Jewish Beliefs about the End Times

Jewish eschatology

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jewish eschatology is the area of Jewish philosophy and theology concerned with events that will happen in the end of days and related concepts. This includes the ingathering of the exiled diaspora, the coming of a Jewish Messiah, afterlife, and the revival of the dead Tzadikim. In Judaism, the end times are usually called the "end of days" (aḥarit ha-yamim, אחרית הימים), a phrase that appears several times in the Tanakh.

Until the late modern era, the standard Jewish belief was that after one dies, one's immortal soul joins God in the world to come while one's body decomposes, or the soul continues in a cycle of re-incarnation into a chain of other bodies. At the end of days, God will recompose one's body, place within it one's immortal soul, and that person will stand before God in judgement. The idea of a messianic age has a prominent place in Jewish thought, and is incorporated as part of the end of days. Jewish philosophers from medieval times to the present day have emphasized the soul's immortality.

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Judaism's Central Beliefs About the End of Times

by James Stuart ⋅ September 29, 2017 

Jewish followers believe the final days of Earth will fulfill ancient Jewish prophecy.  According to Jewish prophetic texts such as the Book of Numbers, the end times will bring about the Apocalypse and the final judgment of mankind. This prophecy deals with the future of the Jewish people and all of humanity, addressing events such as the coming of the Jewish messiah and the the resurrection of the deceased.

The Messiah

One of the most important tenets of the Jewish faith states that the messiah's coming will herald the end of the world. Followers believe that the Messiah will be a direct descendent of David and unite the Jewish people in Israel by rebuilding the Temple in Jerusalem. The Jewish faith teaches that all leaders of the world will acknowledge the dominion of this messiah, creating a new era of international peace where the world finally fulfills its purpose of becoming God's abode. Jewish scripture refers to this period as the Messianic period.

Resurrection

According to Jewish belief, the arrival of the messiah will coincide with the resurrection of a small number of righteous individuals, such as the prophet Elijah and Moses, and later, the resurrection of all of the deceased within Israel and the regeneration of the world will occur. People will devote themselves to the study of the torah and other important Jewish scripture.

Battles

The end times will also feature a number of battles such as the war of Gog and Magog. The assembled heathen nations will unite under the leaders Gog and Magog and lay siege to Israel. Israel will defeat the attackers, ushering in the Messianic period. However, another important battle takes place after the arrival of the messiah, when according to the book of Psalms, God smites the leviathan -- a large sea serpent. The Jewish faith teaches that humanity then feasts on the body the leviathan.

Final Judgement

After a period of great peace and joy in the world, God's final judgement will mark the end of the world. The Jewish faith teaches that nobody but God marks the end of the world, as he is the supreme authority. Individuals who still failed to embrace God or sinned greatly in their life without regret will enter Gehenna, while moral individuals who accepted God will enter paradise. The wicked spend up to 12 months in Gehenna, but a few scholars believe that those who led others into treachery or acted treacherously against God's law will stay there forever.

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The End of the World, from a Jewish perspective
by Orekh Schriftsteller ⋅ December 21, 2012

Do Jews believe in an end of time?   

The “end of the world” is the restoration of the perfection of the world — a return to the Garden of Eden — here on planet earth. The Hebrew bible prophets said that Elijah would come to pave the way for the Messiah. When the Messiah will be revealed (he will be a human being) there will be massive changes in the world but not all at once. Eventually there will be peace among all nations:

“They shall beat their weapons into plowshares. Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.”

There are whole books (I Kings 16, 17, II Kings 2, Malachi 3, 4) or others written about this topic if you want to research more (check online Jewish book stores).

Actually, Judaism does teach that the ‘world will end’ and ‘God will judge the earth’ and so forth – at the end of time – that time WILL end, in other words, just as it did, at some point, begin. Jewish believe a time of peace and righteousness will come rather than an ending to the world. This period will come after a period of intense turmoil and chaos in which lawless and a breakdown in society will occur. The end of the world will see all Jews gathered back to Israel and restored to their ancestral lands and tribes. Below some other important reminders:

– The Messiah, a descendant of David, will come and become King of Israel and defeat Israel’s enemies, they will come to worship the one God of Israel and ask the King of Israel for advice.

– Building of the Third temple in Jerusalem and resumption of services there.

– The resurrection of the dead, death will be swallowed up forever. There will be no more hunger or disease.

– Messiah will become King of Israel and will beat invading armies in a final great battle known as Armageddon, bringing in the start of a new age of peace and holiness, weapons of war will be destroyed and the Jewish people will experience unending joy and happiness.

The Creator created the world in order to give us eternal pleasure. However, the Creator’s intention is not to give it to us for free, but as a reward for our work, so that we can enjoy it and feel that we deserve it. We call this place of reward the World to Come. At some time in the future this world will come to an end, and the World to Come (Olam Haba) will begin.