The end is not an event—it’s a division. Irenaeus lays out the final apostasy: the rise of Antichrist, the mark of the beast, and the final judgment of the righteous and the wicked. Augustine then turns from cosmic dread to metaphysical wit, dismantling the classic objection, “What was God doing before creation?” And Thomas Aquinas follows, explaining how angels act on humanity—not by force, but by illumination, imagination, and providential aid.
Readings:
Irenaeus, Against Heresies, Book 5, Chapters 26–27
Augustine, The Confessions, Book 10, Chapter 29 (Section 39) Thomas
Aquinas, Summa Theologica, Part 1, Question 111
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