Clash of Two Eschatologies

Koot van wyk (DLitt et Phil; Thd)

Visiting Professor

Department of Liberal Arts Education

Kyungpook National University

Sangju Campus

South Korea

Conjoint lecturer of Avondale College

Australia

The word eschatology means the science of the End-time. What is involved is that people are believing that the end of all things are in sight and at a certain point history will turn into eternity. All three major religions, Jewish, Christian and Islam endorse this view. For that matter there is a Jewish eschatology, Christian eschatology and Islamic eschatology.

Jewish eschatology focuses on a literal human political Messiah. If Israel is faithful he will be a Shepherd with mercy and if not, he will be a King and Warrior and will come with judgment. Christians saw two phases of the Messiah, first His coming as a Shepherd to die and then His second future coming at the end of time as King to inaugurate eternity.

Certain signs were predicted by the Old Testament prophets to precede the coming of the End: wars, catastrophic disaster all over the earth, nations in turmoil, pestilences, migrations, time of trouble, Gog and Magog, Euphrates highway etc. One has to go into the Old Testament to get the proper perspective on all these items. The truth is that they are arranged neatly in a time-line provided that one is a historicist and not a preterist interpreter. So Middle Age Jews like Redak, Rashi, Ibn Ezra at times were clearly historicist in their interpretations although they sometimes made errors with preteristic elaborations that is clearly far future events by the prophets. That is Jewish eschatology. Christian eschatology is diversified into at least three categories, Catholic eschatology that sees Mary (symbol of the church) fight with many antichrists on every corner. Protestant eschatology that emphasize that no one knows the hour but that the end is near. Adventist eschatology that emphasize the nearness of the coming and a clear order of events to happen until the Second Coming of Christ. One of the emphasis of Adventism is that the gospel should be preached around the globe and the end will come, in line with Matthew 24:14.

Baptist Evangelicals are postmillennial Christians. They believe that the 1000 years mentioned in Revelation 20 will not be after the Second Coming of Christ, the way Adventists interprets it, but that it will be a period, not necessarily 1000 years before the Second Coming of Christ in which humans have to help through politics, economics, religion, culture, ethics to create a “heaven on earth” around the globe.

The problem with Judas Iscariot in the Garden of Gethsemane in John 18:2ff. says Ellen White in her classic Desire of Ages, is that he wanted to make the end-time happen by political means, namely to confront Jesus with the enemies of the Jews, the Roman oppressors and in a corner, Jesus will jump out and destroy all Jewish enemies and set up His Kingdom.

Eschatological pragmatist. That is what Judas was.

Islam eschatology believes also that Jesus will come but that he will come to Damascus and then to Mecca and then be converted to Islam and after 40+ years he will die. The Imam will come after a revolt of Syria and Iraq and Sharia law will be set up world-wide after a series of wars with their own people in Syria and Iraq, Greece, Turkey, then the “Saturday people and after that the Sunday people” as one jihadist apparently said they are joking to each other, according to an online journalist report. They have to kill Jews and also Christians and other infidels.

The whole world will be Islam followers. The End will come when Islam religion is spread worldwide and Sharia law instituted everywhere. This is Islam eschatology in brief although there are more to it regarding the antichrist, beast, Mecca and Medina, and other aspects.

Isis is operating with an eschatological pragmatistic agenda. They want to do exactly what Judas did to Jesus. Make the end happen.

Did George Bush enter Iraq mainly because of eschatological pragmatism? Was he belonging to a postmillennial persuasion that believes that evil destroyed will mean heaven set up before Christ comes? It is an open question that needs more research.

Will the USA and western response against ISIS be an eschatological religious counteraction against an eschatological religious offensive?

President Shimon Perez suggested on Thursday 4^th of September 2014 to Pope Francis that what the world needs to fight terrorism is not a political United Nations but a United Nations of Religions. Will the pope be selected as the leader of the United Nations of Religions when it is set up? Will it be a defensive military “crusade style” machine against “allocated and defined” offensive networks, organizations, individuals? Are we getting ready for the biblical prophecy fulfillment of global persecution of which Daniel 12:1 is telling us about since the Messiah will come during the Time of Trouble like there never was?

Dear God

Adventism believes in a spiritual revival globally before Jesus comes but built on free choice without any form of mind control. So different than the Catholic and Islamic and even Jewish persuasions not to leave out certain Protestants. Help us to honor the freedom of choice even if it is against You. Amen.