Armageddon

“Then I saw an encrypted message: Armaggedon on a marble wall which I didn’t understand. I was told it meant Armageddon, The End of the World.”


Armageddon! It’s the end of the world! The prophesy is getting fulfilled. I had gone to commune with voices in the Mountain of the Tortoise Shell. I wore my camel skin sandals and off I went.

A voice said to me: Salem, Son of Truth (I am not boasting, I am reporting the vision verbatim), I have seen great sin in the world. I send miracles in abundance to draw people to me but my servants use it as a bridge to getting posh cars and tailor-made suits. People, my own people, worship money and secular things like my children of Israel who worshipped the gold idol. I will destroy them like Sodom and Gomorrah.

The voice then asked me: Salem, Son of Truth, not even one stone of this city, not even these tall skyscrapers will remain.. I will send a bog earthquake and thunder and tremor. Not even one soul shall be spared. Not one!

“But Lord,” I pleaded, “Please Lord, I beseech the in all thou providence and mighteth, there are those who exorcised demons in full glare on Television sets in thy Holy Name, there were those who shunned riches and sought thee, Lord, spare them, Please”

The mountain was covered in a thick fog. I saw three billows of smoke that rose to the East leaving a round ring which was extremely white. The white ring glimmered as the smoke cascaded . I tried to look at it but the voice told me: Salem, Son of Truth, look not on this white ring for thou knoweth not that it is surrounded by glory. Look at the smoke, son, not the ring.

For a long time I looked at the cloud of smoke. It cascaded to and fro, round and round till it hung heavily like a huge canopy. Then it changed to so many crying faces of very sad people. I saw tears of blood which accumulated on shining cheeks. I turned my head around and on my back I saw so many other hands, just hands tapping drum. The drumbeats begun on soft tones which gradually rose to fever pitch. I heard humming of low tones which resembled a dirge. Everywhere became sad and sullen and surreptitious.

“Salem, Son of Truth, those who give to charity are generous in order to be seen like the Pharisees, they give in order to show off in high places; those exorcising demons do it for their own glory, praise and status; those shunning riches for thine glory do it with little faith and pegged conditions for blessings and rewards; verily, verily, I tell you Son of Truth I the Lord will strike them all with thy vengeance”

My stomach boiled with fear. The thick fog became very thick and there were slight drizzles. The three billows of smoke gradually changed and hung heavily. They transformed to long bearded faces, one of Moses, the other for Elijah and the other for Jesus. Their beards were soaked in wet drizzle and their eyes carried no emotion. The white ring spun round and round and formed a halo around their faces. The many faces of people at my back hung loose with sadness, tears and suffering. Their tears were crimson red, tears of pain. The drumbeats went on and on in low mournful tones. The hands that beat them were frail, weak, and flabby even.

Then the voice told me: Salem, Son of Truth, go tell them to repent their sins. Like their forefathers, they should wear sack clothes and bathe in ash to atone their sins. They should unchain themselves from the mire of sin and wretchedness and seek my face. I will lessen my wrath on them if they repent and seek favor in my eyes. If they don’t, I will send my forces to descend upon their city which will rock every building North or South, East or West, for the Christians and the Pagans, for the rich and the poor, I will leave dust on their fields.

The three billows of smoke rose high and high till they disappeared. The halo changed to a wonderful bracelet that read: Armageddon. The faces of crying people changed to curved statues and from somewhere very far I could hear the soft patter of rums. The mountain suddenly changed into a city, the faces of the crying people I saw on the mountain again changed into happy, smiling people going about their business in the city. On the tallest skyscraper I could read: Armageddon. Armageddon.

I hurriedly descended from the Mountain of The Tortoise Shell. There were thunder-claps and whacks of lightning and dark cloud was hunging loosely. It was about to rain.