Millennialism

Millennialism—belief in an imminent transition to a collective salvation either on earth or in heaven or both, and accomplished by a divine or superhuman agent or by humans working according to a divine or superhuman plan—manifests in distinctive patterns that are not mutually exclusive and that may be found in various traditions, including cultures that have not been influenced by Christianity and the Christian Bible. Millennial expressions are also found in secular movements that reject belief in supernatural beings. Common millennial patterns include catastrophic millennialism (apocalypticism), progressive millennialism, nativist millennialism, and avertive apocalypticism. There is a range of millennial activities: waiting for divine intervention; attempting to elicit divine intervention by spiritual practices; living in communities separate from wider society; responding peacefully or violently when attacked; and carrying out revolution to destroy the old order to create a new order expressive of the anticipated collective salvation.