End+of+Days

=End of Days=

Summary:
The Earth is Broken (book: Isiah) - A violent description of the apocalypse and final judgment. The people of the world who have broken their covenant with God and not obeyed him are punished, and few remain. The Earth is torn apart. Marvelous Visions (book: Revelation, Daniel) - //The Throne in Heaven// is a description of the glory of Heaven and the throne of God. There are four living creatures: a lion, an ox, a human, and an eagle. //Daniel's Dream of the Great Beasts// is a description of four terrible beasts. One is like a lion with wings and is given a human mind. The second one is a bear with tusks that is told to devour many bodies. Another is a leopard with four heads that is given a kingdom to rule. A fourth, different one has ten horns and is terrifying and strong. This beast is killed. The rest can live but their dominion is taken away. One more beast arrives who looks like a human being and is given everlasting kingship. Scenes from the Final Judgment (book: Revelation) - A war breaks out in heaven, and Satan and his angels are thrown down to Earth. Angels pour seven bowls on the earth the bring God's wrath and plagues. A violent earthquake destroys the earth. An angel binds the Devil for a thousand years. When the thousand years are over, the Devil will gather an army from the Earth and attack the camp of the saints, but they will be attacked by fire from Heaven and thrown into Hell. In //The Final Judgment//, the book of life, which contains the names of the righteous, is opened, and all the dead are judged. All the people who were not written in the book of life were thrown into the "second death", the lake of fire. A New Heaven, a New Earth (Revelation, Isiah) - Describes the new life after the judgment day, where God lives with humans and there is no more death or pain, but those who were not righteous were thrown into the lake of fire. //The New Jerusalem// describes the new holy city, with the tree of life healing the nations and no more war.

Discussion Questions:

 * What do you think is the strongest feeling these sections express?
 * What elements are repeated in each of these passages?
 * Do you think the overall message of these passages is threatening or comforting? Why?
 * Which section do you think makes the most powerful impression? Why?
 * How do these stories compare to descriptions of the apocalypse you have seen before (in movies, etc.)?
 * What do you think fire and the lake of fire represent in these stories?

Supplementary Material:
Epistle to Be Left in the Earth (Archibald MacLeish) - A poem in the form of a letter left on Earth from someone who knows he will die in the apocalypse.
 * What is the cause of the apocalypse in this poem?

The Masque of the Red Death (Edgar Allen Poe) - This story describes a Prince having a party, walled in from society, with the few remaining living during a plague called the Red Death. He holds a masked ball. His home has seven rooms, six of which have bright colors, and one that is dark and blood-colored and has a clock that causes the partygoers discomfort when it chimes. When the clock strikes twelve, a new figure arrives, but when he is unmasked, there is nobody behind his mask. It is the Red Death, and everyone dies.
 * What does the clock add to the story?

Rise and Shine (Richmond Lattimore) - A poem that depicts the righteous dead rising again after the final judgment.
 * What does the speaker mean when they say, "We have won?"
 * Why is it significant that the vultures are scared away?


 * How do each of these relate to the Biblical stories of the apocalypse in different ways?
 * Which section is each poem/story most similar to? Why?

Outside Material:
What section that we read do you think this carving relates to most? //The Last Judgment//, carved by Gislebertus

Trailer for 2012

Study Guide/Quiz Questions:

 * What is the "second death"?
 * In //Marvelous Visions//, what is the difference between the four living creatures and the four beasts?
 * In //Scenes from the Final Judgment//, what will happen after a thousand years when Satan is released?
 * In //Scenes from the Final Judgment//, what do the seven angels do to punish humans?
 * According to these stories, what will be the ultimate outcome of the apocalypse?