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Armageddon

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There are elements within the religions who believe that war in the Middle East has been foretold by scripture. I'm no theologian, but I do know this: Armageddon is not a foreign policy. ~ Madeleine Albright
We have had our last chance. If we will not devise some greater and more equitable system, Armageddon will be at our door. ~ General Douglas MacArthur.

Armageddon (from Ancient Greek: Ἁρμαγεδών Harmagedōn, Late Latin: Armagedōn), according to many interpretations of the Book of Revelation and prophecies of the Apocalypse, is either a literal or symbolic site of a great battle between Good and Evil, prior to the Last Judgment. The term is also used in a generic sense to refer to any end of the world or end of time scenario. The word "Armageddon" appears only once in the Greek New Testament, in Revelation 16:16, and is thought to be derived from the Hebrew hare məgiddô (הר מגידו), meaning "Mount Megiddo" which was the location of various ancient battles.

For the 1998 film of this name, see Armageddon (film)

Quotes

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Kids! Bringing about Armageddon can be dangerous. Do not attempt it in your own home. ~ Good Omens
The paradox of nuclear weapons is that the most powerful weapons ever created have no practical value as actual weapons of war, since there can be no winner in a war that kills everybody. ~ Medea Benjamin
And I heard a great voice out of the temple saying to the seven angels, Go your ways, and pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth. ~ Book of Revelation
I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. ~ Book of Revelation
He gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.
And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done. ~ Book of Revelation
There is good and there is evil, and evil must be punished. Even in the face of Armageddon I shall not compromise in this. ~ Watchmen by Alan Moore
Armageddon is not around the corner. This is only what the people of violence want us to believe. The complexity and diversity of the world is the hope for the future. ~ Michael Palin
The dead were all along the road. And it was wet and cold. And it all made me think of the Bible and the story of the Anti-Christ and Armageddon. ~ Alvin York
  • The manifestation of unfit elements is great at the end of Kali Yuga. The fiercer Armageddon is, the better it serves as purifier of the dross. (66) ...The end of Kali Yuga is significant, for many cosmic events are connected with this period... Armageddon was predicted ages ago, and the abnormalities at the end of Kali Yuga were described in the Puranas, but even keen thinkers underestimated those clear indications... (106) ...It is true that Armageddon is raging and incredible crimes have been committed, but it is also true that against the background of these terrors a speedy evolution rushes onward. Is it possible that people do not see how much of the new is entering life? We should not permit the doubting worldlings to proclaim that the dark forces are victorious. That which belongs to Infinity cannot be conquered. (259)
  • In the Puranas it was predicted that toward the end of Kali Yuga humanity would be driven to acts of madness. It is very dangerous that people do not recognize this state, for while it is possible to cure a patient who does not resist treatment, if he struggles against it the beneficial effects of the medicine will be diminished. But how do you explain to people that their leaders and their teachers are insane? ...such mental confusion fully corresponds with the end of Kali Yuga... Most people hate the messenger who brings knowledge... let them at least remember the warning that humanity is acting insanely. The Thinker warned, “Do not fall into madness.” (285)
  • Profoundly interesting is this world - tragedy of conflict to those who see in it a necessary preparation, a clearing of the ground, for the coming of the World-Teacher and for the new civilisation... The terrible lesson now being taught, the widespread suffering, the devastation by sword and fire, the poverty caused by the dislocation of trade, the tension, the bankruptcies... But through this Armageddon the world will pass into a realm of peace, of brotherhood, of cooperation, and will forget the darkness and the terrors of the night in the joy that cometh in the morning...
  • As the “ Satya-yuga” is always the first in the series of the four ages or Yugas, so the Kali ever comes the last... Anyhow, it is curious to see how prophetic in almost all things was the writer of Vishnu Purâna when foretelling to Maitreya some of the dark influences and sins of this Kali Yug. For after saying that the “barbarians” will be masters of the banks… he adds: “ There will be contemporary monarchs, reigning over the earth— kings of churlish spirit, violent temper, and ever addicted to falsehood and wickedness. They will inflict death on women, children, and cows; they will seize upon the property of their subjects, and be intent upon the wives of others; they will be of unlimited power, their lives will be short, their desires insatiable... People of various countries intermingling with them, will follow their example; and the barbarians being powerful... in the patronage of the princes, while purer tribes are neglected... Wealth and piety will decrease until the world will be wholly depraved. Property alone will confer rank; wealth will be the only source of devotion; passion will be the sole bond of union between the sexes; falsehood will be the only means of success in litigation; and women will be objects merely of sensual gratification.
  • I really have no experience...
    No one has any experience of the battle of Armageddon.
    But I'm really unfit...
    You are willing, that is enough.
    Now, really, I know of no occupation for which mere willingness is the final test.
    I do. Martyrs. I am sending you to your death. Good day.
  • The appropriate response to the bin Ladens of the world is to correct everyone’s reading of these texts by making the same evidentiary demands in religious matters that we make in all others. If we cannot find our way to a time when most of us are willing to admit that, at the very least, we are not sure whether or not God wrote some of our books, then we need only count the days to Armageddon – because God has given us far many more reasons to kill one another than to turn the other cheek.
    • Sam Harris, on literalist interpretations of religious scriptures, in The End of Faith: Religion, Terror, and the Future of Reason (2005), Ch. 1 : Reason in Exile, p. 35
  • I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.
    Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.
    And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.
    And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done.
    And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great. And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath. And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found.
  • We have had our last chance. If we will not devise some greater and more equitable system, Armageddon will be at our door.
    • General Douglas MacArthur, warning of the perils of war in the age of nuclear weapons, in a radio broadcast after the official surrender of Japan on the battleship USS Missouri, ending World War II (2 September 1945)
  • Armageddon has already begun—the end of 1931 saw the start of the Great Battle... You should not be surprised that events are piling up, for the earthly battle is following the heavenly. A great deal has been said about the Heavenly Host, about Michael the Archistrategus, the Supreme General, about the manifestation of the affirmed Leader, and about all the perturbations. That is why I say, “Caution!”
  • Those who understand Armageddon to be a field in which signs of the highest energy manifest are correct. This battlefield cannot be something that arises accidentally; rather, it is like a magnet that attracts opposing energies. The field of the future City of Light is destined to act as a counterbalance to this battlefield. Just as the existence of the field of Armageddon is proclaimed by the clash and clatter of arms, the existence of the field of the City of Light is proclaimed by the peal of bells. According to the contrast, one can judge the dimensions of the destined. So you might turn your ears to the din of the battle in order to hear the ringing of the bells.
  • The Teacher understands that your hearts are also burdened. Every day the world situation grows more complicated. From the perspective of Armageddon, this is entirely natural. A consciousness which insists that Armageddon must be nonsense is just raving, because it fails to see the path ahead. 311.
  • Observe how Armageddon unfolds. When the very depths of the Earth are rising in rebellion, one cannot fail to notice an increase in the agitation of the elements. When We call for a deepening of thought, We are offering a means for bringing Chaos into equilibrium. The Teacher is not keeping some secret knowledge to Himself; rather, at the first opportunity He is arming the warriors against Chaos. The madmen are trying to set the forces of Chaos against Us, without themselves knowing how to rein in those forces! People should understand that Chaos manifests not only in the physical convulsions that shake the soil but also in the world of psychic energies. It is not difficult to increase the forms of psychic insanity, but how does one get them under control? The madmen do not realize what poor allies they have; their sole desire is to impede the path of ascent. It is astonishing how they push forward all their destructive measures, as if the only thing they needed was ruins! 337.
  • As far as her mom was concerned, tea fixed everything. Have a cold? Have some tea. Broken bones? There's a tea for that too. Somewhere in her mother's pantry, Laurel suspected, was a box of tea that said, "In case of Armageddon, steep three to five minutes."
  • Soon there will be war. Millions will burn. Millions will perish in sickness and misery. Why does one death matter against so many? Because there is good and there is evil, and evil must be punished. Even in the face of Armageddon I shall not compromise in this. But there are so many deserving of retribution … and there is so little time.
  • The predicted great Armageddon of our race is in full swing... victory is always with the forces of Light, but dreadful cataclysms are unavoidable... the destiny of the world is in the hands of humanity. The planet can be saved only if there is a resurrection of the spirit, only if the consciousness is liberated from the phantoms of the past and directed toward the construction of the New World on the basis of a new understanding of cooperation and knowledge. (16 July 1935) ...At present the whole world is passing through thrice difficult days, and it was indicated to read in the Apocalypse the first verse, chapter 21—"And I saw a new heaven and a new earth" so it is, and with the old consciousness one cannot enter the New World. (11 February 1938)
  • I myself once heard intelligent people trying to prove that the Bolsheviks were predicted in the Apocalypse, and that even the number of the days of their power was mentioned, and that the Michael mentioned there was none other than the Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich! I certainly do not mention this to discredit Bajenov's book, but simply to warn those who are greatly attracted by research into Biblical prophecies. (22 June 1936)
  • Your Holiness, the sequence of events has been successfully interpreted. The appearance of the comet only confirms our worst fear. We stand now, on the eve of Armageddon. The darkest evil this way comes and He will do battle for our very souls.
  • The inspiration for the title of this book came from a Bible prophecy that seems more applicable now than at any other time in human history. It occurs in both the Old and the New Testament and speaks of the collapse of the existing world order and the arising of a new heaven and a new earth. We need to understand here that heaven is not a location but refers to the inner realm of consciousness. This is the esoteric meaning of the word, and this is also its meaning in the teachings of Jesus. Collective human consciousness and life on our planet are intrinsically connected. “A new heaven” is the emergence of a transformed state of human consciousness, and “a new earth” is its reflection in the physical realm.
  • Who does not long for a world where even the word for war does not exist because warfare is unknown? Such a world may sound far-fetched, especially if we put our hope in humans to bring it about. However, in the prophecy of Isaiah, God himself promises to bring such a world into existence: “They will have to beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning shears. Nation will not lift up sword against nation, neither will they learn war anymore.” —Isaiah 2:4. Clearly, the world today with its 20 million soldiers on active duty and some 20 wars currently raging would have to change enormously for this promise to be fulfilled. Not surprisingly, the almighty God, Jehovah, would have to intervene in human affairs. This intervention on Jehovah’s part culminates in what the Bible calls Armageddon. — Revelation 16:14, 16. Although the word “Armageddon” has in recent years been used to signify a worldwide nuclear conflagration, one dictionary describes the principal meaning of the word this way: “The place of a great and final conflict between the forces of good and evil.”
  • Will good ever conquer evil, or is such a battle the stuff of fantasy? We can take heart by noting that the Bible repeatedly speaks of an end to wickedness. “The sinners will be finished off from the earth,” the psalmist foretells. “As for the wicked, they will be no longer.” (Psalm 104:35) “The upright are the ones that will reside in the earth, and the blameless are the ones that will be left over in it,” says the book of Proverbs. “As regards the wicked, they will be cut off from the very earth; and as for the treacherous, they will be torn away from it.”—Proverbs 2:21, 22. The Bible also makes clear that the wicked will not relinquish their power peacefully; hence the need for a conclusive act of God that eliminates all evil, including the evil of war. (Psalm 2:2) The name that the Bible assigns to this unique conflict, Armageddon, is highly significant... Learning the truth about Jehovah and his purpose to rid the earth of wickedness is a first step toward salvation. Practicing righteousness is a second step, bringing us God’s favor and protection. If we take these important steps, we can actually look forward to Armageddon, a war that really will bring an end to human warfare. When that battle is over, people everywhere will view war as incomprehensible and repulsive. “Never again will they learn war.”—Isaiah 2:4, New American Standard Bible.
  • The blame for Armageddon lies on man. And the millennium will come only when the average man exhibits a scientific integrity about all he is and does — instead of half of it. Many a psychological Archimedes has put signposts on the hard road man must follow if he is to avoid self-destruction and come into his own. A few very great modern scientists have added to the lore. Indications of what man may expect of himself are everywhere at hand. But most men must first be persuaded that the task lies ahead and not behind — that we are infants still, with loaded guns for toys.

See also

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