No. 21 What does the word �eschatology� mean? That�s a pretty popular topic around these parts�I see Bible studies advertised in the religion section of the newspaper all the time�things like �Eschatology, millennialism, and the end times�every Sunday at 9:30.� Sounds riveting. What does it mean, exactly? >>PROFESSOR ROLAND ZIEGLER: Yes, Eric. Eschatology is certainly a popular topic. I mean, the end times. You read about it. In the section. Prophesy is a big thing. So what do we mean when we say eschatology? It's the last things, the doctrine of the last things, ***escata are the last things. And of course ***logos is the word or the doctrine about the last things. Eschatology is a term that actually came up in the 17th Century to summarize everything that has to do with the end of the individual life and the end of the world. So you can distinguish between individual eschatology and cosmic eschatology. That's one of the basic distinctions in that area. That means in the individual eschatology, you talk about death. What is the meaning of death? You talk about the state of man between death and the resurrection, the so-called intermediate state. Is there one? If there is one, what is it? You talk about resurrection of the body. And then you come actually -- in a way that's the middle between individual and cosmic eschatology. In cosmic eschatology you ask: What is the future of the world? So you talk about the future of the individual person and then the future of the world. Of course they are interrelated. The future of the world, then in that area you mostly have then a talk about the return of Christ and everything that is connected with it. Part of that is the discussion about the millennium. The judgement. The final judgement. And the new heaven. And the new earth. And also then the fate of those who do not believe. Or more popular, hell. So we have this area that on the one hand is of course of great interest. Because if there is one thing certain besides that taxes will rise, it is that we are going to die. And there are different stages in a person's life where the question of death becomes important. Often you have teenagers who are very into that, that question. And then of course you have people who just have lost a loved one. Or you have people who are growing old and thinking about what will be next. Okay. You retire. So what's the next big event in your life? Well, it's probably your funeral. Actually it's beyond your life. But that's probably it. So death and the last things are pretty popular. Cosmic eschatology is pretty interesting because we all want to know what happens with the world. In a way I think that a lot of this popular Christian literature about the end times is a somewhat Christian form of science fiction. It gives us these interesting pictures of what will happen and all the tribulation and so forth. And there are quite a few novels out there about the end times. Of course the most famous is the "Left Behind" series. But there are others, too. There is one for example by Pat Robertson which is pretty bad. I haven't really found one that I think is really good literature. But maybe you'll find it. But people read that because it is entertaining. It's entertaining. It is relatively well written. It's not worse written than a lot of novels that are sold in the secular market. And it gives you a thrill. You know, there's another Christian genre which also gives you the thrill. That's the Christian form of the horror novel. That's everything that deals with exorcism and possession and so forth. So there's a curiosity there. And with the rise of dispensational premillennialism that dominates a lot of evangelicalism in today's America, the end times are big business and really dominate the outlook of many, many people. My wife talked to one of our neighbors lately. And they talked about the bird flu and the scare that might be in the future. And he said: Well, I really hope the rapture will be before bird flu becomes a pandemic. That is the framework. And my wife then came to me and said: What should I have said? And of course the issue is: How well do you know this person and do you want to start into an argument and tell him it's all nonsense? Well, you never do that anyway. These questions are all around. And they have also political consequences as we know. Because the premillennial dispensationalists believe that Israel is still the chosen people of God and therefore it's our duty to support the state of Israel. And what the heck with those Arabs. They are cursed descendants of Esau anyway. So eschatology is a pretty timely topic. It's an important topic. It is also an important topic because eschatology comes up inevitably in your pastoral ministry. One of the main things you do is burying people. And counselling people who have lost a loved one. And their fate always comes up. And the question always comes up: Where are they? What is the meaning of that? Why did they die? So to have a knowledge of eschatology will certainly help you in your pastoral ministry. There are all kinds of ideas floating around. So in a way we have to be somewhat polemical also, here. Not to be combative but just to distinguish truth from falsehood again. We have to be mindful, though, that even though the hope we have for the final resurrection and the fulfillment of all things is an integral and vital part of our Christian faith, nevertheless, there is a certain danger of an overinterest in these questions. What I mean with that is what I find in many evangelical preachers or books that the central article of their faith are these questions of the end times. And then you can argue for hours if you are a pre trib, mid trib or post trib rapturist and things like that. Or you read Revelation and find out all these parallels. I was here as an exchange student in 1991. And I remember those TV evangelists that found in Scripture all prophesy that Saddam Hussein would shoot his Scott missiles to Israel. And of course Saddam Hussein, he was really the anti-Christ because he had rebuilt Babylon and there was the center. Okay. That prophesy did not come true. And look where Saddam Hussein is now. But these people are not discouraged by these obvious misinterpretations and failures. But they just continue. And there is obviously a gullible public that forgives them of their false interpretations instead of sticking to the law about false prophets in Deuteronomy. Well, not literally because according to Deuteronomy you have to stone false prophets. Though I'm still not advocating that. But at least see them for what they are. That is people who just abuse a certain curiosity and a gullibility of the public. The central article of faith and the center of our faith is Christ and him crucified. And when we talk about eschatology, what we do is we look at: What does that mean, that Christ crucified and risen is the Lord of my life and the Lord of this world?