Lay people, scientists, philosophers, and theologians have long theorized about death, immortality, and eternity. With science making huge strides forward, some now suggest that science may well be able to extend life, making immortality scientifically feasible, but put simply, nobody can see the future, which relies on creative imaginations.

Given that immortality has been out of reach throughout human history, death has always been a central focus of life, and a belief in the afterlife is a fundamental tenet of many religions. Not surprisingly, a plethora of different views exist, and Christian eschatology is mostly unique, without signs of pantheism or dualism and no doctrine of pre-existence or any trace of Egyptian or Greek ideas or practices.

Even those who don’t practice Christianity know that the religion deals heavily with life, death, and the end of the world. Those with real faith in the God of the Bible believe that Christian thinking is not based on human imagination but on the word and authority of God. Christian dogmas are scriptural, meaning they can be traced back to the Bible, and reformed theology insists that all authority is seated in the ultimate author of scripture: God. This implies that the Christian dogma of future events is not influenced by people themselves.

If Christian dogma relies on the Bible, many could be forgiven for assuming that there should be a general agreement within Christianity about the end times, but due to the historic fragmentation within various Christian denominations, there is little agreement between the vast array of Christian churches regarding the end of the world. As such, Christian eschatology is confusing and hugely complex as a whole.

The main reason for this is that the Bible does not paint a clear picture of the end times, and Biblical prophesies often use symbolic language that makes interpretation difficult. To complicate this further, the different branches of Christianity follow different hermeneutical strategies, leading to vastly different conclusions. This problem has become increasingly toxic over the last two centuries, which is unfortunate since the differences are based on subjective interpretations.

While there are similarities in the theologies of the more orthodox churches (such as the Presbyterian, Lutheran, Eastern Orthodox, Anglican, and the Roman Catholic churches), the confusion is caused by two extremes: Theological liberalism that adopted Kantian and evolutionary principles and the many independent churches that follow very literal Biblical interpretations. Both groups can often be defined by what they oppose rather than their dogmas.

Christian Eschatology: The History and Legacy of Christianity’s Beliefs about the End of the World analyzes how Christianity’s views on the end times were shaped, how they evolved over time, and the differences in beliefs among various Christians; you will learn about Christian eschatology like never before.