The Many Names of the End of the World
One day… the world is going to end. You would be hard-pressed to find a theologian or scientist to disagree. Every beginning has an ending, every story ends, circles, door closing- all the sayings are just telling us the obvious: nothing is permanent, including this world we know and love.
It is not surprising that most people agree on this, but it is surprising how many names there are for the end of the world. These names can tell us a lot about the people who created them, and what they think may happen to cause the world’s end.
What is in a Name?
You have probably heard of a few of these names, but very few people know them all. Knowing the names and descriptions of apocalyptic events can help you understand how people could react and rationalize SHTF events. Knowledge is preparedness, and knowing how others could interpret a devastating disaster can help you understand their mental state. Let’s get to the names:
Maitreya (Buddhist):
Buddha will be incarnated for the final time (and called Maitreya), and the world will be destroyed by fire lasting eons. Since an eon is a billion years, that’s a heck of a long time.
Ragnarok (Norse):
Meaning “Twilight of the Gods”, Ragnarok is a singular event where monsters attack the Norse gods, and the battle destroys the world.
Armageddon (Christian):
This one is spelled out with colorful detail in the Book of Revelation, but the Cliff Notes version goes ‘Antichrist starts a war in the Middle East and is defeated by Christ, who reigns over a new earth’.
Great Day of Purification (Hopi Native Americans):
This one is a little more vague and apparently open to interpretation, but a few of the instances describe:
- Another Ice Age
- A Gourd of Ashes dropped by Westerners that burns up the Earth
- Annihilation by War
- Natural Disasters are chained together until humanity wakes up
- Massive Solar Storms
All of these look like plausible ways to have the world end. I do appreciate that there is an interpretation that gives humanity a chance at survival.
Frasokereti (Zoroastrian):
The final savior, Saoshayat, resurrects the dead and ends the world. Not bad for a Monday!
Kali Yuga (Hindu):
A yuga is a cycle, and Kali Yuga is simply the last cycle.
Al-Qiyamah (Muslim):
There are plenty of parallels here with Christianity since the Masid ad-dajjal (false Messiah) causes worldwide immorality and is then conquered by Madhi (true Messiah), who is with Isa (Jesus). They then have a judgment day followed by resurrection.
Yom Adonai (Jewish):
Israel is restored, and the Meshiach (Messiah) appears to preside over the judgment day while raising the dead.
The Different Tones at the End
The Abrahamic religions (Christianity, Judaism, and Islam) have a sunnier outlook on the end of the world. Specifically, Christianity and Judaism both believe that the world is a journey to an endpoint, as designed by God.
This endpoint is not the end, but the beginning of a better world and better existence, by God’s intention. Many of the other religions and ideologies do not see the end times with as much hope for humanity.
Why Does it Matter?
I found the various names that cultures around the world have given to the end of days interesting. First of all, each one listed recognizes that there is an end. They may disagree on how or when it happens, but they all point to a finite end for the world as we know it.
The second (and perhaps more profound) observation I had looking at these is the vast amount of thought that has been put into the end of the world. Almost every religion or culture has spent a huge amount of time collating prophecies, thoughts, and beliefs on the end of the world.
The Bible itself even has an entire book dedicated to it.
Calamities are also given quite a bit of thought in religious texts and beliefs. Great floods, plagues, war, and persecution are all themes of religious history and parables. Preparedness is often seen as the actions of the divine, shown by depictions such as Noah’s Ark.
If our spirituality is tied so deeply to preparedness and our finite existence, then why are those topics brushed off in modern society? Preparedness and survival were once examined by religion thoroughly and are now avoided since the topics are uncomfortable and viewed as pessimistic. What has changed?
The Final Word
The many names of the end of the world show how different religions, cultures, and ideologies view the end of humanity’s timeline. It is interesting to see the recurring themes of resurrection and judgment tied to ideas spreading across the world. A little understanding of how a disaster can be interpreted as the beginning of the end could come in handy.
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Some folks refer to it as The Event. There are a lot of threats out there.
If Skynet, North Korean Nukes, and a generic unspecified natural or man-made disaster are the best alternatives you can offer for TEOTWAWKI then I guess comparing the various religious texts isn’t such a bad way to look for the end.
As far as I’m concerned, all we as humans understand, worship, and practice are childish games of win/lose to structure our every affair with as wise and honourable when in reality, the win/lose paradigm is a nonviable form of self inflicted retardation and the highest potential of the poor perverted people of the win/lose mentality is we all lose.
Idiots and morons.
Imagine being too ignorant to understand, let alone practice and achieve a wise win/win with each other?
Oops! No imagination required.
Human filth eh?
It’s too bad our redemption can only be denied by the likes of us.
You see, the paradigm shift from the childish win/lose mentality to a wise win/win and the shift from “for profit”, to “not for profit”, expose us as stupid and corrupt people and we all KNOW! Only “losers” are stupid so we must deny our corruption as well.
I’m NOT stupid, I’m normal! …. drool, drool.
Humans have proven themselves far too easily manipulated for the benefit of the few, the elite, and the entitled to ever benefit their own pitiless children.
If only the human filth could prove me wrong eh?
Oh well, I expect far too much from a population of brainwashed “for profit” economic slaves who only practice childish games of win/lose as wise and honourable.
This human filth allows their own children to be born owing an unpayable debt of lies and corruption called “eternal growth and profit” here where nothing grows forever and “profit” is a manmade concept not found in nature.
WE lived in abundance and the lie of profit was the method usd to concentrate the worlds abundance into the hands of the few, the elite, the entitled, and those great winners in our perverted little world of childish win/lose.
The human filth deserves everything it is about to receive.
The poor children though, they never stood a chance now did we?
Too bad, so sad, and good riddance to a pitiless and perverted failure.