Doomsday Cult

Lore & Background

Eschatology concerns expectations of the end of present age, human history, or the world itself. Several world religions predict negative world events will reach a climax at the end times. Belief in this imminence is defined as apocalypticism, which has been held by members of mainstream religions and doomsday cults alike. In mysticism, the concept refers metaphorically to the end of ordinary reality and reunion with the divine. Many religions treat these events as future prophecies found in sacred texts or folklore, while others view them as cycles of renewal or transformation. For instance, Indian religions often feature cyclical eschatologies characterized by decay, redemption, and rebirth, where transitions between cycles can be relatively uneventful.

In Their Own Story

In the context of Abrahamic religions, which maintain a linear cosmology, end-time scenarios involve themes of transformation and redemption. Judaism describes the 'end of days' (aḥarit ha-yamim), referencing the Messianic Age, the in-gathering of exiles, the coming of the Messiah, and the resurrection of the righteous. Christianity depicts a period of tribulation preceding the second coming of Christ, who will face the Antichrist and false prophets before ushering in the Kingdom of God; this includes the explicit description of a new earth found in Chapter 21 of the Book of Revelation. In later Islamic traditions, hadiths detail the Day of Judgment as preceded by the appearance of the Masīḥ ad-Dajjāl, followed by the descending of ʿĪsā (Jesus), whose defeat of the false Messiah leads to the sun rising from the west and the beginning of Qiyāmah.

Reader's Guide

The source outlines specific eschatological figures and events across different traditions. In Hinduism, the end time occurs when Kalki, the final incarnation of Vishnu, descends atop a white horse to end the current Kali Yuga, completing a cycle that regenerates the world. In Buddhism, it is predicted that Buddha's teachings will be forgotten after 5,000 years, followed by turmoil; a bodhisattva named Maitreya will then appear to rediscover the teachings before the ultimate destruction of the world comes through seven suns. Zoroastrianism teaches Frashokereti, a final renovation where evil is destroyed and creation returns to perfection; this involves the Saoshyant arriving as a savior, the resurrection of the dead, and a battle between righteous and wicked that leads to a molten river of metal annihilating Angra Mainyu. Scientific discourse since the 18th century has considered theories like the Big Rip, Big Crunch, Big Bounce, and Big Freeze regarding the fate of the universe.

Did You Know?

• The word 'eschatology' first appeared in English around 1844, derived from the Greek ἔσχατος meaning 'last'.
• In Kabbalah, the seventh millennium begins with the year 6000 AM and is the latest time the Messiah can come.
• Buddhism predicts the ultimate destruction of the world will occur through seven suns after a bodhisattva named Maitreya appears.
• Pliny the Elder suggested there were two Zoroasters, though scholarly dates for his birth range from 500 BCE to 1,500 BCE.
• In the Gnostic codex On the Origin of the World, the source of darkness will dissolve and form into something greater than anything that ever existed before.