Books of Study

Old Testament

What is Eschatology?

What does this word truly mean?  Simply stated, it means “last things ^[1]."

More formerly it is the Theological doctrine of the “last things, or the end of the world. ^[2]”

This one apocalyptic word is really a compilation of two Greek words;
1.      ἔσχατος or eschatos, as an adjective it means” last.”
2.      2. and –λογυ or --logy, a suffix meaning “the study of.”

Therefore we have “eschatology” or the study of” the Last things or the end of the world.” 

In Christendom, this study is s old as Eve.  The very first reference to a “Messiah” is found in Genies chapter two, verse fifteen ^[3].  It should be noted that some theologians believe this was why Cain became so fearful after murdering Abel.   Remember; he says to God “and it shall come to pass, that every one that findeth me shall slay me. ^[4]”  

Jewish theologians tell us that it was originally through Abel that the Messiah was to have been born.  But now he’s dead, and man has no possible means to get back into the Garden!  Therefore Cain should also be killed.  But Adam and Eve have another mentioned son, Seth.  The name Seth means "replacement," thus Able’s' replacement was born and it was through his genealogical lines that Jesus Christ was born. 

 OK.  A side thought; who are the “everyone that findeth me shall slay me?  Contrary to many thoughts, there were no more humans created other than Adam and Eve, nor were Adam, Eve, Cain and, Able and Seth the only five people alive at the end of Genesis, chapter four.

Read Genesis, chapter five, verse three thorough five.  “And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, after his image; and called his name Seth: 4 And the days of Adam after he had begotten Seth were eight hundred years: and he begat sons and daughters:
And all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years: and he died."

Subsequently, by reading  Genesis 5:2-4 we discover that Adam was one hundred and thirty years old when Seth was born and that he and Eve had other dons and daughters, and with the punctuation being a colon, we aren't sure if these other sons and daughters were all after Seth's birth^[5], or if Eve bore some prior.  Anyway these are the “every one that findeth me shall slay me”   And bye the way, Cain did marry one of his sisters.

Back to eschatology,  it was the prophets Jeremiah, Daniel and Ezekiel who really develop the theological thought processes for modern Day "End Times Study.  Then, many years later, John he Baptist throws a "monkey wrench into this discipline with his Revelation.  

[1] Eschatology, Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, "Last Things" 
[2] Eschatology, reference .com
[3] Genesis 3:15, “ And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed;
       it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.”
[4 ] Genesis 4:14, “and it shall come to pass, that every one that findeth me shall slay me.”
[5] Genesis 49:10,  “the scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet,
      until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be”

New Testament

All references are from the King James Version unless so stated. 

  Date last Updated:01/11/ 2012