ost people will tell you that the idea of the end of the world originated with the Bible, but it actually pre-dates the Bible by several hundred years. For example, the Bible resonates with the ancient myths of Persia which many scholars credit with the first version of the world's end, complete with a fiery apocalypse and with a messiah to lead a punishing Armageddon. Elsewhere around the globe, the same ideas also emerged, more or less independently. They are found in the ancient Hindu scriptures, in second century Chinese writings, among the Tantric Buddhists, and in the myths of the ancient Norsemen. All insisted upon mythic wars and apocalyptic catastrophes to end the world.

Other cultures, such as the North American Indians, developed myths that simply had the world peacefully wear out, with no one in particular at fault. After their contacts with the European settlers, however, their myths changed and took on the doomsday characteristics of the Bible's apocalypse.

Many religions believe in an apocalypse, but it seems that the Bible based religions produce more militant messiahs and doomsday cults. The reason for this is that the sin in the creation myth is linked to the punishment in the end time myth so that many believers feel that militant Messianic action is called for to help God keep the upper hand. Messianic activities usually consist of two basic types. One way is for a cult to form and retreat from mainstream society in order to maintain their "purity." These "hidden" cults usually pose no danger to others unless they feel that they are being attacked.

The other type of messianic action is quite another matter. In the US they are called Christian Militias. These groups link the "fall of mankind" in the creation myth with the punishing apocalypse and form armed groups to help God by persecuting sinners (people who don't share their ideas) here on earth. The details of how mankind fell differ from group to group, usually the "fallen" comprise some racial or ethnic group. The believing whites, of course, comprise the chosen people and become God's hit men.

The Problem With the Creation Myth

The beginning of the Christian myth cycle contains of a unique creation story. This story features the "fall" of mankind caused by eating forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden. The unanswered human issues resulting from humanity's stumble sets this myth apart from other cultures' creation stories. Many stories of other peoples feature mankind's fall, but Adam and Eve's plunge went farther. Their sin, which is called by most Christian theologians "the original sin," is supposed to be inherited by the rest of us. Thus, the original sin created unfinished business that must be resolved at a later time. Our sins must either be forgiven by conversion to Christianity, or punished at the world's end. How God manages to finish his unfinished business is what this book is about.

God's unfinished business can be quite problematic. There are so many versions of Christianity that one can never be certain that the correct type was chosen. Thus the forgiveness of sins remains in doubt. On the other hand, there is no doubt at all about the punishing Apocalypse for those who made the wrong religious choice. The certainty of a disastrous end to the world that always hovers just over the horizon has such power that its impact can be clearly seen in much of America's history.

American History and the Apocalypse

In the fifteenth century the diaries written by Christopher Columbus left no doubt that he thought of himself as the Messiah and that his holy mission was to open up the Americas and bring Christianity to the Indians. Converting the Indians, according to theology current at the time, must be accomplished before the world could end, an event highly favored by would-be messiahs. Instead, the world ended only for the Indians, plague and slavery were the Indians' Christian lot—A scenario to be repeated nearly everywhere on the American Continent.

In the seventeenth century our forefathers, the Puritans, set several dates for the end. The most famous was 1666. They believed that God would punish wicked England with his heavenly fireworks, and they fled to these shores for safety. Some arrived as early as 1630 thinking the world will end in only 36 years. As the Puritans and other early settlers prospered, they had more to lose by the world's demise. Thus, the last days receded into a far distant future for many people in spite of several "great Awakenings." But for the religious zealots, the poor, and the otherwise disaffected among us, the apocalypse remains just around the corner.

In the late eighteenth and most of the nineteenth centuries, the expected end of the world was the mythic engine that drove the opening of the West where God was thought to dwell. The devout believed that it was God's will to subjugate the Indians, Spanish and anyone else who stood in the way of their advancement, and they were empowered by a myth known as "Manifest Destiny." Manifest Destiny emphasized that it was God's will to open up the rest of his holy refuge—all the way to the Pacific Ocean.

The strength of the belief in an imminent apocalypse has by no means lost force. Today, it inspires many of the armed militias in the United States. They see it as their task to overthrow the seemingly corrupt and ungodly United States government, the failed protector of God's refuge. They are driven by a new myth that says that the Constitution was inspired by God and has the force of holy scripture. Along the way, law enforcement officers are helping the militias to accumulate enough martyrs to keep the myth vibrantly alive.

The infrastructure of the Apocalyptic Myth

The word apocalypse is Greek, and it simply means a revelation of divine knowledge. But the stories in the Bible describe the world's end with so much trepidation that the word has come to mean a terrible fate for the planet. Its imagery is so pervasive that TV evangelists often fatten their bank accounts by selling video-taped "docudramas" of the world's end to their viewers. Few are returned in disappointment. Meanwhile, the Christian militias have added to this economic force by enriching sellers of armaments and survival equipment. Today, the apocalypse has become a billion dollar business.

Some of the little recognized pillars in the end-of-the-world edifice are conspiracy theories. These are mini-myths or legends that keep the end-time scenario up to date and provide needed plausibility as new images of destruction emerge. Now, according to the militias, instead of angels in heaven pouring out bowls of poison on the earth as described in the book of Revelation, black unmarked helicopters that they believe come from a harassing government chase the militant faithful as warnings of worse things to come.

The New Age and the End

Unexpectedly, there are new myths fighting the old apocalyptic beliefs. These are brought to life by the thousands of people in this country who hold New Age convictions. Not for them are the fires of the apocalypse, they prefer the mists from their hot tubs where they envision the flowers of an ever renewing earth. The New Agers Believe that their god's business is to bring mankind to fruition, not snuff it out. However, fruition may take some time to accomplish. According to the New Agers, several cycles of reincarnation, or many trips between galaxies, or much "channeled" discourse, or a few trips to the "rebirthing" tanks may be required. But time passes pleasantly for the laid back New Agers languidly gazing into their crystals. They don't mind the wait.

Some New Agers believe that getting in contact with the god they think is contained within each of us will bring world peace, thus eliminating Armageddon. Other New Agers believe that the world is being watched over by benevolent creatures from outer space and that no harm will come to the earth causing its demise. It remains to be seen which of the mythical systems will win out over time, the Christian fundamentalists or the New Age's introspective sects or UFO based cults. The numbers of apocalypse believers and the numbers of New Agers are about equal and are increasing at about the same rate. Both sets of believers gain their numbers at the expense of the mainstream Christian sects. Whoever the winners may be in the race to complete God's unfinished business, the race will be close and interesting.

© Patricia Eddy