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The End is Nigh

Now I’m not about to don a sandwich board and haunt the cinema district, but it seems to me that we are hurtling towards an apocalypse of our own making.

Whilst I am not a religious person, in the orthodox sense anyway, I have enjoyed studying the bible. There are enough historical references to make it an interesting mystery sorting the fact from the fiction. It also provides endless material for philosophical debate. It suggests a moral and ethical code for a growing society, even if it is a paternalistic view.

I see the bible as metaphorical and allegorical. Working out what the parables are really trying to say is like looking for the moral of the story. What were they trying to warn us about?

Sometimes it can be scarily prophetic.

Revelation 16

The Seven Bowls of God’s Wrath:

1. Then I heard a loud voice from the temple saying to the seven angels, “Go, pour out the seven bowls of God’s wrath on the earth.”

2. The first angel went and poured out his bowl on the land, and ugly, festering sores broke out on the people who had the mark of the beast and worshiped its image.

Ebola, Aids, starvation, diabetes.

3. The second angel poured out his bowl on the sea, and it turned into blood like that of a dead person, and every living thing in the sea died.

Ocean warming, acidification, whaling, overfishing.

4. The third angel poured out his bowl on the rivers and springs of water, and they became blood.

Untreated effluent, algal blooms, fertiliser, fracking.

5. Then I heard the angel in charge of the waters say:

“You are just in these judgments, O Holy One, you who are and who were;

6. For they have shed the blood of your holy people and your prophets,

and you have given them blood to drink as they deserve.”

Climate Change Authority, CSIRO, Bureau of Meteorology.

7. And I heard the altar respond:

“Yes, Lord God Almighty,

true and just are your judgments.”

8. The fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and the sun was allowed to scorch people with fire. 9They were seared by the intense heat and they cursed the name of God, who had control over these plagues, but they refused to repent and glorify him.

Global warming, drought, bushfires.

10. The fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and its kingdom was plunged into darkness. People gnawed their tongues in agony 11and cursed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, but they refused to repent of what they had done.

Unfettered mining, peak resources, energy crisis, poverty.

12. The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up to prepare the way for the kings from the East.

13. Then I saw three impure spirits that looked like frogs; they came out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet.

Coalition of the willing.

14. They are demonic spirits that perform signs, and they go out to the kings of the whole world, to gather them for the battle on the great day of God Almighty.

15. “Look, I come like a thief! Blessed is the one who stays awake and remains clothed, so as not to go naked and be shamefully exposed.”

16. Then they gathered the kings together to the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon.

All those gathering on all sides in the Middle East .

17. The seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, and out of the temple came a loud voice from the throne, saying, “It is done!”

18. Then there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder and a severe earthquake. No earthquake like it has ever occurred since mankind has been on earth, so tremendous was the quake.

19. The great city split into three parts, and the cities of the nations collapsed. God remembered Babylon the Great and gave her the cup filled with the wine of the fury of his wrath.

20. Every island fled away and the mountains could not be found.

21. From the sky huge hailstones, each weighing about a hundred pounds, fell on people. And they cursed God on account of the plague of hail, because the plague was so terrible.

The consequences of poisoning and raping our planet as the bombs rain down on the heads of innocent children.

Being a fan of both John Lennon and Star Trek, I look forward to the day when the world will live as one and children may live long and prosper.

39 comments

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  1. cousincat

    Hear, hear, Kaye! (it’d be even better if non-humans’ intrinsic value was recognised and they were entitled to live long and prosper too!!)

  2. townsvilleblog

    Kaye, take the short cut and realize that its all fiction from unknown authors.

  3. Kaye Lee

    The bible is a book to me. Even the controversy about who wrote it and when translators changed meanings and why certain stories were included – what control did they want – it’s all fascinating for me. Divine? No. But certainly worth knowing about considering it’s history and the extent of its influence over millennia.

    Aesop’s fables, Shakespeare, John Donne, Douglas Addams – what’s it all mean 🙂

  4. johnalldis

    Read and understand the Real Truth only one Church has it The Seventh day Adventists you can not fault the SABBATH ISSUE

  5. Kaye Lee

    cousincat,

    Plants and animals are our co-travellers on Planet Ark. Their well-being is our well-being. Their protection is our responsibility. I agree with you.

  6. Kaye Lee

    Is this an accurate description of what Seventh Day Adventists believe?

    “The second coming of Christ is imminent. Believers should be ready at all times to be removed from earth to be with God in heaven. Others will be exterminated by Christ during what will be the most massive genocide in history. Righteous Christians who had previously died will be resurrected at that time and taken to heaven. For the following 1000 years, only Satan and his fallen angels will be living on earth. A second resurrection will occur at the end of that period. The righteous will then return to a cleansed earth, and establish the New Jerusalem.

    The unrighteous who died before the Second Coming will be resurrected and be annihilated; they will be consumed by fire from God, along with Satan and his angels. The universe will then be free of sin and sinners. Hell exists as a lake of fire where the unrighteous are “burned up, utterly destroyed, and cease forever to exist”. They do not view Hell as a place of eternal torment. The vast majority of humans who have ever lived will be among the unrighteous. They will cease to exist in any form.”

  7. Anne Byam

    Kaye …… I listened for years to proselytising Christian sects preaching the ‘end times’ …… I don’t listen any more. Unlike many many people who do believe, I cannot believe the Bible – in it’s entirety – is the word of God. Too many human hands, human intervention, books included – and then excluded, human decision making of what it became, not to mention the many times scripture has been put through translations from Roman, Hebrew, Arabic, Greek – and then into most all countries languages and dialects …… make it suspect at best.

    Humans are fallible.

    The reading of Revelations is, has and always will be, one of horror, sensationalism and fascination. But it does have a kind of happy ending …. with various promises. All of which are claimed by believers – in their own way of believing ( which number millions of intepretations ).

    John Lennon was before his time …. and his extraordinary writing of the song “Imagine” …. is THE best. …….. in part :

    Nothing to kill or die for
    And no religion too
    Imagine all the people
    Living life in peace…

    …………. A wonderful deliberation.

    ———-

    Footnote : The Mormons seem to have already broken a sacred demand that nothing be ‘added’ to the book….. they’ve added the Book of Mormon ( a book they seem to revere above all other readings ). I joined them once, until I was ex-communicated by a panel of 9 men, because I absolutely refused to obey one of their most precious requirements – that of vicarious baptism of the dead – into that Church.

    Just one of the many many thousands of ‘religious’ churches – cults – sects …. all of whom claim to have ‘the Truth’.

    Truth ?

  8. Anne Byam

    Kaye …… re Seventh Day Adventists. …………….

    that sounds about right. ….. many many other missionaries, preachers / priests / pastors, religious soothsayers, fundamentalists ( of any religion ), radicals and born-again Christians ……. believe almost exactly the same thing ( with a few variations on the theme ).

    I speak from experience – having had much to do with many of these religions, in study, in attendance, and in discussion. I now belong to no church, denomination or persuasion.

    I have my own beliefs with which I am comfortable and content.

    Maybe we should all look for our own truths. And accept that we are all different, yet paradoxically, all the same. There are several commenters on here who have revealed what they believe in …. I respect their beliefs 100%.

    We can but hope for some form of world peace and stability – sooner than later.

    ” The darkest hour is just before dawn ” ………..

  9. Zathras

    Remind me – which religion is the Apocalyptic Death Cult?

    As for me, I’m in the Church of the Subgenius.

    We believe that the world will be put out of its misery by invading alens from the Planet X but we dues paid-up members will be “ruptured up” into the escape vessels of the Sex Goddesses who will take us away to live in eternal bliss.

    It makes as much sense.

  10. cartoonmick

    Deserving as many on this rock may be of this treatment, I feel our fate will be sealed and delivered long before the angels get the chance to pour the seven bowls.

    It is easily depicted by this cartoon . . . .

    Editorial / Political

    Cheers
    Mick

  11. mikestasse

    Kaye…. you ARE catching up! Good to see………

    All jokes aside though, I think a MAJOR economic correction is brewing big time…….

    http://www.examiner.com/article/as-secret-saudi-deal-increases-harm-to-russian-currency-china-intervenes

    As ‘secret Saudi deal’ increases harm to Russian currency, China intervenes

    http://www.examiner.com/article/russia-dumping-dollars-to-use-to-protect-currency-and-falling-oil-prices

    Russia Dumping Dollars To Use To Protect Currency And Falling Oil Prices

    http://www.examiner.com/article/russia-banker-two-to-three-years-needed-to-be-totally-disconnected-from-dollar

    Russia banker: two to three years needed to be totally disconnected from dollar

    hhttp://www.examiner.com/article/china-will-use-gold-and-gold-pricing-to-force-global-currency-reset

    China will use gold and gold pricing to force global currency reset

  12. Kaye Lee

    Perhaps it is you who is catching up mike. We have been discussing the alliance between Russia, China and India to move away from the US dollar as the dominant currency for a while.

    “The group of emerging economies signed the long-anticipated document to create the $100 bn BRICS Development Bank and a reserve currency pool worth over another $100 bn. Both will counter the influence of Western-based lending institutions and the dollar.

    Russia, Brazil, India, China and South Africa account for 11 percent of global capital investment, and trade turnover almost doubled in the last 5 years, the president reminded.

    Each country will send either their finance minister or Central Bank chair to the bank’s representative board.

    Membership may not just be limited to just BRICS nations, either. Future members could include countries in other emerging markets blocs, such as Mexico, Indonesia, or Argentina, once it sorts out its debt burden.

    BRICS represents 42 percent of the world’s population and roughly 20 percent of the world’s economy based on GDP, and 30 percent of the world’s GDP based on PPP, a more accurate reading of the real economy. Total trade between the countries is $6.14 trillion, or nearly 17 percent of the world’s total.”

    http://rt.com/business/173008-brics-bank-currency-pool/

    This is Putin’s baby. It will be interesting to see how that little number plays out at the G20. Perhaps a tad more important than Tough Guy Tony?

  13. John Fraser

    <

    I find religion is best discussed around 1 or 2am when the wine and beer is running low and you want your guests to either go to bed or go home.

    A sure fire way to get the children to do some work is to suggest going to church or cleaning up the yard.

    "When the missionaries came to Africa they had the Bible and we had the land. They said 'Let us pray.' We closed our eyes. When we opened them we had the Bible and they had the land."
    Desmond Tutu

  14. Kaye Lee

    Sydney’s Catholic Archdiocese, thought to be the richest in the country, controls funds with assets of $1.24 billion and generates annual multimillion-dollar surpluses, according to evidence at the child sex abuse royal commission.

    As the commission explores the church’s handling of sex abuse claims, an unprecedented glimpse of the books was provided by the archdiocese’s business manager, Danny Casey, who said the funds are “ultimately controlled by – owned by, if you like – the archbishop of the day”.

    Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/national/sydneys-catholic-archdiocese-has-assets-over-1-billion-royal-commission-told-20140325-35fu8.html#ixzz3G6SI0voK

    It is impossible to calculate the wealth of the Roman Catholic Church. There is no doubt, however, that between the church’s priceless art, land, gold and investments across the globe, it is one of the wealthiest institutions on Earth.

  15. aravis1

    Excellent, Kaye Lee! And chilling; I was brought up on these prophecies, complete with charts. Now I believe in one thing only: the love of God. The Bible is fascinating, but not to be taken literally, as too many do.
    And as for “Tough Guy Tony”: I have just sent back to him his insulting letter that has been mailed out to age pensioners. On it I inscribed “Resign, D***head” and crossed out his Hon. and Minister, inserting Moron in its place. Juvenile, no doubt, immature, as the Russian spokesman called the Prime Oaf, but satisfying. I do however, hope that Mr Putin will indeed meet the mad monk and put him firmly in his place, with a well-placed threat or two.

  16. mikestasse

    aravis1, this blog needs a ‘like’ button…!

  17. John Fraser

    <

    " it is one of the wealthiest institutions on Earth."

    It is one of the wealthiest Corporations in the world.

  18. DanDark

    Good on you Aravis, but it did make me laugh at your defacing of Toxic Tonys letter 🙂
    I rang Tony’s Canberra office tis morning and said” What a dickhead he is, Tones is going to shirtfront another world leader when he is the host of the G20, who does he think he is Mighty Mouse, he needs to shut the hell up, Putin is a world leader, and Tones is going to shirt front him, enough is enough from the dickhead” she hung up on me then, good for her because I had more tooooo say….I am waiting for Putin to backhand Tones when he gets here, who wouldn’t Abbott needs a good “backhand” from someone bigger than him 🙂

  19. Dagney J. Taggart

    I work work with two Roman Catholics and a Muslim, all of them swarthy. We have had some interesting discussions about religion. Especially with the Muslim. What he has told me about radical Islam and its encroachment even here in the People’s Republic of Canberra is scary…..

    He’s okay though – I said he can go to the Mosque on Fridays as long as he doesn’t come back waving one of those black flags…..

  20. Anne Byam

    @ aravis1 ……

    I also received that letter from Abbott, which I thought was a decided ‘con’ …. to try to convince pensioners that nothing would change. I did not however, return it to him with any comments. ……But I understand how satisrying it would have been, to do that. !! 🙂

    He did mention, about half way down the ‘letter’ that the Pension increase would be ‘indexed’ ( in the future ). Which simply means this Government goes back to the Howard years, of increase of pensions calculated on CPI – and nothing else.

    That won’t even buy a Mars Bar per week.

    It’s a cynical attempt at convincing pensioners that they should vote for and stay with this vile lot.— Doesn’t say as much, but doesn’t take Einstein to read between the lines, either.

    If anyone is interested …. at all …………… there are many sites on line that explains the way a person signs a letter, and what their signature might mean. ….. It is far too complicated a subject to find much on line about. But ………

    Tony Abbott’s signature would be worthy of psych and hand writing experts. For the pensioners on here, who might like to look up a few details of handwriting, if they received the letter or can find some other example of his signature. …. His signature is weak, and decidedly odd !!

    I only have a slight knowledge of this subject, so cannot expand on it in any way.

    But I CAN say with some conviction and from study …………. his sex life ain’t too pretty !!! 😉

  21. Anne Byam

    @ Kaye Lee …… ( October 14, 2014 at 5:47 pm comment ) ……

    Oh how right you about that. The Catholic Church would have to be one of the wealthiest companies / corporations / organisations, known on earth.

    Abhorrent that they cannot sell off at least some of their “priceless art, land, gold and investments ” ( indeed a great deal ) to feed the starving, disenfranchised, alienated and forgotten people of this world …… instead of hanging on to their damnable wealth.

    Doesn’t say much for charity, religion or ethical and honest endeavour ………… does it ?

  22. Anne Byam

    Yes – Dan Dark ……….the Abbott needs a good backhander – a real good ‘un. But it can only come from the voters in our land.

    Anything else is grist for the mill ……or grist for the MSM …to sensationalise yet another Abbott headline – in which he is TOTALLY complicit.

    He is a seriously compromised individual …. as well as being a head-line grabbing, centre stage, MORON.

    ………….

  23. donwreford

    Although, much of the Bible is open to interpretation, as a result of differing accounts and also meanings are sometimes esoteric, and sometimes overt, nevertheless, parts of the Bible are unmistakable in terms of insight and wisdom, which at the moment, wisdom is unfashionable, as it not a sexy subject or fashionable, I am not including, certain parts of the Bible, such as Solomons Songs.

  24. Matters Not

    donwreford said:

    much of the Bible is open to interpretation

    Funny thing that interpretation. But yes I agree. But isn’t that the same with the Qur’an? At least the Sunni and Shia adherents think so. If the writings contained within the Qur’an weren’t open to ‘interpretation’ then why have Imams?

    What about … Let’s say the Australian Constitution. Open to interpretation? There’s any number of constitutional lawyers and judges whose livelihood depend exactly on the concept of ‘interpretation’.

    What about the intent of Hockey’s Budget? Open to interpretation? Hockey gives certain meanings to it, while I see it (interpret, understand, give meaning to same) and arrive at a totally different conclusion.

    At a less macro level, what about your post? The claim that:

    parts of the Bible are unmistakable in terms of insight and wisdom

    is completely dependent on how you ‘see the world’, your ‘interpretation’, the meaning you give to it?

    Yes or No?

  25. stephentardrew

    Though I tolerate it at some level religion baffles me. Like most of us oldies I was brought up with religion however it left me long ago yet I did not loose that sense of mystery and awe which came to me in art and science. I think you don’t need dogma. Insight is a deep abiding state of peace of mind. Find the scientific unknowns and there you are just boundless mystery and wonder. Explore the vast abstract potentialities in art and the universe opens up to limitless surprise. Love can come from from art and science which reflect the urge to goodness and beauty. Anyhow thats how I see it.

  26. Matters Not

    however it (religion) left me long ago

    Is it possible you left it?

    I know I bear the responsibility for same. Actually, I can’t comprehend the notion that what is essentially a human creation can leave of, presumably, its own volition.

  27. randalstella

    Has anyone else tried posting under Ross Leigh’s piece, Ebola, The Taliban …?

  28. stephentardrew

    Matters Not:

    It is about detachment. When I let go of attachment to beliefs they just wandered off of their own accord. Remember most of the universe is deterministic and much of what we do functions subconsciously so an initial insight can self-organize new cognitive and emotional connections. Brain plasticity is pretty well understood these days

  29. Anne Byam

    @ stephentardrew ( October 14, 2014 at 10:03 pm – comment )

    I totally get what you are saying Stephen. Art, science, philosophy. literature …. all create a wonder and yearning for more knowledge of what we are, who we are, and how we can help – mankind, the planet, anything and everything that is important in life.

    I wish I could know that I might come back after this time on earth, to continue to study.

    ========

    @ Mars 08. It is possible for both to happen …. for religion to leave a person, and also for a person decidedly to leave religion. Whichever is the case, it is probably meant to be – however it happens. Have some deeply personal experience of that – from both sides of the coin.

    ========

    @ randalstella ……… yes, I posted a comment, did not copy and paste it to Word Doc …. which I most often do – and lost the whole lot.

    It sometimes happens, bandwidth usage, some gremlin that gets into the moderators’ computers, anything can happen ( it’s the age of technology – I cannot trust it ….. and it gets more complicated by the week !!!! )

    I didn’t bother reposting there, mainly because I couldn’t remember exactly how I wrote the post !! 🙂 …

    Ah well ….. **it happens.

  30. randalstella

    Thank you Anne.

  31. Matters Not

    When I let go

    So it was you who let go? And it wasn’t the beliefs that let go of you?

    I can understand that. Or to be more precise, the meaning I give to that confession, I agree with.

  32. stephentardrew

    Matters Not:

    Well to follow the finer points it is both. Determinism and choice are incompatible. However some philosophers are now compatibalists (me include – unit volume complexity and self-reference leads to nominal choice not free will) so its a grand mish mash of competing imperatives and depending upon your point of view both are right. Sort of a mental version of Young’s particle wave paradox derived from his double slit experiment.

  33. aravis1

    Thanks Mikestasse! I agree, about the Like button! I wish also that our replies could go just below the post we’re responding to…

  34. aravis1

    O well, DanDark, you did the equivalent, and good on you! I would not be surprised if the mad monk’s office receives quite a few similar calls. It is not only insulting to receive a patronising, simplistic, lying letter like that, but it is a total waste of the taxpayer’s money too. And as for his signature – it is an odd one; pointy, narrow, and sloping upwards. If I were to submit it for analysis, I would guess that it reveals a broken personality, narcissistic and psychopathic. But I’m getting that from reluctantly observing the horrible creature over the last year. And if I see one more pic of him posing in his tweeties I will vomit – no lie.

  35. Matthew Oborne

    The three little pigs, the house of straw Reaganomics, the house of sticks Russian economy, the house of bricks the chinese economy, spooky isnt it Aravis.

  36. Sandi

    Great piece Kaye, we are definitely a world in self destruct mode, and most are sitting around waiting for a miraculous happening to save them, which is not going to come. If people want to be saved it’s time they stand up and be counted. Take to the streets, let those in charge know that it is not said or done in your name.

  37. lunalava

    Favourite bit of graffiti:

    “God is alive and well and working on a less ambitious project”

    Reminds me of the Labor Party in opposition actually.

  38. mikestasse

    And oil just fell to $80……… boy oh boy, those oil companies must bleeding loads of red ink today…….

  39. stephentardrew

    mikestasse:

    Kerry and the Saudi’s getting their wish. Its great when predictions come true.

    Can anybody here defend the difference between what Russia is doing it Ukraine and what we have done in the Middle East?

    Yoo Hoo the silence is deafening.

    My countrymen go from ignorance to ignorance while electing an immature, egocentric, testosterone driven emotionally crippled teenager 50 year old fascist ignoramus.

    And there his good points.

    Says something about the emotional maturity of Australians.

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