Chris Kromm wrote:
> Revelations and Prophecies from the Weekly World News (which has entirely
> re-designed their website, I highly recommend it.)
> http://www.weeklyworldnews.com/features/revelations_story.cfm?instanceid=107
> 22
>
> 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