Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1886-11-06
THE WORLDS END.
DIRE PROPHECIES OF AN IMPORTANT
EVENT.
Predictions That Have Startled The CredulOuS In
Times PaSt-NOne Of Them, However,
Have Been as Yet Fulfilled.
S,plFrrncsro CM.

S,tHl FrcRcsSco GH
The belief that the end of the world was
near at han was quite general at the time
of the birth of our Saviour. The prophet
Elijah was said to have declared that the
world should last 5000 years, and while
among the early Christians and Jews there
were differences of opinion rs to the exact
number of years which have elapsed since
the creation, there WAS substantial agree
ment that the 1000 years were about up at
the time of the crucilixiOn. That was evil
IDENTIFY the opinion of so calm thinker rs
Paul, who, in his epiStle to theTheSSalOnians,
implies that he expects to be alive when
with the trumpet of God the dead shall
arise to meet the Lord" Gradually u no
tion based in part on obscure passages in
prophecy and part on Jewish tradition,
gained ground that the destruction of the
world was not tn be total, but in some
way existing things and people were to be
obliterated and replaced by a new order of
things, which was to last !, 200 years, and
was consequently described rs the millen-
cum. Bible readers will all remember the
description OF this bliSStul period in the
Apocalypse, and the terrible account of the
second resurrection by which it was to end
when whatsoever was not found written
in the book OF life was cast into the lake
OF fire."
A belief of this kind was well adapted
to the restless and nervous condition OF the
civilized world ut that time. The old
gods had been OverthrOwn; the old systems
of theology had been discarded; the new
system was grudgiugly accepted; the faith
in the true God was not firmly rooted; yet
in the heart of men the craving for the
supernatural was rs lively rs ever. 1t
suited the morbid conditioned intellectual
persons to fancy that an overwhelming
catastrophe was impending. Races which
had yainly struggled against the inSati-
ate rapreity of the great Roman
empire reiOiced to think that power from
on high was going to avenge them upon the
oppreSSor One can form an idea OF the
thoughts which were current in the edu-
Gated class from the writings of the fathers
from Justin Martyr to Lactantius. Science
WAS too backward to refute the decisions
of the day, while the prevalence of earth
quakes through the most highly civilized
portions Ofthe Roman Empire fostered the
opinion that a wholesale CONFUSION Of ma
ture overwhelming the entire settled pOr-
ton of the globe, rs earthquakes had over
thrown portions of Antioch, was not be-
yond the range OfprObability.
These apprehensiOns appear to have
afflicted mankind with more or less sever
ity for something like three centuries and
a half. With the constantly recurring on
slaught of the northern barbarians upon
each Roman province in turn, people had
something more Immediately pressing to
concern them than the millennium, and
fears of the destruction Of the world by
earthquakes gave place to more practical
fears of the destruction by fire and sword
in the hands of the Goth and Handal.
Still, the long deferred conyulsiOn was
expected. The bishop OF StlOme wrote to
st. Augustine, in the fourth century, to
inquire whether, in his opinion, the
world was going to end soon. The good
father replied that he hoped that God IN
His infinite mercy would grant some years
OF respite.
During the intervals which occurred
between the never-ending wars OF the
middle ages, the old panic occasionally
broke out. But it did not become general
until the tenth century. By common
consent, the year 1000 A. ID. was selected
as an appropriate time for the Almighty II
destroy His work There was a symmetry
in the idea of 6, 600 years OF preparation
neither more nor less; 1000 years of frui
ton. neither more nor less; 1000 years o.
miIlineum, neither more nor less, during
which the good should enjoy bliss unspeak
able. while the heather ragged in fire anc
birthstone. PulpitS rang with eXhOrta
tons 10 prepare for the judgment day, and
numbers Of rich men, eager to purchase
eternal salvation, decided their property u
the church, terminO mundo appropln'
quante.
The tenth century came and went, and
the earth was still there. Still, when
Eastern astrolOgers predicted that the enc
of the world would really come in the last
week in September, 11S6-just 200 years
ago-they found eager listeners. The de
struction was to be done by storms, which
never came. In 1884 celebrated aStrono
mer named Stoefller published series o
calculations predicting that in that veal
the world would be destroyed by deluSe
The publication created wild panic, es
pecially in France. Appeals were made Il
the Emperor Charles V. to take measures
for the protection of his subjects; but a:
might have been expected, the court was
noaplussed how to proceed. A professor
of canon law at Toulouse declared thai
people should follow the example OF Noah
which was the only precedent on record
and an ark of enormous size was actually
built and provisioned to the end that wher
the catastrophe came few at least OF the
inhabitants of the world might be saved
The day passed over without even shower
of rain, but the people of Toulouse wer'
too sore from fright to make merry ut the
expense of the ark builders.
eracentury and three-quarters ago ont
Winston, o man well known rs philoso
pher and astronomer, issued a pamphlet IL
which he predicted the destruction of the
world by q comet in seven years from thai
time. The Court of st. James was thrown
into aeonies OF terror. One fashionable
lady sold her estates and prepared to mov'
10 China, being evidently under the I'M
preston that far Cathay constituted N
part of this world. Walpole received thu
news with his usual imperturbable calm