Theologians, archaeologists, historians and artists of the End of the World
Pandemics and moral decay are serious enough reasons for human societies, regardless of their religion, to be interested in two terms – Apocalypse and Armageddon. For many people, these names are synonymous, but in fact they differ in content, albeit interrelated. The end of the world is an event called the Apocalypse, and Armageddon is the site of the Great Battle between God and Satan.
But where is this place? many ask. The map of the modern world today is so different from the descriptions of the time of the holy books that we can really only guess where these biblical places are.
The word Αποκάλυψις translated from Greek has several meanings: “revelation”, “lowering the curtain”, “revelation”. It is mentioned and used in religious texts, hence the name itself.
Chronicles of the past and present that provoke thoughts about the future
And what is Armageddon? (Greek: αρμαγεδδων). Place. A place where the last battle between God and Satan will take place. Armageddon is also the name of the apocalyptic catastrophe that will lead to the Apocalypse, or in other words, to the End of the World. The subject has been of interest to the ancient Maya. On 20.02. According to the Maya, 2022 was the “mirror date” with 5 couples, which marks the beginning of the end of the world and the birth of a new race on Earth. The Bulgarian spiritual teacher Petar Deunov, called Bainsa Duno in the East, also spoke a lot on the topic.
Their books predicted the future
The Antichrist, so named in our religion – as the Anti Christ – is spoken of in the “Revelation” of the Apostle John. But what else do we find in the scriptures about Armageddon and the Apocalypse? – According to linguists, the name Armageddon comes from Hebrew, and is pronounced as Har Megiddo, which means “Mount Megiddo”. The name is both a literal and a symbolic place of the Last Battle.
Is there really such a place?
A chilling vision for the future
There is an ancient trade route and the city of Megiddo, located in the northern part of present-day Israel. It was once the main trade route between Damascus and Egypt. During its 50-century history, this place has repeatedly fallen victim to conquerors and natural disasters. According to some scholars, it was the multiple earthquakes that affected Megiddo that may have inspired the vision of a devastating Apocalypse in the Revelation of John. However, we find such visions described by the Old Testament prophet Daniel.
“And the king of the south shall be fierce: and when he is gone forth, he shall fight with him; (Daniel 11:11)
“Even some of the wise will fall to be tried, to be cleansed and bleached, until the end of time; for it will be at the appointed time.” (Daniel 11:35)
Embed from Getty Images
“And the king (the king of the north) shall do according to his will, and shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above all gods; (11:36) “Neither shall he honor the gods of his fathers, nor the goddess beloved of women, nor worship any god: for he shall make himself greater than all.” (11:37)
But what happens in the end? – A terrible judgment, the Antichrist was defeated and thrown into a lake of fire.
The Old Testament abounds with more such descriptions: “For, behold, the Lord will come with fire, and his chariots shall be like a whirlwind, to pour out his wrath with fury, and his rebuke with fiery flames; for with fire and with his knife. every creature is judged by the LORD, and many will be slain by the LORD (Isaiah 66:15).
We have such a description in his predictions recorded by Deunov’s students.
Michael Bay’s Armageddon premiered on June 30, 1998, starring Bruce Willis and Ben Affleck. The film further stimulated the imagination of lay people and lovers of esoterics and science fiction. It is no coincidence that the film received numerous awards – several nominations for the American Film Academy Awards – for sound, editing, song and effects; he also won the Saturn Award for Best Science Fiction Film, as well as the Best Director and Best Costume Awards.
Coppola will make the science fiction film of her dreams “Megalopolis”
But let’s not forget that 20 years before Michael Bay, the great Francis Ford Coppola created “Apocalypse Now”, in which the End of the World is associated with war with modern technical and military means. After these two films, many other films appeared, which aroused even more interest in the subject and the “buried” in the sacred books secret of the End of the World, which modern screenwriters and directors interpret differently. A 3D film has also appeared, in which the idea of the Second Coming of Christ on earth and the Last Judgment over people is “revived”.
Scholars and theologians from Judaism, Christianity and Islam are trying to create a unified picture of the Great Last Day, in which, according to our religion, all – both living and dead – will appear before the Last Judgment. The theme has been a favorite of many artists. Among them we can distinguish the frescoes “The Last Judgment” by Marcello Venusti and Michelangelo.
Why are people increasingly curious about this? – According to many prophets, we live in the times described by John as preceding the Second Coming of Christ. In the many images of the mass consciousness is sealed one enemy – the Antichrist, who will “gather all the earthly rulers” for a battle with the Good. Modern politics is a close allegorical image of this Evil.
“And he gathered them together into a place called by the Jews Armageddon,” Revelation says. But where is this place Armageddon?
Toponym, or nickname for the Catastrophe? At the beginning of the 19th century, both theologians and archaeologists dealt with this issue. In 1838, the American professor of biblical studies and geography Edward Robinson (“Biblical Studies in Palestine”) traveled through the Holy Land to search for coincidences with the descriptions of biblical events by the prophets. His method was more than simple – he took the geographical names from the Scriptures and compared them with modern ones. However, the work proved difficult, as most Jewish names had already been replaced by Arabic ones.
Robinson came across a place called Tell el-Mutesellim – translated as “Lord’s Hill”. According to him, it is a center from the time of Solomon, who ruled in the 10th century BC and was also a prophet. Robinson believes that Solomon built a city on the hill, and that its modern name, as you may have guessed, is Megiddo Hill (Har, or Ar Megiddo, in the Old Testament).
In the 20th century, other scholars, drawing on what Robinson wrote, study that on the Hill in the 3rd century BC. a major catastrophe has occurred – probably an earthquake. It was perceived by the population as the “scourge of God”, suggests Eric Klein, a professor of ancient history and archeology. In his notes, Klein claims that the event is deeply ingrained in the people’s memory and has been passed down from generation to generation among the local population.
Klein also claims that this place had a “bad reputation” – as a place where back in time there have always been sinister events and deadly battles. Several American theology professors oppose Klein, believing that he has drawn conclusions from an insufficient body of evidence, and that the place is not there, or even a place, because, according to the Old Testament quote, the catastrophe “will fill the whole earth.” . At the same time, there is a lot of reference in the Scriptures to one place, and its location is referred to as “not far from Jerusalem.”
But where exactly? – There are two versions on this issue: One leads to Tuku (Tecoa) – a village located 12 kilometers south of Bethlehem. According to local Bedouin legends, this is where the last events for mankind will take place. The other hypothesis takes us to the Kidron Valley in Jerusalem. It is located near the place where the Ascension of Christ took place. According to the Hebrew epistles on this subject, the Messiah (Mosiah) will enter the Holy City and first resurrect all those buried there. Curiously, the Kedron Valley has long been called “the most expensive cemetery in the world.”
According to Muslims, the End of the World will not happen in Jerusalem, although the teachings of recent times in Islam are very similar to the Jewish and Christian. The Qur’an speaks of Kiyamat – the Day of Judgment, in which the dead will be resurrected and the Divine Judgment will take place. But before that happens, in the city of Dabik, north of Syria, there will be a battle between the prophet Isa (Jesus) and the Dajjal (Antichrist). According to theologians, this version is quite new. Some believe that it appeared after a large-scale battle of the Ottoman Empire with the Mamluks in 1516.
One legend says that the son of Satan will be defeated in Lod (Lyd), a toponym repeatedly mentioned in the Bible. The ancient city is located in the same region where the most fateful events for Judaism and Christianity took place, so its “choice” sounds logical?
As for the mention of Syria, the prophetess Vanga also speaks about it, but in a very different context – that there will be a Last Judgment, but not the End of the World. One of her quotes eloquently leads to such a conclusion: “There will be no end to the world, but when Syria falls, it will be scary!” Says Vanga. In a similar direction are the predictions of Peter Deunov, who said: “Now man is half animal, half man, and in the future the creature of the Sixth Race will come and unite with man, and then the two souls will work together. And the animal he will be a servant. People will live by grace. ” Ie there will be no End of the World, but a new and hopeful Beginning.
Obviously, however, that both the old texts and the newer predictions – there is talk everywhere of a catastrophe that will change the world geographically and will probably serve to change – something like a spiritual catharsis of humanity. And it’s more likely to happen all over our planet than in a specific place.
Some even believe that the battle will not be fought on earth, but in heaven. There is a whole section in theology called Eschatology – the doctrine of the End of the world and of man. This doctrine clarifies the content of the various versions and terms related to the End Times.
There is talk of the Millennial Kingdom, a period of 1,000 years in which Christ will reign again on earth. During this time, Israel would be rebuilt, and the people would be transformed and strong believers in the Good. This heavenly period is described in the book of Isaiah, especially in chapters 24, 51, 54, 60, 65-66. The Second Coming is a term referring to the events surrounding Christ’s return to earth.
But this version also has its critics. The doctrine of Amylenarism denies the millennial kingdom of Christ on earth, but some deniers of the “good kingdom” believe that such a kingdom of heaven is possible. In any case, all the disputants are united around one thing – that it is not a kingdom in the literal sense, but rather something that symbolizes the triumph of the Good.
And now comes the worst – that until the return of Christ, humanity will experience “seven years of great tribulation.” Some associate it with the signing of a “covenant” between the Antichrist and Israel. And the Antichrist is described as a world leader who will cause great suffering and persecution of people, but in the end he will be defeated by Christ.
Somewhere between the middle and three-quarters of the Great Tribulation period, spiritual people will await the return of Christ and feel confident and delighted in His coming triumph, followed by peace on earth.
Photo: Excerpt from the fresco of Michelangelo’s Doomsday
