Countdown to Armageddon
Encyclopedia
Countdown to Armageddon is a 2004 History Channel documentary film
that reviews the history of apocalyptic literature
(Armageddon
). The documentary is written and directed by David de Vries, produced by Craig Haffner and Glenn Kirschbaum, narrated by Edward Herrmann
, and features archaeologist/historian Eric H. Cline
, Orthodox Christian scholar John McGuckin
, televangelist John Hagee
, author Tim LaHaye
, and author Gershom Gorenberg
.
(source: DVD cover)
Other subjects include: Millerites
, the rapture
, bird flu, etc.
The documentary also appears in The History Channel's History Alive series.
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
that reviews the history of apocalyptic literature
Apocalyptic literature
Apocalyptic literature is a genre of prophetical writing that developed in post-Exilic Jewish culture and was popular among millennialist early Christians....
(Armageddon
Armageddon
Armageddon is, according to the Bible, the site of a battle during the end times, variously interpreted as either a literal or symbolic location...
). The documentary is written and directed by David de Vries, produced by Craig Haffner and Glenn Kirschbaum, narrated by Edward Herrmann
Edward Herrmann
Edward Kirk Herrmann is a U.S. television and film actor. He is best known for his Emmy-nominated portrayals of Franklin D...
, and features archaeologist/historian Eric H. Cline
Eric H. Cline
Eric H. Cline is an author, historian, archaeologist, and professor of ancient history and archaeology at The George Washington University in Washington DC, where he is Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Classical and Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations as well as Director of...
, Orthodox Christian scholar John McGuckin
John Anthony McGuckin
John Anthony McGuckin is an Orthodox Christian scholar, priest and poet.McGuckin was raised Roman Catholic and at 19 became a member of the Passionist religious order. In 1989 he became Greek Orthodox and was ordained a priest for the Romanian Orthodox Church, now serving at the St. Gregory the...
, televangelist John Hagee
John Hagee
John Charles Hagee is an American founder and senior pastor of Cornerstone Church in San Antonio, Texas, a non-denominational charismatic megachurch with more than 19,000 active members...
, author Tim LaHaye
Tim LaHaye
Timothy F. LaHaye is an American evangelical Christian minister, author, and speaker. He is best known for the Left Behind series of apocalyptic fiction, which he co-wrote with Jerry B. Jenkins. He has written over 50 books, both fiction and non-fiction.-Early life:LaHaye was born in Detroit,...
, and author Gershom Gorenberg
Gershom Gorenberg
Gershom Gorenberg is an American-born Israeli historian, journalist and blogger, specializing in Middle Eastern politics and the interaction of religion and politics. He is currently a senior correspondent for The American Prospect, a monthly American political magazine...
.
- "The End is Near" is a cry that has echoed throughout human history. Every religion has stories of the end of the world, and believers in every era have prophesized that the time was at hand. So far, these predictions have come to naught, but a rash of unusual events and the rise of fundamental faiths have led to a new golden era of doomsayerDoomsayerDoomsayer can be:* A doomer or peaknik * A character class in Deadlands: Hell on Earth...
s.
- AsteroidAsteroidAsteroids are a class of small Solar System bodies in orbit around the Sun. They have also been called planetoids, especially the larger ones...
s on a collision course with Earth, super volcanoes, global warmingGlobal warmingGlobal warming refers to the rising average temperature of Earth's atmosphere and oceans and its projected continuation. In the last 100 years, Earth's average surface temperature increased by about with about two thirds of the increase occurring over just the last three decades...
, killer virusVirusA virus is a small infectious agent that can replicate only inside the living cells of organisms. Viruses infect all types of organisms, from animals and plants to bacteria and archaea...
es--all are potential catastrophesDisasterA disaster is a natural or man-made hazard that has come to fruition, resulting in an event of substantial extent causing significant physical damage or destruction, loss of life, or drastic change to the environment...
that threaten to wipe out life on our planet. Are these simply natural disasterNatural disasterA natural disaster is the effect of a natural hazard . It leads to financial, environmental or human losses...
s that have been occurring since time immemorial? Or are these threats terrifying prophesies from the BibleBibleThe Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
that are at last coming true? Are our fears overblown? Or are the infamous Four Horsemen of the ApocalypseFour Horsemen of the ApocalypseThe Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse are described in the last book of the New Testament of the Bible, called the Book of Revelation of Jesus Christ to Saint John the Evangelist at 6:1-8. The chapter tells of a "'book'/'scroll' in God's right hand that is sealed with seven seals"...
riding among us in a countdown to Armageddon?
(source: DVD cover)
Other subjects include: Millerites
Millerites
The Millerites were the followers of the teachings of William Miller who, in 1833, first shared publicly his belief in the coming Second Advent of Jesus Christ in roughly the year 1843.-Origins:...
, the rapture
Rapture
The rapture is a reference to the "being caught up" referred to in 1 Thessalonians 4:17, when the "dead in Christ" and "we who are alive and remain" will be caught up in the clouds to meet "the Lord"....
, bird flu, etc.
The documentary also appears in The History Channel's History Alive series.
External links
- Internet Movie Database: Countdown to Armageddon
- TV.com: History Alive: Countdown to Armageddon
- Countdown to Armageddon on Google VideoGoogle VideoGoogle Videos is a video search engine, and formerly a free video sharing website, from Google Inc. Before removing user-uploaded content, the service allowed selected videos to be remotely embedded on other websites and provided the necessary HTML code alongside the media, similar to YouTube...