Quiz 22- 10 Questions on Escatology

Eschatology literally means " doctrine about the last things" and concerns the end of the world. Eschatology also includes religious doctrines concerning the human soul in its relation to death, judgment, heaven, and hell.

1. On the orders of god Puluga, an earthquake will destroy the earth and the bridge of heaven. The souls of the dead men and animals will then arise and be reunited. There will not be any sickness,death, and marriage.The roots of the palm tree which supports the earth are already being shaken by the impatient spirits of the underworld, to quickly bring the end of this present world. Eschatological belief of the people of which island?

2. This concept/ idea in Jewish and Christian eschatology originated from a place called Gehenna, a valley south west of Jerusalem, where Israelites burnt their children as sacrifices to the Ammonite god Moloch. This practice was carried out by the Israelites during the reigns of King Solomon in the 10th century B.C. and King Manasseh in the 7th century B.C. and continued until the Babylonian Exile in the 6th century B.C. Gehenna later was made a garbage centre to discourage a reintroduction of such sacrifices. The imagery of the place however remained in the minds and stories of people giving rise to what idea that still resonates strongly in the minds of many religious people ?

3. In Islamic eschatology, Yajuj and Majuj are two hostile forces who will ravage the Earth before the end of the world.The Koran tells that, people who were terrorized by Yajuj and Majuj forced a king to construct a great wall between them that neither could scale or penetrate (Suras 18:94–97), trapping both between two mountains until just before the Last Judgment (Suras 18:98–100, 21:96) . Yajuj and Majuj, were thus trapped between two mountains and will remain so until the last days of the world. According to the Hadith, Yajuj and Majuj dig under the wall every night trying to escape but each morning they find that the wall has been restored by Allah. Which king constructed the wall?

Building a wall against Yajuj and Majuj, painting by Qasim, 16th century; in the British Library  (Source: Britannica.com)

4.Revelation is the only apocalyptic book in the canon of the New Testament, which is the only apocalyptic book to be admitted to the Old Testament canon?

5. Antiochus IV Epiphanes, king of the Hellenistic Syrian kingdom who reigned from 175 to 164 BC, the persecutor of the Jews, served as its model. Since then this figure has been characterized as a mighty ruler at the head of gigantic armies, destroyer of three rulers, persecutor of saints,and devastator of  the Temple of God. Jewish and Christian writers of apocalypses saw him in the emperors Nero, Diocletian, Julian, and Caligula. Many Protestant reformers, saw it as the Pope. He also features as an evil figure in Islamic eschatology.  Who?

6. Saoshyans, the final saviour of the world, is the foremost of three saviours. The other two saviours are Oshetar and Oshetarmah, sons of the religions founder. Each one of these saviours will appear at the end of each of the three last millennia of the world and will be conceived by a maiden who has swum in a lake where the founders seed was preserved. After 57 years Saoshyans, will break the demonic power and resurrect the bodies of the dead and then lead the work in the seven zones of the world. When all souls have been cleansed, Saoshyans will prepare a ritual drink which will bestow eternal perfection on their bodies.Eschatology of which religion?

7. The founder of this religious group was Charles Russel Taze, who based on his complex biblical calculations preached that 'Christ had an invisible return' in 1874 and that the end of Gentile times would come in 1914 after which God's kingdom would rule earth. Their eschatological teachings say that the forces of good, led by Christ, will defeat the forces of evil, led by Satan, in the final battle. Thereafter Christ will rule the earth for a thousand years. During this time the dead will rise again, and all people will have a second opportunity to achieve salvation. At the end of the millennium Satan will return to earth, and he and those who support him will finally be destroyed. A perfect humankind will then enjoy eternal life on earth.Which religious sect?

8.The Palestinian city of Megiddo had a fortress that stood on a hill, the city itself commanded the road leading from Egypt and the coastal plain of Palestine into Galilee, Syria, and Mesopotamia. Megiddo was the scene of many battles due to its strategic importance.Which English term owns its origin to this city ?

9."We're gonna stay on until the end of the world. And when that day comes we'll cover it, play 'Nearer My God to Thee' and sign off." Whose ambitious words?

10.The final incarnation of Lord Vishnu will appear at the end of the Kali Yuga or the present age, when virtue and religion have disappeared and the world is ruled by unjust men. He will be seated on a white horse with a naked sword in his hand, blazing like a comet and will destroy the wicked and usher in a new age.According to some legends of the end of the world, his horse will stamp the earth with its right foot, causing the tortoise which supports the world to drop into the deep. Then the gods will restore the earth once again to its former purity.Name the incarnation?