Apocalypse and Millennium: Catastrophe, Progress, and the Lesser Peace

Abstract

Millennialism—the expectation of a more perfect order through divine intervention—is an important research topic and Bahá’í motif. The Bahá’í vision of a divine plan leading to the Lesser Peace and the Most Great Peace has “progressive” and “catastrophic” aspects. Some twentieth-century speculations on the Lesser Peace anticipated momentous events for three periods with both apocalyptic and peaceful aspects, for example, peace preceded by a catastrophe near the century’s end. This paper reviews some approaches to the Lesser Peace in light of millennialism studies and draws conclusions about Bahá’í “catastrophic” and “progressive” thinking.