Any person who is interested in the exciting field of signs and banners would most certainly also be interested in its most interesting sub grouping. Obviously what I am referring to are the seven signs of the apocalypse. For those Gray Matter 11 Blog readers who are not in the know, the word “apocalypse” is of Greek extraction and literally means “unveiling” but is most often used to refer to the end times of the world in which we live.
Seven Signs and Banners of the Apocalypse
There are seven signs of the apocalypse. The following description of said signs was taken from reference.com:
The first sign of the apocalypse heralds the coming of what is agreed by most Christian scholars as an Antichrist whose purpose is to lead the world astray. Those tricked to follow the false prophecy are trapped in a cycle of suffering. The second sign is represented by the onset of war and violence, though the scale and time of which differ depending on what view a particular expert holds on the apocalypse.
The third and fourth signs depict the onset of natural disasters in the form of large-scale famine and death, considered to signify a global pandemic that is either caused by or occurs in conjunction to the war that the second symbol brings.
The fifth sign of the apocalypse is largely symbolic in nature as it refers to martyrs of the Christian faith who cry out to God for judgement on those who have slain them. The sixth and seventh signs of the apocalypse typically depict an image of a great earthquake that ends the world before a final judgement or final end is let loose from heaven by God.
Obviously these signs are somewhat fanciful to our modern sensibilities. However, on a symbolic level these signs are quite rich and deserve further study.