Idealism (Christian eschatology)

Christian eschatology

Contrasting beliefs

* Historicism (Interpretations of Revelation)
* Futurism
* Preterism
* Idealism
* Dispensationalism

The Millennium

* Amillennialism
* Postmillennialism
* Premillennialism
* Prewrath Rapture
* Posttribulation Rapture
* Dispensationalism

Biblical texts

* Daniel
* Seventy Weeks
* Synoptic Gospels
* Olivet Discourse
* Mark 13
* Matthew 24
* Sheep and Goats
* Pauline Epistles
* 2 Thessalonians
* Johannine literature
* Revelation (Events)

Pseudepigrapha

* 1 Enoch
* 2 Esdras

Key terms

* Abomination of desolation
* Antichrist
* Armageddon
* The Beast
* False prophet
* Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse
* Gog and Magog
* Great Apostasy
* Great Tribulation
* Katechon
* Kingdom of God
* Lake of fire
* Last Judgment
* Man of sin
* New Heaven and New Earth
* New Jerusalem
* Number of the Beast
* Rapture
* Resurrection of the dead
* Second Coming
* Seven bowls
* Seven seals
* Son of perdition
* Two witnesses
* War in Heaven
* Whore of Babylon
* Woman of the Apocalypse
* World to come

Christianity portal

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In the context of Christian eschatology, idealism (also called the spiritual approach, the allegorical approach, the nonliteral approach, and many other names) involves an interpretation of the Book of Revelation that sees all of the imagery of the book as symbolic.[1]

Jacob Taubes writes that idealist eschatology came about as Renaissance thinkers began to doubt that the Kingdom of Heaven had been or would be established on earth, but still believed in its establishment.[2] Rather than the Kingdom of Heaven manifesting itself in society, it is seen as established subjectively for the individual.[3]

F. D. Maurice (1805-1872) interpreted the Kingdom of Heaven idealistically as a symbol representing society's general improvement, instead of as a physical and political kingdom. Karl Barth (1886-1968) interpreted eschatology as representing existential truths that bring the individual hope, rather than as history or as future-history.[4] Barth's ideas provided fuel for the Social Gospel philosophy in America, which saw social change not as performing "required" good works, but because the individuals involved felt that Christians could not simply ignore society's problems with future dreams.[5]

Different authors have suggested that the Beast of Revelation represents various social injustices, such as exploitation of workers,[6] wealth, the elite, commerce,[7] materialism, and imperialism.[8] Various Christian anarchists, such as Jacques Ellul (1912-1994), have identified the State and political power as the Beast.[9]

Christian eschatological idealism is distinct from Preterism, Futurism and Historicism in that it does not see any of the prophecies (except in some cases the Second Coming, and Final Judgment) as being fulfilled in a literal, physical, earthly sense in the past, present or future.[10] It views interpretation of the eschatological portions of the Bible in a historical or future-historical fashion as an erroneous understanding.[11]

## See also

* Inaugurated eschatology
* Postmillennialism
* Realized eschatology

## References

1. ↑ Stan Campbell and James S. Bell (2001). The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Book of Revelation. Alpha Books. pp. 212-213. ISBN 9780028642383.
2. ↑ Occidental Eschatology By Jacob Taubes, p.86
3. ↑ Occidental Eschatology By Jacob Taubes, p.132
4. ↑ Encyclopedia of time By Samuel L. Macey, p.186-187
5. ↑ Karl Barth and Christian Unity - The Influence of the Barthian Movement Upon the Churches of the World, by Professor Adolf Keller, p.190-192
6. ↑ Third Way magazine, April 1987, p.23
7. ↑ Who rides the beast?: prophetic rivalry and the rhetoric of crisis in the churches of the apocalypse By Paul Brooks Duff, p. 70, Oxford UP 2001
8. ↑ Christopher R. Smith, "Reclaiming the Social Justice Message of Revelation: Materialism, Imperialism and Divine Judgement in Revelation 18", Transformation 7 (1990): 28-33
9. ↑ Christoyannopoulos, Alexandre (2010). Christian Anarchism: A Political Commentary on the Gospel. Exeter: Imprint Academic. pp. 123–126. "Revelation"
10. ↑ The Concise Dictionary of Christian Theology By Millard J. Erickson, p. 95
11. ↑ Eschatology. Indexes: the concluding volume of the series Dogmatic theology By Francis Joseph Hall, p.13.

## External links

* Preterist-Idealism

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Global catastrophic risks

* Future of the Earth
* Ultimate fate of the universe

Technological|

* Gray goo
* Kinetic bombardment
* Mutual assured destruction
* Dead Hand
* Doomsday device
* Antimatter weapon
* Synthetic intelligence / Artificial intelligence
* Existential risk from artificial intelligence
* AI takeover
* Technological singularity
* Transhumanism
* Year 2000 problem

Sociological|

* Malthusian catastrophe
* New World Order (conspiracy theory)
* Nuclear holocaust
* winter
* famine
* cobalt
* Societal collapse
* World War III

Ecological|

| Climate change|

* Extinction risk from global warming
* Tipping points in the climate system
* Global terrestrial stilling
* Global warming
* Hypercane
* Ice age
* Ecocide
* Human impact on the environment
* Ozone depletion
* Cascade effect
* Supervolcano
* winter

|

Earth Overshoot Day|

* Overexploitation
* Overpopulation
* Human overpopulation

Biological|

| Extinction|

* Extinction event
* Human extinction
* Genetic erosion
* Genetic pollution

|

Others|

* Dysgenics
* Pandemic
* Biological agent
* Transhumanism

Astronomical|

* Big Crunch
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* Coronal mass ejection
* Gamma-ray burst
* Impact event
* Asteroid impact avoidance
* Potentially hazardous object
* Near-Earth supernova
* Solar flare
* Stellar collision

Mythological|

| Eschatology|

* Buddhist
* Hindu
* Last Judgment
* Christian
* Book of Revelation
* Islamic
* Jewish
* Norse
* Zoroastrian

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Others|

* 2011 end times prediction
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* Blood moon prophecy
* Doomsday Clock
* End time
* List of dates predicted for apocalyptic events
* Nibiru cataclysm
* Rapture
* Revelation 12 sign prophecy
* Third Temple

Fictional|

* Alien invasion
* Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction
* List of apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction
* List of apocalyptic films
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* Disaster films
* List of disaster films
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