Apocalyptic expectations in modern religious literature of Jehovah's Witnesses and Seventh Day Adventists (comparative description)

• Main Author: Maria Bardyn
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Ukrainian Center for Cultural Studies 2017-08-01
• Series: Cхід
• Subjects: апокаліптика; глобалізація; протестантизм; кінець світу; пророцтва; есхатологія; катастрофізм; Страшний Суд; Воскресіння
• Online Access: http://skhid.kubg.edu.ua/article/view/105375

The article deals with the main apocalyptic themes and motives in the modern religious literature of Jehovah's Witnesses and Seventh-day of Adventists. The relevance of the apocalyptic perspective in the light of the acute problems of the present, in particular, in the context of the global world situation, is indicated. Author analyzed global problems in accordance with certain Biblical signs of "time of the end", apocalyptic feelings and expectations in the religious literature of Jehovah's Witnesses and Seventh-day of Adventists. A comparative analysis reveals the common and distinctive features of apocalyptic themes, plots and moods in the religious literature of Jehovah's Witnesses and Seventh-day of Adventists. In this research author used general scientific and special methods. The main research approach was the systematic approach, which allowed integrating the diversity of the investigated material into apocalyptic problems in the field of philosophy and theology in order to carry out a coherent definition of the main themes and motifs in the Protestant literature. A comparative method was also used in this research. The main ideas in the religious literature of Jehovah's Witnesses in this context are: the proclamation of the Second Coming of Christ on Earth during the crisis periods; emphasis on the Millennial Kingdom in the Sky, the opposition of secular power to the Divine Structure. Seventh-day Adventist сoncept: judgment, Second Coming of Jesus Christ, first resurrection and ascension of saints; Armageddon, the devastation of the earth and the destruction of the wicked; Millennial kingdom of the righteous in heaven; The second resurrection and the last judgment; New Land.