Eschatological Predictions and Spiritism

 

Eschatological predictions and Spiritism

 

Marco Milani

 

Text published in Revista Dirigente Espírita, ed. 195, May / Jun 2023, p. 11-12

 

Eschatological predictions are those that refer to the end of times and the fate of humanity and the world. These predictions have been a subject of discussion for centuries and are found in various religious and philosophical traditions.

One of the most well-known eschatological predictions is the biblical Apocalypse, which a series of events that will occur at the end of times, including wars and natural disasters. From the Catholic and Islamic perspectives, there will be a Day of Judgment in wich the righteous will be taken to Heaven or Paradise, while the wicked will be condemned to Hell.

In Hindu philosophy, the most popular eschatological prediction is the end of the Kali Yuga, which is the current age of disorder and suffering according to the Hindu calendar. This age will also be marked by disasters and conflicts, but followed by a period of renewal and rebirth.

Many predictions made throughout history about the end of times or the beginning of a new era often coincided with emblematic dates, such as in the years 800, 1000, 1500, 1600, 1800 and 2000, or specific dates like 1260 , 1533, 1892, 1901 and 1982, among others. In the last decade, the most popular ones were 2012, associated with the Mayan calendar, and 2019, attributed to the Brazilian medium Francisco Cândido Xavier and became known as “deadline” considering its purpose of warning humanity about the need for change in attitudes.

But are there eschatological predictions in Spiritism?

Allan Kardec, in item 16 of chapter XVI of the book The Genesis, expresses himself as follow:

 

“[...] wise Spirits never predict anything at fixed times, limiting themselves to warning us about the sequence of events that may be useful for us to know. Insisting on obtaining precise details exposes to the deceptions of frivolous Spirits who predict whatever one wants, without concern for the truth, amusing themselves with the terrors and disappointments they cause.” (KARDEC, 2022)

 

From the Spiritist perspective, the evolutionary process allows predicting that the destiny of the Spirit is its full self-realization reaching the highest degree of spiritual purity without further need for reincarnation. Since its creation, the Intelligent Principle follows a trajectory unknown to us in its details, but with the certainty that its development is not limited to a planet or era. Therefore Earth is just an opportunity for incarnation. In this sense, any prediction about a new era assumes a much more symbolic meaning than an objective one.

Concluding the book The Genesis, chapter 18 is entitled “The times have come” and signals  a representative stage of moral improvement of the Spirit, which will reflect in social habits and customs. Thus, collectively, a predominance of attitudes more consistent with the practice of good will be noticed, in contrast to previous periods marked more intensely by selfishness and pride. This does not mean that this period of transformation is the same for all beings, as free will and individual efforts will determine the moral conditions of each one.

The planet progresses physically through geological transformations and the intelligent actions of humans, and morally through the purification of incarnate and discarnated individuals who populate it.

All worlds are interconnected, and as long as the Spirit needs to reincarnate, it will occupy those that are most suitable for it in the Universe, according to the level of moral and intellectual development it finds itself in. If we are on Earth today, it does not necessarily mean that we were here in previous incarnations or that we will be here in the next.

Astronomical studies estimate the end of human existence on this planet to occur in 1.6 billion Years, when the increase in temperature caused by the expansion of the Sun will make terrestrial life unviable. It is a factual and objective prediction.

Considering the immortality of the being, magnitudes like millions, billions, or trillions of years cease to have the same meaning in the realm of erraticity. According to question number 224 from The Spirits’ Book, the interval between incarnations can last from a few hours to a few thousand centuries (KARDEC 1998).

For the Spirit, the natural collapse of the conditions for organic life on this world will not interrupt its evolutionary trajectory in the Universe. What matters to us is to do good wherever we may be.

 

References

KARDEC, A. A gênese: os milagres e as predições segundo o Espiritismo. Tradução da 4ª edição francesa. São Paulo: USE, 2022.

KARDEC, A. O livro dos Espíritos. São Paulo: EME, 1998