End time

This article covers the last time before the end of the world. For further meanings, see End Times (disambiguation) .

The Last Judgment in the Sistine Chapel (mural by Michelangelo , 1537–1541)

The end time is the last time before the end of the world . In the terminology of the Abrahamic religions , the term also includes the time before the redeeming appearance of the Messiah .

End times in Christianity

According to the New Testament , the end times precede the return of Jesus Christ and the Last Judgment . It is described in the eschatological speech of Jesus Christ ( Gospel of Matthew 24-25, Gospel of Mark 13 and Gospel of Luke 21: 5-36), in Paul's second letter to the Thessalonians and in the Revelation of John . Their characteristics are:

• the destruction of the Jerusalem temple ( Mt 24.2  EU )
• Appearance of false messiahs and prophets ( Mt 24.5.11.23-28  EU )
• Wars , famines and earthquakes ( Mt 24.6 f.  EU )
• Persecution of Christians and disregard of the Mosaic Law ( Mt 24 : 9-12  EU )
• the desecration of the temple, as foretold in Daniel 9.27, 11.31 and 12.11 ( Mt 24.15  EU )
• the flight of the inhabitants of Judea into the mountains ( Mt 24,16  EU )
• Darkening of the sun, moon and stars ( Mt 24.16  EU )
• generally a great tribulation or "great need" ( Mt 24,21  EU )
• Apostasy and appearance of an adversary who says he is God ( 2 Thess 2,3  EU )
• seven sealed courts ( Rev 6-8 EU )
• seven trumpet judgments ( Rev 8  EU )
• Creation of a great powerful empire ( Rev 13  EU )
• the advent of the antichrist and the false prophet ( Rev 13  EU and 16 EU )
• the flight of Christians from the Antichrist for 1,260 days ( Rev 12  EU )
• the seven plagues of the end times ( Rev 16  EU )
• the disempowerment of the whore Babylon ( Rev 17  EU )
• the killing of the third part of mankind ( Rev 9:15  EU )
• in Israel appearance by two witnesses for 1,260 days
• the emergence of the beast, image and the mark of the beast ( Rev 14.9 ff.  EU and 20.4 EU )

Title page of an interpretation of the Revelation of John from 1911. The Gnadenburg author claims that the end-time appearance of the Antichrist is imminent. The traditional folk churches are brought here close to the "whore Babylon" to be rejected

This information, to which the rapture of the still living Christians according to 1 Thess 4:17  EU and the Millennial Kingdom of Peace according to Revelation 20  EU come, are provided by various dispensationalist groups that live in the near future ( brother movement and other evangelicals , Adventists , Jehovah's Witnesses and other end-time churches ), interpreted for different scenarios over the last days before the Parousia and the final battle of Armageddon .

According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church , before Christ's second coming the Church must "pass through a final test that will shake the faith of many". In a persecution of Christians, the “mystery of wickedness” is revealed and leads many to apostate and cling to a “sham solution to their problems”: “The worst religious deception is that of the antichrist , that is, of a false messianism in which man glorifies himself , instead of God and his Messiah who came in the flesh. ”The kingdom of God “ will not come about through a historical triumph of the church, but through God's victory in the final battle with evil ”. The “ bride of Christ ” will come down from heaven, and after a “last cosmic shock of this world that will pass”, the Last Judgment will be held, the “triumph of God over the rebellion of evil”.

End times in Judaism

According to Jewish ideas, the end times begin with the coming of the Jewish Messiah and can only be brought about through action by people towards peace and justice . On the other hand, the belief in a self-destruction of the world, in the end of the world or in Armageddon , z. B. by disasters, nuclear wars or terrorism, not represented in Judaism.

According to a Jewish doctrine of Maimonides , one day a direct descendant of King David will appear as a Jewish leader. He will rebuild the temple in Jerusalem and unite all Jews in the Land of Israel. War, hardship and hunger will end and a time of universal peace and well-being worldwide will begin and endure in the world. All people will recognize the one indivisible God and the Jewish people will study the Torah .

End times in Islam

See Islamic eschatology .

literature

• Lothar Gassmann : Small End Times Handbook . Mabo-Verlag, Schacht-Audorf 2005, ISBN 3-9810275-1-5 .
• Franz Graf-Stuhlhofer : “The end is near!” The mistakes of the end-time specialists (= theological teaching and study material. Volume 24). 3. Edition. Verlag für Kultur und Wissenschaft, Bonn 2007, 258 pages, ISBN 978-3-938116-30-2 .
• Franz Graf-Stuhlhofer: The fascination of the topic “End Times” for Bible readers in the 20th century. In: Free Church Research . 11 (2001) 156-177.
• Gerhard Gronauer: The State of Israel in the pietistic-evangelical end-time piety after 1945. In: Gudrun Litz, Heidrun Munzert, Roland Liebenberg (ed.): Piety - Theology - Piety Theology. Contributions to European Church History - Festschrift for Berndt Hamm on his 60th birthday (= Studies in the History of Christian Tradition. Volume 124). Brill, Leiden / Boston 2005, ISBN 978-90-04-14335-7 , pp. 797-810 (partly in English, partly in German).
• Hannes Möhring : The world emperor of the end times. Origin, change and effect of a thousand-year prophecy (= Middle Ages research. Volume 3). Thorbecke, Stuttgart 2000, ISBN 3-7995-4254-X ( digitized ).
• Walter Schäble: The believing church in the end times. Brunnen, Giessen 1963, 1985, DNB 454295065 .

Individual evidence

1. ^ Libreria Editrice Vaticana (ed.): Catechism of the Catholic Church . Vatican City 1997, Sections 675 and 677 ( vatican.va ).
2. ↑ Nissan Dovid Dubov: What does Judaism say about the 'end of days'? In: Jüdische.info. Chabad.org, accessed March 3, 2019 .