Armageddon Now.       

    A small printed flyer with an eye catching headline arrived in my mailbox today. “Armageddon Now!” it declared.

    The flyer assures me that “Time is Running Out for Planet Earth” and I owe it to myself to attend an astounding Revelation Seminar which starts in a few days at a church auditorium within walking distance of my house.

     Imagine that! A chance to get the lowdown on the final battle between good and evil, and the first night of admission to the series is free! Then I noticed the copyright date on the color brochure. 1986. This group has been making a living out of end-of-the-world seminars for twenty-five years, at least.

    I have no idea how many people through the ages have gained financial profit from scaring the wits out of people using the Book of Revelation as a tool. Makes me wish King James’s translators had stopped with the Book of Jude and left the 22 chapters of Revelation in limbo. Or, at least, in Latin or Greek.

    It’s possible the earth will become uninhabitable several million years from now. The sun will probably exhaust its fuel some day and Earth will freeze up. Or the sun might give up the ghost in a mighty explosion and our planet will burn to a cinder. There’s the possibility of a giant asteroid crashing into our globe some day, possibly skewing our orbit enough to raise havoc with temperatures. I haven’t a clue, and don’t plan to attend any seminars that claim the end of humankind is just around the corner.

    However, let’s suppose that the ages-old battle of good and evil is heating up and an Armageddon is inevitable. Pray tell, who is going to handle the task of accurately identifying exactly what is “good” and what is “evil”? In the minds of many, for instance, the wealth of the rich is considered “ill-gotten gains” and those with gobs of money are evil. Especially big bankers and Wall Street executives.

   On the other hand, some rich people, like Bill and Melinda Gates, are not classified with the evil Wall Street crowd because they apply a lot of their money to important social needs. Yet even they have their critics who find fault with the fact the Gates actually control their money on without total direction from political liberals.

   Will the booze battle be scooped up in Armageddon?  We have a great many people who believe a dollop of wine at the end of the day is a very good thing, especially for older people whose circulation and appetite fail them.  Besides, as the wags have it, Jesus never turned wine into water.  Surely, there must be something beneficial to the fermented juice of the grape.  On the other hand there are the prohibitionists who believe alcohol must never pass their lips...or anyone else's.  

   Fornication is considered by many to be an appalling sin. Under certain circumstances  people go to jail if convicted of it, or stoned to death because of it  depending on where on the planet they live.  Many will say that if one has a license from the government, and takes care to choose a partner of the opposite gender, it can be a thrilling experience and should be applauded by people of good will.  Will this be among the battle issues in Armageddon?

   How will the problem of starving masses come out in the great battle of good and evil?  The late Reverend Thomas Malthus wrote about the danger of exploding populations in the early 19th century and declared "The power of population is indefinitely greater than the power in the earth to produce subsistence for man," which is to say it's likely the sheer numbers of humans on the planet will outstrip the planet's ability to feed them.  Mother Nature is in charge, here, of course.  When humans over-breed they run out of sustenance and perish.  Is this good or evil?  Can any of the Laws of Nature be considered evil? Could Armageddon set us straight on that?

  The brochure is correct to state "Time Is Running Out!"  At least for me. At this late stage of life I just don't have a lot more of it left, and certainly not enough time to sort out all the questions and assign good or evil labels to them.  It's hard enough just trying to stick approximately to the Golden Rule. 

    Besides, it's almost time to plant my beans and I just don't have time for Armageddon right now.    

   March 26, 201