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Believers' attitudes could be instigating the Second Coming

The end of the world is coming. Disasters, wars and other catastrophes have been construed as indicators that God has seen enough, and his son is coming to set things straight.

Finding explanations for every major cataclysmic event lends itself to the idea of the Second Coming. But what if Jesus has already been here, and we didn't know it?

The Second Coming of the Messiah is Christianity's bedrock. Being "saved" - salvation through the acceptance of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior - is the key for those who are preparing for the Second Coming.

The official name for people who believe in the Second Coming are eschatologists, and their belief system is eschatology. The Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary defines them as "a branch of theology concerned with the final events in the history of the world or of humankind; a belief concerning death, the end of the world, or the ultimate destiny of humankind; specifically: any of various Christian doctrines concerning the Second Coming, the Resurrection of the dead or the Last Judgment."

Ninety-seven percent of the world believes in a supreme being, but believing in the Second Coming is a bit touchier to defend. The Book of Revelations speaks in gory detail of boiling seas, 10-headed beings and falling skies, and those with the mark of Satan are cast down to Hell. Christians who have died are resurrected and joined with Christ first, followed by believers who are alive on Earth. The rest are destroyed and sent to Hell. Sheesh.

No one knows the exact time of the Second Coming, the Rapture, or whatever it's called. History reveals numerous events thought to be connected to the end of times, but can all the wars, earthquakes, tsunamis, hurricanes, floods and genocides be the end?

Well, that depends on what you believe and why. Powerful Christians in politics and finance have been doing some awful things against humanity lately. Just look at the price of a barrel of oil today - nearly $100. In 2006, a group of financial pundits claimed the world economy would crash if oil rose above $80. The longer the price stays high, the faster the world will collapse, causing food shortages, job losses in the millions and government chaos.

The wealthy believers have condoned the war in the Middle East, social and economic schisms between the rich and poor and the breakdown of the Constitution and American civil rights. The accumulation of wealth and of world power has become customary. This disturbing portrait should send out blaring alarms concerning world leaders coercing a new world order.

The Second Coming may be going on right now. Believers would never admit to instigating any of the horrors common-place today, but the end of the world - the mother of all second comings, the big bang that destroys the world - is building, one human being at a time.