Eschatology Trivia

1. In many religions, the term "paradise" denotes a place of everlasting joy and peace for the souls of the virtuous dead. What was the rather exclusive, original meaning of this word?

From Quiz So This Is Heaven?

Answer: walled garden

Though the word "paradise" entered Latin, and subsequently French and English, via the Greek "paradeisos", its origins lie in the Avestan "pairi-daeza", meaning "walled garden", "enclosure". Avestan was the liturgical language of Zoroastrianism, the religion of the ancient Persian Empire, which is still practiced in some parts of northern India. This concept of a garden surrounded by walls later became the foundation for the formal gardens of Middle Eastern and European countries. The Greek word "paradeisos" came to be associated with the biblical Garden of Eden, and then became a synonym for heaven.

From Quiz The Black Depths of Hell

Answer: Naraka

Not to be confused with the Hindu Hell of the same name. Although the dead do not spend eternity being tormented in Naraka, they remain there for a very long time until their karma has been used up and they are ready to be reborn. The Narakas are described as being like a series of underground caverns under the human world. There are both hot and cold Narakas, such as Padma (where the skin of the dead is torn by blizzards) and Samghata (where the dead are repeatedly crushed by rocks).

From Quiz Trapped in Purgatory

Answer: Roman Catholic

Roman Catholicism has the most developed concept of Purgatory. The "Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church" states "Purgatory is the state of those who die in God's friendship, assured of their eternal salvation, but who still have need of purification to enter into the happiness of heaven. Because of the communion of saints, the faithful who are still pilgrims on earth are able to help the souls in purgatory by offering prayers in suffrage for them, especially the Eucharistic sacrifice. They also help them by almsgiving, indulgences, and works of penance." Although the Eastern Orthodox church also has a concept similar to Purgatory they have not defined it as clearly. In Eastern Orthodoxy the idea is one more of growth towards the divine rather than punishment for purification purposes. It teaches that prayers for the dead do affect saints who are in this intermediate state. Most Protestants reject the idea of Purgatory as an extra-Biblical creation. Two Latin phrases express the greatest concerns of most Protestants - sola scriptura, 'scripture alone' and sola fide, 'by faith alone'. Purgatory violates both of these principles.

From Quiz Life, Death, and Beyond

Answer: Apocalypticism

The Greek work 'apokalypsis' can be translated as 'revelation', and is the source for the English word apocalypse. The term originally referred to an unveiling of God's will, but has come to be associated with catastrophic events, and often with a confrontation between the forces of good and evil. Some religions view the apocalypse they anticipate as being a positive stage in human development, some see it as destructive, some see it as just happening.

From Quiz Have a Great Afterlife!

Answer: Christianity

There are well over two billion Christians, making Christianity the world religion with most adherents. There are three main branches of Christianity (Protestant, Catholic, and Orthodox) and each one of them has many subsets. Christianity originated in first-century Europe, although at this point it was a Jewish sect. Christianity is based around Jesus Christ, a prophet whom Christians believe was the son of God.

From Quiz The Good Life Beyond the Earthly Plane

Answer: Hinduism

In Hinduism there are also seven nether realms, below the earthly plane: Atala Vitala, Sutala, Talatala, Mahatala, Rasatala, and Pataal. The Moksha is the release from the karmatic reincarnation cycle.

From Quiz Name That Apocalypse!

Answer: The Jupiter Effect

Astrophysicists Stephen Plagemann and John Gribben wrote a wacky little "what if" book back in 1974 called "The Jupiter Effect". The book fired the imagination of many people (including author Hal. B. Lindsey) with visions of apocalyptic portents. They speculated that the gravitational effect of a rare nine planet heliocentric conjunction in 1982 might alter the Earth's rotation, causing a complete communications blackout as well as massive worldwide earthquakes. As it turned out, no one even had to miss an episode of "Dynasty".

From Quiz So This Is Heaven?

Answer: Osiris

Placed in the east, where the Sun rises, Sekhet-Aaru was described as eternal fields of reeds, much like those found on the Nile delta. To reach it, the soul had to undergo a dangerous journey, and pass through a series of gates guarded by demons. Osiris, who had been killed and dismembered by his brother Seth, and brought back to life by his sister-wife Isis, reigned over the afterlife. He was the god of transition, resurrection and regeneration, and was associated with the cycles of nature. The sky god Horus was the son he conceived with Isis after his temporary resurrection, while the jackal-headed god Anubis was in charge of weighing the heart of the deceased, whose soul was permitted to journey onward only if the heart was found to be lighter than a feather.

From Quiz The Black Depths of Hell

Answer: Mortal

While venial sins do have an adverse effect on the individual's relationship with G-d, dying without repenting of venial sins will land them in purgatory. Although purgatory is a punishment, it is a temporary one. Mortal sins, however, are far more serious, and if the person who has committed it does not repent before they die, they are condemned to hell. Mortal sins include adultery, suicide and blasphemy. As well as being a serious or 'grave' matter, a mortal sin has to have been committed knowingly and consensually, i.e. the person is well aware that what they are doing is wrong.

From Quiz Trapped in Purgatory

Answer: Book of the Dead

The Egyptian "Book of the Dead" was organized around 1550 BCE and was used throughout the New Kingdom. Its roots can be traced back as far as 2400 BCE and the Pyramid Texts of the Old Kingdom through the Coffin Texts of the Middle Kingdom. At first such funerary rites were reserved only for royalty but by the time of the New Kingdom the practices had been broadened out to all Egyptians. Although the concept of the book was shared by all, there was no one copy that was used by all; it varied greatly in text and illustration. The "Book of the Dead" contained spells that helped the deceased travel through the Duat's dangers to a life as an akh, blessed spirit.

From Quiz The Good Life Beyond the Earthly Plane

Answer: Nirvana

Nirvana can also mean "enlightenment" in Buddhism. Like Moksha in Hinduism, it breaks the constant reincarnation cycle that holds the soul to the earthly plane.

From Quiz The Black Depths of Hell

Answer: Seven

As with Buddhism, Naraka is the name of the place where the souls of the wicked are sent to make up for their evil deeds in their previous lives, until they are reborn. There are seven layers of Narakas, from Ratnaprabha, a hell filled with jewels, to the dark and foreboding Mahatmahprabha. The sage Mahavira vividly describes some of the ways in which the wicked are tortured in Sutrakritanga Sutra. For example: 'The prisoners in hell come to the dreadful place called Santakshana (i.e. cutting), where the cruel punishers tie their hands and feet, and with axes in their hands cut them like wooden planks. And they turn the writhing victims round, and stew them, like living fishes, in an iron cauldron filled with their own blood, their limbs covered with ordure, their heads smashed.'

From Quiz Trapped in Purgatory

Answer: Sheol

The Hebrew word Sheol appears over 60 times in the Old Testament/Tanakh. It appears most often in the poetic books, wisdom literature, and prophetic books. The Septuagint translated it with 'Hades'. The KJV translates it as 'Hell' and the NIV translates it as 'the grave' but neither of these do the word justice. There is a definite distinction in Hebrew between the actual physical grave and Sheol. The word for the physical grave is kever, not Sheol. This distinction clearly indicates that something more was meant by Sheol. At first it was merely seen as the place where the soul resided after death but as time went on the concept was clarified so that by the time of Christ it was divided into two separate parts - Abraham's Bosom where the righteous awaited judgment and a place of torment for the unrighteous. Whereas in Rabbinical Judaism Gehenna has aspects of Purgatory, Sheol never seemed to have such aspects even when the two parts of it developed. The fate of those in Sheol was set with death and they were merely waiting for the final judgment.

From Quiz The Good Life Beyond the Earthly Plane

Answer: Tian

The term "Tian" originated during the Zhou Dynasty (c. 11th-3rd centuries B.C.). In Taoism, Tian is often paired with Di (Chinese for "earth") to represent the dualistic nature of things.

From Quiz Name That Apocalypse 2 - Millennial Madness!

Answer: The Second Coming Of Christ

Founder and patriarch of the "True and Living Church of Jesus Christ of Saints of the Last Days", Harmston also believed himself to be the reincarnation of Joseph Smith. "God has shut the mouths of his servants and will begin to do His own work of rendering judgment and calamity upon the wicked and ungodly," he announced shortly before his doomsdate fizzled. Two years later, a couple former followers sued and won on the grounds that Harmston hadn't produced Jesus in the flesh.

From Quiz So This Is Heaven?

Answer: rainbow bridge

In Old Norse mythology, the flaming rainbow bridge Bifröst connected Asgard, the abode of the gods, with Midgard, the Earth. The bridge, guarded by the god Heimdallr, would be destroyed by the fire giants of Muspellsheim at Ragnarök, the end of the world. The unknown author of the poetic piece about the Rainbow Bridge, written between 1980 and 1992, was clearly inspired by Norse myth. According to the poem, when pets die, they reach a green meadow adjoining the Rainbow Bridge, where they are restored to health, and spend their days running and playing. However, they miss the owners they left behind. When a pet owner dies, their pet will wait for them at the Bridge, and together they will cross into Heaven, never to be separated again.

From Quiz The Black Depths of Hell

Answer: Tartarus

If you were an average citizen, you would end up in the shadowy Asphodel Fields, and if you were a hero or chosen by the gods, you would go to the Elysian Fields or the Isles of the Blessed, a beautiful utopia with cool breezes and fruit trees. However, if you were evil, you would be sent to Tartarus and fittingly tortured for your crimes. In Greek mythology, notable residents of Tartarus include Sisyphus, who betrayed the secrets of the gods and was punished by being forced to continually roll a boulder up a hill, only for it to fall back down; and Tantalus, who tricked Demeter into eating human flesh, and was subsequently forced to stand in a pool of water from which he was unable to drink, under a fruit tree which he could not reach.

From Quiz It's The End of the World as We Know It

Answer: Ragnarok

The word "Ragnarok" comes from two Old Norse words meaning "the reigning ones/the gods" and "fate/end". In the end, according to the Gylfaginning, Chapter 51, there will be many battles among men and much killing for the sake of greed. Then there will be three back-to-back seasons of winter, and the sun, the moon, and the stars will disappear. The earth will shake so that trees are uprooted and mountains crumble. Eventually, the gods themselves will do battle, and most will not survive. Surtr will cover the entire earth with fire, and then the earth will be submerged in water. However, the good news is that Thor's sons and a few other gods will survive along with two humans; from these, life and the earth will begin anew.

From Quiz Apocalypse! Now?

Answer: William Miller

William Miller (1782-1849) was a preacher whose combat experience in the War of 1812 led him to believe in a God who occasionally intervenes in human affairs. Therefore, he gave up his adherence to Deism and Freemasonry to embrace a more evangelical form of Baptist Christianity, which later evolved into Adventism. His followers, called Millerites, faced great scorn, as well as violence, after the Great Disappointment. (The "other" William Miller of 1964 was an obscure Congressman from New York State who ran with Goldwater.)

From Quiz Name That Apocalypse!

Answer: Nuclear War

Outfitted with deluxe bomb shelters, tons of canned goods and the latest in black market military weaponry, Guru Ma and her "Church Universal and Triumphant" (CUT) followers were well prepared for World War III. When the mushroom clouds failed to sprout, CUT believers emerged from their shelters claiming that their channeling to "ascended masters" had averted nuclear doomsday. However, what they failed to avert was the arrest of Mark Prophet, Elizabeth's husband, on Federal weapons charges.

From Quiz So This Is Heaven?

Answer: 9

The number 9 has been invested with a special significance in many cultures. In Western tradition, it represents three (the perfect number, identified with the Holy Trinity) multiplied by itself. In the medieval model of cosmology, derived from Ptolemy, the nine spheres of heaven - containing the planets and the stars - surrounded the Earth. The Empyrean, the abode of God, was believed to be beyond physical existence, therefore different in nature from the other regions of Heaven.

From Quiz Trapped in Purgatory

Answer: Buddhism

Buddhism does not have traditional Western versions of Heaven and Hell but Nirvana would be the equivalent to Heaven and Naraka is the equivalent of Purgatory. In Buddhism there is no eternal punishment or Hell. Instead, life is a journey towards the divine, towards Nirvana, a journey that everyone makes and one in which everyone will eventually succeed. The only question is how many lifetimes this will take for a soul to achieve this. Karma is the measure by which progress on this journey is kept. Naraka as a concept appears in Hinduism, Sikhism, Jainism and Buddhism and is a place of torment. In the Vedas, Naraka is a place where souls go who need to atone for especially bad karma picked up during a lifetime. Once they have suffered enough to cleanse the bad karma they leave Naraka, much the same way a soul in Purgatory is eventually supposed to leave.

From Quiz It's The End of the World as We Know It

Answer: Mesopotamian

According to Berrosus, a Babylonian writer and priest of Bel Marduk, the earth would last for "twelve times twelve sars". A "sar" is 3,600 years, so the earth should exist for 518,400 years. Unfortunately, there are no surviving texts containing Mesopotamian horror stories of the end times. The ancient Greeks considered Berrosus an important philosopher and astronomer, and they erected a statue of him in Athens.

From Quiz The Good Life Beyond the Earthly Plane

Answer: gold streets, pearl gates

"The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl. The great street of the city was of pure gold, like transparent glass." - Revelation 21:21. The foundation stones of the city are adorned with precious gems.

From Quiz Name That Apocalypse 2 - Millennial Madness!

Answer: A Gigantic Solar Windstorm

"The computer problem will weed out a lot, and the solar wind will get the rest." Elder told Time magazine (1999-JAN-18). But his over-the-top end of everything just started with a Y2K meltdown. That would be followed by worldwide famine and social breakdown, an asteroid bombardment, a North/South pole flip-flop and only then would the killer solar windstorm turn the planet into a charcoal briquette. His solution? Find a cave! "As soon as I get a cave, I'm going to live in it," Mr. Elder told Time. "I'll be the world's next caveman." I wonder if anyone has told Alley Oop it's safe to come out yet...

From Quiz So This Is Heaven?

Answer: moksha

The Sanskrit word "moksha" means emancipation, liberation or release. In the framework of Hindu theology, it refers to the state attained by a human soul when it is finally freed from "samsara", the cycle of death and rebirth. The "nirvana" of Buddhist doctrine is a similar (though not identical) concept. "Ahimsa" refers to the doctrine of non-violence, while "dharma" can be roughly translated as "cosmic law and order", and is often used to refer to the teachings of the Buddha. Hinduism and Buddhism also believe in the existence of various heavens and hells, which are nevertheless connected to the cycle of birth and death.

From Quiz The Black Depths of Hell

Answer: Diyu

Similar to the Buddhist Naraka, Diyu is said to have eighteen different levels, though some traditions influenced by Buddhism state that there are ten levels (or courts) which deal with different crimes and are each run by a judge or Yama King, overseen by Yan, the god of death. After doing time in Diyu, the soul is sent off for reincarnation. As even the dead have to pay their way, it is customary for their living relatives to burn 'hell bank notes' made of joss paper. According to the tradition of the eighteen levels, punishments included being forced to climb a mountain of knives, ground into mince, forced to drink boiling water, and being gored or trampled by wild animals. Youdu is the capital of Diyu.

From Quiz It's The End of the World as We Know It

Answer: Mayan

The Mayan calendar is a complex system of various calendars, actually. One part of the Mayan calendar, often referred to as The Long Count, is based on a number of days that begin in 3114 B.C. (the date of creation in Mayan culture) and progressively continue until December 12, 2012. As there are no numbered days following this date, some have assumed that the Mayans believed time would end at this point. As the Mayan calendar and the Gregorian calendar (the one most contemporary societies use) are not based on the same standards or fixed marks, scientists must find common events recorded by both the Mayans and those who have used Gregorian calendars so that they can create a correlation between the two calendars. Usually, the common recorded events are astronomical events, such as eclipses or comets. However, a University of California, Santa Barbara, professor has questioned the accuracy of this correlation. Scholars may have misinterpreted events recorded by the Mayans; thus, what appears to be the last date on the Mayan calendar may not be 12/21/12 after all.

From Quiz Life, Death, and Beyond

Answer: Zoroastrianism

Zoroastrianism is based on the teachings of Zoroaster (also known as Zarathustra), who lived in the region now called Iran sometime between 3000 BCE and 400 BCE. His existence is primarily known through the texts, written in the Avestan language, which form the basis for Zoroastrianism. Ahura Mazda, the Creator, is entirely good, and is opposed by the forces of evil which try to destroy what has been created. Eventually, good is expected to triumph over evil, and the original state of perfection will be restored. This final renovation of the world will be brought about by Saoshyant (literally 'one who brings benefit'); it will involve resurrection of the dead followed by a final judgment in which each individual will be tested by the ordeal of walking through a river of molten metal which will destroy the wicked and leave the righteous unscathed to enjoy the eternally good world in which they will find themselves.

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