Buddhism: A major emphasis is the doctrine of “Emptiness” (shunyata): the understanding that nothing has lasting value or significance. Buddhists also promote the related concept of “Impermanence” (anicca): the belief that nothing will exist permanently. “Along with “suffering” (dukkha) and “no-soul” (anatta), “impermanence” (anicca) is the third pillar of the Buddhist philosophy…People should not be attached to anything, including their ideas and perceptions of themselves because nothing is permanent.”[1] The unique identity of a person is only a temporary condition brought about by the illusion of this realm. Ultimately all things will dissolve into non-being, including the universe in which we live. However, after each dissolution of the universe, another cycle of manifestation takes place, a condition that persists for eternity.

     On the cover of the book is the dharma wheel symbol for Buddhism, surrounded by flames. The fire is symbolic of Buddha’s first sermon to his ascetic colleagues. It has  been titled “The Fire Sermon,” a message that stressed how “insubstantial things in this world are, how like a fire they exist only through the process of burning.”[2]

     A cyclical view of the future is also promoted in Buddhism (the details of which may not be accepted by all Buddhists). The word “kalpa” signifies an extremely lengthy period of time. A kalpa is “divided into four parts: the arising of a universe, the continuation of the arisen universe, the demise of that universe, the continuation of chaos.”[3] These four phases constitute a “great kalpa” (mahakalpa). It is further divided into 20 small kalpas. The small kalpa is then sub-divided into four ages: iron, copper, silver and gold.

     “During the generational period of a small kalpa, human lifespan increase by one year every hundred years until it has reached 84 thousand years…In the period of decline of a small kalpa, which is divided into phases of plague, war, and famine, human lifespan decreases to ten years...”[4]

Christianity: Some teachers of the Bible insist that the earth has gone through at least six major stages spiritually (some of which overlap in their influence) and that two more are yet to come:

1. The Age of Innocence (prior to the fall of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden);

2. The Age of Conscience (the era following the fall in which God dealt with the souls of men primarily by means of this ‘inner witness’);

3. The Age of Human Government (beginning with Noah and the revelation he received);

4. The Age of the Promise (from Abraham to Moses);

5. The Age of the Law (following the giving of the Law to Moses on Mount Sinai);

6. The Age of Grace (in place since Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection and the coming of the Holy Spirit into the hearts of believers on the day of Pentecost);

7. The Kingdom Age (a thousand-year-long reign of Christ on earth);

8. The New Creation (the eternal state following a renovation by fire of the universe).

     The seventh era will immediately follow the Second Coming of Christ. After returning in glory, the Lord Jesus will restore this world to paradise beauty. He and his glorified saints (those resurrected from the dead or translated at his return) will then reign on earth for a thousand years. (Revelation 21, Note: Some Christian theologians do not interpret this millennium-long time span as being literal.)

     During that era, called the Kingdom Age, wars will cease, harmony will be restored in nature (for instance, lambs will coexist peacefully with lions), sickness will be non-existent, the curse will be lifted, peace will be established and God will personally dwell among men. All of the problems that plague humanity will be solved. Satan and all his demonic underlings will be incarcerated in a spiritual prison called “the bottomless pit.” Glorified saints will rule as God’s representatives over the natural people who will repopulate the earth after the devastating effects of the last days’ holocaust. (See Isaiah 2:3-4; 33:24; 65:25, Psalm 46, Zechariah 14, 1 Corinthians 6:2, Revelation 12.)

     Immediately following this Millennial Reign, there will be a renovation by fire of the entire cosmos. “The heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up.” (2 Peter 3:10) Out of this cosmic conflagration will emerge a New Heaven and a New Earth both of which will be permanent and perfect.

Hinduism: Vedanta cosmology (a view based on the Vedas) speaks of the manifestation and the non-manifestation of the universe. In the former state things are seen in their tangible form, and in the latter, they go dormant as seed. These two universal states are called the “day of Brahma” and the “night of Brahma” (Brahma being the creator-god in traditional Hinduism).

     The period of manifestation is called a kalpa, or cycle. One kalpa consists of 4,320,000,000 years. Two kalpas make a day and night of Brahma—a total of 8,640,000,000 years. 360 such days and nights make one year of Brahma. 100 such years constitute Brahma’s lifetime of 311,040,000,000,000 years. Brahma then dies and another Brahma is reborn, a process infinitely repeated.[1]

     When Brahma dies everything dissolves, returning back to the primordial substance (prakriti). Some sources (Mundaka Upanishad 2,1,1 and Taittiriyaka Upanishad 3,10,4) explain that even the highest divine beings, gods and demigods, are subjected to this process. There are differences of opinion concerning whether or not those who experience release (moksha) from the cycle of rebirths will be subjected to this process. Some say that all evolved beings will eventually be recaptured by the merciless turn of the cyclical wheel…again and again…ad infinitum. Other sources say that liberated souls are not affected by this final dissolution and ‘night of non-manifestation’—Mahapralaya—but rather, remain in the highest state of oneness with Brahman.

    Each kalpa is made up of 1000 maha-yugas. A maha-yuga is comprised of four yugas or world ages: Krita (or Satya) Yuga (1,728,000 years), Treta Yuga (1,296,000 years), Dvapara Yuga (864,000 years) and Kali Yuga (432,000 years). These four yugas are named after the four throws in a dice game, progressing from the best to the worst. Added together, they make up a Mahayuga (“great yuga”). Notice that each age is a multiple of 432,000. The reasoning behind this is as follows: the Krita Yuga is the golden age of perfection when dharma, the moral order of the world, is one hundred percent manifested. There is a progressive degeneration in every age, with twenty-five percent of dharma being lost with each age. The Kali Yuga, being a fourth as long as the Krita Yuga, is the darkest of all ages subsisting “on twenty-five percent of the full strength of dharma. Egoistic, devouring, blind and reckless elements now are triumphant and rule the day. Kali means the worst of anything…During the Kali Yuga, man and his world are at their very worst.”[2] The general consensus is that this dark period began in 3102 B.C. and will, therefore, end approximately 426,898 years from now.[3] Conditions will increasingly worsen until virtue and religion disappear, chaos reigns and the destruction of the world takes place. Then, after a Brahma-night of non-manifestation, the cyclical process begins all over again, beginning with another Krita Yuga.

Islam: This present age will continue until the Final Judgment takes place and all human beings stand before Allah. They will either be allowed entrance into paradise or condemned to hell. These two locations, paradise for the righteous and hell for the wicked, are actual, permanent and eternal. Muslims who commit grave sins and do not repent will go to hell only temporarily . After a sufficient punishment they will be allowed to enter paradise.

Judaism: “Jewish eschatology deals primarily and principally with the final destiny of the Jewish nation and the world in general, and only secondarily with the future of the individual.”[1] Traditional Jews believe in a coming “Day of the Lord” in which divine judgments and wrath will be poured out on the heathen world. They also believe that with the subsequent coming of the Messiah (yemot ha-mashi’ah) there will be a restoration of godliness and paradise perfection throughout the earth. The restored nation of Israel will then be the political and spiritual ‘head’ of all nations.

     Most sources position this ‘golden era’ of messianic majesty as a “transitional stage” to a final, spectacular, infinite state, simply referred to as the “Kingdom of Heaven” (malkut shamayim) or the “world to come” (olam ha-ba). Other interpretations exist that blend the Messianic Age and olam ha-ba together, insisting that these two descriptive phrases are actually referring to the same era. 

     Various projections are given for the length of the Messianic Age: “40, 70…365…and 400 years.”[2] Some even project that the Messiah’s reign will last “1,000, 2,000, 4,000 or 7,000 years.”[3] Kabbalists believe “the Messianic Age will last approximately a thousand years.”[4] A late baraita (a teaching from a source other than the Mishnah) postulates that this world will exist for “6,000 years, of which the first 2,000 will be a period of desolation, 2,000 of Torah, and the last 2,000 the messianic era.” Another teaching exists that “the Holy One Blessed Be He will renew his world only after 7,000 years.” (Babylonian Talmud, Sanhedrin 97b)[5] This renewal will involve a final, fiery transformation and the manifestation of a “new heaven and a new earth.” (Isaiah 65:17-25) By these references it is clear that much latitude is allowed in forecasting the future in Judaism.

Sikhism: The universe has passed and will yet pass through a limitless number of emanations and dissolutions. The Adi Granth (the Sikh sacred Scripture) also mentions and verifies various, recurring ages (yugas). (See Adi Granth 275:10, 276:12-13)

Taoism: Taoism embraces the concept of an unending number of kalpas (ages) and an infinite number of creations (yang) and dissolutions (yin) of the universe. Furthermore, there are four primary cycles associated with the Chinese calendar: the Sexagenary Cycle (60 years), the Three Eras (each era is 60 years long), the Nine Cycles (20 years each), and the 24 seasonal markers (two to each month). Note that in 180 years there are, therefore, Three Eras (60 years each) and Nine Cycles (20 years each).

Zoroastrianism: Teaches that history is divided into four ages, each of which is 3,000 years in length. In the beginning there existed light and darkness and a Void separating the two. Ahura Mazda, the righteous Lord, lived in the light; Angra Mainyu, the god of evil, lived in the darkness. At the end of the first tri-millennium, Angra Mainyu (also called Ahriman) passed over the Void of separation and attacked Ahura Mazda. Ahura Mazda defeated him by reciting the most sacred of all prayers, the Ahuna Vairya. Overpowered and ousted, Ahriman fell back into the abyss to remain there for another 3,000 years. During this period Ahura Mazda fashioned the spiritual creation, the Beneficent Immortals, and the physical creation. Simultaneously, Angra Mainyu created six demons and a rival material creation.

     At the end of the second tri-millennium, Angra Mainyu killed Gayomart, the primeval man. From Gayomart’s body the earth’s metals and minerals were produced. Gold was Gayomart’s seed and from it the human race was generated. In the third tri-millennium, Angra Mainyu conquered the material world, but became trapped in it.

Other Religions, Sects and Teachers

Astrology: There are various branches of astrological thought (Egyptian, Chinese, Hindu, etc.) with many differing opinions, sometimes concerning key astrological issues. The most widely accepted zodiac contains 12 signs (houses) through which the sun passes. Different schools of thought believe in 8, 10, 14 or 24 signs or houses. However, all forms of astrology agree on a cyclical view of human history and destiny.

    Theoretically, a new era begins worldwide whenever the sun enters a new sign of the zodiac on the day of the vernal equinox (one of two days a year when the sun is directly above the equator). This solar event occurs every 2,200 years, heralding the entrance of a new age. After the completion of twelve astrological ages (if the twelve house theory is embraced) the process is finished. This takes approximately 26,000 years. Then the whole process repeats itself indefinitely. In astrology, no ultimate, dramatic, permanent change ever comes to this world or the universe as a whole. Rather, there is an endless repetition of astrological ages that never fully solve the problems of the human race.

Bahá’í: Spiritual dispensations are marked by the entrance into this world of select religious leaders referred to as “Manifestations of God.” These choice individuals are “theophanies: mirrors who reflect God’s glory and reveal his attributes”…they are the “means of approach to God,” being his “messengers,” “bringers of divine revelation.” However, they “are not incarnations of God; they do not embody the divine essence.”[1]

     With each “Manifestation of God” there is a new spiritual era in which a new religion is born, gradually matures and then declines, necessitating another “Manifestation” with fresh insight. Each of these eras is an independent dispensation, occurring within one of the two primary cycles promoted in the Bahá’í faith. This present cycle is titled “the Bahá’í Cycle.” It began with the Bab (founder of the Babi faith and forerunner of Bahá’u’lláh) and Bahá’u’lláh (founder of the Bahá’í faith). Both these individuals are considered “Manifestations.” 

(1)     The Adamic Cycle—This cycle was initiated by the prophet, Adam (considered a “Manifestation”), and lasted approximately 6,000 years. It ended in 1844 when the Bab (founder of the Babi faith) emerged on the world scene; 

(2)     The Bahá’í Cycle—This began with the declaration of the Bab and will include the future establishment of the Kingdom of God on earth. It will last some half-a-million years, during which there will be a succession of future Manifestations of God, all appearing “under Bahá’u’lláh’s shadow.”[2] According to the Universal House of Justice (the governing body of the Bahá’í faith) the next Manifestation will appear after one thousand years from the date of Bahá’u’lláh’s imprisonment in Tehran in 1852. So the next great Era heralded by a new World Teacher is expected to begin some time after 2852 A.D. 

Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual Organization (Raja Yoga): The drama of human history is spoken of in cyclical terms. There is a continual, eternal reoccurrence of five world ages, the first being an age of perfect beauty, purity and truth called the Golden Age. In this age, the law of love rules all the activities of human beings. From its inception, however, there is a continuing loss of perfection until the end of the Iron Age, when truth is hidden and evil abounds. After the Golden Age (Sat Yuga—the Age of Perfection), come the Silver Age (Treta Yuga—the Three-Quarters Age, an Age of Decline), the Copper Age (Dwapur Yuga—the Age of Duality), the Iron Age (Kali Yuga—the Age of Death), and finally, the Diamond Age (Sangam Yuga—the Confluence Age, the Age of Illumination). Each of the first four ages last 1,250 years. The Diamond Age only lasts 100 years. Therefore, a complete cycle is 5,000 years long. The Diamond Age is called an Age of Confluence (which means a “convergence” or a “coming together”) because in this final age, there is a meeting of God and all mankind, as well as a meeting of the old world and soon-to-be-recreated world.

     Human beings who start incarnating with the beginning of the Golden Age can experience a maximum of 84 births during the completion of all five cycles (Golden Age—8 births, Silver Age—12 births, Copper Age—21 births, Iron Age—42 births, Diamond Age—1 birth). Its level of purity, power and spirituality determines the number of births that an individual soul experiences.

     The Diamond Age is a crucially important era. At its onset, God Shiva descends, entering a human form. Because the world is in a state of great darkness and wickedness, he comes to purify and liberate souls taking them back to their original abode. According to this worldview, such a notable happening took place in 1937, when Shiva descended into the body of Lekh Raj (later to be known as Prajapita Brahma) the founder of this religious group. God visits the earth in this manner to demonstrate his teachings through the example of the one in whom he dwells. Those who acknowledge Shiva Baba and follow the teachings of Brahma are referred to as Brahmins, the “twice-born.”  “Through Brahma the Supreme Soul gives human souls a spiritual birth…through the ‘breath’ of God’s knowledge the soul experiences total spiritual rebirth: a new mind, a new vision, a new dimension of living…”[1]

ISKCON (International Society for Krishna Consciousness): A cyclical view identical with traditional Hinduism is taught with four different yugas (ages) of varying length totaling 4,320,000 years. The life span during these four yugas is: (1) The Satya-yuga—approximate life expectancy for human beings during this most perfect of all ages, 100,000 years. (2) The Treta-yuga—an average life expectancy of 10,000 years. (3) The Dvapara-yuga—a potential life expectancy of 1,000 years. (4) The Kali-yuga, this “present age of quarrel and hypocrisy”—a maximum life expectancy significantly reduced to 100 years. This has since been lowered to 70 years. “It will eventually decrease to the point where if a man lives for twenty to thirty years, he will be considered a very old man.” This yuga began about 5,000 years ago.[1]

Kabbala (Mystical Judaism): According to the Kabbalah of Gerona, in the Sefer ha-Temunah (written about 1250 A.D.) the following cyclical view is presented. “The first three Sefirot remain concealed and do not activate ‘worlds’ outside themselves…From the Sefirot Binah, also called ‘the mother of the worlds,’ the seven apprehendable and outgoing Sefirot are emanated.” (See “Kabbalah” under The Origin and Nature of the Universe for an explanation of the Sefirot.)

     “Each one of these Sefirot has a special role in one creation-cycle. Each such cosmic cycle, bound to one of the Sefirot, is called a shemittah or sabbatical year—a term taken from Deuteronomy 15—and has an active life of 6,000 years. In the seventh millennium, which is the shemittah period, the Sabbath-day of the cycle, the sefirotic forces cease to function and the world returns to chaos. Subsequently, the world is renewed through the power of the following Sefirah and is active for a new cycle. At the end of all the shemittot there is the “great jubilee,” when not only all the lower worlds, but the seven supporting Sefirot themselves are reabsorbed into Binah. The basic unit of world history is therefore the 50,000-year jubilee.”[1]

     A later Kabbalist writer (Babya b. Asher) proposed “the world-process lasts for no less than 18,000 jubilees.”[2] This time-span is not calculable by present standards, though, because with each seventh millennium “measurements of time change,” being affected by a gradual slowing of universal bodies. Though some assert that at the conclusion of each “great jubilee,” God begins a new creation out of nothing (ex nihilo), no Kabbalist writings imply an infinite stream of jubilees yet to unfold.

Kriya Yoga (Swami Sri Yukteswar): This patriarch of the Kriya Yoga worldview redefined the cyclical view espoused in Hinduism. Drawing from Oriental astronomical beliefs, Swami Sri Yukteswar proposed that our solar system as a whole (the sun and its planets and their moons) make a revolution around a certain universal focal point every 24,000 years. This involves an Ascending Arc of 12,000 years and a Descending Arc of 12,000 years.

     The development of dharma is divided into four stages: Kali Yuga (1,200 years); Dwapara Yuga (2,400 years); Treta Yuga (3,600 years); and Satya Yuga (4,800 years). Altogether these four yugas make up the Ascending Arc. Notice that each Yuga is a multiple of 1,200 years. Each yuga increases, not only in time span, but in spirituality. In the final yuga (Satya Yuga) dharma (mental virtue) is fully developed and “the human intellect can comprehend all, even God the Spirit beyond this visible world.” The fourfold cycle altogether is called a “Daiva Yuga,” also referred to as “the Age of the Gods.” One thousand of these ages constitute “one day of Brahma,” with a “night of Brahma” of equal length (12,000,000 years each).

     According to certain cosmic calculations, around the year 500 A.D. the Kali Yuga (in the Descending Arc) reached its darkest moment. The next stage became the Kali Yuga (in the Ascending Arc) ending around 1700 A.D. Then the ascending Dwapara Yuga began, destined to continue for 2,400 years, bringing with it an increase of mental awareness in the human race. In 4,100 A.D. the Treta Yuga will begin. In 7,700 A.D. the Satya Yuga will begin. According to Yogananda, in that final age of the Ascending Arc “men will work in harmony with the divine plan.”[1]

     Swami Yukteswar insists that the Hindu calculations are wrong which predict a continuance of the dark Kali Age for approximately another 427,000 years, and calls such scenario, “A dark prospect! And fortunately one not true.” Because this is an ascending age, and humanity has been freed long ago from the Kali Yuga, the human race is “reaching out for spiritual knowledge, and men require loving help one from the other.” These alternating cycles continue throughout the ceaseless ages to come.[2]

Scientology: Promotes, first, an objective of helping individuals attain and maintain a state of spiritual freedom. This, in turn, should lead to the ultimate objective of “clearing the planet”—in other words, ridding the earth of negative things like: selfishness, dishonesty, violence, crime, insanity and war. Thus, a more enduring civilization results.

Theosophy: Theosophists believe that the earth is presently in its fourth cycle, and the human race is now experiencing the third “root race” and the beginnings of the sixth subrace. (See “Theosophy” under The Spiritual Journey and Ultimate Destiny of Man.) Similar to Hinduism, Theosophy teaches that the universe is eternal, existing without end in great cosmic cycles of the evolution of matter, intelligence, and spirit. Life on earth will come to an end after the seventh “root race” is established and brought to completion. Then this evolution will continue on in other worlds.

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