Signs of armageddon in Islamic and Christian faith - Research Paper Example

two religions, but they both share a belief that Jesus will return and that the world will descend into chaos in order to prepare people for deep repentance. The revelation of St. John is the foundation of the belief in the apocalypse of the followers of Christ in Christianity. The revelation is specific in its mention of how the information is revealed to John, that signs from the Angel of God would be sent and that he must share the signs with the Churches of Asia. While seven churches are mentioned, this may be more a mystical reference than an actual number (Steiner, 2008, p. 242). The number seven is used repeatedly throughout the bible as a sacred number, found in Mark with the feeding of the masses where five loaves of bread and two fishes were used to feed thousands and in Acts where seven non-Jewish Christians are asked to serve (Mahan, 2001, p. 16). There are seven canonical sacraments; baptism, confirmation, Euchrist, penance, orders, matrimony and unction of the sick (Kamil, 2002, p. 219). As well there are seven deadly sins: pride, envy, sloth, gluttony, anger, lust, and vanity (Bromiley and Fahlbusch, 2008, p. 25). Seven is also a prominent number within the apocalypse.

There are seven seals that, when opened, will move the world closer towards the apocalyptic ending. The first four seals reveal a horse and rider, the four becoming the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse; conquest, famine, war, and death. The fifth seal is the vision of the martyrs, with the sixth seal being opened to reveal an earthquake. The opening of the seventh seal will herald in the time of judgment which is the opening of the apocalypse (Bromiley and Fahlbusch, 2008, p. 26). The traditional use of the number seven continues the theme of the beginning of the apocalypse, suggestive of the hidden nature of the actual events that will transpire as it is shrouded in meaningful symbolism.

The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse have been a powerful image to both believers and to