Armageddon
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For information on the rock group of the 70s, see Armageddon (American and British rock group).
For the German rock group, see Armageddon (German rock group).
For the movie, see Armageddon (movie).
Armageddon refers, generally, to end times or Earth ending catastrophes in various religions and cultures. "Armageddon" also refers to any great loss of life in battle etc.
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Christianity
In Christian apocalyptic literature (the Book of Revelation), Armageddon or Har-Mageddon is the site of the final battle between the kings of the earth (incited by Satan) and the Christian God. The term is also used for the battle itself, or more broadly for an Apocalypse. A similar concept is to be found in the Rastafari movement.
The word armageddon is derived from Mount (Har in Hebrew) Megiddo, the site of the Battle of Megiddo and other battles. Armageddon in Christianity is also anticipated as the final battle between the forces of good (Jesus and his angels) and the forces of evil (Satan (working through the Antichrist) and his demons) (see also Dualism). It precipitates final judgement for the wicked humans of earth and salvation for the just. It is known as the final purification of the Earth's sin.
Rastafarian
In the Rastafarian beliefs it is Haile Selassie who appears in the Book of Revelation. One of the Armageddon battles is considered to be the Second Italo-Ethiopian War.
There are predictions in the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition backed by predictions in the Bhavisya Purana of an "Armageddon"-like battle to take place soon. By some estimates this is to come in 2006. But the nature of that battle is notable, in that, it is primarily an internal battle based on fear (bhaya), and not one of the world going up in nuclear mushroom clouds.
The real enemies in this battle are identified as 1) lust 2) anger 3) greed 4) pride 5) illusion 6) envy along with two external enemies 7) hunger and 8) thirst. The weapon to defeat the six internal enemies (astra) is revealed as the holy names of God which are launched by prayerfully chanting them. The various religions of the world have been arming the people with various names of God in preparation for this event, which most traditions of knowledge have some revelation of.
Those who do not take shelter of the holy names of God at this critical time will be misled and destroyed by these enemies. This is the judgement day. Those who take shelter of the Lord by calling on His names will be freed and will bestowed with pure love for God, and will inherit the Earth along with other meek and humble souls of all religious faiths who similarly turned to God on the day of judgement. Interfaith unity will automatically be achieved by the survivors who will bond together in mutual respect as the self-evident genuinely chosen ones.
According to the predictions the war has begun on December 13, 2002 at the occurrence of an eclipse (viewed from India). It was also the day India's Parliament was attacked by terrorists and the Indian Prime Minister declared that "This is not an act of terrorism. This is an act of war." The war is being called the "Global War on Terrorism", which is another way of saying World War III.
The war is to gradually build up to encompass all the nations of the Earth and to culminate or peak in 2006. By 2007-8 the reconstruction process will begin. Those who live through this will enjoy a heaven on Earth to be shared with other enlightened souls, free from the hindrances of these 6 enemies. A golden age of spiritual growth and bliss is forecast for 10,000 years after this historic battle.
It is predicted that 75% of the population will be destroyed within a matter of 14 days by these 8 enemies led by ignorance. Thereafter, the world is to be ruled by pious kings who are short, dark complexioned and who worship the sun god. They will reorganize the world on the basis of spiritual development and an agrarian economy. The surviving population will occupy rural villages and the glorification of the Lord's holy names will be the universal religious process. (See Bhavisya Purana, Caitanyopanishad, and Gita Govinda)
Seventh-day Adventist
However, Seventh-day Adventists have a different interpretation--the final battle of Armageddon will take place after the thousand-year period mentioned in the book of Revelation, the period where those in Christ who have either died or lived through the Second Coming taking His name reigned with Him in Heaven. According to this account, Christ and His saints (and the Heavenly kingdom they now reside in) will come down to Earth, shielded from the wicked. Christ will raise the wicked dead, and both sides will engage in one final battle between good and evil. Satan and his followers will attempt to overthrow Christ's followers, but will be overcome by the power of Christ. Under His command, God destroys Satan and the wicked once and for all with an overwhelming fire. The Earth will be burned, having been quenched of all evil, then, according to the final two chapters of Revelation, the Earth will then be made new and restored to its original state before sin entered into the world...Christ and His redeemed saints will be declared victorious.
Though people should be dreaded by grief or anxiety. The whole purpose of life is to live a good life. To enjoy life you also have to help others enjoy it making you feel good and also making others feel good. Death is an envevitable part of life which must be taken.
Related articles
- Apocalypse
- Carmageddon, a violent video game with cars.
- Eschatology
- End of the world
- End of Civilization
See also
- Armageddon (movie)
- Megiddo (place)
- Armageddon (Warhammer)
- WWE Armageddon, the annual pay-per-view held by the World Wrestling Entertainment
External Links
- EscapeAllTheseThings.com — End Times Bible Prophecy Research (http://www.escapeallthesethings.com/)
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