Armageddon Now: The End of the World A to Z

Don’t be left behind. Who knew that doomsday would be so hot? Biblical revelations serve as the source for at least two current television series, while epic Hollywood depictions of the apocalypse range from environmental disasters to this summer’s blockbuster alien invasion in The War of the Worlds. Strife in the Middle East, terrorism, environmental disasters, disease epidemics, and the popularity of reality television may all be signs that time has come today. Weak and ailing after the end of the Cold War and the financial spree of the nineties, the medieval notion that the end is near is once again exerting a powerful influence on pop culture, politics, religion, and Mel Gibson.

So you don’t believe we’re on the eve of destruction? Authors Jim and Barbara Willis mine the religious and secular divide as they examine the history of apocalyptic beliefs in Armageddon Now. The authors explain the various omens and prophecies as well as the actual events that may trigger the end, such as collisions with asteroids, nuclear war, the oil crisis, global warming, and famine. They report that even the death of Pope John Paul II has some prognosticators predicting eminent doom, or at least doom coming relatively soon, which in any case would make investing in treasury bonds a bigger risk.

But as the authors point out, there have always been plenty of signs pointing to the boom in gloom: predicting the order of finish kept Nostradamus in print for centuries, and the ancient Mayans helpfully projected that calendar sales would drop to nothing after 2012. They are all part of the long history on the end of history.

Fire or ice, bang or whimper, asteroid or alien, act of God or human folly, Armageddon Now is all over doomsday prophecies. From alpha to omega, it is packed with 200 entries and 100 illustrations. Satan, saints, survivalists, and evangelical preachers known for their views on Biblical prophecies receive their due. In the end, the end has never been so thoroughly covered as in Armageddon Now: The End of the World A to Z. It’s the last word for the end user.