Eschatology

===Christianity===
{{Main|Second Coming|Christian eschatology|Last Judgment}}
{{cleanup|section|reason=Too long; details need to be merged down into [[Christian eschatology]] until this is 1-5 paragraphs with no subsections.|date=February 2022}}
{{Christian eschatology}}

Christian eschatology is the study concerned with the ultimate destiny of the individual [[soul]] and of the entire created order, based primarily upon [[biblical]] texts within the [[Old Testament|Old]] and [[New Testament]]s.

Christian eschatological research looks to study and discuss matters such as the nature of the [[divinity|divine]] and the divine nature of [[Jesus Christ]], death and the [[afterlife]], [[Heaven in Christianity|Heaven]] and [[Christian views on Hell|Hell]], the [[Second Coming|Second Coming of Jesus]], the [[resurrection of the dead]], the [[rapture]], the [[Tribulation]], [[millennialism]], the end of the world, the [[Last Judgment]], and the New Heaven and [[New Earth (Christianity)|New Earth]] in the [[world to come]].

Eschatological passages occur in many places in the Bible, in both the [[Old Testament|Old]] and the [[New Testament]]s. In the Old Testament, apocalyptic eschatology can be found notably in [[Isaiah]] 24–27, Isaiah 56–66, [[Book of Joel|Joel]], [[Book of Zechariah|Zechariah]] 9–14 as well as in the closing chapters of [[Book of Daniel|Daniel]], and in [[Book of Ezekiel|Ezekiel]].<ref name=NBD>Bauckham, R. J. (1996). "Apocalyptic". In D. R. W. Wood, I. H. Marshall, A. R. Millard, J. I. Packer, & D. J. Wiseman (Eds.), ''New Bible Dictionary'' (3rd ed., p. 53). Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.</ref> In the New Testament, applicable passages include [[Matthew 24]], [[Mark 13]], the [[parable]] of "[[The Sheep and the Goats]]" and the [[Book of Revelation]]—Revelation often occupies a central place in Christian eschatology.

The Second Coming of Christ is the central event in Christian eschatology within the broader context of the fullness of the [[Kingdom of God (Christianity)|Kingdom of God]]. Most Christians believe that death and [[suffering]] will continue to exist until Christ's return. There are, however, various views concerning the order and significance of other eschatological events.

The Book of Revelation stands at the core of much of Christian eschatology. The study of Revelation is usually divided into four interpretative methodologies or [[hermeneutic]]s:
* The [[Futurism (Christian eschatology)|Futurist]] approach treats the Book of Revelation mostly as unfulfilled prophecy taking place in some yet undetermined future.
* The [[Preterism|Preterist]] approach interprets Revelation chiefly as having had prophetic fulfillment in the past, principally in the events of the first century CE.
* The [[Historicism (Christian eschatology)|Historicist]] approach places Revelation within the context of history, identifying figures and passages in Revelation with major historical people and events. This view was commonly held by the [[Early Church|early Christian church]], then among the predecessors to [[Protestantism]], such as [[John Wycliffe]],<ref>Tyndale, William, ''Parable of the Wicked Mammon'', c. 1526, (facsimile copy of later printing, no ISBN, Benediction Classics, 2008), pp. 4–5.</ref>{{request quotation|date=July 2020}} [[Joachim of Fiore]]<ref>{{Cite book|last=Smith|first=John Howard|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ML4cEAAAQBAJ&dq=Joachim+of+Fiore+historicist&pg=PA223|title=A Dream of the Judgment Day: American Millennialism and Apocalypticism, 1620–1890|date=2021-02-05|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-753375-8|language=en}}</ref> and later by the majority of [[Protestant Reformers]], such as [[Martin Luther]],<ref>Luther, Martin, "Sermon for the Twenty-Fifth Sunday after Trinity; Matthew 24:15–28", ''Church Postil'', 1525</ref><ref>J. H. Merle D'aubigne's  ''History of the Reformation of the Sixteen Century'', book vi, chapter xii, p. 215.</ref> [[John Calvin]],<ref>Calvin, John, "Lecture Fifty-Second", ''Commentary on Daniel'', Volume</ref> and [[John Wesley]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Explanatory Notes on the Whole Bible: Matthew: Matthew Chapter 24|url=http://www.sacred-texts.com/bib/cmt/wesley/mat024.htm|website=www.sacred-texts.com}}</ref> Further supporters of this view included [[Isaac Newton]]<ref>All Roads Lead to Rome,  by Michael de Semlyen. Dorchestor House Publications, p. 205. 1991</ref> (1642–1727), among others.<ref>{{cite book|first= Steven|last= Gregg|title= Revelation: Four Views|publisher= [[Thomas Nelson Publishing]]|location= Nashville, Tennessee|date= 1997|isbn= 978-0840721280|page= 34}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Elliott|first=Edward Bishop|title=[[Horae Apocalypticae]]|publisher=Seely, Jackson and Halliday|year=1862|isbn=|edition=5th|volume=IV|location=London|pages=562–563|author-link=Edward Bishop Elliott}}</ref>
* The [[Idealism (Christian eschatology)|Idealist]] approach sees the events of Revelation as neither past nor future actualities, but as purely symbolic accounts, dealing with the ongoing struggle and ultimate triumph of [[good and evil|good over evil]].

====Date====
{{See also|Historical Jesus#Apocalyptic prophet}}
[[Christianity in the 1st century|First-century Christians]] believed Jesus would return during their lifetime. When the converts of Paul in [[Thessalonica]] were persecuted by the [[Roman Empire]], they believed the end of days to be imminent.<ref>See [[Second Epistle to the Thessalonians|2 Thessalonians]] chapter {{bibleverse-nb|2|Thess|2}} and [[Son of perdition]].</ref> Most of the scholars participating in the [[Quest for the historical Jesus#Third quest|third quest]] hold that Jesus was an eschatological prophet who believed the "[[Kingdom of God]]" was coming within his own lifetime or within the lifetime of his contemporaries.<ref name = "TM1998 1">Theissen, Gerd and Annette Merz. The historical Jesus: a comprehensive guide. Fortress Press. 1998. translated from German (1996 edition). Chapter 1. The quest of the historical Jesus. pp. 1–15.</ref><ref>[[Bart Ehrman|Ehrman, Bart]]. ''Jesus: Apocalyptic Prophet of the New Millennium.'' Oxford. 1999. p. 127.</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last=Meier |first=John P. |date=1999 |title=The Present State of the 'Third Quest' for the Historical Jesus: Loss and Gain |url=https://www.bsw.org/biblica/vol-80-1999/the-present-state-of-the-145-third-quest-146-for-the-historical-jesus-loss-and-gain/333/article-p482.html |access-date=2018-09-20 |journal=[[Biblica (journal)|Biblica]] |volume=80 |page=482 }}</ref> This view, generally known as "consistent eschatology," was influential during the early to the mid—twentieth century and continues to be influential today in proposed portraits of the [[Historical Jesus]]. However, [[C. H. Dodd]] and others have insisted on a "realized eschatology" that says Jesus' own ministry fulfilled prophetic hopes. Many conservative scholars have adopted the paradoxical position the [[Kingdom of God]] passages describes a kingdom that is both "present" and "still to come" claiming Pauline eschatology as support.<ref name="Geddert">{{cite book |last1=Geddert |first1=T. J. |editor1-last=Green |editor1-first=Joel B. |editor2-last=McKnight |editor2-first=Scot |editor3-last=Marshall |editor3-first=I. Howard |title=Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels: A Compendium of Contemporary Biblical Scholarship |date=1992 |publisher=InterVarsity Press |location=Downers Grove, Illinois |isbn=978-0-8308-1777-1 |chapter=Apocalyptic Teaching}}</ref>{{rp|208–209}}   [[R. T. France]] and [[N. T. Wright]] among others have taken Jesus' apocalyptic statements of an imminent end, historically, as referring to the fall of Jerusalem and the destruction of the Temple in 70 CE.<ref>R. T. France, The Gospel of Mark, New International Greek Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2002), 541–543</ref><ref>N. T. Wright, Jesus and the Victory of God (Minneapolis: Fortress, 1996), pp. 329–365</ref><ref>N.T. Wright Hope Deferred? Against the Dogma of Delay. Early Christianity 2018. Oft-cited are examples in the [[Old Testament]] where language of cosmic destruction is used for political catastrophes, such as in Ezek. 32:8; Amos 8:9; Zeph. 1:15.</ref><ref name="Albert Hogeterp">{{cite book |last1=Hogeterp |first1=Albert L. A. |title=Expectations of the End: A Comparative Traditio-Historical Study of Eschatological, Apocalyptic, and Messianic Ideas in the Dead Sea Scrolls and the New Testament |date=2009 |publisher=Brill |location=Boston, Massachusetts |isbn=978-90-04-17177-0}}</ref>{{rp|143–152}} A number of interpretations of the term "Kingdom of God" have thus appeared in its [[Eschatology|eschatological]] context, e.g., [[apocalypticism|apocalyptic]], [[realized eschatology|realized]] or [[Inaugurated eschatology|Inaugurated]] eschatologies, yet no consensus has emerged among scholars.<ref> ''Familiar Stranger: An Introduction to Jesus of Nazareth'' by Michael James McClymond (2004) pp. 77-79 </ref><ref> Studying the Historical Jesus: Evaluations of the State of Current Research by Bruce Chilton and Craig A. Evans (1998) pp. 255-257 </ref>

While some who believe in the literal interpretation of the Bible insist the prediction of dates or times is futile, others believe Jesus foretold signs of the end of days. The precise time, however, will come like a "thief in the night" ({{bibleref2|1 Thess.|5:2}}). They may also refer to {{bibleref2|Matthew|24:36}} in which Jesus is quoted as saying:
{{blockquote|
"But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only."}}
{{further|Predictions and claims for the Second Coming}}

====Great Tribulation====
{{Main|Abomination of desolation|Great Tribulation}}

In the New Testament, Jesus refers to this period preceding the end times as the "Great Tribulation" ({{bibleverse|Matthew|24:21}}), "Affliction" ({{bibleverse|Mark|13:19}}), and "days of vengeance" ({{bibleverse|Luke|21:22}}).

The Book of Matthew describes the devastation:
{{blockquote|When ye therefore shall see the [[abomination of desolation]], spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand). Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains. Let him which is on the housetop not come down.{{nbsp}}...Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes, and woe unto them that are with child.{{nbsp}}...For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.|{{bibleref2|Matthew|24:15–22}}|title=|source=}}

The resulting chaos will affect pregnancies, newborns, and a scourge will spread throughout the flesh, save for the elect. The vivid imagery of this section is repeated closely in {{bibleref2|Mark|13:14–20}}.

The Gospel of Luke describes a complete unraveling of the social fabric, with widespread calamity and war:
{{blockquote|Then he said to them, "Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and pestilences. And there will be terrors and great signs from heaven. But before all this they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors for my name's sake. This will be your opportunity to bear witness. Settle it therefore in your minds not to meditate beforehand how to answer, for I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which none of your adversaries will be able to withstand or contradict. You will be delivered up even by parents and brothers and relatives and friends, and some of you they will put to death. You will be hated by all for my name's sake. But not a hair of your head will perish. By your endurance you will gain your lives.

"But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation has come near. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, and let those who are inside the city depart, and let not those who are out in the country enter it, for these are days of vengeance, to fulfill all that is written. Alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! For there will be great distress upon the earth and wrath against this people. They will fall by the edge of the sword and be led captive among all nations, and Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.

"And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves, people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world. For the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near."

And he told them a parable: "Look at the fig tree, and all the trees. As soon as they come out in leaf, you see for yourselves and know that the summer is already near. So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near. Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all has taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away."|{{bibleref2|Luke|21:10–33}}}}

In the Book of Revelation, the "great tribulation" (Rev. 7:14b) refers to a time of affliction upon God's people.

====Catholicism====
The [[Profession of faith (Catholic Church)|Profession of Faith]] addresses Catholic beliefs concerning the last days.<ref>
An explanation of these beliefs appears on the [https://www.vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p1s2c2a7.htm#668 Holy See's website]</ref> Catholicism adheres to the [[Amillennialism|amillennial]] school of thought, promoted by [[Augustine of Hippo]] in his work [[City of God (book)|''The City of God'']].

====Protestantism====
Contemporary use of the term ''End Times'' has evolved from literal belief in Christian millennialism. In this tradition, [[Biblical]] [[apocalypse]] is believed to be imminent, with various current events as [[omen]]s of impending [[Armageddon]]. These beliefs have been put forward by the Adventist movement ([[Millerites]]), [[Jehovah's Witnesses]], and [[dispensationalism|dispensational premillennialists]]. In 1918 a group of eight, well-known preachers produced the [[London Manifesto]], warning of an imminent second coming of Christ shortly after the 1917 liberation of Jerusalem by the British.

=====Millennialists and Amillennialists=====
{{more citations needed|date=May 2023}}

[[File:Antichrist1.jpg|thumb|The Antichrist, by [[Lucas Cranach the Elder]] (1521). Here the [[Antichrist]] is shown wearing the triple crown of the Roman papacy.]]

Protestants are divided between Millennialists and Amillennialists. Millennialists concentrate on the issue of whether the true believers will see the [[Great Tribulation]] or be removed from it by what is referred to as a Pre-Tribulation [[rapture]].

Amillennialists believe the end times encompass the time from Christ's ascension to the last day, and maintain that the mention of the "thousand years" in the [[Book of Revelation]] is meant to be taken [[metaphor]]ically (i.e., not literally), a view which continues to cause divisions within [[Protestantism|Protestant Christianity]].

There is a range of eschatological belief in Protestant Christianity. Christian [[premillennialism|premillennialists]] who believe the end times are occurring now, are usually specific about timelines that climax in the end of the world. For some, Israel, the [[European Union]], or the United Nations are seen as major players whose roles were foretold in scripture. Within [[dispensationalism|dispensational premillennialist]] writing, there is the belief that Christians will be summoned to [[Heaven]] by Christ at the [[rapture]], occurring before a Great Tribulation prophesied in Matthew 24–25; Mark 13 and Luke 21. The Tribulation is described in the Book of Revelation.

"End times" may also refer to the passing of an age or long period in the relationship between man and God.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Chang Soppe|first1=Seok Lyun|title=God's Mystery That Is Christ|date=2014|publisher=WestBow Press|isbn=978-1490815947}}</ref> Adherents to this view cite the [[Second Epistle to Timothy]] and draw analogies to the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries.

Post-Exilic Hebrew books of [[prophecy]] such as [[Book of Daniel|Daniel]] and [[Book of Ezekiel|Ezekiel]] are given new interpretations in this Christian tradition, while [[apocalyptic literature|apocalyptic forecasts]] appear in the Judeo-Christian [[Sibylline Oracles]] which include the Book of Revelation ascribed to John, the [[apocrypha]]l [[Apocalypse of Peter]], and the [[2 Esdras|Second Book of Esdras]].

=====Fundamentalists=====
{{unreferenced section|date=December 2021}}

Most fundamentalist Christians anticipate biblical prophecy to be literally fulfilled. They see current wars, natural disaster and famine as the birth pains which Jesus described in Matthew {{bibleverse-nb||Matthew|24:7–8|}} and Mark {{bibleverse-nb||Mark|13:8|}}. They believe mankind began in the [[garden of Eden]], and point to the Valley of [[Megiddo (place)|Megiddo]] as the place where the current [[World-system|world system]] will terminate, after which the Messiah will rule for 1,000 years.

=====Adventists and Millerites=====
{{more citations needed|date=May 2023}}

[[File:Icon second coming.jpg|right|thumb|Icon of the Second Coming. Greek, {{Circa|1700 A.D.}}]]Religious movements which expect that the [[Parousia|second coming of Christ]] will be a cataclysmic event are generally called [[adventism]]. These have arisen throughout the Christian era, but were particularly common after the [[Protestant Reformation]]. [[Emanuel Swedenborg]] considered the second coming to be symbolic, and to have occurred in 1757. Along with others, he developed a religious system around the second coming of Christ, disclosed by new prophecy or special revelation not described in the Bible. The [[Millerites]] are diverse religious groups which similarly rely upon a special gift of interpretation for predicting the second coming.

The difference between the 19th-century Millerite and adventist movements and contemporary prophecy is that [[William Miller (preacher)|William Miller]] and his followers, based on biblical interpretation, predicted the time of the Second Coming to have occurred in 1844. Contemporary writing of end time has suggested the timetable will be triggered by future wars and [[moral panic|moral catastrophe]], and that this time of tribulation is close at hand.

Seventh-day Adventists believe biblical prophecy to foretell an end time scenario in which the United States works in conjunction with the Catholic Church to mandate worship on a day other than the true Sabbath, Saturday, as prescribed in the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:8–11). This will bring about a situation where one must choose for or against the Bible as the will of God.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.adventist.org/beliefs/statements/main_stat42.html |title = How Seventh-day Adventists View Roman Catholicism |access-date = 4 July 2009 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20061206202225/http://www.adventist.org/beliefs/statements/main_stat42.html |archive-date = 6 December 2006 |url-status = dead }} – Main Statements of Belief from the official Adventist Church website.</ref>

=====Preterists=====
{{Main|Preterism}}
Another view of the ''end times'' is [[preterism]]. It distinguishes ''the time of the end'' from ''the end of time''. Preterists believe the term ''last days'' (or ''Time of the End'') refers to, neither the last days of the Earth, nor the last days of humankind, but the end of the [[Mosaic covenant|Old Covenant]] between [[Yahweh|God]] and [[Israelites#Biblical narrative|Israel]]; which, according to preterism, took place when the [[Second Temple|Temple]] in [[Jerusalem]] was destroyed in 70 [[Common Era|CE]].

Preterists believe that [[Bible Prophecy|prophecies]]—such as the [[Second Coming]], the desecration of the Jewish Temple, the destruction of Jerusalem, the rise of the [[Antichrist]], the [[Great Tribulation]], the advent of [[The Day of the Lord]], and a [[Last Judgment|Final Judgment]]—had been fulfilled when the Romans [[destruction of Jerusalem|sacked Jerusalem]] and completely destroyed its Temple.

Proponents of ''full preterism'' do not believe in a coming [[resurrection of the dead]]. They place this event (as well as the Second Coming) in the year 70. Advocates of [[partial preterism]] do believe in a coming resurrection. Full preterists contend that partial preterists are merely ''futurists'', since they believe the Second Coming, the Resurrection, the [[Rapture]], and the Judgment are yet to come.

Many preterists believe first-century [[Christians]] experienced the Rapture to rejoin the [[Christ]].

According with Preterism's [[Christian views on the Old Covenant|interpretation]] of end times, many "time passages" in the [[New Testament]] foretell a [[Second Coming]] of Christ, with last days to take place within the lifetimes of his disciples: [[Gospel of Matthew|Matt.]] 10:23, Matt. 16:28, Matt. 24:34, Matt. 26:64, [[Epistle to the Romans|Rom.]] 13:11–12, [[1 Corinthians|1 Cor.]] 7:29–31, 1 Cor. 10:11, [[Epistle to the Philippians|Phil.]] 4:5, [[Epistle of James|James]] 5:8–9, [[1 Peter|1 Pet.]] 4:7, [[1 John|1 Jn.]] 2:18.

=====Dispensationalists=====
{{Main|Dispensationalism|Christian Zionism}}
Dispensationalism is an [[evangelical]] [[futurist]] Biblical interpretation that foresees a series of [[dispensation (period)|dispensations]], or periods, in which God relates to human beings under different [[Biblical covenants]]. The belief system is primarily rooted in the writings of [[John Nelson Darby]] and is [[premillennial]] in content. The [[Declaration of Independence (Israel)|reestablishment of Israel]] in 1948 provided a major impetus to the dispensationalist belief system. The wars of Israel after 1948 with its Arab neighbors provided further support, according to [[John F. Walvoord]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.biblio.com/isbn/0310539218.html |title=Armageddon, Oil and the Middle East Crisis |author=John F. Walvoord |orig-year=1974|year=1990|author-link=John F. Walvoord }}</ref> After the [[Six-Day War]] in 1967, and the [[Yom Kippur War]] in 1973, it seemed plausible to many [[Fundamentalist Christians]] in the 1970s that Middle East turmoil may well be leading up to the fulfillment of various Bible prophecies and to the Battle of Armageddon.

Members of the dispensationalist movement such as [[Hal Lindsey]], [[J. Dwight Pentecost]], [[John Walvoord]], all of whom have [[Dallas Theological Seminary]] backgrounds, and some other writers, claimed further that the [[European Economic Community]], which preceded the [[European Union]], would become a [[United States of Europe]], which would in turn become a Revived Roman Empire ruled by the [[Antichrist]]. The Revived Roman Empire also figured into the [[New Testament]] writers' vision of the future. The fact that in the early 1970s, there were (erroneously thought to be) seven nations in the European Economic Community was held to be significant; this aligned the Community with a seven-headed beast mentioned in Revelation. This specific prophecy has required revision, but the idea of a Revived Roman Empire remains.

Dispensationalism, in contrast to the Millerite Adventist movement, had its beginning in the 19th century, when [[John Nelson Darby]], founder of the [[Plymouth Brethren]] [[religious denomination]], incorporated into his system of Biblical interpretation a system of organizing Biblical time into a number of discrete [[dispensation (period)|dispensations]], each of which marks a separate [[Covenant (religion)|covenant]] with God. Darby's beliefs were widely publicized in [[Cyrus I. Scofield]]'s ''[[Scofield Reference Bible]]'', an annotated Bible that became popular in the United States.

Since the majority of the Biblical prophets were writing at a time when the [[Temple in Jerusalem]] was still functioning, they wrote as if it would still be standing during the prophesied events. According to preterism, this was a fulfillment of the prophecies. However, according to [[Futurism (Christian eschatology)|Futurists]], their destruction in 70 CE put the prophetic timetable on hold. Many such believers therefore anticipated the return of Jews to Israel and the [[Third Temple#Christian views|reconstruction of the Temple]] before the Second Coming could occur.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://christianactionforisrael.org/congress.html|title=Proclamation of the 3rd International Zionist Congress|access-date=27 November 2012|date=25 February 1996 |publisher=Christian Action For Israel|url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120719161650/http://christianactionforisrael.org/congress.html|archive-date=19 July 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.leaderu.com/common/british.html|title=The Untold Story: The Role of Christian Zionists in the Establishment of Modern-day Israel|access-date=27 November 2012|date=13 July 2002|publisher=Rabbi Jamie Cowen}}</ref>

====Post-tribulation pre-millennialism====
A view of the Second Coming of Christ as held by post-tribulational pre-millennialists holds that the Church of Christ will have to undergo great persecution by being present during the great tribulation.

====Specific prophetic movements====
{{main|Great Disappointment}}
[[File:William Miller.jpg|thumb|upright|left|William Miller predicted the end of the world in 1843, known as the [[Great Disappointment]].]]

In 1843, [[William Miller (preacher)|William Miller]] made the first of several predictions that the world would end in only a few months. As his predictions did not come true (referred to as the [[Great Disappointment]]), [[Millerites|followers of Miller]] went on to found separate groups, the most successful of which is the [[Seventh-day Adventist Church]].

Members of the [[Baháʼí Faith]] believe Miller's interpretation of signs and dates of the coming of Jesus were, for the most part, correct.<ref name="momen">{{cite journal | journal = [[Baháʼí Studies Review]] | volume = 2 | issue = 1 | year = 1992 | first = Moojan | last = Momen | title = Fundamentalism and Liberalism: towards an understanding of the dichotomy |url=http://bahai-library.com/momen_fundamentalism_liberalism_dichotomy }}</ref> They believe the fulfillment of biblical prophecies of the coming of Christ came through a forerunner of their own religion, the [[Báb]]. According to the Báb's words, 4 April 1844 was "the first day that the Spirit descended" into his heart.<ref name="Momen 2007 71–88">{{cite journal| last =Momen | first = Moojan | title =Messianic Concealment and Theophanic Disclosure | journal =Online Journal of Baháʼí Studies | volume =1 | pages =71–88 | year =2007 | url =http://oj.bahaistudies.net/OJBS_1_Momen_Messianic_Concealment.pdf | issn =1177-8547 | access-date = 14 April 2012}}</ref> His subsequent declaration to [[Mullá Husayn|Mullá Husayn-i Bushru'i]] that he was the "Promised One"—an event now commemorated by Baháʼís as a [[Ascension of Bahá'u'lláh|major holy day]]—took place on 23 May 1844. It was in October of that year that the Báb embarked on a [[Hajj|pilgrimage to Mecca]], where he openly declared his claims to the [[Sharif of Mecca]].<ref name="Chron">{{cite book |url=https://bahai-library.com/cameron_momen_bahai_chronology |first1=Glenn |last1=Cameron |first2=Wendi |last2=Momen |year=1996 |title=A Basic Baháʼí Chronology |publisher=George Ronald |location=Oxford, UK |isbn=0-85398-404-2 |pages=15–20, 125 |via=Bahá'í Library Online}}</ref><ref name="gpb">{{cite book|title=God Passes By|author=Shoghi Effendi Rabbani|page=9|url=http://reference.bahai.org/en/t/se/GPB/gpb-2.html}}</ref> The first news coverage of these events in the West was in 1845 by ''[[The Times]]'',<ref name="Momen 1999 online">{{cite encyclopedia | last = Momen | first = Moojan | title = Early Western Accounts of the Babi and Baháʼí Faiths | encyclopedia = Encyclopedia articles | publisher = Bahá'í Library Online | year = 1999 | url =http://bahai-library.com/momen_encyclopedia_western_accounts | access-date = 2 February 2012}}</ref> followed by others in 1850 in the United States.<ref name="Bahá'í Library Online">{{cite web | title =Early mention of Bábís in western newspapers, summer 1850| work = Historical documents and Newspaper articles| publisher =Baháʼí Library Online | date =17 September 2010 | url =http://bahai-library.com/1850_brief_reports | access-date = 14 April 2012}}</ref> The first Baháʼí to come to America was in 1892.<ref name="Chron"/> Several Baháʼí books and pamphlets make mention of the Millerites, the prophecies used by Miller and the Great Disappointment, most notably [[William Sears (Baháʼí)|William Sears]]'s ''Thief in the Night''.<ref name="sears">{{cite book |first=William |last=Sears |title=Thief in the Night |author-link=William Sears (Baháʼí) |year=1961 |isbn=0-85398-008-X |publisher=George Ronald |location=London |url=https://archive.org/details/thiefinnightor00sear }}</ref><ref name="Bowers 2004 12">{{cite book | first = Kenneth E. | last = Bowers | year = 2004 | publisher = Baháʼí Publishing Trust | isbn = 1-931847-12-6 | title = God Speaks Again: An Introduction to the Baháʼí Faith | page = 12 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=IOjBc_wK4m8C}}</ref><ref name="Motlagh 1992 205–213">{{cite book | title = I Shall Come Again | first = Hushidar Hugh | last = Motlagh | publisher = Global Perspective | location = Mt. Pleasant, MI | year = 1992 | isbn = 0-937661-01-5 | pages = 205–213 | edition = The Great Disappointment}}</ref>

====Restorationism (Christian primitivism)====
End times theology is also significant to [[Restorationism (Christian primitivism)|restorationist]] Christian religions, which consider themselves distinct from both Catholicism and Protestantism.

=====Jehovah's Witnesses=====
{{Main|Eschatology of Jehovah's Witnesses}}
[[File:Watchtower Bible & Tract Society (world headquarters).jpg|upright|right|thumb|300px|Former Watchtower headquarters in [[Brooklyn]]. The society made a number of emphatic claims of impending last days and ensuing chaos between 1879 and 1924.]]
The eschatology of [[Jehovah's Witnesses]] is central to their religious beliefs. They believe [[Jesus Christ]] has been ruling in heaven as king since 1914 (a date they believe was prophesied in the Bible) and that after that time a period of cleansing occurred, resulting in God's selection of the [[Bible Student movement|Bible Students]] associated with [[Charles Taze Russell]] as his people in 1919. They also believe that the destruction of those who reject the Bible's message<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=The Watchtower|title=The House-to-House Ministry—Why Important Now?|date=15 July 2008|pages=5–6}}</ref> and thus willfully refuse to obey God<ref>''You Can Live Forever in Paradise on Earth'', Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society, 1989, p. 155.</ref><ref>''Revelation—Its Grand Climax at Hand!'', Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society, 1988, p. 6.</ref> will shortly take place at [[Armageddon#Jehovah's Witnesses|Armageddon]], ensuring that the beginning of the new earthly society will be composed of willing subjects of that kingdom.

The religion's doctrines surrounding 1914 are the legacy of a series of emphatic claims regarding the years 1799,<ref name=indisputable>''The Watchtower'', 1 March 1922, page 73, "The indisputable facts, therefore, show that the 'time of the end' began in 1799; that the Lord's second presence began in 1874."</ref> 1874,<ref name=indisputable /> 1878,<ref name="OurFaith1875">{{cite magazine|magazine=The Herald of the Morning|title=Our Faith|url=http://www.watchtowerdocuments.com/downloads/1874-1876_Herald_of_the_Morning.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080512062421/http://www.watchtowerdocuments.com/downloads/1874-1876_Herald_of_the_Morning.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-date=2008-05-12|date=September 1875|page=52}}</ref> 1914,<ref name="TheWatchtower">''The Watchtower'', [http://www.mostholyfaith.com/bible/Reprints/Z1894JUL.asp#R1677 July 15, 1894, p. 1677] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190401210133/http://www.mostholyfaith.com/bible/Reprints/Z1894JUL.asp#R1677 |date=April 1, 2019 }}: "We see no reason for changing the figures—nor could we change them if we would. They are, we believe, God's dates, not ours. But bear in mind that the end of 1914 is not the date for the beginning, but for the end of the time of trouble."</ref> 1918<ref name="September">1 September 1916 ''The Watchtower'', pages [http://www.mostholyfaith.com/bible/Reprints/Z1916SEP.asp#Z264:2 264–265] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090713214204/http://www.mostholyfaith.com/bible/Reprints/Z1916SEP.asp#Z264:2 |date=2009-07-13 }}</ref> and 1925<ref name="MillionsNow">''Millions Now Living Will Never Die'', 1920, page 97, "Based upon the argument heretofore set forth, then, that the old order of things, the old world, is ending and is therefore passing away, and that the new order is coming in, and that 1925 shall mark the resurrection of the faithful worthies of old and the beginning of reconstruction, it is reasonable to conclude that millions of people now on the earth will be still on the earth in 1925. Then, based upon the promises set forth in the divine Word, we must reach the positive and indisputable conclusion that millions now living will never die."</ref> made in the [[Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania|Watch Tower Society's]] publications between 1879 and 1924. Claims about the significance of those years, including the presence of Jesus Christ, the beginning of the "last days", the destruction of worldly governments and the earthly resurrection of Jewish patriarchs, were successively abandoned.<ref>{{Cite book | last = Holden | first = Andrew | title = Jehovah's Witnesses: Portrait of a Contemporary Religious Movement | publisher = Routledge | year = 2002 | page = [https://archive.org/details/jehovahswitnesse00andr/page/1 1] | isbn = 0-415-26609-2 | url = https://archive.org/details/jehovahswitnesse00andr/page/1 }}</ref> In 1922 the society's principal magazine, ''[[The Watchtower]]'', described its chronology as "no stronger than its weakest link", but also claimed the chronological relationships to be "of divine origin and divinely corroborated{{nbsp}}... in a class by itself, absolutely and unqualifiedly correct"<ref>"The Strong Cable of Chronology", ''Watch Tower'', 15 July 1922, page 217, "The chronology of present truth is, to begin with, a string of dates{{nbsp}}... Thus far it is a chain, and no stronger than its weakest link. There exist, however, well established relationships among the dates of present-truth chronology. These internal connections of the dates impart a much greater strength than can be found in other [secular, archeological] chronologies. Some of them are of so remarkable a character as clearly to indicate this chronology is not of man, but of God. Being of divine origin and divinely corroborated, present-truth chronology stands in a class by itself, absolutely and unqualifiedly correct."</ref> and "indisputable facts",<ref name=indisputable /> and repudiation of Russell's teachings was described as "equivalent to a repudiation of the Lord".<ref>''The Watchtower'', 1 May 1922, page 132, "To abandon or repudiate the Lord's chosen instrument means to abandon or repudiate the Lord himself, upon the principle that he who rejects the servant sent by the Master thereby rejects the Master.{{nbsp}}... Brother Russell was the Lord's servant. Then to repudiate him and his work is equivalent to a repudiation of the Lord, upon the principle heretofore announced."</ref>

The Watch Tower Society has acknowledged its early leaders promoted "incomplete, even inaccurate concepts".<ref>''Jehovah's Witnesses—Proclaimers of God's Kingdom'' (Watch Tower Society, 1993), chapter 10.</ref> The [[Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses]] says that, unlike [[Old Testament]] [[Prophet#Judaism|prophets]], its interpretations of the Bible are not [[Biblical inspiration|inspired]] or [[Biblical infallibility|infallible]].<ref>''Revelation – Its Grand Climax'', Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society, 1988, page 9.</ref><ref>{{Cite book| title = Reasoning From the Scriptures | publisher = Watchtower Bible and Tract Society | chapter = False Prophets | at = p.137:Have not Jehovah's Witnesses made errors in their teachings? }}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine| title = To Whom Shall We Go but Jesus Christ? | magazine= Watchtower | date = 1 March 1979 | page = 23 | quote = the "faithful and discreet slave" has alerted all of God's people to the sign of the times indicating the nearness of God's Kingdom rule. In this regard, however, it must be observed that this "faithful and discreet slave" was never inspired, never perfect. Those writings by certain members of the "slave" class that came to form the Christian part of God's Word were inspired and infallible [the bible], but that is not true of other writings since.}}</ref> It says that Bible prophecies can be fully understood only after their fulfillment, citing examples of biblical figures who did not understand the meaning of prophecies they received. Watch Tower Society literature often cites Proverbs 4:18, "The path of the righteous ones is like the bright light that is getting lighter and lighter until the day is firmly established" ([[New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures|NWT]]) to support their view that there would be an increase in knowledge during "the time of the end", and that this increase in knowledge needs adjustments. Watch Tower Society publications also say that unfulfilled expectations are partly due to eagerness for [[God's Kingdom]] and that they do not call [[Jehovah's Witnesses beliefs|their core beliefs]] into question.<ref>Why have there been changes over the years in the teachings of Jehovah's Witnesses?,"Jehovah's Witnesses", ''Reasoning From the Scriptures'', 1989, Watchtower Bible and Tract Society, page 205</ref><ref>"Allow No Place for the Devil!", ''The Watchtower'', 15 March 1986, page 19</ref><ref>"Keep in Step With Jehovah's Organization", ''Watchtower'', 15 January 2001, page 18.</ref>

=====The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints=====

{{main|Second Coming (LDS Church)|Apocalyptic beliefs among Latter-day Saints}}
Members of [[the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]] (LDS Church) believe there will be a Second Coming of Jesus to the earth at some time in the future. The LDS Church and its leaders do not make any predictions of the date of the Second Coming.

According to church doctrine, the true [[gospel]] will be taught in all parts of the world prior to the Second Coming.<ref name="Matthew 24:14">[https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/nt/matt/24.14?lang=eng Matthew 24:14] KJV</ref> They also believe there will be increasing war, earthquakes, hurricanes, and man-made disasters prior to the Second Coming.<ref>{{lds|Doctrine and Covenants|dc|45|26}}</ref> Disasters of all kind will happen before Christ comes.<ref>{{lds|doctrine and covenants|dc|45|26}}</ref> Upon the return of Jesus Christ, all people will be resurrected, the righteous in a first resurrection and the unrighteous in a second, later resurrection. Christ shall reign for a period of 1000 years, after which the Final Judgment will occur.

====Realized eschatology====
{{Main|Realized eschatology}}

[[Realized eschatology]] is a Christian eschatological theory that holds that the eschatological passages in the [[New Testament]] do not refer to the future, but instead refer to the [[ministry of Jesus]] and his lasting legacy.<ref>{{cite book|title=A Theology of the New Testament|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eIdkM00EdlAC|page=56|author1=George Eldon Ladd|author1-link=George Eldon Ladd|author2=Donald Alfred Hagner|publisher=Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing|date=1993|isbn=0802806805|access-date=2019-06-03|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190624204514/https://books.google.com/books?id=eIdkM00EdlAC&printsec=frontcover|archive-date=2019-06-24|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite book | author = McKim, Donald K. | date = 2014 | title = Westminster Dictionary of Theological Terms | page = 106 | edition = 2nd | location = Louisville, KY | publisher = Presbyterian Publishing | isbn = 978-1611643862 | url = https://books.google.com/books?isbn=1611643864 | access-date = April 3, 2017 }}</ref>