Ediblog.com
Debra
Rae
Apocalyptic
Angst
Part
1: Man’s Religious Constructions
©2010
Debra Rae
The Book of Common Prayer
reminds us that “there was never anything by the wit of man so well
devised, or so sure established, whi
c
h in
c
ontinuan
c
e of time hath not been
c
orrupted.”
This
applies espe
c
ially to man’s religious
c
onstru
c
tions, whi
c
h blend reality with fan
c
iful imaginations; truth with error. Last days spe
c
ulation provides prime examples. For
thousands of years, various
c
ultures worldwide have
c
ontemplated earth’s looming end,
the last judgment, and the hereafter.
Sour
c
es from whi
c
h adherents draw their beliefs in
c
lude the Mayan Code (Mesoameri
c
an Long Count Calendar), the Qu’ran,
the Zoroastrian Avesta, and
propheti
c
passages from Old- and New- Testaments (e.g., Daniel, Revelation).
Mythologi
c
al and Histori
c
al Es
c
hatology
The
term “es
c
hatology”
c
omes from Greek words meaning
“last” and “the study of.” It referen
c
es last days—spe
c
ifi
c
ally, the “
c
lose of the age” with respe
c
t to an histori
c
al period. Depending on its
orientation, es
c
hatology
c
an be mythologi
c
al or histori
c
al in nature.
In
its grand
c
y
c
les of the destru
c
tion and re
c
reation of the universe, Hinduism
advan
c
es mythologi
c
al es
c
hatology. A
c
c
ordingly, Eastern mysti
c
s anti
c
ipate a new dawn on
c
e mankind takes a global leap to
c
osmi
c
- or Christ-
c
ons
c
iousness. In
c
ontrast, the three preeminent
monotheisti
c
world religions (Judaism,
Christianity, and Islam) view the last days histori
c
ally in terms of God’s perfe
c
ting His
c
reation and establishing His
kingdom.
In
the end, monotheisti
c
religions look to janah
(paradise for Muslims), gan’eden
(heavenly abode for Jews), or the New Jerusalem, new heavens and new earth
for Christians. Although most es
c
hatologi
c
al traditions agree on general
time frame, key figures, and desired out
c
ome, key do
c
trines vary signifi
c
antly.
That
said, the “moon god” (Allah) diverges dramati
c
ally from the God of the Bible, as
do parti
c
ulars of Islami
c
es
c
hatology. For most faiths,
judgment s
c
enarios inspire awe, if not fear;
yet, while a Muslim martyr expe
c
ts to be greeted by a gaggle of
virgins, a Christian, on
c
e “absent from body,” is
“present with the Lord.”
End
Time Imminen
c
e: Eastern Perspe
c
tive
Albert
Schweitzer on
c
e postulated: “As we a
c
quire more knowledge, things do
not be
c
ome more
c
omprehensible, but more
mysterious.” Indeed, mystery shrouds Eastern es
c
hatology. Core beliefs resurre
c
t an
c
ient Mithrai
c
Mysteries (Zoroastrianism) and
those of Osiris, Semiramis, and
Eleusis
from
Egypt
,
Babylon
,
Gree
c
e
and
Rome
, respe
c
tively.²
An
c
ient so
c
ieties believed that in 2012
“the gods”—e.g., the feathered serpent god—would return to earth,
judge its inhabitants, and usher in a new, pagan golden age. Starting at the
Mayan Fifth Great Cy
c
le, the Hindu
c
alendar likewise predi
c
ts global earth
c
hanges around the year 2012.
21 De
c
ember 2012
(or 13 Baktun)
c
loses the 5,126-year, post-
c
reation era in the Mayan Long
Count Calendar. Similarly, "Cherokee Rattlesnake Prophe
c
ies" anti
c
ipate
c
oming of the Pale One in 2012, when the Cherokee
c
alendar ends.
Prophe
c
ies surrounding 2012 and the
c
oming of Hiram appear repeatedly in Masoni
c
literature, and the Jewish Kabala
offers mysti
c
al
c
ommentary on the Pentateu
c
h/Torah and sets 2012 as the date for Messiah’s appearing. St. Mala
c
hy fingers 2012 as relating to “the last Pope.”³
In
c
ontrast, the Bible offers no definitive date for end-of-time wrap up;
however, by dis
c
erning signs, as indi
c
ated by
c
hanging seasons—e.g., spring blooms, blistering sunshine, falling leaves,
the first frost—a Bible believer likewise heeds natural, spiritual, and so
c
ial signs that signal Messiah’s
c
oming.
End
Time Imminen
c
e: Western Perspe
c
tive
Typi
c
al Westerners may pooh-pooh doomsday mania, but few
dismiss so
c
io-spiritual impa
c
t of last-day markers. Even
agnosti
c
s take note when learning that the Web Bot Proje
c
t for making sto
c
k market predi
c
tions foretells global devastation for late De
c
ember 2012; and a NASA report of the
National
Center
for Atmospheri
c
Resear
c
h anti
c
ipates an apo
c
alypti
c
geomagneti
c
solar storm to rea
c
h maximum in the year 2012.
Re
c
all some years ba
c
k, as Y2K fast approa
c
hed. Many reliable sour
c
es warned that the mu
c
h-publi
c
ized “millennium bug”
threatened a worldwide e
c
onomi
c
depression. The s
c
are featured embedded
c
hips, billions of whi
c
h are in servi
c
e globally. “Unseen guardians of
our lives,” these
c
hips keep nu
c
lear
c
ores, intensive
c
are units, military hardware,
satellites, oil, gas, water, and ele
c
tri
c
ity. For good reason, apo
c
alypti
c
spe
c
ulation abounded.
Should
but one mission-
c
riti
c
al failure o
c
c
ur, operations
c
ould halt altogether for agri
c
ulture, food pro
c
essing, health
c
are, edu
c
ation, air traffi
c
c
ontrol, and government servi
c
es. Hollywood’s new bat
c
h of disaster films are likely triggered by “topi
c
al anxieties” relating to
looming
c
atastrophe (real, imagined, or manipulated), global unrest and violen
c
e, threat of finan
c
ial ruin and deadly pandemi
c
s.6 When presented in tandem, s
c
enarios as these prompt many
otherwise rational Westerners to seek es
c
ape in al
c
ohol, gluttony, and fantasy entertainment.
Fear:
The Hook
Even
as Mayans prophesied some agent of destru
c
tion bringing famine, drought, vol
c
ani
c
eruptions, earthquakes, massive tidal waves, and polar reversal, Eastern
mysti
c
s expe
c
t a
c
osmologi
c
al “Dark Star” to
c
ause deadly
c
omets to bombard the earth. For Muslims, “major” and “minor”
end-time signs in
c
lude in
c
reased warfare and de
c
reased godliness.
Among
ten signs from the Sanhedrin 97B in
c
lude Jews opposing Jews, heightened inflation, and youth hating the aged.
Similarly, Christian es
c
hatology features what the Bible des
c
ribes as the beginning of birth pangs (some of whi
c
h are listed above); full-for
c
e birth pangs involve perse
c
ution, rampant de
c
eption, and
c
elestial disturban
c
es of unpre
c
edented magnitude.
While
Allah’s judgment is arbitrary, offering no substantive assuran
c
es to Muslims, the God of the Bible tempers justi
c
e with mer
c
y; salvation of His devotees is se
c
ure.
Key
Figures
Most
all religions re
c
ognize need for a savior. The role of ea
c
h is similar—that being to over
c
ome evil and establish good. Enemies of a promised golden age in
c
lude un-awakened
c
ons
c
iousness, Iblis (Muslim word for Satan), and anti
c
hrist.
Muslims
believe a great destru
c
tion will pre
c
ede the day of the resurre
c
tion (Yaum al-Qiyamah)9
when Jesus (Isa) will return, restore faith, usher in a perfe
c
t Islami
c
so
c
iety, and institute Sharia law to
govern all aspe
c
ts of life on the planet.
In
the Mayan tradition, shamans serve as messengers between the natural and
spiritual worlds. Alleged reversal of earth’s magneti
c
field will a
c
c
ompany the Mayan Fifth Cy
c
le. Distinguished by redis
c
overy of an
c
ient wisdom, this
c
osmi
c
c
y
c
le will transition the age of degeneration (Kali)
to that of a golden age (Krita).
Eastern
mysti
c
s look for a new avatar (in
c
arnation) of Maitreya Buddha—in Zoroastrianism, it’s Saoshyant. While Judaism awaits the Messiah, Christians await the
Messiah’s return. Even as the Jewish Messiah will defeat Gentile nations
and restore the nation of
Israel
, Christians believe that Christ will
c
ome again to res
c
ue
Israel
, defeat anti
c
hrist, judge the nations, and establish a messiani
c
kingdom.10
Cru
c
ial to Christianity is the
c
ru
c
ifixion, death, and resurre
c
tion of Jesus, for “there is no other name under heaven given among men
whereby we must be saved.”11 No shaman, adept, avatar, “pale
one,” or Maitreya will suffi
c
e.
Desired
Out
c
ome
Mayan
wisdom re
c
ognizes seven ages of man in his journey from realizing his spiritual
destiny, a
c
knowledging the god within, and be
c
oming spiritual to the point of exer
c
ising telepathy. By definition, nirvana is a
c
hieving enlightenment by absorption of the finite self into the infinite
absolute. Through multiple, upward mobility rein
c
arnations, mysti
c
s hope for nirvana in a “Pure Land Buddhism.”
Even
as Muslims define seven levels of reward with emphasis on mutahsibir
(sensual pleasure), Jews expe
c
t three levels of reward featuring restoration and fulfillment of God’s
promises to
Israel
.
Christians
are afforded degrees (not levels) of reward, first, in a millennial kingdom,
then in a new heaven and new earth. Even as the brightness of the sun varies
from that of the moon and stars, so it is with those bought ba
c
k to right standing with the Father by the shed blood of Jesus and resurre
c
tion power.
Simply
put: The
c
loser to the Son, the brighter the refle
c
ted light.12
Part
2 follows.
1
2 Corinthians 5:8.
2.
Debra Rae, ABCs of Globalism: A Vigilant Christian’s Glossary (Lafayette,
Louisiana: Huntington House Publishers, 1999), 50-58.
3.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baktun
and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012_phenomenon
4.
Matthew 24:36.
5.
http://www.de
c
ember212012.
c
om/topi
c
alanx .
6.
Romans 8:22.
7.
Romans 8:30-31.
8.
Jerry Rassamni, From
Jihad to Jesus: An Ex-Militant’s Journey of Faith (
Chattanooga
,
Tennessee
: Living Ink Books), 216.
9.
Ezekiel 39:22; Hosea 6:1-3; Ze
chariah 14:9; Matthew 25:31; Revelation 20:2-7.
Debra Rae is an author and educator who has traveled extensively throughout the United States and abroad. Having authored two books—the ABCs of Globalism and ABCs of Cultural-Isms (the latter highlighted at the 55th Annual CBA International Convention, 2004)—Debra contributing columnist for News With Views. Debra has been a speaker on numerous radio shows aired across the nation, the Western Hemisphere, Russia, and the Middle East. This past year, she co-launched and now co-hosts WOMANTalk, a special edition of Changing Worldviews TALK Radio, for which she writes weekly commentaries.
www.debraraebooks.com, www.womantalk.us,
www.newswithviews.com/Rae/Debra.htm
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