Muggy Monday

muggy ~ (of the weather) unpleasantly warm and humid.

Okay, I confess that today’s ‘M’ word is a bit contrived. I did a search for a synonym for “hot” and this was the best I could come up with. Because hot was definitely the word for last week.

It’s still oppressively hot, although we did get some rain on the weekend that has taken the edge off of the humidity, if only temporarily. And while it seemed like a lot of rain at the time, it wasn’t enough to lift us out of drought status.

By coincidence, last night I was watching a program on the History Channel about the seven new signs of the apocalypse (I guess the old ones weren’t quite good enough) and one of the things they mentioned was drought. I’m not saying our current drought is one of the signs of an impending apocalypse, but you never know ...

Of course they also mentioned fire - of which we’ve seen a lot of lately - famine, and earthquakes. And they made mention of several different figures who could be considered the anti-Christ. Although for some reason Donald Trump was not mentioned. ;-)

But you had to know it got me thinking about the actual seven signs, so I did a little research.

According to the Book of Revelations in the Bible, there are more like 14 signs of the apocalypse, not just seven:

1. Behold a white horse, and he who sat upon him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him; and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.
2. And there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword.
3. And to a black horse: and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hands.
4. Behold a pale horse: and his name that sat upon him was Death, and Hell followed with him.
5. Under the altar the souls that them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: And they cried out with a loud voice.
6. A great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood: and the stars of the heaven fell unto the earth.
7. There was a silence in the heavens about the space of half an hour ...
THEN The seven angels which had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound:
1. The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth; and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all the green grass was burnt up.
2. And the second angel sounded, and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea: and the third part of the sea became blood.
3. And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven, buring as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters.
4. And the fourth angel sounded, and the third part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars: so as the third part of them was darkened, and the day shone not for a third part of it and the night likewise.
5. And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from the heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit ... and there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth.
6. And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God ... and the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand ... the third of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone.
7. In the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to servants the prophets.

I have to point out here, I’m not what one would call religious. And though I enjoy a good prophecy as much as the next person, I don’t put much stock in them. The Book of Revelations has been around since before it was part of the Bible, and it’s all too easy to put your own spin on it. If you look hard enough, you can find a prophecy to fit just about anything.

But it still makes for interesting reading, don’t you think?