the Jews and the early Christians did not take this concept literally, unlike the Romans and the ancient Greeks. According to the Romans and the ancient Greeks, "up" and "down" concepts were understood to be spiritual rather than the realities of the physical things. Conclusion The theology of afterlife started way back in the Old Testament days. Eschatology relations involve the acquaintances of humanity, with matters of including resurrection, death, judgment, as well as the afterlife. There is an acknowledgement of everyone facing physical death but this implies the beginning of a new life. Old Testament as well, accounts for the life after death and gives hope unto those who obeyed the will of God that they will share eternity with their Maker. Bibliography Charles H R, D D., and LITT D. A Critical Doctrine of a Future Life: In Israel, Judaism, and in Christianity. London: Adam and Charles Black 1913.Retrieved on October 112011 from http://www.archive.org/stream/cu31924029318890#page/n7/mode/2up. Freedman David. The Anchor Bible Dictionary. Yale University, 2008. T Bill, Arnold and Williamson M G H. Dictionary of the Old Testament: Historical Books. Longman Tremper III and Enns Peters. Dictionary of the Old Testament: Wisdom, Poetry, & Writings. Cheyne T K and Black S J. Encyclopaedia Biblica.Vol 1. Retrieved on 11October 2011 from http://bluehost.levendwater.org/books/Cheyne%20Black%20Encyclopedia%20Biblica%20Volume%20I/index.htm. D Katherine and et al. The New Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible. Read More