I don’t like to mention the end of the world. Ever. But especially in these troubled times.
But as it goes, a lot of people over the ages have predicted the end of the world. And so far, they’ve all been wrong. One such prophecy came on today’s date, March 21, 1844. It was then when William Miller of Massachusetts predicted the return of Christ and the end of the world. Yes. Back in 1844.
Some of the other “ends” have been the Mayan Apocolypse, the Halley’s Comet Panic, the Profit Hen of Leeds, and many, many more. But the one with a lot of steam came in the way of that William Miller and Millerism.
Yes, Miller, a religious leader, began preaching about the end of the world. He started this crusade in 1831, but said the crucial date would come in 1843.
Miller attracted more than 100,000 followers. He convinced them all they would be carried off to heaven when the big rumbly date arrived. So, that day came and went. Sun up. Sun down. People got up the next morning and ate their porridge, same as always. When the 1843 prediction failed to materialize, Miller ducked and dodged. Whoops. He decided his calculations were off and changed the date to 1844. He must have had a black Sharpie marker. But. Whoops again. Strike two. It seems that people weren’t willing to give him that third strike. One of his followers Henry Emmons, wrote, “I waited all Tuesday, and dear Jesus did not come … I lay prostrate for two days without any pain—sick with disappointment.”
There you have it. No Jesus, and sick on the floor.
The bible has predicted the end of the world. There are hundreds of verses alluding to this notion. Like in Matthew 24:14, where it says, “And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.”
We all know about those endless predictions of doom and gloom in the bible. Miller was probably just trying to put a number on things. A betting man.
Many rely heavily on the Bible. But here are some things about the good book that maybe we didn’t know.
You would think that once you have a bible, you wouldn’t need to buy another. Yet, over 100 million copies of the Bible are sold each year. Is it on the NYT bestseller list, I wonder?
And where do all those copies come from? Just like everything else. China. That red country is not only the largest producer of textiles and manufactured goods in the world, but China is also the largest producer of Bibles.
Of course, in all those bibles, many believe it is the actual word of god. Like, he called up the writers and gave them a memo. Yep. Nearly eight in ten Americans regard the Bible as the literal word of God.
But, it seems that God spoke to a whole slew of writers. The book is not a single work but a collection of works. And as mentioned, these thoughts come from a wide variety of authors — shepherds, kings, farmers, priests, poets, scribes, and fishermen. On the flip side, those authors also include traitors, embezzlers, adulterers, murders, and auditors. Pick a page.
It seems obvious then, that this book was not written in one sitting. Not even close. It took over 1,000 years to write the Old Testament. In less time, but still lengthy, the New Testament was written within 50-75 years. It makes you wonder why God took so long to put his words to page.
The most popular translation is the King James version. It contains 788,258 words, 31,102 verses, 1,189 chapters, and 66 books. Uh-oh. One more six, and that would be devilish.
Many Christians use this as their manual for life. Christians, followers of Jesus Christ — the man of incredible peace. But would they know him if they saw him? Nopers. There is no physical description of Jesus in the Bible.
Speaking of peace. According to one Bible expert, God killed about 25 million people in the Bible. There are 160 separate killing sprees in the Bible for which God is demonstrably to blame. Conversely, Satan killed about 60 people. And. Ten of those 60, God allowed Satan to kill as part of a bet in the Book of Job. Double dog dares you, apparently.
As Mark Twain said, “It ain’t those parts of the Bible that I can’t understand that bother me, it is the parts that I do understand.”
– Mark Twain
Many call it the good book. And many do not.
And that is the way of the world, which is thankfully still here, despite William Miller’s prediction.
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“Anyone who thinks sitting in church can make you a Christian must also think that sitting in a garage can make you a car.”
― Garrison Keillor
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“When his life was ruined, his family killed, his farm destroyed, Job knelt down on the ground and yelled up to the heavens, “Why god? Why me?” and the thundering voice of God answered, There’s just something about you that pisses me off.”
― Stephen King, Storm of the Century
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“God has no religion.”
― Mahatma Gandhi
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End of the world gone bad
