The World Is Not Ending, but Maybe Predictions of It Will (7/16/06)
by Dean T. Hartwell
With the recent passing of June 6, 2006 (6/6/06) and the
wars taking place in the Middle East, some Christians
have opined that the end of the world is near. Not only
is it annoying to hear these unsubstantiated predictions
once again, it raises the issue of danger to the world
if its leaders believe the world is about to end.
What is the source of these beliefs? The Book of
Revelations, the last book in the Christian Bible. A man
known only as "John" allegedly wrote this book around
100 AD. Instead of extolling the virtues of
Christianity, he describes what some interpret as an end
of the world scenario in which, among other things, the
Antichrist linked to the number 666 appears, Christ
returns, a terrible war called Armageddon takes place,
Christ rules for 1,000 years on Earth and non-believers
are cast by God into an everlasting fire.
Devout believers of the Revelations have some
competition in the interpretation of this book. Some say
the trials and tribulations described really refer to
the persecution Christians faced many centuries ago.
Others suggest that John was under the influence of
intoxicants (common in some churches at the time of
John) when he wrote the book. Even Christians
historically have been unable to agree as to when the
events mentioned in the Revelations will take place.
Over the years, Christians prophesizing the end of the
world based on their reading of the Revelations have
unanimously been wrong.
Belief in the imminent end of the world can affect one's
decision making in the way that one would change his or
her life if given news of impending death. In either
scenario, issues like the importance of recycling
aluminum cans suddenly seem low in importance.
What about decisions made by our leaders?
Like most of our Presidents, President Bush publicly
takes Christianity seriously. He has never said that
thoughts of Armageddon dictate his decisions, but
sometimes it looks as though he does. For example, he
has given us no long-term policy for cleaning the
environment, improving public transportation or making
health care more accessible. As author Saul Landau
stated, "They [the Bush White House] view optimistically
the dire environmental warnings as sure signs that the
end is near and the Messiah will return."
Interestingly, Christian leaders have supported Israel
in the wars they have gotten into and in other policies.
Some have admitted that they want to keep Israel run by
Jews, so that the Biblical policy of Christ's return to
Israel and the mass conversion of Jews to Christianity
have a chance to come true.
Decisions influenced by a belief in the imminent end of
the world could take on catastrophic proportions. In the
current wars involving Israel and Lebanon and possible
wars with North Korea and Iran, a leader convinced that
the world will soon end might not hesitate to use
nuclear weapons. It begs an interesting set of
questions: Would God intervene to stop this nightmare?
If so, whose God?
On a lesser scale, United States leaders could promote
Christianity to convert as many people as they could. In
doing so, they would likely violate the separation of
church and state with such policies as the
re-introduction of prayer in public school.
People convinced that the world is about to end should
take a lesson from the theater. As Samuel Beckett said
in the play Waiting for Godot, "What are we doing
here, that is the question. And we are blessed in this,
that we happen to know the answer...We are waiting for
Godot to come."