Issue 6 - The History of the Future

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The idea of the End the World, Universal Armageddon, has definitely made a lasting impression upon us all and while we will not offer the final word here, we will certainly endeavor to make our end goals justify the means of tackling this issue. In discussing the end from an historico-religious perspective, we have to start at the beginning—looking at when concepts of the end began.

Weaving our way through Jewish apocalyptic texts, the books of Daniel and Enoch, we spin our way on to the book of Revelation, to where it all unravels at the climatic battle occurring on the Jezreel plain—Armageddon. Not to be forgotten, the Essenes and their final thoughts are both seen and heard. Advancing onward to issues of finality, we catapult to the Medieval period and relive the times when Popes and commoners alike thought the end was imminent, especially the climatic date of AD 1000. Of course, when that didn’t happen, somehow AD 1100 became a worthy substitute. Many individuals forecast the doom and gloom, among them Nostradamus, and we take the time to see how they came to their conclusions.

During the period of the Reformation, certain Anabaptists at Munster, Germany, amidst all their revelry, believed 1535 to be the last days. The end was expected to come in 1666, as the Great London Fire fueled this perception of the times. William Miller of the Seventh Day Adventists had his own selection of dates for the conclusion of all of things, including 1843 and 1844. And what of the thoughts of the end from Muslim, Hindu or Buddhist perspectives for that matter? Are speculations of the end only within the Judeo-Christian perspective?

Even from the 20th century and on into the 21st, from Mrs. Margaret Rowe to Hal Lindsey, the Davidians and Heaven’s Gate, and from the popular Thief in the Night movie to the Left Behind series, concepts of the end have enraptured us. But we cannot forget, so many of these grand assertions of finality are also followed by new beginnings, new hopes and new dreams for humanity. As for what you believe—we will leave you with your own conclusions.

Don’t be left behind!