Eschatology Terms

Amillennialism

the view that here will be no literal thousand year bodily reign of Christ on earth prior to the final judgement and eternal state; thus Revelation 20 would refer to the present church age

annihilationism

the teaching that after death unbelievers suffer the penalty of God’s watch for a time and then are destroyed, so that they no longer exist

antichrist

the “man of lawlessness” who will appear prior to the second coming of Christ and will cause great suffering and persecution, only to be destroyed by Christ

blessed hope

a phrase from Titus 2:13 that refers to the second coming of Christ as fulfillment of believer’s longings

dispensationalism

the theological system that teaches a distinction between Israel and the church, a pretribulational rapture of the church, a future fulfillment of OT prophecies concerning Israel , and the dividing of history into periods of God’s ways of relating to his people

eschatology

the study of the last things or future events

imminence/imminent

refers to the fact that Christ could return and might return at any time

intermediate state

the state of a person between death and the time that Christ returns to give believers new resurrection bodies; during this time, believers exist as spirits without physical bodies

millennium

the period of 1,000 years when Christ will be physically present and reign in perfect peace and justice over the earth

postmillennialism

the belief that Christ will return to the earth after the millennium

premillennialism

the belief that Christ will return to the earth before the millenium

purgatory

the roman catholic doctrine of the place where the souls of believers go to be further purified from sin until they are ready to be admitted into heaven

rapture

the taking up or snatching up of believers to be with Christ