THE APOCALYPSE WON'T BE ALL THAT BAD . . . says famed theologian
ATLANTA, Ga. -- Forget what you've heard from the doom-and-gloom crowd -- the Apocalypse foretold in the Holy Bible won't really be so bad, a leading theologian says.
Bible scholar Dr. Parker Creaston believes that, contrary to widespread belief, the Apocalypse will entail a brief period of "mild to moderate" disorder followed swiftly by worldwide peace and harmony.
"I'm tired of seeing so-called experts whip people into a state of hysteria -- and get rich from books that play on the public's worst fears," said Dr. Creaston, who outlines his views in a thought-provoking pamphlet entitled The Apocalypse: Why Worry?
"Certainly, there will be some disruptions -- annoying traffic jams, shortages of some food items in the supermarket and other inconveniences -- but nothing to panic about."
Dr. Creaston says that to correctly interpret Biblical prophecy, one has to understand that the world has grown tremendously since the days when the New Testament was written.
"For example, the Book of Revelation talks about 144,000 people being taken up in the Rapture. Back in those days, when the largest cities had populations of just a few hundred, that must have seemed like a lot," he explained.
NO-SHOWS? The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse may never appear after all.
"But today, with the world's population at about 6 billion, the idea of 144,000 people from around the entire globe disappearing isn't so chilling. Quite frankly, they'll hardly be missed."
Even Armageddon, the much ballyhooed final battle between the forces of good and evil, will be a flash in the pan missed by many Americans who don't watch CNN, the Atlanta theologian argues. "If you read your Bible carefully, instead of listening to a bunch of yapping radio preachers, you'll notice that all of Armageddon takes place in the Holy Land -- Jerusalem and the surrounding area. We're basically looking at yet another Mideast war, just a bigger one than usual," he said.
"For those of us who lived through the horrors of World War II, with D-Day and the dropping of the atomic bomb, Armageddon will seem about as big a deal as the invasion of Grenada."
Dr. Creaston acknowledges that there will be plagues aplenty, just as the Bible predicts, but says that with modern medicines such as penicillin, we won't have much troubler containing them.
"Anyone who's getting all fired up about an outbreak of leprosy, smallpox or other diseases that were common in Biblical times should just chill out -- we long ago found treatments for them."
The expert notes that nowhere in the Book of Revelation does it explicitly state that the world will end. On the contrary, he observes, there is a lengthy description of a glorious kingdom being established on Earth by Jesus, who will bring universal peace, justice and prosperity. "Let's focus on the good news," the theology."
Published on: February 14, 2001