Graham Mattison
The Bible and Current Events
Position Paper on Biblical Topic
Dr. Kathleen Corley
11/15/2007
It isn’t the end of the world…yet.
Many people believe that we are currently in the end times prophesized in the Bible. Although it would be fairly simple to attach biblical significance to events occurring in our current times, it is important to note, a great multitude of people, throughout the centuries, have searched within their own times for signs of the coming apocalypse. All who claimed to have found the smoking gun that proved we were in the end times have been wrong. We know this because the world still exists, and we’re still here in it.
The problem that occurs when people want to prove something is that they often focus solely on the things that are in agreement with their beliefs. Much of the time, either purposefully or by accident, anything that might be used to contradict their beliefs is ignored. What I will attempt to prove in this paper is that the signs of the apocalypse were not meant as a means of predicting the end of the world. Instead, the signs of the apocalypse we’re intended to prepare us for the consequences of knowing when the world ends.
In 2004 scientists discovered an asteroid 1,300 feet across that will miss the earth in 2029 by about 30,000 miles, which is lower than the orbit of the world’s communications satellites. The heralding of Armageddon may begin in 2029, not with an impact, but with the knowledge of an impact to come on April 13, 2036. The name of the asteroid is Apophis, which is derived from the Egyptian god Apep, “the destroyer who dwells in eternal darkness.” (Lawler) Right now the chances of impact are 1 in 45,000, but if the gravitational pul ...