Eschatology is derived from the Greek, εσχατος [eschatos] which means last. Specifically [and for our purposes] it is the branch of Systematic Theology that deals with the last things eschata. Generally, it is sometimes applied to designate aspects of the Christian revelation that transcends the temporal plane. We will comment on this shortly. That is, issues such as: death, life after death, the end of this world as we know it, the signs of the end time, questions of eternal blessedness [heaven] or damnation [hell], etc. All major religions and civilizations have dealt with this issue in one form or the other, with each providing variant doctrines on the matter Many, also, have provided different dates for the possible end of the world See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/list_of_dates_predicted_for_apocalyptic_events for a partial list of predictions Page 1 Remember the movie, 2012? What is the Church s teaching? Generally, we speak of i. Individual Eschatology: what happens when I die - death, particular judgment, purgatory, heaven, and/or hell ii. Collective Eschatology: what happens at the end of the world - end of the world, the second coming of Christ, the resurrection of the dead, and general judgment. From the Creed: We pray - I believe in life everlasting THE CREDO The Apostles Creed I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord. The Nicene Creed We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, and of all that is, seen and unseen. We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, 1
eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, one in Being with the Father. Through him all things were made. For us men and for our salvation, he came down from heaven: Page 2 He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell. On the third day he rose again. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again to judge the living and the dead I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen. by the power of the Holy Spirit he was born of the Virgin Mary, and became man. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered died and was buried. On the third day he rose again in fulfillment of the Scriptures; he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end. We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son. With the Father and the Son he is worshipped and glorified. He has spoken through the Prophets. We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen. 2
INDIVIDUAL ESCHATOLOGY - Death The fact of death is a given! Death puts an end to human life as the time open to either accepting or rejecting the divine grace manifested in Christ. CCC 1 1021 Page 3 Judgment: 1. Particular Judgment: Each man receives his eternal retribution in his immortal soul at the very moment of his death, in a particular judgment that refers his life to Christ: either entrance into the blessedness of heaven through a purification or immediately, or immediate and everlasting damnation. CCC 1022 The New Testament speaks of judgment primarily in its aspect of the final encounter with Christ in his second coming, but also repeatedly affirms that each will be rewarded immediately after death in accordance with his works and faith. The parable of the poor man Lazarus and the words of Christ on the cross to the good thief, as well as other New Testament texts speak of a final destiny of the soul a destiny which can be different for some and for others. CCC 1021 Heaven: Those who die in God s grace and friendship and are perfectly purified live for ever with Christ. They are like God for ever, for they see him as he is, face to face CCC 1023 This perfect life with the Most Holy Trinity this communion of life and love with the Trinity, with the Virgin Mary, the angels and all the blessed is called heaven. Heaven is the ultimate end and fulfillment of the deepest human longings, the state of supreme, definitive happiness. CCC 1024 In heaven, the saints enjoy Beatific Vision the vision of God as God is: Because of his transcendence, God cannot be seen as he is, unless he himself opens up his mystery to man s immediate contemplation and gives him the capacity for it. The Church calls this contemplation of God in his heavenly glory the beatific vision CCC 1028 Purgatory: the Final Purification: 1 CCC: abbreviation for Catechism of the Catholic Church 3
All who die in God s grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified, are indeed assured of their eternal salvation; but after death they undergo purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven. CCC 1030 The tradition of the Church, by reference to certain texts of Scripture, speaks of a cleansing fire: Page 4 But if someone s work is burned up, that one will suffer loss; the person will be saved, but only as through fire. 1 Corinthians 3:15 In this you rejoice, although now for a little while you may have to suffer through various trials, so that the genuineness of your faith, more precious than gold that is perishable even though tested by fire, may prove to be for praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ 1 Peter 1:6-7 This is different from hell, the everlasting state of the dammed St. Gregory the Great [Pope, 590-604], As for certain lesser faults, we must believe that, before the Final Judgment, there is a purifying fire. He who is truth says that whoever utters blasphemy against the Holy Spirit will be pardoned neither in this age nor in the age to come. From this sentence we understand that certain offenses can be forgiven in this age, but certain others in the age to come This teaching is also based on the practice of prayer for the dead, mentioned already in Scripture: Therefore [Judas Maccabeus] made atonement for the dead, that they might be delivered from their sin. 2 Maccabees 12:46 Accordingly, By virtue of the communion of saints, the Church commends the dead to God s mercy and offers her prayers, especially the holy sacrifice of the Eucharist, on their behalf. CCC 1055 Hell: The reality of hell affirms the truth that We cannot be united with God unless we freely choose to love him. But we cannot love God if we sin gravely against him, against our neighbor or against ourselves CCC 1033 To die in mortal sin without repenting and accepting God s merciful love means remaining separated from him for ever by our own free choice. This state of definitive self-exclusion from communion with God and the blessed is called hell. CCC 1033 Witness of Scriptures: 4
For example, Matthew 13: 41-42 The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his kingdom all who cause others to sin and all evildoers. They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth. God predestines no one to go to hell; for this, a willful turning away from God (a mortal sin) is necessary, and persistence in it until the end. CCC 1037 Page 5 The affirmations of Sacred Scripture and the teachings of the Church on the subject of hell are a call to the responsibility incumbent upon man to make use of his freedom in view of his eternal destiny. They are at the same time an urgent call to conversion. CCC 1036 COLLECTIVE ESCHATOLOGY - Judgment: 2. The Last Judgment This is the universal [as opposed to the particular] judgment at the end of time It will be preceded by the resurrection of all the dead Acts 24:15 St. Paul speaks of a resurrection of the righteous and unrighteous Also, in 1 Corinthians 15, he speaks further about the hope of resurrection The Last Judgment will come when Christ returns in glory. Only the Father knows the day and the hour; only he determines the moment of its coming. CCC 1040 Also, from Sacred Scriptures: Matthew 25: 31-46 [excerpts] Then Christ will come in his glory, and all the angels with him... Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate them one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and he will place the sheep at his right hand, but the goats at the left... And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life. The Last Judgment will reveal that God s justice triumphs over all the injustices committed by his creatures and that God s love is stronger than death. CCC 1040 The Hope of the New Heaven and the New Earth At the end of time, the Kingdom of God will come in its fullness. After the universal judgment, the righteous will reign for ever with Christ, glorified in body and soul. The universe itself will be renewed. CCC 1042 Sacred Scripture calls this mysterious renewal, which will transform humanity and the world, new heavens and a new earth [cf. 2 Peter 3:13 and Revelation 21:1]. CCC 1043 5
St. Paul for the world as we know it is passing away 1 Corinthians 7:31 In this new universe, the heavenly Jerusalem, God will have his dwelling among men. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain any more, for the former things have passed away. CCC 1044 Page 6 Implications for Humans and for the Cosmos: For Man and Woman: It will be the final realization of the unity of the human race, which God willed from creation CCC 1045 It will consist in an eternal enjoyment of the Beatific Vision For the world: The world too will be transformed Romans 8:19-23: For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God... in hope because the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay... We know that the whole creation has been groaning in travail together until now; and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. We do not know the moment of these transformations nor the manner; what we believe, based on revelation, is that the world, in its present form, is passing away [cf. 1 Corinthians 7:31] What it is not Catholic Eschatology is not the same as the doctrine of Rapture Remember the Left Behind Series? Rapture 101: - that at the end of time, Christ will appear in the sky and the just will be raptured [i.e. drawn to meet him up in the sky]; others will be left on earth where they will suffer tribulation - After this, Jesus will rule over the earth for a millennium. - Finally, Jesus comes in judgment [the parousia] and this will be followed by the inauguration of the new heaven and the new earth - This doctrine has been woven together from several Scripture passages [e.g. 1 Thessalonians 4:17; Matthew 24: 40-41; Luke 17:34-35; Rev. 3:10, etc], although the above scenario is nowhere present in the New Testament 6
- It is held mostly by Fundamentalist Christians - This doctrine is NOT taught/held by Catholicism Rather, - there is only one Second Coming of Christ; there is not a first Second Coming - as the doctrine on rapture proposes and a second Second Coming - St. Paul deals with the issue of Christ s return in glory in 1 Thessalonians [chapter 4:13-18]. His reference to being snatched up in the air [see: 1 Thessalonians 4:17] in reference to Christ has roots in the Greco-Roman world where the air was seen as hostile. But with Christ, there will be nothing to fear - Also, there is no suggestion of Millennialism of some being left behind! - The Church rejects the doctrine, as it stands, as false and misleading, and reminds all of the need of proper interpretation of Scriptures - Scripture passages on the subject of Eschatology are usually shrouded in symbolism and should not be interpreted literally - Rapture encourages a separatist mentality from the world. Christ was sent to the world to be its redeemer. The world, as St. Paul reminds us, is subject in hope for redemption as well [Romans 8: 19-23] - We know not when Christ will return. Our preoccupation should not be about looking for Christ up in the sky; rather, we should be about finding Christ on the ground, with our fellow humans Page 7 AOB: Any word on Limbo? A belief [more, a thesis] held by the Church for a long time. Summary: since baptism is necessary for salvation, children who died without being baptized were considered to be in Limbo. Not only is this doctrine not mentioned in the CCC, the Church appeals to the mercy of God that desires all people to be saved in reference to infants who died without being baptized. 2 Note the following: 2 Limbo is understood as a state which includes the souls of infants who die subject to original sin and without baptism, and who, therefore, neither merit the beatific vision, nor yet are subjected to any punishment, because they are not guilty of any personal sin. This theory, elaborated by theologians beginning in the Middle Ages, never entered into the dogmatic definitions of the Magisterium, even if that same Magisterium did at times mention the theory in its ordinary teaching up until the Second Vatican Council. It remains therefore a possible theological hypothesis. However, in the Catechism of the Catholic Church (1992), the theory of limbo is not mentioned. Rather, the Catechism teaches that infants who die without baptism are entrusted by the Church to the mercy of God, as is shown in the specific funeral rite for such children. The principle that God desires the salvation of all people gives rise to the hope that there is a path to salvation for infants who die without baptism (cf. CCC, 1261) Cf. the Preliminary Note of The Hope of Salvation for Infants who Die before Being Baptized, International Theological Commission of the Vatican - http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/cti_documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_20070419_unbaptised-infants_en.html 7
1. On the necessity of Baptism, the Catechism notes: God has bound salvation to the sacrament of Baptism, but he himself is not bound by his sacraments. [#1257] 2. The Church recognizes other forms of Baptism of Blood [i.e. those who died for the faith before baptism, CCC 1258] and of Desire [catechumens who die before receiving Baptism, CCC 1259]; see also: CCC 1281, Cf. LG 3 16 3. Concerning children who die before baptism CCC 1261, 1283 Page 8 3 LG: abbreviation for one of the documents of the Second Vatican Council Lumen Gentium. The English title of this document is: Dogmatic Constitution on the Church 8