The cry “the end is upon us” has waxed and waned throughout Western history. At times it has been intense. People literally sat on the edge of their seats waiting for the end to come. In other periods of time, only the eccentrics and people on the religious fringe paid any attention to the notion of the world coming to an end. Such was the pattern of apocalyptic beliefs from the early Christian era to modern times, namely one of advance and decline. Still, apocalyptic