By Fr Isiah Dhliwayo

History has a beginning which will one day come to an end.There will be an end of life and history, whether of an individual or of the world in general.It is in light of this that I will reflect on systematic theological understanding of Eschatology.This study and reflection about eschatology affords a useful illustration of Christian Spirituality.
According to Hagglund (1966:23), eschatology (lit ,study of last things)is a part of theology concerned with what are believed to be the final events in history,or the ultimate destiny of humanity,commonly referred to as the world.
Etymologically speaking , eschatology is the study of the “last things”(Greek eschatos meaning ultimate or last and logos meaning discourse or doctrine (http://www.religioustolerance.org/millenni.htm).It deals with questions concerning consummation of history, the completion of God’s work in the world.
According to Father Ayre,a priest of the Diocese of Victoria, British Columbia, Eschatology is a vital subject in Christian faith and,
“One of the most important questions surrounding this discipline is the nature, meaning and purpose of death. While we recognize, through faith, that death occurs because of sin’s reign in the world, certain questions arise. Our theological understanding of the human person tells us that man is an embodied soul. But we also know that, through death, the soul and body are separated. Eschatology considers how this works, such as what happens to the soul, or what is the dignity owed to the body as a preparation for the general resurrection.”
The Christian life of faith is constantly oriented to eschatology and this eschatological faith brings into the present possibilities for Christian existence here and now.While Eschatology empowers Christian faith,it also enforces the decision to live in accordance with Christian principles in the sense that it looks forward to the consummation of the divine work in creation and reconciliation.
In our New Testament eschatology,it is vital as preachers to note and take heed that
The term “eschatology” is used to describe the critical nature of human decisions, the fate of the individual believer’s soul after death, the termination of this world order and a setting up of another, events like the last judgment and the resurrection of the dead, and a convenient way of referring to future hopes …
Today’s Church’s Eschatological teachings daily focuses on belief system concerned with the end of days.
As Christians foster their Christian values and principles in their different sects , churches and denominations,their Christian faith needs nourishment through studying Eschatology,which is so important as it predicts the continuation of Christ’s works of salvation in human and cosmic history. Consequently, one cannot separate eschatology from the salvation without distorting the meaning of both.
Furthermore,the study of Christian eschatology is vital to one’s Christian life and faith as it focuses on Christian religious beliefs concerning all future and final events (end times),as well as the ultimate purposes of the world,of humankind and the Church and the prophesied purposes of God as documented in the Bible.
The Bible contains many prophecies about the future.The Christian Scriptures (New Testament) in particular talks extensively about the return of Jesus Christ to this earth.This is usually called his “second coming” or ” parousia”.Most Christian traditions teach belief in life after death as a central and indispensable tenet of their faith.
However, Biblical passages predicting the future are ambiguous.The events themselves are open to many interpretations.There is no clear indication of either their timing or sequence.Some Christians interpret events mentioned in the Christian Scriptures as descriptions of real happenings in our future,others interpret them symbolically and or as events that have already occurred.This therefore leaves the passages open to many conflicting beliefs about the end times.

©18/03/2024