Do you expect the world to end? Will humans leave the world to another life form soon? These questions have plagued man since his inception on this planet. Humans have, in every culture, have made predictions of how and when the world will end. We have done this either through religion or just average men or women who say they have the sight to see the future. Do we consider religion false and seers charlatans? We must first look at the worlds myths about the end of the world, or as is called from the Greek, apocalypse. We will examine myths from Christianity, Hindu, Norse and Mayan/Aztec cultures. We will also see if there are any similarities and can they be proven as fact, for prediction of any event is speculative at best.
Let us peruse the Christian belief of the apocalypse and how it will come to pass. In choosing Christianity, we can see the most common knowledge myth about the end of days. Revelations is where Christians have gotten their idea of the world ending and it is here that we will find the one of the most published myths in modern history. It starts out with Saint John writing to the seven churches of Asia, known then as the area we now call turkey, and giving them warnings. It then goes on to portray Christ as opening the seven seals of judgment and one shows in Revelations 6:8, “And behold, a pale horse, and he who sat on it, his name was Death. Hades followed with him. Authority over one fourth of the earth, to kill with the sword, with famine, with death, and by the wild animals of the earth was given to him” (NIV, 1999). This is thought to be the emergence of the Anti-Christ and what follows is a form Armageddon.
As we continue on in this book of the Bible, we will begin to see the beginning of the dest...
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...n that death. Cultures around the world will eventually come to some enlightenment about the true nature of existence and when that happens, we can grow beyond the provincial need to believe that our world will end.
Works Cited
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Mythology, W. o.-W. (n.d.). Wars of Hindu Mythology. Retrieved July 17, 2010, from www.experiencefestival.com: http://www.experiencefestival.com/a/Wars_of_Hindu_Mythology/id/2013712
NIV. (1999). Revelations. In Holy Bible (p. 6:8). Hodder & Stoughton.
Sky, E. (n.d.). 20 QUESTIONS ON 2012. Retrieved July 17, 2010, from 13moon.com: http://www.13moon.com/prophecy%20page.htm
The extent of the average person’s knowledge of the Antichrist can be summed up as: a mythological satanic person associated with the number 666. An exhaustive study on end times Bible prophecy is beyond the scope of this book, but a brief description of the Antichrist is necessary.
Secondly, religion has a major role to play in the construction of this narrative. From the Judeo-Christian concepts of the apocalypse (i.e. great unveiling in the Ancient Greek language), to the mentions and appearances of the “prophet” in Station Eleven, the potential for the revival of old religions or the possibility of the creation of a new one provides evidence of the human need for self-actualization and deeply ingrained human desire to be a part of something much bigger than the human race itself. Thirdly, the basic human need for the overall welfare of oneself and the whole of humanity has been a desire and requirement for survival for as long as humanity has been grouped together in bands and societies; and for as long as humanity has existed. The basic human need and desire for companionship is both philosophical and biological; a man and a woman need to mate in order to survive, as well as people forming societies, groups, and friendships can further the progression of self-actualization within the global and local societies and
The books of the Left Behind series offer a fictionalized account of the end of the world, based on the authors’ understanding of the book of Revelation and other Bible prophecies. But Left Behind is much more than a series of books.
What would one do if you knew the world was going to end in 5 minutes? Would they do all the things they always desired to do but never got the time for? Would one get down and pray for absolution or would they sit back, relax and anticipate for the apocalypse to come. Everyone has some idea that they will be judged at the end of time of all the every day decisions that they make. There are 4 main areas of curiosity about the Last Judgment and the end of the world that this writer will familiarize you on in this paper, what it will be like preceding The Coming, When the Judgment will take place, the two types of judgment, and the conclusion afterwards.
The Long Count calendar, also known as the astronomical calendar, (the one that caused all the doomsday panic and prophecies) was used to cover longer periods of time. The Mayans called these long periods of time the “Universal Cycle”. The Mayans believed the universe gets destroyed and is then recreated with the beginning of each universal cycle. This belief is what fuels end of the world prophecies, especially those stemming from the Mayan calendar.
Not all life was destroyed either, a few gods survived, and 2 humans, a man and a woman, Lif and Lifthrasir, survived as well and repopulated the green world. Other gods are also reborn later in different forms, and a new set of gods is created. The word ‘Ragnarok’ has a double meaning, it means “The doom of the gods” and also, “The twilight of the gods.” This is important because it gives insight on the true meaning of Ragnarok, a cyclical end to the world, the Ragnarok described in this prophecy is only one of many, an eternal cycle of destruction and creation. This really reflects Norse culture so well and gives insight on why a cyclical end would make so much sense to them. This Ideology applies to so many things in the world, the cycle of life, death, and rebirth, the phases of the moon, day and night, the cycle of seasons, and so much more. Everything is a cycle, everything has a “doom” and a “twilight,” this view was obviously extremely important to Norse beliefs and even
Rosenburg, Donna. World Mythology: An Anthology of the Great Myths and Epics. Third Edition. Chicago: NTC/Contemporary Publishing Group, Inc., 1999. Text.
The term millennium does not appear anywhere in Scripture. The idea originated from a thousand year period of time that characterizes the reign of the Messiah. In fact, the phrase “thousand years” is stated six times in Revelation 20. There are three main schools of thought based upon one’s view of the thousand-year reign of Christ. These views are: Amillennial, Postmillennial and Premillennial. Over the centuries these prophetic differences have caused conflict within the body of Christ and are still currently widely debated. Instead of the book of Revelation being the basis of comfort (1 Thess. 4:18) among Christians it has become a bone of contention. However, this controversy should not deter Christ’s disciples from receiving the blessings that Revelation has to offer (Rev. 1:3; 14:13; 16:15; 19:9; 20:6; 22:7, 14). Rather, one should study prophecy under the Spirit’s guidance and look at the data provided within the full context of the Word assessing each of the views for correct motives and presuppositions. Therefore, this paper will examine the nature, timing, and duration of the millennium as well as the occupants of the millennial kingdom and the relationship of Israel and the Church to the millennial kingdom. The aim of this paper is to address “The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave to him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place” (Rev. 1:1, ESV).
...ch our souls with a new understanding of the nature that surrounds us. After all, our ancestors were more sensitive to the entire universe. The echoes of both creation myths still live in their societies. The twentieth century was the era of genuine revival of Norse mythology - both cultural and practical. The new paganism literally afflicted Europe and North America, restoring the rights of the ancient faith, giving it the official status. In the literature, an entire area, known as "Nordic fantasy”, is based on mythological Scandinavian stories. In other words, the Scandinavian myths regained its “flesh and blood” and deserve the favorable attention.
Before the destruction of this system of things, we expect a cry of peace and security as 1 Thess. 5:3 says “Whenever it is that they are saying: “Peace and security!” then sudden destruction is to be instantly upon them.” This will be followed by the great tribulation that begins with the devastation of false religion. True worshipers will survive only to be attacked by earthly forces of Satan, known as Gog of Magog. This will be the time when Jehovah steps in and destroys the rest of this wicked system in the battle known as Armageddon. That battle will clear the way for the reestablishment of Paradise on earth.
Apocalyptic stories are unique because there is no historical event to use as a reference. There have been events where a small group has faced annihilation but humanity as a species has never faced assured destruction. During the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1963, there was some belief that any use of force could trigger a nuclear holocaust. However, few people knew how close the United States and the Soviet Union were to nuclear war. There are no examples of the entire human species facing annihilation.
Rosenberg, Donna. “The Creation of the Titans and the Gods.” World Mythology An Anthology of the Great Myths and Epics. New York: Glencoe/McGraw-Hill, 2001. 84-88.
Classical Hindu Mythology. Cornelia Dimmitt and J. A. B. van Buitenen. Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1978. 38-40. Print.
"Myths Encyclopedia - Myths and legends of the world." Hinduism and Mythology. Web. 20 Apr. 2014.
This book gives a new interpretation of mythology, which combines stories from Adi Parva which precedes the main narrative of the Pandav-Kaurav war for succession.