📖 Biblical Definition
The branch of theology concerned with the final things — the return of Christ, the resurrection of the dead, the last judgment, and the consummation of all things. Scripture frames eschatology not as speculation but as certain hope: history is moving toward a definitive end ordained by God, when all things will be summed up in Christ (Eph. 1:10). It encompasses both personal eschatology (death, individual judgment, heaven/hell) and cosmic eschatology (Christ's return, new creation). The Christian lives in the "already but not yet" — the Kingdom has broken in, but its fullness awaits.
📜 Webster 1828 Definition
Not yet coined in Webster's 1828 edition.
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Not yet coined in Webster's 1828 edition. The systematic study of last things emerged as a distinct theological discipline in the 19th century, though biblical reflection on the end times pervades both Testaments — from Daniel's visions to the Olivet Discourse to the Revelation of John.
📖 Key Scripture
1 Thessalonians 4:16–17 — The Lord's return and the resurrection of the dead
Revelation 20:11–15 — The great white throne judgment
2 Peter 3:10–13 — The day of the Lord and the new heavens and earth
1 Corinthians 15:51–54 — The resurrection and victory over death
Revelation 21:1–5 — All things made new
⚠️ Modern Corruption
Modern culture replaces divine eschatology with secular utopias — the progressive belief that history climaxes in hum...
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Modern culture replaces divine eschatology with secular utopias — the progressive belief that history climaxes in human achievement rather than divine judgment. "Eschatology" is also trivially weaponized by sensationalists who turn the study of last things into date-setting spectacle, missing its pastoral purpose: that certainty of the end produces holiness, urgency in mission, and comfort in suffering.
🔗 Greek & Hebrew Roots
G2078 — ἔσχατος (eschatos) — last, final, uttermost G3056 — λόγος (logos) — word, reason, discourse, stud...
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G2078 — ἔσχατος (eschatos) — last, final, uttermost
G3056 — λόγος (logos) — word, reason, discourse, study
G3952 — παρουσία (parousia) — presence, coming, arrival (Christ's return)
Usage
"A robust eschatology does not produce passivity but urgency — knowing the King is returning, we labor all the more."
"The church's hope is eschatological: not the improvement of the present age but its transformation at Christ's coming."
"Eschatology shapes ethics: how we treat the poor, the stranger, and the unborn matters because each will stand before the Judge."